Chapter 94
“The top student of Class E.”
“Dad···.”
An abrupt morning-drama development.
And not just any part of it—it was barreling toward the climax, five minutes before everything went completely to hell.
Lua, her adorable eyes brimming with tears, and Rin, stubbornly clutching my sleeve.
The gazes of both girls poked at my cheeks.
The composition strangely reminded me of a mass-produced Chinese mobile game.
‘Trusting my daughter vs. trusting my mistress.’
A trash dad (not) caught between a daughter (not) and a mistress (not).
The students of Class E were watching with fascinated expressions.
A few of them were even tearing into bags of popcorn.
“······.”
I memorized the faces of everyone holding popcorn.
You'd better be prepared to die during training.
I forced back the sigh that was about to escape.
I broke the silence and set about sorting out the situation.
“Miss Lua.”
A hand reached out gently.
The first person I approached was the small, black-haired girl.
I quietly knelt on one knee in front of Lua.
Swoosh-.
Our eye levels were brought roughly even.
Her eyes were like a night sky, brimming with tears as she gazed up at me.
Since she looked ready to cry at any moment, I carefully stroked her cheek.
“Sniff, Dad···.”
Her voice was thick with tears.
My gently moving fingers wiped away the moisture around her eyes.
“Lua, you mustn't abandon me···.”
Anxiety showed in her trembling pupils.
Come to think of it, I'd heard that Ego Weapons formed incredibly strong attachments to their owners.
Lua in particular had only just begun developing her sense of self, so she must have desperately needed her owner's presence.
‘She's really anxious.’
Was this something like separation anxiety?
Seeing her react like this over and over made me feel bad for no reason.
I stroked her head several times, then spoke to reassure her.
“Miss Lua.”
“Mmm···.”
“Why would I ever abandon you? You're such an important person to me, Miss Lua.”
“I-Important···? Really? Sniff, I'm someone Dad needs?”
“Of course. I couldn't live without you.”
Naturally.
Without you, I'd lose 35% of my combat power.
I pulled Lua into my arms and lightly lifted her up.
The girl's tearful eyes widened.
“H-Huh···?”
“Good girl, aren't you? Our little Lua.”
It was a technique I'd often used back in my previous life while looking after my younger siblings.
After cuddling and cooing over her, her sobs stopped before I knew it.
Lua clung tightly to my chest.
When I lightly tickled her, she couldn't hold back her laughter.
“Eek! Dad, that tickles! Hehe···!”
Fortunately, she stopped crying in no time.
Lua clung tightly to me and rubbed her cheek against mine.
At times like this, I couldn't help but feel that cuteness was practically cheating.
Even though she was constantly clinging to me, I never found it bothersome at all.
“Ahem.”
Lua dangled from one of my arms.
Holding my daughter in my arms, I turned my gaze toward the supposed mistress (not).
“······.”
The girl silently stared at me.
Between strands of fallen blue hair, eyes like ice crystals gleamed.
Even while I was soothing Lua, Rin never let go of the sleeve she had grabbed.
“Um··· Lady Glacia?”
I think she'd said something strange too.
With a somewhat awkward feeling, I asked her a question.
“Could you repeat the proposal you made earlier?”
“I said I'd like it if you came to Class A.”
“Me, you're saying···?”
“Yes.”
A short answer.
She said it so simply that I found myself at a loss for words.
I could only scratch my head.
‘This is bewildering.’
Was this supposed to be a recruitment offer?
When I tilted my head, Rin added a few simple words.
“I want to be in the same class as you.”
“Hmm···?”
“I told you. I said I liked you.”
A plain statement.
Yet its content was anything but plain.
At a glance, it sounded almost like a confession.
The pupils of the students watching us all dilated at once.
They probably hadn't expected a sentence like that to come out of those taciturn lips.
‘What is this?’
Of course, I had no idea either.
What was wrong with her?
What had she eaten to make her act like this?
“······For starters, isn't it still a long time before class transfers are possible?”
“That's fine. If your grades are far above your class's level, you're given the right to transfer classes at your own discretion. Since you took first place in the grade on the midterm exam, that part isn't a problem. The strange thing is that someone with grades like yours belongs to Class E in the first place.”
“Hmm.”
Had she even researched the school regulations?
For some reason, she seemed quite serious about recruiting me.
To think the academy's top student (a loser from the previous era) wanted me this badly—it was a situation any man would find tempting.
I answered without hesitation.
“No, thank you.”
Why would I go there?
(I genuinely don't know.)
Was it because of that brazen answer?
Rin was left dumbfounded, as if flustered.
Her normally inorganic expression became somewhat vacant.
A few question marks floated above the girl's head.
“······Huh?”
“I'll have to decline. I'm satisfied being the top student of Class E.”
I had quests to complete, too.
I couldn't abandon these guys and move up.
Ding-!
[Sub Quest]
-Content : Raise every student in Class E to a level of ability at or above B rank.
-Quest Duration : Until graduation
-Penalty for Failure : None
-Reward : Character-exclusive item ‘Black Tuner's Scales (S-)’
[Progress:31%]
Throw away this progress?
Besides, this quest only appeared for the students of Class E.
Was Class A really special enough to go there even if it meant throwing away an S-rank item?
Lately, I'd even raised their loyalty to MAX, and they got along well with Lua. Wouldn't abandoning them be a considerable loss?
‘Besides, her saying she liked me surely didn't have any special meaning···.’
I narrowed my eyes and stared at Rin.
She had an atmosphere like a sculpture carved from ice.
There was no way this emotionless doll had said that for some romantic reason.
‘When she says she liked me, she means exactly that: she liked me.’
It was closer to saying that she'd become interested in me.
Not Like or Love, but interest.
She probably meant that she'd become interested in me after experiencing defeat during the practical exam.
I shrugged.
“It's not a very appealing offer.”
As expected, my answer was NO.
After hearing my answer, Rin stood there frozen and blank-faced.
Apparently, she hadn't considered the possibility of being rejected.
Well, what madman would refuse an offer to be raised to the top of the caste system?
“Why? Don't you want to be in Class A?”
“Not particularly. I'm more comfortable here.”
“Comfortable?”
“Yes.”
“Is that important enough for you to remain in Class E?”
“Let me ask you in return. Is Class A worth giving up all this comfort to go to?”
“Usually, wouldn't it be?”
“Not for me.”
“······.”
Put so bluntly, Rin once again lost her words.
The girl's gaze was strangely subdued.
Her pale-red lips murmured.
“······But.”
“Hmm?”
“I really wanted us to be in the same class.”
Her characteristically emotionless voice trailed off.
I couldn't read her expression very well, but an air of disappointment lingered around her.
She had done well to come here so confidently, but after being rejected, she looked as though she didn't know what to do.
‘What is this?’
Did she really want to recruit me that badly?
For someone who had always been the very embodiment of emotionlessness to react like this···.
‘Still, no means no.’
Why would I go down to Class A in the first place?
It would be a different matter if she came down to my class.
I tossed a joking remark at Rin, who stood there frozen and blank-faced.
“Then··· why don't you come to Class E instead, Lady Glacia?”
“Really? Is that okay?”
“What.”
Rin pressed close to me and asked again.
Unlike before, something was sparkling in her blue eyes.
“Can I enter Class E too?”
Her gloomy expression softened for a moment.
The girl looked filled with anticipation.
I couldn't help but be flustered by her sudden reaction.
“Pardon? No···.”
“It might be difficult right away. But yes, I'll find a way.”
“L-Lady Glacia? I was only joking···.”
“I'll come find you after the field trip.”
Swish-.
Without even listening to me, Rin turned around.
The girl left the classroom, her blue hair swaying.
Only a faint winter scent remained on my sleeve.
“······.”
This time, I was the one who had to stand there frozen and dumbfounded.
The girl had struck like lightning and vanished like a storm.
‘What is she really doing?’
I hadn't expected her to react that way to a joke.
She wasn't normally that kind of character.
What on earth had gotten into her for her to react like that?
While I was lost in thought, the Class E students who had been watching rushed over to me.
“Big brother!”
“Are you all right!”
The children surrounded me.
For some reason, a few of them even had tears welling in their eyes.
“Ugh, Big brother! We never dreamed you'd stay in Class E···!”
“We were worried you might go to Class A!”
“You even gave up Class A for our sake···.”
“Big brother! We'll work even harder from now on!”
“We'll make sure you never regret your choice today!”
They seemed touched that I hadn't abandoned them and had stayed in Class E.
The Shuttles wiped away tears amid the cheering.
Everyone was applauding.
Even so, my thoughts were entirely focused on Rin.
‘Fuck.’
Surely she isn't really coming, right?
I was joking.
Please tell me you were joking too.
***
A few days later.
After the eventful midterm exams, the day of the field trip finally arrived.
The first-year students had gathered at the tram stop early in the morning.
The students were each carrying a large piece of luggage.
They were preparing to set out on their journey.
When I turned my head slightly, the group members who would be accompanying me on this field trip were standing there as well.
“It's finally the day of the field trip! Personally, this will be my first time seeing the sea, so I'm looking forward to it!”
“I-I haven't seen it before either··· Have you, V-Victor?”
“Wait···! Why am I even in this group? You guys go have fun among yourselves!?”
Lanne, Alice, and Caitlyn.
The three of them stood side by side.
We were waiting for the tram to arrive.
‘The tram.’
A train that operated inside and outside the academy city.
In keeping with the setting, it was a means of transportation powered by magic rather than science.
We planned to take the tram to the port, then ride a cruise ship to our destination.
As everyone waited with eager eyes, the homeroom professor arrived last of all.
“Attention.”
Jaber stepped in front of the students.
Even on a field trip, she insisted on wearing her usual uniform.
She took a final headcount and gave everyone their instructions.
"Everyone, board the assigned carriages. We will depart immediately."
The students went to find their seats.
Sizzle-!
Before long, the long train announced its departure with a thunderous noise.
The tram's wheels left the academy's main gate and raced across the landscape.
Bright, sparkling eyes gazed out the windows.
‘Of course everyone would be excited.’
This hellish elite academy.
It was one of the few proper vacations they got amid their packed schedules.
I, too, savored my growing anticipation with a relaxed smile on my face.
‘Of course.’
I had a somewhat different purpose hidden away, however.
A blue screen appeared before my eyes.
Ding-!
[Main Quest]
-Title : Calamity from the Deep
-Content : Infiltrate the cultist branch hidden in the deep sea.
-Penalty for Failure : The end of coastal city ‘Geltin’
-Reward on Success : ???
[Time Limit:Before the field trip ends]
Ding-!
[■□ Quest]
-Title : About the Truth
-Content : Visit the ancient archive (書庫). Among its millions of books, find a book related to ■■■.
-Penalty for Failure : None
-Reward on Success : ■■■
[Time Limit:Before the field trip ends]
Two main quests had overlapped, no less.
And one of them was a quest related to the ■■■ I'd been pursuing so relentlessly.
‘Let's go.’
I leaned back against the seat and thought.
This time, I would finally learn the name beyond that status window.
===
I am Rin Glacia.