Seeking the Hero (4)
Ah, right. This girl. That blonde.
She must have gone to fetch someone, just as I thought.
The woman who vanished right when the redhead and bluehead's attention was fixed on Dia.
But it didn't feel like she was running away—her killing intent was far too fierce.
It was more like she wanted immediate revenge for the insult she'd suffered.
If Dia hadn't jumped in and yelled, she probably would have unleashed an attack on the redhead and bluehead.
And no matter how idiotic those two were, they were still nobles of sorts.
The blonde couldn't have taken them down easily.
While Dia distracted them, she'd gone to round up some backup.
But...
"I told you to back off, you bastard. You think looking halfway decent gives you the right to grope any girl you want?"
Terrible timing. She'd shown up just as things were wrapping up.
And right when I was still holding Dia, no less.
Wait, why am I still holding her?
I jolted in surprise and yanked my right arm away from around Dia's body.
"...Ahh."
A faint, almost regretful sound slipped from Dia's lips, but it had to be my imagination.
"You! What's your deal with those girls from earlier?"
She meant the redhead and bluehead, right?
"What do you mean, 'what's my deal'? I just met them for the first time."
"First time? Then why were you groping Dia like that?"
So that's how it looked to her—me holding and toying with Dia.
Of all the times to show up, right after they left.
"Groping? That sounds all wrong. I wasn't groping her; I was protecting her."
"Protecting her? Dia? From what?"
"From those idiots who were about to hurl magic at her."
It wasn't entirely selfless, but protecting her was the truth.
"Don't lie. Hurl magic? Even the most brainless academy student wouldn't do that before enrollment."
True enough. Normally, no one would. But what was that just now?
Anyway, the crew she'd brought had a seriously menacing vibe.
Judging by their aura and looks, they were probably all commoner students.
Likely rallied to punish those noble girls for insulting her over her commoner status.
And here I was, a noble.
To them, it probably looked like a noble toying with a commoner girl just because she was a commoner.
The situation was a total mess.
How to fix this? Maybe find an eyewitness from the crowd to testify?
As I racked my brain, Dia stepped between me and them.
"...Dia?"
She spread her arms wide, as if shielding me.
The blonde looked stunned, like she couldn't make sense of it.
"...No."
"No?"
"H-he's not that kind of person!"
"...What?"
"I'm sorry! I jumped to conclusions based on what I saw!"
A café inside the academy grounds.
We three—me, Dia, and the blonde—sat in a secluded corner booth.
Dia's words had defused the tension, clearing up the misunderstanding.
The blonde had apologized to her backup crew and sent them off with thanks, then we'd come here to talk.
To escape the gawkers drawn by the commotion, we'd picked the most tucked-away spot, around a bend.
Unlike her earlier loner vibe, Dia chatted fluently with the blonde.
Just like the Dia from my memories.
So why had she been so awkward and tongue-tied before?
Her explanation had cleared everything up, leading to the blonde's apology.
"No, it's fine. It was totally understandable."
I was a bit annoyed, truth be told.
She was a stranger to me, and the accusation of molesting Dia was pure slander.
But with Dia right there, I didn't want to look petty.
"I'm Amy! Sorry about those two bitches... oh, pardon my language. Thanks for saving Dia from them. They said they wanted to be friends and asked her to come out in her uniform. I thought I was making new friends, but who knew they'd be such trash."
The moment I accepted her apology, she switched to bubbly chatterbox mode like nothing happened.
This... must be what an extrovert looks like.
Even after I forgave her, considering our status gap, her boldness was impressive.
Come to think of it, the academy students she'd rounded up seemed drawn by her personal pull.
Considering how quickly she'd gathered them, her actual network was probably huge.
A new academy enrollee—commoner, no less—with no prior mingling opportunities, yet she'd already built this many connections.
Who was this girl?
"Anyway, the second we met, they started yapping about my nameplate color, how a commoner like me wasn't on their level, and then dumped some sticky crap on my head. Oh, I still haven't washed it off."
She ran her fingers through her hair as if just remembering.
The redhead and bluehead had claimed she'd ditched her friend and run, but clearly not.
Sure, vanishing suddenly might seem odd to some, but she'd ignored her ruined appearance—prioritizing looks as a girl—to rally help and charge back.
And even yelled at me for Dia's sake.
Not bothering to clean up yet showed how much she valued Dia.
She could be a great friend for her.
I glanced at Dia with that thought.
Our eyes met—she'd been watching me.
Her face flushed crimson, and she bowed her head.
What? She'd been fine chatting with Amy earlier.
Why the sudden shyness?
Oh no, did she develop some phobia of men?
That'd be trouble. It'd make things hard between us.
"Oh, right! I heard you gave those two a proper schooling, young master?"
"Just call me Luke. Everyone at the academy is equal. And schooling? I was just blocking their magic when Juda stepped in, took them away. She mentioned sorority expulsion and re-education, so they're probably having a rough time now."
Juda. That woman was terrifying.
The redhead and bluehead were likely... yeah, best not to imagine.
"Nice one, Luke. Still, she only intervened because you were there. Without a noble like you, she might not have."
...I'd said to call me Luke and mentioned equality, but straight to casual speech?
Seriously, what was her social superpower?
"See? Stepping up for a commoner girl you barely know— that's impressive, Luke. Right, Dia?"
"...Uh, y-yeah."
"What's with her all of a sudden? ...Oh? Aha?"
Amy flashed a knowing grin.
"Luke, why'd you save Dia anyway? Sure, those noble girls were intimidating, but did it really warrant jumping in? Or... do you have a thing for her?"
Why did I step in?
Well...
Hmm.
If it were the Dia from Deus ex Machina I knew, I probably wouldn't have.
But seeing her bullied by those unheard-of nobodies...
How to put it?
"...I just couldn't stand by and watch."
"Aha ha ha? Couldn't stand by and watch our Dia?"
"Yeah, something like that."
Dia wasn't the type to just take it.
"He says so, Dia! Kyaa! So jealous!"
Pop!
A cartoonish burst echoed from Dia.
Her face went full scarlet, and she keeled over, fainted.
Dia... real phobia of men?
Fainting was extreme.
This wasn't good.
"Whew. See you at tomorrow's entrance ceremony!"
As dusk fell and Dia's condition worsened, we stood to leave.
Amy supported the wobbly Dia.
"You sure you don't need help?"
"Nah, we're good. Besides, being carried by nobility is too much pressure. Or wait, would Dia prefer that? Hehe. Ow! Hey, don't hit me! Anyway, see you tomorrow! Bye!"
And so we parted.
...Something felt forgotten, though.
Oh! The hidden piece. Meeting Dia had made me totally forget.
I'd planned to snag one today.
Tsk. Oh well.
Lots of chances ahead at the academy.
Befriending Amy and Dia was the real win.
Can't wait.
Tomorrow's entrance ceremony.