77. Emergency Meeting
The meeting room in Stille was bustling today. The school administrators and professors were gathered, conducting an emergency meeting.
Even though it was called an emergency meeting, it was a frequent occurrence. It had been held because of the Holy Staff during the entrance ceremony. A few days had passed since then.
Since this happened every time, the atmosphere carried no tension but felt more like a gathering of neighborhood elders.
This building had been constructed by the Saint’s disciples a thousand years ago. Even the professors of this era did not fully understand the mysteries slumbering here. It was inevitable that incidents would occur. Thanks to selecting only those who had made a name for themselves on the Floating Island and placing them in administrative positions, the place somehow kept running. This was the hidden side of the prestigious magic school.
“Anyway. Until it’s resolved, we need to move the students from the single-room floor of the male dormitory to the double rooms.”
“I have temporarily set up a barrier. Students who accidentally entered have been successfully rescued. Detailed information will be announced within the school as it’s compiled.”
“Ah… We’ve breathed a sigh of relief.”
“Then, let’s temporarily evacuate the single-room students. For now, let’s conclude the matter regarding ‘the spatial entanglement phenomenon on the single-room floor of the male dormitory’! Next agenda. Oh, this is a problem in many ways…”
Meg, who had been conducting the meeting, expressed her difficulty. Meg was the twin sister of Mel, the headmaster’s secretary. She had also recently been in charge of school guidance.
As she bit her lip, the people in the meeting room tilted their heads.
“Um, let me explain. Today is the fourth day since the new semester started, and there are already two freshmen with 60 demerits.”
“What?”
“No, what did they do…”
“Are there such bad students in Stille?”
Meg spoke again in the murmuring meeting room.
“Th… The students who came with the Chunja from the Holy City. A female student named Sugar and a male student named Ryly. It’s demerits accumulated due to public indecency.”
“Ah… those ones…”
“You mean the white-haired and blonde couple?”
“Continue. If this trend continues, the student council will be here soon, but these students are the ones who came with the Chunja from the Holy City… It seems there’s an opinion that it could cause problems in the relationship between Stille and the Holy City.”
“Expelled for public indecency… It’s a shameful thing for both Stille and the Holy City…”
“There, isn’t it already prickly because of the staff issue? They don’t say it outright, but their attitude was like ‘Aren’t you just borrowing miracles because you couldn’t manage it?’”
“What if the great Saint’s choice is doubted by themselves? Lack of faith!”
“That’s because the staff chose an individual student, not the Chunja…”
“How do they educate in the Holy City? Big adults acting indecently in public places—”
“Wait, my mouth is watering. Let’s calm down. We’ll talk about the Holy City later.”
Someone clapped and said something, making the meeting room slightly quieter.
“Um, first, let’s find out about the students. The male student is in the top percentile of the entrance exam score… and the female student has decent written exams but quite good practical skills.”
“Do you all know about the mana properties of that female student?”
“I heard rumors about it, but is it true?”
“Yeah. I attended class yesterday, and the purity of her basic internal mana was similar to what I refined three times.”
The professor in charge of the advanced mana utilization process stroked his mustache and spoke, and most of the professors’ eyes turned to him.
They were all mages who had made a name for themselves on the Floating Island. An academic city where all kinds of magic research and mystery interpretation were done. All of them were mages affiliated with that place, professors, and researchers.
“Everyone, snap out of it! Right now, the demerits are the problem.”
“Is there a way? We can’t not reduce the demerits. There will be fairness issues. If you don’t want to be expelled, you should restrain yourselves.”
“Still, looking at their abilities, they’re excellent students… How about providing a lot of service opportunities every time we meet? Assigning various errands and giving them shops. Since they don’t want to be expelled either, they won’t refuse if told to? In this case, it won’t cause major fairness issues.”
“Um. Then, if they receive the shop and continue public indecency behavior?”
“What can we do… It’s not committing a crime. It’s better to avoid conflict with the Holy City.”
“They’re sending weird things over there…”
“Anyway, calm down.”
“Then, shall we proceed in that direction? If there are better ideas later, please let me know… Yes, then let’s conclude the matter regarding ‘public indecency freshmen’! Then next agenda. Recently, there are many complaints from professors about too many emergency meetings being added to the agenda……”
Then the scene shifted.
A girl with pink-tinged white hair tossed restlessly in the blanket.
Morning always came, and the sunlight streaming through the windows was dazzling.
It was the morning of the fifth day of enrollment.
Sugar rolled her body, stretching here and there, and got up from the bed. She needed to get ready to go out.
She showered, changed clothes. Today’s stockings wrapped around her legs were tight.
Finally, Sugar, wearing the headband and cloak, left the dormitory.
Then, under the sunlight, Ryly was waiting as usual. Dressed neatly, handsome appearance. Women leaving the dormitory glanced at him once.
Sugar immediately ran to Ryly’s arms, squeezed between her chest, and secretly pressed her body close, rubbing her cheeks vigorously.
“What are you doing?”
“Good morning greeting.”
“Demerits.”
“Hing.”
She made a loud sound and fell, but instead held his hand.
Holding hands wasn’t public indecency, but it was much easier to respond than hugging each other.
Once, see.
Two people heading to the main building for lectures, hands intertwined, very affectionate.
But both were paying more attention to their surroundings than usual. Looking for something or being cautious.
Then Ryly stopped abruptly.
“Frontal view, professor-level mana.”
If they whispered, they immediately separated hands and took a step back.
Soon, a slender-eared, gentle-looking female professor passed by. She was the herbology professor. When they bowed their heads, she greeted them too.
After the professor passed, the two sighed and held hands again.
“Hehe…”
Sugar smiled happily.
A few days ago, Ryly’s suggestion for distance and the resulting conflict. From the ultimate despair shown by Sugar there, Ryly had yielded.
‘Should I not even hold hands?’
‘…’
‘Whoa? Ryly.’
‘…’
‘Even though you crossed the line… you keep licking my ears like you’re tasting—’
‘When did I ever do that!’
Through such conversations, she had received permission that ‘Okay, just holding hands’. And active cooperation. When feeling a professor-level mana while walking, she quickly distanced, and when passed, she clung again.
It was really pitiful for the two of them.
By the way, the reason the demerits went from 30 to 60 was because before that conversation, Sugar had a tantrum once. After making up, she rubbed Ryly’s thighs saying good, but it was too lewd, so she got double the demerits.
“… Why are you smiling. You should be thinking about filling the shop.”
Even so, the smiling face was unbelievable, so Ryly grumbled.
“Even like this, I have thoughts, Ryly. Listen carefully. We should be the first to actively approach the professors. Asking if there’s any work or errands. We’ll do it, so first propose asking for the shop.”
It was an idea from the original work. Thinking about those numerous subquests, the weight given by the professors there, this should be possible. Magic school professors always needed students to help them.
“Is that possible? …Well. They seem like they’d do it if we look at the Holy City.”
“First, we should say it.”
As she rubbed the intertwined hands, Ryly held her hand tightly. It was the answer ‘understood’.
“Ah, right. Students!”
In the meantime, the herbology professor who had passed earlier approached them.
The two quickly let go of hands and distanced far away. Same speed as the previous Sugar who had been watching internet lectures instead of yashishi videos and pressing alt+tab.
“Students are Sugar and Ryly?”
“Yes… that’s right.”
“We didn’t do anything. Really didn’t. Not indecent.”
Ryly answered hesitantly, and Sugar shook her head vigorously in denial.
“We didn’t do it to give demerits. Maybe we can help a bit? We’ll give you a shop as reward. How about it?”
“Ooh? Unexpected question, both blinked their eyes the same.”
Soon, color returned to their faces.
“…”
“…”
Nice. Moving the flower pots outside into the greenhouse. Although not using magic, it wasn’t difficult.
But the scale of the flower pots was like the size of a sports field. Problem.
“… When seen from afar, it was narrow.”
I didn’t know how the structure was. The sense of distance was broken. This too was a mystery of the magic school.
“How many points does the shop give?”
Ryly asked, and the professor ‘Hmm…’ put her hand on her cheek and pondered.
“How about 30 points?”
“Leave it to me!”
Sugar answered briskly and entered among the flower pots. There was still time until morning class, so she thought to do a little as much as possible before leaving.
Thus, the labor to avoid the student council began. Large flower pots by Ryly, small by Sugar.
Sugar also offered to move the large ones herself, but Ryly lifted her up and placed her on the small ones. The dejected Sugar just obediently moved the small flower pots.
“By the way, where is Ian-nim?”
She asked Ryly who she met while going in and out of the greenhouse. Thinking about it, she hadn’t seen his face today. Both came from the male dormitory, so they should have come together, but she didn’t see the appearance.
“Earlier, I was called by the dormitory head and went somewhere. Because there’s a problem on the single-room floor, probably because of that. She told me to go first.”
“Problem? What kind of problem?”
“The space on the single-room floor is twisted. We don’t know when it will be invaded, so we’re temporarily evacuating.”
“The space is twisted? Does such an incident happen?”
Was there such an accident in the original work? Probably not. Really. There were all kinds of things.
While wondering at this strangeness, Ryly opened his mouth and then closed it.
“Why? Do you have something to say?”
“Just. It seems better not to say it.”
“Why. What were you going to say?”
“The definition of spatial entanglement. When the direction of force is wrong in multi-dimensional overlapping spaces, a specific dimension reacts by—”
“Ryly. Are you hurt? Are you safe?”
Just brushing it off. As if no conversation happened, Sugar looked around Ryly worriedly.
“No problem. No students were particularly injured. Just moving the rooms to double rooms and that’s it.”
“… Double rooms?”
The conversation flowed normally. Just a normal conversation at school. Like asking about friends or explaining a slightly difficult theory.
But why would a creepy voice come out there. Ryly, with a strangely ominous feeling, slightly turned around.
Why is that expression again!
“With whom are you sharing?”
Sugar’s eyes were wide open. Not cutely wide open. Clearly containing ominousness.
“Since it’s the male dormitory, with a guy… Don’t think weird thoughts.”
“Yeah… Well, that’s right. But, just in case. Just in case. Right?”
“… What are you trying to say.”
Sugar put down the flower pot and slowly approached. And slipped her hand on top of Ryly’s sleeve-rolled forearm.
Much thicker forearm than Sugar’s. She grabbed it lightly.
“Meaning, are you sharing with Ian-nim? Are the two of you sharing? Sharing, right? Probably.”
Persistent questions. The hand holding the forearm got stronger.
Seeing that, Ryly immediately opened his mouth.
“Not sharing?”
“… Eh?”
“Sharing with another freshman. What are you misunderstanding.”
“…”
Unexpected answer, Sugar rolled her eyes.
Ah, um, that’s it.
Just silently rubbing Ryly’s forearm with her hand. Sticking fingers into protruding veins and playing with it. Laughing “Ehehe-” too.
So, she was embarrassed right now. She was embarrassed because she had been trying to trigger obsession mode by guessing and getting attached. She was sorry for having bad feelings towards Ian.
Ian-nim was a woman. It was natural to understand if sharing with someone who knew her secret was convenient, understand, understand, don’t understand, understand, ah. Let’s think later.
“Pa, your arms are sturdy, Ryly.”
By changing the topic like that, Ryly brought his face close to Sugar.
To the ear.
Breath.
Memory of yesterday.
Sugar flinched and backed away with a patter. Holding her chest, she made a face that looked embarrassed, cautious, surprised.
Although she seemed calm, the ‘that time’ was deeply remembered. The day Ryly had whispered sweet words. The day she had realized her ears were sensitive. Since then, when he brought his face close to her ear, she jumped.
Ryly showed a smug expression towards such Sugar. The thing Sugar often did. Lifting the corners of her mouth and narrowing her eyes.
Clearly a mocking smile. Soaked in superiority, the attitude that the hierarchy between her and him was clear now.
Also, it seemed to contain the meaning of ‘what if you like me like that’. It was like teasing that jealousy was useless.
Sugar’s eyebrows shot up.
Seeing that expression, it was like her sleeping self-esteem was waking up.
This. Now, let’s try?