Chapter 68: Serene’s Eccentricities, Mental Magic, and Misgivings

Serene’s strange behavior didn’t stop there.

“Sion, so what did you say? Did you deny that you were her boyfriend?”

“Huh? …No, I wanted to deny it, but they were so happy that I missed the timing to say anything.”

“So you just pretended to be her boyfriend?”

“That’s the feeling.”

“Okay, I see.”

Serene nodded and cut the steak that was served.

Her sleepy expression still didn’t reveal her inner thoughts.

However, judging from her actions, something was seriously wrong.

“…Serene, you can’t cut the steak like that.”

“Huh?”

“You have to hold it with a fork and cut it with a knife. It’s the opposite.”

“…Oh, right.”

“…….”

Munch, munch.

Serene was stabbing the steak with the knife and rubbing it with the fork.

Usually, you stab it with the fork and then cut it with the knife, right…?

Her expression didn’t change at all, but her actions were strange.

“Hahaha! That’s interesting. So, did you deliver the class materials well?”

“Yeah, I delivered them. To be honest, I thought she was faking it, but she seemed to be in a lot of pain.”

“You have to go through a pretty strict procedure to get sick leave from the academy. So there’s no possibility that she’s faking it!”

“I guess so…. Anyway, I just handed it over.”

Munch.

Perhaps because it was a high-end restaurant, the steak was excellent.

Was the steak he had eaten so far not steak at all?

The melt-in-your-mouth taste was superb.

While Sion was savoring the steak, Serene asked him again.

“Did you just hand over the class materials and leave?”

“Ah… that’s what I was going to do, but she seemed to be uncomfortable. It was lunchtime, too….”

“……So?”

“The maid gave me some porridge, so I… well, I fed it to her.”

Sion scratched his cheek.

‘Thinking about it carefully, isn’t this… quite embarrassing?’

He didn’t really realize it at the time.

Feeding someone rice, between a man and a woman… is something you usually don’t do unless you’re a couple.

Sion was just feeding Estroza porridge with the intention of teasing her for not being able to resist….

‘Looking back, feeding her porridge might have been a bit of an overreach. It might be a little awkward when I see Estroza next time… Ugh, let’s stop thinking about it.’

Thoughts branching out in strange directions.

Sion shook his head and brushed away his worries.

Just as he was about to eat again, Serene’s gaze was very sharp.

“Serene…? What’s wrong?”

“What you’re eating looks delicious, Sion.”

“My steak?”

Sion looked back and forth between Serene’s plate and his own.

‘…Isn’t it the same steak?’

In the first place, he had ordered ‘3 full-course dinners’, so there was no way that a different menu would come out.

But Serene was stubborn.

“I want to try your steak, Sion.”

“But it’s the same steak——”

“No, it’s different. So, I want to try it.”

“…O-Okay.”

Sion cut the steak into bite-sized pieces and stabbed it with a fork.

Then, just as he was about to gently place it on Serene’s plate….

Thud.

“…Serene?”

“Not that way.”

Serene’s fork blocked Sion’s fork in the air.

“O-Oh?”

“Here.”

Sion’s arm moved as Serene’s fork led the way.

Its destination was…

Inside Serene’s mouth.

“Ha-up.”

The fork was sucked into her small mouth.

Serene chewed, and at the same time, Sion’s fork came out again.

…Of course, the piece of steak had entered Serene’s mouth and disappeared.

Sion stared blankly at his fork.

‘This… went in and out of Serene’s mouth…’

It was a clean fork with nothing on it, but Sion’s fork had accurately gone in and out of Serene’s mouth.

Isn’t this what you call… an ‘indirect kiss’?

“It’s the same steak.”

“….”

“I thought it was different.”

On the other hand, Serene still had a sleepy expression, even after her sudden action.

Serene moved her mouth, chewing.

She swallowed the steak.

“Hahaha! I feel like I know why Serene is acting like that!”

“Huh?”

Chuck!

Gae Bolg, who was eating with them, raised his index finger and smiled.

That’s right. It wasn’t just Serene and him, but Gae Bolg was also with them.

Which means he also saw the scene of him feeding Serene steak just now—

“Serene seems to be very greedy!”

“…Huh?”

“I used to be like that sometimes when I was young. We have this saying in the Kingdom of Rodenburk. The other person’s steak always looks bigger! It’s the perfect saying for the current situation. Hahaha!”

“……Whew.”

Sion breathed a short sigh of relief.

‘If Patrick, who is quick-witted, was in this place instead of Gae Bolg… he would have teased me strangely again.’

It was really fortunate that Gae Bolg was here instead of Patrick.

If it was Patrick, he would have teased him relentlessly, starting with Estroza’s matter and even feeding Serene steak just now, even after entering the dormitory.

Just imagining it made him shudder.

“Sion, are you cold?”

“…No, it’s not that.”

“So what else happened at Estroza’s house?”

“Nothing happened. I was kicked out in the middle, but I also received a hamburger steak… and I cleared up the misunderstanding when I left.”

Serene was subtly asking about what happened at Estroza’s mansion in detail.

Sion scratched the back of his head and said.

The misunderstanding was cleared, but he ended up hearing something a little strange.

-I’ll be waiting for you to come back as her real boyfriend next time.

-……Excuse me?

-Then goodbye.

The words he heard from the head butler just before leaving the mansion.

Those words were still strongly engraved in his mind.

…Come back as her real boyfriend next time.

“Sion, why are you so quiet?”

“Huh? Ah, it’s nothing. Nothing happened.”

“……Really?”

“Yeah. …But your foot keeps touching me.”

“It’s your imagination.”

Tap, tap.

When Sion stopped talking, Serene attacked with her foot from under the table.

Sion smiled bitterly at the childlike reaction.

“It was a good meal.”

“Yeah.”

About several tens of minutes later, the long course was over.

He had never eaten fine dining-style food even in his previous life, but he was quite full.

Serene seemed satisfied as well, tapping her stomach with her eyes closed.

It was strange that her stomach didn’t seem to stick out at all.

“Hahaha! I’m glad everyone enjoyed the meal.”

“Thank you. For buying us food.”

“A member of Rodenburk is generous! Now, let’s get out of here. Isn’t tomorrow the fun club time?”

“Ah…. That’s right.”

That’s right. Tomorrow is Thursday… the academy’s club activity time.

Sion had never formally joined a club.

He had received love calls from the judo club…

‘Black Magic Club… should I go?’

Professor Granshar, who helped him when he was being chased by Misako.

She was the professor in charge of the ‘Black Magic Club,’ which had no members.

The fact that he could learn black magic was a merit, but he was worried about the lack of members.

…But he couldn’t not go.

-Then I’ll see you next week.

-A-Are you really coming? Will I be able to see you next week too?

-Of course. I’m really in a hurry, so I’ll go!

-If you’re lying, I’ll cast a curse on you!!!

‘A Black Magic professor threatening a student with curse magic…. I can’t not go, can I?’

It was Sion’s fault that he didn’t look into other clubs in the first place.

If he didn’t go to the Black Magic Club, he didn’t know what kind of curse would come.

…Just when he thought he might have gotten involved with a troublesome professor.

“Sion, what are you thinking about?”

“Huh? Thinking about the club tomorrow. Serene, what club did you join?”

“I’m a going-home club.”

“…Going-home club?”

“I didn’t join a club.”

Serene didn’t choose a club.

If you don’t choose a club, you are automatically treated as a ‘going-home club’.

Surprisingly, the academy doesn’t give any warnings even if students don’t choose a club.

In this respect, he thinks it is a fairly advanced educational institution.

“What about you, Sion?”

“Hmm… I’m similar.”

“…Really?”

Sion glossed over the Black Magic Club.

‘If I say my friend goes to the Black Magic Club… they’ll definitely try to stop me.’

He doesn’t know how the perception of black magic is in this world.

But if the Black Magic Department is an unpopular department, and it’s even disappearing from the undergraduate program.

…The position of black magic in this world will not be very different from Earth.

“Similar in what way?”

“There’s that. Now, let’s go back. It’s getting dark.”

“…………Okay.”

Serene lowered her head and followed Sion silently.

When they left the restaurant, the sun was almost gone.

It’s time to go back to the dormitory.

“…I want to be with you longer.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

Squeeze.

Serene grabbed Sion’s sleeve.

…It couldn’t have been a very important word.

“Hahaha! You two are getting along well!”

“Yeah…. Let’s go quickly.”

“Okay.”

The three people chatted and returned to the academy.

Throughout the return, Serene held on to Sion’s sleeve and wouldn’t let go.

---

The next day.

‘…I ended up coming.’

Sion, who entered the club building, sighed inwardly.

Exactly one week ago, he had come to meet Professor Granshar What’s-her-name, who was the professor in charge of the Black Magic Club.

‘I know now, but this… isn’t even the Black Magic Club room, it’s just a storage room.’

The nameplate on the door said ‘Storage’ in big letters.

…Are they renovating the storage room and using it as a club room?

Somehow the club room was ridiculously small, and there was a lot of junk and dust.

“Hoo! Let’s go in.”

What’s done is done.

No other clubs were particularly attractive, and he didn’t want to be cursed.

So let’s join the Black Magic Club.

Thinking that, he opened the door forcefully.

Creak!

“Hello. Professor Granshar, I look forward to working with you this week as w—?”

Sion, who opened the door with a cheerful greeting.

He couldn’t even finish his words and froze.

…The reason was.

“Waaah, waaah….”

“…Professor?”

“S-Sion ca-came…”

Professor Granshar was looking at Sion with tearful eyes.

Like last week, she was wearing a menhera-like, flowing black dress.

…Cat ears and a tail were swaying.

What the hell is going on?

“Good, good. You’re doing very well. But I told you to add ‘~nyan’ to the end of your sentences.”

“I-I’m sorrynyan… no, I’m sorry.”

“What is this… no, more importantly, who are you?”

“Oh, is this our first time meeting? Nice to meet you.”

Besides Granshar, there was another professor in the club room.

A woman with a captivating smile.

Long navy blue hair, piercings, and strange eyes that didn’t feel alive.

And, bigger than any woman he’s ever seen… breasts.

“Oh my, what are you looking at?”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“Hehe, it’s okay. I’m used to it.”

“…….”

“I’m late to introduce myself.”

She stroked Professor Granshar’s hair and said.

“My name is Kaela Deiri…. I was a professor teaching mental magic in the Black Magic Department.”

“Ah….”

“And as you can see, I’m a Jersey cow beastkin. Please treat me well?”

“…!”

Jiggle.

She lifted her breasts and said.

…Barely averting his gaze, Sion was sweating coldly.

“I’ve heard rumors, but I didn’t know you were such a cute student?”

“Y-Yes?”

“Today’s club activities will be fun. Hehe.”

Kaela stroked Sion’s cheek.

Like a snake in front of him, he couldn’t move.

Sion thought to himself.

Joining the Black Magic Club… might have been a mistake.