Chapter 419
Instead of a quiet president’s office, here I am in a bustling club room, surrounded by members whom I’d prefer to see out of the country rather than looking at their lovey-dovey faces.
It’s definitely a suffocating environment, but oddly enough, I feel at peace. Not long ago, I worried about these troublemakers causing chaos in my absence, but after experiencing the depths of the pit, they now look like angels to me.
At least they’re not trying to roll me under their wheels. Who knows about those from ’77, but the ’78 season members are certainly more angelic than the Emperor.
‘Thanks.’
So, I silently express my gratitude. I don’t expect you to become diligent and ordinary folks. Just please don’t be like the vicious mutts that lurk in the system.
“Brother? Do you have something to say?”
“No, nothing. Just glad to see you after a while, so I was looking.”
Perhaps sensing my heartfelt gaze, Tannian spoke up first, but I shook my head.
Saying something like, ‘Now that I see you after the Emperor, I appreciate your value’ would sound too much like gossiping about royalty. Honestly, it kind of is, but if I said that, I might get a response like, “Then I’ll stay in the Empire after graduation!” and I’d end up biting my tongue.
In this world, there are also grad student-like assistant teachers. If they set their minds to it, they’d have justification to remain in the Empire post-graduation.
‘Scary.’
Just thinking about that terrifying possibility gives me chills. It’s already insane that major figures from different countries will be hanging around the Empire for three years, and now add a grad student route with no end in sight?
I don’t know who played my role in the original story, but it’s clear that those days were hellish for them.
‘Was the real original story in Part 2?’
That thought crossed my mind in an instant. The hopeless love race the members showed last year was absolutely heartbreaking from a third-party perspective. That’s why I thought Academy life was Part 1 and the post-graduation chaos was Part 2—but looking back now, that theory holds some water.
Does it even make sense for foreign royalty to be spending their grad years in the Empire? Any logical reasoning goes out the window. If they were at all reasonable, they wouldn’t have come to the Empire in the first place.
“It seems that after spending two years together, we’ve really grown attached. I’m honestly considering applying for the assistant teacher program and staying in the Empire.”
‘What the hell.’
And with Ruti’s comment sounding almost like confirmation, a stream of curses almost spilled out of me.
Thanks to that little remark, I became sure of it. If someone like me—a mere advisor—is spouting off about assistant teaching, and if Ruti is still nursing a crush on Louise, he 100% intends to stick around. He wouldn’t leave until Louise found someone else.
“It’s such a pity that we have to return after graduation.”
I quietly looked at Ruti, who was joking and laughing away.
I just want to smack him once. It’s not like a bruise can’t be healed quickly. With Trixie and Tannian there, they can patch up any injuries as long as it’s not fatal.
‘Endure.’
Of course, I didn’t act on those thoughts. If I moved just a little more, the pastry club would have been blown to pieces by now.
“Does the swordsman club also have an assistant teacher program?”
Out of nowhere, Lather, who had remained silent, asked the question with utmost seriousness. He wasn’t trying to poke fun or stir up the swordsmanship topic; he genuinely seemed curious.
And now that I consider it, it is intriguing. Magic has a strong academic flavor, but swordsmanship is entirely practical. Is there really a need for an assistant teacher in that kind of subject? There don’t seem to be any papers or research to work on.
“The history of swordsmanship is deep, with various styles that have been handed down like legacies through noble families and nations. Also, training must cater to individual physical characteristics, so there’s plenty of academic ground to cover!”
His subsequent words made sense. Approaching it that way opens a lot of possibilities for assistant teachers. No, in fact, pure swordsmen who struggle academically desperately need a sharp-minded assistant teacher around.
‘Like a taekwondo department or something.’
That’s how I decided to think about it. It’s not like I’d be an assistant teacher, so I didn’t need to know all the details.
…
‘Why the heck does he know so much?’
I stared at Ruti with a trembling gaze. The fact that he knows more than I do signals that he’s already looked into the swordsmanship club’s assistant teacher matter.
It’s terrifying. I didn’t even notice that ‘Original Work Part 2: Heart-Thumping Graduate Life!’ was creeping up on me. Thankfully, that project flopped, but my heart was still racing.
‘…That was a close call.’
Subtly, I turned my gaze towards Louise. Right now, she was busy baking cookies in celebration of my return, a stark contrast to when she was adored by all club members.
If, hypothetically speaking, Louise hadn’t captured anyone’s heart or if she weren’t interested in me, wouldn’t she be preparing for Part 2 of the original work by now?
‘Wow.’
Instinctively, I closed my eyes at the mere thought. That future is far too much to handle.
I’m overwhelmed with gratitude and affection for Louise.
Since the party in the club room was a bit of a last-minute affair, it was modest in scale, but the atmosphere was quite pleasant. We were all there to welcome me back, celebrate Eri’s return, or simply enjoy ourselves.
Chewing on the cookies that Louise made, I glanced around and spotted Eri, who seemed a bit sulky.
Surprisingly so. I thought she’d developed a bond with the other club members—
“Sheesh, there are still so many secret passages I haven’t told you about.”
Never mind. I misjudged.
“…Still more leftover?”
“It was more like an ant hill than an academy.”
And with that unexpected mention of secret passages, Ainter and Lather burst into laughter.
‘She’s finally let it all go.’
Seeing that made me feel a bit sympathetic. Did they really just laugh it off after hearing such a ridiculous claim about secret passages in an educational institution? Clearly, they’d endured enough madness from Eri already. They seemed to accept the absurdity of secret passage claims at the academy as an everyday reality.
‘But they do exist.’
It’s unfortunate for those two who underwent such a culture shock and mental contamination, but there are indeed secret passages scattered throughout the Imperial Academy.
This academy was established during the heyday of the Apels Empire and its prosperous capital. Perhaps it was made for high-ranking officials to escape or hide in emergencies, but the academy does indeed harbor secret passages.
They are so well-built that even the imperial administration knows about them, and I personally confirmed this fact last year—
“There’s a passage between the small auditorium and the dormitory that my upperclassman and I made, so you should find it! I wanted to show you directly, but it couldn’t be helped!”
?
‘What the?!’
I didn’t know that!
I froze in place, still nibbling on my cookie. There’s another passage on top of the secret ones from the Apels Era? And you made it personally?
‘…With an upperclassman?’
My mind went blank. If we’re talking about an upperclassman who was close to Eri, it could only be the Empress, right?
‘No way.’
I hastily dismissed that sacrilegious thought. The Empress, the conscience of the Imperial Family and a restraint on the Emperor. The very symbol of decency and grace.
I’d budge a hundred times if Eri happened to be close; there’s no way that the Empress, then a mere Duchess, would roll up her sleeves and dig out secret passages. She’s probably referring to another upperclassman. For sure.
“So just who is that upperclassman? It seems like you did everything together; I’d like to at least know the name.”
Then Ainter’s question hung in the air for a moment. Everyone in the club room fell silent, staring at Eri, effectively voicing what we all wondered.
“That’s a secret! I’ll keep it hushed until that upperclassman reveals it!”
Eri, giggling mischievously, tried to evade the topic, but I caught a fleeting glimpse of hesitation and fear cross her face.
Eri hesitated. In her wild world, she instinctively knew that revealing that upperclassman’s identity would cause a significant ordeal.
Moreover, there was a sense of fear embedded in it. Regardless of the event’s severity, that upperclassman represented something fearful to Eri.
“Well, since that person has already graduated, it wouldn’t matter if we find out. It’s not like we’re going to call for them now.”
Thus, I decided to take charge and wrap up the conversation. It seemed like I could easily narrow down the list of candidates, but my instincts warned me to not pry any further.
“That’s true. What good is knowing about someone who’s already graduated? There’s no need to meet anyone else when we have the temporary advisor right here, who is from that era.”
“Calling you from that era makes me sound so old!”
“Oops, my apologies.”
Fortunately, Ruti and Eri quickly played along, allowing us to transition to a new topic.
“Brother.”
“Yeah?”
As I was watching Eri bicker with the other members, Irina approached me.
“Is there something bothering you? You haven’t eaten anything since earlier.”
‘Ah.’
I glanced down at my right hand. Perhaps thinking about some information I shouldn’t have, my hand had unintentionally stiffened at some point.
It felt a bit embarrassing. If I was so absorbed in mundane thoughts that I forgot to eat my cookie, it was understandable for her to worry.
“I was saving it since it’s been a while since I ate.”
With that, I pulled Irina in for a gentle hug, causing her worried expression to soften into a smile.
“It’s fine. If you run out, I’ll just make more, so eat as much as you want.”
“Louise made them?”
“I did the plating, so it’s fair to say we made them together, right?”
Her words made me chuckle. Louise might feel unfairly treated if she heard it from the oven, but if Irina contributed to the plating, she couldn’t deny it.
“Still, I want to try the cookies made by Irina too.”
“I’m in the gardening club, so my baking skills are a bit lacking…”
Her half-joking response almost made her flinch, offering a bashful smile as she shook her head.
I know. Irina is practically an honorary member of the pastry club, so she has some baking experience, but she pales in comparison to Louise, let alone Trixie. It can’t be helped since they belong to different clubs.
“You can bake flour and sugar and call it good. I eat that sort of thing too.”
“Ha ha, I’ll keep that in mind.”
This time, perhaps thinking it was a joke, Irina only smiled softly.
No, I’m serious. I can actually eat that stuff without complaint.
‘As long as it’s not at the level Louise made last year.’
I feel a bit guilty saying that to Louise, but I’d take simple ingredients over the strange additions any day.
“Hey, brother?”
Just as my taste buds returned and I was trying to recall ‘that’ undelicious cookie, Irina cautiously spoke up.
“I-I may not be able to serve you the finest ones yet… but I can do something like this…”
Naturally, she picked up a cookie from the plate and presented it to me.
“Ah, ahhh~”
‘Wow.’
Her face was as red as Mar’s, and she seemed embarrassed, doing that somewhat robotic ‘ahh’ thing.
Almost laughing at her shyness peeking through this endearing gesture, I didn’t expect such a surprise.
‘Ah.’
Suddenly, a brilliant idea crossed my mind.
As I took a bite from the cookie that was held in front of me, Irina’s expression brightened. It seemed that her courage in expressing her feelings was accepted, giving her some relief.
But it turned out to be premature relief.
“…Brother?”
I walked closer to Irina with the cookie still in my mouth, close enough that our noses nearly touched.
And then I gently tapped the cookie sticking out of my mouth.
“O-Oppa!?”
For a moment, Irina stared, stunned by the scene, but once she realized the meaning, she quickly pulled back as though she’d been shocked awake.
‘The Cookie Game.’
I remembered that the cookie Irina offered was a chocolate one. If lovers share the same treat, it’s just perfect.
A stick of pocky would’ve been even better, but I’ll settle for this.
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