episode_0012

“Phew… .”

I stopped for a moment in front of the door and caught my breath.

In this state, it was obvious that he wouldn’t be able to even speak properly, let alone argue with her.

After barely gathering my body and mind, I tried to knock, but suddenly stopped.

If you think about it, he was someone I didn’t need to be polite to.

――Drur!

So I opened the door without any hesitation.

“It’s late~ I was worried because I thought you wouldn’t come today.”

We faced the shabby classroom once again.

Inside, Liz, with her sly smile as always, welcomed me.

“What is it? Have you ever been chased by someone? His expression is very dead. It looks like you’re sweating a bit.”

“Liselotte.”

“… What?”

There was confusion in her voice, as if she had been pricked by my abrupt words.

“Liselotte Ivia.”

“… … .”

“That’s you, right? A dropout from the academy. And the cadet who was raped by me.”

Liz’s expression hardened.

It was the first time I saw the smile disappear from her face.

“Uh, um… How did you know?”

However, it was only a moment.

She quickly put a smile on her face. The voice also regained its original lightness.

“Answer my question first. You are Lieselotte, right?”

“… … .”

“Don’t even think about making a fool of yourself.”

“Yes, that’s right. I’ll admit it. I am Liselotte.”

“Then you… ”

“Correct answer. It’s true that I was recorded as being raped by you, and it’s true that I have now dropped out.”

As if she knew I was going to ask that question, she admitted it all before I even finished speaking.

“Then is it something I want to ask you now? how did you know? That’s me.”

“… You were a cadet who was not in my memory. In fact, we didn’t even enroll together.”

“Oh, right. Exactly. There is no such thing as the fact that I entered this academy.”

“But the records said you were a classmate. Isn’t it strange? A person who has never entered school is a classmate.”

“That’s true. After all, the leadership cannot be trusted. It’s too shabby.”

Liz, who said it jokingly, just put her chin on her chin.

Unlike me, she didn’t seem to consider this conversation very important.

“Why on earth did you come to see me?”

I asked her again.

“Just curious.”

“… curious? What?”

“No, you may be curious about who raped you. As a victim.”

“… .”

Despite my serious question, what came back was still a light-hearted answer.

It was certain.

She didn’t seem to have any serious intention of engaging in private conversation with me.

It shouldn’t be like this.

If she doesn’t take the initiative properly, she will continue to be like that.

Then I couldn’t get anything from her.

In the first place, it was also unclear that she knew hermeneutics.

So far, only the theory has been scratched, and there has been no in-depth information.

“Then… Is that all you have to ask?”

“… … .”

I had to change my approach.

I had to make her want me.

I don’t know what her real purpose is.

But if she really needs me, she will definitely come find me.

――Gigegeung!

I turned the wheelchair around. And the wheel rolled. The goal, of course, is to get out of this room.

“What… Are you going? already? I’m sure there’s something else you want to ask me, right?”

She asked me vaguely.

It was still light, but a little different. There was definitely some regret in it.

――Gigegeung!

I didn’t say anything.

If I was going to throw bait, I had to be sure. If it was clumsy, it was better not to throw it.

–bang!

The door was closed.

I intentionally applied enough force to make a loud noise.

I’m not sure she’ll take this bait. Maybe this could be my last meeting with her.

Still, it was okay.

I never imagined that I would get help from anyone anyway.

Although it may take a long time, hermeneutics is an area that can be easily studied on one’s own.

There was no need to master it in the first place. It’s enough to learn enough to solve just one barrier.

The time given to me is clearly finite. However, it was by no means short.

If you move forward calmly, even little by little, you will definitely see a path.

**

“… .”

A room in a dormitory that the owner left. There, Cecil sat quietly with her eyes closed.

It’s not just about meditating.

All her attention was focused on watching Cain.

Cain, reflected in her eyes, was facing a female cadet.

For some reason, he was the cadet I had been seeing almost every day since last week.

‘Who on earth is she…? .’

Cecil didn’t know the answer.

Cain never tells her anything about himself. That doesn’t mean she can’t ask him right away.

All she knew was that that cadet was probably not a nobleman.

In her knowledge of almost all nobles, there was no one with a face like that.

There were not only the same people, but there were no similar people. Therefore, it was safe to say that it was highly unlikely that she was a noble.

What is her identity and what kind of relationship does she have with him?

I can’t help but wonder.

How can there still be people who have that much affection for him?

Even if there was such a person, it was normal to look at what others thought.

The Academy is a small society.

It is no exaggeration to say that all relationships here are directly connected to future life.

Major positions in the empire were mostly occupied by graduates, and naturally their influence was great.

And what they consider extremely important is their school ties.

As it was difficult for me to come in and graduate, my pride was sky-high.

‘But how can you show such interest so openly? .’

Aren’t you worried about the future? Or does he have a background beyond nobility?

Cecil couldn’t even guess what the girl who was smiling slyly was thinking.

‘hmm… ?’

I was watching the two like usual, but today something was strange.

It wasn’t exact, but the atmosphere between the two was strange.

The female cadet was smiling as always, but Cain’s side had changed.

His expression had become a bit harsher than before. It also seemed like he was questioning her about something.

I really needed to find out exactly.

She focused her senses on hearing.

Listening to the sounds of a specific place was several times more difficult than observation and required a very high level of concentration…

I had a gut feeling that their conversation might contain something important.

“Nyaang… .”

However, her concentration was completely lost before it could be fully built up.

The main character of the disturbance is a cat.

The cat that Cain had brought was pulling on the hem of her skirt.

I’m sure they put it on the bed so it wouldn’t disturb anyone… It looks like it crawled all the way here.

It was a pitiful effort since he couldn’t even use his legs properly.

“… … .”

Cecil tried to concentrate while ignoring the cat, but failed.

“Ouch… .”

An intense headache came over her.

It was a reaction to try to use observation and auditory reinforcement at the same time.

“Nyaang.”

The cat was also constantly seeking her attention.

“… I can’t help it.”

Anyway, once it was like this, it was impossible to observe him again.

She lifted the cat up.

The guy started struggling with his arms in the air. I couldn’t tell at the moment whether he was asking me to put him down or to hug him.

“Who on earth do you resemble to be such a tomboy? .”

“Nyaan?”

‘huh… ?’

At that moment, the cat’s eyes lit up slightly. It only lasted a moment, but it sure did.

Cecil had a moment of doubt, but it was probably because of the setting sunlight outside the window, so she didn’t think much of it.

**

I feel so carefree for no reason.

Maybe it’s because I got rid of the troublesome person named Liz.

As expected, being influenced by others did not suit my temperament.

――Roaring

“You are here. Where did you go in such a hurry?”

When I entered the room, I saw Cecil playing with the cat.

I expected that she would take good care of me, but I didn’t know she would like me that much.

“Just… I think I left something in the classroom.”

“For all that, you are empty-handed. And I remember you leaving in a very hurry.”

I tried to explain it appropriately, but Cecil was unusual in asking questions.

Did the family give me an order to keep an eye on me? Or is it just a whim of hers?

Since I didn’t know the answer, my heart began to beat little by little.

“… It would be difficult if it was late and the classroom was locked. And unfortunately I couldn’t find the item.”

“Aha… Who stole it?”

“Well. Maybe it was. I have so many enemies, right?”

“… .”

He shrugged his shoulders and said in his own joking tone.

Cecil continued to look at me with a blank expression, but then turned his attention to the cat.

It looks like it passed safely.

If it continues like this, I will have no wish. There was nothing more bothersome than her interfering with me.

“After… .”

After sighing quietly without her knowing, I opened the book. Of course, it was a book about ‘hermeneutics’.

I made up my mind and started studying. But soon I lost concentration.

It was because I felt eyes on me today.

It was so strong that it stuck in the back of my head.

I rolled my eyes a bit and looked at the mirror on one side of the desk.

Inside the glass was the image of Cecil looking intently at me.

“… … .”

I’ve been out of action for too long.

I was afraid she might notice something strange, so I turned a page.

――Sreuk

She definitely knows that I study hermeneutics.

And it’s okay now, but I wonder if someday she’ll wonder why.

If it continues like this, I feel like her interest will someday lead to wrong results for me.

I thought maybe it would be better for me to hit the player first.

So I asked her.

“Cecil. Do you know much about hermeneutics?”