Author's Note: Here we'll be looking into some of Lelouch's inner thoughts. And since it's the school festival, this chapter won't be a hundred percent serious. Have fun reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass or its characters in any way.

Chapter 6:
School Festival!

"Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for!" Milly shouted excitedly into her microphone. Milly and Lelouch were in the control room of the academy as they were about to start the school festival. "The Ashford Academy school festival, the most open event in the Tokyo settlement is about to begin!" She paused for a moment before adding, "The start of the festival shall be signaled by these fireworks! 3…2…1… Let the festival begin!" she screamed as she smashed a large red button next to her gleefully, propelling the fireworks into the sky and they exploded into different colours. The students matched their council president's enthusiasm by cheering exuberantly.

"You've caused quite the ruckus, president," Lelouch commented dryly, eyeing the energetic students on the computer screens. "I can't imagine what their reactions to the twelve meter pizza would be".

"We always need a good festival now and then to loosen up, don't you agree?" Milly asked the vice-president cheerfully.

"Well, taking the number of festivals you throw into account, that either means that you're constantly depressed or just looking for an excuse to party. Knowing you, I'd choose the latter," Lelouch thought, but did not say. Instead, he kept on an amiable smile and nodded, "Noted, president. Thanks for teaching me." Lelouch cleared his throat and straightened his back. "If you excuse me, I believe I am required to supervise the student clubs and stations around the festival."

"Don't be too stern on them," Milly called over her shoulder as Lelouch left the control room. "They're supposed to be having fun!" Lelouch did not bother to reply the overenthusiastic blonde, his mind already shifting to more serious matters. He did not leave the control room to do mundane tasks such as managing the students; he left because he needed some time to himself to think about his current situation with the Britannian Emperor.

Lelouch recalled the events of three days ago, where the faithful Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald appeared and requested him to return to Britannia. They came to a tentative agreement that Lelouch was to be given time until his graduation from Ashford, but Jeremiah insisted on accompanying the eleventh prince. As a result, Jeremiah was now staying with him and Nunnally in the student residential clubhouse.

Nunnally reacted strongly the moment Jeremiah appeared as his Britannian Military uniform was quite visible. Her blue eyes were full of confusion and some fear. Lelouch, of course, comforted Nunnally and brought her to her own room to discuss the matter. Once Nunnally learnt of the truth, she calmed down and surprised Lelouch by exclaiming that they could finally return to the homeland. Instantly, Lelouch reminded her that there was no way they could return to the old days; their mother Marianne was dead, and that was a cold and hard fact. He had also added that he could not forgive his father, Charles zi Britannia even after gaining insight into his reasoning.

Nunnally responded by simply remarking that blood ties were undeniable and he should learn to let go of his resentment. Lelouch was incredulous – Nunnally had suffered even more than he did due to their father's negligence as she was crippled at such a young age, yet she was basically asking him to forgive their father. Nonetheless, Nunnally was fairly keen to return to Britannia to reconcile with her family, most notably her siblings, or rather half-siblings. Lelouch informed her that if they were going back to the homeland, he would return first to ensure that it was safe for them and expressed his desire for Nunnally to stay in the academy with Sayoko Shinozaki, an Eleven guard and master martial artist assigned to them by the Ashford's. Nunnally was understandably crestfallen, but she at least agreed to do so.

As the eleventh prince found himself on the fence, he had attempted to seek the opinion of another trusted person, his childhood friend, Kururugi Suzaku. Suzaku, however, did not share Lelouch's opinion. While he was quite understandable about Lelouch's stance against his father, he was leaning towards Nunnally's point of view. "Blood ties cannot be severed," Suzaku had pointed out back then, which was very similar to what Nunnally had said. "Like it or not, Charles is your father. You can't hate him forever." Lelouch's best friend had a strange expression on his face – was it wistfulness? Lelouch could not help but wonder if it was because Suzaku did not manage to spend enough time with his father, Kururugi Genbu, before he was reported to have committed suicide when the war ended. Suzaku also pointed out that Lelouch had little reason to hate his father anymore, for Charles had not only explained the extremely difficult situation thoroughly to his son but also fulfilled his promise he had made seven years ago.

Lelouch argued that even if he was to somehow forgive his father, he and his sister would still be nothing but diplomatic tools of the corrupt empire if they were to return to the homeland. That was when Suzaku pointed out that he could put his talent and position as a prince to good use; to change the corrupt empire into a better one. Suzaku had even added that he'd do it if he was in Lelouch's shoes. While Lelouch was usually leery of such idealism, which resulted in him being highly sceptical of Suzaku's optimistic attitude, it did make some amount of sense, in an uncomfortable way.

While Lelouch weighed the opinions of Nunnally and Suzaku, he went on to peruse the report on the Sword of Akasha and his mother's assassination attempt given to him by Jeremiah. He spent countless hours, trying to find a single fault, peering over at every single little detail and the prince was forced to conclude that what Jeremiah had told him was true. Lelouch, like his father, was confident of the Sword of Akasha's collapse after the elimination of their leaders, and the remaining members were more than lacking in terms of capability. His elder half-brother, Schneizel el Britannia, and elder half-sister, Cornelia li Britannia, were placed in charge of exterminating the Sword of Akasha, and Lelouch knew that both of them were extremely competent in such matters. Of course, being a member of royalty still meant that a few people will still be out for your blood, but Lelouch could rest easier knowing that the culprits who killed his mother and sought to do the same to him and Nunnally will be utterly eradicated by the time he returned to Britannia, if he chose to do so. In short, not only Nunnally and Suzaku are influencing him to return, but the analytical part of his mind agreed with the idea of returning to an extent as well. However, he remained doubtful of the wisdom in going back to the homeland.

Lelouch's feet carried him towards the booths, which were being manned by school students. The delicious smell of crepes, grilled hot dogs, deep fried chicken and freshly baked pastries wafted under his nostrils, but he paid them and his rumbling stomach no heed, his mind still focusing on his dilemma. If it was by his choice, he would instantly choose any other option but to return to Britannia. However, his faith in that option has been shaken by his dearest little sister, and he was stuck trying to conjure a solution that would please not only himself and his sister, but that damnably stubborn Jeremiah. Lelouch grimaced as he racked his brain furiously for a satisfactory conclusion, but could not come up with any.

Lelouch's musings were rudely interrupted as Rivalz ran up to him. "Hey, Lelouch, where are you headed off to?" Rivalz grinned as he dusted off his light brown apron. As Rivalz was primarily managing the setting up of the giant pizza making, Milly insisted that he should look like a chef. In addition to the apron, a toque rested on Rivalz's head, which clashed horribly with his dark blue hair. In Lelouch's eyes, his friend looked nothing short of ridiculous, but he refrained from making any comments about Rivalz's appearance.

"Oh, just moving around, making sure everything's running smoothly," Lelouch replied curtly and forced a wide smile on his face, hoping to shake off Rivalz. Usually, he wouldn't do such a thing – under normal circumstances he appreciated Rivalz's light-heartedness as a friend, but right now he wanted to be left alone. Unfortunately, Rivalz was dismal in taking hints and today was no exception.

"That's great! Mind if I accompany you for a while?" Rivalz scuttled over to Lelouch's side. "Man, I'm tired of screaming 'Come and watch the making of the world's biggest pizza' continuously! I need a break. Where did you say you're heading to, again?" the blue-haired adolescent enquired.

"I said I was just mov- I mean, I'm going to the swim club's café," Lelouch amended his statement. If there was anything that could successfully shake Rivalz off for a while, teenage girls in swimsuits were probably high on the list.

"Really? Off to see some girls in their swimwear, eh?" Rivalz face split into a wide grin again as he rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining with enthusiasm.

"Please," Lelouch snorted. "I'm not like you. I'm just going to check whether they need any help. Besides, you look quite excited yourself."

"Hey, at least I'm being honest! Unlike you, vice-president."

"Shut up, Rivalz."

"You can't be serious, coach!" Shirley protested, staring at her own reflection in a mirror with horrified eyes. "I can't be wearing this!

"If I can wear something like this, that outfit is nothing," Villetta said dismissively as she gestured at her own revealing costume. Her yellow eyes gleamed with mischief. "Like I said before, it's the last resort for you. It's so unlucky that your swimwear is missing and the spare ones have disappeared as well, especially on such a big event like this. It's not too bad anyway. After all, your current attire is quite unique after all."

Both females were in the dressing room of Ashford Academy's swimming pool. To Shirley's horror, her swimming costume was missing when she woke up. It was an impossibility that it was misplaced. She was absolutely certain that she brought it back to her dormitory after swimming practice last night. The only two possible explanations were that Sophie took it – and she had no reason to, it wasn't even her size or that someone broke in and stole it. The latter was definitely weird. The thieves could have taken anything – their cellular phones, purses or whatever little jewellery they possessed, but instead they took her swimsuit? Shirley was utterly nonplussed.

So the orange-haired teen went to look for Villetta. Shirley was frantic as the school festival was scheduled to start soon and she was counting on the swim club having spare swimming outfits. She would look not only out of place but downright bland compared to the other girls. Lady luck was not on her side today, it seemed. Villetta told Shirley that the spare swimming suits were missing too and even remarked that it was quite an unfortunate coincidence. As Shirley fretted over what she should be wearing for the school festival – she couldn't even participate in the swimming competition she had trained so hard for, without the appropriate attire, Villetta proposed a solution.

Unfortunately for her, Villetta's proposal definitely did not match Shirley's tastes. A hot pink bunny girl costume – its material feeling extremely flimsy under Shirley's fingers and complete with white and pink fluffy ears definitely did not fit her at all. While Shirley objected fiercely, Villeta all but forced the teenager into the suit, promising her that she would look great in it. Shirley glanced at herself in the mirror and tried not to cringe. She did not know what was the coach's definition of 'great', but she suspected that it was vastly different from hers. She simply looked so sultry in that outfit!

"But, coach-" Shirley began to complain again, pulling the sides of the pink attire up in an attempt to cover more of her body. She contemplated making a break for it, but her still smarting thighs, from last night's practice, protested at the thought.

"Quit whining already," Villetta ordered harshly. Personally, she was enjoying the discomfort she was putting Shirley through. It was petty and childish revenge, but it tasted oh so sweet to her. "Otherwise we'll be swapping attire, and I'll be quite happy to do so." Shirley quietened down. As revealing as the bunny suit was, Villetta's swimwear was undoubtedly worse. "Off you go. Have fun," Villetta said sweetly as she all but pushed the younger female to the exit of the dressing room.

Lelouch pushed the doors to the Ashford swimming complex wide open as he surveyed the swimming pool-turned café. Rivalz followed the council vice-president eagerly, his eyes roaming across the various students clad in their swimwear, serving the customers – a mix of students and outsiders. The café seemed to be doing very well, as it was packed with people either sitting around the tables or simply crowded around the stage, which had a number of schoolgirls and a single teacher, who was unknown to Lelouch, posing in a rather indecent manner. Lelouch pursed his lips in disapproval while Rivalz seemed quite fixated by the sight, and the dark-haired adolescent seized his chance, moving from his long-time gambling partner, hoping to lose him in the throng.

Unfortunately for Lelouch, Rivalz was not as distracted as he seemed. The moment Lelouch began to walk away, Rivalz noticed his movement and he was back by his side. The prince in hiding tried not to grimace, not expecting his plan to fail so quickly. "Hey!" Rivalz suddenly paused. "Is that a bunny girl I see? Holy, she's hot!" Rivalz exclaimed, his grey eyes as wide as saucers. Upon hearing Rivalz's words, Lelouch could not help but follow Rivalz's stare. His classmate was not being dishonest. There was definitely a girl, her back turned to them, clad in a hot pink bunny suit and serving customers. Lelouch frowned. He didn't recall a bunny girl being included in the swim club café. "This is a school, for goodness's sake!"

Lelouch then realized that the girl in question was rather familiar. There was something about the way she moved, her lithe body and the long, flowing bright orange hair that heavily reminded him of someone he knew. Then it hit him – there was only one person whom he knew that matched her physical qualities and was in the swim club. His anxiety about the situation with his father momentarily forgotten, Lelouch found his feet guiding him towards her. Rivalz snickered loudly. "I didn't know that you're into bunny girls, Lelouch!"

"That's Shirley," Lelouch's reply was curt. Rivalz's eyebrows rose so high that it nearly disappeared into whatever little of his fringe.

"That's Shirley?!" Rivalz spluttered, coughing in mild embarrassment. Now he felt rather awkward as he had just openly admired one of his friends. Lelouch did not deign to respond as he strode forward towards her, his aura of magnetism being of good use as the multitude of people parted before him. Out of the corner of his eye, Lelouch noticed Jeremiah, who was dressed in plain clothes – a nondescript polo shirt with jeans, stalking him cautiously and tried to pay the Margrave no heed. Shirley was just right in front of him now, her back still turned towards him.

Lelouch cleared his throat audibly and tapped on Shirley's shoulder, causing her to spin around in alarm. "That's a very admirable outfit, Miss Fenette," Lelouch smirked. "I wasn't aware that the swim club café decided to employ bunny girls."

"It's not my idea, Lulu! I'm forced to wear this as a last resort!" Shirley defended hotly as she folded her arms over her chest, trying to conceal whatever skin she could. She fervently hoped that her friends, especially Lelouch, wouldn't see her in the pink bunny suit. It was such an embarrassment for her to be wearing something as revealing as that!

Lelouch's smirk widened. "Sounds like an interesting story," he commented. The prince in hiding glanced upwards, above Shirley's head. "Nice bunny ears, by the way." His gaze then shifted downwards as he subconsciously gave Shirley's figure a brief once-over.

Shirley's face turned almost the same colour as her hair and she witnessed Lelouch's eyes nonchalantly sweeping from her head to toe. "Did he just check me out?" Shirley realized. She debated telling him not to ogle at her, for she was more than tired of men gaping at her, or punching his annoyingly flawless face out of a mix of indignation and shame. Before she could decide on a course of action, Villetta picked up a microphone and drummed her fingers on it, testing it and capturing the customers' attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take note that the swimming competition is about to begin in five minutes," Villetta announced and the crowd cheered loudly. "Please sit back and enjoy the show. All participants involved in the competition, please report to the changing room. That includes you, Miss Fenette", she added, meeting Shirley's surprised gaze evenly.

"But coach, I don't have the appropriate attire-" Shirley began, her brows furrowing in confusion. There was no way she could participate in the competition with her current attire. According to Villetta, all of the spare swimming outfits were gone as well, and hence the slender youth could not see a way how she would be able to take part in the competition.

"I just found one. And it's your size!" Villetta beamed at the auburn-haired girl. The older female reached behind her and produced one of the Ashford swimming costumes seemingly out of thin air. "Now you can take part in the competition. Isn't that great?"

"You just found one?" Shirley repeated, placing her hands on her hips and narrowing her peridot green eyes suspiciously at the coach of the swimming club. The realization just struck her – Villetta might have hidden the spare swimming costumes and forced her into the bunny suit to get back at her for coming up with the idea of making the coach wear the skimpy outfit. Villetta merely looked back at her innocently, her yellow eyes unblinking as she held the swimsuit in one hand.

Whatever the case, it was a fact that she had invested quite a considerable amount of time into practising for the swimming competition. She was more than eager to take up Villetta's offer – anything to get out of the ridiculously revealing bunny outfit and participate in the competition. Her legs groaned in protest. They have yet to fully recover from the strenuous practice last night, but she paid them no heed. Without a word, Shirley raced towards Villetta and snatched the swimsuit out of her grasp before speeding towards the changing room. Lelouch was bemused and glimpsed Rivalz immersing himself in chatting up the waitresses. Lelouch shook his head, wondering how Rivalz expected to gain Milly's approval if the blue-haired adolescent kept flirting with other schoolgirls so openly – it was quite obvious to him that he was interested in the council president.

Lelouch supposed that it was a good time to leave, as he had successfully shaken off his friend, which would enable him to direct his mind towards finding a solution for his situation. However, his feet remained unmoving as he felt that something was compelling him to stay, at least for a while longer. Maybe he should take the time to unwind a little. His overwrought brain might be able to perform better if he just relaxed for a while. Lelouch exhaled and he located an unoccupied wooden table near the swimming pool before half-collapsing into an aluminium chair. Jeremiah casually strolled towards Lelouch, taking a seat at a table not far from him and ordered a drink from one of the schoolgirl-waitresses. Lelouch frowned slightly as the chair creaked loudly under Jeremiah's weight, as while Jeremiah was somewhat large, he did not appear that heavy to him. The Margrave caught Lelouch eyeing him and he grinned at his liege, which Lelouch did not return. Instead, he turned away from the nobleman, annoyed with his behaviour.

Exhilarated whooping filled the café, causing Lelouch to look up curiously as a group of eight girls emerged from the changing room, all of them wearing the Ashford swimsuit with swimming caps. Lelouch subconsciously searched the batch of swimmers for Shirley and found her nearly instantly. She adjusted the shoulder straps of her swimsuit and scanned the audience, meeting Lelouch's eyes. The raven-haired male gave her a boyish grin, causing her to blush a little and look away, breaking the eye contact. Lelouch found his smile fading and he chided himself. "What am I doing? I have no time to waste on watching a swimming competition," he chided himself as his mind returned to brood on the matter with Jeremiah and Charles again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the contest is about to begin! The winner shall get this handcrafted gold trophy," Villetta declared as a couple of students carried over a huge, dazzling gold trophy with the words "Ashford Annual Swimming Contest 2017" engraved on its base. "Participants, get ready," she added, looking at all eight students who were positioned before the pool's edge, most of them bent over with determined expressions of their faces. "Ready." The swimmers tensed visibly. "Get set. Go!" They dived into the swimming pool and kicked away with their legs in the freestyle stroke.

Shirley heard the audience's cheering increasing in volume as the swimmers made progress. Through water-filled glimpses of the other competitors, she discerned that she was currently second place. She felt her frustration growing – usually, she wasn't very competitive, but she was so close to taking over the swimmer currently at first place and she had trained quite diligently for this event after all. Shirley estimated that she would be able to claim first place if she just sped up. Determination renewed, she doubled her efforts, silently willing her legs to lend whatever strength they can offer. Shirley surged forward in the water, gaining on the lead swimmer steadily. Her muscles screamed at her, but she tried her best to ignore it. "It's just a little bit of pain for the first prize. No pain, no gain after all." Shirley thought, elated that she would soon overtake the swimmer in the lead.

A sharp, intense pain coursing through her legs and Shirley realized with a jolt that she could no longer move her legs. She had overstressed her muscles. The redhead started to sink in the water and her mind immediately switched from trying to swim to try to stay afloat. However, without the use of her legs, staying afloat in the water was an impossible task. Shirley desperately willed her legs to move, but they wouldn't even budge. The sensation of pain grew excruciating and she felt like her thighs were on fire. She could vaguely hear the crowd muttering and shouting as she desperately moved her hands in circular motions, trying to float at the very least, but to no avail.

Lelouch stared in bewilderment as Shirley suddenly paused in the middle of the race. However, his perplexity was quickly shoved aside the moment he saw her desperately trying to stay afloat. Lelouch realized that there must be something wrong with her legs and she would inevitably be submerged in the pool and drown. The crowd merely yelled and pointed at her, safe and unmoving in their seats. "Imbeciles," Lelouch thought as panic and fear threatened to overwhelm him. Without a second thought, he raced over to the swimming pool, kicking off his shoes and removing his school jacket before diving into the pool in an attempt to save his friend. It was only when he was in the swimming pool, the water cool against his skin and soaked clothing, then he realized he forgot the most important thing before heroically jumping into the water. He had no idea how to swim.

"Lulu?" Shirley gasped as she witnessed Lelouch plunging into the swimming pool. She had sunk to the point that the water was above her chin level and was now close to her lips. For the briefest of moments, a fantasy where Lelouch would save her from drowning appeared in her mind, much like the typical gallant knight. This bubble was immediately burst when Lelouch instead started thrashing wildly in the water. "Wait – does he even know how to swim?" She thought disbelievingly.

"And here we have the hero, who's about to save the gir- oh… wait. Never mind," Villetta said lamely into the microphone as she watched both Lelouch and Shirley fighting to keep their bodies afloat. Villetta was about to cast the electronic instrument aside and enter the pool to rescue them when she witnessed her senior, Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald running over and diving into the body of water. Villetta was open-mouthed for a while before remembering that the Margrave's cybernetic body was fully waterproof, and she leaned back, leaving the situation in his capable hands.

"Good god, you shouldn't be trying to be the saviour if you can't swim, Your H- Lelouch," Jeremiah corrected himself in mid-grumble as he hefted both youths onto his shoulders out of the water before he effortlessly moved to the side of the pool, laying them on the café's floor.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time," Lelouch wheezed heavily, coughing water up. "I guess you do have a point though…" his voice trailed away and he fell into semi-consciousness, exhausted by his ordeal in the pool. Jeremiah only sighed and he physically carried both of them away. Shirley opened her mouth to thank the vaguely familiar stranger who had saved her, but no words came out and she, like Lelouch, fell into partial-consciousness from fatigue.

"Shirley." A soft feminine voice called out. Shirley stirred for several seconds before she opened her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. She rubbed her eyes wearily as she turned her head towards the voice. Currently, she was rested on a single bed in a small room and had changed out of the soaked swimsuit into a fresh set of the Ashford school uniform, minus the yellow jacket the females had to wear.

"Oh, hi Nunna. What are you doing here?" Shirley asked as she propped herself up on the bed. She was surprised to see Lelouch's younger sister- her woozy mind automatically assumed that she would be brought to the sick bay. The walls were painted sky blue and the white curtains were drawn. She still felt slightly light-headed, but it was leagues better than drowning in a swimming pool.

"I live here," Nunnally replied, tilting her head to one side as she regarded her brother's classmate and friend.

"Oh." It then dawned on Shirley. "You mean, this is where you and Lulu live?"

"Yes," Nunnally nodded. Her pale blue eyes met Shirley's green ones."How are you feeling, Shirley?"

"Much better," Shirley commented and she stretched her arms upwards. A bolt of anxiety hit her as her memories of the previous event came rushing into her mind - she was not the only one whose life was in jeopardy back then. "Nunna, how about Lulu? Is he alright?!" Shirley urgently asked, her eyes wide with alarm and concern.

"He's fine, he's fine," Nunnally quickly reassured Shirley. "He woke up not too long ago before you did. He should be resting in his own room. This is the guest bedroom, in case you wanted to know."

"Thank god," Shirley relaxed visibly, subconsciously smiling to herself. It would be terrible if something happened to Lelouch just because he tried to save her. While it wasn't very smart of him – which was quite unlike him, to dive into the swimming pool when he didn't know how to swim, he still did it to rescue her, failed attempt or otherwise. His heroic and selfless intent should be extolled regardless of its unfortunate and unforeseen results.

"Hey, Shirley?"

"Hmm? What is it, Nunna?"

"You seem to care a lot for my brother."

"Wha-? I'm just concerned about him, Nunna," Shirley could feel her cheeks turning red and she shied away from Nunnally, trying to hide her face. There was a moment or two of awkward silence before Nunnally spoke again.

"Is that so? I thought there was something between you two. You seem to spend a lot of time with him too."

"No... not really." Shirley's words were contradicted by the slightly wistful look on her face. "He's just a great... friend to be around with."

"You like my brother, don't you, Shirley?" Nunnally teased, her sudden question catching Shirley off guard.

"W-what are you saying, Nunna? I don't like him in that wa-"

"Don't deny it, Shirley. It's plain as day," Nunnally continued in a sing-song manner, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

"I really don't like him, Nunna!"

"Mmm." The younger female raised her eyebrows, a mischevious smile playing on her lips. "You can't hide it from me. I've noticed that in every student council meeting, you're either sitting next to him or directly opposite him. Isn't sitting next to him in class enough for you? Besides, I'm aware that you've been approaching him outside of classes and meetings."

"Ah." Shirley bit down on her lower lip. Nunnally was too observant, and each of her points made sense. "It's just… well… there's something about him that fascinates me… and attracts me towards him", Shirley admitted lamely.

"So, in short, you like him."

"Nunna!"

Nunnally giggled as her fellow student council member desperately tried to control herself, her entire face was now burning red. "He's quite laid-back though," Shirley continued in a gloomier tone. "I kinda wish he would be more sensible."

"The fact that you're hoping he would change means that you already like him, yes?" Nunnally pressed on.

"… Fine, Nunna. I like him," Shirley sighed as she gave in to the younger girl.

"So... tell me, Shirley," Nunnally shifted in her wheelchair, adopting a more serious tone. Green eyes met blue ones steadily. "Why do you like my brother?"

"I-I'm not sure," Shirley stammered. "Why do I like him, indeed?" Shirley ran her supple fingers through her hair thoughtfully. "To be honest, I didn't really like him when I first met him."

"Really? What changed that, then?"

"Well... back in our freshman year, I witnessed him helping out an elderly couple in a traffic accident when no one would help them. And he did it so casually with that bored look he always had. It was almost as though it was natural for him to assist people in trouble. Since then, I wanted to know him better."

"Oh, big brother," Nunnally exhaled happily, giggling slightly at the thought of her elder brother's actions

Shirley's head snapped up as she realized that she basically admitted her feelings to her crush's younger sister. "Nunna, please don't tell Lulu! If anything, I want to tell him that myself."

"That's great! I hope to see you in the family someday."

"Nunna… please stop teasing me…"

Unbeknownst to the two girls in the bedroom, Lelouch's hand was still and inches away from the doorknob. He wanted to check on Shirley to see how she was doing but ended up inadvertently overhearing the conversation between her and his younger sister. His brows were furrowed as he listened to every single word and was faintly surprised when Shirley admitted that she liked him. "Come to think of it, it was rather obvious", Lelouch mused. "That would explain why she kept talking to me, approaching me and try to include me in her activities over the past few months. We've grown closer over time as well."

Lelouch then wondered whether he reciprocated Shirley's feelings. Truthfully, he had never thought of her before as a possible love interest. "Today was the day when I finally realized that she's a girl," Lelouch thought as his mind wandered over to the memory of her in the pink and revealing bunny outfit. Milly's words from a not-so-distant past addressed to a fretful Shirley, came drifting into his mind. "You have a pretty good figure. You're filling out nicely on the top and bottom, aren't you?" Lelouch immediately shook his head, trying to dismiss the growing thoughts in his mind. He paused for a moment and mulled."If I didn't like Shirley though… what was that feeling in my chest when I saw her drowning? Was it fear? Well, she's my friend after all; I would be scared even if Rivalz was drowning. But still…"

Lelouch frowned. "This isn't even my main problem right now! I still have to deal with the Margrave and my father." Lelouch moved towards the kitchen of his house, which was actually a part of the student clubhouse, granted to him and Nunnally by the Ashford Family. Lelouch opened his refrigerator and fetched several portions of beef and vegetables from it before grabbing several potatoes from a cupboard and placing them on the kitchen table. The sound of someone clearing his throat behind him caught Lelouch's attention and he turned around.

"Your Highness, with all due respect, you should be resting," Jeremiah said severely, the nobleman's arms folded across his chest.

"I need to prepare dinner," Lelouch replied shortly, turning his back on Jeremiah.

The Margrave stepped forward. "Let me help you, at the very least," Jeremiah said stubbornly, his face resolute.

"If you insist," Lelouch sighed, grabbing a carrot and placing it on the chopping board before slicing it thinly. "We're making au gratin and steak with boiled broccoli and carrots. Since you so readily volunteered to help me, I assume you're more capable at cooking than Shirley."

"I'm not very well-versed in the culinary arts, Your Highness," Jeremiah admitted. "But I hope that you find me a decent assistant, at the very least."

"Call me Lelouch. At least until Shirley's gone," Lelouch said in a low voice as he shoved the carrot slices into a bowl. He seized a potato and threw it at Jeremiah, aiming at his face. It was somewhat petty of him, but at least it made him feel better. Jeremiah caught the spud flawlessly in one hand."None of my friends is supposed to know that I'm royalty, except for Suzaku."

"Understood, Your H- Lelouch," Jeremiah allowed himself to smile as he crossed over to Lelouch's side. He grabbed a potato peeler and started using it on the potatoes. "It may be wishful of me to hope so, but do you have a definite answer yet?"

"… Peel your potatoes, Jeremiah."

"Wow," Nunnally exclaimed, rubbing her hands excitedly as the aromatic smell of food wafted from the kitchen. "It sure smells good, doesn't it, Shirley?"

"It does," Shirley agreed. Both Nunnally and she were seated around the wooden dining table. Shirley intended to return to her dormitory the moment she recovered, but Lelouch surprisingly asked her to stay for dinner, and Shirley consented without a moment of hesitation. They shared a brief smile back then, although it quickly faded away from Lelouch's face as he returned to cook. Shirley, at that moment, thought of offering to help, but she recalled the kitchen fiasco during her welcome event months ago and decided that it was wiser to stay out of it.

"I hope you'll find my cooking to your liking," Lelouch drawled as he and Jeremiah carried the plates of steak, potatoes and vegetables together from the kitchen. The two men set the dishes on the table, Lelouch placing a plate of food before Shirley and Nunnally each.

"As long as you're the one cooking it, I'm sure it would taste good," Nunnally smiled and nudged the orange-haired girl sitting next to her. "Right, Shirley?"

"Umm…" Shirley could not think of an appropriate reply as Nunnally giggled at her expression.

"Don't make fun of our guest, Nunnally," Lelouch chided as he distributed the cutlery, although there was a smile playing on his lips as he watched Shirley squirm in her seat slightly. "Alright, dig in, everyone." All four of them started eating almost immediately.

"Do you cook often, Lulu?" Shirley found herself asking, several minutes later after she finished her food. She enjoyed the meal, for it was well-cooked, despite Nunnally's playful banter.

"He does!" Nunnally piped up as she chewed on her food before Lelouch could even open his mouth to answer. "Not only that, he's the one who does almost all of the household chores, including laundry, ironing and cleaning. I'm sure my big brother would be a good husband and father one day." Nunnally gave Shirley a lopsided smile.

"I've never thought so far about that yet, Nunnally," Lelouch chuckled. Shirley felt a pang of emotion – was it disappointment? Jeremiah let out a hearty laugh at the exchange between the two siblings, drawing stares from the other three people in the dining room.

"Oh, by the way, thank you for saving us back then, Mr Gottwald," Shirley shifted in her chair as she addressed the only adult in the room. She felt slightly disquieted by the large man, but she thought it would be too impolite not to express gratitude towards him after he rescued her and Lelouch.

"Don't mention it," Jeremiah waved it off, beaming at the slender girl. "And call me Jeremiah. You might see more of me around these days since I'll be staying with Lelouch and Nunnally for a while." Shirley's gaze shifted to Lelouch, who coughed awkwardly.

"As I said, he's a family friend," Lelouch said, shooting the Margrave an uneasy glance. Jeremiah shrugged nonchalantly under the prince's stare. "Well, if you're done, Shirley, I'll escort you back to your room." Lelouch offered Shirley a hand, who blinked rapidly at his outstretched palm.

"Um, thanks!" Shirley took Lelouch's hand, trying not to blush as she got to her feet. They shared a brief smile before Lelouch quickly released her hand. They exited Lelouch's home and made their way back to the student dormitories. Within what felt like a short minute to Shirley, they have reached the entrance of her shared room.

"Well… thanks for everything today, Lulu," Shirley gushed, meeting Lelouch's violet eyes. "And um… that was very brave of you, but do try not to dive into swimming pools again without learning how to swim first."

"You're welcome," Lelouch laughed a little. "I'll bear that in mind next time." There was a moment of silence between the two, which stretched on for a while. Lelouch's expression softened. "Goodnight, Shirley," his voice barely audible as he turned around and left without another word. He could feel Shirley's lingering gaze on his back.

"Goodnight, Lulu," Shirley whispered as Lelouch finally disappeared from her sight and she opened the door, darting into her room with a spring in her step. The room's darkness greeted her and she dispelled it with a single flick of the light switch. Apparently, Sophie wasn't around. Humming to herself cheerfully, Shirley walked over to her table and discovered a light blue envelope awaiting her. "From Joseph Fenette,", the outside of the envelope read in her father's instantly recognizable handwriting. A smile started forming on her face slowly as she picked up the letter and started to read the letter's contents…

Author's Note: This chapter was rather hard to write for me as I wasn't sure how it should go. I only had the beginning and ending parts in mind. I felt like it was a bit all over the place (sadface). Despite that, I hope that you readers enjoyed it. There are only a few chapters, which are centred on high-school life, left.