Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Even If I Cry, I Won't Fall (6)
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"How was it?"
"...Which one are you asking about?"
"Both."
"Neither ending felt satisfying."
"Which one?"
"Both."
With that, Professor Selene and I both chuckled without missing a beat. Well, the conversation with Rias hadn't left me with any sense of closure, that much was obvious. And the discussion with the academy board hadn't been all that clean-cut either.
These were the people who directly controlled the money, and about half of the academy's operations ran on sponsorship funds. Similar to how Karin's father sponsored Ermina, there was a considerable amount of lobbying funneled in under the name of sponsorships tied to my name.
Of course, me completely leaving the academy would be a blow to both prestige and practicality, so they tried every trick to keep me involved in some form or another.
I thought cutting ties cleanly and not looking back was the right way to end things, but I couldn't bring myself to act heartlessly toward people who hadn't done anything wrong and were practically begging on their knees.
In the end, we agreed to leave things on a small scale for now, with me making occasional appearances depending on the situation.
Not without a stern warning that it was all over if anyone from the Lebedev Duke's family or my own crossed paths with me.
I wouldn't be able to hold back if I saw my father's face.
"Still, thank you for wrapping things up so well. They were stories we could've ignored without a second thought."
"How could I refuse a request from you, Professor?"
"My, you sure know how to sweet-talk. But I'm already taken, you know."
"You're still single, aren't you? I hope it works out."
"Haha. If only it were that simple."
Well, matters of the heart don't bend to reason, after all.
A professor who spends her entire day at the academy probably doesn't have much chance to maintain a relationship with a man.
Professor Selene gave a wry smile as I nodded to myself in smug satisfaction. The moment I stepped out the door, she pulled a small box from behind her.
The fact that even my senses hadn't picked up on it confirmed she was a hidden master. She had some serious combat prowess lurking beneath the surface.
Anyway, when I asked what it was, she couldn't hold back her laughter anymore and said,
"It's something Namei prepared for you. She asked if she could drop by sometime later and entrusted it to me."
"She could've given it to me herself."
"Must've been too embarrassing. You can hear it from her later."
"Got it. Please tell Karin I said to ask her instead."
"Sure. See you around sometime."
Hmm. Conversations with sensible, normal people really do feel like this. Most people around me are so extreme in one way or another that communication itself has been a struggle.
I gratefully accepted the gift, bowed my head, and headed out of the academy.
The situation still felt far from relaxed, but even so, it was like one of the shackles binding my body had been unlocked.
I gazed up at the drifting clouds—so rare to see in Astraea—and let out a soft whistle.
I hope things resolve like this, bit by bit, one by one.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Rias cried for a good while before remembering she was in the professors' lounge, not her private room. She hastily packed up and hurried out. Fortunately, the time Professor Selene had bought her hadn't run out yet, so she dashed through the empty hallway—practically running—and made it outside the building.
Her face was a mess, so she was terrified of being spotted and what might happen. She covered it lightly with a handkerchief and ran toward the dorms.
Unfortunately, she bumped shoulders with someone. In her panic to hide her face, their eyes met—Justina.
"...Did you scrape your face on the floor?"
"...I was crying."
"What, did big brother dump you or something?"
"Yeah. You damn bitch."
Her words were sharp, but lacking the venom and malice from before. Justina tilted her head, then asked what mattered most to her.
"Did he say the engagement's off?"
"...Not explicitly, but effectively, yes."
"Oh."
"What's 'oh' about it, you bitch!"
To sum it up, the declaration had been something like "live virtuously and let's meet again someday," so she'd planned to go easy on her. But Justina's unprovoked attacks pushed her temper over the boiling point.
I have to hold back. But this wench was the one who called me incompetent right after the engagement.
Still, Julius said it, so I have to keep my word. But she started it, so getting mad should be innocent enough, right?
Her head alternated between hot and cold until she couldn't hold back and spat out,
"We're both rejects Julius tossed aside. What a sight."
"Haaaaah. Big brother. Dumped me."
"Normally I'd be laughing my ass off, but even I can't muster the will."
"I could mock you right now, no problem."
"Then I'll tattle to Julius. Everything, including the shit you said about me behind his back."
"...Fellow sufferers should get along."
"Yeah."
Both sighed while staring into space, shot rotten glares at the comrade mimicking their actions beside them, then turned away and sighed again at each other.
The two, who in their early twenties already felt the weight of their pasts, saw that symmetry shatter with Karin's arrival.
"...Hey. Where you going."
"Uh, over there."
"Karin. Come sit here."
"Sure."
For a brief moment, she wondered where to sit, but the two on the bench immediately scooted their butts to opposite ends as if they'd been waiting. Naturally, Karin sat in the middle.
Justina hadn't done anything too awful to her, so that was fine, but with Rias—who hadn't hesitated to resort to violence—right next to her, cold sweat trickled down her spine.
What the hell. Why call me over and then say nothing?
"Hey. You hold your liquor well?"
"Uh... average, I guess...?"
"Justina."
"Drinking, huh? Talk about a crazy idea for two girls basically under house arrest. Let's do it right now."
"Let's go. My treat."
"...Me too?"
"Not coming?"
"I am."
She didn't hate alcohol or anything, and Rias seemed to have lost her edge, so her instincts as the underdog whispered that sitting together for some food or drinks should be okay.
Better to get blackout drunk together—that might score some points.
Passing through the academy's front gate, now under stricter entry controls, the trio entered an upscale tavern where the rooms guaranteed privacy no matter what happened inside, even if the prices were steep. They ordered a sweet fruit wine that packed a serious punch despite the flavor.
Surprisingly weak with alcohol, Justina's face loosened as she began nodding off, slurring,
"Oppaeeeee. I like you thiiiis muuuch."
"You crazy bitch. That's incest, you freak."
Huh. They're both weaker than me.
Karin quickly gauged their tolerance and chimed in from the side, dancing her shoulders to deflect any arrows her way. Secrets that never came out sober poured from Justina's mouth.
"Shiiit. At three, I said I'd marry oppa, and he's rejected me ever since."
"What a psycho bitch. Eyeing incest since then?"
"I like oppa this muuuch! I liked him fiiiirst! That dog Ermina! Trying to cut in line!"
Karin briefly imagined recording this for leverage.
Then she pictured herself strung up and getting whipped.
Leverage my ass.
Better not push it.
She sipped the sweetly delicious fruit wine, recalling the harsher brews from Astraea.
She'd really thought she'd die back then.
Watching one cry like a madwoman calling for her brother, and the other laughing maniacally before joining in the tears, made her feel downright normal.
Wait, no. She hadn't heard what she was like drunk.
Shaking off the sudden anxiety, she felt her own buzz creeping in, reactions slowing, and made a suggestion to the pair.
"Should we head back now, maybe?"
"Are you insane?! We've barely started! I'm at this huge turning point—done living like an idiot today, starting tomorrow like Julius said! Head back? You're nuts!"
"Ah, sorry."
"Oppaeeeee."
Goddamn nuisances.
Since Rias was paying anyway, she figured she'd splurge on pricey snacks this time. She scanned the menu and placed an order outside.
Snacks mean meat, obviously.
Nothing beats meat on someone else's dime.
Finishing the order, she returned to the room to find Justina face-down on the table and Rias yanking her hair while cursing.
"If you hadn't pressured me, pressured me all the tiiiime. Youuuu!"
"Agh! Are you crazy, pulling my hair?!"
"That's why Julius dumped you, with your shitty personality! Oh wait, me too. Uhihihihihihih!"
Karin quietly closed the door and asked the counter for the next room over.
She savored the premium beef in peace and quiet, thinking to herself leisurely.
This settles the score for getting beaten and bullied last time.