Chapter 55
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Bratty Girl + Tamer = M's Bratty Girl (4)
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I sat on the dorm bed, clutching my face.
Nothing was going according to plan.
No, things had gone exactly as planned.
I'd expected Vivian to win.
...But not like this.
What I'd hoped for was Vivian overcoming her timid nature through the duel and growing mentally one step further—not overwhelming her opponent and blowing her away.
"Eugene... um... d-did I do well?"
Look at Vivian now.
Far from any mental growth, she'd regressed, and somehow she'd picked up sneaky tricks like 'Coordinate Designation' or 'Sensory Synchronization' from some bastard, boosting only her magic skills.
'Why did it turn out like this?'
Completely oblivious to my tangled emotions, Vivian approached me with sparkling eyes, like a puppy eyeing a snack.
Truth be told, Vivian hadn't done a single thing wrong from her perspective.
She'd simply won as I'd instructed.
But being human, I couldn't help feeling a petty twinge of annoyance.
'....'
As I stared at her silently without responding, Vivian's expression darkened rapidly. Her body began trembling, and she backed away, bowing her head deeply.
"...S-sorry... I-I didn't mean to seek praise from you, Eugene... Sorry. Sorry..."
...Her self-esteem was scraping the bottom today more than usual.
She must have been mentally frayed from the upcoming meeting with Bianca this evening.
"...Sorry. Sorry. Sorry for being born. I won't ask cheeky questions again. Sorry."
Vivian's trembling intensified, the light slowly fading from her eyes.
If this kept up, the 'Dark Awakening' I'd carefully sealed away might trigger again.
'Just hold it together a little...'
I swallowed a sigh inwardly.
Once today was over, Vivian's anxious state of mind would settle down a lot.
I just had to endure until then.
"...No, you did well."
I couldn't let her mental state erode any further, so for now, I patted her head as a quick fix.
"Hic... Eh...? Ah... Th-thank you... Eugene..."
Vivian flashed a blissful smile, the kind that would have her tail wagging furiously if she had one.
...Tears were still streaming down her face, yet I wondered if human emotions were supposed to flip this drastically.
As I continued stroking her head, Lucia opened the dorm room door and walked in.
"...Oh my?"
The moment she spotted Lucia, Vivian snapped to attention like a soldier.
It was just like a private lounging in bed watching TV when a senior suddenly appeared.
"...Vivian, looks like you got some praise from Master?"
Lucia spoke with the most innocent smile in the world.
"Th-that's..."
"...Vivian beat a second-year in the inter-year tournament today, so I was praising her."
"Oh, good job, Vivian... But Master, Lucia won today too."
With that, Lucia sat beside me and gently leaned her head against me.
Seeming to ask for head pats, I obliged, and she purred like a cat.
"Mmm... Nn... Nyaaah~"
As I patted her moderately and tried to pull my hand away...
"...Oh, and my opponent was the top second-year, Master."
...I patted her a bit more.
"Huaaah... Thank you, Master."
Stroking Lucia as she stretched against me with a yawn, I felt something off.
'...Something... something's different.'
I was clearly the Master.
I held the reins, and I was the one giving praise...
As an inexplicable sense of dissonance welled up in my chest, Lucia spoke.
"...Master, I saw Bianca Beatrice at the tournament today."
"Eek..."
The instant she heard Bianca's name, Vivian let out a small scream.
'....'
She was screaming just from the name—would she really be okay?
"...How was she?"
"Hmm... Absolutely ferocious. Like a wild beast."
Lucia continued with a beaming smile.
"She kept striking the neck area to prevent surrender, all while toeing the line just ambiguous enough that the professors couldn't intervene, tormenting her to the end."
Classic Bianca Beatrice.
The epitome of a personality trash from 'Academy Tamer'.
This was absolutely not colored by any grudge from getting beaten myself.
"And even after the match was decided, she kept humiliating her... Like this..."
Lucia cleared her throat briefly, then whispered sweetly into my ear, her voice dripping with honey.
"Idiot~♥ Loser~♥ Trash~♥ So weak~♥... Something like that, Master."
I didn't think I had that kind of taste, but hearing it from Lucia made my lower body twitch every time her breath tickled my ear.
"Oh my... Master... If you wish... anytime... any time at all... just give Lucia your orders...♥"
...Like a little devil tempting me, Lucia flashed a seductive smile and gently stroked my thigh.
As if announcing winter's arrival, not a single light shone outside the window.
"...Hoo..."
Bianca Beatrice, who had been training alone in the training hall until late at night, sighed and wiped her sweat.
The other students who usually shared the hall with her had taken the day off or gone out to celebrate the end of the inter-year tournament, but Bianca hadn't skipped her training.
"...Tch."
Recalling the day's events, she clicked her tongue.
No matter how hard she trained, she felt the wall of talent blocking her path.
Among the second-years, Bianca ranked 7th.
But if she fought with her life on the line, she believed she could rival even 2nd place.
...However, 1st place was different.
The talent of the 1st place, in her mind, was beyond what effort alone could overcome.
A gem shining brilliantly under the blessing of talent.
That was her image of 1st place.
....But even that notion had crumbled today.
'Lucia Ursula.'
She was the true gem.
The so-called 1st place was just a pebble compared to Lucia.
True to the professors' evaluations, she displayed magic skills that already surpassed second-years despite being a first-year.
But what truly despaired Bianca was her battlefield sense, honed like decades of veteran combat experience.
Genius.
There was no other way to describe Lucia's performance today.
'Annoying.'
Bianca ground her teeth.
Jealous of Lucia's talent that effortlessly crushed the 1st place she'd desperately chased yet never caught, and angrier at herself for feeling that jealousy.
As the rage built inside her with no outlet, growing ever larger—
Clunk—
The training hall door opened, and someone entered.
"Hello, senpai."
I greeted Bianca cheerfully with a smile.
"You're... from last time..."
"Oh! You remember me."
After scanning me with her eyes for a moment, Bianca spoke.
"...Hmph, so what do you want?"
"Well... I do have business with you, senpai, but there's someone you should meet first before me today."
I pushed Vivian, who was trembling behind me, forward.
"Eek... Sob... Hic..."
"...Vivian?"
"Hic... Sob... S-sis..."
Bianca's eyes widened briefly at the sight of Vivian, then sharpened coldly.
"Hmmm... I'd been wondering when you'd finally come to see me... You're very late. Come over here for now, Vivian."
Bianca probably didn't even realize it was a command.
To her, Vivian simply obeyed when spoken to—it was natural.
I poked Vivian's side as she froze, and she replied in a quavering voice.
"Hic... Sob... N-no... I don't want to."
"....?"
At Vivian's refusal, Bianca's face flashed with '...Vivian talking back?' before twisting in anger.
"Vivian... Do you know who you're talking back to right now?"
As Bianca snapped sharply, Vivian teared up and clung tightly to my hand.
"...Hic... E-even if it's dangerous... Y-you'll protect me, Eugene..."
"Eugene...?"
At my name, Bianca's eyes narrowed.
True to form as the eldest daughter of House Beatrice, dreaming of reviving their family, she seemed well-versed in major houses.
"Oh, right—I didn't introduce myself. I'm Eugene Calliope, senpai."
"...So, what brings the young master of House Calliope here?"
Bianca's tone shifted.
No matter that she was a senior, it was hard to speak casually to a member of one of the empire's powerhouse families.
"Last time was just practice, so this time I want a proper match with you, senpai."
"Ha, sorry, but I don't have time to play around with you, young master. Be satisfied with that one bout last time... And Vivian. Last warning. Come over here."
"Eek... Hic... Ugh..."
The fear built over a decade wouldn't vanish so easily.
As Vivian reflexively moved to obey Bianca's command...
"...Sorry, but that won't work. 'This one' is mine."
I draped my arm over Vivian's shoulder and pulled her into my embrace.
A intimacy far beyond mere classmates.
Added to those impossible-to-ignore words, Bianca's face crumpled completely.
"...What did you just..."
"Exactly what I said. She's my possession."
I grinned brightly as I fondled Vivian's massive mana pouch.