“It seems suspicious,”
I reported, and Eliza and Strauss, who were having lunch with me, exchanged glances.
Now that I think about it, Court’s behavior and words were out of character for him. Could it be that he was trying to avoid my questioning…?
As I pondered this, Strauss opened his mouth, exasperatedly scratching his head with one hand.
“No, you’re probably just imagining things.”
Looking up at Strauss who gave such a response, I saw Eliza smile apologetically and start to explain.
Aile holds her older brother, Court, in high regard.
“That’s a good thing, right?”
Eliza answered with a sigh, shaking her head from side to side.
“Well, there’s a bit of a problem with it…”
“Huh?”
“As I mentioned before, Court is a rare nobleman. Despite his high status, he treats everyone equally. He’s gentle and polite, and with his prince-like appearance, he’s quite popular.”
“I see… hearing it like that again, he really sounds like the kind of guy who’d attract a crowd of girls.”
I had thought he was just a kind young man, but it turns out he’s an exceptionally high-spec kind of guy. Given that he’s in the upper division, he probably has a decent level of magical skill as well.
To Aile, it’s only natural to feel proud of such a brother.
“But what does that have to do with anything?”
When I asked the two of them, both Eliza and Strauss quickly averted their gaze.
“What is it?”
I asked again, but neither answered. I knew they weren’t trying to be mean—it wasn’t in their nature—
so perhaps there was a secret they couldn’t share.
“Well, since this is a sibling matter, I won’t pry any further.”
It’s not good to meddle in other people’s business, so I backed off.
As I did, Strauss stood up and pointed outside the cafeteria.
“Aoi, you’re new to the academy, so it’s understandable if you’re just passing by.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
Eliza chuckled and stood up.
“He means, ‘Follow me.’”
As we moved toward the courtyard, the number of people around us gradually thinned out.
The southern side of the academy was full of research labs and specialized facilities, but there were also small park-like spaces.
The farther we went, the more greenery surrounded us, and eventually, we reached a garden-like area.
“It’s an unspoken rule that the upper division students use this area. This particular corner to the west is often occupied by people from the Court-Highland Federation.”
Eliza pointed to a small space in the distance. She smiled awkwardly and added, “I guess many prefer to gather with people from the same country.” As she said that, she peered through the trees, looking for someone.
“Ah, there they are—Aile and the others.”
“Hm, that’s unusual. Court is with them too.”
“Did Aile drag him along?”
As I listened to their conversation, I peeked through the trees as well. Sure enough, I saw Foar people, including Court. They were standing face-to-face, seemingly deep in conversation.
Straining my ears, I could hear Aile questioning Court.
“Big brother, you seem to be getting quite close with Miss Aoi, don’t you?”
“Do I? Well, I’d like to get along with her, but we haven’t talked much yet.”
“Are you planning to take her to Court-Highland?”
“No, no, that would be difficult. I’d love for her to come, but honestly, she’s a far better magician than any of the Court-Highland mages.”
“Big brother, you shouldn’t be so vague about these things. What if she thinks you’re interested in her romantically? I’ve already seen so many noblewomen cry because of misunderstandings like that. Please be more careful with your actions.”
Aile was scolding Court in an unusually formal tone, while Liz and Belle smiled awkwardly in the background.
Court, on the other hand, seemed confused and smiled helplessly, as if unaware of his own actions.
I see. With his impressive status and princely looks, it’s no wonder he’d attract female attention.
Many must have fallen in love with him, only to be heartbroken.
What a sinful man.
“Wait…?”
Suddenly, it hit me.
Aile thinks I have a crush on Court.
“Aoi…”
Eliza tried to stop me, but I quickly walked over to the Foar of them.
“A-Aoi-sensei?!”
“This is bad! Aile, we need to run!”
Liz and Belle panicked, scurrying around.
Aile, on the other hand, steeled herself and stood in front of me with a determined expression.
“Aoi-sensei… I’m so sorry! Big brother doesn’t see you as a romantic interest! You might think he led you on, but please don’t hate him! It’s not your fault—it’s because he’s too perfect!”
Aile said all of this with a dead-serious face, looking genuinely remorseful.
Holding back a headache, I pressed my hand to my forehead and looked at Aile.
“I don’t see Court as a romantic interest.”
“Eh?”
Aile’s face was frozen in shock.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Clearing up the misunderstanding, I turned to face Court.
“So, you don’t need to worry. I see Court only as another student, nothing more.”
Hearing that, Court let out a tired sigh and shook his head.
“Relieved… I mean, it would be strange if I were hurt by that, but… yeah, I guess I’m a little hurt…”
I tilted my head in confusion at Court’s dejected response and glanced at Aile.
Her face still showed disbelief, but it was clear she wasn’t the type to cause trouble on purpose.
Deciding to explain, I began to speak.
“The reason I’ve been talking to Court is because I wanted to know if anyone was disrupting my classes.”
Aile responded with a blank “Huh?”
“Aoi-sensei’s classes? Why?”
She asked, clearly puzzled, while I nodded and looked toward Liz and Belle.
“If either of you knows something, please tell me.”
I turned to Court, who had a much more serious expression than before.
“Aoi-sensei, how much do you know?”
He asked, and I tilted my head in response.
“I’ve only heard rumors that someone is telling students not to attend my classes.”
With a sigh, Court nodded and gestured toward Aile.
“Aile may not have noticed, but it’s already spread through the upper and middle divisions. People are saying that Aoi-sensei has been targeted by royalty and high-ranking nobles, and that attendance in her classes is being monitored.”
At these words, my brow wrinkles involuntarily.
“Whether a student attends my class is their personal choice. It shouldn’t be influenced by some pressure from a few nobles.”
“Of course, I agree. I’ve been saying the same thing. But it seems someone with a very high status made this claim, and now everyone’s too scared to attend. Though Felter and Senior Roks seem unaffected… The only other students who might stand up against this would be Balvenie and Prince Hiram. Cragan and Barrel are younger and don’t have as much influence yet.”
It seemed Court had been investigating this on his own.
As I nodded, Aile spoke up, looking upset.
“Wait, someone’s saying not to attend Aoi-sensei’s classes? They’re great! At first, I was suspicious and attended just to see if she was trying to cozy up to my brother, but now I genuinely enjoy them. I’ve been recommending them to others, but now I understand why no one came.”
Aile was clearly angry, muttering complaints under her breath. The fact that she had initially attended my class to keep an eye on me made it hard to feel entirely happy about her current enthusiasm.
Well, at least in the end, I gained an eager student. I should take that as a win.
“Alright, then. Let’s go meet this Balvenie. Where can I find him? Is he in class?”
Court shook his head.
“No, Senior Balvenie spends most of his time in his lab. He only attends water magic classes on rare occasions.”
“Balvenie-senpai’s lab is just over there! I’ll take you!”
Liz and Belle quickly took the lead,
trying to make up for Aile’s earlier behavior.
As they led us out of the courtyard, Strauss and Eliza, who had been hiding, were discovered.
“Huh?”
Belle tilted her head as she spotted them, and Strauss and Eliza awkwardly stepped out.
“I guess it makes sense that Aoi-sensei couldn’t have made it here on her own.”
Court chuckled, and Strauss crossed his arms and nodded.
“I help out in Balvenie’s lab from time to time. I’ll come along.”
“Strauss-sensei?”
Aile looked puzzled, and Eliza answered on his behalf.
“Balvenie studies weather manipulation, so Strauss is often involved.”
I found myself curious about that comment but said nothing as we made our way to Balvenie’s lab.
The lab was small but relatively new. It was a one-story building, modest in size but made of sturdy-looking stone and wood.
The wooden door echoed loudly when Strauss knocked.
After a short wait, a raspy voice responded, and the door creaked open.
“Who’s there…?”
A man’s raspy voice said that, and a long-haired man poked his head out. He had dark orange hair with waves. Despite his stubble and thin-framed glasses, he strangely didn’t give off an unclean impression.
The man who seemed to be Balvenie looked at me and Aile in turn, then fixed his gaze on Strauss.
“…Quite a large group today. Did something happen?”
As Balvenie asked with a hint of annoyance, Strauss nodded expressionlessly.
“It’s about the new teacher, Miss Aoi. It seems there’s someone trying to interfere with her classes. Do you know anything about that?”
“W-well, that’s rather direct, Sensei Strauss.”
“As expected…”
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
