Human

…

A week flew past, and before I knew it, it was already the night of the festival.

Sitting in front of a mirror, I was staring blankly at my beautiful reflection as well as the carefully embroidered velvet mask in my hands.

There was a name adorned onto the mask, "Clare Mont."

That would be my name today. It had a nice ring to it, I guess it's cause us Claremonts are just too awesome, awesome even after breaking apart our name.

I chuckled.

I had pressured Lancera earlier in the day to leave at a different time than I would so that she would be waiting at a specific spot when I arrived.

And she had actually asked me why I arranged it like that!

Stupid Hall brat! Doesn't she know that it's more r-romantic that way?! Who told her to share a dormitory with me? Hmph!

Besides, I wanted to surprise her with something.

Hmph! How insensitive she is! She doesn't deserve my love!

A small smile crept up my lips as I sighed.

I suppose I've been thinking too much about it…

Not that I'm ever gonna admit it!

Throughout this entire week, I haven't been able to focus on anything other than tonight.

The group of fangirls who followed me around noticed that I was often in a daze, not paying attention to the professor's words, and twice almost walking into the wall…

But you can't blame me!

It's all that Hall brat's fault!

All that shameless villainess' fault, I'm telling you! Who told her to ask me to accompany her to a festival?!

D-D-D-Doesn't that sound too much like a d-d-date?!

Urghhhh!

Just thinking about it gets me all jittery.

Thank goodness that the Hall brat didn't reveal our plans for the evening at the very least.

I noticed that people shot her questioning looks as if silently asking if she knew the reason for my abnormal clumsiness since we spent the most time together. But Lancera always smiled innocently in return, as if she didn't get the meaning behind their looks.

The scene almost made me roar with laughter—in an un-lady-like way. But I always restrained myself, allowing an innocent and clueless smile similar to hers to surface.

I wonder what those classmates of ours thought when they saw our expressions?

I think over the past week, my holiness and otherworldly presence had become just a bit more secular, and people began to see me as a human rather than a fairy.

I had expected myself to feel some sort of disappointment or emptiness, but instead, I felt a little relief… and a little liberation?

Hmm, I guess it feels nice to be human too.

Human, heh?

I took a look at the clock, and after confirming the time, I gently put on the crimson mask. This mask was something I had gotten personally tailored for myself, and so it fits perfectly around my face. However, it didn't look too high-end from the outside either, just like something a treasured daughter of a middle-class family would buy after saving up her allowance for a few months.

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Random VA Note: Spare us poor blokes! ;-;

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Taking one last look in the mirror and smoothing over the dress I had specifically prepared for today, I turned away, my braided golden hair swinging behind me.

From this moment on, my name is Clare Mont.