Chapter 27
Lindsay Pale (twenty-six, single, and currently seeking a wonderful gentleman), a teacher at Serendia Academy, was rendered speechless.
She was a teacher of ballroom dancing. That said, nearly all the students at Serendia Academy were children of nobles.
Naturally, the students had already learned ballroom dancing by the time they enrolled, and although there were some who were less adept than others, not a single student had ever failed the class.
...Yes, until now.
Instructor Pale could only stare wide-eyed at the spectacle unfolding before her.
A pair of students was dancing right in front of her.
The boy was named Glenn Dudley. The girl was named Monica Norton.
Both had only just transferred into the second year of upper school.
"I feel like we're a little behind the tempo, so let's speed things up!"
"Nooooooo, stooooooop!"
The boy was stepping at twice the proper tempo, swinging around the girl, who possessed no sense of rhythm whatsoever. She was spinning round and round—or rather, gyrating wildly.
It was something that could hardly be called dancing. If one had to describe it, it was the sight of a large dog running wherever it pleased while its owner clung to the leash and was swung around. The boy was flinging, swinging, and dragging the girl all over the place.
But that did not mean the boy was the only one at fault.
The girl could not even manage the basics of dancing, and her steps were a complete mess. It was a miracle she had not fallen over.
When the music finally ended, Monica Norton, unable to withstand the momentum of the abrupt stop, went rolling spectacularly across the floor. After rolling over and over, she eventually struck the wall and began twitching.
Glenn rushed over to Monica, whose eyes were spinning, shook her shoulders vigorously, and shouted.
"Waaaaah, I'm sorryyyyy!! A-are you okay~!?"
"D-don't... shake... me... ...Ngh..."
Glenn let out a shriek when Monica showed the whites of her eyes and went limp.
"D-don't dieeeee!!"
Everyone present thought the same thing: You were the one who finished her off...
As she watched the farcical exchange, Instructor Pale addressed the two failures.
"...Glenn Dudley. Monica Norton. The two of you will take a retest one week from today."
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Monica was one of the top-class magicians in the Kingdom of Ridill, and one of the Seven Sages, who had been granted the right to meet with the king.
Two years ago, at the tender age of fifteen, she had become the youngest person ever chosen as one of the Seven Sages. She was the only living mage capable of using magic without incantations, and a genius girl known for developing numerous new magic formulas.
She had been secretly ordered to guard the kingdom's second prince, Felix Ark Ridill, and infiltrated Serendia Academy. Using her specialty—magic without incantations—she secretly protected the prince while enjoying a carefree and splendid academy life... or rather, she did no such thing.
Monica's talents lay strictly in magic and mathematics. In every other area, she was at the very bottom of the scale—a complete klutz.
One of the most glaring examples was her astonishing lack of athletic ability.
Getting out of breath after running just a short distance and tripping over nothing had long since become part of her daily routine.
For the two years since becoming one of the Seven Sages, she had spent almost all her time shut away in a mountain cabin, which had only further eroded her stamina.
...And that was how ballroom dancing class became a complete disaster.
The ballroom dancing class was held jointly by two classes, and the teacher generally assigned the partners. This was to pair students whose abilities were as close as possible.
The partner assigned to Monica was Glenn Dudley, from the neighboring class.
Apparently, Glenn had transferred in at around the same time as Monica. He was a boy with slightly unruly golden-brown hair and a friendly-looking smile.
Glenn was tall compared to other boys his age, and petite Monica had to crane her neck quite a bit to look up at his face.
Honestly, the difference in their heights seemed to make them poorly suited as dance partners. Even so, the teacher had probably paired them because they were both transfers whose dancing abilities were unknown.
"I'm Glenn! Nice to meet ya!"
Glenn said so with a friendly smile, but all Monica could do was fidget shyly with her head bowed.
Monica was extremely shy, to the point that she could not hold a proper conversation with someone she had just met—especially when that someone was a man.
Even so, Glenn did not seem offended. He took Monica by the hand and led her onto the dance floor.
He seemed so confident that Monica assumed he must be good at dancing... but.
The next moment, Glenn said with his friendly smile,
"I've never done ballroom dancing before, y'know. I'll just give it a try by copying what I see!"
Monica had barely thought, Surely this must be a joke, before Glenn began swinging her around.
And so, the two of them ended up being assigned a retest together.
＊ ＊ ＊
At this rate, failing the retest was a foregone conclusion.
So Monica and Glenn decided to reserve a room after school and practice dancing.
...That said, there was only so much that could be done with two beginners.
That was when Glenn said, "I brought a helper!" and dragged a certain person along.
"H-hello... good afternoon."
The person Glenn dragged in with a troubled expression was Neil Clay Maywood, another member of the student council like Monica.
"M-Maywood-sama...?"
Monica's eyes widened at the appearance of Neil, the student council's conscience, while Glenn looked back and forth between her and Neil in confusion.
"Huh? You two know each other?"
"Miss Norton is on the student council with me."
"Whaaaaaat!? Really!?"
Glenn leaned back dramatically and looked down at Monica.
Glenn was probably not a bad person, but his voice was so loud that Monica found him intimidating.
As she trembled nervously, Glenn nodded repeatedly, looking impressed.
"Monica, you're a transfer student like me, right? And you're on the student council? That's seriously amazing!"
"N-no... um..."
"Oh, sorry for calling you by your first name without asking! But I hate being formal, so I want you to call me Glenn, too!"
"Um... er..."
As Monica struggled to think of a reply, Neil gently interrupted with, "Now, now."
"Miss Norton seems troubled, so don't crowd her too much, okay~"
At Neil's words, Glenn fell silent at once, like an obedient dog.
Neil was a small, unremarkable boy, but he was well-liked by those around him. Glenn seemed to look up to him as well.
After confirming that Glenn had quieted down, Neil smiled at Monica reassuringly, his brows lowered sympathetically.
"Glenn is my classmate. He asked me to watch over your dance practice, so I've agreed to be your temporary instructor."
"S-sorry for... causing... you... trouble..."
"No, no, we're all here to help each other."
Neil smiled warmly as he said it, and an aura of pure goodness seemed to radiate from his entire body. No wonder people were so fond of him.
"Then let's start practicing!"
Glenn impatiently jumped in, like a dog that could not wait for permission, and Neil gave him a troubled look as he said, "Hmm..."
"It would be best to have music so we can simulate the actual performance, but... I need to watch the dancing. Is there anyone who can play the piano?"
A piano had been installed in the dance room for accompaniment. During the exam, the students danced along to the piano accompaniment.
But Monica did not know anyone who could play the piano... In fact, she barely knew anyone at the academy at all.
Monica bowed her head apologetically, unable to be of any help, when the door to the dance room flew open.
"I-if that's the case, it can't be helped! I can play the piano for you!"
The one speaking rapidly while twirling her flaxen hair around her finger was Monica's classmate, Lana Colette. Apparently, she had been eavesdropping just outside the door.
Glenn and Neil looked surprised as they glanced back and forth between Monica and Lana.
"Is she a friend of yours, Monica?"
"...Uh... yes..."
Monica reflexively nodded at Glenn's question, then turned pale.
Would Lana be bothered that someone like her had called her a friend?
As Monica imagined Lana looking displeased—or even merely frowning—and trembled, Lana strode toward her and tossed her hair back proudly.
"Th-that's right! I'm your friend, so I'll help you out. You'd better be grateful!"
Monica nervously raised her head and looked at Lana.
Lana did not look bothered in the slightest. If anything, she seemed to be struggling to suppress a smug grin.
"...Thank you very much."
Monica clutched her chest tightly through her uniform and offered her thanks in a tiny voice.
She felt as though, without holding her chest, her heart might leap right out of her from happiness.