Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: 37-4. The Professors Are Moving Too Fast.
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Blackie and Whitey's relationship looked a lot like mine and Pine's.
"Woof! Pant pant."
"Awoo..."
To be precise, it was the complete opposite.
A black puppy chased after the white wolf across the field. The sight of the fluffy ball of fur darting around drew everyone's eyes.
"...So full of energy."
"Tell me about it. They take after their owners—in the wrong way."
Unlike me, who couldn't be honest with Pine, Blackie was aggressively forward.
If anything, the Pomeranian should be the one being protected by the wolf. But it kept clinging to her, licking her face nonstop.
Lately, Pine had been shaking up my feelings, but Whitey the wolf was the one running away.
A reversed food pyramid where the strong and weak had flipped.
"Whine... grr..."
"Woof! Woof!!"
Now Whitey even seemed scared of Blackie, tucking her tail and trembling. From my spirit's perspective, it was probably just an expression of wanting to get close.
"Licht. Your spirits are something else."
"Kainel...?"
Kainel approached, fresh scratches on his arms and face. Seeing Ariel fidgeting, it was probably her spirit's doing.
"What happened to those scratches...?"
"These? No big deal. Ariel's spirit did it."
The red cat purred contentedly in his arms. Was it reflecting Ariel's tsundere personality?
She'd attack fiercely, but quiet down the moment Kainel got serious. It fit her perfectly.
"This one... wonder who she takes after with that picky attitude."
I'd never seen the hero couple's spirits in the game. When I curiously reached out to pet her once, Ariel's spirit bared its claws. Yeah, she has an owner already. Got it.
"Sorry... Kai...! Hey! You! What was that for?!"
"Meow~."
The cat brushed off Ariel's scolding. Meanwhile, the yellow mutt growled at other students, as if guarding the hero couple.
'Spirits are born from emotions...'
I recalled Asha Aureus's words while watching the scene.
Ariel's spirit instantly dropped its aggression the moment Kainel held it. The mutt's behavior. And the dynamic between Whitey and Blackie—what did it all mean? I rubbed my chin in thought out of habit.
"What do we do... Licht... Whitey's trying to eat Blackie..."
Pine's teary voice yanked my arm, snapping me out of it.
In my line of sight, the white wolf looked like she was baring her jaws to chomp the black Pomeranian. But the truth was different.
"Ah, that's probably just a sign of not attacking."
Her teeth didn't touch the black Pomeranian's fur. I'd seen videos of Siberian Huskies expressing affection like this in real life.
Pretending to lightly bite the head or scruff was like a vow to suppress their ferocity and instincts toward someone precious.
"You're right... That's amazing..."
"First time I've seen it in person, too."
Her mouth hung open in surprise. The wolf and dog tumbled playfully across the grass.
If even a beast and a gentle lapdog could get along, maybe spirits were the crystallization of human emotions.
The other spirits were the same. Some students' spirits, radiating couple vibes, rubbed cheeks and flaunted their love.
'Leon's got mandarin ducks.'
Glancing around, the blonde paladin already had a harem forming. Even after I warned him during the grade exam, he hadn't kicked the habit.
I'd seen it in a wildlife documentary about animal love. Contrary to the stereotype of lifelong pairs, mandarin ducks were polygamous.
Most birds mate for life, but exceptions like that existed.
'Albatross...?'
Then a massive sky-blue bird swooped in, flapping its wings to scatter the other spirits. Peacocks, cows, and such cleared out.
That had to be the country girl and noble lady's spirits from before. I let out a dry chuckle at their blatantly obvious forms. Were they tied to their owners somehow?
Pine's Whitey blended fox and wolf traits, while Blackie leaned Pomeranian. It could be.
"You lot. Don't get all clingy with Leon."
"..."
The albatross's owner was Windy, the wind mage. Her matching blue hair whipped as she marched toward Leon.
"Thanks, Windy."
"Leon, why haven't you cleaned up your girl situation? You said you'd only look at me."
Looks like she'd claimed the principal wife spot. My advice to pick one must've worked.
Windy helped up the guy whose clothes were nearly shredded by the spirits, leaving him ragged. Even escaping the harem hadn't freed him.
"Well, I did tell them we were breaking up... but they wouldn't accept it..."
"Ugh, you flirt... seriously..."
That's what happens when you confess love to everyone. Everyone wants to keep their beloved from being stolen.
"They were still fighting over who gets to be your girlfriend instead of me..."
Someone who said they only loved you starts officially dating another girl and cuts ties? I'd be mad too.
Harems only work with a vertical hierarchy, not equality. Same reason for primary and secondary wives.
Huh, this feels familiar.
Didn't Pine say something similar, not wanting to lose me? Glancing at the glass knight beside me, our eyes met—she'd been staring.
"...What? Licht?"
"Just thinking about what you said earlier."
Her claim that we weren't lovers still stabbed like a dagger. How would she react if I asked?
We'd already bathed together up north, so no qualms there. Her spirit following me suggested she didn't hate it.
I used telepathy magic to keep Pine's identity secret. A private channel no one else could access.
[No way that'd happen.]
A cold reply arrived after a brief silence. She crossed her arms confidently.
Was she about to offer to be my girlfriend? Just imagining it was bad for my heart. Heart pounding, I probed further.
[Why not? Pine.]
[No decent girl would date a pervert dog who saw a princess naked...]
Ouch. A scratch on my heart. Dating me would come with burns from backlash, sure—but pervert?
I'd dared to hope a little. Crushed.
[There might be... one...]
[If there is, I'd tell her. That you're a pervert who saw the princess naked...]
Hearing it from Pine herself made my head droop to the ground. I felt like an ant wriggling on its back.
"Hic. Sniff..."
No more replies came. The white-haired girl in heavy armor started hiccuping inside her helmet. Chest tight, she thumped her breastplate.
I took a canteen from the professor and handed it over. Pine Granasia drank with her helmet on.
The onsen incident must've traumatized her bad.
I thought knowing her backstory made me an expert. But the real thing was even more incredible.
"...Spirits are most influenced by their summoner's emotions."
A hot tingle at my nose made me look up, and Maria continued her explanation. The wooden professor tapped the blackboard, sketching a tiny hamster.
"It's why spirit mages are the strongest—and have a fatal weakness."
Right beside it, she drew the hamster buffed into a musclebound beast, then frail and leaning on a cane.
"Right now, we're forcing them awake using Aureus family magic."
Maria's tone dipped regretfully. Spirit mages were rare even in the game.
Nex and the orca lady were exceptions. With the headmaster's ignorance gone, she'd be fine. Professor Dennis was handling it.
"Someday, I hope you all become honest with your feelings and handle spirits without resonance magic."
The pink-haired dryad gazed warmly at the spirits before her.
"We'll end class early today. Lots of students got spooked by the spirits!"
Maria clapped to dismiss them, and the spirits vanished in an instant.
"Blackie... disappeared..."
"We might see them again sometime."
Pine, still hiccuping, clung to my sleeve. Whatever happened to our hand-holding habit?
"...Licht."
"Yes? Mardol."
After several deep breaths, Pine finally spoke.
"If Blackie and Whitey had pups... would they be gray wolves?"
The question hit like a bomb. What? A black pup and white wolf could make gray, sure. But why say it staring at me?
It felt like a crushing sense of responsibility, as if she meant us. Maybe because of that egg-holding couple lately.
Cold sweat poured. My Love Meter with Pine hitting 100% sparked wild delusions like smoke in my brain.
Pine in a wedding dress from the beta tester mail. Calling me "honey." Boiling beef stew every morning...
Suddenly, grandkids and great-grandkids filled my head. No, stop. She meant the spirits.
"No, probably black..."
I shoved the vulgar fantasies aside and answered. Pine's hair turned white from stress anyway, so black fit.
The kid who told me about Manarose had black hair too. A flag-heavy event, but nostalgic somehow.
"That'd be super cute too, Licht."
"..."
She said it plainly, like a kid wishing to Santa.
What to do with this pure, love-naive wolf? Behind us, Ariel eavesdropped, covering her flushed face with her fingers.
"Eek!! Why are you two like this lately?!"
No one reacted to Ariel's yell. She must've cast soundproof magic knowing the gravity. Thanks, Blazing Flame Mage.