=====Luxanna POV======

  "Phew…! That was more exhausting than I thought…" I y on the floor after changing out of the dance uniform.

  Valerie nodded as she took a sip of her water. "Yeah, but you did amazing, Luxa! It was like you were glowing under the moonlight!"

  Amaranth agreed with a smile, "Yes… Whenever I caught a glimpse of you when we spun around, you had the prettiest smile on your face!"

  I rubbed the back of my head and smirked, a blush creeping on my cheeks. "Aw, come on, I just smiled and danced normally."

  A woman passed by us as we talked. It was Henry's mother.

  "You did well, girls! Did you notice how many young men were staring at you three out there? I wonder who'll get a husband first?"

  Amaranth smiled nervously and blushed, while Valerie and I hid our cringe with an awkward smile.

  With the shooting stars now past, the st half of the party included a big feast and a regur dance.

  I'd rather not go outside my tent because I know there's gonna be plenty of men out there that'll ask for my hand in dance. Or marriage, if they’re so bold.

  But the temptation of the scent of meat is something I cannot hope to fight against. So, I drag Valerie along with me and we take a pte.

  "Your dancing was the most beautiful I've seen. Please, if you would be so kind as to—"

  "She's eating." Valerie shot down the seventh guy to ask for a dance.

  "W-would you like a d—"

  "No, she wouldn't." Another one. That was the 17th.

  "PLEASE, LET ME SNIFF YOUR FEE—"Oof, Valerie sent the 30th one flying.

  As I finished my 4th pte, I rubbed my belly in satisfaction.

  I look over to Valerie, who's on her 9th pte, and wonder if all the protein goes to her massive assets.

  …How in the world does she train with those melons…?

  "Hey, Luxa…"

  "No, she doesn't want to dance— Oh! Henry?"

  I turned my head and looked over Valerie's shoulder, Henry stood there, stretching his cheek nervously.

  "What's up, Henry?" I asked.

  "Can I talk to you, Luxanna? I gotta tell you something… privately, if possible."

  I tilted my head, wondering what was so important that he had to tell me alone. But he's my friend, so whatever.

  "Sure."

  I leave Valerie to eat the entire buffet and follow Henry to the edge of the vilge, between two storage houses with crates around them.

  It's the same corner where my new self first met my friends. Where Gabriel and Julian stood on a box and argued over something, and Henry was trying to mediate.

  "What's on your mind, Henry?"

  As I twirled around and faced him, Henry looked down, a strained expression on his face. His tail swayed impatiently as I noticed a blush on his cheeks.

  "Ah… Um… jeez… Miss Luxanna…!"

  Henry suddenly straightened up like a drill instructor shouted 'At Attention!' and finally looked me in the eyes.

  "Y-yes? Why the sudden polite nguage?"

  "Miss Luxanna! Will you enter a retionship with me?!"

  A what now?

  Henry stood there, his eyes tightly shut, waiting for my answer.

  …Maybe I should have expected this. We’re childhood friends… he's a handsome boy, I'm a pretty girl, and we’re getting at that age…

  "Haaah… Henry."

  "Y-Yes…?!"

  "I'm sorry."

  Henry seemed to visibly defte at my response, but he also seemed to have expected it.

  "Yeah… you probably see me as just a brother or something…"

  I shrugged and nodded my head. He might get the wrong idea, and I don't want him to lose confidence, so I'm gonna say it here and now.

  "Yeah, I do see you as a brother, but not because I'm not interested in you, or that I don't see you as a member of the opposite sex. It's… a little more complicated than that."

  "Complicated…?"

  I sighed and looked away crossing my arms and stepping back. "Well… have you read those niche stories in the library of Themescara? Specifically, the one story where a noble girl f-falls in love with a commoner girl?"

  Henry tilted his head, not knowing what that story had to do with the conversation until his eyes widened in realization. He’s a smart boy, after all.

  "Luxanna, you…—?"

  "I like that story. It's my favorite fictional book in that entire library. Because… I rete to it."

  I look at Henry with a defeated smile. He might not want to stay friends after this…

  "I like girls, Henry. Not boys. I'd like to marry a woman in the future."

  Henry stood there, frozen in shock. For a moment, I thought his expression would turn to disgust, but…

  "Pfft! Hahahaha!! Oh, man… I didn't even realize! You hide it much better than Valerie!"

  He ughed. And what does Valerie have to do with…?

  Seeing my confusion, Henry quickly answered. "Valerie and I talked a lot before. She outright asked me for some advice on how to act when around you."

  "How to act? Around me? What does that mean?"

  Henry plopped down on one of the boxes and shook his head while smiling. "It means Valerie likes you in that way, but didn't know that you also liked girls. She wanted advice on how to act normal around you."

  Does Valerie like me? Like, like me?

  What the actual fuck?!

  "I guess Valerie is the lucky one in this life…" Henry casually joked.

  "Wait! How come you're so accepting of this?! I like girls! Valerie likes girls! That isn't normal in this world, right?!"

  Certainly, quite a few religions didn't have anything nice to say about homosexuals, but fortunately, Valtovia is meritocratic above all else, so the government cares little for an individual's sexuality.

  "So? You guys are my best friends. I love my friends and will always support them. I am sad that you like girls because I did fall in love with you… but I can't change who you like, so I can only cheer you on."

  I exhaled, letting out my held breath, and rexed. "Oh, Henry… You're a great guy, you know that? I'm sure you'll get plenty of women falling head over heels over you in the future with an personality like that."

  I approach the kid and rustle his hair. He ughed and pushed away my hand. "I'm not a kid anymore, stop! Haha!"

  "Come on, let's go back to the party before someone misunderstands."

  Henry jumped up to follow, but…

  *thwip*

  I held out my hand to block him as a fming arrow nded on the ground in front of us.

  "Wh-what…?"

  I looked back at the sky. Instead of light blue streaks of shooting stars decorating the night, hundreds of orange wisps flew above the vilge.

  A loud shout echoed above the silencing cheers—

  "The Vilge is under attack!!"