Upon seeing Camilla’s smile and wave, Emma’s eyes lit up instantly, like a frightened fawn finally finding a safe refuge.
She hurriedly carried her tray and shuffled over to Camilla’s table, her face tinged with bashful gratitude.
“G-Good afternoon, Miss Camilla.”
She greeted softly, appearing a bit nervous.
“Good afternoon, Teacher Emma!”
Camilla replied with a smile, patting the empty seat beside her to invite Emma to sit.
“Come, sis, let me introduce you. This is my new friend I met yesterday, her name is Big Emma… Emma.”
“Big Emma?”
“No! My name is Emma!”
Emma’s cheeks flushed bright red as she denied it, not understanding why Camilla sometimes called her “Teacher Emma.” She was just a commoner student with slightly better grades—not someone with the profound knowledge of the academy’s teachers.
“Please stop calling me Teacher Emma!”
“Haha, sorry, next time for sure. Anyway, Big… Emma, this is my sister Ophelia.”
“Sorry to disturb you, Senior Ophelia.”
She carefully sat in the empty seat next to Camilla, setting her tray down—the tray held only a small piece of black bread, a bowl of nearly oil-free clear soup, and a few boiled vegetables, a stark contrast to the sumptuous food in front of Camilla and Ophelia.
But Camilla knew well: as a sage reborn, Emma was destined for great things in the future. These current hardships were but trivial trials.
Still, Camilla wouldn’t let such a great chance to gain favor slip by.
Of course, she knew that for proud Emma, direct charity would only embarrass her.
“My goodness, did the cafeteria really have to make the portions so huge today?”
Camilla pretended to be troubled, staring at her heaping tray and muttering quietly.
“There’s no way I can finish all this—wouldn’t it be a shame to waste it…”
As she spoke, she very naturally slid the largest grilled beast steak from her own plate, along with several plump, glossy roasted mushrooms and a small pile of fresh green vegetables, onto Emma’s tray using a clean fork.
Ophelia gave her a strange look. She knew her sister’s appetite well—this wasn’t even enough for half a meal; Camilla would definitely go for seconds later.
“Emma, help me out, would you? Take a little off my hands?”
Camilla blinked her ruby-like eyes, showing a pleading, irresistible smile.
“Wasting food will bring down the wrath of the heavens!”
“Eh? I-I couldn’t possibly…”
Emma stared at the suddenly abundant, aromatic food on her plate, instantly at a loss.
She sensed Camilla’s goodwill, but the “help” came so naturally and thoughtfully that she felt no shame of being pitied, only a flood of warmth and gratitude.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Friends help each other, don’t they?”
Camilla grinned like a thieving kitten, and seized the moment to slide her barely-touched creamy pumpkin soup, in its delicate bowl, over to Emma as well.
“Take this too. I can’t finish it.”
“Pukii!”
From her shoulder bag, Rimuru seemed very interested in the bowl of soup that smelled of cream and pumpkin sweetness, poking out half its blue jelly body and stretching out a tiny “tentacle.”
“Rimuru, no snatching!”
Camilla lightly tapped its bouncy head.
“That’s for Emma! Your rations are over there!”
She pointed to the small plate of Elemental Crystal Fragments prepared especially for Rimuru.
Come on now, how could a measly bit of “useless stuff” compare to the future master of spell damage? Dare you rebel against Teacher Emma, wielder of the Nine Elements?
Rimuru let out a wronged “pukii,” and sulkily retreated to chew on its own “dog food.”
“Um, thank you…”
“No need to thank me! Aren’t we friends? Besides, you’re helping me out by taking care of what I can’t finish—really, I should be thanking you.”
Seeing Emma finally taste the grilled meat, her face showing both contentment and treasuring every bite, Camilla felt relieved inside.
She turned her attention back to her sister. She was still hung up on the “tragic yet strong loli” who had been beaten to tears.
“Sis, can you tell me more about that ‘Poker Face’ classmate?”
Camilla prodded the remaining food on her plate with her fork, curiously pressing for details.
“Besides being strong, is there anything special? Like… is she cute? Small?”
“Cute? I don’t understand that criteria. As for her height… she’s not tall, about your size.”
Ophelia frowned slightly, as if trying hard to recall.
“Her fighting style was fierce, but she lacked stamina. After the final clash, she lost her weapon, then squatted on the ground… and cried.”
When Ophelia said “cried,” there was a subtle note of confusion in her voice, as if she just couldn’t understand that behavior.
She lost her weapon after a duel and just cried? Camilla’s mouth twitched—wasn’t that mental resilience a bit off from the tough, indomitable character in the game? Could it be because her sister was too harsh, and broke the poor girl’s spirit?
But that couldn’t be right. In the original, that girl was an out-and-out troublemaker. Even if she was defeated, she’d never cry in public. Camilla suspected her sister was either holding something back, or intentionally hiding details.
After all, under her influence, Ophelia’s personality couldn’t be exactly the same as the original. At the very least, they’d diverged quite a bit. The Ophelia in the early story was a good kid—she’d never resort to underhanded tricks like coating her sword in poison.
Just then, Emma, who had been quietly eating on the side, cautiously raised her hand like she was answering a question in class, and softly spoke.
“Um… was Senior Ophelia talking about Fina?”
Ophelia looked at her and nodded.
“That seems to be the name. But I must remind you, I’m a first-year just like you, not your senior.”
“Ah? R-Really?”
Emma was a bit surprised. In her eyes, Ophelia had a certain “mature” aura—if she wasn’t wearing a school uniform, Emma might have mistaken her for a young teacher.
But her surprise only lasted for an instant. She coughed, clearing her throat, and continued talking about her first encounter with Lyudmila.
“Lyudmila… she’s definitely a bit special. Last night, when I was on my way back from the Library, I saw her…”
“You saw what?”
Camilla instantly perked up her ears.
Emma lowered her voice in cooperation, as if sharing a secret.
“I saw her… sleeping in a trash can by the roadside.”
“That’s it?”
Camilla blinked, as if to say, wasn’t that perfectly normal for that girl?