Chapter 47
Chapter 48
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The Suspicious Girl
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A girl I was meeting for the first time, yet who felt strangely familiar.
Golden hair like a wheat field.
Orange eyes reminiscent of summer sunlight.
Even though it was our first encounter, she didn't feel unfamiliar at all.
It had to be because it overlapped with scenes from the future I'd seen long ago.
But,
rather than gladness...
The moment I saw her, a long sigh escaped my lips.
A lament that my worst fears had finally come true.
And—
...What an idiot?
She was so sloppily obvious beyond my imagination that it left me dumbfounded.
Keeping my head facing forward, I sidelong-glanced at the girl.
Her gaze, still brimming with wariness, was fixed straight on Ruena.
From the very first meeting, she was blatantly showing her suspicion.
Normally, you'd hide your intentions layer upon layer to lower the opponent's guard,
or better yet, stay completely hidden and bide your time for an opportunity.
So what the hell is she trying to accomplish by being so upfront like that?
An unexpected pattern.
Which made it all the more awkward.
Of course, it might also be because I'm more sensitive to presences than most people.
I'm a born thief, after all.
I had no choice but to be hypersensitive to others' gazes and intentions.
On top of that, I'm currently Ruena's aide.
Above all, in my position, her safety comes first.
So I had to detect any killing intent directed at Ruena far more acutely than anyone else.
Fortunately... it seems like that's really the case.
As proof, no one around us even noticed that girl's killing intent.
Well, thinking about it, I might indeed be the unusual one.
On the surface, all she showed was,
"...Found you. Ruena Eliad."
That short phrase.
And staring piercingly at Ruena from amid the crowd—that was it.
There are plenty of people in this academy staring at Ruena.
Even now, countless gazes follow her,
and that girl was just naturally blending in among them.
However, her mistakes were—
One, that I'm by Ruena's side, sensitive to presences,
and two, that I've indirectly seen her face before.
And lastly...,
Her sloppiness in revealing even a hint of her intentions.
If she were on our side, I'd want to hand her a certificate for overhyping our house.
Moreover, the girl,
innocently enough, kept her gaze locked solely on Ruena.
As if I weren't even worth considering.
Isn't scouting the enemy's surroundings basic of the basics?
Of course, that girl is my enemy.
The sloppier the enemy, the better for me.
What to do...
I listened to the faculty member's words with my ears while directing my attention to her.
At least for now, she didn't seem to have any intent to attack.
She just kept showing that sharp killing intent and piercing gaze, with no sign of approaching or moving.
Still observing for now? Or waiting for a chance to ambush?
I slowly shifted my steps to close the distance with Ruena.
Perfectly naturally.
Without any rush at all.
While maintaining the optimal distance to respond to a sudden attack.
The girl's eyes narrowed in dissatisfaction.
Soon after, whether she stood on tiptoes or not,
her face suddenly rose up, and her position darted here and there busily.
Like rummaging through bushes to find a hidden beast.
She's trying hard.
Fortunately, the killing intent didn't reach me.
To her, I was probably just an obstacle blocking her view,
as her gaze didn't deviate an inch, staying fixed only on Ruena.
A moment later, the girl's frustrated voice rang out.
"Ughhh—that lanky pole—!"
Lanky pole.
It was obviously referring to me, blocking Ruena.
At least she definitely recognized my presence now.
In that case—
How would she treat me, who was obviously on Ruena's side?
By the book, she'd see me as a threat to be wary of or eliminated.
But,
there was still no killing intent directed at me.
Only an excessive obsession aimed solely at Ruena.
Her brow furrowed ever so slightly at that unpredictable unexpectedness.
What is it?
The faculty member's explanation continued endlessly.
I listened attentively,
reacted naturally,
and pondered the suspicious girl's intentions.
Obviously, in this situation, she should be wary of me, the enemy's ally.
Who I was,
what my connection to Ruena was,
how to respond to my movements.
Those were the basics you had to address in a situation like this.
But—
She didn't.
That girl saw me merely as an obstacle and was ignoring me even now.
As if there was no need to consider me at all.
Does she only have eyes for Ruena? Or does she not see me as a threat at all?
Honestly, neither possibility sat well with me.
One felt unnatural.
The other felt like she was looking down on me—and it grated. A lot.
I smiled brightly and drew even closer to Ruena.
Not enough to draw attention,
but enough to completely block the girl's line of sight.
Then, I spoke to the faculty member right beside us.
To blur my intentions while closing the distance even more with Ruena.
"I see. In that case, about the dormitory room assignments..."
"Yes, as we informed you in advance, we've assigned single rooms for both of you. Considering House Eliad's request, we've placed the rooms close together."
"Is that so? Thank you for your thoughtful consideration."
...Did we request that?
At least it wasn't through any paperwork that passed my hands.
Well, probably Grand Duke Eliad.
To keep a close watch on her right beside her and manage her well.
That would be the best way to handle a young lady who might bolt anywhere.
As I thought that—
Something lightly touched my hand and then withdrew.
A familiar texture and warmth.
I knew without looking.
It was Ruena's hand.
While talking with the faculty member, I glanced at Ruena.
Her expression and eyes were dignified, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.
Something only I, who had watched her for so long, would notice.
She was clearly pleased about the rooms being close.
That happy about it?
My body tingled oddly at that moment—
The gaze that had been indifferently on me shifted blatantly for an instant.
It was fleeting, but clear.
Dissatisfaction and irritation.
And, for the first time, wariness mixed in.
Then, soon enough, her gaze locked back on Ruena.
An incongruously consistent demeanor.
A relentless obsession that made it impossible to gauge her true feelings.
If she were a normal person... I might have been able to infer her intentions...
But I was a Noir.
Heir to the phantom thief family that could steal anything anyone possessed.
Even that suspiciously extreme girl's inner thoughts were no exception.
I subtly siphoned a bit of Ruena's mana without notice.
Using it, I tuned into the girl's inner voice.
A moment later—
An unfamiliar emotion and thought echoed in my mind.
「What? What's going on here? Ruena has never paid attention to some random hired help before.」
Truly a puzzling inner voice from the girl.
What exactly—
is this kid...
Acting like she knows all about Ruena?
...Never before? ...Until now?
"Until now" was a word you could only use if you'd been watching Ruena from close by or constantly.
I've been by her side for over ten years.
And—
I saw this girl in the flesh for the first time today.
Yet she spoke as if she'd known for a long time.
I rapidly turned my mind.
For a brief moment, the future I'd seen in the past.
Factions targeting Ruena, calling her the final boss.
This girl's extremely suspicious inner thoughts right now.
I sidelong-glanced at her again.
Her still-childish appearance.
Her hopelessly sloppy attitude.
But within, there was a conviction built up layer by layer from long verification.
I drew Ruena's mana once more.
「What is it? A variable? Another random encounter we don't know about? Or...」
Another fragment flowed in.
Some words were unfamiliar.
Even more puzzling, incomprehensible remarks.
But...
Even in those incomprehensible remarks, there was information worth picking up.
I didn't know the path, but
this girl had been watching Ruena for a long time.
And—
She wasn't alone.
Are the factions targeting Ruena... cooperating as a group?
It wasn't mere personal obsession.
It seemed like a group that had been observing Ruena for a long time.
I revisited past memories again.
The factions targeting Ruena that I'd glimpsed while peeking at her future.
Some had similar actions,
but others took methods completely different from them.
The faculty member's explanation continued.
I responded naturally while drawing Ruena's mana again.
But—
「For now, I should report to big sis.」
「Is there something special about that lanky guy?」
「Ahh, thinking hurts my head. I'm hungry.」
「I want something sweet. Something sweet. I overslept today and starved all morning.」
「White hair... black clothes... reminds me of yanggaeng with the wrapper half-off...」
More and more, it devolved into useless chatter.
What's yanggaeng?
Thinking it a waste of mana, I stopped reading her mind.
By the end, she was just reciting foods she wanted to eat.
Ruena had more mana than me,
no, than most people—
But the entrance exam was coming up soon, so unnecessary expenditure had to be avoided.
For the honor of House Eliad.