Drunk? Or Serious?
Staring at the unidentified man sprawled out in front of him, Abel clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Some kind of pervert, huh?"
Rummaging through the man's pockets, he indeed found hallucination drugs. He wasn't entirely sure of the details, but they seemed pretty potent. The guy even had a communication orb. It looked like he'd been planning to smash it not to receive a call, but to report the situation here. It was absurd.
At first, Abel had thought it was some kind of murder gas or poison mist. Among ability users, certain combinations worked terrifyingly well. Wind and poison abilities, in particular. If those two synced up just right, they could create a wind of death that was utterly gruesome.
But no, that wasn't it. The intruder had used hallucination drugs. That was the end of it. Sure, they were strong enough to strip away the locks of reason humans imposed on themselves and drag out the instincts caged within. But nothing more than that.
Still, the effect is no joke.
Peering through the open door, it was hard to tell if this was a normal masquerade ball or a precarious prank by people overcome with desire. At least Abel had subdued the suspect before more drugs could be added, opened the doors to vent the smoke outside, and stopped things at this level.
If it had gone further, there might not have been a single person walking on two legs, let alone anyone properly dressed.
"What in the world is this? Why does this keep happening at the academy?!"
Ludwig Rich, the principal who'd assumed everyone was enjoying the ball peacefully, came rushing over. Abel had half-expected it, but with yet another ridiculous incident in the academy, who could blame the man for being furious? He considered offering some consolation like, "That's just how academies are," but decided it wouldn't help.
"Student Abel! Is that man in front of you...?"
"Yes, Principal. That's him. The star of this ridiculous show. Fortunately, it doesn't seem like he had any accomplices."
If they'd really been planning something big—or if they were like the Ability Supremacists with massive backing—they wouldn't have pulled off something this half-baked. No way they'd mess around with cheap hallucination drugs like this. It was the kind of desperate last-ditch stunt people on the ropes pulled. Utterly irrational from a logical standpoint, but emotionally understandable.
And when you factored in that this was the academy, even if the plausibility shattered, you found yourself nodding along like, Yeah, that could happen here.
Thwack!
"I'm truly grateful. If what was happening inside had leaked out, the academy would have been done for."
The principal clapped Abel on the shoulder, conveying his sincere thanks. Compared to the Ability Supremacists' attacks, this felt almost cute—maybe even endearingly so. But the principal couldn't know how badly this might tarnish the Empire's reputation or drive them mad with rage.
In the worst case, it could derail the peace efforts overnight, plunging the Continental Academy back into debates over its very existence, forcing endless justifications.
"More importantly, Student Abel... the girl you're holding."
"Ah. She was my dance partner, but things got urgent, so I ended up carrying her out."
"The medical staff is heading that way, so hand her off to them. Once again, you did great work—thank you. Once this is sorted, I'll repay you as principal... and as a senior."
"I'll hold you to that. Oh, Principal—take this guy with you."
"Of course!"
A pyrokinetic who had arrived with the principal lifted the suspect into the air. Dangling limply as he was dragged away, the man almost looked pitiful.
Once the principal and staff were gone, the next to appear was Lumine Rothschild, rushing from the third-year ballroom.
"What the—?! I worked so hard to prepare this! Why does this always happen?!"
Tell me about it, sis. The academy's not a place of learning—it's a crime scene generator!
Judging by Lumine's reaction, at least the third-year ball hadn't been hit. It seemed the plan was to dose everyone starting with the first-years.
"Bell! You okay?"
"I'm fine, sis. The other students... not so much."
"Still, get checked just in case. Got it? You have to!"
With that, Lumine hurried off toward the first-year ballroom. There were so many in need of help; she clearly wanted to lend a hand wherever she could.
"Hm."
Suddenly, Abel was alone. The other first-years were all staggering around inside the ballroom.
Oh. Wait, not alone. There was Seria Frijian, wriggling in his arms.
"Student! Are you all right?! Any injuries?"
"Is the girl you're holding hurt? Give her here! We'll take a look, and you should get checked and treated too..."
No rush. He wasn't hurt at all. But Seria needed looking after.
Abel opened his mouth to say as much, but the one who blocked him was Seria herself, nestled right there in his arms.
More precisely, she suddenly snapped her eyes open, kicked out of his hold, and...
"Eek!"
"Ugh!"
In the blink of an eye, she snuck behind the medical staff and knocked them out cold with a single strike. That was Seria for you.
"Seria?"
It was so fast and precise that even Abel, watching, was stunned. He'd trained with her plenty, but had she ever moved this swiftly before?
Meanwhile, Seria dragged the unconscious staff off to the side and neatly arranged them. Then she turned to Abel, flashed a soft smile, and said,
"Now... no more interrupters, right...? No one's coming to treat me, so I guess I can't get treated...?"
"..."
"Abel... my body's all languid. I wanna go lie down. Could you take me to my room...?"
She snuggled back into his arms, her lips brushing his neck teasingly. A rich, floral scent bloomed from right below, like flowers in full splendor.
For a moment, Abel seriously wondered if the hallucination drugs were finally hitting him too, belatedly.
He tried to refuse. But looking at Seria now, she didn't seem like she'd take no for an answer. Better to just agree, take her back obediently, and deal with it tomorrow.
No—I'm sure of it.
"Hurry, Abel. Take me to my room. I'm so dizzy..."
Dizzy, yet her words came out just fine. Physically, she seemed unscathed. Like someone who'd had a bit too much to drink.
Let her rest it off, and she'd recover. If not, he could always carry her straight to the infirmary like this.
Besides, judging by her movements earlier, shaking her off would be no easy feat. Who'd have thought? Under hallucination drugs, her physical prowess actually improved.
The protagonist's different, no matter what.
Abel found himself admiring this wonderful genre once more.
The girls' dorm wasn't far. With the masquerade emptying the place, it was like a ghost town.
Entering what was essentially a no-man's-land for guys, Abel planned to escort her only to her door. If anyone saw him, it'd be the most unjust misunderstanding ever.
"Wanna come in?"
"..."
"Kidding."
Seria smirked, opening the door. Then, halfway in, she turned back.
"You could come in, you know."
Abel seriously debated picking her back up and heading to the infirmary.
The Seria he knew would never say something like that. Just how insane were these drugs? Maybe he should track down that bastard and beat answers out of him.
"Don't you like me?"
"If you keep asking things I can't tell are jokes or not, it's hard to know what to say, Seria."
"What if it's a joke?"
"I like you fine."
"...And if it's serious?"
"Same answer."
He didn't dislike her. That was Abel's honest response.
But to Seria, it must have sounded different.
"Why do you keep dodging...? Why do you keep pulling away...?"
"Because that spot might not be mine."
"That's for me to decide, not you. But you talk like it's up to someone else."
Seria stepped right up to him, tilting her head to meet his gaze. Back then, she'd have been the first to look away. But not this time. Was it the drugs turning her bold? Or using them as courage for something deeper?
No one could say.
"I awakened my ability because of you, Lord Abel. And... it's because of you."
"..."
"You said I'd become a shining star someday. So I wanted to be a star. Among all the stars you see, I wanted to be the brightest."
"Seria. Let's save the rest for tomorrow..."
This was definitely a route to tomorrow's regrets. Spilling her heart under the drug's influence? For her mental health, better cut it off here and talk later.
That was Abel's thinking, anyway. But not Seria's.
"Wh-why can't you man up for once?! You're all manly otherwise!"
"What're you even— Seria? What do you think you're doing?!"
"N-normally, don't guys pounce in situations like this?! The young ladies said so. They said if luck brings this chance, it always ends up in bed!!"
"What kinda nonsense did Irshu and Tarshu fill your head with?!"
Pounce? Bed? The dangerous words left Abel even more flustered.
But Seria was focused elsewhere.
"What? Wait—now you're calling me by name, all casual?! It's not just me?!"
"Urk."
"Seriously! You're telling me to stop here? No more!"
She first tried ripping his shirt open. When that failed, she went for her own dress.
Good lord. He'd momentarily forgotten, with her pretty pink hair and delicate, flower-like grace. But the power she held was a raging inferno.
Once it ignited, flames had to consume something.
"Tonight, let's make a proper promise..."
Fortunately, her durability hadn't improved. A quick hand strike, and Seria went limp.
Holding her in his arms, Abel flashed a slightly awkward, almost regretful smile.
"Sorry, Seria."
No matter how much she initiated, laying a hand on someone not in their right mind was a crime.
That was a line Abel would never cross.