The academy’s plaza was still bustling with people, but for some reason, there was an emptiness I couldn’t shake.
Rudion. He had left alone after receiving a call from Professor Reina.
Ru.
Every time I thought of his name, my heart raced. Denying my feelings for him had become painful, to the point where I couldn’t bear it anymore.
I once thought that my feelings had developed too quickly, and that they might fade just as fast. But now, I was certain.
The attraction I had felt back then was more of an instinct.
And recently, those feelings had only grown stronger.
I had been watching him closely, observing the little things he did so casually.
Like when we volunteered together on campus—though it was something he had been forced into, he still helped without showing any sign of displeasure, doing his best.
Or when he had been helping Lilith with training in the dojo, and I had noticed him quietly tidying up alone afterward.
Even the fact that he was gradually adjusting his school hours to accommodate my own, knowing that I didn’t like socializing with others.
He wasn’t the type to broaden his circle of acquaintances, because he knew how uncomfortable I was around others.
And… he had even created an opportunity for me to showcase my skills when I had been feeling down after being left out of student council activities.
He always seemed to act more for the benefit of others than himself, as though it were natural.
…Of course, if you asked whether he was a perfect man, the answer would be no.
There were times when, despite eating neatly, he would suddenly spill food.
He often said strange things or did actions that were hard to understand.
During training, he would casually fix Lilith’s disheveled clothes.
Even though he had been busy with writing reports, he had gone into a room alone with Alkine.
‘…Come to think of it, Alkine. Her gaze had been different from the first day.’
Unlike when he had first joined the student council, there was now a subtle but clear spark of passion in the way Alkine looked at Rudion.
It wasn’t surprising to me.
Since we were both in the student council, I had heard some of the stories, so I could guess what kind of things had been going on.
Of course, Rudion had not intended for things to turn out this way… but that was what made it even worse.
I wish he understood the significance of helping others with his abilities.
But he never noticed my feelings at all, and always seemed to do the things that irritated me.
However…
‘This is something I’ll have to bear, for falling for someone like him.’
My father always said that the one who falls first loses.
[Current Affection: 27/100]
[13 more to the next reward.]
I had already surpassed a 20 in affection and received a reward.
[Achieved Affection of 20!]
[You receive special rewards and a unique stat.]
[You gain the “Mana Acceleration” bonus as an affection reward.]
[The unique stat ‘Time’ is unlocked.]
[Current Time stat: 0]
I had never imagined that the reward would be an enhancement of my abilities, not something material.
I didn’t even know what the unique stat was for.
It was unlocked, but it was impossible to use or analyze it yet.
But thanks to the performance of “Mana Acceleration,” I was able to cast magic with much faster output than before.
I could feel my growth, and it gave me a sense of pride.
I hadn’t been able to land a single effective blow on Rudion, but…
…Really, why was someone like him still at the academy?
I still had that question in my mind.
But I didn’t intend to dig into it any further.
By now, it no longer mattered what his true identity was.
If I kept moving forward like this, eventually, I would reach him. That was all I hoped for.
As I lost myself in such thoughts, I found myself in front of the upperclassmen building for the first years.
I could have gone back to the dormitory, but I didn’t. Rudion would be inside.
But I couldn’t step inside either.
Professor Reina had told Rudion to come alone, so I had no excuse to intrude.
As I lingered nearby, I somehow made eye contact with Professor Reina, who had come outside.
She smiled mischievously as she approached, her face full of the intention to tease me again.
“Who is this? I only called for Rudion. Why is Seria here too?”
“…What about Rudion?”
Knowing that showing any sign of confusion would only lead to more teasing, I stood my ground confidently.
Professor Reina smirked and responded.
“Oh, right. That makes sense. He’s currently having a conversation with the dean.”
“Really?”
“It’s nothing to worry about, so don’t pay it any mind. If you’re worried, would you like to go listen in yourself?”
Professor Reina said this as she grabbed my hand and pulled me along.
Drawn by her, we reached the door of the research room, and I could hear voices from inside.
It sounded like two people were talking—one was definitely the dean, and the other was Rudion.
The conversation didn’t seem to be much different from what Professor Reina had mentioned earlier.
It was about whether he would handle things on his own or reveal the truth.
However, as the rumors had grown, the responsibility had increased, and if the truth wasn’t revealed now, he would likely face severe consequences.
So… I thought that, this time, Rudion would choose to reveal the truth…
“Let’s just go with the rumors being true.”
“No. You really don’t have to do that.”
“No. If I can handle it alone, let me do it.”
Once again, he chose to bear everything on his own.
My face flushed. I was happy, but at the same time, I felt strangely angry.
I had been selfishly fantasizing about revealing my connection to Rudion and showing off my closeness to the royal family, but he kept trying to protect me.
His inexplicable kindness made me feel small, and my chest ached.
Of course! I was happy that he cared about me. But still…
I didn’t want him to sacrifice himself for my sake.
Before I knew it, I had kicked the door open and stepped inside.
The moment I entered, I locked eyes with the man I had been thinking about all this time.
Rudion. A peculiar man with unknown abilities.
Someone who rarely reacted to anything, no matter what happened.
A fool who never seemed to calculate his actions.
A strange person whose thoughts I could rarely understand.
Someone who always seemed too lazy to care about anything, yet couldn’t refuse a request.
Someone who couldn’t even sense my feelings.
But… the one I liked.
The thought of him being labeled a ‘pervert trying to enter the girls’ dorm’… was something I absolutely wouldn’t allow.
Just imagining him being blamed for something that hadn’t even happened made me feel like I wanted to smash everything right then and there.
And… somehow, I felt that if his reputation dropped, he might distance himself from me for my sake…
“I won’t allow that. Not at all.”
I stepped forward more assertively than usual to stop that from happening.
I will solve this. If necessary, I’ll even use the name ‘Lubetia’ to make it happen.
And… it wouldn’t be bad to make sure he knows I’m claiming him as mine through this.
[Strong determination! Affection increased by 7!]
[Current Affection: 34/100]
I couldn’t help but feel excited seeing the increased affection. The number was higher than before, and my face, which had been cooling down, heated up again.
Seria’s blunt opinions had completely disrupted my decision.
After that, everything moved quickly.
The truth of the incident was already clear, so I didn’t need to dwell on that. What followed, however, was the swift discovery of the source of the rumors.
It was caught in about an hour or two. As expected, because it involved the princess, the handling was quick.
The rumor monger was apparently a male student from the intermediate class. His name was unknown, and since he seemed like just an extra, I didn’t feel the need to get involved.
I decided not to meddle with it. The academy would handle it well enough without my intervention.
“Really, Rudion is too soft-hearted.”
“Just let it go. He learned his lesson this time, so he’ll be more careful next time.”
“There’s no way someone would just let it slide when almost becoming a pervert because of rumors…”
“That’s true. But, well, it didn’t happen, did it?”
“That’s exactly why he’s too soft. If it were me, I would’ve told my father and started from there.”
Oh… so, the person who crossed her was now planning to ruin their life?
That’s a response that doesn’t match the ‘Absolute Good’ attitude. Of course, she probably didn’t intend for it to go that far.
The next morning.
It was just like any other school day, and students filled the classroom as usual.
Before the lecture started, the professors would spread the truth about the rumors, and everyone would know the truth soon.
But… something felt off.
“Seria. Aren’t you a bit too close?”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. You’re much closer than usual.”
Seria was definitely sticking much closer to me than normal. She was almost within arm’s reach, to the point that if I moved slightly, we’d touch.
It was to the point where… if I had been taking notes, I wouldn’t have been able to do so.
So I asked her outright…
“Well, I guess that’s the case.”
She shamelessly answered like that, showing no intention of creating any distance between us.
What’s going on with her all of a sudden?
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