Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Shina Under the Moonlight (2)
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But Shina said nothing, simply walking with her eyes fixed on the ground.
Seeing her so downcast weighed heavily on Shirone's heart.
If it weren't for the accident in their youth, she and Armin might have developed a wonderful relationship.
But he couldn't blame Armin for getting married so suddenly. He had left Shina's side of his own accord to ease his beloved sister's guilt.
Nade grumbled, clearly displeased.
“Tch. I'll never understand men and women.”
“It can't be helped. Not everything in life goes the way you want.”
“Damn it! She's so cold at school, I honestly don't want to see her like this.”
Clenching his fists in frustration, Nade quickened his pace and approached Shina.
“Ma’am.”
“Oh, yes?”
“We’re hungry. Since we’re out anyway, could you buy us a meal?”
Shina looked at him, dumbfounded. Their home invasion was an offense worthy of disciplinary action from the academy. And yet, here he was, casually asking her to buy them food.
“You've got some nerve. How can you even think about food right now?”
“What's the big deal? We have to eat, even if we get punished. I mean, we learn magic to make a living, don't we?”
Shirone chimed in.
“He’s right, ma’am. Let’s eat before we go back. I’m hungry too.”
Iruki spoke up.
“In that case, I suggest we head to the noble district. It’s close to the school anyway, and I know a really delicious, expensive restaurant over there.”
Shina had lost the will to even be annoyed. While her students’ audacity was shameless, she had a faint idea why they were acting this way. She didn't want to return to the academy in this mood either. Besides, it was a holiday.
“Fine, I get it. You must be tired from all your mischief, so let's eat. But you'd better be prepared when we get back to school.”
“Hehe! Yes, ma’am!”
Nade winked at his friends. While his primary goal was to cheer Shina up, he had also calculated that dragging things out might help them evade punishment.
The noble district was lined with all sorts of luxurious shops. Iruki led Shina to the most splendid-looking establishment. Standing before the six-story building, Shirone’s jaw dropped.
Befitting a place frequented by prominent nobles, the entrance was on another level. Pillars carved from whole white sharks supported the balcony ceiling, and marble statues of mythical beasts stood guard on either side like sentinels.
Restaurant Gold Cupid.
It was a top-tier restaurant where every dish came with a premium price tag.
“Wow! I’ve never been here before. We’re in for a real treat today. Shirone, let’s go!”
“Huh? Well, um…”
Shirone glanced at Shina. As expected, she was staring up at the sign with a wry smile. It was understandable, given this was the most expensive restaurant in the vicinity. After all, Iruki wouldn't have picked a place like this unless he was planning to fleece their teacher.
But Shina didn't get angry. Instead, she sighed as if resigned to her fate and strode through the entrance.
“Alright. Let’s eat here.”
“Ooh! Our teacher! She’s on a different level!”
Iruki joined in on Nade’s flattery.
“Don’t be foolish. It’s a mistake to judge our teacher’s generosity by this. A Grade 6 mage can walk into a place like this as if it were a restroom. Isn't that right, ma'am?”
“Enough, just get inside. But we're going straight back to the academy after we eat.”
It was Shirone's first time in a restaurant for nobles, and he was stunned by the sheer scale of the interior. It was as if magic had been used; the inside seemed completely different in size from the outside.
The tables were so sparse it felt like a waste of space, and on one side was a bar decorated with various crystal lamps.
Naturally, the patrons were nobles, and the jewelry they wore made it clear they were prominent figures in Creas.
“Shirone! Over here!”
Shirone, who had been lost in a daze, headed to the table where his friends were calling him. Nade and Iruki occasionally looked around, but they didn't seem nervous.
A waiter approached to take their order. He had slicked-back hair and a greasy air about him, and the way his gaze lingered on Shina was quite slimy, making Shirone and the others deeply uncomfortable.
At school, they were teacher and students, but out here, a man was expected to escort a woman. The waiter, however, paid the students no mind, his eyes fixed solely on Shina.
“Welcome, esteemed guest. Thank you for visiting Gold Cupid. I am at a loss for words that such a beautiful lady has graced our establishment with her presence.”
His attempt at flattery was one thing, but his intentional disregard for Shirone and his friends was blatant.
‘Tch. They call this a top-tier restaurant? What kind of staff training do they have? In his dreams. Does he really think a teacher like her would give a sleazeball like him the time of day?’
Nade was fuming. His eyes scanned the prices on the menu. He would order the most expensive thing. It was his way of getting back at the waiter for treating them like children.
Without a second thought, Iruki rattled off an order for a full-course meal. Emboldened, Nade ordered another course.
Shirone was still deliberating. To be honest, he didn't recognize a single item on the menu. Braised Olaris—how was he supposed to know if that was meat, fish, or a monster’s tongue?
But he wasn't one to be caught off guard, so he calmly ordered the same thing as Nade. The menu Iruki had chosen seemed a bit risky.
As the orders for dishes typically served only to VIPs came one after another, the waiter’s face grew paler. His first thought was whether they could even afford to pay. While every dish had a premium, the difference between the cheapest and most expensive menus was more than threefold. If these clueless kids had made a mistake, they could be facing a bill twelve times what they expected.
The waiter glanced nervously at Shina. But she seemed unconcerned, calmly choosing her own meal.
“I’ll have the Dasco Course. And a bottle of Limunesse.”
Shina wasn't much of a drinker, but she sometimes had cognac when she was feeling down. Limunesse was a distilled spirit with a subtle vanilla aroma; it was expensive but popular among women for its smooth finish.
“Huh? Ma’am, are you going to drink?”
“Why not? You guys break into someone’s house, but I can’t have a drink?”
Nade laughed awkwardly.
“Haha. You have a point. Oh, right! You were off duty today, weren't you?”
Shirone and the others exchanged glances and grinned as they watched the waiter walk away with his jaw on the floor. But as rationality slowly returned, a hint of anxiety crept into their eyes. The thought of all four of them ordering course meals made the prices flash in their minds. Only then did they worry they might have been too reckless, but Shina looked completely unfazed.
The income of a Grade 6 mage placed them in the top ten percent, even among noble society. Moreover, she worked at Alpheas Magic Academy, one of the five most prestigious institutions in the kingdom. She could enjoy her life to the fullest without ever touching the Olifer family’s fortune.
‘Come to think of it, she’s led a very successful life. Our teacher.’
A life chasing a dream, not money. But Shirone, the son of a hunter, knew better than anyone that it wasn't as easy as it sounded.
With four different course meals, food arrived at the table in a continuous stream. People at other tables shot them exasperated glances.
Shirone and his friends paid them no mind, hell-bent on stealing food from each other's plates. Nade and Iruki were nobles, and Shirone had learned basic table manners, but propriety was useless among friends.
Forks and knives flew across the table, but Shina just smiled, watching her students eat with gusto.
As their stomachs filled and the flavors began to dull, they started talking about magic, as befitting students of a magic academy. It was an enjoyable and enlightening time for Shina as well. Laughter filled the air, and her gloomy mood lifted. Nade's plan had worked perfectly.
“Hehehe. Ma’am, this unworthy student would like to offer a glass to his respected teacher.”
“Hmph! You think that will make me go easy on you? I’m just letting it slide because we’re eating. You’d better be prepared when we get back.”
“Yes, yes, of course. Please, accept this.”
Nade's remarkable sociability shone even in a situation like this. Shina didn't seem to mind, accepting the drinks he poured. Cognac was quite strong, and Shirone asked worriedly.
“Ma’am, don’t you think you’re drinking too much?”
“Haha, it’s fine. This much is nothing.”
“Of course. A Grade 6 mage like yourself wouldn't be defeated by mere alcohol.”
Nade was agreeing with whatever Shina said. He was ready to believe her if she called a fork a trident.
“Oh? You’re trying really hard, aren’t you? But it’s really fine. I can hold my liquor.”
Under Shirone’s concerned gaze, Shina downed another glass of the strong liquor straight.
An hour later.
“Hey, you! Yeah, you! Nade.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Leaning her elbows on the cleared table, Shina swayed, her face flushed red. In contrast, Shirone and his friends sat bolt upright, breaking out in a cold sweat.
The bottle of cognac had been emptied in just one hour.
Shina's tongue was twisted, and her eyes were slightly out of focus. Unable to even turn their heads, Shirone and the others could only exchange glances with their eyes.
‘This is bad. The teacher’s drunk.’
Shina, who had been muttering something in a low voice, suddenly slumped forward. Fearing she would fall off her chair, Nade quickly grabbed her arm.
“Ma’am, are you okay? We should be heading back now.”
“You little troublemaker!”
Shina shot her head up and mercilessly pulled Nade's cheek. Nade’s cheek stretched like taffy, and he winced in pain as he was pulled along.
“Ow, ow, ow! That hurts!”
“Just listen to me for once. I want to be a nice teacher like Miss Etella, you know. Stop getting distracted by weird things and study hard.”
“Yes, yes! I will, ma’am! It really hurts!”
“And Shirone, Iruki. You two!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Shirone and Iruki, already sitting straight, straightened their backs even more, their posture perfectly rigid.
“The same goes for you. Don't think I'll forgive you if you try to slack off just because you're talented. I don't care if you think I'm a bad teacher. I won't forgive you.”
“No one thinks you’re a bad teacher. Please, pull yourself together.”
“Hooo. Yes, I know. Why I put myself through all this trouble. Mmm.”
Shina’s eyelids drooped halfway, and her head fell forward. Eventually, she used her arms as a pillow and buried her face on the table.
“Ma’am, you need to snap out of it. Ma’am? We haven’t even paid yet.”
“Sleepy. Gonna sleep.”
“Ma’am?”
Shina didn’t answer.
Nade looked at his friends with a dazed expression. But it wasn't as if they had a solution either. As they were racking their brains on how to handle the crisis, two men who had been watching from a nearby table walked over.
“The young lady seems to be quite drunk. Shall I have a carriage brought around?”
A dapper-looking young man spoke to Shina. Behind him was a handsome man with a sly grin.
The gazes of Shirone and his friends turned icy in an instant. They had noticed them when they first came in. They had been staring at Shina from the start, muttering lewd comments.
“Ma’am? Ma’am. Please, try to wake up.”
The best course of action was to wake Shina up as quickly as possible and leave. But just as she seemed to sit up, she couldn't hold herself and collapsed back onto the table. Catching the word "ma'am" in Nade's plea, the man's eyes lit up as he pressed closer.