Damn Academy - Chapter 190

[Episode 190] Backstage Maneuvers (6)

As Olivia walked with me through the campus gardens, she asked me several times in disbelief.

“Dance?”

“Yes.”

She mimicked dancing motions into the air.

“Are you talking about that kind of dance?”

It seemed she hadn’t anticipated a request from me to teach her how to dance.

“That’s right.”

She then paused, eyes lifted in thought.

“I could teach you… but given my status as an engaged woman, it’s complicated right now.”

“…”

“I could after I’ve made enough money and broken off the engagement to be independent, but by then it’ll probably be too late, won’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Umm… and all I know are dances from the south with fast tempos that involve a lot of shaking. It might be difficult for a man to learn.”

Ah, Olivia is from the south, so there would be a significant cultural difference.

“Then it can’t be helped.”

“But I can’t just let it go. Instead of teaching you myself… I can introduce you to someone. There’s someone here who’s very traditional.”

“Would they be willing to take the time to help?”

“Of course. They’re a close friend of mine, and if I ask, they’ll help you out. They might even be interested in you.”

“If that’s the case, may I ask for your help?”

Olivia confidently replied,
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“Just wait and see, all tied up with worry. You might even be surprised. She’s really, really pretty. Even I melt a little inside when I see her.”

Despite some reservations about her words, I decided to wait and trust her.

In the midst of this, Olivia suddenly cried out in a startled voice.

“Kyaa!”

“…?”

There in the bushes where her gaze landed was Luna’s wolf spirit, sitting alone. With its ears perked and round eyes, it looked friendly as it panted happily with its tongue out.

Whether it was Luna’s spirit or mine, I was aware they roamed the vast campus of Eternia freely. Still, encountering them so frequently lately felt strange. Could something be happening to Luna?

***

After rehearsal, Trisha returned late to the dressing room to study her script. In the costume room, wooden trunks labeled with the members’ names were lined up.

Standing in front of her trunk, she undressed and took out her everyday clothes.

With a tired face, she put on her socks and skirt, and as she reached for her top, something fell out.

It was a neatly folded piece of brown parchment.

She didn’t remember folding and placing any note in her trunk or pocket.

As it was the women’s dressing room, it was likely to be a senior or a close friend.

She slowly unfolded the note.
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It was filled with sharply scrawled mockery.

[What gives you the right to be so high and mighty?]

There was another note inside the trunk.

Unfolding it revealed a similar sentence.

[You and Damian don’t match at all. Stop clinging and get lost.]

[Dumb girl.]

“…”

It was a malicious message, seemingly jealous of her relationship with Damian. There was no indication of who wrote it.

Her lips trembled, and the tip of her nose stung, but she held back the tears.

This wasn’t the first time. Someone had secretly placed notes in her pockets before.

Someone in the theater club hated her, but no one openly disliked her. Someone was wearing a smiling mask while engaging in dirty tactics.

Who could have put it there? A close senior? A peer competing for the lead role? A friend?

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She briefly considered the fair-haired spirit mage, but Trisha shook her head. Even if she shared Damian with Luna, Luna wasn’t the type to stoop to such filth.

Trisha finished dressing and stepped out of the dressing room.

In front of the now-empty stage, a table for the director and writer was still set up, and Luna was left alone, lighting an oil lamp and reading a book.

Trisha strode towards the exit.

Luna watched her with a sly look, and Trisha, bothered by those rolling eyes, stopped and turned around to shout.

“Hey! Blondie!!”

“…”

“Why do you keep staring!”

Luna, unchanging in expression, blinked her cat-like eyes and returned her gaze to her book without responding.

***

After finishing my duties and training, I returned to the Thorn Garden dormitory. As I was unbuttoning my sweat-soaked shirt, I felt a presence and turned around.

As expected, Trisha was sprawled on my bed as if it were her own room.

“I need to change. Get out.”

She didn’t move or acknowledge my request, just lay there staring blankly at the ceiling.

She was unusually quiet.

Something about her mood felt off from the usual.

“Trisha.”

Since hearing that Trisha’s name had been written on the adaptation assessment, I somehow felt more tender towards her.
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Especially when she seemed more subdued than usual.

“Yeah.”

“Is anyone at the academy treating you poorly?”

Trisha kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling and remained silent for a moment before speaking.

“No. Why do you ask?”

“When I see you carrying heavy loads alone, I can’t help but wonder.”

“I have no problems with the theater club. Even if there are, I, being pretty and kind, have to endure.”

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“Endurance isn’t always the right approach.”

“What would you do if there really was someone bullying me?”

“I’d have to half-kill the bastard and then pull you out of the theater club and into the art club.”

Trisha was quiet, then lifted the blanket slightly to cover half of her face. She glanced sideways at me and said,

“Idiot. Then what? I’m doing so well in the theater club!”

I exaggerated a bit to cheer Trisha up, but my sincerity was mixed in too.

Even if she was being bullied, I couldn’t take action right away, but I wanted her to know she had my support.

“If there’s no problem, then that’s good.”

“Yeah!”

Trisha kicked off the blanket and jumped off the bed.

“I’m going up to sleep! Damian, you get some good rest too!”

Then she left the room and ascended the stairs with enough noise that it echoed down.

She had returned to her lively self, but I still couldn’t shake off a sense of unease.

***
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As the Eternia clock tower bell rang, Olivia waited beneath it, looking around.

“Is it not time yet?”

Beside her, a girl awkwardly clutching a textbook of elemental magic said,

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“Sister, this can be a bit troublesome.”

“Just a moment.”

“How am I supposed to teach dance to someone I don’t even know?”
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Olivia stubbornly held onto the girl.

“Just wait and see. You can decide after you meet.”

“Sorry, sister, I need to go prepare for class.”

“Wait, Lilith!”

Olivia grabbed Lilith’s arm to stop her from escaping.

“Why are you so different now? You used to at least be kind and considerate.”

“I’m not like that anymore.”

“Just do it for me this one time. You won’t regret it.”

“You know I don’t dance with strangers. And… at least tell me who it is.”

Olivia clamped her mouth shut and shook her head, her persistence evident. Lilith’s patience was wearing thin.

“Sister!”

Just as Lilith was about to issue an ultimatum, Olivia shouted, looking at someone approaching.

“Over here, here!”

Waving her hand in greeting, an all-too-familiar silhouette walked towards them.

Seeing who it was, Lilith clammed up, speechless at the unexpected figure.

Olivia introduced Damian to Lilith.

“This is Damian, and this is Lilith, my close junior.”

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Despite the introduction, the two just looked at each other, frozen.

Especially Lilith, who turned pale as if having seen someone she shouldn’t.

“Lilith?”

When Olivia nudged her, Lilith snapped out of her daze, dropped her book, and called out his name as if to confirm it.

“Damian. Damian.”
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Olivia looked puzzled at their awkward interaction.

“Do you two know each other?”

Then Damian spoke up.

“She’s my fellow art club junior.”

“Oh? So you two must know each other well?”

“No. In fact, we never had the opportunity to become close. This is the first time we’re having a conversation.”

It was the same in Lilith’s memory. Damian had always been silent around her, and she never felt the need to add more.

She directly asked Damian.

“You’re… learning to dance?”

Damian paused, his expression inscrutable, then finally spoke.

“Yes.”

Without realizing, Lilith gripped her textbook tightly and stated firmly.

“Then, after you finish your duties, come to the clock tower at seven in the evening.”

Without any further discussion, she turned sharply and left.