Chapter 46: In the Shadows of Buildings

“William-sama, would you mind walking this way?”

On the cold, windy corridor, I called out to William-sama as he headed towards the laboratory.

“Yeah?”

William-sama turned towards me.

“Okay, but… What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

As I saw his puzzled expression, I tried to keep a straight face.

“I heard that the coral moss is at its best in the garden over here, so I was hoping you could take a look.”

As I said this, William-sama looked in the direction I indicated. He squinted his eyes as he sent his gaze off into the distance.

“Really? I can see the branches are turning red from here. Okay then… following your suggestion, let’s head to the laboratory while admiring the coral moss.”

He smiled and began walking towards the garden.

As he approached the coral moss,

“…Oh? William!!”

A girl’s voice came from between the red branches of the coral moss. A girl peeked out from between them.

“I see you a lot these days. Did you come to see the garden?”

As she said this and approached, William-sama’s eyes flickered and he looked at Charlotte.

“Oh, that’s right. I heard that the coral moss was at its best. I thought we could take a look on the way to the laboratory.”

Upon hearing this, Charlotte smiled.

“That’s great! The coral moss around here is something I take care of. I’m adjusting the fertilizers as part of my research. Please take a look! Would you like a tour?”

William-sama also smiled, drawn in by Charlotte’s bright smile.

“I have to go to the laboratory, so it won’t be for very long, but if Miss Charlotte doesn’t mind, I’d really appreciate it. Could you show me the highlights?”

The two of them walked through the garden together.

I kept watch, trying to be as stealthy as possible while staying a little distance away from them.

Ever since I resolved to do everything in my power to bring William-sama and Charlotte together, I have consistently made efforts like this to bring them together.

As someone who has been observing William-sama’s surroundings for the two years I have been at this school, it is not particularly difficult for me to bring William-sama and Charlotte together under the guise of coincidence.

People tend to have more positive feelings towards someone they see frequently. Indeed, William-sama and Charlotte are having a pleasant conversation.

(If I can bring William-sama and Charlotte a little closer together…)

Thinking this, I kept watch over them.

At that moment, William-sama suddenly looked my way.

Mt gaze meets with lapis lazuli eyes that seem to want to say something.

(…?)

Before I could even think about the meaning behind that gaze, he turned his eyes back to the coral moss.

I continued my work diligently.

Sometimes I would lead William-sama to a place where Charlotte might be, and other times I would bring her favorite raspberry jam cake as a gift.

And when they were talking, I made sure to be as stealthy as possible so as not to disturb them.

They seemed to be getting along even better than before, and my plan seemed to be going smoothly.

“William-sama, the weather is nice today, so how about we walk through the lecture hall on the way?”

One day after class, I made this suggestion and William-sama suddenly fell silent and stopped in his tracks.

“Is something the matter?”

I was curious and tried to get a closer look at William-sama’s face, but he suddenly grabbed my hand.

Without saying a word, he began walking in the opposite direction of the lecture hall.

“…?!..William-sama?!”

Surprised by his sudden actions, I followed him as he was pulling me along, and he stopped in a place where there were no people in the shadows of the building.

I was taken aback by the expression on William-sama’s face as he turned towards me.

There was no mistaking the anger in his eyes.

William-sama quietly opened his mouth.

“Hey, could you stop doing that thing you’ve been doing lately?”

I was silenced by the pressure of his anger, but after a short pause, I asked him a question.

“…What thing?”

At my question, his eyes burned with even more anger, but on the surface, he spoke calmly.

“That thing” is the action you’ve been taking to bring Miss Charlotte and me together.”

I was speechless at his answer.

William-sama saw my expression and continued speaking.

“At first, I couldn’t figure out what was going on. But as time passed, I understood your intentions. You’ve been scheming to bring Miss Charlotte and me together.”

I was caught off guard and lost my voice. William-sama continued speaking.

“You know my feelings, don’t you? Can you understand how I feel about being schemed to be with someone other than the person I have feelings for? When I realized your intentions, I was as miserable as I could be. Hey, did you find it so unpleasant to have my feelings directed towards you? Did you take this action without considering my or Miss Charlotte’s feelings, just because being with me was so distasteful to you?”

His expression was a mix of anger, sadness, and pain.

“I didn’t have that intention…”

When I whispered that unconsciously, he twisted his face.

“Then what was your intention?”

Hearing those words, I fell silent again. It was impossible to explain that I took this action because it was likely that William-sama in this world would also have feelings for Charlotte, based on the fact that the William-sama in [You and The White Rose] had feelings for Charlotte.

My silence was pierced by his eyes.

“Recently, it seems like you’ve been looking at someone else through me. Who exactly are you looking at?”

At those words, I gasped and looked up.

---