The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen-Chapter 292: Stepping Stones Don’t Need a Big Trigger

Time Scatters with the Tiny Stars.

You can’t grasp it even if you try. You can’t turn it back even if you wish.

Just like everyone has a moment they wish to turn back, a girl, dwelling within a fleeting moment, sighed as she gazed at the brightly shining stars.

“Haaa...”

Sitting beneath the night sky, Yuria smiled faintly as she looked at the twinkling stars.

"...They’re beautiful."

She thought of the person she missed.

"To the point that I wish I could have them."

She murmured softly, her words tinged with a small desire.

To Yuria, the world was difficult, yet filled with joy. After all, one cannot live without going through hardships.

Her childish years spent with her father. Her difficult times shared with friends. And then—

“Are you alright?”

There was always someone who unchangingly protected her, so she didn’t consider herself unhappy, even though there had been hardships.

There were many events. Many misunderstandings. She had committed many sins. And she had inflicted great pain on that person.

Under the starlight, Yuria gazed up at the sky with dark eyes. The stars, embedded in the sky like a cascade, filled her with awe, but also a sense of regret.

“They’re really... beautiful.”

Sometimes, thoughts like these crossed her mind.

I wasn’t any help to that person.

At the ball. In the North. And when we faced the entity called the Apostle.

I wasn’t of any help.

Hannah, younger than her, hadn’t hesitated to raise her sword against the Apostle. Mikhail had clenched his teeth and protected his friends.

Yet there she stood, doing nothing, just watching blankly, helpless. It made her heart heavy.

That person had carried all the burdens, yet...

It was frustrating.

Feeling like a fool, feeling like an idiot for not being able to help at all. Not knowing how long she would continue to be a burden made her sigh painfully.

‘I want to be helpful.’

Despite having received so much help and immeasurable grace, Yuria loathed her own uselessness, her inability to repay any of it.

Her mind offered no clear answers, but compared to the love he had shown her, she had given him nothing in return.

Doubt piled up. The right answers grew distant. My heart wasn’t like this, but the words I carelessly spoke bore no weight of responsibility.

Yuria rubbed her face with her dry hands, trying to soothe the stinging in her heart. No matter how much he said it was fine, the burden didn’t just disappear.

— Click, click.

Had she been lost in her thoughts for too long? She could hear the sound of footsteps in the distance. Despite the late hour, they were strong, heavy steps.

— Hm-hm!

The sound was coming from the hill.

Yuria peeked out her head to see who was approaching.

And then—

— Squeeeeeaaak!

She spotted a younger classmate with a black bundle slung over her back.

“This dormitory, why are there so many hills?! I, Shuen, shall reorganize these hills first when I become the academy’s supreme authority!”

Shuen, sweating profusely, was making her way toward the dormitory, grinning broadly as she spoke.

“Whew... Well, it’s fine. Thanks to this, I don’t have to worry about meals for the next three days! Even if the shop owner scolds me, it’s unavoidable! If you’re a noble, embezzlement is only natural! Bad habits are hard to break.”

“I, Shuen, am so clever and have such a housewife’s temperament! ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) I wonder if the commoners think the same?”

“Haha... But it’s too heavy!”

Yuria smiled softly as she watched Shuen talking to herself in that lively voice.

“..."

She was adorable.

It might be strange to find a younger classmate adorable, but seeing Shuen recently working at the convenience store, Yuria couldn’t help but feel that way. So, she waited for Shuen to approach.

“This lunchbox... I had hidden it away to secretly eat!”

“Oh, really?”

“Wow! Yuria-senpai, you’re a hidden master at treasure hunting!”

“No, I can eat something else.”

“I’m moved! I shall generously share this waste with you!”

“No, really...”

“No, no! This is a privilege granted to those wearing this uniform! Accept the authority gracefully!”

Yuria wanted to hear Shuen’s story.

She smiled, thinking that Shuen’s lighthearted chatter might lift her spirits, if only a little. As Shuen, looking down, nearly passed by Yuria, she finally noticed her senior and greeted her cheerfully.

“Oh! Aren’t you... Oh no, Yuria-senpai?”

“It’s been a while, Shuen.”

“Good to see you!”

Shuen smiled as if she had just encountered a savior and spoke excitedly to Yuria.

“Have you eaten dinner?”

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“What?”

“I have some extra food...”

“No, I already ate...”

Ignoring Yuria’s words, Shuen quickly put her bundle down on the ground and mumbled to herself, “I’ll give her a lot this time,” as she busily began to divide up her goods.

Yuria watched her with a content smile.

“No rice balls...”

“..."

“No pork cutlets either.”

“..."

“Spinach lunchbox... This will do!”

As Shuen continued her treasure hunt that seemed never-ending, Yuria cautiously spoke up.

“Hey, Shuen.”

“Just a moment! I’ll have a delicious lunch ready soon!”

“Do you... have someone you like?”

— Freeze.

“You seem happy lately. I was just curious.”

“Hm...”

Shuen smiled, trying to hide the corners of her mouth that were lifting in a grin.

“Do I seem happy lately?”

“Yes... You’ve been smiling every time I’ve seen you.”

“Hohoho... Really? Did you ask if I have someone I like?”

“Yes. Do you?”

“Hehehe.”

Pleased by the question, Shuen handed Yuria the pork cutlet lunchbox from the top of her bundle and replied.

“I recently started liking someone.”

“Really?”

“Hoho... That’s right.”

“You seem so mature.”

“Hehe!”

Shuen, who wasn’t good at hiding her emotions, nodded at Yuria’s compliment and then looked at the bench.

“Shall we eat together?”

“Shall we?”

“It’s not because it’s too heavy, but I was just looking for someone to eat with. There’s no one to have dinner with back at the dormitory anyway.”

“That sounds good to me.”

“But Yuria-senpai, what are you doing out here this late at night?”

“Me?”

Yuria gave a faint smile and responded quietly to Shuen’s question.

“I just came out for some fresh air. I felt suffocated in the dormitory.”

“Oh... Is this the worry of a third-year student?”

“Hahaha! No, it’s just that I’ve been thinking too much. I’m learning more slowly than the others.”

“Hm... It’s definitely difficult.”

Shuen nodded, as if she understood Yuria’s struggles with her studies.

“When I fall behind my peers... no, my classmates, I get upset too. Anyway, what were we talking about?”

Yuria, appreciating Shuen’s attempt at comfort, cautiously continued.

“We were talking about someone you like.”

“Ah, yes. Someone I like...”

Every time the words “someone I like” passed by her ears, Shuen smiled, her lips twitching upwards.

“Can I ask what kind of person they are?”

It was a conversation typical of girls their age. A conversation girls often have at this age.

Having never had the opportunity to talk like this before, Shuen’s face flushed with excitement, and she shyly replied.

“He’s really handsome. The kind of person who easily disregards the gap in status...”

“..."

“He’s so kind, never says anything bad. And he’s really good at fighting.”

Shuen, in a soft voice, proudly described the man she had in her heart. It was an experience she could finally share with someone.

“The man I like... He put on clown makeup for me in the middle of a crowded street. To cheer me up... He did that.”

“Wow...”

“And when I was crying, he appeared out of nowhere and asked if I was okay... He even told me silly jokes to make me laugh.”

“He really sounds like a wonderful person.”

“Right? At first, I thought he was just a passing stone, but when I picked him up, he turned out to be a gem. And he’s really, really handsome too...”

“Though it’s one-sided love.”

Excitedly talking about her crush, Shuen ended with a meek confession, her head bowed.

“But it’s okay. I, Shuen, believe that love is not something to wait for, but something to be seized.”

“..."

“I think that if I hesitate, that man might just charm a new girl in the meantime!”

“You’re really something.”

“Of course! I’m the proud eldest daughter of the Tetra family! Such trials are nothing to me!”

Yuria smiled as she watched Shuen. She didn’t know who this man was, but he seemed like quite an impressive person—just like the man Yuria liked.

Kind. Almost stupidly kind. And so considerate, just like the man who often came to her mind. Of course, the man she liked was better, but this one seemed just as good.

Yuria smiled softly and cautiously spoke to Shuen. After all, if you hear something, you should also share something in return.

“I like someone too.”

“Yuria-senpai?!”

“Shh! It’s a secret...”

“I love secrets! Even though I look like this, my lips are sealed tight.”

In the quiet park, Shuen nervously glanced around as Yuria whispered shyly.

“The man I like is kind of like the one you like.”

“Oh?”

“He’s really kind.”

“Ik!”

“He has such a wonderful voice.”

“Ihik!”

“He’s handsome too.”

“Ihihiik!”

“And he’s really tall.”

“Is he a prince on a white horse?!”

“Hahaha! Maybe. To me, he’s a prince on a white horse. He always appeared like a hero when I was in trouble.”

“That’s so romantic!”

Yuria nodded with a small smile at Shuen’s excited expression.

“Is it?”

“It is! Of course, he’s not better than the man I like!”

“Hm, I don’t know... I don’t think the man I like would lose to the one you like.”

“Now I’m really curious!”

Yuria and Shuen continued talking for quite some time, sharing stories that they hadn’t been able to tell anyone else, their voices mingling with the stars shining in the night sky.

One last question seemed particularly memorable. They hadn’t asked, but they were both carrying the same concern.

“I want to repay him.”

“Hm?”

“That person did so much for me. He stopped me from making the wrong choices and saved me when I was in danger.”

“...Shuen.”

“So, I’m working hard to earn money...! I want to take him to a nice restaurant! Not a convenience store, but a really fancy place!”

Yuria’s mind felt clearer after hearing Shuen’s words. It seemed like she had been thinking wrong from the very beginning.

It wasn’t about “how much can you sacrifice.” You just had to start small.

Yuria smiled brightly at Shuen.

“Thank you.”

The stars were so bright.

And then.

[‘Awakening’ begins.]

So was the moon.