The True Purpose of the Visit
—Thud, thud, thud! A knock echoed from outside the lounge. It was a heavy, forceful rap, as if someone were pounding with their fist, demanding I hurry up and open the door. On my day off, no less. The sheer audacity of it left me flustered. Did they already know I was inside?
“The door’s unlocked, just come in…”
Who on earth could be visiting? One of the girls who forgot today was a holiday? Or perhaps Johnson, here for some extra repair work?
—Bang, bang, bang…!!!
“…Yes, I’m coming!”
Whoever it was, I had to go out and check. At this rate, they’d end up demolishing the brand-new building. Besides, what could possibly go wrong on a day off? I’d just send them on their way quickly.
—Click! Creaaak…!
The moment I opened the door, a tall shadow loomed over me, blotting out the light.
“What’s taking you so long to open up?”
“Hrk…?”
A cold, sharp voice cut through the air. The stiff, commanding tone made me freeze on the spot. The atmosphere grew suffocating in an instant. It was a voice I recognized, though not one I particularly wanted to hear.
“Hmph. You can’t even greet me properly and now you’re just standing there gawking? How rude, Breeder.”
At the same time, I felt the weight of an icy glare. Simply meeting her eyes made it hard to breathe. Standing before me was a woman with golden hair neatly coiled at the back of her head. Her attire was immaculate, every fold and crease perfectly in place, as though she refused to tolerate even the slightest disorder.
“Ah, good afternoon, Vice Principal. What brings you here on a day off…?”
Of course. The person knocking had been none other than Benetric, the vice principal. She wore her usual frosty expression, made even sharper today by the addition of thin gold-rimmed glasses.
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
“Pardon?”
“I heard the lounge was completed over the weekend, so I came to inspect it. Yet the dwarves are nowhere to be seen, and instead I find you here. Why is that?”
“I just happened to pass by and decided to stop in. I didn’t even realize it was finished until a moment ago.”
“Is that so? Well, it works out nicely. I didn’t expect to run into you like this.”
“Were you looking for me, ma’am?”
“Details can wait. Let’s go inside first. How long do you intend to keep me standing out here?”
“Ah, of course. Please, come in.”
—Tap, tap, tap…!
The sharp click of her high heels echoed across the floor. Benetric’s golden eyes flicked toward me. Unlike Sofia’s gentle gaze, her bright yellow irises held a trace of suspicion.
“Hmm. The dwarves’ craftsmanship never fails to impress. To complete something this flawless in such a short time…”
She turned her attention to the interior of the lounge, letting out a genuine murmur of admiration as she made a slow circuit. Though she was known for being notoriously strict, she wasn’t stingy with praise when it was truly deserved. I’d seen it myself when she tasted my desserts—she possessed a discerning eye for skill. Of course, her standards were extraordinarily high and deeply subjective… After all, it took mint-chocolate and Hawaiian pizza for her to acknowledge my abilities.
“It’s far more to my liking than I anticipated. Wouldn’t you agree, Breeder?”
“I think so as well. I’m grateful for your support, Vice Principal.”
“Hohoho. As you should be.”
I followed behind her, offering half-hearted replies while silently praying she’d finish her business and leave soon.
—Screech…!
But Benetric showed no sign of departing. After a cursory inspection, she abruptly pulled out a chair by the window and sat down.
“Hey, Breeder?”
“Yes, Professor.”
She turned her head toward me, her expression shifting into that of a customer placing an order. Her eyes practically sparkled with anticipation.
Surely not. It was a day off. She wouldn’t actually…
“I know it’s your day off, but could I trouble you for some hot water?”
“Ah? Hot water?”
Tsk. If she felt bad about it, she shouldn’t have asked in the first place. Still, providing hot water wasn’t exactly difficult. But why hot water all of a sudden? Was she planning to make instant noodles?
“Yes. I apologize for making such a request on the day I gave you off, but let’s have some tea and talk. I happened to acquire some excellent tea leaves.”
“Excuse me…?”
“What? Don’t tell me you dislike tea? If so, never mind. These leaves were quite difficult to obtain.”
“N-no, that’s not it at all! I’d be honored. Ahem…! I’ll fetch the hot water right away.”
There was a reason I’d been so startled I’d started stuttering. Had she just apologized to me? The same Benetric who usually acted like nothing in the world mattered except her own authority? Even her tone seemed slightly softer. Her behavior today was nothing like her usual self. Her words, her attitude—everything felt awkwardly courteous. By normal standards it was still rigid, but compared to how she normally treated me, this was a noticeable change.
—Clack! Fwoosh…!
I decided to chalk up her sudden shift in demeanor to my imagination and focused on boiling the water. At least it gave me a chance to test the new stove’s firepower.
*
—Clink…! Clack…!
Once the water was ready, I set the table. I placed a teacup on a coaster, removed the lid of the teapot, and set the strainer in place. All that remained was to add the tea leaves and pour in the freshly boiled water.
—Steam, steam…!
White vapor rose from the spout. The new stove’s power was impressive; the water had come to a boil in no time.
“Here. Would you like me to brew it properly with these leaves?”
Once everything was prepared, Benetric produced a small glass vial from her sleeve. Inside were a few dried yellow petals.
“Ah, yes. By the way, Vice Principal—what exactly is this?”
“Dried petals of the Drill Apple. When steeped thoroughly, you can taste the same fruity aroma from the petals themselves.”
“Ah, I see.”
Her tastes really were unwavering. Had the pizza been that good last time? Still, fruit itself was delicious, even if baked fruit tasted completely different.
“Breeder? Listen while you brew the tea.”
“Yes.”
I was just scooping the leaves into the strainer when she spoke again.
“As you can see from the size of this lounge, it’s far too spacious for fourth-years alone. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”
“I thought the same thing. There’s even a second floor fully furnished.”
“Exactly. Even if every fourth-year sat down, there’d still be plenty of seats left over.”
“Ah? Wait a moment. Does that mean…?”
“Hmm. You catch on quickly. How interesting…”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“…It’s nothing. In any case, starting tomorrow, the lounge will be open to all grades. Keep that in mind.”
“────?!”
Damn it. Just looking at Benetric made curses bubble up. So much for her attitude changing. It had all been in my head after all. She still treated me like a disposable tool. What was the point of upgrading everything to the latest model if the manpower stayed the same?
‘Does she seriously expect me to handle every single grade by myself? There’s a limit to how much you can exploit someone…’
—Clink, rustle, clack…!
Even as complaints swirled in my mind, my hands kept moving on their own, guided by some kind of occupational reflex.
“…Times have changed. Giving special privileges only to the upper years is an outdated notion. It’s time we adapted accordingly.”
That was all well and good, but why did they have to change things right now, of all times? Right when I’d become the lounge manager? Whether it was the military or the academy, they sure loved their reforms and innovations—without ever considering the people actually affected.
“So, what I’m saying is—”
“Vice Principal Benetric? I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have something I need to say.”
“Huh? You’re cutting me off?”
“Yes. I think I should make this clear right here and now.”
“How insolent… What is it? If it’s nonsense, I won’t forgive you.”
“I can’t possibly manage all the young ladies by myself. It may seem like a trivial matter to you, but it requires a great deal of hands-on work.”
—Clink, thud…!
Without even glancing at her, I dropped the tea leaves into the strainer. My movements had grown sharper without me realizing it, irritation rising like steam.
“I wondered what you were going to say, but it was only that? You needn’t worry about such things.”
“Pardon? You have a solution?”
Benetric watched my hands with evident interest as she continued.
“Since this place will be used by every student, I intend to assign rotating shifts so they can help out in turn.”
“Um, Professor…? The young ladies are all far above me in status. How am I supposed to order them around?”
“How? You’re not just a servant—you’re the dormitory supervisor. Assign demerits to any students who slack off.”
“Even so, I can’t possibly—”
“I’ll make an official announcement so no one dares talk back. You don’t have to worry about that part. I’ll personally guarantee your safety under my name.”
“Aah…?”
Benetric, what was with her today? She’d been strangely accommodating since earlier. This wasn’t my imagination. She was clearly trying to make things easier for me. Could this really be because of the mint-chocolate I’d been sending her every month?
“What’s with that stupid look on your face? More importantly, the tea should be ready by now, shouldn’t it?”
“Ah, I’ll pour it right away.”
*
—Clack…!
—Glug, glug…!
Breeder poured the tea into the cup. The golden liquid filled it smoothly, without a single splash or clatter from the teapot. He followed every rule of proper tea service to the letter.
‘The more I watch, the more remarkable it is.’
The art of tea ceremony was something only the children of noble houses learned through dedicated lessons. Yet this ordinary human, Breeder, executed it flawlessly—from arranging the cups to the precise brewing process.
And that wasn’t all.
“ᛇᛒ ᛥᛯ ᚤᚫ ᚸᚠᛡᛉ Please try it before it cools.”
Whenever I had spoken to him in the dragon tongue, he had answered just as naturally in the same language.
‘So it really is exactly as the headmistress said…’