"Kars." At the Terakoya, Keine Kamishirasawa watched Kars staring blankly, feeling a pang of discomfort. Kars, the only student willing to seriously listen to her lectures, was now spacing out during class?
"Ah, I apologize, Teacher Keine. Some recent matters made me unable to stop thinking about them." Kars snapped out of his trance when he heard Keine's voice and apologized for his lapse. His mind was dominated by what Patchouli had done today; the image kept involuntarily popping up in his head.
"Is something bothering you?" Kars's comment made Keine concerned.
"No, it's just a small matter. You don't need to worry too much, Teacher Keine."
"Alright then." Since Kars said so, Keine didn't press him further. She silently walked over to Cirno, who was sleeping on a desk. Soon, a loud thud sounded, followed by Cirno's pained yelp. Cirno was then seen sitting upright, tears welling in her eyes, her forehead red, staring at the blackboard until the class ended, at which point she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Cirno-chan, I told you not to sleep in Teacher Keine's class. Why don't you ever listen?" Daiyousei sighed softly, looking at Cirno's red forehead. She truly never learns.
"It's impossible not to want to sleep when listening to her lecture!" Cirno rubbed her forehead, answering helplessly. It was something she couldn't control. Her brain was completely hypnotized by the otherworldly content, which made her irresistibly sleepy.
"But Kars was having trouble today, too. It's the first time I've seen him space out in class." Daiyousei looked at Kars. As the only student who diligently forced himself to pay attention, it was unusual for him to be daydreaming during class.
"Huh? Then why didn't Kars get punished?" Daydreaming was also punishable, but Cirno watched Kars, looking completely unscathed, and instantly felt annoyed.
"I don't think that's what we should be focusing on, is it?" Lyrica felt Cirno was focusing on something unimportant instead of being more concerned about what made Kars space out.
"Kars, you said you were thinking about something earlier, but what could it be that's so distracting?" Mystia's question sparked curiosity in the others, and Kars's immediate blush only made the situation more interesting to them.
"Kars, why are you blushing?" Cirno looked at Kars, whose face was completely red. He hasn't been out in the sun much, so why is he so red?
"Could it be… something very embarrassing? It must be, Kars." The fact that it caused such a reaction meant it had to be embarrassing, which made Lyrica smile knowingly.
"Nonsense! It's not something embarrassing at all!" Kars's voice raised slightly, but his reaction only confirmed their suspicions.
"Kars, you aren't very convincing, you know." Daiyousei pointed out. With such an obvious reaction, even Cirno could tell something was up. It was nearly impossible to hide.
"Mhm." Even Rumia, who rarely spoke, agreed. Kars's reaction was simply too noticeable.
"E-Even if that's true, why should I tell you? It's my own business." Seeing their reaction, Kars stopped trying to explain and used a different reason to shut them down, as he didn't think he should share this with them.
"That's fair, I suppose." Daiyousei nodded in agreement. In her opinion, it wasn't right to demand someone reveal something they wanted to keep private, and based on Kars's reaction, it was probably something best kept secret. "We were just a little curious. But since it's truly nothing, let's drop it."
Lyrica also had no intention of digging further. She was currently leeching off Kars's warmth, and if she upset him, she would lose her personal heater. She was even planning to see if she could continue to cling to his warmth during the winter. It's much more comfortable than my own home.
"Hey! Why are you guys giving up so easily!" Cirno was immediately dissatisfied when two people gave up so quickly. They finally had an opportunity to see Kars show such a reaction, and yet they didn't press the advantage. They were completely uncooperative.
"You're the only one who acts like that, right?" Lyrica rolled her eyes at Cirno. She always charged forward headfirst, never thinking about the consequences.
"Hmph! That's because Lord Cirno is not the kind of person who gives up easily!" Cirno answered proudly, puffing out her chest as if this were something to boast about.
"Listen, you better not cause trouble, understood! The path ahead leads to things you can't even imagine! You might regret it if you found out!" Kars tried to scare Cirno off. Her personality meant she was highly likely to do something rash. She had even been bold enough to try to sneak into the Scarlet Devil Mansion during the Scarlet Mist Incident, so it was completely possible she would try something similar again. While Kars doubted Cirno would succeed, he still thought she might cause problems, so caution was best.
"I am Lord Cirno, the strongest in Gensokyo! Nothing can scare me!"
"What about Big Sister Yuuka?"
Cirno: (´･ᆺ･`)
Hearing Kars mention Yuuka Kazami, Cirno's expression instantly changed. She was clearly still afraid of Yuuka Kazami, but she quickly adopted her super-strong persona again. "E-Even that scary woman couldn't stop Lord Cirno!"
"But Cirno-chan, your legs are shaking." Daiyousei pointed at Cirno's trembling legs, proving that her inner feelings were nowhere near as brave as she claimed.
"That's not important! The important thing is that person has nothing to do with what you were talking about, Kars, right?"
"Of course it does! I'm diligently studying for her, trying to make Big Sister Yuuka my wife!"
Everyone: (⊙o⊙)