I Favor the Villainess Chapter 81Training

And well, that’s why I’m participating in the Offering Dance practice, but it’s harder than I thought.

“Slowly raise both hands… Then swing the bell. Slowly bend your knees… Stop with your knees half-bent. Yes, swing the bell again”

The Offering Dance is performed with a bell fan, which is a bell affixed to a fan.

The costume during the actual dance is light silk clothes, its beauty befits the occasion.

It’s just, there are lots of slow movements, so maintaining the posture is tough.

Although fast movements are difficult, just because the movements are slow doesn’t mean they are easy, I only learned it at this age (although I’m only 16 in this life).

“Rei-san should build up a little more stamina. Like this you’ll tire out before the dance ends?”

“Yes”

“Claire-sama is wonderful. It’s perfect to the point I can’t think of it as your first time”

“I have trained for ballroom dancing. This much is natural”

In contrast to me who’s already regretting accepting Lily-sama’s request, Claire-sama kept her calm.

As expected of her.

“Then, ten minutes break. Everybody, don’t forget to drink water”

When the head priest said that, about half of the dancers sank down to the floor.

“To give up after this much, everybody lacks exercise”

“No, I believe Claire-sama is simply out of the norm”

Since Claire-sama received ballroom dancing as well as self-defense training since she was a child, her physical abilities are higher than ordinary commoner men.

Of course, when comparing myself, who’s lived as an ordinary commoner, to her, there’s a ridiculous difference.

Until now, the victories against Relaire’s mother, the chimera, and Louis were thanks to Claire-sama’s support and above all the use of magic.

As seen in the fight against Louis, without magic I have little fighting potential.

Conversely, it could be said that I’m blessed having talent in magic to defeat terrifying demons.

“You will receive special training from tomorrow. It is as the head priest says, with your current stamina you will not hold out?”

“As long as Claire-sama keeps me company”

It might be a good opportunity to train my body, while I thought such things,

“Li, Lily’s heard Rei-san is a water magic user…?”

Lily-sama nervously called out to me.

“Yes. What about it?”

“E, err. In that case, Lily thinks when you’re tired you can restore your stamina with magic”

Ah, that kind of trick.

“I’ve overlooked it. I’ll do it from the next time”

“No, such injustice will not be allowed. You will participate in the special training”

“Eeh”

Although being with Claire-sama is of course nothing but a reward, I basically tend to find things bothersome.

As long as it doesn’t involve Claire-sama, I’d prefer not getting involved.

“A, actually, the nuns who are regular dancers all employ this method…”

“That is that, but I will not let the opportunity to make Rei firm pass”

“I don’t really want to be firm”

“Silence”

I was flatly refused.

Yes, that’s a reward.

“After all, like this…”

“Like this…?”

“It, it was nothing!”

Claire-sama started saying something, but it ended up unclear.

What was it?

“Yes, the break is over. The second half is starting. Positions!”

Following the head priest’s voice, we returned to our dancing formation.

As we were moving,

“After all, like this, I will not be able to dance with Rei”

Claire-sama complained lonesomely.

Needless to say, I was fired up to the max in the second half.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Hey, your arms are dropping. Do it like this”

Early morning the next day.

In a corner of the academy’s schoolyard, Claire-sama and I were having a special training for the Offering Dance.

Claire-sama’s is sitting on a lawn on something like a picnic sheet, while I’m repeatedly practicing with all my heart.

Claire-sama is attentively supervising how I move my arms, legs, waist and giving me instructions, I was expecting something sweet, but it turned out quite different in reality.

“Claire-sama. This, what is this?”

“What you ask… A gear for training dancers”

Weights are affixed to clothes in various places, as a matter of course it’s not something I asked for.

There’s no way it’s normal.

“Umm… where’s it from?”

“I sew it last night”

Claire-sama said proudly.

Is that so.

So it was handmade by Claire-sama.

I wish her first present was more wonderful, sniff.

“Now, once again from the beginning”

“Please let me take a little break”

“You are feeble…”

Even if she says that, wearing this gear, my stamina gets consumed greatly.

I sat down hard on the spot.

“Do not recover with healing magic, okay?”

“I know. I won’t improve my stamina with that”

“Exactly”

Do not use recovery magic when training your body is one of the basics when studying magic.

Because magic restores exactly the amount of used strength, probably the supercompensation period from the sports science theory doesn’t occur, but I don’t know the details.

At any rate, that body cannot be trained with the use of magic is known empirically.

“Jeez, the training gear will get dirty. Come here”

Saying so, Claire-sama patted her lap.

Eh, no way.

“Claire-sama, is it okay?”

“What is okay?”

“No, isn’t it a lap pillow?”

“Yes it is?”

Claire-sama stared at me in puzzlement.

Huuh?

“Hurry up”

“Ah…”

As I approached, my arm was pulled and just like that my head was put on her lap.

Huh?

Is this a dream?

“What is with that face”

“No, um… I am bewildered”

Claire-sama who I yearn for.

That villainess Claire-sama.

Giving me, the heroine, a lap pillow?

No, it’s impossible.

“In the past, at times when I gave up on the ballroom dance practice, mother would often do this”

Claire-sama talked about her past nostalgically.

While reflecting on my dirty mind, I encouraged Claire-sama to continue with my eyes alone.

“Even I could not move my body like I can now from the beginning. At first it was unavoidable that I would hate it”

“The unyielding Claire-sama?”

“You could say that was the start of it. Because my mother praised me when I became able to do something, I began challenging various things”

Unexpectedly I learned of the source of Claire-sama’s unyieldingness.

I thoroughly read information about Claire-sama, so I was aware of her mother, but as expected, I didn’t know the precise details.

“Ballroom dancing was the first thing I was about to abandon. But, when mother heard from the teacher that I was about to give up, she did not scold me, but rather carefully explained its significance while giving me lap pillow like this”

The person she gave explanation to was only two, three-year-old child, Claire-sama seemed to find it strange, yet she smiled delightfully.

“Mother had always done it like this. Without scolding me, she carefully explained how an ideal noble should be. I tried my best until now to become the wonderful noble that mother talked about”

But, Claire-sama continued.

“But, as expected I did not think being a noble could be ended by external factors”

Claire-sama must be talking about the revolution she heard about from Lily-sama.

“Can’t Claire-sama stop being a noble?”

“I believe it to be impossible. In the first place, my motive of thinking of doing something about poverty among commoners is the feeling that I cannot accept them living such lives. In other words, I could not bear it myself, could I?”

“… Is that so”

It still seems impossible for Claire-sama to give up being a noble.

But, eventually she will have to.

For my sake.

And, for her sake.

“I told a strange story. Now, stand up. We are continuing”

“A little more… Claire-sama’s thighs are soft”

“Stand up”

The lap pillow was forcibly ended.

I don’t understand.

“Claire-sama”

“What is it”

“Living as a commoner isn’t so bad once you get used to it”

“… I wonder about that”

Claire-sama smiled bitterly.

It was a face that said she doesn’t think so.

“I’ll without fail make you believe it”

“… I see. I do not understand well, but I am looking forward to it”

Our talk finished and Claire-sama once again got into enthusiastically instructing me.

While being absorbed in moving my body, I thought about how to move Claire-sama’s stubborn heart.