episode_0023

“Loki, a woman is looking for you!”

Kuran’s voice was so loud that every student in the special class heard what he said. The students who heard him either looked at me or towards Kuran.

I hadn’t seen or heard who it was yet, but I could guess.

Excluding the students in the special class, not many people would come looking for me. If the person who came was a professor, Kuran would have said a professor was here. Besides, Kuran said a woman had come. That left only one person.

Someone peered into the classroom. Her platinum blonde hair was neatly tied back, and her blue eyes scanned the room before stopping on me.

“Johanna Sunbae!”

I spotted Johanna and ran towards her.

She slightly raised her hand and waved in greeting.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Sunbae. What brings you here?”

“We were going to have lunch together, remember?”

As Johanna said, we had agreed to have lunch together earlier. But I thought we’d meet in the cafeteria; I didn’t expect Johanna to come find me herself.

“Princess Freya?”

Among the special class students, only three recognized Johanna, besides me.

Lucas Leonhart, of the Imperial Family.

Clara Adelien, of the Ducal House.

Sepia Leviathan, of the Marquise House.

All three were high-ranking nobles, so it was natural for them to recognize Johanna. The first of the three to speak was Sepia.

“Hogu, what? Are you already having lunch with Princess Freya?”

Sepia had already come to stand next to me. She tried to act casual, but her expression and tone revealed undeniable disappointment.

Even the spirits that clung to Sepia and showed no intention of moving, now clung to me and acted cute, as if telling her not to go.

“Spirits…”

Johanna, perhaps seeing spirits for the first time, stared intently at the spirits clinging to me.

Even if there were spirit users among the second and third-year students, seeing spirits wouldn’t be easy.

Most spirits only lend their power from the spirit world. Spirits that stay in the real world for extended periods, like Sepia’s, are unusual.

If the spirit world is like a countryside home with good air for spirits, then this place can be thought of as a stuffy city full of factories.

Nevertheless, the reason Sepia’s spirits are here must be because they like Sepia enough to endure such discomfort.

The reason they didn’t attack Professor Alicia earlier was because they saw a dragon for the first time. In just a little while, they would attack Professor Alicia under Sepia’s command.

If a current second or third-year spirit user were to command their spirit to attack Professor Alicia, it’s highly likely the spirit would attack the spirit user instead and break the contract.

“What are you doing, Sunbae?”

Johanna was still, with her hand extended towards me.

No, looking closely, she was moving very slowly.

“Could it be that you want to touch the spirits?”

Johanna flinched as if stung by my words, and the spirits, as if they heard me, hid behind me. As the spirits instantly vanished from sight, she looked at me as if blaming me.

“Sunbae? No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem to be my fault?”

Johanna was pouting because she couldn’t touch the spirits, and Sepia was pouting because she had suggested having lunch with me but then found out I already had plans.

While I pondered what to do, a good idea popped into my head.

“How about we all eat together?”

This way, I could eat with Sepia, and Johanna could look at the spirits.

“That won’t do.”

Before Sepia could even answer, Johanna quickly spoke. Hearing that, Sepia looked offended and walked out of the classroom.

“I prefer eating alone anyway!”

The spirits also rubbed their cheeks against me one last time and followed Sepia. Johanna watched the receding figures of the spirits for a long time.

Once the spirits were out of sight, Johanna looked at me and said,

“Shall we go now?”

I hadn’t expected Johanna to refuse so firmly, so I was momentarily flustered but didn’t show it.

“Yes!”

Following Johanna, before leaving the classroom, I spoke to the remaining students.

“Everyone, enjoy your lunch!”

The rest of the students, who didn’t know Johanna’s identity, simply stared blankly.

Lucas and Clara, who did know Johanna’s identity, showed different reactions.

Lucas looked on with an expression of interest, while Clara simply lay down again, as if she had no interest.

. . .

“Sunbae~.”

I called out to Johanna, who had left the classroom before me and was walking towards the cafeteria. Hearing her name called, Johanna turned around to look at me. And she frowned.

“Your cape?”

Currently, I wasn’t wearing the red cape that I had always worn with my mask. Johanna must be looking at me like that because something felt missing.

“Ahahaha, well, it seems someone needs it more than I do right now. Come on, it’s not an important issue, let’s head to the cafeteria quickly!”

Actually, I had covered Clara, who was lying down, with the cape before leaving. The cape was light enough not to feel its weight, and it had a warming effect, so it would be warm. And most importantly, it would cover her body.

I had covered her secretly, so Clara wouldn’t notice until she woke up.

For some reason, Lucas’s eyes became even more interested when he saw that, but it probably wasn’t an important issue.

Whenever I thought about the cape, Clara’s body kept coming to mind, so I walked as fast as I could to clear my head.

On the way to the cafeteria, I suddenly had a question and asked Johanna.

“Sunbae, why did you refuse the offer for us all to eat together?”

Johanna still seemed sad that she hadn’t been able to touch the spirits, and she was gloomy. Then she told me why she had refused the offer to eat together.

“Jena told me to tell you where no one else is.”

“Huh? Tell me what?”

Johanna, who was walking ahead of me, turned around and looked at me as she spoke.

“Will you join the Disciplinary Committee?”

I had received the same offer last time and refused it.

So I tried to refuse immediately this time as well, but looking into Johanna’s blue eyes, the words didn’t come out easily. If I joined the Disciplinary Committee, I would see Johanna more often, and academy life would become more comfortable.

“As I said last time, I apologize.”

Nevertheless, with a firm resolve, I refused the offer. To see the ending I wanted, I couldn’t join any club, not just the Disciplinary Committee.

“Are you really going to create a club?”

“Yes! It’s just not in my nature to work under anyone!”

Last time, when I refused Johanna’s offer to join the Disciplinary Committee, I said I couldn’t join because I intended to create my own club.

“You know creating a club is difficult, right?”

“Yes! I’m well aware! Still, to live ostentatiously [a phrase about living lavishly and proudly], one must put in the effort.”

“I’ll help you. In return, join the Disciplinary Committee for the club trial period.”

Johanna probably knew from the beginning that I would refuse her offer to join the Disciplinary Committee. Was this what she intended to say all along?

I understood why Jena Sguro told Johanna to speak to me where no one else was.

The club trial period refers to the time new students temporarily act as provisional members in a club to learn about what kind of club it is before choosing one.

However, popular places like the Disciplinary Committee or the student council don’t usually hold separate club trials, because they have plenty of applicants even without them.

It’s not exactly wrong for me to have a club trial period alone with the Disciplinary Committee.

But if it became known that I was the only one having a club trial with the Disciplinary Committee, it would become troublesome, which is probably why Jena Sguro told her to speak where no one else was.

“Yes. I’ll join the Disciplinary Committee for the club trial period.”

If the Disciplinary Committee helps me create a club, it will be much easier than I thought.

“Okay.”

Johanna’s expression brightened, as if my answer satisfied her. After that, as we continued to chat and walk, we arrived at the cafeteria in no time.

Upon arriving at the cafeteria, I filled my tray with the school lunch I wanted. As expected of the Empire’s best educational institution, all the food looked delicious.

After getting my lunch, I sat down with Johanna and was about to eat when I felt everyone in the cafeteria staring at me.

“Johanna Sunbae, no matter how handsome I am, it’s rare for everyone to stare like this. Why is that?”

“Your mask.”

Ah, I realized why everyone was staring.

It was because they thought I would take off my mask to eat.

To meet their expectations, I scooped up some warm soup with my spoon. Everyone in the cafeteria swallowed hard and stared intently at me.

I brought the spoon to my mouth. Everyone probably thought I would take off my mask here, but…

The spoon passed right through the mask, and I deliciously ate the warm soup.

“Academy food is delicious, as expected!”

I wouldn’t show them so easily.