Ch.4040. Hairstyle Is Man’s Everything

As I walked out of the café, I found myself standing in front of the Student Council Hall before I knew it.

Stepping inside, I saw the empty interior and Alkine sitting alone at a large table.

Looking at what she was doing, I noticed she was reviewing exam questions, just like Lilith.

Though her overwhelming physical prowess sometimes overshadowed it, she actually scored quite high on theoretical subjects as well.

Of course, she wasn’t particularly strong in theory. The warrior blood flowing through her, being from the North, wasn’t specialized for sitting quietly and studying.

However, maintaining her position among the top students was a matter of pride for her, so she covered her weaknesses through effort like this.

Since she actually maintained her top position… unlike a certain muscle-brained saint from elsewhere, she definitely reaped the fruits of her labor.

When Alkine saw Celia and me enter, she let out a light sigh.

“Haah… Right. You two aren’t the type to listen to reason.”

Despite her words, the corners of her mouth turned slightly upward, suggesting she wasn’t entirely displeased.

No, she actually seemed happy about it.

That made sense, as she was the type who enjoyed being around crowds.

To be precise, it wasn’t that she enjoyed mingling with many people, but rather she liked the bustling atmosphere when many people were around… In any case, she clearly didn’t view the current situation negatively.

Knowing this, I approached her and spoke first.

“What are you looking at?”

“Monster Evolution Theory and Atmospheric Mana Analysis Methods.”

“Monsters are my specialty.”

“And mana is mine.”

“I understand you two are good students, but… I’m still your senior, so I’d appreciate if you’d let me maintain some dignity…”

Since Alkine went that far, I refrained from giving any unsolicited advice.

Wow, but what’s this Atmospheric Mana Analysis Method? I glanced at it briefly and it looked ridiculously complicated.

When it comes time to choose lectures later, I should avoid anything related to mana. I’m glad I’m not a mage. Really.

A moment later, Alkine finished her review and organized the books and papers spread out before her.

Then, rolling her red eyes, she looked back and forth between Celia and me before pointing at me.

“I need to tidy up that head.”

More precisely, she pointed at my hair while saying that.

She’s saying the same thing as Celia. Do I really look that messy?

“You think so too, right? He has to go to the Imperial Palace tomorrow, and I don’t know what he’s thinking.”

“I could trim it for you if you’d like?”

“Alkine, you know how to cut men’s hair too?”

“My father’s hair was always my responsibility. I’m quite used to it.”

She said this while brushing back her own straight black hair.

Now that I looked, her style hadn’t changed at all since our first meeting. She was also an extreme manager like Celia…

“Still, maybe we should leave it to a professional…”

“I’d be honored to have the president do it herself.”

Celia hesitated slightly, but knowing Alkine’s dexterity well, I found it to be a welcome offer.

Who was she after all? The strongest fighter in the academy who created mana swords.

Even setting aside her title as the academy’s strongest, the fact that she could create mana swords increased my trust in her.

Creating a manifestation of mana required excellent dexterity.

Of course, not everyone with good dexterity could manifest mana, but everyone who could manifest mana had excellent dexterity.

She even mended her precious stuffed animals herself when they tore!

With someone like her, I could trust her completely. That’s why I accepted her offer without hesitation.

Alkine seemed momentarily surprised by my unexpected trust, but soon smiled and pushed a chair toward me.

“Then let’s do it right away. Sit there.”

“Is this really okay?”

Ignoring Celia who still couldn’t believe it, I sat down in the chair.

Alkine approached from behind, created a small mana sword, and began trimming my hair.

Having my hair cut with a mana sword was quite a novel experience.

The cutting edge was so good that I couldn’t even feel my hair being cut.

If she made one wrong move, it could pierce right through my scalp… Thinking about that suddenly gave me chills.

No, I trust her. Madam President! Please don’t make any mistakes!

Fortunately, her dexterity didn’t betray my expectations, and the result was impressive.

“Hmm, I suppose it turned out better than expected because the original material was good.”

“Oh, wow…”

If these two, who wouldn’t normally bat an eye at anything ordinary, reacted this strongly, that said it all.

It feels awkward to say this about my own body, but when someone already handsome gets a good haircut on top of that, it’s no joke.

I expected her to do a good job, but not to this extent. There’s definitely a huge difference between knowing something from settings and experiencing it firsthand.

…But how long are they planning to stare? It’s getting uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong with admiring my own creation?”

“Stay still. I want to look at you more.”

However, they showed no signs of letting me go.

“Ludion. Could you tilt your head slightly like this?”

“Your posture doesn’t do justice to the look. Straighten your shoulders a bit more.”

Far from letting me go, they started making demands about my head angle and posture.

I mean, yes, I look good, but is it really worth staring at this much? Is this something I can’t understand because I’m a man?

In the end, I only escaped their gaze much later, when it was almost dinner time.

///

Despite the academy being extremely spacious, it had only one entrance.

It’s not that you had to go through the entrance to leave the academy. There weren’t any particular barriers around.

However, even if you left through the entrance, you’d still have to follow the path for quite a while, and since the academy was surrounded by undeveloped areas except for the entrance, there was no real need to leave through anywhere else.

Because of this, the entrance area was inevitably crowded at the beginning of holidays like this.

“Didn’t you say your family was sending a carriage?”

“It doesn’t seem to have arrived yet.”

“Isn’t that it?”

“Where? That one? Come on, that’s completely different from our family crest.”

Everyone was busily looking for the carriages that would take them home, resembling a subway station during rush hour.

Of course, there weren’t that many people, but it was just as chaotic.

However, Celia—and I who was following her—didn’t need to worry about the chaos.

“There it is. Let’s go right away.”

A carriage that was noticeably larger and more ornate than the others was parked conspicuously.

The imperial carriage was on a different scale… As I approached, I noticed the horses were of exceptional quality.

Moreover, imperial guards were stationed all around, making it obvious to anyone that this was a carriage sent by the Imperial Palace.

So this is what an imperial carriage looks like… While I was admiring it, Celia, who had already hopped into the carriage, called out to me.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and get in. We have a lot to do.”

“What do you mean ‘a lot to do’? Can’t we just go straight there?”

“What are you talking about? We’re going to the Imperial Palace.”

She started explaining her plans, seemingly incredulous at my casual attitude.

“For me, I’m just going home, but you’re meeting royalty, so you need to make a good impression. First, we need to buy you new clothes, then do some grooming, and there’s this pretty café nearby we should visit… Oh right, Alkine recommended a restaurant, should we go there too?”

“Everything after the first part seems unnecessary.”

“Well… that’s true. Anyway, hurry up!”

Celia urged me, extending her hand toward me.

It seemed like she wanted me to take it, so I did, and she pulled me into the carriage.

Celia’s pulling strength was very weak, given her poor physical abilities outside of magic, but I decided to just go along with it.

The interior of the carriage was just as impressive as its extravagant exterior.

I remember the carriage I rode with Professor Reina before was already quite high-end, but this was incomparable.

Not only was it immaculately clean, but magic had been used to create a comfortable environment. Even the seats were soft and plush, clearly made of materials that would be difficult to maintain.

However, Celia sat down calmly as if this was nothing special… She truly was royalty.

“Here, sit down.”

“There’s plenty of space, why do you want me to sit next to you?”

“You know why.”

She really seems to be getting bolder by the day.

Of course, I didn’t mind, and I knew that if I refused even jokingly, she would definitely get upset, so I didn’t bother resisting.

As soon as I sat down beside her, I felt gazes… Turning my head slightly, I saw students looking at us through the window.

“The world is so unfair. Some guys are crammed together in small carriages smelling of sweat, while others get to flirt with a princess in comfort.”

“If you’re jealous, try being handsome or having some actual ability.”

There were people talking while looking at us, but the soundproofing was good enough that I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

“We will be departing now.”

The man who appeared to be the coachman announced from the front, and soon the carriage began to move.

With imperial guards following on horseback, the whole procession looked quite majestic.

…Someone seemed to be glaring at me, so I drew the curtains, which prompted some urgent voices.

“Eek! That bastard closed the curtains!”

“What shameless act is he planning! Stop the carriage immediately!”

Despite the soundproofing, I could hear them clearly, suggesting they must have shouted quite loudly.

“Aish! Be quiet! He’s not going to do anything, so stop making a fuss!”

Thanks to Celia’s intervention, the carriage, which had barely started moving, didn’t have to stop again.

I’m already feeling tired and we haven’t even reached the Imperial Palace yet.

Can I just get off? Please take me home…