• Disclaimer: this is an “if” story within the work. As such, there are lines and actions that differ from the main story and the book.

As advance information, there was a “special class” after the exam, during which Lelouche and the others were taking an embroidery class. (The special class will start in the second book, so if you’re interested, please wait until August release.)

I played tag with the bugs spread throughout the classroom. By the time I safely released them behind the school building, the bell for class had already rung.

The classroom had already been cleaned by the cleaners. Unfortunately, the afternoon classes were canceled. There was also a proposal to let the cleaners do away with the bugs, but I wanted to respond to my classmates’ kindness.

…After that, everyone in the class treated me very well.

“—If you are bad at it, you shouldn’t even have offered to help.”

“No, I can’t just do that…”

Well, that was how I ended up with some free time. I’d really like to continue practicing my swordsmanship, but… It was difficult to ask Zafield when he looked so pale.

Alright, let’s just take a break in the cafeteria.

At any rate, most of my classmates seemed to have gone out to play.

Lala, in particular, said to me. “Lady Lelouche? Do study hard for the retake exam, okay~?”

How kind of her to encourage me… Seriously.

I was so happy that I instinctively grabbed Lala Fable’s sleeve.

“Please wait a moment, Lala.”

“…Lady Lelouche, by any chance, have you washed your hand?”

“I’ll do it later.”

Hehe, I mean, I’ve just finished catching the bugs? You watched me from afar while grinning, didn’t you?

She immediately tried to escape, only to stop when she saw Zafield. I took that chance to slide my arm around her.

“A-aren’t you getting a little too close?”

“Oh, but aren’t you friendly with Lumiere? That can be us. Of course, I mean, only the two of us.”

Thus, I invited her to the bathroom. Of course, the moment we entered the bathroom, she shook my arm off.

“What do you want?”

“I want to ask you something. The other day, you saw my embroidery and said it looked like a ‘pirate flag,’ right? Have you had anything to do with pirates recently?”

“…From Asatida Coast?”

Lala was always puny when it came to harassment, but she was by no means stupid. She had a firm grasp of the incident that occurred yesterday. After all, she could understand what I was implying with just these words. That the ‘domestic faction’ was involved in the pirate incident.

Hence why she seemed so furious.

“Say another word, and I’ll consider that as an insult to the Fabel family!”

“Hey, Lala, I haven’t said anything yet.”

I chuckled bitterly, and Lala bit her lip before lowering her voice.

“Certainly, when I returned to my parents’ house the other day for break after the exam, I saw some documents with a pirate flag on them. But those were documents brought by a guest for Father. Father chased that guest away, so… the Fable family had nothing to do with this!”

When I asked her about it in detail, it turned out to be just a trivial incident.

She went home after a long time, only to discover her father busy receiving guests. As a greeting, Lala served tea, which she was good at, in place of the maid. At that time, a document placed on the table had a red pirate flag drawn on it. Apparently, it looked very similar to my artistic embroidery.

Shortly after Lala left, she heard her father shout angrily, and the guest fled. Afterward, she casually asked her father, and he explained to her clearly.

“The domestic faction’s ideology is only possible with the people of the entire Kingdom of Lapisenta. I’m not so low that I’d drink with those who treat the people of my country with contempt!”

Even though they were supposedly enemies, it was such a great line that I wanted to applaud it.

Wouldn’t keeping such a touching moment to myself would be such a shame?

“Can you put what you just said into writing?”

“Of course. However… I don’t believe my signature would have any official weight.”

“That’s true. We’re still students, after all.”

“…I’ll write two copies of the same thing. I’ll also need your signature.”

“That’s fine.”

It was written in the bathroom, on whatever paper I had on hand. Of course, such a thing couldn’t have much effect, but how one used it was what mattered the most.

I’ll let Lala experience this for herself after the retake.

Before then, though, I’d make sure to tidy up my things properly.

But for now, my break.

Zafield was patiently waiting for me in front of the bathroom.

“Well, aren’t you a dapper gentleman.”

After parting ways with Lala, I tried to make that sarcastic remark in the cafeteria, but Zafield wouldn’t entertain me.

“Hey, Lelouche. What was that just now?”

“Hehe. It seems that Lala and Lumiere are friends. I was just trying to deepen our friendship by peeing together or something.”

Don’t commoner men usually phrase it like that?

After imitating that (nobody else was around), I drank the cold Darjeeling tea that was served for me. After that, well, there was only a minor incident.

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