Field Trip (1)
The crystal orb in Sherry's hand continued to vibrate. Soon after, she opened her mouth.
“I’ll just step out for a moment to take this call…”
“You can take it right here. It’s fine.”
At my words, she glanced around nervously before quietly nodding. Then Sherry channeled her mana into the crystal orb.
The next moment.
I heard the story, daughter.
A middle-aged voice, cold as ice, flowed from the crystal orb. The moment she heard it, Sherry shrank in on herself.
“Yes, Father.”
I never imagined in all my years that the day would come when my daughter would be disciplined.
Her head drooped even lower. She spoke quietly.
“I’m sorry, Father.”
Haa… You really only ever disappoint me. Not only did you fail to take first place, but now you’ve caused an accident during the practical evaluation…
“Haa. This is truly ridiculous.”
Before I knew it, my true feelings had slipped out.
……
“…….”
Sherry stared at me with wide eyes. She clearly hadn’t expected those words to come from my mouth.
Who was that just now?
“Ah, um… well, that is…”
Sherry spun her eyes around in complete panic. I took the crystal orb from her hand and spoke into it.
“Hello. My name is Baran, a friend of Miss Sherry.”
Oh? So you’re the blind archer who’s been making waves at the academy?
“I’m not sure about making waves, but I am indeed the blind archer.”
Hmm. Yes, I’ve heard plenty about you through rumors. They say despite being blind, you shoot a bow incredibly well?
The sudden compliment made me scratch my cheek. Gray had a tendency to treat skilled individuals with a certain level of respect, regardless of anything else. That was why he was showing goodwill even after I had interrupted him.
“Yes, well… I can shoot to some extent.”
How humble. So, what exactly did you find so ridiculous earlier?
His sharp voice carried a pressure that I could feel even though he wasn’t in front of me. I quietly glanced at Sherry. Her eyes were trembling violently; she was incredibly tense.
'Normally I would never step in…'
But I had decided to take a more active role now. And if my thoughts were correct, the system definitely wouldn’t stay silent.
'If Gray’s personality is set the way I designed it, he’s not truly trash.'
He had lost his wife to the demon race and was only pressuring his daughter like this to protect her. Of course, that didn’t change the fact that his current behavior was still garbage.
'Otherwise Sherry wouldn’t have gone back to speaking so formally.'
With that thought, I opened my mouth.
“I said that because I find your current behavior ridiculous.”
……
At those words, Sherry jumped in shock beside me. At the same time, Miroel nodded with a deeply satisfied smile.
Disciple. Well said. My heart feels so refreshed.
Hmm. Then tell me, why exactly do you find my behavior ridiculous? For the eldest daughter of the Patrick family, taking first place is only natural. No one has ever deviated from that. The same goes for me. Moreover, my daughter started from an entirely different point than everyone else.
“……”
She started from a different point and had every advantage. Yet she couldn’t even take first place? Isn’t it only natural to assume she simply didn’t put in the effort?
The way he emphasized the word 'blind' while questioning me… From other people’s perspectives, it was understandable to think that someone who couldn’t see would be at a disadvantage. So from Gray’s point of view, hearing that his daughter had fallen behind a blind person must have been deeply disappointing. After all, Sherry had started from a completely different position than anyone else.
But.
“Why are you so certain that Miss Sherry isn’t putting in effort?”
Hmm?
“If I had to pick the hardest-working student I’ve seen, I would name Miss Sherry without hesitation.”
Sherry’s pupils dilated dramatically. Ignoring her reaction, I continued.
“Every time I went to the training grounds, she was already there before me. And while others rested, she trained until she bled. How could I not find it ridiculous that the very person who should be acknowledging her efforts—her own father—is instead dismissing them?”
So… you claim she did put in the effort. Yet even with all that effort, she couldn’t even manage second place. She has now fallen to third, pushed down by both you and Luden.
Looking purely at grades, one might assume Sherry’s talent was inferior to that of previous Patrick family heads.
“Even if it hadn’t been Miss Sherry, the result would have been the same for anyone else.”
…Are you saying that not even I, nor any of the previous family heads during their student days, could have surpassed students like you and Luden?
“Yes.”
I answered without the slightest hesitation. Honestly, with my current level of growth after the last episode, I was confident I could defeat even Gray from his academy days.
Hahahahahaha!
Suddenly Gray burst into loud laughter, as if genuinely amused. Sherry looked shocked at his reaction. It seemed this kind of response from him was extremely rare.
Can you take responsibility for those words?
His laughter stopped abruptly, and his voice turned serious. I answered without hesitation.
“Yes. I can take responsibility.”
After the first semester ends, come visit with my daughter.
With those final words, he abruptly cut the connection.
At the same time—
Hidden Quest — Raised Favorability with Heroine Sherry's Father!
🎁 Reward: 1,000 Points
As expected, intervening with a supporting character triggered a quest reward from the system. This gave me a rough idea of how the system operated. It seemed the more deeply I involved myself in the game’s events, the greater the rewards became.
“Miss Sherry. I’ve taken care of… hmm?”
“Uh…”
For a moment, she stood there with her mouth open like she had lost her soul, staring blankly into space. The shock must have been immense for her to gaze into the void with such empty eyes.
“Miss Sherry?”
“I must be dreaming right now, right? Yeah, that has to be it. I’ve been having dreams where Baran appears every night lately.”
Miroel hugged me tightly and immediately tried to pull me away from Sherry. I did my best to ignore the soft sensation pressing against my back and spoke.
“Miss Sherry? Are you alright?”
“Y-yeah… It was a huge shock, but I’m fine. Since this is a dream, after all.”
“This isn’t a dream.”
“Huh? That can’t be. Dad told me to bring you home with me? How could this be reality? Ahahaha…”
“Hmm.”
This wasn’t working. It looked like I’d have to use shock therapy. I flicked Sherry on the forehead as she laughed awkwardly.
“Ouch!”
The next moment, she teared up while rubbing her swollen forehead. Then her eyes widened in shock.
“Huh? It’s not a dream?”
“Of course not. Anyway, I’ve taken care of it.”
“W-what? What do I do, Baran? My father must be furious!”
She shook my shoulders violently. I scratched my cheek and answered.
“He didn’t seem that angry. If he truly were, he wouldn’t have asked you to bring me along, would he?”
“Uh… um. Haa, I guess that’s true? It must be. It’s been so long since I’ve heard Father laugh like that.”
She seemed to be rationalizing it to herself, but she probably already knew. Gray wasn’t actually that upset. After all, he was the type of person who respected those with real skill.
“Yes, so you don’t need to worry. I will take full responsibility and prove that you worked hard, Miss Sherry.”
“……”
Her ears turned bright red. Even though I was the one who said it, the line felt a bit embarrassing. As an awkward atmosphere settled between us, she spoke in a shy voice.
“Thank you. If you ever need anything, call me anytime.”
With that, her face flushed crimson as she hurried away. Miroel, who had been watching us, spoke with a sullen expression.
A week passed, and the long-awaited field trip period finally arrived. Dale looked at the students and got straight to the point.
“As announced, today marks the start of the field trip period. Form pairs of two, then come to me and tell me where you plan to go.”
With those words, he left the classroom. Immediately, the students began scrambling to find partners. Naturally, most paired up with friends they were already close to. This led to several people approaching the same person.
'Well, not my problem.'
I was just about to stand up when—
“Baran, if you’re okay with it, would you pair with me…?”
“Baran. Do you have a partner yet?”
Luden and Sherry suddenly appeared before me and made their offers. Caught off guard, I couldn’t help but look slightly surprised.
Miroel hugged me from behind and glared at the two girls. Honestly, I had somewhat expected Sherry to ask since we had grown fairly close. But I never imagined Luden of all people would approach me.
'I decided to be bold, but…'
I couldn’t completely twist the original story either. I answered their questions with a kind smile.
“I’m sorry. I already have someone in mind.”
“Someone in mind?”
“Who?”
Both of them tilted their heads in confusion. I slowly turned my gaze.
And looked toward Lillia, who was quietly lost in thought. She gave me a puzzled look. I asked her directly.
“Miss Lillia. If it’s alright with you, would you like to be in the same group as me?”
At my question, she gave a seductive smile. It was the smile of someone who had just gained an unexpected prize.
“That sounds wonderful. I’ve been wanting to talk with you alone, Mr. Baran. This works out perfectly.”
As she spoke, she reached out and straightened my slightly crooked tie. The other girls who had been watching Lillia’s actions all wore terrifying smiles on their faces.