When Maria sent a letter to talk to me privately, I was unsure whether or not I would go. I had avoided her as best as I could during my time in the academy, yet she went out of her way to summon me. My heart was pounding in my chest as I walked to the specified location, the small garden behind the academy. It was sunset when I arrived, the sky gave the various flowers in the garden golden hues. Maria was already there, waiting for me. The moment she saw me, she furrowed her brows in anger.
"Tch, there's no doubt about it. You're not from this world, aren't you?" Maria said.
"W-whatever do you mean?"
"That letter I wrote to you, it was in Japanese."
"Huh?" I said, dumbfoundedly. I pulled out the letter that I had neatly folded from my pocket. Indeed, it was written in Japanese. "...Oh, I didn't notice."
"Don't play fool with me!" Maria jabbed her finger. "Margaret from the game was never this kind nor was she supposed to ignore me for so long! We only talked once! And you merely said 'good morning' before vanishing! You're not following the game's script at all!"
Ah, I was exposed. I really didn't want her to notice me, yet I failed. I felt like I just wanted to crouch in a fetal position for the rest of my life, yet Maria continued her onslaught of words.
"Margaret was supposed to be the Villainess! You were supposed to kick me down to the ground when I entered the academy! Insult me in front of everyone during the dance! Shame on me for not having any magic when I was appraised! And yet! You did nothing but flirt with my potential boyfriends all day long!"
I silently took Maria's rant to heart, but, after hearing the last part, I realized. Maria was incredibly mistaken. I had to correct her as soon as I could to avoid further misunderstandings. Shrugging off the embarrassment, I went with my usual confident demeanor that always got me out of tough situations.
"I believe you are mistaken, Maria."
"Mistaken? About what?!"
I strutted up to her and grabbed both of her hands, lifting them. "The only one I'll ever flirt with is you!!" I shouted.
"...Hah?"
Okay, maybe too confident.
I slowly realized what I had just said, and my face gradually turned into a fresh tomato. I wanted to let go of her hands but, it was so warm and soft, I couldn't! I was locked in that position for a few blissful seconds before Maria finally slipped her hand free in a panic.
"W-W-W-What are you--?!" Maria shrieked, scrambling backward. But, she tripped over a rock on the back of her heel and yelped. "--Ah!"
Instincts took over. "Look out!"
I lunged forward and caught her just before she hit the ground. We swayed for a moment, off-balance. Then, I steadied us both.
"Are you okay?" I asked, my voice tight with worry.
Maria, wide-eyed with a beet-red face, nodded with her mouth agape. It was only then did I realized how close our faces were. I quickly let Maria stand up on her own before covering my face with my hands in embarrassment.
"I-I'm sorry! It won't happen again!" I hurriedly tried to get away, but a voice stopped me.
"Wait a sec!" Maria shouted from behind me.
I stopped in my tracks, turning slowly towards her. "W-what is it?"
"...Tell me, what you mean by what you said," Maria asked, her voice quivering.
I didn't want to! Really, really didn't want to, I would die out of embarrassment alone. But, I already said the most important part right in front of her, I had nothing to lose anymore. After a brief, suffocating silence, I explained.
"I... love you... Maria..." My voice was almost a whisper.
"..." Maria stayed silent as if she couldn't hear me, but I knew that she did. "...That's definitely a lie!" She shouted. "You were flirting with Prince Edward every time I see you with him! You talk with the librarian Keith in private all the fricking time! Not to mention you never even talked to me, not even once!!"
Maria's facial expression was that of confusion, anger, and desperation all combined. She was trying her best to refute my claim of love to her, but, I finally let out the words I always wanted to say. I couldn't just let them be called lies.
"I'm not lying!" I stood my ground. "I am in love with you, Maria!"
"W-wha--?" Maria took a step back out of shock. "T-that doesn't explain anything! You still flirted with Prince Edward and Keith!"
"I was not flirting with them!" I urged. "When I woke up in this world, I didn't know where I was. Despite having memories of Margaret, I was always scared to talk to others. Edward and Keith... they helped me learn how to build up my confidence! I only talked to them because they were the ones there! It is only with their help, that I could express what I always wanted to show you... My love for you."
"Khh--!" Maria became more flustered. "N-no, that doesn't mean anything. You barely even know me, why the hell would you fall in love with me?! I tried to rile you up several times, yet you ignored me and ran away every single time! You weren't even trying to talk to me! What the hell was up with that, huh?!"
"I was scared! I didn't know what to say to you, and I couldn't keep my head calm whenever you were around..." My voice trailed off, my mind telling me to stop what I was saying, but I persevered. "I was always watching you. You always assume too much, and always think you can do things by yourself without the need of others. But when you were alone, you were kind and caring, and I know that you were also lonely..."
"..."
"You may think that the only way you could get things to go your way was to act tough and take it from others, but deep down, you don't really want to, right?"
"Stop it..."
"I know who you are, Maria. Your friends, Emilia and Jane, asked me if I could do anything to help you settle into the academy better, and that was when I started observing you. And that was also when... I fell in love with you..."
"--! S-stop saying that already! I get it!!" Maria stormed off, running as fast as she could to get away with me.
"A-ah! Wait!" I reached out to her to no avail. My gaze followed Maria's retreating form as she disappeared around the corner of the garden.
She was still angry, that much was obvious, but some of the tension had left her. We still had a long way to go. But, what was different from before was, I finally had a path to walk on. I could finally talk to Maria.
No more hiding. I'd talk to Maria properly, make her understand things weren't like she thought. Let her know that she wasn't alone. And finally, shower her with my love. For once ever since I woke up in this unfamiliar world, I finally felt like I got a grip on my goals.
