I decided to team up with Sharl, dissolved our initial group, and held a study session at a family restaurant.
Then, come Monday, during lunch break, I reunited with Sharl.
“Meeting you at the academy on a day that isn’t Friday feels kind of strange.”
“We rarely meet. It’s been since we saw Toko and Sharl awkwardly avoid each other’s gaze.”
That was quite amusing.
“Let’s forget about that. Shall we go?”
I headed towards Miss Jenny’s office with Sharl, who had a rather conflicted look on her face.
When we arrived at Miss Jenny’s office, I knocked on the door.
“Come in~”
Hearing Miss Jenny’s voice from inside, I opened the door and entered.
“Sorry to bother you.”
Miss Jenny’s room, unlike Mr. Wallace’s, was tidily organized, and quite clean.
“Is this about the partnership application for the Magic Tournament?”
The teacher, eating lunch at her desk, asked.
“Yes. I’ll be teaming up with Ms. Charlene.”
With that, I submitted the paperwork to the teacher.
“Understood. Nagase will be pairing with Ms. Iver… eh?”
Upon receiving the documents, the teacher looked surprised, comparing my face with Sharl’s.
“What’s the matter?”
“Uh… Nagase? You’re pairing with Ms. Sharlene Iver?”
The teacher emphasized “Iver.”
“That’s right. It’s a La Folle and Iver team.”
“Ah… does Mr. Iver consent to this as well?”
The teacher glanced at Sharl, uncertainty in her eyes.
“It’s settled this way. Is there any problem?”
“It’s not an issue for us, but… nevermind, understood. Nagase and Ms. Iver are your official partners. The announcement of opponents will be posted on the bulletin board this weekend. Please check it.”
After glancing over the documents, the teacher nodded.
“Understood.”
“Thank you.”
“Ah, Nagase, do you have some time before your next class?”
The teacher asked after putting the documents in the desk drawer.
“Yeah, I don’t have any afternoon classes.”
“In that case, can you stay a bit? I want to have a word with you.”
What could it be about?
Did something happen with Mr. Wallace?
“Uh… sure.”
Just as the teacher finished speaking, Sharl bowed to her and waved goodbye to me before leaving.
“Um, you really are teaming up with Ms. Iver, correct? I knew you two got along well, but will this arrangement cause any issues?”
As soon as we were alone, the teacher inquired.
“It’s fine. This is Nagase we’re talking about.”
“Well… but if this reaches your parents or the family, how will you handle it?”
“I don’t see any reason to handle it. There’s nothing that would demand my response.”
“Still, isn’t that something that concerns them? Aren’t you here at the academy thanks to La Folle’s influence?”
“Indeed…”
So what?
“I’m striving hard at my studies.”
“Yes, that’s true. You’re an extremely diligent and excellent student.”
Yeah, yeah.
Sorry I don’t always take notes.
“Was that the reason for the discussion?”
“No, it’s just something I was curious about. The main topic is something else.”
Ah, is that so?
“What is it, then?”
“One more confirmation before the main discussion. Is it true that Nagase hides the fact that you and Ms. La Folle are siblings?”
La Folle, of course, refers to Toko.
“Yeah. I don’t want people laughing at the idea of twins.”
Even Sharl laughed when she found out.
“I understand. We respect the students’ autonomy in this regard. Though, the teachers are curious as to why you’re hiding it.”
“Indeed, why haven’t others noticed yet?”
“Surprisingly, it goes unnoticed.”
“Let’s see if we can graduate without anyone noticing.”
“Hmm… understood. The reason I asked is that it relates to your upcoming opponents during the Magic Tournament.”
Huh?
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mentioned the opponents would be randomly chosen in groups of three, but that’s not entirely true. The Magic Tournament is part of the curriculum, an exercise where we balance the matchups ourselves. Having an overwhelmingly strong team battle an overwhelmingly weak one wouldn’t benefit anyone and could even cause trauma in extreme cases.”
That makes sense.
If a battle-oriented team goes up against a non-combat team, it would be disastrous.
“Understood. I agree that we need to adjust and balance it to a certain degree.”
“Exactly. Ideally, even deciding teams should be handled by us, but it’s also regarded as part of the lesson on who to team up with.”
“The skill of assessing one’s own characteristics and the characteristics of others.”
Something like that.
“Yes. Nagase, you’re quite excellent in this aspect of lessons, and it’s a great help.”
“Just in that field, though.”
“In the sense that Toko excels. She quickly paired up with Yuika.”
“Right. And that’s the issue. As far as I see, your sister and Akaba are at the top tier in combat among first-years. If they team up, there may be no suitable opponents.”
What then?
“Sorry to ask this, but your team with Sharlene will most likely face them.”
Figures…
Sharl, your premonition was right.
“Can this be avoided? Not for me, but for Sharl…”
“I understand your concern. However, the issue lies with Ms. Iver being someone who has defeated your sister in a duel. This makes other teachers think Ms. Iver can stand against your sister.”
“You must have judged the duel clearly, didn’t you? You understood, right?”
“Yes. Though Iver won the duel, it’s obvious who was genuinely stronger.”
“Then explain that to them.”
“Iver isn’t weak. She can cast high-power spells quickly and effectively.”
That’s true, but…
“Close combat is a fatal flaw, though.”
“That’s where you’ll cover her. You’re her Knight.”
“Against them, though! This is serious…”
“Indeed.”
Teacher…
“I’m not hopeful. I’ll mention that both you and La Folle would prefer not to fight each other as siblings, but I can’t promise much. It’s nearly impossible to find suitable opponents against the sister-Akaba team.”
Hmm… how about…
“If Sharl and I don’t team up, it’ll be fine, right?”
The teacher shook her head.
“Ms. Iver can use high-level offensive magic, teleportation spells, and flight magic. Moreover, she can use all three simultaneously. She’s the only one capable of countering your sister’s powerful magic.”
Sharl…
Just tell me, are you strong or weak?
Your dedication is backfiring.
“Middle-school level or below for melee combat…”
“That’s the nature of a specialized type. In any case, it’s like that.”
“Understood. I’ll prepare myself.”
I need to start considering strategies against them seriously.
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