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“HEY, Kirara. Do you remember any of the dance steps I taught you when we were little?”
“Hwha? Ah...dance steps. Oh yeah. Maybe? I’m not sure.”
We had just finished dinner and were having salted rice cakes for dessert. Kirara chewed hers thoughtfully as she tilted her head. However, there was no confidence in her words.
When Kirara was a little girl and dreamed of being a princess, I would teach her simple dance steps. It was just for fun, but she seemed to enjoy it. Thinking back on those times made me realize I really had been harsh with Aritomo in comparison. I felt awful about it.
I had hoped that if Kirara remembered, she could help me practice the guy part, but that didn’t seem possible.
That’s too bad, I thought, tilting my head. All of a sudden, someone tapped me on the shoulder.
“What is it, Haruto?”
“I remember.”
That was quite a shock.
Sure, I had taught him as well as Kirara, but it was more of a game for us. Still, it made me happy to hear that he remembered. He showed me the holding pose. His form was quite good.
“But what I need to practice is the guy part.”
“Come again?”
“Huh? What do you mean? Why?”
The two of them leaped on my response with rapt interest, but I didn’t see it as that big of a deal.
“I’m going to be dancing with a friend,” I responded.
“Ohh,” Kirara said flatly, and her attention drifted instead to an idol on the TV.
Haruto, however, looked unhappy.
“Are you...gonna be dancing with that Tsukuyomi friend of yours?”
Another surprise from Haruto. Come to think of it, he met her once. Still, did it really matter if I was?
“That’s right. What if I am?” I asked, trying to add a hint of mystery.
“No...never mind,” he responded, something lingering unsaid just beyond his words.
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IN the end, Lady Chouko and I weren’t able to have our dance.
“It was Saku’s decision to tell Mitsuru,” Shimozuru said in frustration, scratching his head apologetically. “Mitsuru said that as long as it’s only you two, it won’t get around. So just make sure not to tell anyone else. Not like I would have expected him to admit he was wrong,” he grumbled.
I understood then that Lady Chouko had been told to stay away, but was it really okay for Shimozuru to be here?
“Yeah, he said I could help out as Aritomo’s partner,” he said when I asked him.
We did need partners.
Summer break was well underway, so we practiced in the dance studio from the morning onward. Shimozuru was filling us in as we were doing our calisthenics.
He was clearly ready to fulfill his partner duties, showing up that day in a neat white shirt and black pants. It was an oddly appropriate complement to Aritomo’s loud pink jersey that would make anyone’s eyes sting.
Meanwhile, I was wearing a long, slightly worn cotton dress, but I figured it would be fine for dance practice.
“Aw, just you, Oboro? Then who will be Urara’s partner?”
Good point. Our teacher would be coming for one hour each day for the next week in the afternoons, but...
“...You don’t want to know...” He glanced my way with a guilty look in his eyes.
At that moment, a stern voice spoke up from by the door.
“I will handle that task.”
I recognized that voice and turned to see it was indeed Shinmyou. He looked a bit mysterious with his black shirt and black pants, an ensemble that gave him a sense of allure.
“I am your advisor, after all.”
“Hmph. You are our advisor...but I still don’t know if I trust you,” Aritomo said, her words accusatory.
“It doesn’t matter if you trust me or not. You still require a partner.”
That first part was directed at Aritomo, the latter part at me. With that, he held out his left hand. It was difficult for me to accept it without hesitation.
After all, I still hadn’t forgotten the pain that left hand had caused. However, thinking about how Lady Chouko and Mochizuki had punished him for it, I couldn’t just balk at his offer, either.
After giving it some thought, I took a step forward and faced him.
“Honestly, you haven’t done a very good job earning my trust. But if we’re to be partners, I do need to be able to put my faith in you. So...can you rebuild my trust?” I asked, offering my right hand.
Shinmyou wrinkled his brow for a moment before returning to his normal, cold expression and offering me his right hand instead.
“At the very least, I believe we can reach an understanding as dance partners. ...Let’s work hard together.”
His words didn’t seem very sincere. I accepted them just the same, but even so, I was feeling skeptical.
After learning the basic steps, we took advantage of the fact that we had partners and got straight to actual practice. I split my time on practicing and keeping an eye on Aritomo, as she was as reckless as ever. Still, I didn’t want to stumble into the same rut as last time.
“Please try to remember your posture while you’re performing each step.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I watched her but tried to minimize my comments. Getting the posture right was more important than the steps. We practiced the steps over and over in triple time. After a while, Aritomo’s arms and shoulders started to droop.
“Doesn’t instill confidence, does it?” Shinmyou commented in a prickly tone.
“I disagree,” I insisted. “Shimozuru supports her very well. And they both look like they are enjoying themselves.”
“...Pretty sure this is supposed to be a competition, not a dance in the park,” Shinmyou shot back.
“All the more reason.”
The two of them chatted happily, seemingly having a good time practicing.
The point of this contest wasn’t dancing as a competitive sport. I was sure that even someone with a discerning eye like our judge, Mochizuki, would prefer we made the dancing look easy over the minute details of each step.
I brought up the time with Mikazuki with a laugh, and immediately, Shinmyou got a sour look on his face.
“...You really have a way of annoying me,” he grumbled.
Oh, well, I hadn’t intended to. After all, I have my own reservations about you as well. I was beginning to regret having him as a partner, as it seemed unlikely he would win back my trust.
At that moment, Shinmyou offered me his right hand. “Would you do me the honor of this dance?” he asked, trying in his own way to lighten the mood. I had been so preoccupied looking after Aritomo that I hadn’t had a chance to dance with him yet.
He certainly came across as someone who knew how to escort a lady. According to Aritomo, Shinmyou was the sexy love interest, so I could see how he made the otome gamers swoon with lines like this.
“Yes. I look forward to dancing with you.” I accepted his hand without hesitation. He, however, seemed perplexed by my open acceptance. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll try something again?” he asked.
Compared with the things I got into in my past life, things that could result in my being cut down with a sword, there was little here that frightened me.
“The only thing I fear you could do to me here is step on my feet,” I responded honestly. “And that isn’t much to fear at all. So no, I’m not afraid.”
His narrowed eyes opened wide, and he bent over, holding his stomach as he laughed.
“Ah...right. Sorry to have asked. I’ll do my best not to step on your feet,” he said, pulling me into his arms.
The cold attitude Shinmyou had toward me up to that day seemed to have relaxed a bit, and it made me wonder if he had really undergone a change of heart in such a short time.
“Spin like a mummy...,” I thought I heard Shimozuru saying under his breath behind me, but I elected instead to focus on my own practice.
“Urara...you’re incredible...” Aritomo said in awe.
“Yeah. You’re really good,” Shimozuru agreed. “Like a pro.”
We were supposed to only be practicing our steps, but with my partner taking the lead, the steps flowed more and more naturally.
“It’s because Shinmyou is such a good leader,” I said.
In ballroom dancing, the male lead could make or break a dance, so if it seemed as though I was doing a good job, it was actually a reflection of Shinmyou’s skill. Actually, dancing with him was quite a pleasure. No wonder he was the love interest with the most sex appeal.