Read Novel Full Chapter 73
Chapter 73
A Heart Throbbing Summer Vacation
(Act 1)
The month July was coming to an end, and right now it was afternoon of a certain Wednesday.
“It’s finally Ovaaaaahhh………..!!!”
Sitting under the shade of a tree in the courtyard, Francesca raised her clenched fists to the skies, and shouted happily.
Leonardo, who was sitting beside her, simply continued to gaze at her looking amused.
Dressed casually as always, with his summer uniform’s top button open and necktie loose, Leonardo raised his right hand held it in front of Francesca.
“And that’s the end term tests safely finished. First, let us thank each other for all our hard work. Here, high five.”
“Yaay, much appreciated!”
A loud satisfying *CLAP* resounded as she celebrated their freedom with Leonardo.
Finally, the three days of continuous tests of this academy had been finished.
“By the looks of it, I’m guessing you did pretty well, eh?”
“Yeah! It went really well this time I think. All thanks to you of course, Leonardo.”
“Hahaha! That’s good to hear.”
Saying that, Leonardo smiled, and seemed to laugh looking satisfied from the bottom of his heart.
It was such a genuine and gentle smile, that Francesca’s heart skipped a beat just looking at him.
(Even though my grades should be completely irrelevant to Leonardo, and yet he……..he’s so committed to my test results as well…….)
She quelled her fast beating heart, and thoroughly relished this new happiness in her life.
(…………..I knew it, having [Friends] feels so nice……………!!)
“Yeah, I can tell just from her expression, what she’s actually happy about right now hah.”
While she was feeling all deeply moved, Leonardo muttered something. She missed it so she looked back at him only to get a [It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.] from him.
“As thanks for teaching me, I have to give you something back as well Leonardo. What would you like?”
“During summer vacation, just come and hang out with me.”
“Summer vacations!”
Words that would make anyone’s heart jump with joy. Francesca too clasped her hands in front of her chest and asked.
“You’ll hang out with me even during the summer vacations!?”
“Of course I will. I am your [friend] after all.”
“F R I E N D………..!!” (T/N; She says it in katakana like it’s not a japanese word for emphasis)
Francesca shivered and shook just from the sound of that word, and pressed down on her cheeks with her own two hands.
“Friend. Ah how nice, I’m so happy………”
“HAHAHA! Francesca, you really are so cute. I didn’t think you’d be this happy from just that.”
Leonardo instinctively put his big hand on top of Francesca’s head to pat her. His moonlike golden eyes gazed at her protectively.
“I want to keep making you happy like this forever if I can.”
“?”
Francesca tilted her head, unable to fully understand the meaning behind his words, but her head was already too filled up with the words [Summer vacation plans] to really bother with anything else right now.
(It’ll be my first time spending a summer vacation with a friend! There’s so many places I want to visit, and so much I want to do, ah but I also want to think about anything that Leonardo might want to do as well……..)
As long as this was still the game’s world, there were also things she needed to be worried about as well.
(The Second chapter of the game’s scenario. This scenario is focused mainly during the summer vacation, and is a lot more heavy and gloomy than even the First chapter.)
When she thought about that, she couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholic again.
(——-After all, people die during this chapter.)
Just thinking about it made her feel sad, and Francesca hung her head.
The five great underworld families control this kingdom from the shadows.
Just a month ago, the head of one of those families, the Serranovas, had been arrested.
And right now, his eldest son Ricardo, who was only 17 years old had been made to quickly take over as the next family head. That’s because his father Gerard, had broken [Blood signed oath], and started trafficking drugs into the capital.
(In the game scenario I know of, Leonardo had been made to look like the mastermind. But the reality is different.)
That was a fact that would probably be revealed later into the game’s scenario updates, that had not yet been published when she was alive in during her past life.
So, having played only till the middle of said game, Francesca didn’t know who the actual mastermind was either.
(The real mastermind has a brainwashing skill as well. Anyone who I normally trust could suddenly turn into someone on the mastermind’s side as well.)
Over the last month, this was something Francesca had kept worrying about.
She had been wondering if she should reveal everything to Leonardo and work together with him.
The fact that she had memories of her past life, and that this world was like a game she played in her past life. She was starting to wonder if sharing it all with Leonardo was the right thing to do.
But right when she was about to do that, sensing that Francesca was about to tell him something extremely important, Leonardo put his finger on her lips and stopped her.
[Francesca, if you are thinking about telling me about your [trump card], you should stop right now.]
[Leonardo? Why…….]
[Our enemy is someone with brainwashing skill. If something were to happen to me, I fear I won’t be able to protect your secret after all.]
[…….is that why you don’t even ask me about my other skills as well?]
[Haha, you’re doing the same no? How many other skills I have, and what are they? You never asked that even once.]
It was all just as Leonardo had seen through, so Francesca had no choice but to grumble and remain silent.
[Let us protect our secrets for the sake of each other as well. It’s one thing if we end up finding it out due to something inevitable but, generally speaking, it’s better if we crush any weakness we may create for each other.]
[Leonardo, you’re going to continue actively searching for that mastermind right?]
[……]
In that instant, Leonardo’s slight smile disappeared, and he to stare into the distance as he narrowed his eyes.
[……..Yeah.]
Francesca had now heard directly from Leonardo, about the day he lost both his father and brother.
(At that time, he didn’t say this but…)
Leonardo likely believed that the man that set up the death of family was the same mastermind that was currently moving in the shadows of the capital.
[Above all, you might be……..]
[Me?]
[No, it’s nothing.]
He ended the conversation there but, in the end, Francesca was unable to tell Leonardo of the things that were to occur in the future.
(There are people that will get killed during the events of the Second Chapter. Of course I too want to get close to finding the real mastermind but, I don’t want those people to die either. After all, the one who loses their life is……..)
Francesca recalled a certain person’s figure.
In that instant, from the shadows of the school building that enclosed the backyard, a certain someone showed himself.
“Young miss.”
“Graziano!”
Francesca’s little bro have his usual glare to Leonardo beside her as always. On the other side, Leonardo simply laughed amusingly, and didn’t pay much heed to Graziano as always.
“Are the first years done with the tests as well now? Good work!”
“No, I mostly slept through it all so I’m not exactly tired. All that aside, young miss, there’s a message from the Boss.”
She was suddenly startled from those words, but Francesca was already expecting Graziano to say that.
“There is a order from the royal palace for the young miss to appear in the castle today. The head, myself………and you to, young miss.”
“Order, eh?”
“Well, it’s from the palace, so of course.”
Graziano sighed, and then mentioned the person that would feature prominently in the Second Chapter.
“The country’s [King] is calling for you.”
(……….So the scenario is starting as expected after all………)
Francesca could only purse her lips feeling destiny approach with its inevitable nature.
“…………..”
And seeing Francesca like that, Leonardo simply silently observed her from the side.
***