The Perfect Knight and the Illusionist (BL)

LEO

Just as I got food on my plate and looked around to find a place to sit, my eyes searching for my friends, Thomas came up from behind and said,

"Let’s have dinner together, Leo."

"Sure," I said.

Thomas had acted a bit strange the last time we talked, but today he looked cheerful and normal, as if he had forgotten all about that. I didn’t particularly hold a grudge either, and I’d been wanting to make up with him, so I was glad that he asked.

I then noticed he was with Isabelle. Then Beatrice and Janice, on the far side of the dining hall, waved at us.

"Let’s go sit with them," Thomas said, and Isabelle and I followed.

As I did, I saw Mario sitting with Dimitri, Alexis, and Briant. It wasn’t so much that I wanted to sit with them instead, but realizing that it had been a while since we all sat and had dinner together, I suddenly missed those days.

Nevertheless, I liked Beatrice and Janice too, and of course Isabelle and Thomas—my first friends at the Academy, although the last time the three of us met, things were a bit... weird.

But it looked like it was all going to be okay now.

As soon as we sat, though, Janice complained,

"You guys won’t believe what happened at the choir today."

"Oh? What happened?" Isabelle asked.

"Janice, don’t talk behind people’s—" Beatrice was going to intervene, but she was the one who got cut off instead.

"He gave us—the choir—a SONG LIST," Janice said, outraged.

"A song list? What’s wrong with that?" I asked.

"It’s a list of songs that we must sing at the choir," Janice explained.

"Isn’t that a good thing?" I asked.

"No, Leo," Janice shook her head and said. "The problem is we MUST sing the songs he chose for us."

"Janice, those aren’t Marius’s choices. He was simply delivering the notice from the student council, I’m sure," Beatrice tried to calm her down.

"But carrying it to us and announcing it meant he agreed to it. I can’t believe Marius did that. I expected better from him," Janice still fumed.

While Beatrice was trying to explain to Janice that this really wasn’t Marius’s fault and shouldn’t reflect on his character, I noticed that Isabelle and Thomas were looking at me as if they were expecting me to say something.

I felt nervous, but I knew then, remembering his smile when he made a surprise visit to the art room—I couldn’t let Mario be misunderstood like this.

"Mario is a good guy," I said.

"I used to think so too," Janice said. Much calmer now, but disappointed.

"He still is. Even today, he came to help me without me even asking. And he’s been good to me on many other occasions too..."

"Everyone—let’s just drop this topic. I really don’t think it’s good to talk about anyone behind their back," Beatrice said, gently engulfing Janice’s hand on the table with her own.

"He has been acting strange recently, for sure, though," Thomas suddenly said.

"I know, right?" The flames in Janice’s eyes were reignited.

"Please, stop," Beatrice said, pleading this time.

"Beatrice," Isabelle spoke up.

We all looked at her.

"I don’t think anyone’s trying to bad-mouth Marius. But I also feel that something has gone astray with him lately. I still don’t think badly of him. I’m more worried about him," Isabelle said.

"That... makes more sense," Janice admitted.

I didn’t quite see what had gone ’wrong’ with Mario, but I was at least glad that he wasn’t being blamed now.

"That observation may be correct," Beatrice said too.

"Maybe that creep is getting to Marius’s head too," Thomas blurted out.

I glared at him, and Isabelle pinched his arm once and said, "Thomas, stop."

Thomas then sighed, got up from his seat—with his food not even half-finished—and headed toward the tray return counter.

"What’s wrong with him?" Janice asked Isabelle.

"He’s just being childish," Isabelle groaned.

"You are unusually harsh with him," Beatrice observed.

Stuck among three girls, who were first chatting about Mario and now about Thomas, I felt rather out of place.

Then I felt someone suddenly ruffle my hair from behind.

"Eh?"

I looked up to see that it was Blanche, who greeted me with—

"What’s up, Cheese Boy? You are popular with the ladies, huh?"

Janice let out a short burst of laughter and said,

"Cheese Boy! How did you get THAT nickname?!"

"It’s... a long story," I said, my voice shrinking.

"Thank you for your approval earlier," Beatrice got up from her seat and gave a polite bow to Blanche.

"It wasn’t for you," Blanche said, uninterested.

"Isabelle, this is Blanche, the head of the art club who helpfully agreed to make the props and backdrops for us," Beatrice ignored the thorn in Blanche’s voice and introduced her to Isabelle instead.

"Oh, really? Thank you very much," Isabelle got up from her seat to bow to Blanche as well.

"Tsk. It’s not like I wanted to help. No need to thank me," Blanche said, looking away.

I thought it was my chance to say good things about Mario now.

"You know what, everyone—Mario was so nice to Blanche that she agreed to hold an exhibition too," I said proudly.

"That’s not how it went—" Blanche was trying to explain, but got cut off by Janice saying,

"Really? What did he demand this time?"

Blanche then looked at Janice, squinted her eyes, and said,

"We don’t take anyone’s demands. The art club will decide everything at our own discretion."

"How—wha—?"

Janice was completely puzzled.

Isabelle and Beatrice exchanged a look, with Isabelle’s face in particular saying, I told you Mario was being weird.

"And like I said, he came to the art room to help me draw as well," I didn’t miss my chance to add another point for Mario.

Janice still looked confused, Beatrice and Isabelle said nothing, and Blanche, seemingly losing interest, found Liesel at another table and walked away to join her.

It seems so many people don’t get you, Mario.

But I’ll speak up for you, so don’t worry.

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