The Meaning of Responsibility

Ah, the kettle had boiled over. The moment Aidrin's ears flushed a bright crimson, she instantly abandoned her crossed arms and aloof gaze—the very symbols of her "nonchalant composure"—and leaned forward as if about to pounce.

"W-W-W-What nonsense are you talking about?! M-Me, wanting to be friends with you?!"

"Oh my. Did I misinterpret your words?"

"Of course you did! What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that?! In the first place, why would someone like me desperately beg you to be my friend?!"

"Ah, indeed. That is true. There is no reason for someone of your stature, Lady Aidrin, to go out of your way to be friends with a fellow like me."

Someone of Lady Aidrin's stature. At those words, Aidrin immediately composed herself, reverting to her usual aloof and composed noble persona.

"Ahem. At least you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠know your place."

"I suppose I was simply so overjoyed by your words, Lady Aidrin, that I unconsciously projected my own wishful thinking onto them."

"Goodness. Well, I suppose this is your first time having a chance to connect with someone of my standing, so it's only natural you'd get ahead of yourself. I understand."

It almost looked as if Aidrin's shoulders were puffing up with pride.

"Exactly. Now, what was it you said earlier? Ah, that if I played my cards right, you would be willing to become close? My, I was truly startled."

"Yes, that's—wait, no! Not close, just acquaintances!"

"Ah, right, right. Acquaintances. Acquaintances. My, my heart keeps ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠running ahead of me, what a problem~ I must have been quite flustered, haven't I?"

"Honestly. Calm down a bit."

A man who giggled frivolously from start to finish, and a woman whose mood swung wildly from flustered to pretending to be aloof. Who on earth was the one who actually needed to calm down? If someone were to watch them without hearing their conversation, they would undoubtedly think it was Aidrin.

"So! What's your decision?"

"Of course, I would be absolutely delighted! An opportunity to build a connection with Lady Aidrin... When else would a fellow like me ever get such a precious chance!"

"Hmph. At least you know."

"May I count on your favor, then, Lady Aidrin?"

Aidrin nonchalantly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠observed Sillon's reaction. His eyes seemed to sparkle. Since they were squinty, she couldn't actually see his pupils, but that was the impression she got anyway. Aidrin barely managed to suppress a smug grin at his blatant display of respect, letting out a casual, "Hmph."

"Well, since you insist. But remember, I can change my mind at any time depending on your behavior, so watch yourself."

"Of course, of course. Ah, but Lady Aidrin? May I ask you one question?"

"Go ahead."

"What prompted you to offer me such a... well, let's call it an extraordinary opportunity?"

"Ahem."

Here it was. Though trembling inside, Aidrin spoke with outward confidence.

"Let's be completely honest here."

"About what, exactly?"

"You actually... resent me, don't you?"

"Pardon? Me? Resent you, Lady Aidrin? Whatever for?"

"Don't play dumb. Earlier, when I publicly questioned your record. Because of that, your standing in the Academy has been jeopardized. In short, you're in this mess because of me. Surely you must think that way too?"

Aidrin unconsciously averted her eyes, suddenly afraid that he might finally unleash his hidden malice.

"Hmm? Why would that be because of you, Lady Aidrin?"

"What?"

But his voice remained perfectly calm, prompting her to look back at him.

"Looking at the atmosphere back then, even if you hadn't raised the issue, someone else eventually would have."

"..."

"Furthermore, thanks to you raising the issue, the error in my record was uncovered, and everything that was wrong has been corrected. Therefore, you simply did what had to be done. You did the right thing. Is that not so?"

"What in the..."

It was an airtight argument. An objective conclusion that even Aidrin, who had viewed herself as the perpetrator, had failed to reach. How could he, the actual victim, speak so objectively as if it were someone else's business? Aidrin stared into the narrow slits of his squinty eyes, trying to read his true, hidden feelings. Still, she could see nothing, but at least it didn't seem like he was spinning lies just to flatter her. This was so starkly different from the foolish, frivolous image she had of Sillon. She completely forgot to maintain her aloof, composed noble act and was genuinely taken aback.

"W-What? You..."

"Yes?"

"You actually know how to think properly...?"

"...You seem a bit flustered right now, but I think you need to reflect on how incredibly harsh that sounded."

Aidrin mulled over Sillon's words for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Yes. You're right. Even if it wasn't me, someone else would have raised the issue in that situation. And it's also true that because I spoke up, the error was corrected."

"Right?"

"But—"

The real issue was how Sillon, the party involved, took it. Humans are creatures whose emotions override reason when it comes to their own affairs. Normally, even if one understood it rationally, someone in Sillon's position would inevitably harbor emotional resentment.

"Are you really completely fine with it...?"

"It would be a lie to say I don't find it a bit regrettable. But well, I gained something far greater from it, so let's just say I'm perfectly fine."

"Something far greater? What is it...?"

Sillon tapped his index finger against his lips in mock contemplation, then offered a bright, knowing smile.

"It's a secret."

Quest cleared. Since he couldn't exactly say that, he gave a vague, playful answer.

"..."

But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Aidrin, completely unaware of this, stared blankly at him. When a sudden thought struck her, she awkwardly looked away and muttered:

What's with this guy? He's way too good at flattery.

"Pardon?"

"N-Nothing! Anyway, I get it."

Aidrin once again put on her aloof, composed noble face and looked at him proudly, completely oblivious to the fact that her excitement was written all over her face.

"Ahem. To be honest, I was a bit worried about you. You seemed so utterly thoughtless. But what a relief. It turns out you actually had a plan."

"My, my. What on earth did I do to earn such an image... It makes me want to reflect on my past behavior. Well, anyway. To sum it up—you felt responsible for your actions, Lady Aidrin, and wanted to look after me since my standing in the Academy was in jeopardy."

"Well, yes...?"

"You are a truly kind person, Lady Aidrin."

"Honestly, stop with the excessive flattery."

Aidrin tried to respond nonchalantly to Sillon's beaming remark, but in the end, she couldn't help but look away again.

"But as I said, you really don't need to feel any responsibility toward me for that matter."

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying you don't need someone like me?"

Aidrin glared at him sharply out of the corner of her eye. Yet, at the same time, she also seemed to be timidly gauging his reaction.

"Haha, of course not. I am not blessed with such luxury. How could I ever cast aside a precious connection like you, Lady Aidrin? I only said that because I was worried you might be pushing yourself over a sense of responsibility you don't even need to bear."

I must take responsibility. It was incredibly bothersome and reluctant, but she had no choice. That had been Aidrin's mindset when trying to involve herself with Sillon. But the moment Sillon dismissed it as a "responsibility she didn't need to bear," her reason for being involved with him vanished. This was a good thing. It was supposed to be a tedious, unwelcome chore anyway. Besides, after talking to him, she realized he might not be the utterly naive man she had thought him to be. Perhaps he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. And maybe Sillon was thinking the exact same thing—that her interference was entirely uncalled for.

"...So, what? What do you actually want to do, then?"

"Pardon?"

"You're saying you don't need my help, right?"

Her attitude had suddenly turned passive, her posture shrinking. Aidrin looked up at Sillon, trying her best to sound indifferent while anxiously reading his face. Sillon quietly watched her before letting out a silly grin.

"My, of course not! What I meant was... while you have no obligation to feel responsible, if you are perfectly fine with it, I would gladly, shamelessly, and humbly rely on your benevolence!"

"...Is that so?"

Aidrin stared at Sillon for a moment, then cleared her throat. "Ahem."

"Honestly. If that's what you wanted all along, why did you beat around the bush so much?"

"Haha, well, if I accepted too eagerly, I was afraid I'd look too shameless and you might suddenly change your mind."

"Idiot. What do you take me for?"

Any trace of anxiety had completely vanished from Aidrin. Having regained her usual self, she once again displayed the aloof and composed dignity of a noble to Sillon. Sillon thought to himself, thoroughly amused: Man, she's really entertaining.

Aidrin, who was also secretly having a wonderful time, continued with a feigned indifference.

"Well, I suppose I have no choice. Since you insist so much, fine. I'll help you. I'll make sure you adapt to the Academy."

"My, how reassuring...! To be honest, my future looked so bleak that I was half-tempted to just fail the entrance exam on purpose, but with this, I guess I have no choice but to pass!"

"Stop exaggerating."

By the way—Sillon looked around.

"The crowd has certainly thinned out compared to the second exam, hasn't it?"

"Well, the difficulty of the exam was quite high. It seems the Academy went all out, perhaps conscious of the rumors that this year's batch of freshmen is exceptionally talented."

"And yet, we passed it?"

"Don't get cocky. And 'we'? Please don't lump me in with you."

"Hmm~?"

Sillon's squinty eyes and thin lips curved into a meaningful smirk.

"What's with that look?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that, if I recall correctly, there wasn't much of a difference between your score and mine, Lady Aidrin."

"Hey!"

Unable to hold back any longer, the veins on Aidrin's neck bulged as she shrieked.

Watching her react like that, Sillon thought to himself: Is this girl... an angel...?

He had remained silent when she actually showed the kind of consideration worthy of being called an angel, only for this ultimate praise to pop into his head at the most bizarre moment.

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

Just then, both of their gazes simultaneously shot toward the empty air. A voice, carried through the manipulation of mana, echoed throughout the waiting room.

Immediately after, the flow of mana could be felt throughout the waiting room.

Sillon and Aidrin simultaneously looked down at their chests.

The mana moved, leaving a glowing trail behind.

When the movement stopped, the number 17 was engraved on both of their chests.

Sillon and Aidrin, who had been listening to the voice with their eyes fixed on the air, simultaneously checked each other's chests once again.

"Oh." The sound slipped from Sillon's mouth.

"Ah." The sound slipped from Aidrin's mouth.

"My, is this what you meant when you said you would help me adapt to the Academy, Lady Aidrin? Hahahahaha."

"Ah." The sound slipped from Aidrin's mouth once more.

Sillon smiled warmly as he looked at the utterly dumbfounded Aidrin.

"I look forward to working with you."

A highly meaningful remark slipped from his lips.