It Was All to Build Momentum (5)
43.
Mmm.
Another refreshingly clear morning, same as always.
Divinity coursed through every corner of my body, and with it came a surplus of vitality. I pushed myself up from the soft bed, watched the sunlight spill in through the window, and greeted another day. So naturally, I smiled and said, "So, how should we mess with them today?"
To anyone watching, I'd have looked like a madman asking questions of empty air — but in reality, I wasn't alone.
[...Do as you please.]
I nodded along to the answer telling me to do exactly that. "Ooh. As expected, doing as I please is the correct answer, Brother."
[Please stop mimicking me.]
"Hmm... so you'd like me to stop mimicking you, then. I must have upset you somehow. I understand, Brother."
[Ugh, enough.]
"You're irritated, I see. Yet you have nothing to actually say against it. I understand, Brother."
[...Just go to the Academy already.]
"You'd like me to just go to the Academy, then. I can't think of a single rebuttal. I understand, Brother."
[Ha. Don't fall asleep anytime soon. When you wake up, it'll be a murder scene.]
"I wasn't asleep anyw— ...I'm sorry, what? Pardon, I must have misheard?"
[...]
No answer came.
I must have teased him too far, without reading the room. No — wait. Come on, Professor, that's crossing a line, isn't it?
I screamed soundlessly all the way to the Academy. Niger refused to respond to anything I said, and all I could sense was that something had gone very, very wrong.
Granted, there hadn't been a single murder since the terrorism incident, so it was probably about time he killed someone. Given the circumstances — and given Niger's consideration — I'd been living on easy street for quite a while now. But this was never actually a leisurely world to begin with.
So really, I ought to finish up this 500x Lecture business quickly and pick my next murder target. I figured I'd select some suitable bastard, offer him up, and dodge the killer's curse that way.
Anyway, that meant I needed to work hard on the 500x Lecture first. Wait, why is that the conclusion?
Beats me.
I cut off the stream of consciousness and started walking. My feet carried me, naturally, toward my office. And of course, the office door was already open.
Because — as always — Elia was there, drinking tea.
"Professor Niger, good morning~"
"Yes, good morning to you."
"Hehe, I've already brewed some tea. Would you like a cup?"
"Mm, yes. One cup, please."
Elia beamed and casually produced another teacup. A soft glug-glug filled the room as tea poured into it.
For the record, the tea leaves, the cups, the teapot — every last item had been brought in by Elia herself. My office, once so spare it looked practically abandoned, had gradually accumulated her belongings, one by one, until it was filled with all manner of things. The teapot set was the most prominent example, along with the stuffed animals now perched on the reception sofa.
Overall, the place had grown quite cozy. The bleak, austere atmosphere had already gone soft and warm with just one Elia in it, and adding all those objects on top made it almost too much.
"Here's your tea!"
"Ah, thank you."
That was the kind of place it had become.
Watching her hold out the cup with that sheepish grin, she looked genuinely happy. She met my eyes with a smile deeper than usual, beaming so brightly I couldn't help but wonder if something wonderful had happened.
"Hmm. Is there some good news I should know about?"
"What? What do you mean, all of a sudden?"
"You seem unusually smiley today, that's all."
There she was, tilting her head while utterly failing to hide that smile of hers.
"Hmm... hehe~ It's a secret."
At my question, she simply giggled and shook her head.
What was this, then? Was today some kind of lucky day? I could've sworn it was just an ordinary lecture day.
"Hmm. I'd appreciate it if you told me later, then."
"Hehe, you'll find out soon enough~"
"...?"
Seriously, what was it?
I could do nothing but stare at Elia, my confusion only growing.
I walked down the corridor. My footsteps echoed briskly, and the students I passed greeted me as if we were old friends.
"Good morning, Professor!"
The students breezed past me one after another, smiling radiantly.
What was going on? Lately, whenever they saw me, every last one of them had gone pale and could barely hold my gaze. Today, their expressions were bright to the point of being strange.
"Yes, good morning, sister."
So I kept my bewilderment to myself, inclined my head in greeting, and moved on just as they did. The air lingering around the hallways was surprisingly warm for a morning. Summer was drawing near.
The season that had sent bitter winds snapping at our collars was passing. Students' outfits were growing lighter, little by little, one by one. My own clothes, of course, remained the faithful clerical vestments that proclaimed my devotion — but nearly everyone else had shed their layers like a molt, slowly baring skin to the sun.
It was perfect weather for a lecture.
With that thought, I opened the classroom door. What would be good to teach today? I'd threatened to torment them, sure, but I still wanted to show them something new. That was what I was thinking.
"Good morn—"
And so I tried to offer my usual greeting, but the words never made it out.
POP-POP-POW!
The sound of fireworks splitting the air. Confetti burst right in front of me, and a banner hanging on the wall shut my mouth for me. The students stood there in pointed party hats, all of them beaming, and for a moment I could only stare at them, dazed.
"Professor, happy birthday!"
The students' resounding voices filled the classroom. Expectation and nervousness were written across every face.
And I... well.
I just thought this:
Um.
It's not my birthday.
While I stood there blankly chewing on that thought, a quiet voice reached me. Familiar, distinct even amid the cheering and the din of every other noise in the room.
[...It is my birthday.]
At Niger's words, I nodded along without thinking.
Ah-hah. So it's Niger's birthday.
It had never once occurred to me to wonder when a serial killer's birthday might be, so I was learning it for the first time today. Oh, wait — but Niger's supposed to be an orphan, isn't he?
[The day I was taken in by the temple, to be precise, so it is not my true birthday.]
The question that had briefly surfaced vanished at his answer, delivered as though he'd anticipated it.
And I sensed a faint tremor in his voice. Beneath that indifferent tone, he was quietly, privately delighted.
"Ahaha."
So I laughed. I was grateful to the students, of course, who'd secretly prepared all this — but the laugh was really for Niger, who for the first time had let his feelings show in a scene this utterly ordinary.
I made up my mind.
So step aside and take the congratulations yourself, Professor. A birthday celebration doesn't come around often — not for you.
And with that, our vantage points swapped.
Stunned by my sudden move, Niger stood frozen, quietly staring at the students. I sent a cheer his way.
[Aw, I'm jealous.]
You're not the only one who can hijack a seat out of nowhere, you know.
Oh, great serial killer.
Niger blinked.
What he saw was a crowd of students in party hats holding out gift boxes toward him, and what he heard was the cheering of an illegal squatter in his own head.
"Professor, this one's from me!"
The students faced him one and all with bright smiles. And yet, threaded through those smiles, he could glimpse a trace of anxiety. No doubt their gift-giving was sincere — while also hoping that a birthday celebration might make the upcoming lecture slightly more survivable.
So Niger assumed.
"Thank you. This is... an unexpected gift and celebration, and I find myself at a momentary loss."
Very few people knew Niger's birthday. At most, the people of the temple, the Chairman, the Headmaster, and Professor Elia.
As if they'd read that thought straight out of his chest, a student's voice rang out.
"Lady Bellatrix told us!"
At those words, he turned to Bellatrix before he could stop himself. She stood behind the crowd of students, watching him from a little distance away, unlike those who had come crowding up to him. A smile had spread across her lips.
Then, careful that none of the other students could hear, she spoke with her lips alone.
'Happy birthday, Professor.'
At that, Niger's eyes widened slightly.
'Professor Elia told me. She happened to mention that today is your birthday.'
So that was it. The culprit behind this whole scene was Professor Elia. That was why she'd been smiling like that all morning.
Niger thought this as he lowered his head, just slightly.
Emotion stirred within him.
It had been a very long time. His chest thudded with a simple, uncomplicated gladness. He'd believed he'd discarded such uselessly pure feelings long ago. He'd believed he'd buried himself in nothing but the euphoria that came with taking a life.
And yet here he was, struck speechless by a scene he couldn't quite name — one an illegal squatter had blundered into creating. And so he smiled.
Without quite meaning to, Niger looked out at them with an expression of pure, unguarded joy.
"Mm."
At Niger's expression — and at the words that came out of him, unexpectedly gentle — the students' cheering stopped dead. One and all, they stared at him in astonishment.
"You have only my gratitude."
And so, Niger gave them the words they wanted to hear.
"I shall adjust the difficulty of my lectures, as you wish."
"Ah— no, that's not why we were celebrating—"
"Do you object?"
"N-no, we love it!!"
The students' cheers erupted all over again.
"WOO! WOO! WOO! WOO!"
"KIAAAA-HOO~!!"
"AAAAAAARGH!!!!"
If anything, the cheering and the wailing sounded even happier than before.