In fact, Floyd himself has noticed, and he knows.

Unlike the aggressive women who crowd the Mostro Lounge on public opening days, your approach to Floyd is truly subtle. You follow him with a gaze that makes him feel a pleasant itch, and you give him—and only him—a tiny bit of special treatment.

For instance, you might feed him the very last bite of a dessert, something you wouldn't even allow Grim to have, while giving Floyd a sweet smile and saying, "Oh, all right." Or when he begs you to let him use your lap, you blush just a little but still give him a lap pillow, keeping him company until he is completely satisfied.

To Floyd, you are his absolute favorite. His tiny, adorable Little Shrimpy. The Little Shrimp who loves him.

Yet, that very Little Shrimp is strangely close to Floyd’s twin, Jade. In the hallways, the cafeteria, and the botanical garden after school, the two of you are always standing close together, leaning in to whisper secrets and sharing delightful smiles.

At first, Floyd didn't care. He simply thought that Jade found Little Shrimpy interesting too.

But Floyd understands perfectly well why it has gradually started to bother him. He hates the idea of the things permitted only to him being granted to Jade as well.

He just wants Little Shrimp's "special" to belong to him alone.

So, Floyd decided to ask him upfront. It happened in their room back at the dorm.

"Hey, Jade."

"Yes? What is it?"

Having just returned from the lounge, Jade glanced back at Floyd, who was rolling around on the bed, as he loosened the tie around his neck.

"……Are you and Little Shrimpy close, Jade?"

"—"

Eyes identical to Floyd's blinked in surprise, widening. Then, the corners of his mouth curled upwards. His eyes narrowed into a crescent smile.

"Hehe. Hehe, haha. Fufu, ahaha."

"What? You're creeping me out."

"Oh, it's nothing. Hehe. Fufufu."

Jade laughed, covering his mouth with the tips of his neatly aligned fingers. His gestures seemed to say, “Oh dear, my, my.”

Floyd pulled the pillow from beneath his head and hurled it straight at Jade. With a swift dodge, Jade let the pillow fly past, hitting the closet before dropping onto the floor with a soft thud.

"It is true that the Prefect and I are on good terms."

"……I see."

He hated this. He absolutely hated this. You’re the one who likes me, aren’t you?—the thought welled up inside his throat, nearly spilling out. Looking down at Floyd, whose mood had taken a sharp turn for the worse, Jade still maintained that same amused smile, as if he simply couldn't help but find the situation utterly hilarious.

"But you know, Floyd."

"What?"

"You only have yourself to blame."

"Huh?"

Floyd abruptly sat up, glaring daggers at Jade.

Taking off his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt, Jade picked up Floyd's pillow from the floor.

"You said this to the Prefect, didn't you?"

Floyd caught the pillow tossed back to him, squeezing it tightly over his crossed legs as he waited for Jade to continue.

"'Guess which class I wanna take! Jade'll definitely get it right!'"

"Eh?"

Floyd grimaced as Jade suddenly delivered a flawless impression of him. Yet, he certainly remembered saying those exact words. Wanting to tease you and begging for your attention, he used to give you those kinds of quizzes whenever he ran into you in the hallway before class. He recalled repeating it a few times simply because your face—seriously contemplating the answer with such an earnest expression—was so incredibly adorable. He loved seeing your face look so disappointed when you guessed wrong, just as much as he loved seeing your face light up with joy when he said you got it right.

"The Prefect wants to understand you better, you see. And so, she became an apprentice to me—the leading expert in 'Floyd Studies.'"

"What even is that…?"

What on earth was Floyd Studies? Without his knowledge, he had been turned into an academic subject and an object of research.

"You chose lunch special A today, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"The Prefect predicted that Floyd-senpai would choose lunch special A today. She was so delighted to have gotten it right that she went out of her way to report it to me."

"How utterly charming," Jade said with a heartfelt sigh.

Floyd already knew that, even without Jade pointing it out.

After selecting his meal ticket and receiving the tray for lunch special A, he had been looking around for Jade and Azul, who were supposed to have secured a table ahead of him, when his eyes met yours.

You looked at Floyd, then looked down at what he was holding. For a split second, your eyes widened in surprise, and then you smiled with a joy that bloomed like a flower. You were undeniably adorable.

But just as Floyd was about to call out to you, you—with the swift agility of an actual little shrimp—turned on your heel and rushed over toward Jade with bouncing steps. Leaning down beside his twin, who was already seated and heartily devouring a mountain of fried chicken curry, you whispered something in his ear with a delighted look. Jade then rewarded you with a piece of fried chicken, and you headed back to the table where the first-years gathered, happily munching on your prize. Being forced to watch that entire sequence of events had left Floyd feeling incredibly out of sorts.

"She told me that unless she can understand you at least as well as I do, she doesn't think you will ever truly come to like her."

"Haaah?!"

Floyd had never said anything of the sort. He didn't want you to become like Jade. You were fine just the way you were. There was absolutely no need for you to become a moray eel.

Yet, it was undeniable that the root cause of your behavior lay in Floyd’s own remarks.

"Nnghh…"

Still clutching the pillow, Floyd tumbled over onto his side and groaned. Jade was laughing, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Dammit.

■□■

He gathered his courage and asked you out on a date.

"Hey, Little Shrimpy. Wanna go hang out with me?"

His eyes might have wandered a little. His voice might have been a bit pitched up. Even so, just as you had always allowed him to be special to you, he wanted to convey that you were special to him, too.

Your cheeks turned as glossy and red as an apple, and you nodded with a voice so quiet it felt ticklish. "Yes."

And then, the day before the date. Tomorrow was the big day, so Floyd rolled around on the bed, trying his best to fall asleep early. Right beside him, Jade was on his device, endlessly messing with it.

"……Hey."

"Oh? You are still awake, Floyd?"

"You've been messing with that device forever, it's so annoying!"

After all, they were moray eels born and raised in the deep sea. With his nerves already high before his very first date, Floyd couldn't sleep even if he tried while the screen's light kept flickering and flashing right next to him.

"My apologies. However, you will be thanking me tomorrow."

"……"

That way of putting it gave him a bad feeling.

"By any chance, Jade, are you talking to Little Shrimpy?"

There was no reply. Instead, a beaming smile that screamed he was having the absolute time of his life was the only answer.

"Aaargh, that's it! I hate you, Jade!"

"I love you, Floyd. I am having a wonderful time right now."

"Dammit!"

Floyd flipped the middle finger toward the neighboring bed, pulled the blanket over his head, and retreated into a grumpy sleep.

□■□

The next day.

When you showed up at the meeting spot in the town , you were dressed in an incredibly cute outfit that was perfectly to Floyd's liking.

Your fluffy skirt, something that could never be seen within the school, resembled the colorful caudal fin of a fish from the warm seas. Your lovely, natural makeup—not the standard, polite makeup meant for etiquette at Night Raven College, but a style unique to girls—brought out your charm to the absolute fullest.

There was no way you could have walked from the Ramshackle Dorm to the Mirror Chamber dressed like that. Realizing that his own brother must have played a part in this as well, Floyd looked as if he had just chewed on a bitter bug.

Seeing Floyd grimace the moment his eyes landed on you, your eyebrows drooped with disappointment.

"Little Shrimpy."

"Yes?"

"……Next time, ask me directly. Not Jade."

"Um… is this outfit no good?"

"I love it."

He replied instantly. Because he loved it, it made him all the more irritated. Seeing the face of the "producer" lingering right behind his adorable Little Shrimpy.

Ah, seriously.

"……Dammit," he muttered under his breath.

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