The Stolen Textbook
Once again today, I headed for the student council room, burning with academic passion (?).
“Yaaawn~ I’m so terribly sleepy.”
“You’ve been like that a lot since coming to the academy, Franc.”
Well, of course—none of this was actually helping me one bit.
We made our way to the student council room.
Surprisingly, Charles was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Erika was there, looking thoroughly flustered as she searched for something.
It was a far cry from the bright demeanor she’d shown when we first greeted each other on entrance day. That cheerful air had vanished, replaced by an expression steeped in despair.
I stepped up behind her as she rummaged this way and that, and spoke.
“Um, Miss Erika? Good day to you.”
“H-Hiiik!”
Erika jumped out of her skin.
Ah… I hadn’t meant to startle her at all.
“Are you all right?”
Marie asked, concern plain in her voice.
“I-It’s… it’s nothing…”
She said that, then immediately went back to searching with frantic energy. The corners of her eyes had grown moist.
She must have lost something truly important…
“Shall we help you look?”
“Ah—w-would that really be okay?”
“Of course! We’re friends, after all. Ohoho~”
“First, why don’t you calm down a little and tell us what happened?”
Marie supported the sniffling Erika as she spoke.
“Okay…”
“You lost a textbook?”
“Yes…”
“Couldn’t you simply ask a professor for a new one?”
“It’s not just any textbook…”
Erika clenched both hands tightly and continued.
“It’s the textbook I received from House Lumenhart…”
“…!”
“If they find out I lost it… I’m finished…!”
“Finished…?”
“Miss Erika…”
Hmm. Now I understood that hollow feeling I’d been getting from her. She was under pressure from House Lumenhart right now.
“What about using magic to locate it?”
“I tried… but someone seems to have cast a concealment spell. This was definitely stolen.”
Marie rose to her feet as if she’d made up her mind.
“I’ll find it no matter what it takes! You’ll help too, right, Franc?”
Obviously. How could I just walk past a friend in this much trouble?
“But of course. I, Francoise Albert de Valois, shall recover Miss Erika’s textbook for her!”
“Miss Franc, Miss Marie…! Thank you…”
Erika wiped at the corners of her eyes.
“First we should question anyone who might have witnessed something!”
Marie and I took Erika with us and went to see James first.
I knocked boldly on the door to the president’s office.
“Mr. President, we’ve come because we have something to ask of you~!”
“Yes, please come in.”
We took the seats James offered us.
“What seems to be the matter?”
“We wish to inquire about the whereabouts of Erika’s textbook.”
“She says it isn’t an ordinary textbook—it’s a book she received from House Lumenhart.”
Marie and I explained the situation.
“So you’ve lost a book. Unfortunately, I haven’t witnessed anything of note. I’ve been here since this morning, after all.”
“I see.”
James offered one suggestion.
“It might be best to start by speaking with those who visited the student council room.”
“We shall do just that!”
“Thank you, Mr. President.”
“I’m glad I could be of even a little help.”
Next we went looking for Charles.
Just as James had said, he was training with Kael. Tremendous heat from roaring flames and razor-sharp winds were overheating the training grounds.
“Senior~ Miss Kael~”
“!”
Kael faltered, and Charles stopped his magic as well. As we approached, Charles waved cheerfully.
“Oh! Junior! What’s the matter?”
“We were wondering whether you might have seen anything resembling a book in the student council room today.”
“Hmm? This body and Kael have been here the whole time.”
Charles clearly knew nothing. Kael looked the same, but he pointed us toward someone who might.
“Go find Serena.”
“!”
“She’s been in the student council room almost all day. She’ll be back after class ends—ask her then and you might learn something.”
“You have our thanks~”
“Er, Francoise.”
“Yes? What is it?”
Kael stopped me.
“If you have time later, how about joining us for training now and then?”
“Ohoho, I shall give it due consideration~”
“Hahaha, Kael. You’ve been awfully concerned about our junior ever since that day, haven’t you?”
“Sh-Shut up! I simply need someone to test new techniques on!”
Leaving the bickering Charles and Kael behind, we returned to the student council room.
Inside, Serena was organizing documents. Lilie sat nearby, working on account ledgers.
“Good day to you~”
“My, hello there, cuties♡ Fufu~”
“…….”
Serena greeted us with breezy coquettishness while Lilie maintained a quiet silence—complete opposites.
“Miss Serena, have you by any chance seen anything that looked like a textbook here?”
“Hmm~ I wouldn’t know. More importantly…”
Serena stood, walked over to me, and cupped my face with one hand as she spoke.
“If we talked just the two of us, something might come up?♡”
Ugh, this woman is seriously suspicious. Isn’t she supposed to be on the disciplinary committee?
Marie stepped between us and intervened.
“Um, excuse me! Was there anyone who entered the student council room?”
“My, that… I don’t actually know either~ Anyone can enter the student council room, but in principle they’re supposed to sign the visitor log.”
Serena walked over to the entrance and opened the logbook. Marie and I examined it beside her.
“No one besides us student council members, it seems.”
“Hmm, without any witnesses this will grow troublesome.”
“Franc, Marie-chan. Come to think of it, you two didn’t sign the log either, did you? Someone’s going to get scolded?♡”
There was something bone-chilling about the way she said that; a faint shiver ran through me.
“Fufu, well~ since I never told you about it, I’ll let it slide this time, cuties♡”
“Ah—uh… thank you…?”
Erika grew more and more despondent. With not a single lead turning up, her anxiety was only natural.
“Wh-What do I do? At this rate I’m going to…”
“Miss Erika…”
Marie wrapped her arms around her.
“Don’t worry. We’ll find it for sure.”
Serena quietly watched the anxious Erika, then spoke.
“Have you asked Lilie-chan, who’s been here all day?”
“Pardon?”
“…….”
We turned our gazes toward Lilie. Sensing every eye fixed on her, she tried her best to pretend she hadn’t noticed.
That was right. She had been sitting here writing ledgers all day long—so quiet we hadn’t even realized she was present.
“Lilie-chan, Erika-chan is in trouble. Isn’t there anything you can tell us~?”
“…….”
Lilie set down her pen and opened her mouth.
“…There was. Someone who came in here.”
“!”
“…….”
“Might we hear the details?”
I pressed in close and questioned her. Her face flushed bright red; she turned her gaze the other way and continued.
“…A male student came in like he’d left something behind, then took a book and left.”
“His name tag said… Cloud.”
“Then that person is almost certainly the culprit!”
“L-Let’s go find him right away!”
“Thank you, Miss Lilie.”
I expressed my gratitude.
“…Mm.”
She simply resumed writing in the ledger.
“That’s wonderful~ I do hope you find it♡”
Leaving Serena’s farewell behind, we exited the student council room.
Cloud. I’d heard that name during roll call in class today.
Out in the academy’s central park, we stood deliberating where to search first.
“But how are we supposed to find Mr. Cloud?”
Erika’s anxiety still hadn’t faded.
“Whatever his reason for stealing someone else’s book, I shall find him without fail.”
Ah—would this skill work, maybe?
Clairvoyance.
If it wasn’t some crude peeping skill for looking through people’s clothes, but one that could pierce through to a target… it ought to be useful.
Clairvoyance
I repeated the name “Cloud” inwardly and activated the skill while sweeping my gaze across the entire academy.
The whole world went black—then a single point of white light glittered into view.
“Franc?”
“That way!”
I fixed the light in my mind and ran. Marie and Erika followed right behind me.
“Mr. Cloud—!!”
As the light grew larger I called out toward it.
“!!”
Something must have pricked his conscience; the moment he saw me charging toward him, he bolted.
Oh-ho? Trying to shake me off?
I poured power into one leg and surged forward.
Brave Rush
Of course, a full collision might kill him, so I used it only at leap strength.
“Hiiik!”
I knocked him down and seized his arm in a firm hold.
“Fleeing will do you no good, commoner!”
“I-I’m sorry! I only did what I was told! Please spare me!”
Marie and Erika caught up. Erika’s face was twisted with fury as she shouted.
“Give me back my book!!”
“I left it in the drawer of the rearmost desk in Classroom 3 on the second floor!”
Huh? He’s just telling us outright?
Then the important part was who put him up to it.
“Who ordered you?”
“I-I don’t really know! And if I talk, I’m the one who’ll be in big trouble!”
“What kind of big trouble comes from stealing a book? Tell us!”
Marie pressed him hard. Cloud looked cornered, then sighed and opened his mouth.
“I don’t know who it was… but they said they were a servant of House Lumenhart…”
We went to the place Cloud had named, and sure enough, the book was there. Erika hugged it tightly to her chest, tears streaming down her face.
“Thank goodness…!”
“I’m so glad~! Ohoho~”
“Thank you, everyone…”
Erika lowered her head as she continued.
“Because of you, I won’t have to get hit.”
“?”
Get hit? Don’t tell me…
I caught hold of Erika.
“Eh?”
Then I lifted the hem of her top.
“E-Eh, what are you doing?!”
“Hold still and let me look.”
“……!! Oh n-no…!”
Marie could not hide her horror.
Just as I thought… so that was it.
Across her abdomen were countless bruise marks.