Ch.361361. The Intent Behind Early Graduation (6)

I managed to forcibly pull Junon’s arm and bring him along.

Unlike my suggestion to eat, all we had ordered were just drinks and desserts. It was probably because we were far from any proper mealtime.

‘I had so much to say earlier, but why is my mind completely blank now…?’

Seeing him surrounded by all those women had made my blood boil. I had so many things I wanted to say then, planning to pour out all my complaints once we found a quiet place.

But now that we were seated and I was looking at Junon’s face, my heart was racing, and I could barely part my lips to speak. All I could do was sip my drink.

“Thanks, Reni. I was actually in a really difficult situation. I was wondering how to escape from there.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“It’s good you came when you did. When everyone crowded around like that, my mind went blank. The excuse about mealtime was a bit flimsy, but I could have just said I skipped breakfast today.”

“Oh…”

“Anyway, thanks to you, I was able to get out of there.”

He gently patted my head as he spoke.

Is that how it works? I wondered.

Still, hearing that I helped him escape and feeling his hand on my head made me happy.

Only I could do this for him. Unlike those other people, only I could help my brother when he was in trouble. That’s what I thought.

‘Hehe. As long as he’s happy, that’s what matters, right?’

Let’s just go with what feels good. Mm-hmm!

And it seems he’s getting used to calling me Reni now, saying it so easily? That made me feel even better.

“Um… Oppa.”

“Yes?”

“So now we’re going to spend the rest of the time together, right? I worked hard on my exercises too.”

“Yes, let’s go have fun.”

Junon nodded readily when I mentioned working hard on my exercises. Reniace’s face lit up with a bright smile at the thought of having him all to herself for the remaining time.

***

The next day.

News traveled so fast that the incident at Mizar Hall was prominently featured in the academy bulletin.

Of course, Reniace was no exception to hearing about it.

“Eeeek, what is this?!”

It was a case that proved Junon was someone impossible to dislike—he had completely changed the minds of new students who were planning to cancel his lecture, and demonstrated educational guidance and upright character in front of numerous spectators.

Moreover, so many onlookers had come after hearing about this that the incident continued to be talked about until Junon officially began his regular lectures.

It shouldn’t be something to feel bad about.

Perhaps I should be happy that he’s finally being recognized by people.

But whenever I recall that scene, my cheeks puff up involuntarily.

“Ughhh… I knew Oppa would be cool as a professor, but I didn’t know he’d become this popular…!”

The youngest professor in history.

Commander of the Imperial Army.

A hero who dedicated himself to protecting a nation.

The Alcaid of the Empire, personally selected by the Great Bear constellation.

The titles attached to him are now each tremendously influential, unlike before. It’s no wonder women squeal and blush around him.

And this incident just fanned the flames. As the bulletin reported, his righteous character and benevolent nature spread to everyone, stirring the hearts of most female students.

“This won’t do. I need to come up with a plan.”

They say if you always have information, you can find a way to solve problems. A single strand of hair stood up on the silver rabbit’s head, and her eyes turned toward the space under her bed.

Putting her head to the floor and squinting, she rummaged around until a hidden book emerged.

The title read: ‘Heart-Pounding! Encyclopedia to Dating Success All the Way to Marriage!’

She’d never dated before, but wasn’t that something you could learn as you go?

“First, my situation is…”

Before opening the book, she first considered her current circumstances.

There were too many possibilities in dating, so she needed to narrow down the chapters and sections to find what she needed.

“Competitors… right? There are quite a few, but they’re all people eyeing my Oppa.”

The silver rabbit nodded twice and flipped through the pages to find the section on dealing with competitors.

[When bodies grow distant, hearts follow. If you have competitors, always stay by your lover’s side and cling to them to prevent their heart from drifting away.]

[Generally, the longer your lover spends time with a competitor, the more their heart will lean that way. In such cases, you must block the empty time spent apart. The key is to erase their feelings toward the competitor and bring them back to you.]

“Hmm…!”

Now that he’s become a professor and we’re spending time apart, that’s why this is happening!

I can’t believe how accurately this matches my situation. Books really don’t lie.

“Oppa is teaching new students at the academy, right…? So I need a legitimate reason to go to the academy?”

As the silver rabbit pondered, a bright light bulb seemed to turn on above her head.

“That’s right, that’s right. I’m still an academy student too!”

If the problem is new students getting close to Junon during his lectures, then I should attend the lectures too!

Although I’m about to graduate early, I’m still enrolled as a student, so I maintain my academy affiliation. There are plenty of legitimate reasons! There shouldn’t be any problem with me attending one of his lectures!

With this thought, she consulted with Junon when he returned home.

“No.”

A firm rejection fell on Reniace’s excited head.

“Whyyy…?”

“Because, Reni, the moment you join, the practice matches would be ruined…”

She wanted to ask why and argue, but she couldn’t.

It perfectly aligned with the fundamental reason why Junon had become a professor beyond being an early graduate. If Reniace from the Arcab Party attended lectures and participated in practice matches, the balance would be completely destroyed.

The option of helping with his lectures by assisting new students was also impossible due to the huge skill gap.

“Ugh… what should I do then?”

“…? What do you mean?”

“Ah, nothing, Oppa. Hehe… let’s just eat…”

…Wait, eat?

Aha! That’s the solution!

“Reni?”

Junon could only tilt his head as he watched the silver rabbit’s expressions rapidly changing.

***

Pitter-patter-pitter-patter—

On a fresh morning.

During exercise time for health management, Reniace was silently moving her body.

Yet somehow, her eyes were bright and the corners of her mouth slightly turned upward.

The maids following Reniace noticed their young lady’s subtle changes and whispered among themselves.

“It’s strange that the young lady is running without complaint, isn’t it?”

“Yes. People don’t usually change so dramatically in just one day.”

“I wonder if something good happened yesterday? Her expression is so bright.”

The maids all nodded in agreement.

In fact, today’s exercise was more intense than yesterday’s. She had been told that jogging alone wasn’t enough to maintain health, so the intensity needed to be increased, adding squats and Pilates. It wouldn’t have been strange for her to complain.

But from before the exercise began, something seemed different, and she continued without a single complaint, obediently following instructions. Such a response was incomprehensible.

“Huff, huff. Is it over now? Can I go now?”

After finishing Pilates and squats, Reniace, drenched in sweat, asked if she had completed the full time.

“Yes, yes, young lady.”

As soon as permission was granted, Reniace jumped up and walked—no, ran—to the shower room.

“We’re the ones who are tired… the young lady’s stamina is incredible…”

“Maybe the lack of stamina was about us, not the young lady…?”

“She said she trained at the academy, and it wasn’t a lie after all.”

The maids sighed deeply, having believed their work with laundry, cleaning, and various chores would have built enough stamina, but they couldn’t keep up with Reniace.

“There must be a reason for this. Maybe she found some motivation.”

“Of course! Her boyfriend became a professor, wouldn’t that make her happy?”

“No, no. That’s not enough. It feels like she’s leveled up since yesterday.”

“I think so too. There must be something more.”

But unlike the energetic Reniace, the maids were completely exhausted and had no strength to follow her.

As they fanned themselves in the hot summer to cool down, their beautiful young lady emerged, having washed away her sweat and dressed up nicely.

As always, the maids exclaimed and admired their young lady’s appearance, but today something different caught their eye. Reniace was holding something in her hand.

“Hmm~♬ I’ll be back!”

“Y-yes… have a good time, young lady.”

It felt strange to see their young lady heading somewhere with such a cheerful hum.

“…What’s going on? What happened to make her like this?”

The maids’ curiosity only grew as they failed to understand her motivation.

***

Since she was also an academy student, there was no issue with her entering the premises.

The building had been remodeled after its collapse, so it took some time to find the lecture hall, but she still arrived at Junon’s classroom on time.

Peering through the classroom windows, she could see Junon conducting his lecture.

During his student days, he had always worn uniforms, training clothes, or combat gear, and never dressed up particularly. There had never been an opportunity to wear formal attire due to the demanding training schedule, but look at him now.

His long legs, well-proportioned height, and toned muscles made it impossible for any woman’s heart not to flutter. A young, capable professor with good character, now dressed formally—didn’t his previously hidden good looks shine even more? He was perfection itself.

The silver rabbit’s heart thumped at the sight of her perfect boyfriend, but she couldn’t just stand there admiring him. Reniace shook her head to regain her composure.

‘These… are all my competitors!’

Yes, these new students were all competitors. In short, they were the enemies mentioned in the “Heart-Pounding Encyclopedia.”

To defeat these competitors, Reniace carefully opened the back door and entered.

Junon noticed the back door opening and looked in that direction, showing a momentary look of concern. Reniace proudly showed him what she was holding.

‘Oppa, I came here through completely legal means!’

There’s nothing wrong with bringing a carefully packed lunch for your boyfriend, right?

Right?