Chapter 63: The Sky in June (II)

“What? Invite her? Dia? To a ball?”
“Yes,” Lilith said softly, casually stroking her long hair in front of her forehead and sighing. “Actually, I should have come to see you yesterday… Since returning, Dia has been in a low mood, staying in her room the whole time, refusing to come out no matter how much Rose and I tried to persuade her. Sigh! If this continues…”
“But what does that have to do with a ball? Wait, what kind of ball?”
“A masquerade ball,” Lilith replied irritably, glancing at Jiang Zhe. “Don’t you know?”
Jiang Zhe shook his head in shock.
“You’ve never been to one?”
Jiang Zhe shook his head again.
“…” Clearly at a loss, Lilith took a deep breath and explained softly, “This masquerade ball is like a costume party—everyone wears interesting clothes and a mask, you know? We’ll give you hints secretly—provided you can successfully invite her!”
“But will that help Dia’s mood?” Jiang Zhe asked in surprise.
“Well…” Lilith frowned slightly, biting her lip gently, and said softly, “It’s better than her staying in her room alone, right? I heard from seniors that the ball should be quite fun, with no professors watching over us—of course, as long as we don’t go too far. We think a lively atmosphere might make Dia feel better. What do you think?”
“I…” Jiang Zhe looked at Lilith hesitantly, feeling a bit awkward. “As long as it helps, I don’t think I’ll refuse—provided you don’t mind me going to that ball in this magic robe!”
“Giggle, giggle,” Lilith couldn’t help but laugh, tilting her head as she sized up Jiang Zhe with a teasing smile. “I didn’t realize you were quite humorous, junior Sos. You just don’t talk much. If you weren’t so young, I might consider dating you…”
“Huh?” Jiang Zhe looked at her strangely, his face turning red with embarrassment.
“Giggle,” Lilith laughed at his odd expression and said, “I was just joking with you. Don’t take it to heart…” She paused then, speaking seriously, “If you agree, come with me now!”

“Now? Where to?” Jiang Zhe asked in surprise as he watched Lilith head straight for the door.
“Do you really need to ask?” Lilith turned to look at Jiang Zhe and chuckled. “In that regard, you’re not as good as junior Allen. When inviting a girl, you need to be sincere… Come with me. Not just anyone can enter our dorm room!”
Meanwhile, in room 2-116 on the second floor of the student dormitory tower on the west side of Rex Academy—Lavia’s dorm—Lavia, who had just returned from Jiang Zhe’s place, was sitting on the sofa, holding a cup of black tea in one hand and a magic book in the other.
“Tap tap!” As cheerful footsteps gradually came from the bedroom, Lisa stepped out wearing a light pink lace dress, holding her skirt apart with both hands and smiling. “Avi! What do you think?”
“Hm?” Lavia raised her head, glanced at Lisa, then put down her tea cup and magic book before smiling lightly. “Hmm… It’s a nice dress, but what are you doing?”
“Huh?” Lisa looked at Lavia in surprise. “Avi, don’t you know?”
Lavia was puzzled by her question.
“Know what?”
“The ball!”
“A ball? What ball?”
“Lisa is probably talking about the masquerade ball in a few days,” Lelira explained nonchalantly as she came out of the bedroom. “I heard while I was at the academy that the seniors are planning to organize their own masquerade ball…”
“Oh, I see,” Lavia nodded, glanced at Lisa, and shook her head gently, saying in a teasing tone, “Have you already accepted an invitation from some knight? Are you that eager to dine with the knight you admire?”
“Don’t tease me, Avi,” Lisa said shyly. “I’m not in a hurry. I just… I just wanted to check if the dress was damaged. Yeah, that’s it—what if it’s ruined and I wear it and look embarrassing?”
“Okay, okay…” Lavia shook her head helplessly, picked up the magic book on the table, flipped a page with her right hand, and said absentmindedly, “Well, I wish you both a fun time. Oh, and be careful with Allen. That guy is really naughty…”
“Allen isn’t naughty at all!”

“Yeah, not bad,” Lavia glanced at Lisa, picked up the cup of black tea, took a small sip, and said with a hint of sarcasm, “That guy isn’t bad—just lazing around school, flirting with girls all day—I’ve seen it several times. You should remind him!”
“I know that,” Lisa said, sitting down in the chair across from Lavia, her cheeks flushed, looking cute. “Allen does like to flirt with girls. He even told me himself. I trust him!”
Lavia shook her head helplessly after looking at Lisa.
“By the way,” Lisa asked eagerly, leaning forward on the table, “Have you thought about wearing that dress?”
“Me?” Lavia stared at Lisa in surprise. “Why would I go?”
“Huh? Didn’t Thos invite you?”
“Him? Invite me?” As if hearing some funny joke, Lavia snorted. “Relying on that idiot? Would he even go to a party like that? Don’t forget, Lisa, that idiot was too lazy to even attend the important school competitions and withdrew from the finals. Relying on him?”
With a forced smile, Lelira teased, “You didn’t say that when Thos withdrew that day, Avi.”
“I…” It seemed she remembered something. Lavia’s expression became awkward as she stammered, “I just… I regretted using too much force during that competition and hurting him, so… yeah, that’s why I reluctantly agreed!”
“Reluctantly?” Lisa giggled, exchanging a smile with Lelira. “You were in a great mood that day, Avi… Well, you’ve been in a great mood these past few days… I don’t see anything reluctant about it!”
“This… I…” Looking at her two friends, Lavia put down her book and said irritably, “What exactly are you trying to say?”
“Let’s go to the masquerade party together!”

With a sigh, she glanced at Lisa. Ravia shook her head and said helplessly, “Do you really want me and Lelira to watch you dance with Allen the whole time at the ball? I might as well stay here and read quietly. I still know nothing about reverse element decomposition! That idiot only knows how to use it but doesn’t understand the basic theories—something could go wrong…” Suddenly, she stopped speaking, looked up at Lisa and Lelira, and seeing them staring at her intently, she felt a bit embarrassed. She whispered, “Why are you looking at me like that? I just want to understand this for my own sake. I almost beat that idiot this time. Next time…”

“Is there a next time?” Lisa teased, winking playfully. “I heard from Allen that you and Thos made a deal before the competition—if you lost, you couldn’t challenge him again. Hehe!”

“That idiot, damn him!” Ravia muttered angrily, pretending not to know. “Is that so? I had no idea.”

“Okay, Avi, you’re being unfair. I’ll go tell Thos right away, hehe!”

“Alright, alright,” Lelira said, glancing at Ravia and seeing the worry in her eyes. She gently patted Lisa’s shoulder and then spoke seriously to Ravia, “I heard that as long as things don’t get too wild at this ball, the professors won’t interfere. It might be quite interesting. It would be a shame if you don’t go. Would you like us to remind Thos for you?”

“Remind him?” Ravia lowered her head and thought for a moment before shaking her head softly. “No need, Lelira. He won’t come. Even if he did, I don’t think he’d want to be with… forget it.”

“Are you worried he won’t invite you?” Lelira asked, smiling slightly. “Thos isn’t Allen. He never approaches other girls in the academy. You two are so close—if he decides to go to the ball, you’ll definitely be his partner. What’s there to worry about? But Avi, I’m not criticizing you, but you’re usually too harsh on Thos. Although he doesn’t like to talk, it’s clear he’s a very determined person. Sometimes you really shouldn’t force your opinions on him…”

“I don’t…” Ravia instinctively retorted, then lowered her head and fell silent for a while before whispering, “That idiot is too lazy. He has such great talent, yet… never mind. As I said, he’s just a rival to me. Even if I can’t challenge him anymore, I still don’t want him to lose to anyone else, because he’s beaten me… twice!”
“Is that really true?”
Biting her lip lightly, Ravia nodded and said, “Really!” Suddenly, she noticed Lisa staring at her intently and asked curiously, “What are you looking at, Lisa?”
Lisa giggled and sized Ravia up from head to toe, saying, “Aivi would look beautiful in a dress…”
Ravia’s face turned red instantly as she stammered, “Stop talking nonsense. I…” But before she could finish, Lisa interrupted her.
“Aivi, try on one of my dresses! Hurry up!”
“Lisa…” Looking at Lisa with hesitation, Ravia shook her head and said with an odd feeling, “I didn’t bring any dress clothes for the party… not a single one!”
“Huh?” Lisa was clearly disappointed. Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she said with a smile, “How about you try on mine?”
“This one?” Looking at the dress on Lisa, Ravia frowned and said hesitantly, “Yours is too childish. I don’t want to wear it. It’s too embarrassing…”
“What?!” Lisa seemed dissatisfied.
“Alright,” Lelira patted Lisa’s back and said softly, “How about this? If you don’t mind, I have a few dresses that might fit you. Honestly, I’d like to see what you look like in a dress too. You usually wear magic robes… Would you like to try it on?”
It was clear Ravia was hesitant, as if making a difficult decision. It wasn’t until Lisa kept urging her that she reluctantly said, “Well… okay, just to try it on…”
“Mm, just to try it on!” Smiling slightly, Lelira turned and went into the bedroom. Soon after, she came out with two dresses and said, “Fortunately, we have similar figures. I picked a few, and I think one of them should fit you. Which one do you think is better?”

Leaning against the long table, Ravia looked up at the two sets of gowns in Lelira’s hands. One was pure white, while the other was mostly black with a hint of red. After thinking carefully, she pointed at the black gown and said, “This white one reminds me of Altak’s snow. I don’t like it. Um, let’s try this black one!”
“Okay,” Lelira placed the white gown on a chair casually and handed the black one to Ravia, asking softly, “Do you need our help?”
Ravia stared at the gown in her hands for a long time before suddenly looking up with an embarrassed expression. She said awkwardly, “I think I do… How do I wear this?”
“Huh?” Lelira stared at Ravia in confusion and asked, “Have you never worn a gown before?”
“I…” As if recalling something, Ravia shook her head and said softly, “No!”
Exchangeing a glance with Lisa, Lelira said with a wry smile, “That’s a bit troublesome. How about this? Lisa and I will help you. You just need to remember the steps. Is that okay?”
“…Okay.”
For those familiar with it, putting on a gown wasn’t that difficult, but for Ravia, who had never encountered such things before, it was even more exhausting than casting a dozen advanced spells.
“Are you still not done?”
“Don’t rush!” Standing up to help Ravia fasten a ribbon, Lelira took a deep breath, wiped the thin sweat on her forehead, and glanced at Ravia several times before saying to Lisa, “Lisa, do you think it’s better to tie her hair up or leave it like this?”
“I think tying it up is better. How about adding a hair accessory? Or tying a red ribbon?”
“No!” Ravia quickly interrupted Lisa, saying anxiously, “I don’t like it… I… I don’t want to try it!”
“That won’t do,” Lelira said quickly, holding Ravia’s hand, with a hint of enthusiasm, “Lisa and I have worked so hard. How can you just say you won’t try?”
“Yes, Avi. It’s just a try-on. There’s no one else here anyway…”
“Then… okay then…”
In this way, Lelira and Lisa were busy for another ten minutes before finally getting Ravia ready. Seeing Ravia’s nervous and uneasy expression, there wasn’t a trace of the pride she usually showed during competitions.
“Phew, we’re finally done!” Stepping back a few steps, Lelira carefully observed Ravia’s entire appearance and pointed at her, saying, “Avi, turn around!”
“Huh?”

“It’s just one turn!”
“Oh…”
“Mm,” Lailira nodded in satisfaction, clapped her hands gently, and said with a smile, “It’s passable. It would be better if you wore some accessories, but unfortunately the academy rules forbid students from wearing jewelry. Well, that’s that…” She stepped forward, adjusted Ravia’s collar, and asked softly, “Have you memorized the steps?”
Ravia, who was usually so confident, looked at Lailira awkwardly and stammered, “I remember a little… just a bit…”
Seeing the embarrassed expression on her friend’s face, Lailira shook her head smilingly and said, “Never mind. I and Lisa will help you then. It’s really troublesome to do it alone.” She patted Ravia’s back gently, pointed at the mirror, and said softly, “Go take a look by yourself!”
Hesitantly glancing at the mirror in the room, Ravia took a deep breath. After taking just one step, she almost stumbled.
“Be careful!”
“It’s not the dress…”
“It’s uncomfortable the first time you wear it. You’ll get used to it after trying a few more times. Mm, how about this? Lift the dress slightly while Lisa shows Avi an example…”
“Okay!”
With the help of their two friends, Ravia finally stood in front of the mirror. Looking at the mature woman in the dress—still a bit naive—she couldn’t believe it was her. Due to extreme nervousness and unease, she gasped slightly, covered her mouth with her small hand, and shook her head repeatedly, saying, “No, this won’t work. It’s too embarrassing…”
“Embarrassing?” Lailira glanced at the mirror and then at Ravia, puzzled. “I think it’s great! It suits you perfectly!”
“Yes, Avi, dresses are like this,” Lisa added. “We’ll find you a suitable mask later. Once you wear it, no one will know it’s you as long as you don’t speak.”
“That still won’t work. I’ll be laughed at by that guy…”
“Don’t worry. That won’t happen. Everyone does it this way!”
“Really?” Ravia asked doubtfully.
Lailira and Lisa exchanged a look and nodded repeatedly.
“O-Okay then… Have we finished trying it? I want to take it off…”
“Don’t yet, wait a bit more,” Lisa said cheerfully, holding Ravia’s hands. “We went through so much trouble to get you dressed. Avi, at least let us enjoy the view… Hehe, Avi looks really beautiful in a dress…”
“Stop mocking me… Still laughing?!”

“Giggle,” Lelira said with a smile as she looked at Ravia, nodding in satisfaction. With a hint of melancholy, she added softly, “Now… all that’s left is for Thos to invite you…”
Stopping her playful teasing with Lisa, Ravia said with some resentment, “Don’t worry, he’ll never do that! I know him too well. If you ask him to go to a dance, he’d rather sleep in his room. So your efforts are in vain!”
“In that case, Avi, you go and invite Thos, hehe…”
“I definitely won’t!”
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhe was following Lilith to their dorm room.
When Lilith opened the door and stepped inside, she glanced back and saw Jiang Zhe standing awkwardly outside. Amused, she said, “What? Have you never been in a girl’s room before?”
Jiang Zhe shook his head and said with a wry smile, “No, never!”
“Everything has a first time. Come in!” With a teasing smile, Lilith pulled Jiang Zhe into the room.
Perhaps hearing the noise from outside the dorm, a girl with long golden hair came out, looking puzzled. When she saw Jiang Zhe, she smiled slightly and said softly, “It’s nice to meet you, junior Thos. I think this isn’t our first meeting, is it?”
“Uh, yes,” Jiang Zhe thought for a moment before recalling that she was Sister Rose, whom he had met a year ago during the school anniversary competition—she had suffered heart problems due to excessive use of magic. He then greeted her awkwardly, “Hello!”
“Mm!”
“Alright,” Lilith said softly, looking at Rose, “Rose, where’s Dia? Has her condition improved?”
Rose shook her head and sighed lightly. “It’s still the same. She sits by the bed, lost in thought. When I ask her what’s wrong, she won’t say anything…”
“I see,” Lilith frowned slightly and patted Jiang Zhe on the shoulder. “You get along well with Dia. Try to talk to her… It’s up to you, junior Thos!”
“Me?” Jiang Zhe glanced awkwardly at the bedroom. “Is it okay if I go in…?”
“What’s wrong with that? We don’t mind. Why should you mind?” With that, Lilith pushed him from behind and said, “Go ahead. She hasn’t eaten anything in two days. This can’t go on!”

“…” Jiang Zhe turned and glanced at Lilith and Rose with difficulty, frowning as he looked around the room. On the bed closest to the window, Dia was sitting at the head of the bed, dressed only in her pajamas, hunched over with her arms wrapped around her legs, seemingly lost in thought, not even noticing Jiang Zhe’s arrival.
“Hurry up!” Lilith, standing at the door, urged softly.
“Well…” Jiang Zhe looked at Lilith awkwardly. Seeing her persistent urging, he walked over to the bed and called gently, “Dia?”
But Dia showed no reaction, merely staring blankly at the blanket covering her, as if lost in memories.
With no other choice, Jiang Zhe reached out and gently patted Dia on the shoulder.
“Hm?” Dia, startled by Jiang Zhe’s touch, instinctively looked up at him. After a full half minute of silence, her vacant gaze gradually regained its usual brightness.
“Thors?” she murmured. It seemed she realized something; she instinctively glanced at her pajamas, then suddenly looked up at Jiang Zhe in shock. Her face turned red instantly as she quickly pulled the blanket over herself, saying in panic, “You… Thors, how did you end up here?”
“I…” Seeing Dia’s nervous expression and the slight wariness in her eyes, Jiang Zhe could only force a wry smile.