episode_0044

“So, Instructor-nim lately…”

“…her complexion hasn’t been good.”

“Those bastards I could grind my teeth on…”

They returned to the classroom and revealed everything.

Lulu had been deeply traumatized by an ‘unspeakable situation,’ and there were trashy bastards using the instructor like an object.

And she was still suffering.

*Creak—!*

One cadet stood up.

“I can’t stand it! I’m going to find them right now—”

“—And then what?”

“Narias…!”

He was the leader of the group of boys.

He had a somewhat hot temper, but he was strong in responsibility and loyalty, so all the boys in the class trusted and followed him.

But, in my eyes, he was a failure.

“Those guys are top students. Do you know what that means? They’re better at magic than you.”

“Ugh… but…!!”

“If you go alone, you’ll be completely crushed, that’s obvious.”

He clenched his fists.

He glared at me as if he couldn’t contain his boiling anger.

But at the same time, the strength left his hands.

“…Narias.”

“Remember. In this classroom right now, you’re not the only one holding back their anger.”

The cadet looked around.

“Right… Do you see the bloodshot veins in my eyes? I want to run there right now, too…!!”

“Those trashy guys, how could they do that to a woman…”

Both boys and girls, everyone in the class felt the same.

He nodded, confirming the sentiment, and sat down again.

I gripped the lectern tightly, just like before.

“So, this is the main point. From now on, we, 1-A, declare war on those bastards.”

“Ooh…!”

“All of us together, we’ll crush those guys. And we’ll rescue Instructor Valentine.”

The cadets each clenched their fists, determined.

Everyone felt the same, but not about the method.

Some of them were hesitant about using violence.

“But if we do that… aren’t we becoming the same as those guys…?”

“Hey, you idiot!! Is that even something to say—”

“—Stop.”

I reached out and protected the cadet who had raised the objection from a harsh retort.

And I asked.

“What you said concerns the school rules, right? Ultimately, within the large framework of the academy, regardless of the process, committing violence results in the same treatment.”

“…Right.”

“Don’t worry.”

I gave the thoughtful cadet a thumbs-up.

“We’re using a backer.”

He quietly nodded.

He was a smart guy who clearly understood the hierarchy.

“No objections? I’ll be forming teams now.”

“Yes-sir—!!”

They divided the attack force in two.

An assault team composed of men with sufficient firepower.

A pursuit team composed of fast women.

“Eve, you’ll be in charge of the pursuit team.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. I can trust you with it.”

Eve nodded quietly.

Her expression didn’t change, but seeing her often, I could tell that was a bright face.

More than twenty soldiers armed with wands and staffs, befitting a magic department, instead of guns and swords.

“We’re rescuing our instructor. Let’s release everything pent up in our hearts… and let’s all come back together and study while smiling.”

After scanning the faces of my loyal friends one by one, I declared softly.

“Rise.”

* * *

That day, the thugs remembered.

The fear they had been dominated by (top students)…

The humiliation of being confined to the classroom…

“Kyaaaack—!!”

“S-save me—”

Normally, they wouldn’t have been defeated so easily.

The 1-A cadets who attacked the boys were far inferior in size.

In magic, in brains, and in physical ability.

However, they picked the wrong opponent.

The leader here is a special student.

Of course, they had never challenged Narias before… well, what could they do?

The strong make the choices.

They were simply brutally slaughtered (of course, they weren’t actually killed).

The boy rolling on the floor shouted.

“Wh-why are you doing this!! What did we do to you…!!”

Then the special student’s loyal servant replied.

“Ah… ignorance is sin.”

“Punish the sinner…”

“Amen…”

Like fanatics, they swung large staffs, pretending to cast magic, and smashed the thugs’ heads.

*Whack—!*

* * *

‘Wh-what is this…!’

Two low-ranking thugs from the group who had gone to investigate the magic department.

After peeking through the crack in the door and confirming the carnage unfolding in the classroom, they quickly ran away.

“No, it’s not my fault…!!”

One fanatic rushed out of the classroom to catch him.

But the special student stopped him.

“Let him go.”

They ran to the entrance hall, breathlessly exhausted.

“Huh, huh…!!”

But there was no mercy.

The leader of the pursuit team with sky-blue hair was waiting for them.

*Whack—!*

* * *

“Thank you, Professor.”

“…….”

We left the research room, leaving Professor Priest behind, smiling at us.

Together with Lulu, the great mage, who had earned the right to enter the Magic Tower.

Her expression, having taken off the instructor’s white uniform and returned to her old black robes, was not entirely bright.

“Finally… I’ve chased this terrible problem child out of the academy.”

“……Why.”

“What? You want to ask that now? I barely rescued you from death’s door—”

*Thud-*

Lulu, who had stopped on her own, grabbed my hand.

When I looked back, she was shedding tears like a chicken.

“Why… why did you save me…?”

The first time I’d seen her cry truly and openly.

The trembling I felt in her icy cold hand.

The excitement of the thug hunt a moment ago slowly cooled down, and I couldn’t speak.

Many thoughts rushed through my mind in that moment.

They were memories, and also feelings.

Lulu’s confident face from our first meeting came to mind, and then the image of her back as I sent her away from the mansion after giving her severe punishment.

I felt the flutter of my heart when I had my first impression about her past life memories, and then the disgust and disappointment when her slime attacked me came back to life once more.

And those colorful fragments came together, forming my feelings for the woman named ‘Lulu Valentine’ inside of me.

It was deeper, grander, and more beautiful than I thought.

『[Character Story: Lulu] progress increased.』

This is my true feeling.

I gazed at her quietly, reflecting that beautiful fragment of a heart in my eyes.

“I don’t know, either? Why I did that.”

“……?”

I put my hand over hers, her hand already wet with tears.

“How can you completely understand someone’s heart? That’s why words don’t always convey it properly.”

“…….”

“That’s why people infer their feelings through actions. Gestures, expressions, attitude, tone… that sort of thing.”

I held her hand and walked on.

Lulu was a grown-up adult, but her appearance wasn’t; her crying and clinging to someone made her look like a little girl. Therefore, she couldn’t help but attract the attention of the cadets passing by in the hallway.

“What are you looking at, punk.”

“Sorry…”

Because my overprotective attitude toward her felt a bit burdensome, Lulu covered her face with her small hands as she followed me.

The place we arrived at was 1-A, our classroom in the magic department. I opened the door with a flourish.

“The new Grand Mage of the Magic Tower, Lulu Valentine-nim, has arrived~”

“Ah— Ah, uh, that— Please, be quiet…”!!

Lulu desperately tried to hide by grabbing my collar, but everyone’s attention was already focused on this side.

“It’s the Instructor!”

And they put down whatever they were holding and immediately gathered around us.

“Instructor Valentine, are you okay?!”

“We couldn’t properly greet you earlier… Are you injured?”

“We took care of those bastards, so don’t worry!”

“I’m glad, you’re back…”

A kind instructor who shared our first life in the academy, even if it was for a short time. It’s natural to show appreciation to such a person, and to step forward when they need help.

However, this reaction was not natural for Lulu.

Her students were inferior, and thus they couldn’t understand each other; to receive kindness, she had to have sex.

It was literally the first time that someone welcomed her purely, without any price.

So, she burst into tears again.

“H-hic- h-hu-huaa…”

The sight of her shedding tears endlessly in front of her beloved students, tears she had held back, made her seem like a little child.

The cadets withdrew their outstretched hands and quietly watched her. If it were a pain or agony that made her cry, they would immediately carry her on their shoulders to the infirmary.

Everyone knew.

It wasn’t because of pain or sorrow, but because it was full of relief and happiness from escaping it.

While crying, Lulu etched the faces of her students into her heart one by one. Everyone’s clothes were torn, covered in blood and dust, and some looked exhausted.

“B-because of me… everyone…”

“No, it’s not because of the Instructor! We all just did what we had to do!”

“Even so…”

I guessed what she was worried about.

Just when that concern was showing, a figure came walking down the hallway.

“Oh— You’re here, Ria?”

“I told you not to call me Ria!!?”

This time, the backer we will use, Amelia, the dean.

As this happened within the magic department, and calling the dean would surely turn the whole academy upside down.

She had grasped the general situation through the documents I had sent in advance.

Grumbling and glaring at me, Ria was a pro when it came to dealing with problems. She brought out the documents she had already prepared and started reading.

“First, the school rules you violated—”

“—To summarize, there are no penalties for us, and those guys are expelled.”

“Hey!!!”

After quickly skimming the document with the [Mana Curtain], a characteristic of information gathering, she summarized it in one line.

Thanks to her, our class returned to a festive atmosphere.

“Khahaha, justice prevails!!”

“The heavens truly favor us~”

“It’s a celebratory dinner tonight!!”

“It’s the day the captain’s wallet gets emptied~”

“Instructor will be coming too, right?”

Lulu, who had stopped crying and was looking at the cadets with wide eyes.

I asked her.

“How about it? Can you guess? Our hearts.”

She slowly savored everyone’s expression.

She heard their voices full of joy, saw the trembling fingertips of excitement, and felt the warmth overflowing throughout the classroom.

Why did I save her?

Our actions answered her question.

Even if we were covered in blood and our feet were soaked in mud.

We like the Instructor, Lulu Valentine, so much that we would do anything to save her.

This was so clear a fact that even Lulu, who had lived a life detached from reality, understood it immediately.

She nodded quietly instead of answering.

Her eyebrows, which she always furrowed, softened.

With her dazzling red eyes, she lowered herself and looked up at us.

With a blush like a girl in love, she said.

“Thank you… my heroes…”

. . .

That day, everyone ate until their stomachs burst.

They drank until they passed out.

Until it seemed like someone was about to cause an accident.

Of course, as long as I was there, that wasn’t going to happen.

They safely returned to the dormitory, slept soundly, and several more days passed before the day Lulu left.

I had already told her the gist of it.

With the bad rumors spreading, it’s going to be difficult for her to stay comfortably in the academy. And since the midterm exams were over, the classes had already been interrupted once, so now was the perfect time for her to leave.

I added that they might not have another chance to get a spot in the Magic Tower any time soon, but still, the cadets lined up wanting to stay with her. When I tried to forcefully disperse them, Lulu stepped forward.

“Thank you all so much. Even if academy life is tough, I think I can endure it as long as I have your hearts.”

“Then…!!”

She shook her head.

“But… I’m really sorry. While working as an instructor, I realized. I don’t have the ability to teach anyone. If your skills improved after listening to my lessons, that’s because you grew up by yourselves seeing me.”

And, fluttering her black robe from her days as a captain.

She raised her staff that glowed with red gems.

“I’m a mage. Someone who devotes their life to magic. I feel that this time going to the Magic Tower, I really want to understand the true nature of this world.”

“…….”

“And you all made me realize that dream. I had so much fun, and thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

She bowed, and when she lifted her face.

The cadets felt they should let her go when they saw her face.

Lulu’s heart was no longer here.

Her unwavering gaze was not on the cadets in the classroom, but quietly fixed on something beyond the Magic Tower, beyond this world.

Lulu Valentine, the instructor—no, the Grand Mage Lulu Valentine, left for the Magic Tower.

『[Character Story: Lulu] progress increased significantly.』 『 unlocked.』

. . .

While escorting her to the academy gates, I was tense.

Because of this damn .

Initially, was there a ‘next’ between Lulu and me…?

I’ve already seen and done everything there was to see and do.

Lost in thought, I was wondering what would happen next, and walking awkwardly.

When we reached the main gate, Lulu turned to me.

“No one’s around… so I can call you Princess here, right?”

“…Go ahead.”

“Thank you for everything, Princess Narita.”

She bowed deeply, expressing her gratitude.

“No, what… Now. It’s all because of me.”

“Then, may I ask one last favor?”

“…A favor?”

…It’s coming.

I swallowed my saliva and slowly nodded. Lulu laughed mischievously.

“Kneel… Just once, will you kneel…?”

It begins…

I’m going to suffer something terrible…!

I stiffened my back and slowly knelt to the ground.

I suddenly felt déjà vu.

The memory of being bound by the Ring of Fire magic when we first met.

She looked down at me like this back then too.

“Finally, the height comes out…”

Putting down her bag and staff, Lulu slowly walks towards me.

*Thump— thump—*

She approaches quickly with brisk steps…!

I closed my eyes tightly.

Then.

Something soft touches my lips.

Lulu’s hand wraps around my nape, the warm evening breeze ruffles my hair.

My mouth softens, and I open my closed eyes.

“Hup…♡”

I see Lulu’s small face.

She’s struggling.

She’s suppressing the excitement that sets my whole body on fire, and she presses her small lips to my mouth only to convey something.

I grab her face and twist my head to completely cover her lips with mine.

Not lust, but a single pure force pushes out her tongue. We mix tongues and exchange saliva.

It’s similar to the kisses I share with Yuri when we have sex.

But this doesn’t excite me.

Instead, it calms my mind, melting away my thoughts and letting me focus only on the woman before me.

Time feels long, and it sets my soul ablaze.

I wished this moment would last forever.

I wish this moment with the woman I loved in my past life would never end.

But Lulu has to leave the academy.

This is a kind of farewell.

There are meetings, and there are farewells.

Her tongue, which had been quickly licking my mouth, gradually slowed down.

Lulu parted her lips.

“Bwaah…”

From the tip of her tongue, the saliva didn’t stretch long, and it quickly stopped. She seems to accept this farewell as well.

Lulu’s red hair fluttered in the wind, glowing in the setting sun.

Carefully folding her hands, looking quietly at me kneeling.

Her dewy lips moved.

“Goodbye… my love.”

Lulu laughed with all her might, but tears welling in the corners of her eyes were carried away by the wind.

I sat on the ground, quietly watching her back as she packed her luggage and left.

It was an evening when the warm wind heralded the start of summer.

That intense experience, as if I had briefly been to another dimension, a magical kiss that brought mental, not physical pleasure.

This was Lulu and my first kiss, the first love I received from her.