Actions Over Words
“…If you truly don’t remember, Breeder, then I have a way to find out for myself.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”
Sofia stepped back after leaving those meaningful words behind, casting a faintly bitter glance his way. Even after sharing that deep kiss at dawn, she still seemed intent on hiding her identity on purpose. A trace of disappointment flickered across her face.
—Sparkle…!
Yet her eyes shone even brighter. Though the corners of her eyes had drooped slightly with disappointment, Sofia’s golden irises held unwavering resolve.
‘There’s still a way. If it’s that method, then surely…’
Her gaze locked onto Breeder’s chest—specifically the spot that bulged slightly near his solar plexus. It was a completely different look from when their eyes had met moments ago. That gaze seemed to point straight at the key that could unlock Breeder’s past.
“That method is—”
“Hohwawa—?! Senior, don’t tell me you’re planning to use the Light Pioneer?”
“L-Light Pioneer…? What’s that—?!”
Just as Sofia was about to explain, Raylin’s signature exclamation cut in. Sofia paused, looking slightly startled.
“Ah, I forgot you two were here… What was I thinking?”
It made sense—Sofia had been so absorbed in the thought of glimpsing Breeder’s past that she had momentarily forgotten Raylin and Derke were still present. Realizing this, she quickly closed her mouth again, even though she had looked ready to launch into a full explanation. In short, she had nearly made a slip of the tongue.
“Derke? You still don’t know anything, do you? You at least know that Senior Sofia comes from the Dawn Clan, right?”
Raylin kindly explained to the clueless Derke.
“I’ve heard a bit about that—! But I’ve never heard of the Light Pioneer before…!”
“I thought so. The Light Pioneer is a divine power passed down through the Dawn Clan for generations.”
“A divine power…?!”
Raylin took over the explanation in Sofia’s place. Sofia deliberately stayed quiet, wearing an expression that said this was actually for the best. She turned her head once more and stared intently at Breeder’s chest.
—Lick…♡
While Raylin spoke, Sofia secretly licked her lips, lost in her own thoughts.
“…I’ve heard that the Dawn Clan can occasionally peer into the future and the past using the authority of the Primordial Dragon.”
“I-Is that true—?!”
“Of course~?! Back in the day, they even used that power to predict training cancellation dates and special menu items that wouldn’t come out until much later!”
Raylin praised her senior by listing achievements that were hardly impressive at all.
“Wow…?! That’s amazing—!!!”
Derke reacted with genuine awe.
“Ahaha…? R-Raylin? I don’t think you need to go into that much unnecessary detail……”
Sofia waved her hands frantically, clearly embarrassed by Raylin’s explanation. The predatory glint and lip-licking from moments ago had vanished without a trace. She was simply mortified by the memory of wasting her clan’s power on trivial matters in the past.
“Ah, was my explanation too detailed? I’m sorry!”
“Ahem…! No need to apologize. Still, I did use the Light Pioneer meaningfully for the first time just today.”
“Really?! Is that true?”
“Yes. And with my current strength, I can only use it once a day.”
Sofia stopped Raylin’s rambling and added her own explanation. After all, she hadn’t been planning to use the Light Pioneer on Breeder right now. Her true intention was to glimpse his past through an entirely different method—one that wasn’t a unique clan ability like Light Purification or Light Pioneer.
“Hohwaa? Only once a day…… Senior? Then you weren’t actually going to use the Light Pioneer just now?”
“W-Well, I was planning to use it. I simply forgot for a moment that my divine power only allows one use per day.”
Sofia lied, forcing an awkward smile. That “other method” was something she could never reveal in front of Derke and Raylin.
“…Even if I tried using the Light Pioneer again, I might just see the same scene I witnessed during the day.”
“Aaaah……”
“Anyway, thanks to you, I remembered. Thank you, Raylin.”
“So that’s what it was! Well, it’s not like you use it unless it’s something important. It’s understandable that you’d forget.”
“Pii… How disappointing. I wanted to see Senior’s cool side……”
“Y-Yes. It would be better to save the details for later.”
Thanks to Raylin’s overeager interruption, Sofia managed to steer the situation back on track. She had her own reasons for deflecting in front of the others—because the method she had in mind required physical contact with Breeder.
‘If I had used this method now, I would’ve lost all trust from my juniors. I really need to send them away first and investigate afterward.’
Sofia let out a sigh of relief, inwardly dreaming of the perfect crime. For that, she needed no witnesses.
“Ahem…! In any case, I’ll look into the other ancestors I saw during the day at the archives. They might hold the key to uncovering Breeder’s identity. I’m sorry for pushing you so suddenly earlier, Breeder.”
“Phew, it’s fine. I’m just glad the misunderstanding has been cleared up.”
Breeder answered with a sigh of his own, feeling equally relieved. He had been wondering how to get through this crisis, but Raylin’s timely intervention had saved the day.
“That’s all I wanted to tell you all. If I ever learn Breeder’s true identity later, I’ll make sure to share it with everyone. After all, we all share a special bond with him.”
“Understood, Senior.”
“Got it—!”
“Good. Let’s all return to our original positions.”
Sofia created a closing atmosphere and looked toward Raylin.
“Raylin? Take Derke and go ahead first.”
She wanted to wrap things up quickly. Most importantly, she needed to get the two of them out of the way. For the secret act Sofia was planning, she needed time alone with Breeder.
“Um, Lady Sofia? Isn’t the tea party basically over now? The beastkin who came to promote the meal seem to have all left already.”
Breeder asked as Sofia told everyone to leave, pointing at the now-empty outdoor kitchen tent.
“Ah, I forgot to mention it to you, Breeder. The tea party ended earlier, but the new student welcome party is still ongoing.”
“So it’s because of the welcome party? Then when does that end?”
“It’ll probably go on until late, past dawn.”
“Huh…? Then what about the roll call?”
“Ah, I should’ve told you this earlier too…! Breeder? On weekends when the faculty and professors are absent, roll calls are meaningless.”
“What?”
It was true. Weekends at the academy meant freedom from the school rules. Of course, there was still an on-duty professor, but even they didn’t bother enforcing the rules properly. After all, they were dragons who hated boredom more than anyone. Most professors simply passed their on-duty shifts to their familiars so they could enjoy their own leisure time. Thanks to this, weekends at the academy were quite free for the students as well. No matter how many staff members were on duty, no one could really scold the dragons. This was also why the academy’s long-standing tradition of the new student welcome party could continue all night long.
“Senior Sofia~? We’ll be heading back now.”
While Sofia was explaining to Breeder, Raylin grabbed Derke’s hand and reported in, saying they would return to the welcome party.
“Yes. Go on ahead. And Raylin, make sure to look after Derke properly.”
“Of course, Senior. Don’t worry. I’m the number one in our hierarchy, after all—?!”
With a hearty voice, Raylin flashed her shark-like teeth in a grin. She patted Derke’s small shoulders with cheerful thumps.
“……”
But Derke’s face was quite serious. The usually cheerful child had gone quiet. It seemed something was bothering her.
“But… why aren’t you coming with us, Senior Sofia—?”
The perceptive Derke raised the question. It was a natural concern—if she and Raylin left now, it would be obvious that only Sofia and Breeder would remain.
“Ah, I think I need to explain the weekend schedule to Breeder, so I’ll return a little later. Besides, Breeder looked like he had something he wanted to say to me since this morning……. Right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s correct.”
It was true. Breeder had been wanting to confess since morning that he was ready to accept Sofia’s Dragon Heart through the Pact of Love.
“Now then, Derke? Let’s head back.”
“Ugh, b-but—!”
“Look at you? If you go back too late, the second-years might get a bad impression of you~? Of course I’ll cover for you, but even I can’t do anything about a bad image.”
“Tch! Fine…! But you have to come back soon—!”
Derke reluctantly turned around after threatening a fourth-year senior despite being a first-year. With that, she finally began walking away.
“Hehe, she’s always such a bold little one. And she doesn’t even mind when it’s about you, Senior……”
“Don’t take it to heart. I’m sure Derke didn’t mean anything bad by it.”
“Oh? Are you worried about Derke right now? How enviable……. Well, it doesn’t matter. Now we’re finally alone.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
*
After Derke and Raylin returned to the new student welcome party, I was left alone with Sofia. In a secluded corner behind the temple.
“……”
I stood facing Sofia in this dim, secluded spot for a long while. Sofia hadn’t spoken since earlier. She had dragged me here and simply kept staring at my chest.
“Um… Lady Sofia? What exactly did you want to talk to me about?”
“……”
—Step, step…!
Only after I spoke first did she finally move. Sofia approached me with light footsteps, still wearing that intense gaze that had been fixed on my chest all this time.
“Shh. What I want to do with you…… was actually something better shown through action than words.”
“Miss……?”
“So please stay quiet, won’t you? This is something no one should see or overhear. Just stay still.”
“……!”
Before I knew it, Sofia had brought her face close to mine and whispered softly into my ear. She was asking me not to resist and to stay still for what she was about to do. Her sticky voice made it impossible for my body to resist.