The Paranormal Investigation Club's Day Off
Two noble ladies approached me. One had haughty eyes and long blonde hair cascading down her back, while the other sported a bob cut with a sharp, piercing impression.
They scanned me up and down, lips parting as if ready to pick a fight.
"Oh my. Aren't you the gentleman who came to the party with Lady Rozalia? All alone and looking so lonely?"
"Being alone suits me just fine."
I responded to their aggressive tones with a languid air of disinterest, keeping my reply casual.
"Hmph! You latched onto Lady Rozalia just to sneak into this party, and now you claim being alone is more comfortable. How very convenient for you."
"Oh dear, how tragic. You finally used your position as club advisor to stick by her side, only to spend the party all by your lonesome. Poor thing."
Their words dripped with false pity, but their eyes held no sympathy whatsoever.
"So, what is it you really want to say? Spit it out."
"Fine. No need to waste time—let's get straight to the point."
"We just need to make sure you're not approaching her with impure intentions. If you're some lecherous wolf in sheep's clothing, we won't stand for it—no matter if you're a teacher at Everlight Academy."
The two noble ladies made no effort to hide their hostility toward me. I suddenly remembered where I'd seen them before. They were the two lackeys always hovering around Rozalia before she joined the club—back during the courage test at the ghost story hotel. They'd gotten into a massive argument with Aurora right by her side.
Oh, great. The sycophants who were glued to Rozalia back then.
My mood, already sour since arriving at the party, soured even further.
Rozalia might look like the archetypal haughty villainess on the outside, but her Pure Wish gift matched her innocent personality perfectly. With her marquess background, stunning beauty, and easygoing nature, she was prime bait for parasites who figured they could fawn over her just enough to puppet her like a marionette.
Nobles... always the same.
Witnessing their ugliness up close filled me with disillusionment all over again. Rozalia couldn't possibly benefit from hanging around flatterers like these.
Her gift thrived on purity—and that purity made her all too vulnerable to bad influences.
I was just thinking I should warn her to keep her distance when—
"What do you ladies think you're doing?!"
Rozalia stormed over, clearly sensing the tense atmosphere. It was the first time I'd seen her looking genuinely angry.
Her sharp glare made the two ladies flinch and stammer in panic.
"How dare you be rude to the teacher I personally brought here?!"
"Lady Rozalia! We were only...! We just wanted to check if Teacher Allen might have impure motives for sticking close to you...!"
"We were merely worried about you, Lady Rozalia...!"
But Rozalia shot them a cold stare upon hearing their excuses.
"I invited Teacher Allen to this party first. He has no interest in events like this, but I twisted his arm because I wanted to introduce him to all of you...!"
"S-Sorry! We had no idea...!"
"B-But still, we have to confirm if this gentleman is truly good or if he's just deceiving you with wicked intentions...!"
"Sepia!"
"S-Sorry!"
The two noble ladies looked utterly flustered by Rozalia's firm display of anger.
"Even if you thought you were doing it for my sake, you can't be rude to a guest I brought! Don't ever act this way toward someone I invite again. Understood?"
"Yes! Never again! We swear!"
They bowed their heads, pledging like their lives depended on it. And just like that, Rozalia forgave them with effortless grace.
"Very well, as long as you understand. Just be more careful from now on."
No way. That's it? Forgiven just like that?
I was about to open my mouth to advise her when the two ladies, looking genuinely tearful and remorseful, bowed deeply to me.
"Teacher Allen! We're so sorry! It's the first time Lady Rozalia's ever brought a man to a party, so we overreacted...!"
"Truly sorry! Hate us if you want, but please don't hate Lady Rozalia! She's done nothing wrong!"
They bowed nearly ninety degrees, their apologies brimming with sincerity. It was too earnest to dismiss as mere sycophancy. I felt a twinge of puzzlement.
At that moment, Rozalia beamed and introduced them with a bright smile.
"Teacher, these are my childhood friends, Beatrice and Sepia! They can be a bit rough around the edges sometimes, like just now, but they're good friends who truly care about me. So please forgive them generously."
Introduced by Rozalia, the two bowed to me again and properly introduced themselves.
"I'm Beatrice Erdale. I've been with Lady Rozalia for a long time."
"Sepia Bloomfield here. I owe Lady Rozalia a great debt of gratitude."
"Allen Jest. We've already exchanged greetings once, so no need for more details."
With introductions out of the way, Rozalia spoke up with a radiant expression.
"These two have grown up with me since we were little—they're precious childhood friends! I hope you can all get along, Teacher!"
At her words, Beatrice—the haughty-looking blonde—bowed her head in apology.
"I apologize again for my earlier rudeness. The truth is, Lady Rozalia is so incredibly dear to me that I couldn't help but be wary of you, the man she suddenly brought along."
"...Sounds like you two share a particularly close bond."
I hadn't expected a real answer to my offhand question, but Beatrice proudly launched into the story of how she met Rozalia.
"Indeed. When I was young, I was ostracized in high society for my fat, ugly appearance. No one reached out to me—everyone ignored me. But Lady Rozalia was the only one who approached me and became my friend. She even taught me how to lose weight and make myself beautiful, helping me escape that bullying. To me, she's not just my dearest friend—she's my savior."
"Oh, come on, savior is too much. And as for beauty tips, you always had the talent to shine with just a little polish."
Rozalia waved it off bashfully. Even recounting her dark past of bullying, Beatrice's eyes sparkled with pride as she praised her rescuer, showing no trace of shame or pain.
"I-I owe Lady Rozalia a huge debt too! On my social debut, I lost my mother's brooch heirloom and was crying my eyes out. Lady Rozalia searched with me late into the night, not caring if her dress got dirty! From that day, I swore to protect her—the one who restored my precious memory of Mother!"
Sepia jumped in, unwilling to be outdone, sharing her own tale of salvation. Rozalia's cheeks flushed ruby-red at their words.
"Aw, anyone would do that. You're all exaggerating."
"...Things anyone could do are rare precisely because few actually do them."
"You get it!"
"So even Teacher Allen knows Lady Rozalia's good qualities! Her beauty is wonderful, of course, but it's that heart of hers—pure as fine silk—that's truly exceptional!"
As I praised Rozalia, the two girls—who'd been prickly toward me at first—now smiled with evident pride.
Their methods were rough, but their concern for her had been genuine.
Perhaps pleased by my compliment, they apologized to me once more—this time from the heart, not on Rozalia's orders.
"We apologize again for our rudeness."
"...Lady Rozalia is so pure and fragile that we worry she'll fall for anyone with bad intentions. We got suspicious of you too... Truly sorry."
"No, it's fine."
Sincerely. I'd been just as quick to judge them as parasites clinging to her.
"Now that the misunderstanding's cleared up, I hope you all get along! Beatrice, Sepia, Teacher Allen—you're all precious to me!"
Rozalia urged us with a smile so pure and beautiful it lit up the room. In that moment, I realized something new.
Purity is easily stained by the world's colors—but it can also dye the world around it with its own light.
Unlike me and the two students, who'd eyed each other with prejudice and hostility, Rozalia approached everyone without bias, her true innocence shining through. That, perhaps, was why people truly flocked to her—not just her looks.
I reflected on my own biases, born from my merchant days, viewing all nobles through tinted glasses.
To think I'd learn from Rozalia of all people. I figured she just liked pretty jewels and trinkets...
"Teacher Allen?"
"Whoops. Were you listening?"
"...I swear I just heard something incredibly rude."
"Must be your imagination."
I startled at her sudden closeness and made excuses. Rozalia shot me a glare but let it slide this once.
"Hmph. Very well, we'll call it that. But it is true that I love beautiful things."
"...You were listening."
"Beautiful things make me happy and kind, don't they? If the world had even a little more beauty, wouldn't everyone be happier and kinder too?"
"...."
It was pure Rozalia—innocently idealistic. The world didn't work that simply.
Yet for all its naivety, that goodwill...
As I found myself captivated, Rozalia sidled up to me conspiratorially.
"...Come to think of it, my friends weren't entirely wrong. You did approach me first, Teacher."
"Huh? When did I...?"
"Didn't you coax me into joining the club?"
"...."
True, but...
"So maybe calling you a lecherous wolf isn't entirely off?"
"No, wait—that wasn't my intention when I—"
"Hee hee. Just teasing. Consider that payback for your rude thoughts earlier."
With a bewitching smile, she glided away, dazzling like a true red ruby.
And so the third day of my holiday passed at Rozalia's party, where I glimpsed her mature side—the depth of her charm and allure—and came to know her even better.