I was convinced that Seo-A wasn’t the culprit.
If Seo-A had been part of the government, she would have boldly stated her claims rather than using such underhanded methods. Moreover, it didn’t seem like she thought my early graduation was a good idea. She openly opposed it, saying, “There are things to learn while attending school.”
When I declared that I had no intention of graduating early, her expression noticeably brightened.
Ah, wait a minute.
Now that I think about it, Seo-A had described the vice principal as “a person whose talking and actions were just as gloomy as his appearance.”
But the vice principal I had met alongside Rina and Aurora did act gloomy, but he didn’t speak in that way. I can’t say for sure if he was perfect, but he seemed like a proper educator with a strong educational philosophy of his own.
Does that mean Seo-A has never actually had a proper conversation with the vice principal? I don’t want to believe that about someone I consider to be close, but it’s possible she might be approaching him with preconceived notions, just like we did when we first met him.
Whether the vice principal is truly a good person or just acting in front of us, it didn’t matter to me, as I wasn’t thinking about early graduation at all. However, if that statement is part of a government scheme, then that’s a different matter.
Regardless of what the vice principal thinks, his actions were indeed tied to the government.
“Should we go see the homeroom teacher again?”
As I leisurely sipped my coffee in the café, Aurora tilted her head and asked back.
As usual, we had gathered after club activities. Well, “gathered” is a bit of a stretch since there weren’t many of us. Seo-A was probably still working at the school, and Ramihi had left early due to urgent business. Judging by Satsuki’s mention of family chores, it could be that today was some kind of festival or modest event for the elves.
While she hadn’t officially joined the club yet, Erica had been coming around more frequently, but it seemed the incident from last summer, when demons and beasts attacked the villa, still hadn’t been properly resolved, so she had also left school early.
So in the café, the members gathered were only me, Aurora, Rina, Lina, Selena, and Jian—just six of us.
Wow, I never thought I’d see a day where I’d say there were only six members. Back when I was in high school, it was a huge struggle to gather five friends.
…Was that just because I was unsociable?
“Are you talking about Seo-A?”
As I was lost in useless thoughts, Aurora’s response pulled me back to reality.
“Yes, she was the one who brought up early graduation to me.”
“Oh, so you’re saying the teacher agrees with early graduation?”
Aurora’s eyes widened at my words.
“No, that wasn’t it.”
I shook my head.
“She said there are things you can only learn at school, so she hopes students can attend until the end.”
At my words, the others went, “Ohhh,” in small admiration.
“I thought teachers would obviously be in favor of early graduation.”
Looking at Selena, who said this with an air of disbelief, she shrugged her shoulders lightly and replied.
“Well, it makes sense. The outfit she always wears is quite revealing, right? I thought her mindset would be just as open.”
…It is true that her attire is very revealing. And her figure is pretty open too… or not.
Without a doubt, she gave off a vibe that she would prefer some advanced educational methods, so when she said, “There are things you can only learn at school,” it might have seemed rather conservative—like a parent trying to convince a child who desperately wants to drop out.
“So, exactly what happened in the vice principal’s office?”
As Selena quickly emptied her drink and placed the cup with only ice left on the table, she asked that. A few pearls of deep color stuck against the clear ice inside the disposable plastic cup.
“Well, first, we were served some tea.”
“Pfft!”
Someone, sitting a bit away from me, spat out a drink that had a ridiculous long name—something that looked like it had too many ingredients and would make your tongue tingle from its sweetness. Thankfully, I wasn’t sitting close enough to get splashed.
“You drank that!?”
“…It was tasty.”
At my words, Rina and Aurora nodded in agreement.
“She seemed to really like tea.”
“It was the first time I’d ever had such fragrant black tea.”
Calmly saying this to Lina, who must have jumped up in surprise, Lina replied with a look of disbelief.
“Did you maybe lose your memory? Or did the time feel weirdly long when you entered and when you exited?”
Suppressing the urge to laugh at Lina’s serious expression, I managed to keep my composure.
“…No matter what, a vice principal wouldn’t do something like that to a student. Plus, even if I look like this, I’m one of the two heads of the church. If I did anything reckless, there’s no way it would just be swept under the rug.”
Even though I answered, Lina still seemed skeptical. She slowly sat back down, but her expression remained tense.
“Besides, I don’t understand why anyone would doubt the vice principal like that. At least the vice principal we talked to had a proper set of values.”
“No, that’s not the point.”
Lina held her head and groaned before finally speaking.
“Didn’t you see? That bald guy.”
“…I did, we saw him yesterday together.”
“No, not that bald— I mean, the one before. The guy in the pink suit.”
At those words, Jian, who had been quietly listening to our conversation so far, reacted slightly.
The pink suit— Ah, that guy.
He must be referring to the one who had encountered Rina on the battlefield and beaten her up, leaving her face swollen. Among those sitting here, only me, Rina, and Jian had really seen him up close.
Selena had come out of the forest later than Jian, and while Satsuki, who usually had better eyesight than regular humans, might have spotted him from afar, only the three of us here had seen him properly up close.
“…Are you seriously suspecting him just because he looks similar?”
As I became exasperated and asked that, Lina replied,
“What? Why? I’ve only seen that kind of person once before. What’s wrong with being suspicious?”
Ah right. I completely forgot. Lina was an embodiment of the Witch of Jealousy. Naturally, it wouldn’t be surprising her suspicions were greater than anyone else’s.
“In front of me— Ah, no. No need to bring that up, but anyway, it’s obviously suspicious.”
“You shouldn’t be suspicious just because someone is bald.”
I gave this serious advice.
“Besides, aside from the hair, he looks entirely different. The body type and the overall vibe are nothing alike.”
To be frank about it, the vice principal’s appearance resembled that of a treacherous betrayer, not a muscular giant. Moreover, the vice principal had completely white skin, while that high-ranking demon was dark-skinned. If the former gave off a bureaucratic aura, the latter was your typical gym enthusiast who worked hard outside.
Of course, both the high-ranking demon and the vice principal had appearances sufficient to give an impression of being villains when you first met them, but their general vibes were quite different from each other.
…If both had appeared in a 2D comic, they might have played their roles in something 19+ related, but the novel that formed the basis for this world was not famous enough for that. No, to be precise, I was the only one who knew about it in that other world. I wasn’t sure if anyone read it after I died, but who knows?
“And you can’t really tell a person’s true nature until you’ve talked with them. You didn’t know what kind of image I had before we talked.”
“Um… I didn’t really know, no.”
Lina replied with an expression of confusion.
“…Then what was your impression when we first met?”
“A ditzy girl who lives her life carelessly without a plan.”
“…And now?”
“A ditzy girl who still lives her life carelessly without a plan.”
Should I be thankful that she left out a word? No, thinking about what that missing word was just made the image worse.
“So, you seem to think your observation is pretty accurate.”
“No, I don’t think it’s perfect… But I think it’s at least better than yours.”
“Oho.”
I raised an eyebrow. If someone were to see my expression through another’s perspective, my eyes would have gleamed along with it.
“Then how about a bet? Whether or not the vice principal is really a good person.”
Seeing my expression, Lina raised an eyebrow as well and answered.
“Well, sure. I’m quite confident. How about the losing side grants the winning side a wish?”
“Sounds good.”
The others gathered around the table watched us with great interest as we conversed. With each exchange, they turned their eyes toward the speaker like an audience watching a table tennis match.
Except for Jian, who was silently lost in thought.
“Well, I agree with Clara. People can’t be judged by their appearances, right? Just look at what was said about you.”
Oho.
That was an interesting comment in itself. It meant that my first impression was significantly different from how Selena perceived me now.
“How did you see me, Selena?”
Curiously, I asked this question, and Selena rested her chin on the back of her hands, staring at me intently.
“When I first saw quiet you, I thought you were a troublesome nun.”
“A troublesome…?”
My first impression? Ah, maybe she was talking about the incident where I drop-kicked the cardinal.
“When I first came to the funeral hall, the cardinal looked like he outright disliked you. The priest was sweating bullets between you and the cardinal. So I thought you were causing trouble without even realizing that you were making the cardinal mad.”
As it turned out, that was an even earlier image than I thought. But then again, ‘first impression’ literally referred to the very first meeting.
“And then?”
“Well, even though I thought you were troublesome, it wasn’t the type of trouble where you accidentally break vases here and there. You seemed so calm, standing in the corner of the funeral hall. Almost like a doll.”
Mmm, I honestly have to agree with that.
Even I find it remarkable that my appearance is beautiful, no matter how many times I look at it.
If others heard that, they’d think I was crazy for saying something so outlandish, but given that I was made directly by a goddess and a god rather than being a body that was evolving from young to old, it was a different story.
To be honest, there probably aren’t many people in the world who could flatly deny that I’m beautiful.
“So?”
But still, I wasn’t thick-skinned enough to not feel embarrassed when hearing such things from others.
As I timidly asked that, Selena fixed her gaze at a corner of the ceiling, as if recalling the moment, her expression turned slightly dazed.
“Just as I thought that, you drop-kicked the cardinal in the face.”
“Ah.”
All eyes gathered on me at the table. Even Jian, who had maintained a serious expression, was now looking at me.
“…To defend myself a bit, he totally deserved it.”
Before anyone could ask, Selena quickly said.
“So now my impression of you is, uh, ‘troublesome saint’.”
“Well, we’re back to square one.”
I sighed. That remark did nothing to help my case. Of course, she could say it because she regarded me in a somewhat positive light, but still.
“Oh, and one more thing, I learned that a nun can be that foul-mouthed.”
“Uh?”
Now everyone’s attention shifted to Selena.
“Looking at Clara usually wouldn’t give you that impression, but Clara curses when she gets mad. I think she called him a f*cking bastard at that time.”
“Ah, right. I think I heard her curse too.”
Rina interjected.
…Well, to be fair, I did let that out when my emotions ran high, even if I didn’t mean to. But still, doesn’t it seem unnecessary to bring that story up now?
“Still, I guess Clara only speaks politely to humans.”
Rinea nodded seriously.
“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her speak respectfully to a witch.”
Aurora thoughtfully agreed, resting her chin on her hand.
“That is true.”
And I couldn’t help but agree. The way I talk down to witches is quite intentional. As I’ve said a few times, I absolutely despise villains who act with a laid-back demeanor. So I do my best to scrape under their skin.
However, unless they’re willing to take my life, I usually speak respectfully. I had tried to ignore even the elves who blatantly disregarded me. I had been rather rude to high-ranking elves too.
Hmm, indeed, this is a side of me that nobody who hasn’t consistently been by my side would know. It’s something you can’t pick up on from a ‘first impression.’
As I flashed a confident grin at Lina, she snickered as if utterly incredulous.
“The bet we’re making is about the vice principal, right? It doesn’t matter if your first impression was the same or different.”
“Who said it mattered?”
I shrugged and took another sip from my straw.
“Well, speaking of which…”
As if waiting for the right moment to speak, Jian finally opened his mouth.
“That guy in the pink suit you mentioned earlier, is he the same high-ranking demon I faced back then?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
As Jian’s expression suddenly turned serious, I nodded in response, and he continued earnestly.
“What exactly happened back then?”
“…What do you mean?”
I queried back, not exactly grasping the intent behind his question. He was there too! Didn’t he see everything with his own eyes? I thought I had briefly explained it before.
“I’m talking about the high-ranking demon while we were discussing first impressions. Rina mentioned she had her first encounter with that demon then. And… what happened at that spot.”
Everyone here knew exactly what Jian was cutting off.
…Ah, now that he’s mentioned it, I can guess what he’s trying to ask me.
He wants an explanation about how Rina had been severely assaulted by that high-ranking demon or how there was a magic point at Rina’s home.
He’s asking for a clarification on things I had previously glossed over.
Maybe before, I could’ve brushed it off, thinking Rina was simply kidnapped or threatened, but now that he had openly brought up the subject of the one who kidnapped her, the nuance had changed. Usually, that would become the worst trauma someone would never want to bring up again.
Could it have held a slightly different meaning for Rina, who had lived her whole life in such a situation? Perhaps it was due to the different mental structures of demons and humans.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
Rina, who was doing her best to ignore my gaze while sucking on her straw in an effort to avoid Jian’s question, still caught onto the fact that I was looking at her with resentment. So, it seemed that even her conscience couldn’t let her dodge that one.
“Um…”
“About that…”
Aurora and Rinea each tried to add something to defer Jian’s question, but after just a line, it seemed they immediately found they had no further explanation to give and fell silent. Of course. Now that they’ve heard Rina’s background story, it made it all the more difficult for them to find words to say.
Fundamentally, Jian was a character born as the male lead of a light novel, naturally exhibiting the qualities of a great person, so even if he knew Rina’s identity, he would probably just shrug and go, “Oh, I see,” without any issues. After all, that’s how he had acted in the light novel too. But, in fact, that part had just been something I had skimmed over because I didn’t want to deal with the detailed plot.
…Wait, hold on. Didn’t he already hear that Rina was a succubus?
During the time we went after the Witch of Jealousy, Jian had to have heard the Witch of Jealousy expose Rina. After all, he was right there. Even though he heard that back then, he hadn’t asked any questions.
He probably didn’t question it back then because he was being a good guy, but it might be closer to that he didn’t feel able to ask.
If anything, why is he asking this now, of all times?
Is he just really clueless like a protagonist in a light novel or something?
I regarded Jian with an expression full of mixed feelings, but his face remained steadfastly serious.
…Well, fine. I can always ask him later why he chose this timing to bring it up.
But there was one problem.
Jian could understand Rina’s identity and just let it slide, but Selena was a different matter. In the original story, there’s a competitive gimmick between Rina and Selena, and throughout most of the serial parts, Selena not only didn’t trust her but also didn’t believe in her until Rina made a self-sacrifice, at which point, Selena finally recognized her with tears.
Of course, the novel I wrote had been put together in a patchwork manner, including only the scenes I wanted to see, so I hadn’t dived deeply into that conflict. Yet believing that “characters are influenced by at least the written parts” there’s a high possibility that Selena might engage in actions similar to what’s written in the original text.
Selena had lost her precious family due to the demonic army. Would it really be easy for her to forgive?
“What’s up with you guys? This feels suspicious.”
When I briefly threw a worried glance at Selena, she joined in on Jian’s words. Oh no, we’re done for.
“…Um, discussing that here might be—”
“Ugh.”
I tried to find a way to delay bringing up this topic, but eventually, unable to endure the atmosphere, Rina let out a big sigh, dramatically brushing her hair back.
For a moment, I felt as if I were witnessing Rina from the beginning of the semester.
“—too sensitive…”
“Exactly.”
No matter what I said, Rina spoke while leaning back in her chair.
“That’s because I’m a demon, so I have had my share of encounters.”
Gyaaah!
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