“So, to summarize….”
Professor Underwood sighed. My body, along with Sofia Sub-priest’s, flinched in response.
“Professor Antorelli has some sort of toxins remaining in his body for some reason, and spitting blood is an act of expelling those toxins? Is that what I understood correctly?”
“…That’s correct.”
“Ha…”
Professor Underwood’s sigh deepened. Her expression seemed to say, ‘Are you telling me to believe that?’ which made me feel uneasy.
“Anyway, you don’t intend to explain further, do you?”
“…No. I’m sorry.”
“No… You don’t have to apologize… No, huff…”
As Professor Underwood waved her wand, the mops and cloths that had been cleaning the floor by themselves came to a complete halt.
On the floor where the mops and cloths had been scrubbing diligently, faint bloodstains remained. It must be from the blood I had spat moments ago.
“I wanted to spend my time leisurely, but I didn’t expect to come in during the vacation and end up like this. Professor Antorelli.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“…With such a polite apology, it makes me feel like I’m the bad person here. Please, sit down first.”
Following Professor Underwood’s words, I took a seat in the chair right next to her. On the desk lay a bundle of papers stained dark red with blood.
They were the theology exam papers for the first-year class A students that would be given in the second semester. Seeing the ruined exam papers, which I had diligently prepared even amidst the confusion of Cesar’s death, brought a bitter feeling to my heart.
While I was staring bitterly at the exam papers, Sofia Sub-priest timidly took a place right next to me. Her eyes were adorably swollen red like a rabbit’s.
Seeing Sofia Sub-priest, Professor Underwood spoke softly.
“You made even Sofia Sub-priest cry; you really did well.”
“……”
“Well, what’s done is done, but it’s still hard to accept. I trust you’re not expecting me to understand that.”
“I don’t expect that.”
“That’s nice and neat. Then, you’re feeling okay now, right?”
“Yes. I’m fine now.”
“Then, that’s good.”
With those words, Professor Underwood turned her gaze back to her book. I, too, discarded the blood-stained exam papers and pulled out a new sheet from my bag.
I focused all my attention on creating the exam questions once again. It was incredible that I could have such concentration even after spitting blood in the middle of the Academy’s administrative office, while seeing Sofia Sub-priest cry uncontrollably in front of me.
Just then, as I started to get heated in creating the exam questions, Sofia Sub-priest lowered her voice and spoke to me.
“Head Priest.”
“Yes, Sofia Sub-priest.”
“I’m sorry. I feel like you got in trouble because of me…”
“That’s not your fault. It happened because of my carelessness.”
“No. It’s my fault… I jumped to conclusions and ended up… crying…”
“It’s not. The person who caused that is me. I…”
“No… It’s me…”
As a vague uneasiness arose in my mind, sensing that this conversation would lead to no end, Professor Underwood finally slammed her book down and shouted.
“Ah… really! You two! Save the lovey-dovey stuff for outside!”
“L-Lovey-dovey stuff…”
“……”
After that, we had no choice but to get thoroughly scolded.
*
The high sun began to hide gradually, and the moon, which felt particularly heavy in summer, started to peek out.
The second night shift in the Academy. The night shift with Professor Scarlet Underwood meant that night had truly come.
– Tap.
The sound of something being placed on the desk. It signified that Professor Underwood had finished reading the thick magic book she had started in the morning.
“Huuh…!”
Professor Underwood raised both arms, groaning in fatigue, and began to stretch with all her might.
The stretching of Professor Underwood, reminiscent of a lazy cat, and that which swayed in sync with it could not be overlooked due to its size.
– Crack—!
“…Head Priest, where are you looking?”
Sofia Sub-priest grabbed the hem of my clothing tightly and called me in a voice that was almost whispering. I naturally turned my gaze to look out the window.
“Ha… It’s already this late.”
“Your skills in diverting the conversation aren’t trivial.”
“By the way, I think I forgot about dinner.”
“…I’ll let it slide this time.”
Though it was an action to escape Sofia Sub-priest’s reproach that wasn’t really a reproach, the truth was that all three of us had been so focused on our own work that we hadn’t even had dinner.
The current time was 10 PM. We hadn’t eaten since around 11:30 AM when we had lunch, so we had been in a fasting state for nearly 10 hours.
Like me, Professor Underwood, having finished her stretching, looked at the clock and said in a somewhat flustered tone.
“Oh my… Time has already passed like this.”
Looking out at the encroaching darkness, we realized just how long we had been concentrating.
After gazing outside for a moment, Professor Underwood nodded and turned to us.
“Shall we go eat now? The dining hall shouldn’t have closed yet.”
“I’m fine.”
“And you, Sub-priest?”
“…I’m fine too.”
Sofia Sub-priest’s attitude in responding to Professor Underwood was strangely sharp. I didn’t know whether Professor Underwood was unaware of it or simply disregarded it, but either way, it was evident.
“One thing is clear… As we left the administration office and headed to the dining hall, Sofia Sub-priest was sticking closely to my side, showing no intention of leaving.”
“You two really get along well,” Professor Underwood commented with a strange expression as she observed us. No matter how you looked at it, I couldn’t help but feel awkward too.
“Sofia Sub-priest, how about walking a little apart? We’re too close.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, I’m not okay with it. Just a little….”
“Are you… unhappy about it?”
“…It’s not that I’m unhappy, but still.”
“Then it’s fine.”
The conversation wasn’t going anywhere. This uncomfortable and awkward behavior continued even after we arrived at the dining hall.
I could hardly understand why Sofia Sub-priest sat so close to me while eating. Seeing how we acted, Professor Underwood remained silent after entering the dining hall.
It was the perfect environment for an upset stomach, but due to my experience of sustaining my life with almost dog food-like combat rations even in a war zone, even though we arrived late, the still warm food slid down my throat easily.
As this uncomfortable meal continued for a while, I noticed Professor Underwood discreetly sipping water before clearing her throat.
Having been wary of her since she spat blood, I couldn’t help but react to every little thing Professor Underwood did. As I turned to look at Professor Underwood, our eyes met.
“Ah…”
“Professor Underwood, do you have something to say…?”
“No. Please continue eating.”
“Ah, yes…”
Following Professor Underwood’s request to continue eating, I still felt her gaze was burning into me. Unable to do anything else, I set down my utensils and looked at her again.
“Professor Underwood, you really seem to have something to say, don’t you?”
“…Did it show?”
“A little…”
Professor Underwood rubbed her cheek, looking troubled. I continued eating, and it wasn’t until Sofia Sub-priest’s cheeks, stuffed with food, finally sunk that Professor Underwood spoke again.
“In fact, I never intended to think about this….”
Finally, Professor Underwood opened her mouth. Sofia Sub-priest and I, as if we had rehearsed, set down our utensils simultaneously and looked at her. With all attention suddenly on her, Professor Underwood appeared flustered.
“Uh… Please finish what you were eating, you two.”
“Almost done.”
“So am I.”
“…You two really sync well at times like this.”
“We always do, Professor Underwood.”
With Sofia Sub-priest’s brazen expression as she replied without blinking, Professor Underwood was the one to raise the white flag.
“Ha… Lately, I’ve been having a lot on my mind.”
“I’m listening.”
“I originally really didn’t want to say it… but seeing the two of you, I find myself speaking.”
Truthfully, it was an abrupt statement. What did my relationship with Sofia Sub-priest have to do with anything?
The answer to my curiosity was provided by Professor Underwood’s next words.
“You two really seem fond of each other. In fact, there is someone with whom I want to become closer…”
Someone she wants to get closer to. Someone with whom Professor Underwood specifically wants to advance their relationship.
If my ears weren’t deceiving me, that’s what I heard. Professor Underwood continued, slightly bashful.
“Still, I feel more comfortable asking priests than others. If I brought this up with others, rumors would spread throughout the entire Academy in no time.”
“Hoho… Professor Underwood, you’ve come to the right place. We could never miss an honest consultation.”
“…Sofia Sub-priest.”
“I’m sorry.”
As Sofia Sub-priest quickly apologized, I decided to ask a somewhat serious question at Professor Underwood, taking the opportunity.
Since Professor Underwood had started sighing heavily from the moment she brought up this topic, it seemed like it was genuinely a serious concern for her.
“This may be a rude question, but what kind of relationship are you hoping to grow with that person?”
“What kind of relationship…?”
“For example, do you want to become close friends, or a couple, or perhaps…”
“A-are you talking about becoming a couple?!”
Professor Underwood suddenly stood up. There were no other people in the dining hall except for us, so it wouldn’t look weird, but her reaction was still overly sensitive.
“If what I said was uncomfortable…”
“N-no… It’s not that…”
For a moment, flustered, she was rambling, and before long, her ears turned bright red, the same color as her hair. I silently watched her as I continued eating calmly.
“…I’m sorry. I just acted inappropriately for a moment.”
“It’s fine.”
“Um… I don’t want that kind of relationship advancement, actually.”
“I understand. I must have misunderstood.”
“Yes! A huge misunderstanding! Dating that person is completely out of question….”
I had no idea what kind of person could provoke such a reaction, but it was a universal truth that conversations must be carried through to the end. I waited for Professor Underwood to continue her words.
“In fact, lately, there’s someone who has become distant from me… I don’t know how to return to our previous state.”
“…Are you talking about the person who distanced themselves?”
“Yes. We were relatively close before, but now….”
– I also feel a bit suffocated lately.
It might just be a feeling, but it sounded like a dilemma I had heard before. I considered whether to mention it but decided to keep quiet and listen to her words.
“While it’s caused by my personal selfishness, I don’t want to lose either my personal desires or my relationship with that person.”
– But then suddenly, a strange rumor started spreading that I’ve been eyeing the position of the Academy president for a few years. And, by chance, Professor Underwood, who had been enthusiastically pursuing the next presidential candidate, heard that rumor.
– That must have been a headache.
“Yet, that person acts frustratingly as if they don’t know my real intentions…”
– We’re still in a distant relationship. I still have thoughts of yielding, but every time that woman sees me, she scratches my insides…. That’s why I’ve been feeling quite suffocated lately.
“So, I’m really frustrated these days.”
– Is that because of Professor Underwood?
– Well, yes. It is indeed because of that woman.
“Ah.”
“So… huh? Why do you look like that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
It was not just a feeling.
For some reason, Professor Underwood wore a slightly embarrassed expression. The person who caused that expression was…
“Ha… Really, as always, being so obstinate…”
Professor Sylvester Armstrong. A man widely known as someone who has fallen out with Professor Underwood.
I realized that Professor Underwood was talking about Professor Armstrong.
