Underneath the Silhouette-Chapter 149: The One Everyone’s Been Waiting For

Eirin stood backstage, surrounded by the organized chaos of other contestants, a small, unassuming figure in a sea of beautiful, confident people. She wondered what had happened on Naya’s mission with Shade that made her look so happy, so radiant, so completely and utterly transformed.

The Naya she first saw was cold, elegant, and distant. The Naya in front of her was something else entirely. She was filled with confidence that Eirin had never seen before.

"Did something good happen? Why are you so happy?" Trixtan, a small, curious glint in his eyes, spat out the exact words that lingered inside Eirin’s mind, causing Eirin to look at Naya, waiting for her to answer.

Naya’s smile, a cold, beautiful thing, grew wider. "Something good will happen once I win this contest. Something I’ve been waiting for my entire life. I’d better do my best to look pretty." She continued humming, a low, melodic sound that was the opposite of the mess that surrounded her. She ignored the whispers surrounding her, the subtle, curious murmurs that were filled with awe, and Eirin was left astounded by how sure Naya was of her win.

Coleen, her face bright with her smile, patted Eirin’s shoulder, a soft, comforting grip, as if assuring her that she had a chance to win. But the confidence in Naya’s eyes made Eirin doubt it all. She was already losing the will to participate, but now an overwhelming feeling that she couldn’t escape washed over her.

’Why did I even join this? I’m going to make a fool of myself. I’m going to let them all down,’ she thought, a small, panicked whisper, sighing as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. The girl in the mirror was stunning; it was as if Eirin couldn’t distinguish who it was anymore.

The moment the student council’s secretary came back into the tent, it was the signal that the pageant would soon begin. The air, a thick, suffocating thing, was filled with tension. Coleen kept glancing in Eirin’s direction, her face a worried, nervous light; she was now feeling the tension and the nervousness as she watched Eirin stand from her seat and follow in line.

"Let’s go watch outside," Coleen said, her voice a small, panicked whisper as she held Trixtan’s hand and pulled him out into the crowd.

The young man cleared his throat, a small, nervous sound, as he looked up to the sky, a vast, open sea of blue, trying his best to ignore the heat rising to his face. The soft, delicate touch of Coleen’s hand was something he was used to, but his heart still couldn’t handle it.

’Maybe because it’s been too long since she last held my hand on her own will,’ Trixtan thought as his eyes were glued on their hands.

The moment Coleen looked at him, his eyes immediately looked up and met her beautiful winter grey eyes. Coleen’s forehead creased, a small, confused look on her face.

"Are you okay? Your face looks red," Coleen said.

Trixtan, his heart a frantic, terrified thing, fanned himself with his huge hand and said, "It’s just hot. You know how I’m not used to hot places."

Coleen chuckled, a loud, beautiful, and happy sound, and the way she laughed with her eyes closed and her mouth wide open made Trixtan freeze. ’What the heck?’ he thought to himself. Her laugh brought joy to his heart, causing the young man to smile with her.

"What are you saying? I’m the one who grew up in the north, and it’s not that hot even for me," Coleen said, her voice in a teasing tone.

Trixtan’s smile grew wide as his hand landed on Coleen’s head, ruffling her hair. "Maybe because I’m your big brother. That’s why I’m taking all the heat away from you." His words made Coleen’s smile vanish as she let Trixtan’s hand go.

"You’re not my big brother," Coleen said, her face couldn’t hide the hurt she felt. "Shut up and just focus. We should cheer for Eirin." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Trixtan stared at his hand and at Coleen’s hand. The warmth didn’t vanish as he looked in the direction of the stage. "Of course, I might even lose my voice cheering for our goddess right there," he said.

A smile immediately formed on Coleen’s face the moment the host started speaking on stage. The host, a loud, boisterous, and happy figure, covered with different colored flags all over his clothes, waved his hand, causing the crowd to roar in excitement.

"It’s the event you guys have been waiting for! Who will be this year’s Senerra Academy’s very own Serena? We have a very special lineup and I’m sure you thirsty people will like it! Let’s now start with contestant number one!"

The cheers exploded, and Coleen’s hand went back to hold Trixtan’s as she could feel her heart thumping so loud, nervous for her friend’s sake. However, the young man was even more nervous because of that. He couldn’t hear anything else but the beating of his heart.

’What the fuck is wrong with me? This is Coco! She’s my little sister, for god’s sake!’

Trixtan kept trying to beat some sense into himself, but he couldn’t stop his heart from getting louder and louder. On his side, Coleen’s stomach started churning due to nervousness, unaware of the turmoil going on inside Trixtan’s head.

"T-This is insane," she muttered, her eyes observing everything. "Ei has to talk in front of many people like that. Just imagining myself in her situation—I wanna vomit," Coleen added, even gagging herself just with her imagination.

Coleen’s words and actions made Trixtan chuckle. ’Adorable,’ he thought. He raised their hands in the air. "Don’t worry. Eirin’s built differently from us. She’s going to be fine. She’s a lot stronger than we think she is. Well, that’s what I want to believe."

Despite Trixtan’s comfort, Coleen could still feel her heart thumping loudly, even louder than the booming sounds everywhere.

Not far from them, on the huge tree facing the stage, sat on one of the branches was Shade Cromwell. He was trying to escape all the tasks and responsibilities Link would give him. The cold, unreadable light in his eyes was the direct opposite of the chaotic, vibrant energy of the festival.

Tired from his mission, Shade had just arrived earlier at dawn, and once he heard that Eirin Luxfield was participating in this pageant, he didn’t want to miss seeing it. He was curious. His mind filled with anticipation, he wanted to see how she would react to the crowd, how she would handle the pressure. The young man wanted to see how Eirin would panic on that big stage.

’Just imagining Eirin Luxfield being all nervous already makes me laugh,’ Shade thought as his eyes focused on the stage, a small, amused smile on his face, waiting for Eirin’s turn. He wanted to see her make a mistake, to see her fumble, to see the beautiful human side of her.

"I know you guys, especially the boys out there, you must have been waiting for the Queen, last year’s Serena, Naya Oswin!"

Turns out, Naya Oswin was the contestant number four. The crowd exploded, screaming for the beautiful Anaya Oswin. Male students were all getting crazy as they kept screaming her name as if it was some kind of trance, a spell that she had cast on them.

Naya’s eyes immediately landed on Shade, causing the young man to flinch. A smile, a cold, beautiful thing formed on Naya’s face as she held the mic the host gave her.

"So, Naya. Everyone’s aware that you’ve been branded as the prettiest girl in the Senerra Academy ever since you arrived here. Do you think you’ll win this year again? I mean, you won before despite being a middle schooler. What a feat, right?"

Naya’s smile softened as she looked at Shade. "It’s not how I think I’ll win, but just because I have to win. If I win this contest, something great will happen to me. I hope you guys could help me with that." Her soft and sweet words caused the male audience to scream in love.

Used to her cold-like appearance, it was the first time Naya chose the sweet girl act like that, and it left Coleen and Trixtan in awe.

"She didn’t come here to play. Not at all," Coleen said, her eyes wide.

Shade sighed, a long, weary sound. "What does she even see in me? I can’t understand her," he muttered as he rested his back on the tree trunk, watching how Naya showered everyone with her smiles even though she doesn’t usually do that.

"Wow! I guess Naya Oswin’s determined to win this year! What do you guys think?"

Screams filled the field, a deafening roar, making Shade wince at how loud those male students were. It was an overwhelming wave of energy that was the opposite of his quiet, unassuming nature.

"But it might not be an easy win this time," the host smiled as he moved to the side. "The new student everyone’s been dying to know and befriend, the former school director’s granddaughter, the one and only, Eirin Luxfield!"