A shiver ran down my spine at the sight of Lily’s unnervingly bright crimson eyes.
“Going out alone? Why? Do I have to not be here? Why?”
I couldn’t say I was earning money to buy an engagement ring.
Because I wanted to make it as much a surprise as possible.
“A… I… It’s…”
The narrower Lily’s eyes became as I stumbled over my words, the more I instinctively shrunk under her sharp gaze that felt like it could pierce through my skin.
“Can’t tell me?”
I could only shake my head mutely.
After silently staring at me for a while, Lily let out a sigh.
“Hmm… It’s not a dangerous thing, right?”
“Yes, that’s for sure.”
“…All right. Come back safely.”
“Thank you.”
Was getting permission to go out this nerve-wracking? It felt like Lily’s protection had intensified.
Lily, who after lightly flicking her hand to tidy up the table, came over to me.
“Instead, we must go on a date tomorrow, just the two of us. Got it?”
“Yeah.”
I was the one who wanted to suggest it. I intended to learn more about Lily’s preferences through this date.
So I could make the most perfect proposal.
—
Didn’t they say enjoyable times pass quickly?
The morning spent with Lily flew by as if in a blink. For lunch, we enjoyed an old-fashioned butter grill (which was even more dreamy because of the butter) and prepared to go out.
I briefly thought about wearing casual clothes, but since we were meeting at the school café, I decided to just wear my uniform.
After changing clothes in the restroom and coming out, Lily approached me.
“Arthur, wait a moment.”
Lily straightened my clothes neatly, then attached something to the collar of my uniform.
“A badge? What’s this?”
It was a small, deep red badge in the shape of a heart.
“A symbol that you’re mine.”
“Eh?”
“I was joking. It’s actually a magic badge that alerts me if you’re in danger. Promise me you’ll never take it off.”
Extending her little finger, Lily looked adorably mischievous, causing me to grin widely as we crossed our fingers and made a promise.
“I won’t take it off. I promise.”
And then, as if it were the most natural gesture in the world, Lily leaned in for a kiss.
“The seal.”
Even though we must have done it dozens, possibly over a hundred times, the sight of her crimson lips still drove my heart wild.
Pucker!
Since one kiss wasn’t enough, we did it four or five more times in succession, until Lily finally sent me a satisfied glance.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Yup, don’t get hurt~”
“Yessir!”
Just before stepping out the door, I checked the time—it wasn’t long until our meeting.
As I quickly walked toward the school café, I bumped into someone while rounding a corner.
“Ahh!”
“Ow!”
Caught off guard, my legs gave out, and I collapsed. The person opposite me extended a hand.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t see you—oh? Arthur?”
“…Reeti? What are you—”
“Kyaa, Arthur!!”
“Huh?”
Reeti pulled me tightly into an embrace after catching me with her outstretched hand.
“Are you hurt anywhere? For a whole month, what on earth happened? And what was that barrier in front of your door?”
Reeti seemed more agitated than I had expected. Well, I couldn’t blame her. Of course, it would be worrying and curious to have a friend locked in their room for a whole month. Still…
Woooom!!
The badge on my collar was vibrating fiercely.
‘Isn’t it supposed to detect danger? I mean, this isn’t exactly… could it be? Oh no!’
Suspicious, I pushed Reeti away.
“At least back off a little first.”
As Reeti reluctantly moved away, the vibration from the badge clearly subsided. Seeing this, I couldn’t help but chuckle faintly.
‘Could it be that “danger” refers to jealousy, Lily?’
A reasonable doubt.
“So what happened!”
“…No, I’m fine. Nothing particularly special occurred.”
“…”
Upon hearing that, Reeti’s expression…
“…I’m not going to believe you if you say that, am I?”
“Obviously not!!”
Reeti’s outburst came with a string of questions.
“Do you know how worried I was? The same person who overexerted during the practical test suddenly went into hiding. And then there was that incredibly solid barrier in front of your door!”
“…”
“Stories went around that you were dead. Someone had holed up in the same room with you—it turned out to be Louis.”
“Hold on, Louis?”
“That’s right! The Louis Goldsun who’s on bad terms with you and tried to kill all of us during the practical test.”
Speaking of which, I hadn’t given much thought to the identity of the person who stabbed me in the heart. Thinking it was already resolved, I hadn’t delved deeper. But now considering it logically and emotionally, it was highly likely that it was Louis.
“How do you know it was Louis who caused the practical test accident?”
“…Seriously, you have no idea of what’s going on?”
According to Reeti’s explanation, Louis’ atrocities were already widely known throughout the academy thanks to Luke and Ilina’s testimonies. Under the Chancellor’s direction, he was suspended, but despite the suspension period being long over, Louis hasn’t made an appearance.
It was indeed a suspicious situation, but I decided to ask Lily about it first. I was confident that Lily would know who the person that stabbed me was.
Thankfully, there were no stories floating around about my near-death experience from getting stabbed in the heart. Most claims of my death turned out to be just speculation. The Chancellor must have enforced strict information control. Even the notorious journalism club perhaps didn’t know… Wait, journalism club?
“Reeti, can I see your watch?”
“Huh? Why do you need—”
Perplexed, Reeti showed her watch, and… oh my God.
“Reeti, I have an urgent appointment right now. We’ll talk later.”
“Wait! You’re trying to brush this off, aren’t you?”
Yes, that’s correct.
With Reeti’s reputation for good intuition, I had no confidence in lying convincingly. Time to run first.
“That’s how it is. We’ll talk later.”
With that, I dashed off towards the café. Her voice could still be heard from behind.
“You better talk even later!”
—
Elsewhere, at the Academy Café.
Worthy of the name “Royal Academy,” the school café was large and splendidly decorated.
The round tables gave off a sense of high-class restaurants. Each table was surrounded by soundproofing magic, isolating conversations from neighboring tables, and vice versa.
A pair of cups placed on one such high-class table were sipped and placed back in perfect unison by the two men and women.
“Could it be…”
“Could it be…”
“Us?”
“Getting cheated on?”
The twin journalists Regina and Johnson just stared blankly at their coffee.
As Regina rested her wrist on the table, Johnson checked the time.
“Ten minutes passed.”
“Let’s just…”
“Drink this coffee…”
“Alright.”
“Alright.”
Slowly, they began sipping the coffee a drop at a time. They were trying to hang on as long as possible. It might be their subconscious refusal to accept the reality that they had been cheated on.
Their efforts didn’t go unrewarded.
Ding, ding.
The bells of the café entrance sounded, and the twins turned their heads to the door simultaneously. This must’ve been the routine they’d repeated dozens of times. They typically ended up sighing and looking away, but this time it was different.
“Arthur!”
“Junior!”
Finally, the person they were looking for appeared. Regina and Johnson sprang from their seats, waving their hands wildly to catch his attention. Arthur saw them and came over.
“I’m sorry. Something came up on the way here….”
“Not at all!”
“We too!”
“Just arrived!”
Arthur glanced at their coffee. It was cold, despite their words. But knowing he had his faults, Arthur decided to humor them a bit.
“Let’s sit!”
Once Arthur sat, Regina quickly activated the soundproofing magic on the table, while Johnson pulled out a thick stack of paper—obviously a set of interview questions. Recognizing the intent behind this, Arthur’s face hardened.
“Alright! Just a few easy ones!”
“We promise!”
“…Will they be easy?”
Ignoring Arthur’s question, the twins launched into their interview.
First came Johnson.
“Junior, I’ve heard you’re from an orphanage. Is that true?”
While it was a direct question, most people already knew this, so Arthur nodded.
“Yes, it’s true.”
Next from Regina.
“Which orphanage?”
“Blue Peace Orphanage.”
“We’ve heard there was abuse in the orphanage. Is it true?”
“…”
“Don’t worry. Based on our information, Blue Peace Orphanage is now closed.”
“So there’s no repercussions if you reveal the abuse!”
“Ah, no, I just didn’t expect that question. Um… there wasn’t exactly abuse but—”
“If not abuse, then it must have been a very strict place!”
“Yes, that’s—no, it’s not what I meant…”
“Moving on to the next question!”
“Isn’t it true you lack even a single bit of mana?”
“Yes, zero.”
“Absolutely none?”
“Absolutely zero.”
“Thanks to that, you’ve consistently scored the lowest in practical tests but always aced your written exams. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“But it seems like you did quite well in the latest practical test. How many points did you get?”
“…I don’t know yet, haven’t been informed.”
“What a shame! Alright, next question!”
“We heard you made a big splash this time in the practical test! Especially with the massive explosion through steam manipulation!”
“When I first heard it, it made me shiver! How did you come up with that idea?”
“There was a situation where I needed to turn things around, and suddenly Luk and Ilina came into sight. It just clicked.”
“The genius of someone who always aces their written tests! Incredible! Next!”
“Of course, your brilliant mind is commendable, but the main figure that brought your plan to life was apparently the cat?”
“Which cat were you referring to?”
“Ririm is her name and a familiar I have.”
“Familiar!!”
“An extraordinary stroke of luck, very good for you!”
“I agree.”
“Could you tell us about the abilities of your familiar? Of course, you don’t need to share everything!”
“Protection barrier, curses, and destructive beams.”
“Ah! That’s the famous ‘Nya-Death Beam’, isn’t it? Could you show it to us today?”
“I didn’t bring Ririm, and even if I did, setting it off here—”
“Understood. Here’s the next question!”
“I’ve heard you have quite a few nicknames. ‘Mr. Perfect Scores,’ ‘Meow Servant,’ ‘Meow Cannon,’ ‘Death Beam Master,’ ‘Troll,’ ‘Human Fountains Engineer.'”
“There are a lot! Speaking of troll, why were you called that?”
“…It’s because I’ve sustained severe injuries multiple times but continue to live as if nothing happened. It was a derogatory term.”
“Oh, I didn’t know it was derogatory. I apologize.”
Regina said this before pulling a real apple out of her pocket and handing it to Arthur. Caught off guard, Arthur shoved the apple into his pocket.
“Alright, last question!”
“Pity! Some time ago, we visited you. There was something we wanted to ask at that time.”
“About a month ago, you were spotted walking around the academy shopping district with a very charming female.”
“The two of you were seen in a very cozy, intimate way multiple times!”
“The lady was wearing an academy uniform. Who is she? And what’s your relationship with her?”
Arthur had been prepared for this.
While he thought it would be the first question, it came later than expected.
It was likely a strategy to confuse the subject’s mind with many questions before bringing the most important question at the end in order to get a more accurate answer, Arthur thought.
However, Arthur already had his answer prepared in advance.
“Actually, that uniform was fake.”
“Fake?”
“A replica, to be precise.”
“Yes, exactly. She wanted to dress like me for our date, so she made it herself.”
This wasn’t entirely incorrect, as Arthur thought. Even though the material and appearance might be exactly the same, the magic pockets wouldn’t have been replicated.
“Hooh~ Quite a high-quality replica it seems!”
“Hold on! Your earlier comment of dating implied—”
“And she is my….”
Regina and Johnson focused intently on Arthur’s mouth. Arthur, feeling the pressure of their gaze, was suddenly overwhelmed by an odd sensation.
The feeling of someone watching him closely. It was as if he could see a pair of crimson eyes flickering somewhere at the corner of his vision—an unsettling feeling.
Swallowing his saliva, Arthur eventually continued.
“Fiancée.”
“!!!!!”
“!!!!!”
Regina and Johnson’s mouths dropped simultaneously.
