Chap 27-Date

 

After the meeting with Camilla, I could find Bella surrounded by students.

Well, it was understandable.

Top graduate of the academy, from the ‘Silver Fang’ knight order directly under a hero whose name everyone knows.

With both skill and looks, it was no wonder she was popular.

The students were trying to talk to her as if in a competition, and Bella seemed a little annoyed, but she was still answering each and every one of them diligently.

I watched the scene with interest, arms crossed, from a little distance away.

‘She’s popular wherever she goes, as expected.’

Bella, who had been suffering from the students’ barrage of questions for a while, suddenly turned her gaze this way.

And for a moment, our eyes met.

She frowned slightly, then raised her hand to the students.

“Sorry, but let’s stop here for today. Something urgent came up.”

The students looked disappointed at her sudden declaration, but they couldn’t dare to hold her back any longer.

Bella took the opportunity to stride towards me.

And then she grabbed my wrist.

“Uh… Professor?”

‘Again?’

It felt like I was being dragged around by her a lot these days.

“Come with me.”

Without knowing why, I was led down the hallway by her.

I could hear the surrounding students glancing at us and whispering.

“Oh my, it looks like Professor Bella doesn’t like that bitch either.”

“Serves her right. She’s going to get scolded again somewhere.”

“She’s being called out separately, so she must have really messed up.”

Hmm…

It would have been better if Bella was really dragging me away to bully me, as they said.

It wasn’t until we reached a secluded hallway that Bella stopped and turned to look at me.

Her expression was still stern, but the atmosphere was more relaxed than when she was surrounded by students earlier.

“Yeon.”

“Yes? Professor.”

“Do you… happen to have time right now?”

“Uh… well, I don’t have anything in particular to do.”

Classes were over, and even if I went back to the dorm, I would probably just end up in an awkward staring contest with Elise.

“That’s a relief, then.”

Bella hesitated for a moment, then took out two small brooches from her pocket and handed one to me.

It was an ordinary-looking silver brooch, but I could faintly feel Magical Power.

“This is… an item to conceal your identity. It can hide your appearance for a while.”

“Huh? Why are you giving this to me…”

“I need you to help me with something for a bit.”

Bella said, handing me the brooch.

“It’s a bit… difficult to go alone.”

“Uh… where?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

She waited for my answer with her usual indifferent expression.

Why was she asking for help so matter-of-factly?

But somehow, I didn’t want to refuse.

“Okay. Well, I was bored anyway.”

I pinned the brooch to my collar.

I felt a faint light and a slightly blurry sensation.

“Good. Let’s go, then.”

Bella grabbed my wrist again.

Not dragging me roughly like before, but with a gentler touch this time.

We walked side by side towards the academy’s main gate.

“So, where are we going?”

“There’s a new dessert shop near the academy that’s supposed to be good.”

“Huh? A dessert shop…?”

Did I hear wrong? Bella and a dessert shop? It was a completely mismatched combination.

“Yeah. But it’s a bit… awkward to go alone.”

She coughed slightly and avoided my gaze.

Huh?

Was she perhaps… embarrassed?

“Pfft…”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Bella turned her head sharply to glare at me, but it wasn’t threatening at all.

I even thought it was cute.

“Senior, you have an unexpectedly cute side to you?”

“Shut up. Just hurry up and go.”

She tightened her grip on my wrist and took the lead.

But even that action seemed somehow awkward.

We left the academy and stepped out into the bustling street.

Thanks to the identity-concealing brooch, people didn’t recognize me at all.

It had been a long time since I had walked the streets like an ordinary student.

Bella was still holding my wrist, but now it felt natural.

“It’s over there.”

She stopped in front of a small, charmingly decorated shop.

Pastel-colored exterior and a cute sign.

A sweet smell wafted through the cracks in the door.

It really was a dessert shop.

“Senior, do you like places like this?”

“…Sometimes I crave something sweet.”

She still answered curtly, but the tips of her ears seemed to be slightly red.

“Okay. Let’s go, then.”

Just like this, quietly with her…

“Wait a minute!”

A voice I didn’t particularly want to hear right now blocked our path.

I looked up, and as expected, Lina was standing in front of us with her arms crossed.

Her pink hair fluttered slightly, and her clear eyes were piercing through me, or rather, the brooch on my collar.

“Student Lina? What brings you here…”

Bella asked, seemingly flustered.

Lina looked at Bella for a moment, then fixed her gaze on me again.

Then, she pointed at the brooch with one hand and said.

“Yeon, that magical artifact doesn’t work on me.”

‘Ah, damn it.’

I cursed inwardly.

I had forgotten.

Lina was a Saintess Candidate.

Holy Power was likely to have strong resistance or the ability to see through such deception magic.

This was going to be troublesome.

Lina scanned me up and down with a suspicious look.

“Hiding your identity… what kind of evil deed were you plotting?”

“Evil deed? What are you talking about…”

Bella tried to defend me, flustered, but I deliberately shook the arm that Bella was holding and said curtly.

“Can’t you tell? I was about to do something bad, but this professor caught me and is taking me away.”

“What? What do you mean…”

Bella looked at me in disbelief, but I signaled her to be quiet with a look.

Lina frowned at my words.

She didn’t seem to completely believe me, but she didn’t deny it outright either.

“Take off that magical artifact right now. Trying to hide your identity with something like that…”

Lina reached out towards the brooch, but stopped as if she had suddenly remembered something.

Her expression changed complexly, and then she sighed and said.

“…No, just leave it on. It might be better that way for now.”

She seemed to have remembered the scene in the hallway where I was being harassed by the students.

“So, are you done with your business?”

I glared at Lina with a frustrated voice.

“Why do you keep bothering me? Go your own way.”

Lina looked slightly hurt by my cold words, but she soon looked at me again with a determined gaze.

She hesitated for a moment, then carefully opened her mouth.

“When we were little, you saved me. From the Magical Beasts.”

“……”

That wasn’t me.

The original Yeon Bennet, who was just a Doll that collects faith of evil.

The reason why she saved Lina in the past was never revealed in the game.

“I definitely saw it back then. I believe that there’s still… a good part left inside you.”

Lina’s voice was filled with unwavering conviction.

“So, I’ll never give up. I’ll definitely… rehabilitate you!”

I sighed deeply at Lina’s declaration.

But that was also why I liked Lina.

A foolishly upright child who never gave up hope.

“Do as you please. It’s not like it’ll work out the way you want it to anyway.”

I shrugged and tried to pass by her.

“Ah, where are you going!”

Lina shouted and grabbed my other arm this time.

“Let’s go together since we’re here!”

“Where?”

“For dessert!”

Lina shouted with a bright smile.

“Professor Bella, you’re okay with that too, right? I heard there’s a new popular restaurant nearby!”

“What? I…”

Bella tried to object, but Lina ignored her and grabbed both of our arms, starting to walk briskly.

“Let’s go, let’s go! Let’s talk while eating something delicious! Yeon, you’re too skinny. You need to eat a lot of sweets!”

In the end, I was dragged by Lina, along with Bella, to that dessert shop from earlier.

An unexpected date with the two of them had begun.

Bella was glaring at Lina with a displeased expression next to me, but Lina didn’t seem to care at all and chattered excitedly by herself.

She had so much to say that her story didn’t stop until we arrived at the shop, ordered, and the desserts came out.

The ordered desserts came out, and we silently picked up our forks.

The sweet and soft cake melted in my mouth.

The shop was filled with a sweet aroma. We sat side by side by the window, tasting the cakes in front of us.

“Wow! This is really delicious! Isn’t it, Professor Bella?”

Lina looked at Bella with wide eyes and exclaimed.

“Hmm. Not bad. The cream is soft… and not too sweet.”

Bella nodded with a rare satisfied expression.

She must have liked sweets after all.

I stabbed the chocolate mousse with my fork.

It was honestly delicious, but… I deliberately frowned and muttered unhappily.

“What’s so delicious about it? This cheap food. What a terrible taste.”

‘I have to apologize to senior later.’

“Yeon!”

Lina turned to me, flustered.

“Can’t you speak nicely? That’s why you don’t have any friends!”

I retorted mockingly.

“Aren’t you hanging out with us right now because you don’t have any friends either?”

“What are you talking about! I have a lot of friends!”

Lina retorted, her face reddening.

But her voice seemed somewhat lacking in confidence.

“Really? Then why don’t you name one of your close friends?”

I crossed my arms and glared at her.

“Well, that’s…”

Lina couldn’t continue speaking and bit her lip.

“When I was little… I had a lot of friends. As you know.”

After a moment of silence, Lina muttered weakly.

“But… after I parted ways with those kids and became a Saintess Candidate… everyone either treated me too carefully, or they were just people who wanted something from me. There weren’t many people who approached me sincerely.”

I was momentarily speechless at the loneliness in her voice.

‘Was I too harsh?’

I didn’t want to see Lina making that kind of face.

Suddenly, Lina slowly raised her head.

The face that had been filled with sadness and loneliness just a moment ago was nowhere to be seen.

“But…”

Her face was covered with a cold, expressionless mask that didn’t contain any emotion.

“What were you two… really doing?

That voice was completely different from the weak voice from before, with an icy and sharp tone.

“You two seem to be very close, for some reason.”