The Pair Training Plan and the Mystery Partner
A petite cadet with light blue hair tied in low twintails, wearing a star-shaped hairpin and a beret, stood there staring fixedly at Elise Lorendia.
“I saw it.”
She had watched Elise Lorendia stare intently at Ron Hazley the moment the extermination test ended.
Even during the recent conditioning sessions, Elise had kept her gaze locked on Ron.
Back when Elise had first admitted to developing feelings for someone, she had shrugged it off with a vague “Hmm.”
Yet here she was, devoting such an intense look to an acquaintance she barely knew, let alone a stranger.
“This is suspicious.”
Lara Twislope had her own logic to back it up.
“Ron Hazley has a decent face too.”
Coincidence or not, it was hard to deny that Elise’s taste in men might have struck the mark.
Even if the guy was the weakest cadet in terms of skill, looks were a completely separate matter.
“How did you come to that conclusion?”
Elise Lorendia immediately sensed Lara’s misunderstanding and, with practiced composure, answered with a bright, teasing smile.
“You’re suspicious because I stared so hard at Ron, right? Right?”
“Ah…”
So that was it.
Of course Elise was interested in Ron.
She was the top cadet herself, yet even she couldn’t fully master certain high-difficulty sword techniques—how could she not be intrigued that a low-ranked cadet had pulled it off?
Still, she hadn’t felt the need to explain the full reason to Lara.
As expected, the conversation had nothing to do with romance. Lara’s angle was purely about Elise’s romantic interests.
Elise narrowed her eyes with playful mischief, curving her lips into a mischievous smile, then pressed her fist lightly to her lips and tilted her head sideways.
Her magenta hair cascaded gracefully with the motion.
“I hope Lara gets what she wants.”
“Eh? Why are you not denying it?!”
Lara was flustered.
“Tell me—what would you like? If I, Elise, develop feelings for Ron Hazley? What are you going to do?”
Lara broke out in a cold sweat.
No… really?
“Elise is… falling in love…?”
She had never imagined such a possibility.
Elise, who had ignored countless suitors—men of excellent status and appearance—because of her status and looks!
Of course Lara didn’t oppose the idea. But…
“She feels somehow off-putting…”
Lara’s eyes turned icy, like frozen marbles.
Ron Hazley, who had survived the long-range mountain survival test not by his own ability but by relying on someone else.
Worst stamina. Worst skills.
She had no idea how he had survived this extermination test, but he must have been incredibly lucky. That was the only plausible explanation for a cadet who clearly lacked the talent.
In other words, he would almost certainly be expelled before long.
“Not that I dislike him, but… for Elise’s pure heart to go to that kind of guy…”
She shuddered at the mere thought.
A bad ending was written all over it.
Elise watched Lara’s serious expression and let out a soft chuckle.
“I was just joking~! I only stared because he used his sword pretty well during the extermination test.”
“Eh? Ron Hazley?”
“Yeah. Ron Hazley.”
Elise had held back from saying he had performed the Opening Wing of the Light Wing Sword style, because Lara would definitely mock her if she heard the details.
She wasn’t sure if even she herself would believe it if told outright.
On the other hand, Lara remained thoroughly skeptical.
“Elise would never misjudge someone because of that…”
Lara had sharp instincts. She knew Elise was excellent at hiding her true feelings.
That was why she couldn’t accept Elise’s flippant answer at face value.
She hadn’t realized that her own intuition was actually correct, but… that was how it was.
“Hmm…”
Lara continued to watch Elise suspiciously, while Elise smiled cutely, “Hehe.”
During their conversation, Lara made up her mind.
She would keep a close eye on the relationship between Elise and Ron Hazley.
“Hello, everyone. What a damp and unpleasant morning.”
Under her pointed hat, a head of short red hair swayed gently. Instructor Rachel had arrived at the training field.
Rachel was the instructor responsible for teaching magic and Magic Weapon Arts to the cadets.
“As announced, for the time being Magic Weapon Arts training will be conducted in pairs. We’ll practice by exchanging techniques with your partner until you’ve mastered them.”
“That’s when the drama begins.”
Chapter 4 of For Elise was the slice-of-life segment, followed immediately by the confrontation with the third-rate villain.
There had once been a third-rate villain who had spread rumors and caused Elise trouble while she was the star of the show.
“As previously announced, after the extermination test, each of you from first to tenth place will have the right to choose your own training partner. Starting with first place—Eighth Cadet Elise Lorendia, step forward.”
Elise Lorendia walked toward Instructor Rachel.
She looked radiant, as if the harsh training ground had been bathed in warm sunlight.
Her magenta hair swayed with every step, giving the illusion that it shimmered and echoed with each movement.
She was ranked first in skill and second in popularity. She must have already received countless love letters.
“Wow…”
Many cadets gazed at Elise with love-struck eyes.
She had endured countless requests from them to be paired with her over the years. Just as she had in the original story.
“Eighth place. Choose your training partner.”
“Yes~”
Elise returned a bright, blooming smile toward the other cadets.
She turned her gaze toward the third-rate villain.
She wanted to see the villain’s expression when she chose him.
“Huh?”
The third-rate villain—a female cadet—trembled in fear, head lowered.
Her face had turned deathly pale, and her lips were chapped.
“She shouldn’t be reacting like this yet…”
Looking closer, faint bruises were visible on her neck and wrists.
She had clearly been beaten by someone.
If she had gone to the infirmary or the chapel, a healer or priest could have treated her.
Since she hadn’t, it probably meant she had been injured and forced into silence by some illicit matter.
Guessing the truth, it was obvious.
“No way… she’s already been picked on by Elise?”
Of course the story wasn’t going to unfold exactly as I remembered.
Ever since I had defeated the Demon of the Red Eye, Orankel, or even since I awakened my memories from my previous life, the plot had changed dramatically.
But this turn of events felt a bit too far-fetched.
Thud, thud.
Elise walked forward with both hands clasped behind her back.
The cadets whispered among themselves, clearly curious about whom she would choose.
Then Elise stopped right in front of me.
“Ron Hazley, correct?”
“……”
Elise leaned her upper body toward me, her clear turquoise eyes inches away.
The sparkle in her smile was so intense I instinctively held my breath.
Her voice came straight at me, excited.
“Will you pair up with me?”
“Me…?”
Why me…?
“What? Why did you choose that guy?”
“Why Ron Hazley in particular?”
“The top cadet choosing the bottom?”
“It’s not like she’s trying to bully him…”
Pure curiosity, envy, jealousy, and inferiority all flooded toward me at once.
It was overwhelming.
Top cadet versus bottom cadet.
Strong versus weak.
Popular cadet versus the most unpopular.
The gap between us was absolute.
Since there was no way to hide my wariness, I didn’t bother to keep my expression neutral.
“Why me?”
“Hmm… just because? I wanted to train with you.”
Elise answered with a teasing smile, as if completely unaware of my suspicion.
At this point, I still hadn’t received any proof that she was helping me.
So there was only one plausible reason.
“Did my performance in the extermination test impress her that much?”
Even she, the genius among geniuses, hadn’t mastered a technique that a bottom-ranked cadet had pulled off.
Elise was driven by a strong desire to improve. It was natural for her to feel frustrated at such a sight.
“Or is she suspecting me?”
…Even if that were the case, it didn’t matter.
Right now I was far from the level of a Swordmaster.
No matter how hard I tried, it was impossible for Elise to see me as “a strong ally helping me” and draw her own conclusion.
Even with her special magic, Fairy’s Eye, which let her analyze mana flow, she wouldn’t be able to detect the Wolf Fang Sword Calzack hidden inside me.
The sword was sealed and inactive.
“Anyway, let’s assume the situation…”
Originally Elise should have been paired with the third-rate villain and had to “train” by bullying her.
Instead, she had switched plans to pair with me and had already eliminated the villain.
There was no proof, but the clues pointed that way.
“Don’t you want to? Don’t you? This is a rare opportunity to practice together.”
Elise tilted her head with a smile, urging me.
She was the classic type who knew how beautiful she was.
The eyes of the surrounding male cadets burned with jealousy.
“Actually…”
“I should welcome it.”
According to the after-story credits, the person in front of me was destined to become the world’s strongest in the future world.
Later, she would be called the Fairy Knight, standing shoulder to shoulder with Swordmasters and heroes.
And she was a legendary genius.
Even if it wasn’t actual combat, this was a chance to face a protagonist of such talent with a sword.
There were certainly plenty of things I could learn from her.
“Do I have the right to refuse? …Alright, let’s try.”
The corners of Elise’s lips curled higher.
The expressions of the other cadets darkened, including those who had confessed their love for her.
I deliberately ignored their gazes.
…Because it was terrifying.
Just then.
“Huh…?”
My friend and protagonist, Lara Twislope, stared at me in surprise.
She would have some trivial reason, Lara always did.
I ignored her.
Elise Lorendia had been searching for the one who had protected her from the tragedies of the scenario notebook.
The first clue had been the train incident.
The day the prophesied tragedy was averted, even though Elise had done nothing.
There were no traces of a mysterious strong individual who had defeated the Demon of the Red Eye escaping during that event.
She had assumed the person was one of the train passengers.
“But no one stood out.”
Elise’s Fairy’s Eye allowed her to analyze the mana quantity of anyone in her line of sight.
Even after scanning all the train passengers, she found no strong enough individual to have defeated the Demon.
She had considered the possibility of mana concealment magic, but even that couldn’t hide from Fairy’s Eye.
Still, she hadn’t ruled out the possibility that the mysterious strong individual was among the passengers.
After all, she hadn’t mastered every spell in this world.
So after the train incident, she had compiled a list of over a hundred passengers and escorts, then used her family’s information network to investigate their identities and backgrounds one by one.
Ron Hazley had been on that list.
“Mana Tier 1, the weakest among cadets, yet he used the Opening Wing…”
A bottom-ranked cadet who had performed a sword technique I hadn’t mastered yet had made him interesting.
That was reason enough to investigate him.
Since he was already on the list, she had decided to observe him directly.
Maybe that was how he had learned to use the Opening Wing—to hide his real strength.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Elise smiled brightly and extended her hand.
“Same here.”
Ron Hazley shook Elise Lorendia’s hand.
Even during the handshake, Elise’s eyes locked onto his like a predator eyeing prey.