Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Cold Boy and the Hot Girl (3)
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Jake felt his blood boil. Hours of waiting to see Amy, only for his efforts to be met with insult.
“A little brat like you…! Hmph!”
Jake shut his mouth and flinched. Amy had already entered her Spirit Zone. It was likely a targeted, omnidirectional type.
“A little brat like me? You’re all talk. Do I really look like such a joke to you? If you’re so pissed off, then come at me. I’ll burn you to a crisp right now.”
Jake ground his teeth. He had been mistaken to think of her as a model student who only buried her nose in books. She, too, was a rascal who had roamed the back alleys from a young age.
“Using magic at this hour is against the rules.”
“Weren’t you the first one to use magic? While you were heating up that civet coffee or whatever.”
“You crazy bitch! You think that’s the same as an omnidirectional…!”
“Haha!”
Amy couldn’t help but burst into laughter. So this was all he was, a petty little man. The kind who got scared the moment she revealed her full power. Most of the men she’d met were like that.
“Do you know why I accepted Shirone’s coffee? Because he seems to take responsibility for his own actions. He does what he can before spouting nonsense about his family or the rules, unlike you. If you don’t disappear this instant, I will incinerate you. Not even a trace will be left.”
Jake was certain. She wasn’t lying. The Red Eyes of the Carmis family, which he had only heard about in rumors. Her large eyes were glowing crimson.
“If you kill me…”
“I don’t care. I, too, take responsibility for what I do.”
Jake bit his lip so hard he thought his molars would break. He had never felt such intense humiliation.
But faced with the pressure radiating from her Red Eyes, even a renowned ruffian like Jake had no choice but to back down.
He was caught in Amy’s omnidirectional spell. As the top student of Class Four, she could burn him to ashes with near-absolute certainty.
“Just you wait, you insolent wench!”
Jake ground his teeth and stormed out of the library. Only after he was out of sight did the light in her Red Eyes fade. Amy swayed for a moment, rubbing her eyes and muttering.
“So annoying. What a jerk.”
She had planned to take a rare break, only to waste her time on some worthless human. The thought was unbearably irritating. Because once time was gone, it could never be brought back.
Why were all the guys who clung to her such scumbags? She wondered if there might be something wrong with her own personality.
A chuckle escaped Amy’s lips.
“Well, I guess I do have a lot of problems.”
Suddenly, Amy felt sorry for Shirone.
* * *
Having escaped his life of slavery to Amy, Shirone’s days were filled with happiness. There was a saying, ‘You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.’ Realizing how precious that one hour stolen by Amy had been made studying all the more enjoyable.
Thanks to the scandal with the most arrogant girl in school, he had to endure the stares of others, but in the library, no one paid him any mind. This passion for learning was the very driving force that had made Alpheas Magic Academy so prestigious.
Today, after finishing his classes, Shirone was humming a tune on his way to the library. Then, near the faculty dorms, he spotted a familiar face.
It was Amy’s friend, Fortress Seriel. Shirone changed his path when he saw her pacing back and forth, looking like she desperately needed the restroom.
They only exchanged greetings during integrated classes, but he personally had a favorable impression of her. Unlike Amy, who growled at him on sight, Seriel always offered words of encouragement. Of course, he still had no idea what she was encouraging him about.
Spotting Shirone approaching, Seriel’s eyes widened. Then, with a stunned expression as if she had seen a ghost, she started running toward him.
“Hello, senpai…”
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing here?”
Seriel abruptly grabbed Shirone by the collar and shook him.
“Why are you here?! If I’d known this, I wouldn’t have had to let Amy go!”
Shirone tilted his head. She knew he went straight to the library after his day was done.
“What’s wrong? You have to tell me for me to know.”
“Read this! Did nothing really happen to you?”
Seriel held out a crumpled piece of paper. Shirone took it without a word and unfolded it. It was a short warning note from a sender called the Black Magician.
30 minutes ago.
A man blocked Amy and Seriel’s path as they headed to the library.
He was a Class Five student, a long-term repeater over the age of 23. They had been in the same class a year ago, so she knew his name, but she had never spoken to him due to his gloomy personality.
“Greetings, senpai. You’re still riding high, I see.”
Amy snorted at the man’s obsequious tone and tried to walk past him.
“I’m busy, so please move. I have nothing to say.”
“Hey, don’t be like that. We were classmates once. Spare me a moment of your time.”
“Was I your only classmate? There must be hundreds of students who’ve passed through Class Five, so go find one of them.”
She was speaking to him respectfully due to his age, but she couldn’t hide the thorns in her heart. She disliked this man. Being in Class Five meant he wasn’t entirely without talent, yet his mind was elsewhere. What was there to discuss with human trash who settled for a mediocre position and preyed on younger female students?
“Haha! Still as bratty as ever, Amy.”
A dangerous glint appeared in Amy’s eyes.
“What? What did you just say?”
She had treated him with respect for his age, and now he was trying to walk all over her. But the man, as if he had something to rely on, calmly handed her a note.
“The boss wants to see you. You’d be wise to do as you’re told. If you don’t want to cause trouble for your little prince.”
“Little prince? What are you talking about?”
Amy frowned, snatching the note and reading it.
We have Shirone. Come to Training Ground 14 by 6 o’clock before we make it so he can’t function as a man. If you tell a teacher, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.
Black Magician.
She immediately crumpled the note.
“So what? Shirone has nothing to do with me. And even if he did, you think I’d listen to you people?”
“Hehe, that’s for you to decide. I’m just the messenger.”
Having successfully completed his mission, the man revealed a vile smile and sauntered away.
Furious, Amy threw the note on the ground. Seriel picked it up, read the contents, and her hands began to tremble.
Black Magician. Their true identity was unknown, but the delinquent circle was notorious among the students.
“Amy, what do we do? These guys are truly vicious. There are rumors that they’re the reason Tyra dropped out last month.”
“Tyra?”
Her Class Four classmate, Tyra, was a skilled student who, while not at the level of a graduating senior, maintained above-average grades. If they had managed to threaten her, they must have ganged up on her or used some cowardly trick.
“I have to go, for now. Whatever the case, Shirone was captured because of me.”
“Let’s just tell a teacher. I’m worried about Shirone, but you could be in danger too.”
“A teacher? Hmm…”
Amy hesitated. Her own past was one thing, but Shirone had a secret about his origins that would be troublesome if revealed.
If the incident blew up, rumors would spread throughout the school, and Shirone’s school life could be over. Knowing the nobles’ sense of entitlement better than anyone, she was sure of it.
“I’ll go first. If I’m not back by 7, then report it to a teacher.”
“What are you talking about? We need to tell them now!”
“I’m sorry. There’s a reason for this. I’ll tell you everything when I get back, okay?”
Seriel was flustered to see the always-confident Amy plead like this. It was a first in their friendship.
“Then I’m going with you. Who knows how many of them there will be?”
“I need you to stay behind and prepare for the worst. Don’t worry. The leader is probably Jake. He’s not skilled enough to do anything to me.”
Seriel knew Amy’s genius better than anyone. Though she was held back by the barrier of being a non-graduating senior, there was a vast difference in skill even within Class Four. And Amy was a powerhouse who had never lost her top spot.
“Alright. Exactly one hour. If you’re not back by 7, I’m telling a teacher, no matter what.”
“Okay. I’ll be counting on you, then.”
After hearing the whole story from Seriel, Shirone was dumbfounded. Not only was he surprised that a delinquent circle called the Black Magician existed, but that Amy had risked danger for his sake.
“So in the end, she went because of me, right? Then what are we doing just standing here?”
“I don’t know! Amy told me to wait no matter what. Why on earth are you here?!”
Shirone thought he understood. Granting a one-hour grace period was a sign of her confidence that she could handle it herself. And behind that action was the consideration to protect his secret. Leaving her friend Seriel as a messenger was an excellent decision.
“I have to go! You should do as Amy-senpai said.”
Shirone ran toward Training Ground 14. There were still 30 minutes until the appointed time, but the distance was the problem. Training Ground 14 was used for live combat, so it was located deep in the mountains.
Suddenly, the scenery blurred, and the buildings were instantly pushed behind him. He turned his head to see that Seriel was now holding him by his side.
“How long do you think it’ll take to run there? I’m coming with you.”
It was short-range teleportation, an essential spell for mages. It was forbidden on school grounds due to the risk of collisions, but this was no time to worry about such things.
*Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!*
Students looked up at the sound of space repeatedly tearing open. Seriel, holding Shirone, was blinking in 10-meter intervals, disappearing toward the mountains.
Arriving at the foot of the mountain, the two of them began to run up the slope. Teleportation was as dangerous as it was efficient; attempting it in the mountains could be fatal.
The two arrived at Training Ground 14 before 6 o’clock. But Amy was nowhere to be seen. There wasn’t a soul in sight, let alone the Black Magician.
“Amy! Amy! What happened? Why isn’t she here?”
“Maybe they took her somewhere else? Since the location was on the note, they probably didn’t rule out the possibility of us reporting it to a teacher. We might have been tricked.”
“Then what about Amy?”
Realizing the meticulousness of the Black Magician, Shirone was certain. They were planning to cause real trouble.
“Go down the mountain now and tell a teacher. You can get there much faster without me.”
“But Amy told me to wait until 7 no matter what! She said there were circumstances. What if she’s disappointed in me later?”
“Those circumstances are because of me, so hurry up and go! It’s fine since I said it’s okay!”
Seriel wore a blank expression. To think Amy’s desperate look was because of Shirone.
“Really? What is going on between you two? Are you actually dating behind my back?”
“Is this really the time for that? She could be in danger if we’re late!”
“Ah, alright! You don’t go wandering off either, stay here!”
Seriel turned and headed back the way they came. As long as it didn’t cause problems for Amy, there was no reason not to report it.
Shirone ventured into the mountain, searching for Amy. Unlike the other nobles, he had spent half his life in the mountains, so the dense forest felt rather familiar.
He expanded his Spirit Zone as far as he could, searching for any trace of Amy. After about ten minutes of traversing the mountain, the first footprint was finally conveyed to him through his synesthesia.
“Here!”
But there were no more traces. Judging by how the undergrowth was pressed down from this point, she had clearly been taken into the sky.
If so, there was no way to find Amy. Shirone felt helpless as he circled the area for a long time. Then, at some point, the sound of a spatial tear erupted from the distant sky. Shirone’s head snapped toward the source of the sound.