Shattered Past (3)
"..."
"How is she, Michel? Is Aris all right?"
"For now, she's staying with Senia. She took it pretty hard, so apparently she won't even step outside..."
"Haah. What an absolute mess."
The Faction War was well underway, with instructors guiding and evaluating the local roadschool students. Even though the first week's assessment had concluded, they still had to prepare for the upcoming round—and now Aris, who was responsible for the school's most crowded classroom, had abruptly stepped down.
Between the Faction War participants, the roadschool students, and the evaluation auditors, everyone had been thrown into a panic.
"Is there really no other way?"
"By standard regulations, if Aris forfeits, we could hold an open recruitment for a replacement. But..."
"The problem is that this is Shirakh, so nobody would ever volunteer."
"...Precisely."
Michel agreed. If an academy student wanted to score well in the start-of-semester evaluation, Shirakh was the very last place anyone with half a brain would set foot.
"What if we distribute the students across the other classes by expanding their quotas a little?"
"We already floated that idea... but because this recent incident drew so much attention, the students outright refused."
"Refused? With their own grades on the line in the Faction War?"
"It seems they've become fixated on the idea that it has to be Aris, or no one at all."
Aris again. The upperclassman preparing for graduation grabbed the back of his neck, letting out a weary groan.
"...Wait a minute. In that case, doesn't that leave us with an even simpler solution?"
"Pardon?"
"If it's because of the incident, Aris wasn't the only one who stood out. There was someone else who fought right beside her."
"You mean... Junon?"
It wasn't just Aris who had reined in the students' reckless behavior. Junon's presence and role on that battlefield had been made crystal clear in the after-action reports.
"Let's put him in charge. It's the only option we have right now anyway, isn't it?"
"Wait, but he..."
As Michel began to object, the upperclassman pressed his palms together, pleading desperately.
"I know, I know! Aris has far better grades, and she has the prestige of Team Tembris, so of course there'll be pushback. But what else can we do? We don't have any alternatives, and some of those kids are aiming for re-enrollment at Revrant. They'll push back least against him. Come on, Michel... please? Can't we just make this work?"
"Michel... I'm afraid I have to agree with him on this."
"I'm in favor as well. Dumping them into another class would only cause friction, but they've already operated together. There'll be much less resistance."
"..."
Faced with unanimous consensus, Michel had no choice but to swallow her objections.
"Achoo!!"
Damn it. Who's gossiping about me now? It wasn't even cold out, so why the sudden sneezing fit?
"A-achoo!!"
Again? What was this? Two back-to-back rounds of slander?
"...Teacher? Did you catch a cold?"
"If you're sick, you can't possibly keep teaching! R-Right, Lana?"
"Totally! Ethan's totally right! Isn't he?!"
These little brats. Here I was, helping them study the theoretical written material long past hours, and they were already looking for an excuse to bolt just because of a couple sneezes. And whose fault was it that we were stuck doing this in the first place?
"Nice try, but don't think you can wriggle out of this so easily."
"That's because you don't know the meaning of moderation, Teacher!"
"Honestly, I don't think there's a single person in this room who wouldn't want to run away right now..."
The classroom that had once held only the two of them was now packed to the brim with students. It was all thanks to a swarm of kids who had suddenly insisted on attending today's lecture, waving their hands dismissively and claiming they didn't even need their attendance verification slips stamped.
"Urrrgh..."
Over there, a cluster of students groaned like a pack of zombies. That was precisely why this lecture had dragged on for so long.
Why did it have to be me of all people...?
I'd realized it before, but teaching was truly not my forte. Even with Lana and Ethan, I had to instruct them using entirely different methods, and there was still no guarantee it had actually helped them in any meaningful way. That was why, aside from those two who could somewhat endure it, I was running the rest through the wringer like this.
"If you can't even stomach this much, what makes you think you can learn anything? Just take your attendance slips and go."
"Wh-What?!"
"No way, we can do it! We can take it!!"
...Ugh, these stubborn bastards. Why were they clinging to me like this? By this point, any normal students would've gotten pissed off at my bad attitude and stormed out.
"Everyone can keep going, right?!"
"Hell yeah, of course we can!!"
I was going out of my mind. Still, this was technically my class, so I couldn't just throw them out by force.
Guess there's only one thing to do.
In situations like this, dumping the responsibility onto someone else was always the best course of action.
"Let me ask you something. What's your actual goal in attending my lectures?"
"Well, obviously, to cultivate the basic competencies of a student..."
"Competencies, my foot. You guys were the ones who said I'd be utterly useless and demanded attendance slips from day one, not to mention picking a brawl among yourselves the moment the midterm evaluation ended. What competencies?"
When I called them out on their blatant flattery, cold sweat broke out across their faces.
"We know we messed up by brawling after the midterm, and we were totally in the wrong for looking down on you at first! But please, just teach us!!"
"You could easily go to another classroom and ask them. Why does it have to be me?"
"Because we saw you with our own two eyes! That in itself is an official mark of quality!"
They puffed their chests, snorting hot air as they laid bare whatever ridiculous illusions they had built up about me. I'd anticipated as much. But they wouldn't be able to argue against this.
"You've got it wrong. Isn't there someone else with a far more definitive mark of quality?"
All I had done back there was throw a few concealed weapons and buy some time alongside the other vanguards. I'd even snapped at them for insubordination, and I certainly hadn't spoken with any warmth. I'd done that on purpose, after all. If they needed something more concrete to shatter their delusions, it came down to sheer combat performance.
"At most, all I did was coat my body in mana to deflect a few Stump attacks. But what about Aris?"
She was the one who detonated her lotus blossoms to execute the rescue. She was the one who gave proper tactical commands to the panicked students when they were cornered. And she was the one who personally finished off the Decurion-grade core.
"Even so, we still remember you fighting right there with her..."
"And what good does that do you? Frankly speaking, based on what you saw, what do you think you can possibly learn from me? You don't have the slightest intention of studying hand-to-hand combat, do you? If that's what you wanted, you'd be better off seeking out a professor who specializes in that field. Or looking up mercenary work—that'd be far easier."
"..."
A natural silence fell over the room. In that stillness, they were likely replaying the events of that day in their heads.
"You understand now, don't you? If it's magic you want to learn, go learn it from Aris. Sticking around here won't change anything for you."
I figured that would be enough to get through their thick skulls and send them packing. But contrary to my expectations, the students shook their heads vigorously in stubborn refusal.
Just as I was about to lecture them further, another guest arrived at the door.
"Um, Junon? Are you finished talking?"
"No. But we're done now."
"Then, could you... come with me for a moment?"
"Looks like duty calls. Lana, Ethan, don't slack off—get back to self-study. If you have extra time, try solving what I drew on the blackboard."
"Teaaacheeeer...!!"
Yes, yes. Work hard, kids. Not that I had any real hope they'd actually be able to solve it.
Wearing a bright smile, I slid the classroom door shut behind me.
"Is it another report?"
"Huh? No, no. This wasn't something handed to me directly, so..."
"I see."
Whenever Adele came looking for me like this, it almost always had to do with the Faction War, so I quietly followed behind her.
Curiously, where she led me was none other than the conference room. Through the doorway, a crimson ponytail caught my eye immediately.
Wait, Michel?
Not only Adele and Michel, but several other students were seated around the table as well. Strangely, every single one of them was from Revrant Academy—not a single Sirach Lord School student was in sight. In that case, much like when Adele informed us of the first week's evaluation, this was likely an official decree handed down from Revrant.
"Looks like there's an important announcement? Seeing everyone gathered here."
"Indeed. It's an exceptionally important one."
Hearing that it was exceptionally important, it seemed all participants in this Faction War were supposed to assemble. Though for that kind of meeting, there seemed to be rather few chairs.
"If we're waiting for the other students to arrive, we might need more chairs. Shall I bring a few more in?"
"No, there's no need for that."
"Excuse me...?"
"This is a matter that only needs to be delivered to you. Ahem."
Before I could ask anything else, they cut me off and firmly shut the door. Looking closely now, their movements weren't sharp or coordinated; rather, they were stiff and awkward, like rusted gears grinding together.
What is this? Did I do something wrong?
Feeling a creeping sense of unease, I glanced around the room. But... the atmosphere didn't feel like a standard conference at all.
"The decision has already been finalized. Junon, verify this."
With those words, a document packed dense with text was shoved toward me.
Due to the deteriorating physical condition of a designated Faction War participant, the transfer of instructional responsibility has been officially approved.
Assigned Instructor: Junon
I read the crowded lines of script aloud under my breath.
"Let's see here. Class Adjustment Roster... instructional duties to be transferred due to deteriorating condition of a designated Faction War participant...? Transferee is..."
Junon?
What the hell is this? Why is my name on here...?
Then, a thick stack of profiles belonging to well over thirty Sirach students was slammed down right before my eyes.
Don't tell me.
They want me to teach all of them?
I ripped my eyes away from the papers and looked up.
"Excuse me...? Why is everyone avoiding eye contact with me...?"
"Ahem, cough."
"No, seriously. You all know my academic standing. There's no reason to dump this on me, is there?"
Not a single soul answered. Every one of them was either sweating profusely or clearing their throats while pretending to inspect the ceiling.
...You're dumping this entire mess on me?
Why in the world would you do that?!
Naturally, today's lecture was called off right then and there, and I returned to my quarters. Having such a unilateral decree dropped on my head left me so thoroughly drained in mind and body that continuing was out of the question.
Yet as exhausted as I was, the moment I lay back on my bed and stared up at the ceiling, a strange discrepancy nagged at my mind, forcing me to sit back up at my desk.
"A single class at Sirach Lord School usually has about eight to twelve students. Class sizes are small, and classrooms are practically empty."
That was the administration's underhanded trick to squeeze out as many welfare subsidies and government grants as possible. Handing over more than thirty students at once wasn't just a single class—it was equivalent to at least three full classes combined.
Perplexed, I began flipping through the student profiles one by one.
"I knew it. Something felt off. Every single one of these belongs to her class."
When the document mentioned that a certain Faction War participant's condition had deteriorated, I had wondered what that was about—it turned out that participant was Aris. No wonder the students had reacted so strangely when I told them to go learn from her instead.
"...So she hasn't even shown up to teach since then."
If she was still unable to hold lectures up to this point, her students would inevitably have to be reassigned to someone else. And as luck would have it, with my provisional position as a student teaching intern, I was the easiest target to saddle with the burden.
"Aris... Come to think of it, she suddenly collapsed back then and seemed to shrink away from my touch."
It certainly hadn't looked like mana exhaustion. Whatever happened during the cleanup, Michel had taken charge of her, so I assumed everything had been sorted out...
To think she couldn't even bring herself to teach the very students she had rescued.
Knock, knock.
As I leaned back in my chair, trying to piece together the cause, a sudden knock broke the silence.
"Junon. It's Michel. Could we talk for a moment, if you don't mind?"
Michel?
Well, this didn't require any guesswork.
I immediately rose and opened the door.
"Um... about what happened..."
"It's about Aris, isn't it?"
"Huh?"
Seeing her flustered reaction, I knew I had hit the mark.
"The kids dumped on me earlier were all from Aris's class. I was wondering why on earth they pushed them onto me out of nowhere."
My head was already pounding enough as it was. The last thing I wanted was for things to get even more complicated.