Chapter 113: Revealed Hearts
Sapphire fixed her glasses, pushing them up her nose, a faint blush on her own cheeks, embarrassed by her own sudden bluntness and the implied greed. "I’m just curious... that’s all—oh! Then may I ask, what type of man do you like, Eirin?" She immediately bounced back, her previous embarrassment forgotten, and brought out her small notebook and pen, as if interviewing the teenage girl for a feature piece. Her eagerness was almost manic.
"What?" Eirin chuckled, taken aback by the sudden and random, her mouth slightly agape.
Coleen turned to Eirin, a new, equally intense curiosity in her eyes. "I’m kind of curious about that too, Ei." Her eyes twinkled with genuine interest, and even the others, including Pierre and Calixta, were waiting for Eirin’s answer, the conversation taking an unexpected turn from strategy to romance. Shade, as always, remained silent.
Trixtan raised his hand, a habit he had picked up from Coleen, mimicking her earlier gesture. "I’ll start."
Calixta raised an eyebrow, a skeptical look on her face. "Why would you?" she asked, a hint of dry amusement in her voice.
"To lessen the pressure on Eirin—hmm, well, I like girls shorter than me, they’re supposed to be cute even when they’re angry," Trixtan said, smiling from ear to ear, his eyes sparkling.
Coleen shook her head, dismissing his answer with a wave of her hand. "Okay, it’s your turn, Ei," she said, quickly changing the subject.
"Isn’t that too mean, Coco? You didn’t even let anyone react with what I said," Trixtan complained, his pout comical, but Coleen ignored him, her attention fixed on Eirin.
Eirin saw this as an opportunity to know Coleen better, to perhaps draw her out. Although she was unsure about who Coleen liked, she suspected it might be a certain eccentric lightning user. "You first, Coco."
Coleen’s face turned bright red, a deep crimson that spread to her ears. "W-Well, I like manly guys," she stammered, avoiding eye contact, "and they’re supposed to be serious about helping people, they must have great sense of justice, and I like quiet men a lot."
"Like Shade?" Sapphire, blunt, and pointed a finger at the young man sitting silently behind Coleen, who had been listening to the conversation with an unreadable expression.
"Yuck! No! Not like him!" Coleen exclaimed, recoiling as if Sapphire had suggested something repulsive. Her immediate, vehement denial was almost comical.