Chapter 16: Late 2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 16: Late 2
"Everyone, sheathe your swords."
At Johanna’s low command, every member of the Disciplinary Committee put their weapons away. It was a group officially known as the Disciplinary Committee, but it might as well have been called the Johanna Fan Club.
Even with their swords back in their scabbards, the students continued to glare at me. Ignoring their piercing gazes as best I could, I ran toward Johanna.
"Waaaah! Senior Johanna! I was so scared!"
I feigned tears, rubbing the eyes of my mask with both hands. Of course, my tone and pitch didn't sound like I was crying at all.
"Liar."
"Gasp! How could you say that? Look here. Can't you see the cold sweat from how startled I was?"
Johanna stared at my face with her characteristic blank expression. Am I really that handsome?
"I can't see because of the mask. Take it off."
Ah, so it wasn't because I was handsome; she just couldn't see the sweat through the mask.
"Ahem. Unfortunately, the wind has already dried it away, so I don't think I can show you."
The more I talked with Johanna, the more intense the glares from the Disciplinary Committee became. Well, since the committee was composed entirely of girls, it was understandable that they’d look so passionately at someone as handsome as me.
I leaned in close to Johanna and whispered in her ear.
"The seniors are looking at me quite intensely. I wonder why?"
Hearing this, Johanna turned her head toward the committee members.
Immediately, the students who had been glaring at me with murderous intent shifted their gazes, chatting among themselves with innocent expressions as if nothing had happened.
"What was for lunch today again?"
"The weather sure is nice today."
It was an awkwardly obvious display, but Johanna didn't seem to notice as she turned back to blink at me.
"It doesn't really seem that way to me."
The moment Johanna turned away, the students' glares grew even more heated than before. Their eyes clearly screamed at me not to say another word to her.
"Eek! You're right! I must have seen wrong!"
Pretending to be frightened by their gaze, I ducked behind Johanna’s back, grabbing her shoulders and trembling.
At that, one student—who looked ready to kill me with her eyes alone—actually reached for her sword, seemingly intent on finishing the job for real.
"Is something wrong?" Johanna asked, sounding completely oblivious.
Seeing as she didn't realize they were about to draw their swords, it seemed they weren't actually planning to cut me down.
'Wait, maybe they are?'
Looking closer, I saw the other students working together to hold back the one who was trying to draw her blade.
Deciding I’d teased them enough, I let go of Johanna’s shoulders and spoke to her.
"By the way, Senior Johanna, do you usually do dress code inspections at the Academy entrance?"
As far as I knew, Johanna had never done a dress code inspection. Usually, that task was left to the youngest members of the Disciplinary Committee. It wasn't exactly a hazing ritual; it was just that while the juniors handled the relatively easy task of inspections, the rest of the committee would spend that time patrolling inside or outside the Academy.
However, among the students standing at the entrance right now, there were some strong enough to have been mentioned in Croaka.
Of course, I knew why they were here. It was likely because Johanna had come out. But then, why did Johanna come out?
"I don't usually."
I was the one who asked the question, but for some reason, the committee members seemed even more anxious for the answer.
"I waited to see you this time, too."
When Johanna said "this time, too," the students began to whisper among themselves.
"Don't tell me he made Lady Johanna wait last time, too?"
"Based on the conversation, it sounds like it."
"How dare he make Lady Johanna wait!"
The reason Johanna said "this time, too" was because she had waited for me on the day of the entrance exam as well. The committee members seemed to have misunderstood, thinking I had set an appointment and then shown up late. I didn't bother explaining, though, thinking it would be more fun to let the misunderstanding linger.
"Come to think of it, wasn't Lady Johanna acting all dejected after she went out for a bit on the day of the entrance ceremony?"
"You're right. Was it because of that guy back then, too?"
The reason Johanna had been dejected was probably that I had flatly rejected her offer to join the Disciplinary Committee.
Wait. Then this really is my fault.
Before the committee members could seriously consider murdering me, I asked Johanna another question.
"You waited to see me? Did you have something to say?"
Could it be?
"Gasp! Don't tell me you finally came to see my handsome face?"
"That's not it," Johanna replied with a deadpan expression, just like last time.
Tch.
"I have something important to tell you."
The committee members grew rowdy at her words.
"Oh my, oh my! Something important? Could it be...?"
"Lady Johanna, with a man like that! Well, as long as Lady Johanna is happy..."
I wanted to hear this "important thing" she had to say, but...
"Senior, I'm actually short on time right now. Can I hear it later?"
If I stayed any longer, I’d be late for class. That Devil Instructor is the professor for the Special Class; there’s no telling what would happen to me if I showed up late.
At my words, Johanna’s head slumped in dejection. As she grew sullen, the glares from the Disciplinary Committee turned downright savage.
"It's a bit much to talk right now, so how about we grab lunch together later?"
"Okay."
Having lunch with Johanna meant I could hear what she had to say, and it also fulfilled my 23rd wish: having a meal with Johanna.
"Well then, I'll be going now."
"Wait."
I stopped in my tracks at Johanna’s voice just as I was about to head to class.
"Yes? Is there a problem?"
"You're late. Take your demerit point before you go."
Tch. And here I thought I’d made a natural escape.
One of the committee members approached me with a pen and paper. I guess that’s where they record the students receiving demerits.
"What's your name?"
As I was about to answer, I noticed the other students leaning in to listen. Are they planning to memorize my name and jump me as a group? Nah, surely not.
"It's Loki! Being late is one demerit point, right?"
"That's right. You're more surprising than I thought. I figured someone bold enough to try and sneak past the Disciplinary Committee would try to use his connection with Lady Johanna to dodge the penalty."
"I might have the guts to try and sneak past the seniors, but I'm not shameless enough to use my connections to get out of trouble."
The student writing down my name ignored my comment. Just as I was finally about to leave...
"Senior, he's wearing a mask. Isn't there a separate penalty for that?"
Everyone froze at the student's remark. Including me, of course.
"You're right. But is a mask a dress code violation?"
"Well... it's certainly not normal, is it?"
"If masks are banned, wouldn't necklaces and bracelets be banned too?"
"Can a mask be considered an accessory?"
As the committee members put their heads together to deliberate, one of them approached me.
"You, are you wearing your uniform properly?"
"Of course! My uniform is perfectly in order."
I spun around on the spot to show them that my uniform was indeed correct. The student who had questioned me walked back to the others.
"What should we do? His uniform is fine."
It seemed they were hoping to give me a demerit for a messy uniform and leave it at that. But since my uniform was fine, they now had to officially decide if the mask constituted a dress code violation.
"Just let him go."
In the midst of their deliberation, Johanna spoke up.
"If there's a problem, I'll take responsibility."
The committee members looked flustered when Johanna said she’d take responsibility. After all, they wouldn't want her to suffer any consequences. And in that situation, I spoke up without a hint of tact.
"Senior Johanna is going to take responsibility for me?"
The committee members looked like they wanted to kill me for my joke. Terrified by their gaze, I practically bolted from the scene. Of course, there was no way Johanna would actually have to take responsibility for my mask.
"Senior Johanna, I'll see you at lunch then!"
"Okay."
* * *
Johanna watched Loki’s retreating figure as he walked away with a light, bouncy step.
She recalled the moment he had spoken to the committee members and naturally tried to pass them. If he hadn't greeted them and commented on how hard they were working, not a single member of the Disciplinary Committee would have realized he had passed by.
If Loki had used his Innate Magic to erase his presence on top of that, perhaps even she might not have noticed.
But the surprises didn't end there. The movement he showed when the committee member's hand was about to touch his shoulder was shocking.
'He's gotten faster than last time.'
He was incomparably faster than he had been on the day of the entrance exam. How could someone grow that much stronger through training in such a short amount of time?
Deciding she would have to ask him about that during lunch as well, Johanna began to walk. Since she was heading in the opposite direction of the Disciplinary Committee room, one of the students called out to her.
"Oh? Lady Johanna, where are you going? The committee room is that way."
Johanna gave a short reply as she continued walking.
"To the Student Council Room."
Johanna was heading there to create a school rule that officially recognized masks as accessories.
* * *
Meanwhile, Loki, the object of Johanna’s concern...
"So, the reason you earned a demerit point on the very first day is simply because you overslept?"
"Well, to put it simply, yes?"
He was currently kneeling with his hands raised, being scolded by Professor Elicia.