After the Exams
After the three-day exam period ended, most lectures across departments were shortened or canceled outright to give students time to rest. Since grades wouldn't be released for about a week, we were free to enjoy the break.
"I should tune up the gauntlet."
I decided to dive straight into working on it. There were still functions I hadn't added yet.
"Hmm… now that I think about it, if I want to take first place in Magic Engineering, I need to create something that obviously stands out."
This exam had been simple, ending before the practical tests for the Magic and Knight departments. Later on, though, we'd have to design and build our own projects from scratch for the professors to judge. I could submit the gauntlet, but it felt like recycling an old idea, and I wasn't enthusiastic about it. Besides, with the Grand Meister and his granddaughter around, I doubted this gauntlet would be enough to claim first place anyway.
The Grand Meister was the man who introduced trains to this world, and second place belonged to that old man's granddaughter. A gauntlet packed with miscellaneous tricks didn't seem like it could beat them. I needed something flashier, more groundbreaking, and practical. This was exactly the kind of field where someone from Earth like me should shine. I'd seen all sorts of bizarre and unrealistic things back home—there was no way I'd lose to these otherworlders in creativity.
While my hands continued working on the gauntlet, my mind raced through ideas for something new. But perhaps because I'd been away from Earth for so long, nothing I came up with felt quite right.
Maybe I'd let my thoughts wander too far.
—Scrape.
"Ah."
Uncharacteristically, I made a mistake during the work. The engraved magic circle had warped slightly, so I quickly pulled mana ink and a pen from my spatial pouch.
"Agh… once it gets messed up, I have to redraw the whole thing from scratch…"
Magic circles required not only the correct shape but also the proper sequence. I ended up disassembling the back of the hand section and redrawing the circle from the beginning. By the time I successfully restored it and checked the clock, two hours had already passed, leaving little time before dinner.
"Staring at the gauntlet nearly made my eyes fall out."
I'd think about the new invention later. For now, I needed to focus on the final function to add to the gauntlet. I installed a new magic circuit and tested whether it responded properly to mana. I checked that the tiny internal mechanisms meshed correctly, shaved down any misaligned parts, and reinforced the circuits.
After spending a long while absorbed in the work—
—Knock knock.
Right on time for dinner, Louis knocked on the door. I stood up from my chair and opened it to find him standing there, just as expected.
"It's dinnertime, Ashen!"
"Yeah, yeah."
Together with Louis, whose energy seemed a bit higher than before the exams, I headed to the cafeteria. I got tonkatsu while he chose pasta, and we sat down…
"Ah! Ashen!"
"Oh, Ella."
Just like that, the romance fantasy heroine casually took the seat beside me. She greeted me with her usual bright, harmless aura.
"Did you do well on the midterms?"
"Well… so-so?"
"Since you're taking Magic, Knight Studies, Magic Engineering, and Economics, you must've had four times the exams, right?"
"Pretty much."
"Wow… I'm sure 'so-so' is an understatement. Anyone taking four majors must've aced all of them."
"Ahem, well…"
I'd tried my best. Objectively speaking, I'd probably done well. But—
"Says the top student in Economics."
You're the one ranked first in Economics, and you're saying this to me? Isn't this humblebragging? It is, isn't it, heroine?
Somehow, it felt like something was bubbling up inside me. Still, I held it back and settled for glaring at her.
"Ahaha… I just got lucky. This time, who knows…"
'This little—'
"They say luck is a skill too. As the top student, you should be proud."
"No… it's not that big a deal…"
'If you keep humblebragging, I won't be able to hold back anymore—'
"Being too modest doesn't look good either. Jealousy and envy always follow the top student around."
'Especially from someone like me.'
"R-really…?"
"Yes. So straighten your shoulders and walk with confidence. You earned that first place with your own ability, after all."
"If you say so, Ashen…"
Somehow, I managed to keep my boiling thoughts hidden and carry on a pleasant conversation with Ella. Louis was giving me a meaningful look, but his recent odd behavior wasn't exactly new, so I let it slide.
***
On the way back to the dorm after finishing dinner—
"Ashen, would it be okay if I watched you work?"
"Huh?"
Louis suddenly wore a determined expression and asked to observe my work.
"There's not much to see, though…?"
"It's just… I couldn't get into the Magic Engineering department like you, but I still want to learn for your sake."
"Well… if you put it that way."
How did he always manage to say such admirable things? Just because I was double-majoring in four fields didn't mean my servant needed to go that far. Especially since Louis came from the back alleys and had shown weakness in economics—I still remembered how dejected he'd looked after failing to get into the Economics department. I couldn't stop him now.
Louis went to his room, changed into something comfortable, and came over to mine…
"…?"
A powerful sense of déjà vu washed over me.
"Uh…"
Right now, Louis was wearing shorts and a shirt. It was an unusual combination, but that wasn't what triggered the déjà vu.
"Hmm…"
How should I put this? Something felt very off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Instead of his usual crisp butler appearance, he looked strangely demure. Sitting with his legs neatly together like female anime characters did? The slightly long sleeves creating a moe effect? I had no idea. Something… something about a guy acting this suspicious…
'Oh.'
I realized why Louis's appearance felt so out of place.
'Dude, you're a guy.'
This bastard, acting like some subculture girlfriend while sitting in my room despite being male. For a split second, the thought that Louis might be gay sent a chill down my spine. But I immediately shook my head, deciding that was going too far.
'Nah, Louis isn't gay.'
He just had some feminine tendencies, that was all. Yeah, that was it.
Doing my best to shake off the creeping suspicion, I went back to working on the gauntlet.
***
'Ashen…'
Currently sitting demurely on Ashen's bed, Louis felt his face gradually growing warmer.
'Just notice something strange already…!'
The reason was obvious—he'd come here hoping Ashen would pay attention to him. Ashen had seemed to sense something odd for a moment, but then he dove back into his work. Louis watched him intently until Shane's voice whispered beside him.
[How frustrating. If you'd left it to me, you'd have won him over already.]
"Shut up…!"
"Huh? Did you say something?"
"Ah, no! Keep working!"
"…?"
The black smoke, Shane, had appeared and spoken in that exasperated tone. Louis had snapped in response, causing a small incident when Ashen reacted, but since Louis's strange behavior wasn't unusual these days, Ashen brushed it off without much thought.
"Phew…"
'It's your fault!'
[Hah, how absurd.]
'What is?'
[I already told you that thoughts can be conveyed directly.]
'No…!'
I knew that, but I'd gotten worked up and spoken out loud by accident.
'It's because I'm frustrated!'
[Humans are… That's why you still can't even be treated as a woman.]
'You little—!'
[It's true, isn't it? If you'd left it to me, it would've been solved already. Who was the one who stopped me?]
Shane shook his head in exasperation at Louis's inability to accept his help. But Louis had plenty to say in return.
'Who tries to win someone over with a naked attack?!'
[What's wrong with that? All living beings possess the desire to reproduce. They show each other their unhidden forms and follow their instincts to connect.]
'That's exactly the problem…!'
[Why?]
'Because everyone thinks I'm a guy!'
[Then just reveal the truth—]
'It's too soon!'
[Haa…]
It was still too early to reveal that she was a woman. At the very least, she needed to make Ashen understand why she'd deceived him until now, and she had to earn the right to be his lover rather than just his exclusive servant.
[Then why did you accept it in the first place…]
'…I got too excited.'
[Sigh… To think I'd end up with such a foolish master.]
'I'm not foolish, okay?'
Despite appearances, she was a transmigrator from Earth. Until now, she'd been stuck in the body of an otherworld orphan with missing memories and hadn't been able to show her true abilities. But now that she'd regained her memories, it was finally time for her, the transmigrator, to shine.