Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Sweltering Club Room Study Session
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The club room, hotter than before.
And inside it, I was spending time with the club members, notebooks spread out.
"........."
"Why? You've been staring at me non-stop. Is something up?"
Amid all that, I posed the question to Ella, who kept looking my way.
She had been eyeing me with eyes full of dissatisfaction ever since a little earlier.
I knew full well why Ella was giving me that look, but I was pretending otherwise on purpose.
"...Tch."
"Pfft...."
Ah, this is fun.
Really... I had been quietly savoring Ella's glares up until now, but this reaction was even better.
She was glaring, sure, but there was nothing she could actually do about it.
All Ella could manage was to sit there diligently studying.
The soft scratch of pen on paper filled the quiet room, and I simply watched her work through the problems right in front of her.
"Ella, you made top ten in the class last time, right?"
"Yeah. Hehe.... I was personally super satisfied with that score."
"Then maybe aim a little higher this time? You're good at studying, so I'm sure you can pull it off."
"Hmm.... You think?"
"Yes, absolutely?"
"Then setting a goal to bump up the grades just a bit this time sounds good."
"Hehe.... Yeah.... that does sound good."
That was more or less the conversation.
Yeah, pretty much.
Even now, thinking back, Ella came off as so innocently cute.
The way she nodded along to my words, oblivious to my real intentions, with that faint smile... it was honestly hilarious.
In the end, she'd agreed to it herself, leaving her no choice but to buckle down and study during my lessons.
After all, she'd said it herself—she'd improve her grades and pay close attention to my diligent teaching?
"Pfft...."
"Don't laugh...."
"Hehe, why not?"
"...Tch."
In truth, all Ella could do was solve problems and jot down notes.
Sure, she'd glare at me midway through and click her tongue to vent her displeasure.
But I wasn't one to mind that sort of thing.
If anything, her reactions just struck me as adorable.
"Miss Grace, any tough spots? I set these problems at the level you handled during the midterm exam for starters."
"So far, it's fine. I picked up a lot from last time too...?"
"That's a relief."
Separate from my plan to show Ella just how tough problems I could dish out and solve, there was still plenty to do.
After all, this was a study session for us first-years.
While keeping Ella busy with the hard ones, I had to help Ivana and Grace with their final exams at the same time.
"If anything stumps you completely, just say so. The mana studies teacher mentioned making this exam pretty tricky."
"Y-yeah...."
Ah, and there was one slight change lately.
Grace's attitude had softened up a bit compared to before?
In the past, without Karen around, she'd snap at me constantly, like a feral cat, but not anymore.
She wasn't fully as meek as she got around Karen... but her vibe had mellowed out a lot recently?
"Pfft...."
The old prickly Grace had her charms, but this quiet, gentle version was surprisingly cute too.
Probably had something to do with her looks.
"Miss Grace, want anything to drink?"
"Huh?"
"Lize is right here, after all. If you get sleepy or tired midway, just ask her."
"Ah.... I'm good for now. Gotta solve these problems...?"
"Hehe, alright. Call if you need anything?"
With that, I shifted over to Ivana's side.
Truth be told, Ivana didn't need much diligent coaching from me.
If Ella had hit top ten on the last exam, Ivana had cracked the top five.
I hadn't asked her exact rank... but she had to be in there.
"Miss Ivana."
"Yes."
"You've finished all the problems already?"
"Yes."
"Hmm.... Want me to whip up more? Or something else?"
"No need for more right now. Let's chat."
"Uh.... Sure?"
Well... Ivana really didn't need extra study time.
For her, prepping for family head succession—like I'd mentioned before—was way more pressing than cramming for finals?
Plenty of time left, sure, but no reason to skip it.
I dragged over a chair, getting ready for some business talk with Ivana.
Hadn't specified business outright... but that's the direction she was steering.
"The weather.... hot, huh."
"Yeah? It's July now, after all."
"Sigh...."
Ivana kicked things off with a deeply fatigued look.
The heat had ramped up, and she seemed especially vulnerable to it.
Must've been rough commuting to the academy lately.
Just sitting here in the club room felt grueling.
"But good thing we brought the magic tools, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Without them.... we'd never manage exam prep like this. I'm pretty heat-weak myself."
"...Definitely."
Ivana's gaze drifted to my neck and arms.
The magic tool was cutting the heat, and I wiped sweat now and then... but it lingered.
"If I hadn't packed the magic tool, I'd be flat on the floor by now?"
No exaggeration.
I was dead certain I'd keel over from the heat.
Sitting in a sealed club room without it? I'd collapse for real.
Not quite mid-thirties temps, but heat wrecked me anyway.
"...Wish summer would hurry up and end."
"Yeah, same."
Ivana was usually a mystery—what went on in that head?
But this time, I got it crystal clear.
Because it matched my thoughts exactly.
"Honestly, winter would let me coast normally."
"That so."
"Yeah, cold doesn't hit me as hard. You too, right, Miss Ivana? Winter here's nothing next to the Northern Region."
"True."
Unlike the exam chats with the others, it was mostly weather gripes with Ivana.
Both of us weak to heat.
No helping it.
Magic stone blasting constant wind... but that barely scratched the surface.
...It was infuriatingly hot!
"Hueee...."
Mid-rant on the heat, I faceplanted onto the desk.
"Miss Ivana, you don't feel hot? Sitting there ramrod straight."
"...Hot."
"But perfect posture anyway?"
"More chair contact just makes it worse...."
"Ah...."
Fair point.
Anyway... scorching weather was the worst.
Part of me wanted to pass out and sleep through to winter.
"...You."
I'd been venting weather woes with Ivana nonstop when Ella, mid-problem, suddenly called out.
"Yes? What? Stuck somewhere?"
"...Yeah. Come here quick."
"Hehe, on my way?"
Hmm... thought she'd been cruising solo earlier.
Most problems really that brutal?
Ella summoned me sooner than I'd figured.
I'd banked on this from the jump, stocking only tough ones on purpose.
All to coax her into begging me for problem help.
Deliberate from square one.
"Pfft.... What tripped you up so bad, Ella? Dragging me from my chill spot... must've been brutal for you."
"...Yeah."
"Figured your skills could handle it...."
"Isn't it way too hard for that...?"
"Hmm.... Maybe?"
I knew the score—it was my scheme—but it still tickled me pink.
Ella, who'd lowballed my chops a tad, now needing my help? Priceless.
Naturally, I suppressed the grin, feigning solemn focus to assist.
"Where's the snag?"
"...This one."
"Hmm...."
"...Quit staring like that."
"You stared plenty. Can't I get a look?"
"Tch..."
Her peeved reaction was pure gold.
Or less peeved... more pissed at my smirking.
Same diff, right?
"Pfuhuhu...."
"Quit laughing and teach already."
"Hmm.... Club room too stuffy? Feels like I need a drink first to explain...."
"...Seriously?"
"Why?"
I hit her with wide-eyed innocence.
Truth? Mood already sky-high, but hey—chance to flex my study grind for Ella.
Plus, yank her grades skyward?
"How about a quick drink break, then back to studying?"
"Tch...."
"No?"
"...Fine. But proper teaching after, got it?"
"Hehe, obviously. Think I'd slack on purpose?"
"...You."
I tossed that at Ella with a mischievous grin.
Did it rile her anew? She shot back a deadpan stare.
"Hehe."
How'd everyone around me serve up such killer reactions?
Keep this up, and we'd blow off studying entirely—pure teasing till time ran out.
No cap—their vibes were that addictive.