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“Laura, I really like you.”
‘Ok that one wasn’t bad’ Rean thought. He was currently up past curfew in his dorm room, thinking of how he could confess to Laura. He had stared to develop feelings for her around when their first field study ended. Funnily enough, they hadn’t been in a group together since. There’s no doubt Rean would like her even more if they went on the past 2 field studies together. He hoped Laura shared the same sentiment. They did spend quite a bit of time together, out of and inside school. Each of them was the others go to sparing partner, all around they were close friends. It wouldn’t be too far fetched to think Laura harbored the same feelings. Well he hoped so at least. Hearing the clock tick, he realized how late it was getting.
“That’s enough practicing in the mirror, time to go to bed.”
Waking up early, Laura went over to the gymnasium. She would practice with her sword, then attend her swimming club. It was a free day, so she devoted her time to improving. If he happened to stop by, maybe she would spend some time with Rean too.
‘Why do I find myself looking forward to his visits now ?’ the Arseid thought. Deciding not to ponder on what that implies, she exited the dorm. While exiting, she heard the sound of someone else leaving their room on the second floor. After wondering who else would be up this early, she heard a voice call out to her.
“Oh, morning Laura.” This voice belonged to Rean, the boy she was just trying not to think about for too long. Suppressing a blush, Laura returned the greeting.
“I see you’ve woken up early as well. I assume you’re going to get some training done?”
“Yeah that’d be correct, and the same is probably true for you. I also have some student council tasks to get done like I do every free day.” Rean responded, looking a bit distracted. ‘ Thinking back on it practicing confessions in a mirror is very corny. I can’t look at her without being embarrassed right now.’ As Rean was having an inner monologue about his embarrassing night, Laura was having her own.
‘ How am I supposed to look at him when I was just questioning why I look forward to seeing him so much? I admit spending time with him does sound pleasant but- wait what was that?’ Luckily, the pair reached the door of the dorm by that point. They were both trying their hardest not to blush and were close to failing. Rean planned on saying goodbye and picking up his tasks from the student council, but he thought of another idea and said it before fully processing it.
“I don’t think either of us have eaten yet, wanna head over to Kirsche’s and grab some breakfast? I’ll be paying so you don’t have to worry about that.” ‘Why did I invite her out without thinking first? What if she reads into it and thinks I’m asking her on a date?’
While Rean was tormenting himself inside, Laura accepted the invitation. “I accept the offer, it sounds like a nice time.” Luckily Rean wasn’t so deep in though that he couldn’t hear this, so he started heading in the direction of the cafe.
“Well then, let’s be off.” As the pair arrived, they gave a greeting to the owner and ordered food. They found a table in the corner to sit at while engaging in some small talk. The embarrassment had started to settle down, and soon the two swordsman were talking like normal.
“So what were you planning for today Rean?” Laura asked. She wanted to plan accordingly if they were to spar later, seeing when she should stop her morning training to get enough swimming in.
“As always I’ll be slaving away in the position instructor Sara practically forced on me. It’s not as bad as it seems though, I actually like it a lot. I’ll see if I can stop by later and maybe we can train together.” Rean answered with what had been his routine for every free day since enrolling, thanks to instructor Sara. He didn’t mind it anymore though, he felt connected to Trista and it’s people. In the end, he’d probably thank Sara for putting him in that position.
“Yes, I’ll make the time for training with you, it sounds fun. As another follower of the sword, training with you gives me far more than it does with anyone else.”
“I can definitely agree with that. You have an understanding of me greater than any of the other members of class VII I believe.” With this exchange, some is the embarrassment from earlier was starting to return. Rean cursed himself for saying things like that without thinking it through, but it seemed Laura didn’t see it as corny or anything of the sort.
The pair finished their breakfast and parted ways. Rean went to pick up his tasks from the student council, and Laura went towards the campus training grounds. After some practice with the Arseid style, she took a break in order to swim. She had always been fond of swimming, growing up in a town surrounded by water. It was a perfect way to clear her thoughts. She figured now was as good a time as any to sort her thoughts about Rean. What exactly did she think of him? He was certainly a great friend no doubt about that, but did she harbor more intense feelings for him?
‘I certainly do think about him somewhat often, but I usually try to change what I’m thinking of when that happens. Maybe I shouldn’t avoid it any longer.’ With the sound of the water splashing calming her, she started to process what she thought about Rean.
‘He’s definitely a reliable person, and I can see myself wanting to spend more time with him. I even hope in the future we’re still acquainted. Spending time with him sometimes leaves me flustered, but in an enjoyable way. He said it himself, we have a better understanding of each other than the rest of class VII. Admittedly he’s also quite attractive. I suppose there’s no avoiding it. I like him. No, I’ve liked him for a while now. I just never thought about it before.’ With a blush forming on her cheeks, she exited the water and got changed back into her school outfit. She would be sparring with Rean soon, so she wanted to be prepared. While still a little flustered over her previous realization, she started practicing with her sword to empty her mind and return to peak fighting condition. Shortly after, Rean arrived.
“Hey Laura, is now a good time for training?” Right after finishing his tasks from Towa along with some around the town, he went straight to the training grounds. He knew Laura would say it’s a good time to train, with her being Laura and all, but Rean figured he should still ask. He has a plan after all.
“Yes, now would work excellently. Should we go about it as usual?” Laura got herself into a fighting ready position, but it seemed Rean still had some things he wanted to say.
“The fighting will be normal, but how about we change things up a little. The winner gets one request from the other person. Have to add a little extra motivation every now and then right?” Pondering what Rean could be planning, she deciding to agree. Rean isn’t the type to have an odd ulterior motive like that Crow friend of his.
“Very well, I agree to those conditions. Shall we begin?”
“Ready when you are.” Rean unsheathed his Tachi, and got into position. The battle started, each being wary of each others movements. Laura decided to go for the first attack, an overhead swing. Rean parried, and launched a quick counter attack. It didn’t quite hit its mark, but made Laura retreat. He got into a defensive position, knowing he’ll be overpowered if he goes in recklessly. Laura knew what he was up to, using stances more equipped for counter attacks. It wasn’t a bad strategy. Laura decided to attack again, but this time she knew a counter would follow quickly. She leaped forward and swung her sword sideways, and as expected Rean parried. Once Laura landed, she quickly stepped to the side to avoid the incoming attack. Once she was out of the way, she then attacked Rean again and he fell to the floor. The match was Laura’s victory, giving her one more win than Rean had against her.
“It seems this match goes to me Rean. You fought well.” Laura offered her hand to help him up, and he accepted.
“Yeah I admit, you have me beat. So what it is you’ll request from me now?” Hearing his voice, Laura noticed he seemed disappointed. He likely planned his request before arriving at the training hall. Decided to investigate, she knew what her request would be.
“I’d like you to tell me why you seem disappointed at this loss. More so than a typical one. Does it have to do with your request perhaps?” This got a response out of Rean, so Laura knew she was right.
‘She sees right through me huh. I guess now’s as good a time as any to tell her the truth.’ After getting ready mentally, Rean had steeled his resolve.
“To be honest, my request would have been a date.” Hearing this surprised Laura, and caused an intense blush to form. “A formal one, not like breakfast this morning. I’ve liked you for a while now, and thought confessing after sparring would be appropriate.” With an equally intense shade of red forming on Rean’s face, he continued. “I really like you Laura, and if you don’t feel the same way then we can forget this happened-“
“I do. I like you too, Rean.” After cutting him off, she carried on, far past the point of no return. “I’ve liked you for a while now, but only realized I did recently. You never fail to make me smile, and I value the time we spend together a lot. I look forward to spending time with you more in the future. Assuming it’s alright with you, I’d like to start a relationship.” Her face turning bright pink at what she had just said, Laura turned to the ground.
“I would love to start a relationship with you Laura. Nothing would make me happier.” Deciding the moment was right, Rean closed the distance between them and put his arms around Laura. After the initial surprise, Laura returned the gesture. Luckily nobody was around to see, they wanted it to be their moment for now. Tough times would lie ahead based on how things are in Erebonia, but for now they could just enjoy the warmth of one another’s arms.
“I love you Laura.”
“I love you too Rean.”