“That’s how it went.”
“…”
After hearing my brief explanation, which consisted of only the essentials, Cynthia was at a loss for words.
Her reaction, now that her curiosity had been satisfied, was completely different from when she met me a moment ago.
“So… Prisis, you’re working with Lady Yuria Prisis, right?”
“…That’s right.”
Cynthia awkwardly confirmed my words after hearing me out.
Of course, she’d react this way. The scale of all this is much bigger than expected. Not only does it involve one of the Six Great Families, but also the Academy’s Vice Chancellor.
This isn’t exactly the kind of situation a first-year Academy student would casually nod to.
“Er… uhh…”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“I didn’t know it would be this much…”
Cynthia struggled with her words, barely managing to respond.
I didn’t really want the kids to find out about this stuff—it was pretty obvious how they’d treat me differently after learning these things.
“Don’t worry, nothing will really change. You can treat me like you normally would.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah. Just keep this between the two of us.”
“…Yeah.”
Already quite a few people know about it, though.
At the very least, Elaine and Emily mustn’t find out…
“Do the other students know about… this?”
“Nope. You’re the only one who knows, for now.”
“Ah, I see.”
Cynthia cautiously nodded at my words. Then she muttered under her breath:
“Guess that explains why you’re so strong for a student…”
Pretending not to hear her muttering, I replied:
“Anyway, please keep this to yourself. Just between the two of us.”
“…Yeah.”
There was some lingering awkwardness in her tone.
As she kept muttering to herself, I couldn’t help but worry about tomorrow. I’ll end up seeing the others, and I’m not sure how they’ll react.
—
Later…
“This year, our class has decided not to participate in any events for the festival.”
Professor Amillion spoke with surprising seriousness.
Even though it was funny to hear about “choosing not to do anything,” the professor’s tone carried genuine weight.
“Normally, the S Class would substitute festival participation by competing in the inter-grade tournament, but we’ve already finished that early this year.”
‘So that’s how it is.’
The festival is drawing near, and not much has happened so far. The hostage still refuses to confess, and the Vice Chancellor remains inactive.
Our sole accomplishment was informing Professor Amillion of our plan.
“So this year, the S Class can simply enjoy the festival. Though with all the recent incidents, it might be difficult to relax.”
Professor Amillion glanced at the empty seat in the back of the classroom. Cain Hover, who had yet to regain consciousness, had left the Academy for treatment, though he probably won’t return, given how his body has been ruined to the point where he can no longer use mana.
Everyone knows what happened to Cain, so it’s possible they aren’t in the mood for celebrating the festival.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Cynthia glancing at me. As soon as our eyes met, she nervously looked away.
‘Oh boy, she’s still acting like this.’
After accidentally finding out about my true identity, Cynthia has been paying far too much attention to me. She acted normally the day after I told her, but as time passed, it became increasingly awkward.
“The other classes will be setting up various interesting booths, so please feel free to check them out,” Professor Amillion continued.
“Understood.”
“And on the second day, there’ll be…”
When mentioning the party, Professor Amillion looked directly at me. Seriously, why does everyone feel the need to highlight this?
“S Class students are required to attend the party unless there’s an exceptional circumstance. A few graduates might join as well. Oh, and this is just between us…”
Professor Amillion paused briefly, scanning the classroom.
“One of the members of the Six Great Families, Lady Yuria Prisis, is expected to both give a graduation speech and attend the party. You all might want to seize this golden opportunity to network.”
“…Pardon?”
Lady Yuria Prisis’s attendance came as no small shock—not to me, but to Emily, of all people!
The usually quiet Emily’s eyes widened, and she blurted out:
“Y-Yuria Prisis?”
“Correct, Lady Yuria Prisis will be joining.”
“G-goodness…”
Emily’s eyes were wide with disbelief.
“Why’s that surprising, Emily?”
“N-nothing!”
“Hmm…”
Realizing everyone was now looking at her, Emily lowered her head and stopped asking questions.
“In any case, have a good time at the festival.”
With that, Professor Amillion checked the time and left.
“Y-Yuria Prisis is coming…!”
As soon as Professor Amillion exited, Cynthia approached me with a voice that was a little too obvious.
‘Ugh, seriously. I told her not to make a big deal out of it, but here we are.’
“I’ve heard of Yuria Prisis too. She’s the only student in history to always rank number one in both entrance and graduation exams, right?”
“Seems like it. Impressive person.”
I think I once heard that directly from Yuria herself.
Emily, who was shocked earlier by Yuria’s name, still sat there stunned.
“Emily, do you know Yuria Prisis?”
“Uh… yeah?”
“Thought you might, given how surprised you were.”
“…”
It’s fine, I guess. If Emily doesn’t want to tell me now, I can always ask Yuria later. Come to think of it, Yuria mentioned she knew someone at the Academy. Could that be Emily?
“Anyway, looks like we’re all going to this party. Great.”
Elaine broke the slightly awkward silence.
The mandatory party attendance Professor Amillion just announced seemed to bother her.
“Party…”
“Mr. Ryu might not be familiar with social gatherings like these.”
“Ahem.”
Elaine’s concerned comment made Cynthia suddenly cough, for reasons I can’t understand.
“I don’t know much either. But we have no choice but to attend this time…”
“Not necessarily! There might be special circumstances that allow us to skip it!”
Cynthia abruptly cut in between Elaine and me.
Her gaze was intense as she looked at me with a strange expression.
“Exactly… right?”
“Ryu, why don’t you ask Professor Amillion nicely to let you skip it?”
“…”
I did tell her not to draw attention to this, but she keeps finding ways to highlight it.
‘Ah, that’s right. She doesn’t know the festival will likely involve an incident.’
In her mind, she’s probably trying to ensure I focus on my secret mission instead of wasting time at a party.
“Nope. I don’t have any special circumstances. I’ll be there.”
“O-okay!”
“By the way, does the festival bring together all the students in one place for the party?”
“To be honest, it varies every year. Normally, it takes place in one building so students from different grades and graduates can mingle more easily.”
“Hmm. If all students are gathered in one spot, then the security personnel will likely be concentrated there too.”
“Perhaps… yes?”
Elaine tilted her head in confusion, unable to understand the implications of my question.
Same here. If the students will all gather in one place on the second day of the festival, why did we pick that as the designated operation day? The forewarning of bloodshed during the festival suggests there will likely be casualties, similar to the Undead incident…
“Alright. Let’s all go together. Emily, you’ll join us too, right?”
“M-me?”
“Yeah. Come on.”
Emily still seemed dazed. After asking her again, she nodded slowly, agreeing to come along.
‘Okay, having everyone together will make it easier to keep things safe.’
As per Cynthia’s concern, I could’ve asked Professor Amillion to excuse me from the party. However, I have my reasons for wanting to be there. If anything happens, I’ll need to be close by to protect the kids. Hopefully, nothing happens, but you can never be too careful…
“Alright, so we’re all going together. Elaine, Cynthia, Emily…”
“Um, me too!”
“Huh?”
Just as I was wrapping things up, a hurried voice interrupted me. It was Anes and Marie.
“Um… Can we please join you guys?”
“…”
Their eyes were filled with sincere hope.
Since Cain’s incident and hospitalization, their group’s dynamic has been a little lost. They’re used to hanging out with Cain, who is no longer present…
Instead of responding right away, I glanced at the others: Elaine, Cynthia, and Emily.
Ultimately, this isn’t something I can decide alone.
‘Hmm. Does it really matter if it’s three or five people?’
Guarding five people instead of three isn’t a huge difference. I can handle it.
“Sure. Let’s all go together.”
“Yay! Thank you!”
Anes smiled brightly in relief, expressing her gratitude. I gave her a somewhat awkward smile in return.
The festival, where something is bound to happen, is only about a week away.
‘Need to wrap this up cleanly.’
Even though everything seems to be going smoothly, the very lack of obstacles is a little unsettling. But still…
