“Y-You don’t have to be embarrassed. Isn’t it more like you care a lot? It seems like you can’t even hear our conversation…”
Sion scratched the back of his head.
Inside Estroja’s room, she had buried her face under the blanket and was refusing to show her face.
How can I get her to come out…
“Come to think of it, isn’t it more embarrassing that you mistook me for Anna and acted cute—”
“I get it, I get it, so be quiet!”
“…Sorry.”
He had only said it in passing, but the atmosphere had suddenly turned awkward.
With nothing to do, he just stared outside the window.
Before he knew it, Estroja was peeking out from the blanket, looking at Sion.
“…What are you looking at like that? Hiding under the blanket.”
“Are you not angry?”
“Angry?”
“…I told you I don’t like you. Aren’t you angry after hearing that?”
“Um…”
Thinking about it, she had a point.
In a situation where they were facing each other, saying “I don’t like you”…
It was essentially equivalent to expressing a desire to fight with that person.
But why is it that I don’t feel angry at all?
Maybe it’s because…
“I don’t really dislike you.”
“…Huh? Who are you talking about?”
“Who else is here besides you?”
“…!”
Rustle.
Estroja once again hid her face under the blanket.
She was squirming around under the covers.
…I’m sorry to say this, but it looked just like a caterpillar moving.
“W-Why are you suddenly saying something like that?”
“Since you were honest with me, I just returned the honesty.”
“…You mean you don’t dislike me?”
“Exactly.”
“What do you mean, exactly?”
Sion scratched his chin.
If someone were to ask him if he really disliked Estroja Parawell, Sion would shake his head.
If he truly disliked her to that extent, he wouldn’t have come all the way here in the first place.
‘Why don’t I dislike her… I don’t get it.’
Sion pondered over his meetings with Estroja.
When they first met, he thought she was just an elegant noble lady.
Later, when they met again thanks to Patrick’s translation, he learned she was a somewhat twisted lady using Kyoto-style speech.
If he looked at her subsequent actions…
She lost in a match against him,
tried to make him embarrassed in front of Professor Heruj’s apprentice but failed,
and when she told him to gather team members, she ended up catching a cold herself.
Thud!
Sion clapped his hands together.
“Ah, now I understand.”
“…What do you mean?”
“I realized why I don’t dislike you.”
“W-What is it? …It’s probably obvious. You’re a man, and you must be charmed by my looks—”
“Even when you’re trying to get back at me, you keep failing, so it feels like… I want to cheer you on.”
That’s right.
After losing to Sion during their match, Estroja had been diligently planning her revenge.
But all of them had ended in failure.
‘Just like the villains in the Pokémon series!’
An organization that keeps losing to the protagonist, just like that.
Estroja was very much like that villainous organization.
That’s why he didn’t feel much like disliking her.
Rather, he felt pity… or should he say empathy?
Suddenly!
Estroja emerged from the blanket, her upper body rising.
Her eyebrows were trembling.
“What nonsense are you talking about!? Wanting to cheer me on and all that…!”
“….”
“Don’t think that just because you’re kind to me like today, I will give up. I caught a cold because of you in the first place!”
“Okay, okay, I get it… um.”
“…?”
“Wouldn’t it be better if you went back under the covers…?”
Sion couldn’t meet Estroja’s eyes.
Why is this happening, he wondered, as Estroja glanced at her own body.
…She realized for the first time that she was wearing only a thin chemise.
A chemise that was soaking with sweat at that.
Knock knock.
As if things couldn’t get worse, a knock came at the door.
Entering gently through the door that opened with the knock was Anna.
Bringing food, she wheeled in a tray…
“Hello! Chef said that Sion’s food is ready, and you should eat… Wow.”
“…….”
“Uh, um. P-Pardon me! Please continue as you were. I’m sorry! I ruined the mood…”
Anna covered her face with both hands.
But her eyes were moving quickly between her fingers.
In a hurry, she pushed the tray back and closed the door.
“…Miss, please don’t forget to… um, I’ll take my leave now…”
Creeeak—thud.
After she closed the door behind her, an overwhelming silence fell.
Even while Sion was desperately avoiding eye contact, he could still feel it.
This sensation of a person’s ‘presence.’
“…Get out.”
“…Huh?”
“Get out of my mansion this instant!! Nothing good has happened since you arrived!!”
“Okay, okay! I’ll leave!!”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Once again, she began throwing dolls haphazardly at him.
Sion, in a panic, ran straight for the door.
…He barely managed to escape Estroja’s room, getting hit on the back of the head by the torrential rain of dolls.
“Wait? D-Did it really end that quickly?”
“…I didn’t do anything.”
“Ah… Did I really disturb you? I’m sorry, I thought the atmosphere was just fine.”
Once down on the first floor, Sion found himself face to face with Anna.
She seemed gloomy, as if she thought she had done something wrong.
…What atmosphere was so fine?
“I don’t know what misunderstanding you have, but I came out because I think I have a bad cold.”
“Is it because you don’t want to spread the illness?”
“…Something like that.”
“I knew it! Caring for each other like this… Isn’t this love?”
Anna’s sparkling eyes were immensely burdensome.
“First, let me tell the steward! You should at least have a meal.”
“No, I’m really fine.”
“But I went to all that trouble to prepare it! Look!”
In a flash!
Anna brought a plate from the kitchen.
As she opened the metal lid of the plate…
Steam rose with a whoosh.
Sion’s eyes widened at the contents within.
“The chef said this dish has become popular among the students lately!”
“…….”
“It’s incredibly moving, right?”
Inside the plate was a hamburger steak.
…Just that the sauce was drizzled in the shape of a heart.
It was just like the hamburger steak he had eaten with Serenne.
This is what became popular among young students?
‘Could it be that the food Anna was about to bring in was this?’
If that were true, then thank goodness.
If Estroja had seen this…
It would have clearly made the atmosphere awkward again.
“Oh my, are you leaving already?”
“Ah! Steward!”
With heavy steps, the steward approached, wearing a gentle smile.
Sion responded with a smile as well.
“Yes, I apologize for not being able to eat.”
“It’s fine. If it’s before lunch, you can take the food home with you. I’ll let the chef know.”
“Then I’ll thank you, but I don’t want to impose…”
“Hehe, either way, Estroja can only eat soup, so it’s fine. Anna, I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Anna took the plate and entered the kitchen.
“Shall we take a short walk?”
“…Yes.”
Squeak.
As they left the entrance and strolled through the garden, Sion was feeling odd since the steward still thought he was her boyfriend.
Suddenly, the steward stopped walking.
“Our young lady is someone who doesn’t easily reveal her true feelings.”
“…Huh?”
“I have been attending to her since she was a newborn. So I know the reason she has changed like this now.”
The steward fiddled with a rose in the garden.
The red bloom was beautiful in itself, but because of the sharp thorns on the stem, it seemed difficult to reach out to it.
“The annual Parawell family banquet. During that event, the branch family young lady inevitably had to face discrimination.”
The discrimination wasn’t anything special.
It was just that food came out a little late, or she was guided to sit on the outskirts of the banquet hall, or faced with condescending gazes.
It was trivial, but that subtle discrimination was just enough to provoke resentment.
“The incident happened when she turned ten.”
“…An incident?”
“It was during a magic martial arts competition.”
The ‘magic martial arts competition’ was one of the events of the banquet.
Estroja participated in the martial arts competition when she was ten years old.
Her opponent was a direct lineage child of the same age.
And she ‘overwhelmingly’ defeated that child of direct lineage.
“…Isn’t that a good thing? It would have been an opportunity to be recognized by the direct lineage people….”
“I thought so too. But the return was a merciless slap.”
“…?!”
Slick.
The ten-year-old Estroja, who was puffed up with joy expecting compliments.
Someone had struck her cheek fiercely.
That person was…
“Was it your mother?”
“…Yes.”
“Why in the world…”
“Because a branch child defeated a direct lineage child. That was a result that no one wanted.”
“…!”
“Do you know why magic martial arts competitions are held?”
A chill ran down Sion’s spine at the steward’s words.
What was the reason for calling the same-aged children of the branch and direct lineages to the arena?
What was the reason ‘magic martial arts’ was included as one of the main events of the banquet?
“…To justify the discrimination between lineages and show the difference in their levels.”
“Exactly. That’s why your lady’s mother stepped in first. For the family’s sake and for Estroja’s sake.”
“…….”
“If she didn’t punish her daughter first, an even harsher discrimination would have awaited her.”
In order to prevent future punishment, she slapped her as an example.
The branch family had to struggle through painful efforts to win the magic martial arts competition without proper training.
To have one’s mother slap them in front of everyone as a punishment…
What must have been in Estroja’s heart… it was unimaginable.
And the feelings of the mother who had to slap her.
“After that day, your lady dedicated herself even more to studying magic. And… she was no longer able to laugh sincerely.”
“…….”
“So I want to ask of you.”
The steward looked at Sion with a serious gaze.
“Please don’t hate our young lady too much.”
“…….”
“She just can’t express her feelings properly. It’s just that she cannot build relationships with others. So…”
“It’s fine.”
Sion smiled gently.
“I’m not really hating her.”
“…I see. I’m sorry for bringing up useless stories. Please keep it a secret from her.”
“Of course.”
The steward bowed to Sion.
‘Indeed… it seems there are many who follow her; she must have good people around her.’
Having good people around means that the person has good character.
In the academy, she might be seen as a villainous lady leading followers around, but in the family, it seems she is just a poor young lady with emotional wounds.
“Tap tap!”
“Steward! I packed the hamburger steak!”
“Oh my, that’s great! Please take it and enjoy it. I’m sure the chef will have truly shown his skills.”
“I appreciate your consideration.”
Sion took the still warm hamburger steak and headed for the main door.
“Well then, I shall take my leave.”
“Young Master.”
Clang.
As the steward closed the door, she left Sion with her last words.
“I’ll be waiting for you to come as her true boyfriend next time.”
“…Huh?”
“Then goodbye.”
Thud thud.
With a satisfied spin, the steward turned and headed back toward the mansion.
Sion stood there blankly, watching her retreating figure.
‘…Since when did she know?’
Feeling stupid for agonizing over misunderstandings while trying to clarify them, he was also dazed by the unexpected sensation.
…It wasn’t for nothing that he had come to the steward’s position in the mansion.
Still—
“Should I try eating on a park bench?”
Whether the misunderstandings had been cleared up or there had never been any misunderstanding at all didn’t matter.
He decided to be satisfied with just realizing that Estroja wasn’t such a bad person after all.
Sion made his way to the academy with the hamburger steak in hand…
The warmth of the steak felt like it was gently melting his heart through the wrapping.
A little while later.
After finishing the meal of hamburger steak showcasing the chef’s remarkable skills, Sion found himself in Professor Shabrina’s classroom.
“By the way, didn’t we have no class last week?”
“Sion, you didn’t check the class bulletin, did you?”
“…No.”
“You didn’t see that the class was canceled for personal reasons?”
At Patrick’s words, he rummaged through his student card to check the class bulletin.
Indeed, there was information about the canceled class.
[Title: This week’s lecture is canceled.]
[Content: We apologize to the students who were looking forward to the class. It has been canceled due to personal reasons… We will schedule a make-up class in the future~.]
It was a perfectly normal announcement.
So that’s why there wasn’t class last week.
Because of all the numerous classes and club activities, he hadn’t even paid attention.
“Haha! From this week, other professors will come to showcase their magic talents!”
“Oh, really?”
Sion’s ears perked up at Geivolg’s words.
‘If it’s 1st and 2nd Circle Magic, it’ll be a good opportunity to learn.’
The magic Sion was currently focused on was elemental magic.
However, there were many types of magic, and he wanted to see and learn various kinds.
This class was just perfect for him.
‘I wonder what professors from the magic department will show up? Since I’m already learning spirit magic, I can rule that one out, and necromancy… I suppose that’s out of the question too?’
Expectations swelled within Sion.
Finally, the front door of the classroom creaked open, and a professor stepped in.
A kindly-looking female professor with horns of a ram, it was Professor Shabrina.
“Hello. It’s been two weeks since we last met. I hope everyone has been well?”
Professor Shabrina greeted the students with a warm smile.
Watching her made him feel comforted.
After taking attendance briefly, she explained the day’s lesson.
“As announced in the orientation, from this week onward, representatives from the other magic departments will come and introduce their respective programs.”
At Byzantium Academy’s Magic Department, during their first year, students learn various forms of magic simultaneously…
However, from the second year onward, it is customary to choose a specific magic department for further study.
To introduce several forms of magic before making that decision, Professor Shabrina’s ‘Introduction to Magic Studies’ class exists.
“Now then, let us welcome the professor from the Alchemy Magic Department, Professor Huain!”
“……Oh?”
Applause rang out!
While everyone clapped to welcome the professor from the Alchemy Magic Department, Sion was the only one who froze up, unable to clap.
He remembered where he had heard the name of the professor’s department.
Sion recalled his conversation with Professor Lunia.
“-So, you mean the professor from the Alchemy Magic Department wants to see me?”
-Yes, yes… that’s right…
-You’re saying there’s a reason why she wants to meet me…
-Yes, indeed. I passed on the ideas that you, Sion, had shared with me to Professor Huain…
-…Ideas? Could it be…
Professor Huain from the Alchemy Magic Department.
The person who had made the mud cookies that Professor Lunia had.
The one who, unexpectedly, had sent Sion a love call.
“Oh ho! It seems there are many new guinea pigs coming in this year!”
The female professor appeared, wearing transparent goggles typically used in labs.
With neon pink hair so bright it was almost garish, styled in twin tails.
…And wearing a lab coat, she was.
“Nice to meet you! I am Professor Huain, the head of Research Magic. As you can see, I’m a dwarf!”
“…….”
“But more importantly, I heard there’s a guinea pig named Sion here?”
