“Maaaan. I bet sis is playing with the cats right about now...” William muttered as he slumped over his desk. The cool surface felt lovely on his face, which was burning up after exercising all morning.
In total contrast with the utterly exhausted William, George was simply nodding along with a perfectly unflappable expression. “I bet. Joshua’s had to take today off for Joshua reasons, and the prince and Lord Arthur have been so busy, we barely get to see them anymore.”
“I really never realized how peaceful school could be without sis around... I’m shocked.”
Emma was doing just fine, but their mother had been worried about her since the incident, so she’d kept Emma home ever since.
It had been about a week since the brothers had had the Loafcraftian experience of seeing the almost forty-year-old Minato in her school uniform. While they’d heard plenty of rumors about Lady Juana since then, she hadn’t come in contact with them even once after that. Things were pretty smooth sailing for George and William at school.
Rather, it was a shockingly uneventful week. No weirdos flocked around them, no bugs fell from the skies, no crazy mayhem whatsoever.
“I mean, we call it peaceful, but I think this is supposed to be normal...” George was starting to think it was pretty boring, which meant Emma’s corruption had finally gotten to him.
“I’m not all that worried since sis is good with her studies and stuff, but still...” William sighed and looked around. The brothers had just finished Hunting Techniques and had moved on to their Monster Studies classroom. The girls hadn’t yet arrived from their Embroidery class, which explained why the class was so quiet despite being over halfway full.
Up until a few days ago, people had been constantly coming to the brothers to ask about Emma, but it seemed like now people were keeping their distance, only stealing glances instead of talking to them. It was pretty obviously suspicious.
William had overheard some rumors when he was in a stall in the bathroom earlier. “So hey, did you hear? People are saying Emma’s so ill that she’s been in and out of consciousness, unable to keep anything down for two whole weeks.” He heaved a giant sigh. Apparently, people thought Emma’s condition was so hopeless that they were now giving the brothers space.
“Uh. What. We’re talking about the same girl who pretended to help our mother make rice balls this morning only to eat them until mother found out and yelled at her, right?” The rice they’d worked so hard to procure was already over halfway gone.
“Yuuup. The same one.”
“I really hope they don’t start bad-mouthing her the second they see her back here and totally fine...” George sighed. It didn’t matter whether Emma was there or not, she was still the source of countless headaches.
Unfortunately, the brothers didn’t realize that the other boys were watching their dismayed display...
“Look over there... Lord George of all people is sighing so miserably...”
“I knew it... The rumors must be true...”
“A boy of Lord William’s age shouldn’t be heaving such heavy sighs...”
“But of course he would... They’re forcing themselves to come to school, even though they desperately wish they could be home with their sister... But they have to be here! Because that’s what she wanted!” The boy with the overactive imagination was on his A game again today.
“Hnkh!”
“It’s so horrible... I feel so awful for them!”
Unfortunately for the brothers, the rumors were showing no sign of slowing down.
Meanwhile, the girl in question was roasting up some of the sweet potatoes she’d originally bought to turn into sweet potato shochu.
“Achoo!”
“Myah?” Kongming meowed to ask Emma if she was okay.
“Hmm? Yeah, I’m okay! I’m not sick or anything. It’s just the powdered sugar I was sifting got up my nose!”
If that powdered sugar knew what was going on at school, it likely would have cried for its innocence in that moment.