Me First
Me First
"Would you go out with me?"
A clear voice resounded through the once-bustling lecture hall.
The students who had been chatting together all simultaneously shut their mouths.
As if they had been shocked.
Regardless, I was tightly holding Javert's two hands.
"......"
A silence that flowed dazedly.
No one dared to speak carelessly.
It was just that I could feel everyone's gaze focusing on me, on Javert, on our interlocked hands.
Regardless, I quietly held the red-haired woman's body temperature.
"Hehe."
"......"
I stared at Javert with a crooked smile.
The woman showed no particular reaction.
Just as always, only inorganic light shimmered in her green pupils.
She just stood there quietly looking up at me, remaining silent as if listening attentively.
'Still... it seems she was surprised, though.'
I could see it.
Faintly, but clearly, the wavering in her pupils.
'It's not that she has no emotions, it's just that they're faint.'
Javert's rare flustered expression.
Recognizing it, I smiled crookedly.
Of course, to the unknowing students, Javert probably just looked like she was putting on a stern face.
A sharp tension swirled inside the lecture hall, and the students were only dripping with cold sweat.
"Ahem, ahem."
"......"
I enjoyed that gap, even if only briefly.
An eerily continuing stillness.
Amidst it, the first one to open their mouth was, unexpectedly, Alice who had frozen like a stone.
"U-um... Viktor, nim...?"
"Miss Alice? Is something the matter?"
"Just now, what in the world... Suddenly to Professor Javert, a, a relationship request...?"
"Ah, I see I spoke about a private matter too publicly. I'm sorry if it bothered you."
"N-no, it's not that... It's not like that..."
The girl's gaze wavered uneasily.
"A relationship means..."
"It seems I gave my words too abbreviated. There is one thing Professor Javert promised me some time ago. That she would grant me one request, whatever it might be."
"One request, whatever...?"
"You know about the insider leak investigation last time, right? Since I helped the professor a bit then, it was a promise I received as a token of gratitude."
"Ah, aha... Th-that's what it was."
Alice nodded her head as if finally understanding.
She fidgeted her fingers a bit, then asked with a slightly relieved expression.
"In that case... th-the 'relationship' is just wordplay, right?"
"Wordplay?"
"W-well... It's not a relationship between a man and a woman, but an exchange between a student and a teacher... I-I thought it might be something like that. Since Viktor nim originally likes similar pranks. Y-you often play pranks too..."
Her voice gradually trailed off, as if losing confidence.
Whether from embarrassment, the girl's face was flushed red.
Her tightly clenched sleeves accentuated her youthfulness.
I couldn't help but let out a stifled laugh at her pure reaction.
"Well."
I nonchalantly let the words flow.
Then, tilting my head, I stared at the still expressionless Javert.
"I think it would be quicker to ask the person in question."
"Huh? Ask Professor Javert...?"
Words hoping for a relationship.
Meaning a relationship not between teacher and student, but between a man and a woman...
"Wouldn't that work? If it's that meaning."
"......"
Alice, who became lost in thought on the spot.
And, Javert, who still said nothing particular.
As if urging an answer, I tilted my head.
"Hmm?"
"......"
And then.
The answer that came not long after was quite satisfactory.
"No."
An emotionless, arid voice.
The cold-faced woman spoke without any sign of hesitation.
Clearly, articulately, the neat pronunciation echoed through the lecture hall.
"I'll do it. If that is your request."
The students who had been watching, holding their breath.
Immediately after, the air inside the lecture hall was overturned once again.
A few hours later.
After the last lecture ended, I visited Professor Javert's research lab.
"Please have a seat for a moment."
Perhaps she was in the middle of paperwork, the woman greeted me wearing glasses.
Javert's office was neat to the point of being suffocating.
A desk without a single speck of dust, books arranged in perfect rows, tiles without a single pattern.
Literally achromatic. As the woman's room, there was no splendor or decoration of any kind.
I thought it was very much like her.
"It's tea."
"Ah, thank you."
Two cups of tea were placed on the desk in front of the reception sofa.
Javert had already taken off her glasses.
Her uniform attire was without a single disarray.
Even though it was a personal space, there was not a single gap.
The woman calmly took a seat on the sofa opposite.
"It has a nice aroma."
"It's tea lightly brewed with Seolhan Grass. I'm glad it suits your taste."
Seolhan Grass.
One of the most basically consumed tea leaves.
Though plain, it didn't have a cheap taste; it seemed she used quite an expensive leaf.
The surface of the reddish-brown liquid rippled along my fingertips. I spent some time tilting it a few times.
"So."
Only after about five minutes had passed did the red-haired woman open her mouth.
"I'd like to hear precisely about the request from earlier."
"Hmm?"
"The request to go out with me. Surely you don't intend to say you were serious. If you plan to waste time on such a prank, you may stand up and leave now. I am not the type to enjoy wordplay."
"This is quite... I wonder when I got caught."
"I knew from the start. Because I thought Viktor Student wouldn't frivolously waste my promise like that."
"'Like that,' means?"
Even to the sly question, the woman showed not a single waver.
"Receiving a professor's patronage within Grandia holds very significant meaning. Each professor holds considerable authority, and each one is a top-tier ability user on the continent. Would students struggle desperately to secure assistant positions otherwise?"
"Of course. I've heard that Grandia Academy's assistants... especially direct-line assistants who work directly with professors, boast considerable competition. Combining current students and graduates, it's said to be harder than threading a needle?"
"You are aware. Though it's embarrassing for me to say it myself, I am among those professors, a figure belonging to the de facto second-in-command. I just thought that an opportunity to gain something from such a target wouldn't be wasted on a trivial prank. Especially not if it's Viktor Student, not any other student."
"What do you take me for?"
"A thorough person. One who noticed in advance that I was conducting surveillance and used that to apprehend the insider to that extent. Simultaneously, one who could formulate such a plan in just a few hours. Each time, while pretending to be swayed by emotions, pretending to be playful, yet showing movements oddly sharp during truly crucial moments."
"This is quite, receiving such high praise makes my shoulders heavy."
"I'd like to hear your answer."
Clink-
Javert quietly set down her teacup.
Her movements looked like those of a lifeless machine.
"The request. You do intend to make it properly, I presume."
"Of course."
"I'd like to hear the content. Since you must have something in mind already, that's why you pulled such a prank."
"Of course."
I nodded at the sharp point.
Tapping the end of my mask, I opened my mouth.
"Direct-line assistant."
"......"
"I want to become Professor Javert's direct-line assistant."
Javert's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You may or may not know this, but since I began teaching, I have never taken on a direct-line assistant once. I had no intention of taking one in the future either."
"I am aware."
"You are quite bold. Do you think I will accept the proposal?"
"Yes, I believe without a doubt that Professor Javert will do so."
"I'd like to hear the reason."
"Well..."
I smiled crookedly.
The corner of the mask's mouth seemed to twist, if only slightly.
"Aren't you still suspicious of me, Professor?"
"......"
Javert, who is stubborn and obstinate.
Just because the single suspicion of being an insider was cleared, there was no way she would think cleanly of me.
After all, she suspected me not of something like being an insider, but of being the culprit behind the unauthorized clearing of Purgatory's 70th floor.
'Javert isn't the type to suspect easily.'
However, once she suspects, she suspects to the end.
Her philosophy.
Her own rule she has kept since times like these.
From the moment suspicion began, I didn't think I could easily escape.
'If I can't escape... then I'll rather use the situation to my advantage.'
Thus, I threw out a proposal enticing enough for Javert.
The woman's gaze had coldly sunk.
"......It seems I showed my hand."
"I'm quick to pick up on things."
I shrugged nonchalantly.
"What will you do? If you take me on as your direct-line assistant, the time I spend by your side will increase. It will be an opportunity for you to observe me more closely, more meticulously. It also means more ways to verify your suspicions about me. Also, while I remain as your direct-line assistant, I will humbly accept any surveillance or interrogation from you as well. Until you are satisfied, Professor."
"......"
"In return, I get to enjoy the authority of a direct-line assistant. I'll be able to do much more within the academy, and with you, Professor, as my backing, those who look down on me will disappear. Of course, I intend to carry out any duties required of a direct-line assistant without complaint, perfectly, so you don't need to worry about that. It's a proposal where we both win."
"......"
"How about it?"
It was quite an arrogant attitude, an arrogant proposal, yet Javert didn't get angry.
She was merely lost in thought, as if judging the rationality of the proposal.
After a short time passed, the woman finally nodded.
"I'll accept."
A short reply.
A single phrase without any excuses or explanations.
Conversations with Javert were convenient for this reason.
As long as one didn't stray from the discipline and rationality she had set, she was a remarkably straightforward person.
To the point it felt like dealing with a robot programmed with a few rules rather than an emotional human.
Javert did have emotions, but compared to the other elements that comprised her, they were extremely minimal.
'Well, she is the Dean's foster daughter, after all...'
I convinced myself somewhat alone.
"Good."
I smiled with satisfaction.
Regardless, Javert lifted her teacup once more.
"However, I will set a condition."
"What is it?"
"All activities utilizing the direct-line assistant's authority must be reported to me. Whether it's action first report later, or report first action later. If this part is not adhered to, regardless of the reason, this proposal will be treated as if it never happened."
"That's not a difficult condition. It seems you have no intention of restricting the activities themselves either."
"That's correct. Furthermore, I will also make an effort not to excessively infringe upon Viktor Student's personal life. If you wish to have personal time, or if there are questions you find burdensome to answer, you may simply refuse my summons or questions without being forced to accept them. I will not make any complaints regarding such matters."
"Oh ho, is there a need to afford me that much convenience...?"
"It's not particularly affording you convenience. It's merely following the line that must be kept when dealing with a student."
"It's interesting... that while suspecting me as a dangerous figure, you also try to safeguard my rights as a student..."
"That's enough commentary."
This aspect was part of Javert's charm.
Her strictness regarding the lines she draws.
Upholding them no matter what, and never making excuses for herself.
'Though later, she gets caught by that very discipline and ends up committing suicide in a tragedy...'
That part is something I can solve.
From the moment I decided to become her direct-line assistant, it was no different from deciding to pull her to my side.
I take good care of my people, after all.
"I will process the necessary documents and send them to you as soon as possible."
"I'll be waiting."
"Do you wish for a quick announcement? If you wish, I can announce right now that Viktor Student has become my assistant."
"No, that's fine. Rather, I'd prefer the announcement to be slightly delayed."
"May I ask the reason for that?"
"Hehe... Before the news spreads, there's someone whose arrogance I'd like to lightly crush."
"It seems to be that student. The top student of Class B. Her name was Caitlin, I believe?"
"That's correct. You remember her, it seems."
"If it's student names, I have memorized all of them."
"That's even more surprising. To have memorized the names of the entire student body."
Even to my admiration, the woman reacted indifferently.
Javert collected the empty teacup and asked.
"It seems you plan to clash with the top student of Class B. Are you confident you can win?"
"I'd like to ask the opposite. Do you, Professor, think I will lose?"
"Well."
She let the answer hang.
Perhaps for Javert, it was an inconsequential matter.
"Well... it seems our talk is roughly finished. Would it be alright if I got up now?"
"One last thing. I'd like to ask just one more question."
"Hmm? What is it?"
An inscrutable gaze.
Since the woman was always inorganic, her expressions were hard to read.
Her scar-covered hand tapped the sofa seat.
"So... why on earth did you do that? The 'go out with me' request in the classroom earlier."
"Huh?"
"No matter how much I think about it, I cannot discern the intent behind that one."
"Huh?"
What.
She's asking the obvious.
"Well, because it was fun?"
"......"
I looked at the woman as if it were obvious.
At my tilting-head reaction, Javert furrowed her brow.
No matter how faint her emotions were, I could still tell that was a look of disbelief.
"I see. Confirmed."
Javert gestured as if to say I could leave now.
Beaming, I left the research lab.
'Hell yeah, free backup rocks.'
Come at me, all of you.
Behind me stands the mighty Chief Investigator.
'At this level... I could probably slap a few low-ranking professors and just get a slight disciplinary action and get away with it.'
Of course, I don't actually plan to do that.
Anyway, Javert hurrah.
Javert is the best.
Zakiyahoo!
Sly emotionless cool-type old maid is the best!
'Good, good.'
For a while, the smile wouldn't leave my lips.
The next day.
It was a day without lectures, so I was lazing around in the Dormitory.
"Gyah, I fell for it again, niri!"
"I'd call this level easy, delkama."
I bought something like a board game at the academy store last time, and thinking it would be fun to enjoy with The Princess, I set it up.
Since it was mixed with Magitech, the gameplay was also novel and really fun.
"Hehe, to fall for such a simple trick, shunayoa."
"W-wait! This is too underhanded, niri!"
"Even that is part of one's skill, raplad."
"It's invalid, niri! We must do it again!"
"Please accept the result cleanly."
A bustling daily life.
The daily life spent with The Princess was enjoyable.
During the height of the game's progression.
Knock knock-.
Someone knocked on the Dormitory room door.
'Who is it...?'
A tilting head.
I stared at the entrance side with a question mark.
Well, it's because there was no one who would come all the way to my room.
'I haven't been notified of anything, and the soundproofing is good, so it shouldn't be a noise complaint from the floor...'
I shuffled over and opened the door.
Then, golden and black hair waiting in front of the door.
"......Oh. Miss Lanne? Miss Alice?"
Lanne. Alice.
The two of them had come all the way to my Dormitory.
A sense of unease was visible, as if something had gone wrong.
"What brings you to such a humble place..."
"Sir Viktor, is that true?"
"S-Sir Viktor..."
"Huh?"
Lanne was the first to thrust her head forward.
Beside her, Alice was timidly holding onto her sleeve.
I could only scratch my head at the incomprehensible question.
"Um, what are you talking about...?"
"I heard you started dating Chief Investigator Javert nim!"
"Det!"
"Is it true? Please tell me!"
"Sir Viktor, really..."
The two looked at me with burdensome gazes.
I couldn't help but be flustered by that.
'What.'
What is it.
Why are they acting like this.