The Weight of Rumors and Responsibilities
Ever since that lunch, the next few days had been peaceful.
There was Orca, who came to the counseling room as usual to sleep, and Leo, who had begun visiting on a regular basis. And, of course, the other students who dropped by for counseling.
It was so peaceful that it was hard to believe Leo and Orca had been brawling in the streets just a few days prior.
But my mind wasn't entirely at ease. It was certainly peaceful, but that didn't mean nothing was brewing.
Rumors had begun to spread.
"No matter how you look at it, that's an exaggeration..." "Haha..."
Of course, rumors had been circulating before then, too. Rumors about me rehabilitating Orca, for instance.
...But I suppose rumors will be rumors. As the story spread among the students—who never missed a chance to latch onto a massive piece of gossip—it seemed to have been wildly distorted.
"Still, they went way too far with this one."
It seemed absurd rumors were making the rounds—like me actually being a distant relative of a Devil Possessed, or that I was secretly plotting to conquer the world.
Ah, the imagination of teenagers...
"Well, won't it die down soon? They must know it's complete nonsense themselves."
"I certainly hope so."
Everyone was probably just intrigued by the appearance of a new teacher. Especially since I had shown up with the title of counselor, a position that had never existed here before.
I didn't really mind the various rumors. They would die down soon enough anyway.
...Still, the rumor that I was actually controlling Orca through Hypnosis gave me quite a jolt.
When that particular story came out of Leo's mouth—right after he assured me most of the rumors had died down because they were so ridiculous—I almost flinched.
Orca didn't have any friends to tell her things like this. It was a bit sad, really, that she didn't have a single person to share her own rumors with her.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Oh, it's nothing..."
Still, now that she had a friend like Leo, it would be nice if they hung out a bit. Was it because she had spent her entire life without friends? She still seemed to find solace in being alone.
Well, if you're happy, I suppose that's all that matters... This teacher is just glad you have a friend at all...
"Counselor, if you have the time, perhaps we could have a meal together again..."
"Ah, yes. Next time. I've been a bit busy lately."
"I-I see..."
That was a lie.
Of course, I was much busier than during my nostalgic days as a slacker salary thief, right after I first arrived at the Academy.
Students brought in far more serious concerns than I had expected. And I couldn't just brush them off when they looked so utterly desperate.
In the end, I had to look up reference books and materials to figure out how to help them, and counseling the students based on that research made me busier than expected. Naturally, counseling rarely ended in a single session, so my workload piled up with every return visit.
...Of course, even though I was busy, I wasn't so busy that I couldn't find time to eat.
Then why did I reject him? Because Leo's intentions were far too obvious...
He seemed to still be bothered by the time I secretly paid the bill and slipped away. Perhaps because he understood that the food bill that day was no joke, he kept itching to pay me back in some way.
...If you're a student, just let your teacher treat you like a normal student!
Well, anyway. Of course, if I lied outright, I might end up being cornered into accepting Leo's gratitude, but fortunately, I actually had a prior engagement today. The chance of my lie being exposed was... zero!
"Well then, I have some business to attend to, so..."
"What kind of business?"
"It's nothing major. I just have to discuss some things with the other teachers."
Yes. Why hide it? It was time to prepare for the mock battle—the very first event that begins once the prologue ends.
...Though I never imagined I would be on the side of the ones preparing it.
"Ah, hello, Counselor Ophelia."
"Hello."
It felt a bit awkward. It was a completely different vibe from the cozy, luxurious atmosphere of my counseling room or the lively energy of the Academy classrooms I occasionally visited. I suppose you could call it another side of the school that I had never experienced before.
"...Why are you so tense?"
"Ah, ahaha..."
I could only offer a hollow laugh as the other teachers looked at me strangely. No, I mean... when you think of the faculty office, doesn't it feel like... you know? The place you go when you've done something wrong?
Even though I was now a counselor myself, my only prior experience entering a faculty office was from my days as a student.
Of course, I understood that people often visited the faculty office for other business rather than to get scolded, and I knew that as a teacher, I wasn't here to get in trouble, but...
Was it engraved on my very soul? I couldn't help but flinch whenever I saw the faculty office.
You know, like when the school PA system specifically calls out your name and tells you to report to the office. It was usually nothing major once you actually got there, but you never really get used to that inexplicable dread...
Fortunately, it seemed I wasn't the only one who had ever felt that way, as the teachers soon offered wry smiles.
"Ah, this must be Counselor Ophelia's first time in the faculty office. It's a bit of a stiff atmosphere, isn't it?"
"Yes, well..."
"Please understand. Since students from various social classes gather here, it's dangerous if we let them look down on us."
"I understand completely."
Of course I knew. The Academy attracted an incredibly diverse crowd, a fact obvious to anyone who had read the playable characters' backstories.
A watcher of the Church, the Imperial Princess, a nameless orphan boy, and a Devil Possessed rumored to be a ticking time bomb. That was already quite a list, and those were just the ones off the top of my head.
If the faculty had been too accommodating, the school would have degenerated into a playground for noble and royal students long ago.
The reason so many different social classes could coexist at the Academy was precisely because of the distance maintained between teachers and students.
...Partly because the law protected teachers well, and partly because the teachers' reputations were so outstanding.
Because the principal only recruited proven individuals, the students showed proper respect to the faculty. If their authority was compromised even a little, they would be looked down upon immediately. This stiff atmosphere was likely a necessary front.
"I'm glad you understand. Actually, we feel a bit sorry for the students ourselves."
"We do. We have to crack the whip even when we can see they're struggling."
"Many students give up halfway because it's too hard... In our hearts, we want to guide each and every one of them individually, but there are just too many students."
Indeed. There weren't many people willing to become teachers at the Academy. Those who did came with the sole purpose of nurturing future talent.
Of course, it was true that the principal tried to take care of the teachers' welfare as much as possible and pay them well, but...
It was also true that those who had already achieved great success in their fields had no need to become teachers. They were established enough to earn far more elsewhere than they ever would by teaching at the Academy.
But it was also hard to just fill the teaching staff with mediocre people. Why did nobles and royals bother sending their children to the Academy in the first place? It was so they could receive a high-level education. Social experience was just a bonus.
If the quality of the teachers dropped, they would all just hire private tutors. That was why the principal personally went out of his way to recruit faculty.
Who would want to take a pay cut to walk on eggshells around a princess and an orphan at the same time? There weren't many talented people who would abandon everything they had built just to do that.
And the people in front of me were precisely those who had abandoned their own foundations just to teach these students.
"I'm glad Counselor Ophelia joined us. The students' atmosphere seems to have brightened up a bit lately. It feels like the stiff atmosphere is softening a little."
"I heard that a few days ago, the young lady of the Aubert family confessed to a commoner boy."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. I heard she received counseling from Counselor Ophelia."
"...And the result? How did it go?"
"What do you mean, how did it go? That boy is about to rise in social status. They were practically dripping with honey. Tsk. Even during class time..."
Ah. Are they talking about that girl? So the confession was a success after all. While I was briefly surprised to hear about an unexpected student's update in such an unexpected place, the teachers expressed their gratitude to me.
"Please continue to take care of the students. It's always heartbreaking to watch children fall behind."
"Seeing the spirits of those with potential break... Whew. You have no idea how painful that is."
"I feel sorry for placing such a burden on you, Counselor Ophelia. Please, take good care of the students on our behalf."
They understood their position well. They knew that the moment they treated students too softly, the moment they let themselves be swayed by them, things would spiral out of control.
That was why they asked me. They wanted me to help the struggling students. Since they had to be the whip, they wanted me to hand the students a sweet carrot.
Answering their request wasn't difficult at all.
"Don't worry. That is exactly why I came to the Academy."
"...I'm glad to hear that."
Before I knew it, the stiff atmosphere of the faculty office was no longer intimidating. I had realized that the atmosphere was merely an artificial front created for the students' sake, and that these teachers actually cared about them more than anyone else.
"Well then... shall we move on to business?"
In the now slightly softened atmosphere, the meeting began.