Underneath the Silhouette-Chapter 150: Bare

If the screams earlier exploded, now it was deafening to the point that Shade had to cover both of his ears with his eyes wide open. The number of students yelling Eirin’s name baffled the young man. It was the moment he realized just how famous Eirin was in the whole academy. She was like a star that everyone wanted to get close to.

Shade smiled, a small, amused thing, waiting to see the nervous expression on Eirin and watch how she would clumsily walk. He was a spectator, an observer. But the moment his eyes landed on her, a small, elegant figure on the stage, he froze.

The way Eirin gracefully walked on the stage with a confident look on her face left him astounded. Her hair flowed with the wind as he long eyelashes fluttered as she blinked her bright amber eyes.

Even the male host was left in awe and couldn’t comment as his gaze followed Eirin, a captivated look on his face. One of the student council members had to cue him to get back to work, a small, frantic motion that was filled with urgency.

"W-Whoa, even I was surprised with how beautiful Miss Eirin Luxfield is," the host said, his voice a low, trembling sound as he approached Eirin, holding another mic and giving it to her. "Now, will you grace us with your beautiful voice?"

Before Eirin could even start speaking, Coleen screamed at the top of her lungs, followed by Trixtan, cheering for Eirin with all their might. The cheers, a loud, triumphant roar filling Eirin’s ears. The moment Eirin’s gaze landed on the two, a smile grew on her poker face, a small, genuine thing, capturing everyone’s heart.

The screams grew louder, a deafening roar, catching Eirin off-guard as she blinked her beautiful amber eyes, a soft, innocent thing. She looked out at the vast, roaring sea of faces, and a small, flustered smile appeared on her face. Seeing how adorable she looked, so small and flustered on the huge stage, made Shade, who was watching from the top of the tree, grip his chest as she winced.

"Fuck," he muttered, his voice a low, quiet sound as he leaned back against the rough bark and covered his red face.

Shade was a man who rarely showed emotion, a cold and snobbish young man, but Eirin had a way of bringing out the human in him that he had long buried.

"What did she do to me? Why does she make my heart race like this?"

The questions, a small, panicked whisper, echoed in his mind, something he couldn’t escape.

The host, his face a bright, happy light, cleared his throat. "Is this your first time joining a contest like this, Miss Luxfield?" Eirin nodded, a small, shy smile on her face, making the audience anticipate to hear her voice. "I wonder what the reason could be? We heard from Miss Oswin that something good would happen to her if she won, then what about Miss Luxfield’s reason?"

Eirin gulped, a small, nervous sound, as she held the mic with her sweaty hand. The metal, a cold, hard thing, was the opposite of the warmth of her palm.

"Coleen wanted to get the gold coins." Her answer made Coleen’s face blush red, embarrassed but still proud, while the host couldn’t stop his laughter. The crowd erupted in a chorus of laughter. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"And now for something special! Do you want to hear one of the audience’s questions for you?" The host randomly said with that bright face, leaving Eirin baffled as he didn’t do it for the other contestants before her.

"No, not real—"

Before Eirin could finish, the host approached one of the male students standing near the stage.

"Here’s one. If you’re going to ask Miss Luxfield something, what would it be?" The host, clearly enjoying his time, pointed the microphone at the young man.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

The crowd once again roared, a hungry thing, excited to hear Eirin’s answer, but Shade, who was watching from afar was already flaming with rage as his eyes kept exchanging from red to black, showing his inner turmoil. He saw how Eirin’s face winced, completely uncomfortable with the question thrown at her.

Shade wanted to jump down from the tree and rip the microphone from the host’s hand, to protect her, to hide her from the crowd, to keep her for himself.

Eirin held the microphone as she took a deep breath before opening her mouth. "No. I don’t have a boyfriend," she answered, her voice a small, honest thing, but it only made the audience scream in excitement.

"I wonder who the lucky boy that would captures this girl’s heart soon?" the host giggled as the contest continued, but Eirin was already exhausted and on her way back to the backstage.

The other contestants greeted Eirin with a smile, and she did the same. As soon as she got back on her seat, a tired sigh escaping her lips, Naya turned around and smiled at Eirin. But before she could even open her mouth, the girls, a small, curious crowd, flocked around Eirin, their eyes wide with hunger for gossip.

"I didn’t know you were single, Eirin. I thought you were dating Pierre or Shade," one of the girls asked. All eyes went to the girl who said that after mentioning the two most mentioned male students in the whole Senerra Academy.

"I was sure she was dating Shade. You know, because Shade’s treating her well, unlike his usual actions towards other people," another girl said.

Eirin couldn’t help but force a smile. ’Did these people forget that Shade and I literally fought each other in the training grounds and he almost killed me?’ she thought, but couldn’t say aloud.

Another one raised her hand, a small, excited motion. "But I thought Shade and Naya were a thing? They’re childhood friends, and they’ve been together for years."

Now everyone’s attention went to Naya, even Eirin looked at her, but she was only smiling while staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her face sparkling with elegance as her emerald green eyes gazed at Eirin through the mirror.

"Tell us, Naya. Are you dating Shade Cromwell?" one of the girls asked.

Naya flipped her long black hair, a graceful, elegant motion as she looked at them through the mirror. "We’re just childhood friends. We’re not dating... not yet."

The girls squealed after Naya’s revelation, a loud, happy, and excited sound, but Naya watched Eirin’s poker face, waiting for a reaction that never appeared, making Naya’s smile widen.

"Then the good thing that would happen if you win... is it related to Shade Cromwell?"

The smile on Naya’s face reached her eyes as she nodded. "I guess you could say that." The girls squealed once again, while Eirin just continued watching them with a subtle smile.

"What about Eirin then? Is there no chance for Shade and Eirin to date each other? I really thought they were dating."

As soon as one of the girls asked that, all attention went to Eirin, making her flinch as her smile vanished. "N-No, we’re not dating. He’s just helping me with my training. That’s all," her answer made the others relieved. They didn’t want their rival to be in a relationship with one of the hottest students in the academy.

After all the contestants were introduced, the host said there would be a time for lunch break, and so Eirin decided to meet with Coleen and Trixtan again.

Eirin immediately jumped into Coleen’s arms as soon as they met. The warmth from Coleen’s body, and how she gently patted Eirin’s back, a soft, comforting touch, telling her that she did well and that she would continue doing well, comforted the teenage girl.

"It’s so hot," Eirin said, her voice a weary sound while resting her chin on Coleen’s shoulder. The moment she opened her eyes, her gaze met Shade’s, who was just standing behind Coleen. The sudden sight of him, a tall, imposing figure, made her heart pound loudly.

Eirin felt her face heating up as she immediately backed away, a frantic motion, almost falling on her behind, if it wasn’t for one of the male students in the crowd who subconsciously caught her. When Eirin looked up and met the young man’s eyes, the young man blushed in embarrassment as he helped her stand.

"T-Thank you," she said, her face red with shame.

Shade raised his eyebrow, his eyes cold as he watched the young man walk away with hearts in his eyes and staring on both of his hands, as if he had just touched a relic. The overwhelming rage was a physical blow that left him reeling.

Coleen playfully nudged Eirin’s shoulder. "You have your fan base now," she said, teasing Eirin while poking her cheek.

"It’s not like that—why don’t we go to our class’s café to eat?"

Coleen pulled Trixtan excitedly, a loud, energetic sound, her purple hair tied in pigtails, flowing in the air. She walked in front of Eirin, causing the teenage girl to look behind.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Eirin could feel her heart thumping loudly every time she looked at Shade Cromwell. It was as if there was something different with him that Eirin couldn’t figure out. She jolted after Shade’s black eyes landed on her.

"F-Follow us!"

Eirin rushed to where Coleen and Trixtan were, and her awkwardness only made Shade smile as he followed her from behind. He casually slipped his hand into his pocket, but soon his gaze landed on Eirin’s bare, pale white neck. It was the first time he saw her with her hair tied up like that.

Shade saw a sweat dripping on Eirin’s neck, and he couldn’t stop his intrusive thought as he poked the sweat with his index finger, causing a shiver down Eirin’s spine.