Sofia's Calculated Intervention
With the student council president backing me up—
“Don’t say another word and just follow me. As the class representative, I simply can’t let what just happened go without comment.”
When I first heard Sofia’s words, I could only stand there in utter confusion. I couldn’t make sense of the situation at all. I had just been trying to smooth things over by offering the cake I’d made as a test, and now she was pouring cold water all over it. I had no idea how to react.
‘I thought the scolding earlier was the end of it. Wasn’t that enough to cover for me?’
Unable to understand Sofia’s true intentions, I found myself staring straight at her. Maybe she really was angry.
“What are you gawking at? Come along already.”
“Ah… Yes, I understand.”
I looked at Sofia’s face with an expression that clearly said, “Is this really happening?” but she only hardened her expression and drove the point home. She rose abruptly from her seat and walked out first without so much as a glance back.
The moment Sofia stood up, the gazes of the fourth-year students who had been enjoying tea and coffee all focused on her. The young ladies murmured among themselves, evaluating how she had handled the situation. Most of them found it satisfying. Still, there were a few voices that expressed concern for me. Even those who had never been fond of Sofia raised both hands in approval. They called it unexpected, yet they clapped, saying that she was finally upholding dragon pride.
“Well then, I’ll be right back.”
—Creak, click…!
With those words, Sofia opened the lounge door and stepped outside. Still bewildered, I had no choice but to follow behind her.
Once outside, Sofia walked ahead without looking back.
“Good. This should be far enough.”
Her skirt fluttering, Sofia stopped and muttered to herself. The place she had led us to was behind the rest lounge building—the very spot where the collapsed livestock shed had once stood. Even in broad daylight, it was a deeply shaded, secluded clearing. It was also one of the least frequented areas in the entire academy, which made sense; the smell of animal manure used to linger heavily here.
“Breeder?”
“Huh? M-Miss Sofia…?”
Suddenly, Sofia turned around and pressed close to me. I stumbled backward in surprise, but the wall of the lounge building left me nowhere to retreat.
“Haa…”
Sofia let out a sigh as she looked at me. Her hot dragon’s breath brushed against my face. We were standing that close. With her dazzling appearance right in front of me, even her stern expression looked beautiful. I didn’t know where to put my eyes. The atmosphere, however, was anything but warm. Though her sigh was hot, her fingertips felt cold. My palms were sweating as if I had suddenly developed hyperhidrosis. Memories of being scolded by my seniors during my military service flashed through my mind. Was she about to give me a joint lock or something? The unexpected situation made my hair stand on end. If I wanted to survive, I should probably bow my head first, right?
“It’s all right. You can raise your head.”
“No…! I sincerely apologize for what happened earlier—!”
“Pfft, I scared you quite a bit, didn’t I? I’m sorry.”
“E-Eh? What did you just…?”
I had been about to apologize in a panic, but her gentle voice made me freeze. When I looked up, Sofia was wearing a kind smile. After putting on such a threatening air, she suddenly apologized? Even though she had been radiating murderous intent just moments ago.
“I had no choice. If I hadn’t stepped forward as the representative, my classmates might not have left you alone.”
As if reading my thoughts, Sofia kindly explained. She had done it all for my sake.
“What? You mean… you did this for me?”
“Yes, that’s right. You still have to make desserts for me, after all. And no matter how much of a student council president I am, not everyone is on my side.”
“Ah, I see what you mean. You’re saying you dragged me out here as a show for everyone else?”
“As expected, you catch on quickly. It must be because you can use Dragon Speech.”
Sofia smiled brightly at my answer. The tension in my shoulders eased. I had never realized someone with such a beautiful face could also emit such killing intent.
“I expected something like this, but I didn’t think you’d actually make me follow you all the way outside.”
“Pfft, sorry. I didn’t want to go this far either, but quite a few of my classmates dislike my lenient personality, so I had to do it at least once.”
“Ah, so this was also for your classmates…?”
“Yes. This was the only way to save everyone’s face. As you know, dragons have very high pride.”
Haha, if I accidentally stepped on that pride again, I really might end up crossing the River Jordan. How was I supposed to serve customers when I was this terrified?
“…I knew you would understand, Breeder.”
“Of course. Strictly speaking, this whole problem started because of me.”
“I’m really glad you understand.”
Compared to the other young ladies, Sofia was remarkably humble. She didn’t cling to pride at all; instead, she was thoughtful and considerate. I knew it. Sofia would never actually scold me. She really had been covering for me. Thank goodness. I thought my life was over for a second.
That aside, she really was a fourth-year at the academy. Having spent nearly three hundred years here, her crisis management skills were on another level. By calling me out separately, she had preserved her classmates’ pride while also reducing the threat to my safety. Right now, everyone probably thought Sofia was scolding me in some secluded corner—or perhaps punishing me just enough that I wouldn’t die.
“Haa, I really thought my heart was going to drop. Still… thank you for thinking of me.”
“I thought you would notice, but I didn’t expect you to be this scared and tense… Still, it was a little cute.”
“Ahem…! I was just confused because your usual personality is so different.”
“Hehe, that flustered reaction is exactly what I find cute.”
She thought my panicked face was cute? This dragon had some unusual tastes. Well, better than looking unpleasant. At least things had worked out nicely.
—Smile, smile…
Sofia kept gazing at me with a bright, gentle smile, as if wondering what part of me was so adorable. Her radiant beauty and lively laughter made it seem like she was glowing with an aura. She felt like a endlessly benevolent mother, yet also strangely like an older sister.
I couldn’t just keep receiving her help. I wanted to do something for Sofia too. Of course, I was still going to make her the mint dessert, but…
“…Miss? Since we’ve come all the way out here, how about we roll around in the dirt a bit before going back?”
“Huh? Why the ground?”
I changed the subject to lighten the slightly awkward atmosphere and pointed at the dirt.
“Why else? To show the other young ladies. To prove how thoroughly you, as student council president, scolded me.”
“What? You don’t mean…?”
“Yes. If we do that, maybe even the ladies who usually don’t like you will change their minds a little?”
Just pretending to scold me with words might not be enough. The more violent ones definitely wouldn’t be satisfied. This was my chance to properly boost Sofia’s standing. Of course, in exchange, I’d be subtly relying on her protection.
“Th-There’s no need to go that far…”
“The livestock shed has been demolished, so the ground isn’t in bad shape. One roll should leave plenty of evidence.”
Originally, the ground would have been muddy from mixing with animal manure, but now that the shed was gone, only bare dirt remained. The maintenance department must have cleared away the debris overnight.
“N-No…! It’s fine! Something like this doesn’t match my usual image at all. My classmates would just find me even stranger—”
“Hey—! Sofia!”
“Sofia? Are you over there?”
While Sofia was waving her hands to reject my suggestion, voices of other young ladies echoed from a distance. They must have come looking for her for some reason.
“Haaah—?!”
Startled by her classmates’ sudden appearance, Sofia turned around with a shocked expression. The moment she spun around while still pressed close to me—
—Thud!
Because we had been standing close enough for our breaths to touch, something caught on my ankle and I stumbled.
“Uwaaah—?!”
The momentum sent me tumbling helplessly onto the dirt. It felt like the world had flipped upside down.
—Thud!
At the same time, a thick cloud of dust rose up. I had fallen quite spectacularly. My waist bent so far that my toes touched the ground, as if I had been flipped over.
“Sofia, we’re heading out first to prepare for class… Huh? Don’t tell me you’re still scolding the servant?”
“Whoa—! Our student council president really went all out with the discipline, huh? Making the servant roll around like a dog…?!”
“I guess the bug that came out of her room yesterday was real after all. Otherwise, why would Sofia get this angry?”
“Hey, let’s just go. Don’t provoke Sofia’s mood.”
By the time the dust settled, the sounds of the other young ladies were already fading away. They had read the atmosphere and gone on their way.
“Cough, cough—!”
“B-Breeder? Are you all right?!”
“Miss, you suddenly tripped me and you’re asking if I’m okay…?”
“I-I-I’m sorry! I was so startled when I turned around that I accidentally… I didn’t think my foot would catch on yours…!”
So that was what happened. She had gotten startled by the voices and accidentally tripped me. But what exactly had caught on my ankle? It hadn’t felt like a normal foot.
“I’m not really hurt, but… you said something caught on me?”
“A-Anyway, it wasn’t on purpose! I was so surprised that it just happened without me realizing…!”
When I asked what had tripped me if it wasn’t her foot, Sofia hurriedly shouted and dodged the question. Seeing how flustered she was, pressing further probably wouldn’t do any good. So much for “not matching her usual image.” This was the first time I had experienced such a skillful leg sweep.
“Ugh— My back… Thanks to you, I’m wide awake now.”
“I-I’m really sorry…! I don’t even know how to apologize properly…!”
Honestly, I wasn’t in the best mood, but I couldn’t bring myself to get angry at her. Besides, seeing Sofia genuinely flustered and apologizing sincerely made my irritation fade a little. A supreme being like a dragon apologizing to a mere human…
“If you’re that sorry, may I ask for one more favor?”
“Huh…? Do you need something besides the chocolate?”
“Yes. There’s one more matter where I desperately need your help, Miss Sofia.”
Since things had turned out this way, I might as well get Sofia to lend me a hand.
“Hmm… All right! This was my fault just now, after all… I was already planning to sneak out of the academy at dawn today because of the chocolate anyway. If you need anything, just tell me!”
With a sincere apology, Sofia extended her hand toward me. A smile bloomed in my heart at her attitude. This was actually perfect. There was already one problem I couldn’t handle on my own… Now was the time to get the student council president’s help.