Ch.44Too Sudden. (1)

As soon as my golden weekend ended, I received a summons from Professor Leonhart.

The last time he asked for my help, I had flatly refused him, so I wondered if this might be some form of revenge.

‘This seems more serious than I expected…’

Professor Leonhart, who would normally die for a drink, was asking for a moment of my time, saying alcohol wasn’t necessary.

Regardless of what it was about, the situation seemed unusual enough that I had no choice but to accept.

At a small restaurant not far from the Academy, I cautiously broached the subject as I sat across from Professor Leonhart.

“What did you need me for…?”

“Professor Crow, are you close with Professor Anette?”

Cutting off my words mid-sentence, Professor Leonhart charged ahead with his question. Unlike his usually boisterous self, he seemed somehow anxious.

Perhaps it was because there was no alcohol?

“Let’s have a drink while we talk…”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’d like to stay completely sober for this conversation today. I’m sorry.”

I couldn’t hide my surprise at his firm refusal.

Unless he was possessed by a ghost and had become someone else entirely, there was absolutely no way he would ever turn down alcohol.

Who are you…?

This is amazing!

Actually, I’d been growing increasingly frustrated with his constant drinking, so this was a welcome change.

But why was he suddenly asking about Professor Anette?

“I am friendly with Professor Anette, but we’re not particularly close. We’re just people who listen to each other’s complaints.”

“…I see.”

Professor Leonhart heaved a deep sigh.

At the same time, the anxiety that had been etched on his face seemed to ease slightly, which made me start to have reasonable suspicions.

‘No, it couldn’t be.’

No matter how much Professor Leonhart loved alcohol, there was no way he could have feelings for Professor Anette, who had such a low tolerance for it.

When it comes to relationships between people, making assumptions often leads to losing more than you gain, so I needed to be extremely cautious.

“Professor Crow, you’re handsome, so I imagine you’ve dated many women. That’s why I called you here to ask for your help. Please share your secrets with this hopeless man.”

I was about to refuse since I’m neither handsome nor experienced with women, but…

Thud.

I closed my mouth when I saw Professor Leonhart bow his head and bang it against the table.

“Let’s hear what this is about first.”

“Professor Crow…!”

The look in his eyes as he raised his head was filled with admiration.

This… seems like I’m stuck.

“Professor Leonhart, please don’t be like that. Helping each other through difficult times is what fellow professors—and men—should do, isn’t it?”

While I was definitely going to help him, I certainly had no intention of letting this slide easily.

Professor Leonhart, this is all debt. A very big debt.

“Whenever you’re in trouble, Professor Crow, just say the word and I’ll come running.”

Now that’s a satisfying answer.

“So what exactly do you need help with?”

“The truth is, I’ve been so fond of alcohol that I never took much interest in women. Ah! But that absolutely doesn’t mean I lack sexual desire or anything like that.”

Thinking I might misunderstand, he waved his hands and hastily added an explanation.

But I wasn’t even curious about that.

“But lately, there’s this woman who keeps crossing my mind.”

“Professor Anette?”

“H-how did you know? Is it that obvious?”

Rather than being obvious…

‘You just said it yourself.’

No matter how much his memory might have deteriorated from drinking, forgetting what he just said moments ago seemed excessive.

Or perhaps he wasn’t aware of what he had implied, but either way, it wasn’t normal.

“I don’t think anyone else would know. It’s not obvious.”

“That’s a relief… So, I was wondering if you could advise me on how to become the kind of man Professor Anette would like.”

I want to say, “How would I know that?”—but having already agreed to help, I have no choice but to offer some assistance…

“I’ll teach you everything you need to know when we meet here again in exactly one week.”

I just need some time.

One week—I’ll do my best to investigate within that time.

“Thank you! I’m counting on you!”

As I watched him bow his head deeply in gratitude, an inexplicable sense of superiority filled my heart.

This feels pretty good, doesn’t it?

* * * * *

The next day, after finishing lunch in the professors’ office, I leisurely sipped my tea.

I couldn’t directly ask Professor Anette.

‘It would be troublesome if she misunderstood and thought I was interested in her.’

Currently, I’m closer to her than Professor Leonhart is, so if she misunderstood my intentions, she might reject Professor Leonhart’s advances later.

Besides, it’s not like I’m a stalker—whenever I see Professor Anette, Professor Leonhart is always nearby.

Between Lael and Professor Leonhart, love seems like a terrifying thing.

Anyway, since the most effective method was unavailable, I chose the next best option.

Knock knock.

Along with the knocking sound came a voice tinged with affection.

“Professor, may I come in?”

“Yes, please come in.”

Lael carefully opened the door and entered with a bright smile, naturally taking a seat beside me.

It was a spare chair I had kept, but it had now completely become her designated seat.

“Why did you call for me?”

“Well, you see…”

Professor Anette is wealthy but has such a unique personality that she doesn’t bother buying clothes. But that doesn’t change the fact that she’s a woman, so…

“What should a man do to win a woman’s favor?”

I thought I might as well ask another woman.

Lael tilted her head, seemingly unable to understand my question.

“Professor, you don’t need to worry about that. I love you just as you are.”

Faced with her sudden rush of affection, I let out a deep sigh.

I really wonder how she can say such embarrassing things so easily—I wish Professor Leonhart could be half as bold.

“I know that. But that’s not the answer I’m looking for.”

“Don’t tell me… Professor, have you fallen for another woman?!”

With eyes wide in disbelief, Lael’s mouth eventually fell open.

Thinking about it, I realized this was a situation that could easily be misunderstood, so I added some explanation.

“It’s not me—an acquaintance came to me for advice, and I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.”

“Don’t scare me like that…”

After calming her startled heart, Lael provided an answer to my original question.

“First of all, I think a neat appearance is important. They say you shouldn’t judge by appearances, but reality doesn’t work that way. If someone has an unkempt beard and smells bad, it’s inevitable to form preconceptions. That’s especially true between men and women.”

Her answer certainly made sense.

Even if you’re not handsome or pretty, maintaining a neat appearance at least prevents people from disliking you.

While thinking that, there was something I couldn’t understand.

“Then why did you come to like me, Lael? Back then, my hair was messy, and since our adventure lasted so long without chances to bathe, I must have smelled terrible.”

My master even said I was no different from a beast, so it doesn’t make sense that she would be attracted to me.

“Well… I guess my feelings were strong enough to love you despite seeing all of that.”

Hearing her answer, I couldn’t help but lower my head.

I shouldn’t have asked…

“Are you… perhaps embarrassed? Are you finally responding to my affection?! That’s it, right?!”

“…Lael, please leave.”

Despite my sharp glare, Lael seemed unfazed as she rose with a bright smile.

“Professor, I’ll see you again soon.”

“…Yes.”

Thud.

After the door closed, I slumped back in my chair.

Embarrassed, huh…

Until now, I truly hadn’t felt anything.

I was just… fascinated.

I found it so strange how they could say such difficult things so casually.

‘This is definitely a first.’

I’ve never been so affected by their expressions of affection before.

Well, I’m only human, and somewhere deep in my heart, those feelings must have been hiding.

If there was an event that brought them to the surface, it was definitely…

That kiss on the cheek over the weekend.

“It seems like I’m the one who needs relationship advice, not Professor Leonhart…”

With a sigh, I pulled myself together.

I need to deal with what’s in front of me first; otherwise, I won’t be able to focus on my own issues either.

After lunch ended and I left the professors’ office for the classroom…

Lael was there, grinning from ear to ear.

“Lael, did something good happen?”

As Lael turned from Ludmila, who had asked the question, she looked at me.

“Yes, something did. Something really good.”