“I’m Emi.”
After briefly greeting the friends surrounding me, I hurried over to him. They seemed like they had more to say, but time was really running short now—they also had to move on to the next class. Even though I knew lunchtime would bring more hassle, that was a problem for later. For now, I decided to focus on this moment’s joy and pushed other thoughts away. Walking down the hallway together, Emilio opened his mouth with a worried expression.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen with your friends?”
“Ah, no, nothing much.”
I gave a small grin and shook my head. Just walking with him made my excitement refuse to calm down. No wonder—Emilio was the perfect ideal type who embodied everything I liked. Falling for him at first sight, and then readily agreeing to join rowing at my shy suggestion—it all made sense. If this were a battlefield and I the general, I’d be sure to think I’d fallen for a honey trap. That’s how completely I’d fallen for Emilio at first glance.
His petite height, just a little shorter than my shoulder, and his plump, lovely frame that fit perfectly in my arms made it even harder to keep my composure. I was naturally broad-boned and, having done all kinds of sports from a young age, was fairly well-built. So a small, cute fairy-like body like his always threw me off. Add to that his small, delicate face and deep olive skin—everything was perfect. Plus, Emilio’s voice was like birdsong in the early morning, making my heart flutter so much I sometimes missed what he said. This time, too, I was lost in thought until I realized he was staring straight at me, and only then did I snap back to reality.
“Oh, sorry. I went to bed late because of homework yesterday, so I’m tired.”
Hurriedly making an excuse, Emilio kindly worried over me, saying, “It must be tough with training too, right? It’d be less stressful if we had backup players.”
The reason his expression darkened quickly was obvious: the rowing team lacked not only backups but even enough regular members. Emilio was the coxswain, and he was so passionate about rowing that he had boldly encouraged me to join, even though we barely knew each other. It was natural he was worried about whether we could even compete. Seeing Emilio’s gloomy face, I quickly spoke up.
“It’s fine. I like sports anyway. Besides, I talked to Lucien Hearst.”
“What? Really?”
Emilio’s eyes lit up as he looked up at me. His big eyes and softly reddened cheeks were so adorable that I couldn’t help but break into a broad smile. Emilio, unable to hide his excitement, asked impatiently.
“How did it go? What did he say? Does he seem positive?”
“Wait, wait.”
I laughed and tried to calm him down amid the flood of questions.
“I didn’t talk that much. Just broke the ice, and then we had to move on.”
“Oh…”
Emilio’s cheeks flushed even more at my hesitation. Seeing his embarrassment only made him more lovable, but I held back.
“Sorry, I was too hasty.”
Emilio apologized shyly, but I immediately shook my head.
“No, it was natural. It’s okay.”
It was only natural for him to be this excited. Emilio was the one who thought of Lucien Hearst as the missing member to fill the gap. When I first heard Lucien’s name from him, my reaction wasn’t much different from my friends’. But Emilio was confident, and seeing that, I made up my mind.
If I’m going to push a cute, gentle lamb into the jaws of a savage wolf, I’ll do it myself.
With that resolve, I volunteered to urge Lucien to join rowing. Otherwise, I never would have exchanged a word with Lucien Hearst until graduation, or possibly ever.
Honestly, I wasn’t much different from the others. I, too, was wary of and kept distance from Lucien Hearst. The only reason Emilio pointed him out was simple.
Because he’s an Extreme Alpha.
That was the only reason. I thought blind faith in traits wasn’t good, but I couldn’t give any reason to shake his belief. Anyway, as a candidate for a spare player, it wasn’t a bad choice. Swallowing a sigh, I gently reassured him and added,
“I just brought it up. I’ll try to persuade him.”
Disappointment and doubt immediately clouded Emilio’s face. I wasn’t surprised by this reaction—it was expected. Instead, I smiled brightly and added,
“Leave it to me. I’ll handle it somehow.”
Emilio looked somewhat relieved by my words. Looking up at me with kind eyes, he spoke in an even softer voice.
“Thank you, Dilly.”
Smiling along, Emilio continued.
“I didn’t expect you’d be this committed. You haven’t even been rowing long.”
Then he teased me playfully.
“So you really like rowing?”
You idiot, what I like is you.
I held back the urge to throw my arms around him and instead gave an ambiguous smile. I never planned to row for life. If Emilio hadn’t been exactly my type, I would have scoffed and mocked the idea. Besides, I needed to start preparing for college soon.
But he hit exactly the center of my tastes, and I had no plans for college. If I had been thinking about college, competing and earning a line on my application would have some meaning, but it didn’t apply to me. So all my interest was in Emilio alone. Of course, I had no intention of revealing that to him.
“Well then, I’m off this way.”
I lightly waved as he headed toward the science building, then hurried to the classroom for the next lesson. Once alone, I sighed. My feelings would never be returned anyway. Thinking that made my mouth bitter.
I’m just a common beta. Not an alpha or omega, and I like the same sex—it makes no sense. So confessing to Emilio was never an option. All I wanted was to be close to him, see him, and talk to him until graduation.
Of course, there were a few others like me, though a minority, scattered in big cities. After graduating, I planned to move immediately to a big city and blend into the crowd. Big cities had many people and plenty of weirdos. Including a few with tastes like mine. With no special dreams or ambitions, my only humble wish was to live freely as myself, meet someone compatible, and have a normal relationship.
For now, though, I had to win over Lucien Hearst first.
Even sitting in class, I kept thinking about how to draw him into rowing and make Emilio happy. There was only one way. Near the end of class, I made up my mind.
Direct approach.
“Luc.”
I deliberately sat beside him and greeted him, but as expected, Lucien frowned and clearly showed his displeasure. Ignoring that, I quickly continued.
“Let’s take this class together. Didn’t know, huh?”
I smiled, but of course, he didn’t. Again, I just kept talking.
“It’s pretty cold today too. Did you finish the homework? I was up until 3 a.m. and almost died this morning…”
As I babbled on, Lucien deliberately turned his head and covered his ears with earphones. One kid watching us shook his head in disdain, but I just laughed it off.
It had been almost two weeks since I started desperately trying to get close to Lucien like this.
I kept showing up whenever I had a chance, pretending to know him and sticking around stubbornly. Since I wasn’t planning to go to college, I took a fair number of AP classes just because my friends were taking them too. So there weren’t many classes with Lucien. I took full advantage of those few opportunities, and every time I rattled on about rowing. Lucien thoroughly ignored me.
I had looked into other candidates too, among my friends, but it was useless. I somewhat understood why Emilio specifically singled out Lucien. There really was no other reason.
“You’re persistent too.”
As I chased after him right after class, a friend passing by the hall said disdainfully. I just smiled, but inside I was nearly tearing my hair out, barely holding back a scream.
I don’t want this either! I’m doing it for Emi!
Of course, I couldn’t say that aloud. All I could do was fiercely follow Lucien Hearst’s trail.
“How many siblings do you have?”
I finally cornered Lucien in the crowded cafeteria and casually asked, sitting opposite him. No one wanted to sit near him, so even in the crowded cafeteria, it wasn’t hard to find a seat. Lucien sighed heavily, then poked at his salad with a fork. Preparing to talk alone again, he suddenly spoke.
“I have one older brother and one older sister.”
“Huh?”
I was munching on a big bite of sandwich without thinking, and suddenly lifted my head. Ignoring my reaction, Lucien silently ate his salad. Leaning slightly over his tray, he blinked, showing his long eyelashes clearly. Staring blankly at him, I quickly gathered my senses and spoke hurriedly.
“Oh, so you’re the youngest? Right?”
I already knew that, but it was important that we were actually talking. He just nodded shortly without answering. Lucien responded. I was surprised, eyes wide. What was happening? I felt a small sense of accomplishment for sticking around two weeks, and happily said,
“I’m the oldest. I have a younger brother. We’re all betas in my family.”
After that, I paused briefly. I didn’t ask “And you?” but vaguely expected some fitting response. Unfortunately, Lucien kept eating silently. Feeling awkward, I quickly took another bite of my sandwich. While chewing, I tried to think of another topic, so as soon as I swallowed, I continued.
“My brother cried a lot when I said I was coming to boarding school. How about you? Being the youngest, your family must have worried more.”
Imagining a younger sibling going alone to boarding school, I felt pity and worry already. I assumed his family felt the same. But unexpectedly, Lucien said nothing. Was I ignored again...? I had tried to be clever and ask questions, but it was useless. Just as I almost sighed quietly, he finally spoke.
“No, not really.”
He said just that, then shut up. A different kind of silence fell. I tried to find words again, but it wasn’t easy.
Maybe it’s because of the trait?
Suddenly curious, I wondered about his family’s traits.
Since he was an Extreme Alpha, his family was probably alphas or omegas too. I’d never thought about the Hearst family traits. But since Lucien hadn’t brought it up first, asking directly would be rude. Besides, it was mostly public information, and this was the first real conversation between us, even if I was the one pestering him.
If you could call it a conversation.
Thinking that, I frowned. Is this really a conversation? I was just babbling alone, and all he did was nod.
Conversation requires the other person to respond to keep it going. Recently, I realized how much energy and effort it takes to talk alone to an uncooperative person. I never knew because I never bothered talking to people I didn’t get along with.
“Haa…”
I couldn’t hold back a sigh this time. Lucien looked up, and I met his purple eyes. Usually, I’d just laugh it off with a casual “It’s nothing,” but this time a complaint slipped out.
“Hey, can you at least respond a little when I talk?”
I forced a smile after saying it. I thought I wasn’t acting like myself, but I didn’t regret it. I secretly admitted I was pretty fed up with putting in all the effort alone. Of course, I knew it was my choice and that Lucien wasn’t responsible.
As I took another bite of my sandwich, expecting he’d ignore me again, he lowered his gaze. So it was going to be like this. The expected ending, but I felt a little relieved. Trying hard to think what to say to break this awkward silence, suddenly his voice came.
“My family must be relieved I’m gone.”
At first, I didn’t understand what he meant.
“...Huh?”
When I gave a slow, blank response, Lucien kept staring at his tray and spoke in his slow, indifferent tone.
“They must regret having me.”
I opened my mouth but couldn’t make a sound. The sudden heaviness of the conversation left me unsure how to respond. Time just passed, and without any more words, the precious lunch break ended.