Chapter: 23. Bold Ideas
At the new student dinner.
Inside the Starlight Hall, the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling looked like a galaxy turned upside down, slowly rotating in harmony with the melodious music, enveloping the entire venue in a dreamy silver-blue light.
Around them were wandering waiters with trays of drinks, the fresh scents of champagne and fruit tea mingling with the salty breeze of the sea.
After completing his duties as a guest speaker on stage with a simple yet firm welcoming speech for all the new students, he walked off the stage with calm composure amid thunderous applause towards his dance partner for the evening.
Since he was formally recognized as a “candidate for the protagonist,” he had experienced countless occasions representing various campuses and official events.
The Moon Academy and Teiran Semma even hired a professional speaking coach specifically for him, crafting a comprehensive training program for public appearances.
Now, whenever he stood on stage, it seemed as if he naturally possessed the charisma to command the attention of the entire audience.
Every pause he made, every word he spoke, would precisely stir the hearts of his listeners—all skills he had learned in class.
And Nagi was extremely familiar with this.
It was one of the techniques she had used when portraying the cheerful “Hoshimiya Nagi” in her earlier years.
Yet even so, her gaze towards Kanade was filled with emotion.
—Kanade-kun, you’ve grown up…
Who would have imagined that this confident and handsome young man, now calm before the crowd, was once the shy boy who stuttered when speaking and rarely dared to make eye contact with girls?
Thinking about this, Nagi couldn’t help but smile slightly.
She felt a sense of comfort about the current Kanade.
After she left him, he emerged from his sadness and pain, buried in memories, stepping bravely and resiliently toward the future, becoming increasingly mature and dependable.
But at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of melancholy and sadness, as if wishing to remain more vividly in his memories, hoping that he could lean on her a little more, care for her a little more…
When Kanade redirected his gaze back to his dance partner, he couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned.
The girl in the black starry gown seemed to be coated in dazzling starlight under the lights, her fair and delicate shoulders glowing with a soft shine, her skin possessing an almost transparent quality like fine white porcelain, breathtakingly beautiful as if in a dream.
But what truly captured Kanade’s attention was her eyes.
They didn’t reflect the usual respect new students had for their seniors, nor the admiration one would have for a celebrity; instead, they resembled—
The sense of pride and unwillingness one might see in a mother watching her child grow up?
What… what’s going on?
This was the first time Kanade had encountered such a situation.
Typically, after his speeches, the audience would react with excitement and various emotions, but at this moment, the feelings he sensed from the girl left him feeling perplexed—was this girl planning to treat him like her son?
Truly, the school with the most free-spirited culture, the Star Academy…
Who would have thought that such an adorable girl would have such a peculiar inclination…
After years of experience, Kanade had become accustomed to the differences in people’s preferences and expressed understanding and respect—so long as it wasn’t directed at him.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Kanade could only force himself to stay calm and spoke to the girl in front of him with a casual tone.
How he wished that the emotional perception he had just sensed was a misconception; if he could just give this girl enough time to calm down, she wouldn’t continue to see him as a son.
Just as this subtle atmosphere had yet to fully settle, the elegant music in the hall began to play—the ball was officially starting.
Kanade, as a special guest of the new student dinner and the most unique S-class among the ability users, was naturally the focal point of the ball.
Under everyone’s gaze, Kanade extended his hand toward the girl before him, striving to keep his expression calm and gentle.
He absolutely couldn’t let her discover that he was aware of her peculiar penchant.
Kanade repeatedly reminded himself in his heart to be careful and attentive.
But what did it mean that he, knowing her preference, was actively engaging with her?
Indeed, to achieve a goal, must something be sacrificed?
Kanade felt as though he was gradually becoming like a host, one that could accept very special preferences and extreme conversations.
“Would you care to dance with me?” Kanade asked softly while maintaining his composure.
This was also something he had learned from the training arranged for him at Moon Academy and Teiran Semma.
Upon hearing this, a deeper blush seemed to bloom on Nagi’s cheeks.
The melodious tune began to play beneath the starry dome,
The lights in the center of the dance floor focused, pouring down like a halo of moonlight, casting a tranquil and soft silver-blue ring.
Standing before her, Kanade bore a serious expression, moving with poise.
He slightly bowed, extending his left hand with his palm facing up.
It was an invitation of exquisite etiquette, akin to a knight asking the stars for permission, embodying both a restrained distance and a certain classical gentleness.
Nagi had seen such scenes before in various artistic works.
But she never thought it would actually happen to her one day.
Recalling the first time she danced with Kanade, it was during the school cultural festival in the first year of middle school; at that time, she still retained the state of starlight, and this time was truly the first dance between the “real” herself and Kanade.
Just by looking at this incredibly familiar scene, Nagi felt her ears heat up.
Was it because she felt like a princess being treated as such in this moment?
Or was it because she remembered that after that first dance, she decided to bridge the emotional gap with Kanade?
Nagi quietly gazed at the outstretched hand.
Once upon a time, this hand reached out to her, acknowledging her existence, letting her know that even without playing the role of “Hoshimiya Nagi,” he would still care for her.
Yet at this moment, she was playing another girl, gripping this hand once more—
Nagi didn’t hesitate long; she gently lifted the corner of her skirt and executed a proper curtsy, a standard ballroom etiquette.
Then, she slowly placed her hand into his palm.
From Kanade’s perspective, it was an exceptionally beautiful hand, with slender, delicate fingers and a soft, cool touch that exuded an astonishing warmth.
And at the instant their fingertips made contact, it felt as if an imperceptible current coursed through the air.
Kanade didn’t understand why he would feel this way.
Clearly, the other party was a strange woman who wanted to treat him as a son—yet his heart inexplicably felt a flicker of joy at holding her hand?
In the past, there had only been one person who could make him feel this way.
That was his exceedingly gentle, kind, and doting childhood friend.
Could it be—!?
Kanade suddenly jolted.
A bold idea flashed through his mind—
Was it possible that his preference was—girls filled with maternal love wanting to treat him like a son or a baby???
