A hush fell over the room; Liyami had not spoken for a long time, and Lavinia made not a single sound to disturb Liyami’s contemplation.
She was waiting—waiting for Liyami to make her choice. No matter how long or boring this wait might be, ordinarily she would never wait this long.
But now, she would wait, because she had time—she had plenty of time. In contrast, Liyami had little time left.
Liyami couldn’t hesitate forever. After all, paper can’t cover fire forever. The thoughts Liyami was hiding could not be concealed forever, either.
She had to make her decision before Colin and Eleanor found out. Even if that choice might not be what she truly wished for.
“I…”
At last, Liyami spoke. Though still hesitant, she had finally made her choice.
“I… I still want to stick with this, stick with not changing back. Even if… even if I can’t stand before the two of them as their friend anymore, I don’t want to regret my decision.”
Liyami, in the end, chose the one option that, for her now, would leave her with the least regret. Perhaps this choice wasn’t as perfect as she imagined, but for now, Liyami really didn’t want to pick anything else.
Lavinia looked at Liyami, who had finally chosen, and smiled. She couldn’t help but say, “I see… Well, as long as you don’t regret it, then that’s the best choice you could make.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll support you. But, since you said you don’t want to change back, does that mean you’re joining this competition, too?”
To someone who didn’t know, Lavinia’s words might have been puzzling. What did she mean by ‘joining the competition’? Liyami had only said she didn’t want to change back.
“Is there even an option not to join? Of course! I’m not about to back down so easily!”
But Liyami was not someone who didn’t understand—she knew the consequences of her decision. That meant facing Eleanor’s renewed hostility head-on.
Liyami had her reasons for choosing not to change back, and it wasn’t simply because she preferred her current self who liked women. The most important reason she made this choice was because of her feelings for Colin.
She had realized a month ago that she had those feelings for Colin. Back then, they were still hazy and vague enough that Liyami could hide, evade, or pretend it was all just a misunderstanding.
But now, those feelings had grown so strong she could no longer ignore or pretend otherwise. She could no longer escape, let alone conceal it.
After all, Eleanor could sense it with just her intuition; it was easy to imagine how full of holes Liyami’s attempts at hiding had become. Anyone who was sensitive to such things could see Liyami’s feelings for Colin—including Liyami herself.
Thus, the most important reason Liyami chose not to change back was her special feelings for Colin. In this situation, Liyami would not be content with the status quo. She was done running away—now, she could only face things head-on.
And of course, Eleanor would not want to suddenly have a rival for Colin—a rival who could very well threaten her.
Whether Lavinia was telling the truth or not about Colin’s feelings, at least Eleanor believed it.
So, by choosing not to change back, Liyami was destined to face Eleanor’s hostility anew. And Liyami would do everything she could to win Colin’s heart!
Once her resolve was set, Liyami instantly felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Even though she knew that, after making this decision, there would be many difficulties ahead, none of that could keep her from feeling as if a burden had been released by following her true heart.
Liyami took a deep breath, greedily drawing in the fresh air as if she were breathing for the first time.
Lavinia, beside her, did not interrupt. Only when Liyami finished her deep breath and brought her focus back did Lavinia speak.
“Congratulations on truly joining the battle for Colin. And, from the look of things, you have quite the advantage! But…”
“But that also means there’ll be a lot of obstacles in my way, right?”
Liyami finished Lavinia’s next words for her. Looking at Lavinia, who had just forced her to make a choice, Liyami didn’t seem to hold any grudge at all, and simply smiled softly.
“Don’t worry. Now that I’ve made my choice, I’m ready to face whatever comes from it. I don’t know if I really have an advantage, but I am truly joining this contest. In the end, Colin will definitely be mine!”
Watching Liyami become so relieved and even a little excited, fist raised, Lavinia could only shake her head in exasperation.
“What a bold declaration—just what you’d expect from a championship contender, not ordinary at all! As a third-rate contestant like me, I really need to learn from your spirit!”
The smile froze on Liyami’s face the instant she heard Lavinia’s words.
“Uh, what do you mean… ‘third-rate contestant’?”
Liyami asked tentatively, only to receive the answer she least wanted to hear.
“Of course I mean contestants like me, who have no real hope of winning!” Lavinia smiled slyly, as if her earlier serious expression had been nothing but an act. “Did you forget? I like Colin too~ You didn’t think I’d give up on the contest, did you? No way! I, Lavinia, am not the kind of elf who gives up easily!”
Lavinia’s words made Liyami’s expression darken. She hadn’t expected that the person who had just said she’d support her would instantly become her rival. This was truly unexpected.
“…Didn’t you just say you’d support me?!”
Faced with Liyami’s accusation, Lavinia just smiled slyly.
“Of course I will! I’ll quietly—silently—support you from behind~ Don’t worry! An upright elf like me would never stab you in the back~”
Liyami didn’t believe a single word Lavinia was saying anymore. She eyed Lavinia warily, wondering what on earth she was thinking. Why had she helped her decide, only to suddenly turn into her enemy?
Before Liyami could figure anything out, Lavinia stretched lazily, letting out a languid noise, then waved her hand and left.
As she walked away, Lavinia left behind a completely baffling, “Keep giving it your all! I’ll be doing my best too!”—leaving Liyami utterly confused.
It was only after standing there for a long time that Liyami finally realized Lavinia really was trying to encourage her, not deliver some strange backhanded insult.
And so, after her heart and mind had finally lightened, though now with a bit of confusion, Liyami returned to her own room.
She still didn’t know what Lavinia was really planning, but whether Lavinia was another obstacle or not made little difference to Liyami’s journey.
Whatever obstacles there were, she would find a way to overcome them!
With this thought in mind, Liyami opened the door to her room—just after she’d returned—only to find someone knocking.
And standing right outside was… Colin!!!