Chapter 26: Peiya’s Strange Rules
“Huh? Huh??”
Peiya’s brain froze on the spot. Her mind tried to process what just happened.
But no matter how much she tried, her thoughts were just a blank fog.
Even moving her stiff fingers felt difficult.
It wasn’t that she wanted to be like this.
When it came to academic knowledge, she was an expert. But this kind of situation… she had never faced it before!
It was like a rusty machine forcing itself to run, making sharp error sounds.
Only after a few seconds did she finally react.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I’m serious.”
Elise answered directly without hesitation.
Huh?
W-what kind of situation is this?
You admitted it already, what am I supposed to say now?!
This is definitely not the train to the academy, I want to get off!
But Elise had already “locked the door,” and Peiya’s struggle only made Elise hold her hand tighter.
It wasn’t because she wanted to enjoy holding Peiya’s soft hand.
She was just worried that if she suddenly let go, Peiya might fall.
Seeing how unsteady Peiya looked, she didn’t dare take the risk.
So she could only hold on tighter.
“I… did I really say that?”
Finally calming down a little, Peiya tried to brush the question aside, just like when she wrote academic papers.
When she couldn’t figure out a condition, she would simply write, ‘Based on the given conditions…’
Whether it actually made sense or not, who knew?
She would leave it to the teacher to figure out.
After all, her job was just to reach a conclusion. The teacher had to think about everything else.
If the teacher didn’t read carefully, she could usually pass.
She often used this trick on long and complicated proof questions.
She even believed that if the question was too strange, it must be the teacher’s fault.
But now, facing Elise’s question, she suddenly felt unsure.
Maybe because… this time, it wouldn’t be easy to get away with it.
“Yes, you did. I heard it clearly. Do you want me to repeat it?”
Elise spoke seriously, as if she really would repeat everything.
This move was too dangerous. Peiya had no way to defend herself and quickly waved her hands.
“N-no, please don’t. Absolutely not.”
She had already embarrassed herself enough. There was no way she would let it happen again.
What did Elise think she was Anna?
“Then what do you want me to do?”
“I want you to let go of my hand. You’ve been holding it for a while now.”
“But if I don’t hold you, wouldn’t you fall just now?”
Elise pointed at Peiya, who still looked a bit unsteady.
She remembered that last time when she helped Peiya with her hair, it was similar.
Peiya could talk confidently, but once touched, she became quiet.
Was her body more honest than her words?
Or was she just very sensitive physically?
Elise didn’t fully understand the idea of “sensitivity.” She had tried holding her own hand before, and it felt completely normal.
But when Peiya touched her hand, she became nervous, her heartbeat even sped up.
So maybe “sensitivity” alone couldn’t explain it.
Or maybe, because she was focused on not letting Peiya fall, she ignored her own feelings?
Then, if she cared even more about Peiya, could she overcome her social discomfort?
Hearing Elise say this, Peiya froze.
At first, she thought Elise was teasing her.
But when she realized Elise was worried about her falling, her heart softened.
So that was the reason…
Elise really is such a good person!
Peiya silently gave Elise a “good person” label in her mind and spoke seriously.
“Sorry, I was too careless. I apologize. And thank you, otherwise, I might have fallen.”
Now that she had regained her balance, she didn’t need Elise to hold her anymore.
“Did you dislike that just now?”
Elise noticed a small hint of disappointment on Peiya’s face. Since she had decided to care more about her, she wanted to ask clearly.
“It’s not that I disliked it. How could I dislike you? And your intention was good. If anything, I was the one being narrow-minded, right?”
“Then… you were just shy? Afraid your true feelings would be seen, so you used a lot of words to hide them?”
Elise looked at Peiya curiously, like a small animal trying to understand something new.
She didn’t notice at all that she had just said something quite shocking.
Hearing Elise’s words, Peiya froze on the spot. It felt like in a game when you say one sentence and instantly get exposed.
“How is that possible? There’s no way I would be shy. I was just too focused on studying, so I got a bit nervous. And I’m not talking about you, I’m talking about myself. Yes, myself.”
“But usually, a double denial is just another way of admitting it, right?”
Elise blinked, her emerald-green eyes clear and calm.
That simple sentence, without any decoration, was like a sharp blade that completely broke the wall Peiya had just built with great effort.
This was basically a direct accusation!
How could she be shy?
She was a support class, how could a support be shy?
So, she was definitely not shy.
The logic was clear, the answer was perfect. No objections allowed!
The more someone argued, the more it proved she was right.
“I see. Then I understand now.”
Huh?
Peiya suddenly felt uneasy. From what she knew, Elise wasn’t much better than her at social skills, so she had a bad feeling Elise had come to some strange conclusion.
And probably a very wrong one!
She had to ask quickly and stop it before it got worse!
“Y-you… what do you understand?”
“I think Miss Peiya is kind-hearted and not shy at all. So actually… you were acting cute.”
“What kind of strange logic is that?! Why does ‘not shy’ mean I’m acting cute? I don’t do that at all!”
“Mm, you really don’t… but…”
“There is no ‘but’! The truth is I don’t do that at all. Compared to that, I think limited time should be used for studying. For example, I really like this document.”
“Then what about the meal you just mentioned?”
Elise repeated Peiya’s own words.
She had noticed something strange. If you actively got close to Peiya, she would avoid you.
But if you ignored her, somehow she would end up walking ahead of you.
After spending a few days together, Elise felt she had figured out some “rules” for dealing with Peiya.
First, don’t fully believe what she says. If you ignore her, she will argue with herself. Or you can just understand her words in the opposite way.
Second, she is a very capable support and scholar. She is thoughtful, but that also means… she might be quite innocent?
Maybe she has never been in a relationship?
Elise felt she wasn’t really in a position to judge, she herself had always been alone.
Third, her body is very sensitive, and she tends to resist strongly. So in some situations, don’t try to persuade her with words. Just act directly, because she can’t handle it.
For now, Elise had only found these three points, but they were already very useful.
For example, right now, looking at Peiya who was almost arguing herself into a corner, Elise smiled slightly.
“Let’s go eat first. You don’t need to explain all this to me. I don’t mind. As long as you believe what you say, I’ll accept it.”
Accept what exactly?
That her body was super sensitive and reacted strongly to touch?
That she liked acting cute?
Or that she liked being cared for?
Did any of those even apply to her?
Completely wrong.
If any of it was true, then it must be the Witch’s Heart causing trouble!
Before, she only needed to read and study. But now that she had become a girl, why was everything so complicated?
And she noticed something else, her emotions kept changing throughout the day.
After eating, she felt happy. But if she ate something cold, her stomach would hurt for a long time.
Her mood would also get worse. Before, she would eat anything without caring, but now her taste had become picky.
If the food was bad, she simply couldn’t swallow it.
But then again, why did she act so calm when facing President Maya and the others?
It felt just like before…
Was she going crazy?
Peiya couldn’t figure it out. She looked at Elise and decided to ask directly.
“Elise, what kind of relationship do you think we have now?”
“Friends. Do you want some? Strawberry cookies.”
Elise handed her a cookie with jam on it. Peiya hesitated for a moment, then took it.
“I’ll eat… mm… yeah, it tastes good. Since we’re friends, can I ask you something?”
“Of course. You can ask me anything.”
“Thank you…” Peiya nodded and gathered her thoughts.
“My question is simple, so don’t be nervous. I mean… if one day, just if, if I’m no longer a support, or if I lose my abilities… would you stop being my friend?”
Even if it was only a small possibility, it felt like a little monster in her heart, like a nightmare.
She needed to know the answer.
She really didn’t want to experience being abandoned like a stray dog again.
Elise looked at the clouds in the distance, remembering the cold looks she received three years ago. Then she looked back at Peiya.
“I wouldn’t.”
“Y-you’re that sure?”
“Yes. Three years ago, you didn’t abandon me. So I won’t lose you either. I promise.”