A Conversation for Two
The one who blocked my path was Veronica Eltwin.
Vacation had already come and gone, yet somehow she remained exactly the same.
Her repertoire hadn’t changed a bit.
She was going to demand another apology from me any second now. I could tell without even hearing her out. Our Veronica never changed.
“Um…”
“I’m not interested in any apology, so step aside.”
I said it and started walking again—only for Veronica to flap her arms and plant herself right back in front of me.
“Wait, Louis! This time it’s not about that…”
What on earth was she trying to dump on me this time? I almost considered listening, but someone cut her off first.
“Disciple! I’m starving!”
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
My master suddenly shouted, and both Veronica and I turned to look at her at the same time.
“Hurry up! Follow me!”
“Wha—hey?!”
Master grabbed my arm and slipped past Veronica in a flash, out through the classroom door. The movement was so smooth and mysterious it almost looked like she was using footwork—
Wait. She actually is.
Behind us Veronica made a dumbfounded noise, but before she could even call my name again, Master had already dragged me clean out of her line of sight.
When she finally stopped, I asked,
“Were you that hungry, Master?”
For some reason she looked at me like I was an idiot.
“Disciple, you clearly didn’t want to talk to her, so I pulled you out.”
“Ah…”
“Did I do something unnecessary?”
“No. Thank you, Master.”
She asked me next,
“That girl just now was Veronica Eltwin, wasn’t she?”
“Huh? How did you know? Did I mention her?”
“She looked so ill-mannered I figured she had to be the Veronica Eltwin you always complain about.”
“Pfft!”
We stepped out of the building together. Once again I felt the students’ gazes concentrating on me. The emotions behind those stares were a little different from before, though.
All thanks to Her Highness the Princess.
At Count Ansberg’s funeral the Student Council President had officially praised my contributions. On top of that, I’d shown what I could do in the duel against Leo right before vacation. Of course that didn’t mean the same students who’d been cursing me yesterday suddenly started yelling “Whoa, Louis is amazing!” Overnight. Before, every word they muttered while looking at me had been pure Wallenstein-slander. Now a faint thread of interest in the person named Louis Wallenstein had been added to the mix. A positive change, if you squinted hard enough.
Anyway, Master and I headed toward the cafeteria.
Or so I thought.
“Disciple.”
“Yes, Master?”
“That pigeon over there looks nice and plump.”
“…?”
“A fat pigeon makes an excellent protein source.”
She lunged for the bird.
“Whoa—stop.”
I caught her by the scruff of the neck.
“Gack! What are you doing, Disciple?! That pigeon’s getting away!”
I sighed. Where was I even supposed to begin explaining? Choosing my words carefully, I made a suggestion.
“Master, now that you’ve returned to the secular world, why not enjoy a few of civilization’s conveniences?”
“Meaning?”
“Let’s eat at the cafeteria from now on.”
She answered,
“Back in my day…”
Here we go again. Back in my day.
“…you had to pay money to eat at a cafeteria. Free meals? Young people these days ought to be grateful.”
I tilted my head.
“We still have to pay, though?”
“Then I can’t eat.”
Oh.
“Don’t tell me you don’t have a single coin?”
She nodded vigorously up and down.
“So hurry and catch us a bird. Ah—look at that chubby sparrow!”
She charged at the sparrow this time. I snatched her up again.
“Tsk, I almost had it—”
“Let’s go. I’ll treat you.”
“Ooh! Really?!”
Her eyes sparkled as she asked,
“But Disciple, you’re always whining that you’re broke…”
“I can manage enough to buy Master a meal.”
In truth I really was broke. Count Franz Wallenstein had declared there would be no more allowance, though he’d still given me the bare minimum needed for academy life. The problem was that it truly was the bare minimum. Feeding Master every day would bankrupt me in no time.
Fortunately I always had a plan. It had nothing to do with original-game knowledge. I’d simply… borrowed a little from Franz Wallenstein’s wallet, which solved a decent portion of my cash-flow problems. He had probably noticed by now.
Anyway, I led my master—tail wagging furiously with excitement—into the cafeteria.
“I-It’s delicious!”
Master stuffed her face with abandon. While the two of us were eating, someone who used to join me for meals often before vacation showed up.
Yes—the Imperial Princess.
She started to sit across from me as usual, then paused.
“Who…?”
She murmured without thinking.
“Mmph-mmph… Alice Schiller! And you?”
“…Kalia Speltz.”
Introductions finished, Master buried her face in her plate again, clearly done with conversation. In reality she was just obsessed with the food, but that was how it looked.
Once seated, the Princess spoke again.
“It has been a while, Louis Wallenstein.”
“Good to see you.”
We weren’t exactly close, so meeting after so long felt a little awkward. Still, ever since the funeral we had grown noticeably closer.
“And this is…?”
“Ah.”
I hesitated for a second under the President’s question, then chose the safest answer.
“A friend.”
“Ho. To think you had friends besides this one. How surprising.”
“Why are you poking at my sore spots all of a sudden?”
We traded a few jokes, but overall the meal stayed quiet. The President was naturally laconic. I was still a touch awkward after the long separation. And Master said nothing at all, completely focused on her food. We made quite the contrast with the other students laughing and chatting around us.
“Hmm… I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before…”
That was the only thing the Princess muttered during the meal.
“Ahh, that hit the spot!”
Master patted her tiny stomach. The Princess watched her for a moment, then turned back to me.
“Louis Wallenstein, I need a word with you in private.”
“Yes? What about…”
“It concerns the matter of the funeral the other day…”
She shot a careful glance at Master. Master’s ears perked up.
“Uh… Master, could you head back to the classroom first?”
I’d already told Master everything about the funeral, but the President clearly wanted a one-on-one. Master wasn’t involved in any of this anyway.
Yet for some reason her tail drooped.
“Understood…”
She trudged off toward the building for reasons I couldn’t fathom.
The President led me to a quieter spot and began.
“I apologize, Louis Wallenstein.”
“Pardon?”
“The proposal to summon you to the Imperial Palace and personally commend your achievements was rejected. Regardless of the process, Ansberg Territory was left in ruins, and…”
She trailed off.
“…because of your family, the opposition was too strong…”
I shrugged.
“I’m fine just knowing you spoke up for me, President.”
I truly hadn’t expected an invitation to the palace. The idea was tempting, sure, but it would also multiply the number of people jealous enough to come after me. I was genuinely okay with it—yet the President seemed to read my expression as disappointment and looked even more apologetic.
“Haa… I should have pushed harder.”
“No, no.”
I waved both hands vigorously. She let out a soft snort of laughter.
“Louis, you really are something… Anyone else would be over the moon at the mere thought of being invited to the palace for an official reward…”
Watching her moved face, I shook my head inwardly. She was definitely misunderstanding something big. I wasn’t even from this world; an invitation to the Imperial Palace didn’t exactly fill me with awe or glory or any of that.
“The palace invitation fell through, but I will take personal responsibility for your reward at the very least. Trust this one, Louis Wallenstein.”
“Yes, ma’am, President!”
My playfully crisp reply brought another smile to her face. I kept thinking it every time—she really was a reliable and grateful person to have around.
After finishing my talk with the President, I returned to the classroom.
Leo and his gang were nowhere in sight. Veronica didn’t seem to be around either. Even Felice had vanished somewhere. Aine, who used to hover near me before vacation, was also missing today.
Master was in the classroom, though. I sat down beside her naturally.
“…Hmph.”
For some reason she turned her back on me.
“Master…?”
I called her name. Her ears twitched, but she refused to look around.
What was this about?
She didn’t speak a single word to me for the rest of lunch period. And while I was busy wondering why Master was acting that way, a certain man walked into the classroom.
Even so, a thought flashed through my mind.
Here it comes—the first event of the second year!