I’m Not Becoming a Graduate Student! – Chapter 48

“Then, that will be all for today’s class!”

““Thank you for your hard work!””

Professor Heruj’s class ended without any issues.

At first, Estroza moved like a marionette with a broken string.

After a few minutes passed, she regained her senses.

“Are you okay, Estroza?”

“…I just need a little rest.”

“L-let’s get out of here for now!”

As soon as the class was over, Estroza staggered.

Despite her followers’ worries, Estroza’s face remained cold and stiff.

It felt as if the mask, which seemed unbreakable, had shattered into a thousand pieces.

“Could you please help me a bit? I can hardly walk…”

“Yes, of course!”

Her loyal followers fluttered around her, supporting her.

They walked in a group out of the Coliseum.

‘Did we catch each other’s eyes for a moment? No way?’

Just before Estroza exited the Coliseum, Sion felt like he had locked eyes with her white pupils.

…Just a feeling, right?

“Hey! You crazy idiot!”

“Ah!”

Slap!

As soon as class ended, Patrick smacked Sion on the shoulder.

“What’s up with you all of a sudden?”

“Don’t you know? You… are seriously scary.”

“What? Why?”

“I never imagined you’d strike back like that! Ugh… chills.”

“…?”

Patrick looked at Sion in horror.

‘What’s going on with him?’

Of course, Sion found it ridiculous.

What did I do wrong?

“…Alright, I’ll explain everything step by step. The conversation you had with Estroza.”

Patrick, a pro translator familiar with nobles’ euphemistic language, continued.

“I’m afraid that your kingdom built by all your hard work will collapse.”

→ I know you spread false rumors.

“I understand the desire to seek the protection of the powerful. But… I believe this has crossed a line.”

→ Creating a lie that you’re Professor Heruj’s prized student. No matter how much Professor Heruj thinks well of you, that’s crossing the line.

After hearing all this, Sion felt a headache coming.

“…So you’re saying Estroza… really believed I created false rumors about her?”

“Exactly. It’s hard to understand logically, right? You’ve been a student in the Magic Department for just two weeks, and now you’re her prized student?”

“…That’s true.”

“So she wanted to make you suffer! Can you understand?”

Only then did the pieces of the puzzle in Sion’s head start to fit together.

“Her saying those things in front of everyone…”

“She did it to humiliate you, in front of as many people as possible.”

“So when she said it was for my benefit…”

“That was a blatant lie.”

“…I see.”

Sion felt a tingling in the back of his head.

After all, isn’t this a bit too much?

If he hadn’t been Professor Heruj’s prized student, he might have been branded a complete liar.

“What did I even do wrong?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t know? Obviously, it’s because of the spar.”

“About that…”

Sion kept his mouth shut.

‘Guess I started this whole mess first…’

He vividly remembered it.

The spar in Professor Mehrden’s class.

At that time, Sion had a spar with Estroza…

Just seconds after the fight began, he completely overwhelmed her.

Defeated and soaked in dirt, Estroza had fallen outside the ring.

Her face, glaring fiercely at Sion while covered in dirt, was still fresh in his mind.

And then…

-I won’t forget this incident.

Her muttering as she passed him flickered back to him.

The event of that day had boomeranged back around to hit him today.

Of course, it was Estroza who got hit by that boomerang, not Sion.

“Anyway, you almost got into trouble. Be careful. That woman seems to have a long memory.”

“Yeah, what are you talking about?”

“…Uwaaah!?”

Patrick suddenly ducked behind Sion in fright.

Appearing without a sound was a woman, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

It was Serenne Camille, the top student of the Magic Department.

“Hey, Serenne.”

“Hi, Sion. By the way, I came here because I had something to do.”

“What is it?”

“Do you want to go to the Magic Tool Shop together?”

“…Magic Tool Shop?”

Sion had heard about it before.

The Magic Tool Shop, as the name suggests, is a place that sells magic-related items…

It sold various items like magic scrolls, wands, robes, and hats.

“Yeah, I was thinking of buying a wand or something, and I wanted to see if you’d join me… Is that alright?”

Serenne looked up at Sion with raised eyebrows.

Patrick stared at Sion and Serenne with a dazed expression, alternating between them.

…What’s with that look?

‘I’ve been curious about the Magic Tool Shop for a while.’

Anyway, he had nothing to do after class. It wouldn’t be much more than magic practice.

He was also curious about what the Magic Tool Shop looked like and what kind of items it sold.

Just as he was about to agree to Serenne’s proposal—

“Then let’s go to the Magic Tool Shop right away…”

“Ah! Sion! There you are!”

In a bubbly manner, a figure bounced in front of Sion.

It was Professor Heruj, who had just been conducting the class moments ago.

She naturally grabbed Sion’s right hand and began to lead him somewhere.

…Where is she dragging me off to?

“P-Professor?”

“I will continue explaining the sword from earlier! There are too many eyes here, so let’s head to my Professor’s Research Room for the explanation!”

“Uh? That’s fine, but….”

“…Huh?”

Pull!

Sion’s feet suddenly stopped in their tracks.

It wasn’t because Heruj was pulling on his right hand.

Someone had grabbed his left hand.

“…Sion made a promise with me first.”

Serenne Camille grasped Sion’s left hand tightly with her small hands.

And Heruj, who held onto his right hand, didn’t let go either.

Caught in between, Sion was—

‘It feels like my arm is going to be pulled off….’

Snap!

It felt like a punishment from ancient times, being pulled from both sides.

What kind of situation is this?

His arms hurt, and his head felt dizzy.

But the tension between the two women who were holding him didn’t stop there.

“Sorry, but I’m going to take Sion with me. I have something to discuss about being her prized student.”

“…But he promised to come with me first.”

“The explanation about the sword was a promise before class started!”

“That was just a one-sided promise.”

“Right?”

Crackle!

The gazes of the two women clashed in midair.

The eyes of students who hadn’t yet left the training hall burned hot.

Whatever it was, they hoped it would be resolved quickly.

“Why don’t we just ask Sion? What does Sion want to do?”

“Y-yeah?”

After the suffocating nerve-wracking showdown, the decision was suddenly passed to Sion.

…Me? You want me to choose?

‘How am I supposed to make a choice….’

In that awkward moment—

Whoosh!

Serenne whipped out Sion’s student ID from his pocket.

“…Look at this.”

“What am I looking at…!”

Gasp!

Heruj’s tail shot straight up like a lightning bolt.

What Serenne showed him was the back of his student ID.

…There was a photo of Serenne and Sion, with them holding hands adorably.

“W-what’s that!?”

“I’m… I’m really close to Sion! So… let me go.”

“………….”

“Serenne…?”

What does it mean to be close like that…?

Before Sion could ask again, his right arm dropped.

It was Professor Heruj who had lowered her tail.

“…I’m sorry. I’ll postpone the explanation about the sword.”

“P-Professor?”

“I’m leaving first!”

Before Sion could even say a word to stop her, Heruj darted out of the training hall.

She moved as quickly as a squirrel. Sion couldn’t even catch up.

So, what was left was…

“Okay, let’s go, Sion.”

“Huh? Wha….”

“Since the professor left, it’s time for our promise.”

Squeeze.

Serenne took Sion’s hand and pulled him along.

With no one able to break the silence easily, Sion followed behind Serenne.

…At that moment, Sion noticed.

‘Her earlobes….’

Serenne’s sleepy expression didn’t change.

But the earlobes visible between her flowing hair were a bright red, as if they might burst at any moment.

*

After a few minutes of walking without speaking, as they exited the training hall, the color of her earlobes returned to normal.

Then, Serenne suddenly stopped walking.

“…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those strange things earlier.”

“Uh?”

“…I don’t know why I did that. But if it made you feel uncomfortable, I apologize. I’m sorry…”

Bow.

Serenne lowered her head and apologized to Sion.

‘Was she bothered by what happened earlier?’

She’d spoken more than usual, clashed with Professor Heruj, and even showed him her student ID photo.

It was an unusual series of actions for Serenne.

…Still, there was one thing he could say.

“It’s alright. It happens.”

“…That happens?”

Serenne looked up at him, her expression one of confusion.

As if she didn’t understand, she tilted her head.

Sion scratched the back of his head.

“Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what happened, but…”

“…”

“Helping out a friend in troublesome times, right? Serenne… you were trying to help me, right?”

“F-friend.”

“That’s why you showed me that photo. Isn’t that right?”

Rustle.

Sion pulled out his student ID from his pocket and showed her the back.

A warm photo of them holding hands.

That was the sign of being ‘friends’ for Sion.

“Aren’t we friends?”

“……Yeah, for now, friends.”

“F-for now…?”

“You don’t need to know that.”

“W-wait, is that so?”

Sion scratched the back of his head again.

Even now, Serenne’s expression remained mostly unchanged, making it hard to tell what she was thinking.

But one thing was clear…

‘She’s not a bad person.’

Sion knew her backstory.

A childhood spent in agony, without receiving any love from her family.

She had lost trust in people due to not being loved by her family.

But despite that, she didn’t become twisted; she simply closed her heart… and was striving to live earnestly.

Sion felt grateful simply that she had grown up so correctly.

“Shall we head in?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Creak.

Before they knew it, they arrived at the Magic Tool Shop.

Sion and Serenne both grabbed the doorknob and entered the shop at the same time.

“…Wow.”

A strong scent of old books hit them.

Countless stacked books, magic scrolls covering the entire wall, and… wands adorning the display shelves.

It was a scene that looked like a fantasy world had been transported right before their eyes, leaving Sion entranced.