After finishing the lecture as usual,
I was walking down the corridor with Nameless.
Suddenly sensing multiple unfamiliar presences, I looked around.
“Be careful, Nameless.”
At my low voice, Nameless also placed a hand on his waist and surveyed the area.
“Yes, Master.”
It might seem a bit excessive, but there’s a reason for my vigilance.
This is the Academy, where accidents can happen at any moment.
Just recently, a Reaper had attacked the Academy out of the blue, right?
That was when I realized.
Ah, here, if something feels off even a little, you have to prepare for battle straight away.
That way, nothing escalates.
Honestly, it’s a bit unfortunate that I’m only realizing this now.
While I was nervously glancing around, our odd behavior seemed to catch the attention of some cadets.
“…What’s with them?”
“Don’t you know? That’s the professor.”
“Wow… they look younger than me!”
“…”
Hmm, is no one coming?
“I think it’s fine…”
Feeling like I might have overreacted, I scratched my head awkwardly.
However, Nameless seemed to think differently, frowning deeply and pointing at something.
“…Master, I don’t think it’s okay.”
“Hmm?”
I tilted my head in curiosity and turned to where Nameless was pointing.
“…Knights?”
Approaching us were several knights clad in iron armor, which felt out of place in the Academy’s scenery.
And among them, one person stood out particularly.
‘…That one’s the leader.’
Leaving behind the solemn atmosphere of the knights, the one at the front was wearing oddly luxurious clothing and fiddling with his mustache.
Hmm, he looks somewhat unpleasant.
I know you shouldn’t judge a person by their looks, but…
That’s a bit much.
Still, I couldn’t just show my reaction, so I tried to maintain a stern expression.
But what could an aristocrat like him want at the Academy?
And with shiny armored knights in tow, no less.
As I looked at them with suspicion,
“Oh, could it be Professor Cheon Ha-rang?”
The mustached man, smiling as if pleased to see me, extended one hand toward me.
“Nice to meet you, I’m William.”
“…”
I stared blankly at the hand he stretched out, not intending to take it.
I knew exactly what that hand gesture meant.
It was a handshake, a typical greeting for someone you just met to say, “Let’s get along well.”
But why do I have to shake hands with a complete stranger, especially a man?
Even if this mustached guy knows who I am, I don’t know who he is.
And I really don’t want to grab that pretentious-looking dude’s hand.
It’s not like I’ve felt any attraction to the opposite sex since I switched from a male to a female body long ago.
Neither men nor women.
…Though maybe I just haven’t encountered anyone worth being attracted to so far.
I’m at an age with no romantic experience, so who knows, maybe that’s the reason I didn’t notice.
Anyway.
Feeling attracted and feeling discomfort are two different things in my opinion.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve lived as a woman for so long, or maybe it’s just my nature, but the thought of holding a man’s hand sends shivers down my spine.
Ah, of course, Nameless is excluded from this.
Nameless is a guy too, but oddly enough, I don’t feel any repulsion toward him.
It’s probably because he’s been my disciple since childhood, and it might be similar to the feelings a parent has for their child.
Is that really the case?
As I held a blank expression,
William, the man who had extended his hand, awkwardly clenched his fist at my stony demeanor.
After a moment, he withdrew his arm and spoke up.
“…Ahaha, you seem quite shy.”
William, scratching his head sheepishly, cleared his throat to compose himself.
“Do you have a moment? I have something to discuss, but this seems like a rather awkward place.”
He glanced around, then smiled at me.
Hmm, what should I do…
It’s clear that this William fellow has business with me, but I have nothing to say to him.
Should I really feel it necessary to follow him?
I’m not particularly interested, anyway.
“Hmm.”
As I tilted my head and pondered,
“Master.”
“Hm?”
“You must be exhausted after a long lecture.”
Nameless, saying that, suddenly grabbed my hand.
“Don’t you think you need to take a little break?”
“…Huh.”
Hmm, it’s quite rare for him to take the initiative like this. Usually, I’m the one reaching out first when holding hands or linking arms.
What’s up with that?
Looking at Nameless with a slightly surprised expression, he subtly motioned toward William.
Ah, he’s trying to help me decline easily.
Just as I have watched Nameless grow since he was a child, he’s probably aware that I have a hard time saying no.
That’s why he’s trying to assist me.
I smiled pleasantly at Nameless’s concern and nodded.
“True.”
I pulled Nameless’s hand and enveloped it in my embrace.
“…!”
Nameless’s body flinched, clearly surprised by my unexpected move, but I didn’t care about that and flashed a grin at William.
“Well then, let’s talk later.”
“…What?”
The mustached man’s expression appeared flustered.
“W-wait a moment, please—”
“Nameless.”
“Yes, Master.”
We promptly moved toward the door of my room, sticking closely together.
…Or we would have, were it not for this annoying guy holding my arm.
“Just let it go already!”
Though it wasn’t skin-to-skin, but through clothes, I could feel my irritation building.
“…”
Isn’t it normal for someone in this situation to step aside?
Can’t he see who I’m holding hands with?
Just as I furrowed my brow and tried to shake off his arm,
“Why don’t we call it a day?”
Nameless interjected, effortlessly prying away the knight’s hand from my arm.
“We wouldn’t want to cause any embarrassment for each other, now would we?”
I peeked at Nameless’s face; he wore a smirk, but his eyes were icy.
Hmm, seems like trouble is brewing.
Whenever Nameless makes that face, it usually means something unpredictable is about to happen, and it makes me anxious.
But still…
Watching him take charge of the situation for me made me feel oddly calm and not entirely displeased.
Letting out a deep sigh, I waved my hand and turned to leave.
“Showing up out of the blue like this makes it hard to find time.”
William looked completely bewildered at my casual dismissal.
Hearing his flustered state, I clicked my tongue and added,
“So better set a date through Anna.”
“…Understood.”
The mustached man nodded obediently, bowing awkwardly as he turned away.
…Well, I just need to tell Anna to decline nicely.
I stepped forward again.
*
A few days later.
“…”
I let out a deep sigh at the sight of knights crowding outside the door where I was staying with Nameless.
“…Didn’t I clearly say I didn’t want to?”
“If I can’t bring you, it’ll be a big problem for me…”
One knight bowed at an angle sharp as a knife, sticking to his military training.
His pitiful appearance made me grimace.
“Please reconsider, just once…”
…How on earth did it come to this?
With the knights’ gazes all directed at me, I felt a small headache coming on.
According to what I heard from Anna, the mustached visitor from last night was a messenger from the imperial palace.
I wondered why such a person was sent, but when I listened to Anna’s explanation,
She said it was necessary to possess a certain level of vanity and cunning for someone delivering the Emperor’s words.
Anyway.
What could a messenger from the Emperor want with me?
As Arnold had informed me, he came to reward me for resolving the situation concerning the Crown Prince’s rescue and the threats against the Academy.
But given my aversion to being in the spotlight, it was unlikely I would accept, and after multiple rejections, this was the present situation.
I looked at the knight with a pitiful expression and sighed heavily.
…I really don’t want to go.
Seeing his utterly sad face somehow made me feel a twinge of guilt.
And if I don’t go, doesn’t that mean he’ll get in trouble?
Even if we’ve never met before, and I haven’t done anything wrong,
It still makes me uneasy inside.
Glancing at Nameless for counsel,
“…Hmm.”
Nameless, either willing to grant me full autonomy or just tired of the situation, wore an impassive expression, showing no emotions while observing the knights.
…Well, I guess going wouldn’t be a loss.
Maybe getting a bit of cash out of it wouldn’t hurt either.
I’m not in debt or anything, so accepting wouldn’t be such a bad thing…
With a deep sigh, I waved my hand.
“…Fine, set a date for me.”
“…!”
The knight bowed deeply, almost as if his head were going to touch the ground.
“Thank you very much!”
I covered my ears at the booming voice that followed.
…Goodness, how irritating.
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