Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Proposal (2)
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It was over in a flash.
Even Asher, who had maintained a blank expression the entire time, couldn't hide his bewilderment as he interrupted Makina.
“I get how you feel, but two people of different genders, in the cadet council room of all places… a sleepover… really?”
I was so flabbergasted that all I could manage was a whisper of “Yeah, right.”
Of course it was, but Makina didn’t seem inclined to entertain our objections.
She wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place if she’d planned to listen…
“Understood.”
“Senpai must be crazy!”
Shirley was convinced that either I or Makina had lost our minds.
Unfortunately, though… neither of us had.
“If I confirm the anomaly with my own eyes, you’ll help bring it to public attention, right?”
“Of course. Though ideally, I’d handle it at my level.”
“Then we’re good. With so many ears listening, you won’t go back on your word.”
Makina tilted her head with her arms crossed and flashed a smile.
She didn’t reply, but for the sake of face, she wouldn’t retract her words in front of this crowd.
As Makina fell silent, Theodore suddenly chimed in.
“It’d be best if I stayed by her side to observe Arma Cruise’s changes.”
“Theodore White.”
“Oh…”
Theodore’s words drew near-simultaneous reactions from me and Asher.
Asher had always worried about Theodore quite a bit.
“Theodore White, the cadet?”
“Yes. I’m the one Arma Cruise shows aggression toward.”
“Is that so, Cadet Cruise?”
“…Yes…”
It left a bitter taste confirming it myself.
Makina leaned against her work desk and turned her gaze to Judith this time.
To me, it looked like a blatant “You’ve got something to say too, don’t you?” provocation.
Naturally, Judith—
“You want me along as a guardian? The upper floor’s the same layout, right?”
“The upper floor and the room next to it are identical. Large main room with side rooms on either side.”
“Servant! We have a request too.”
The moment Judith heard Makina, she rang the bell just like Makina had earlier.
“Is no one going to ask for my opinion?”
I muttered into the air, knowing full well no one would answer.
It was more comforting to think of it as a friendly group trip to the villa than being alone with Makina in this building.
Moments later, three servants summoned in succession climbed the stairs with puzzled looks, heard our requests, and left even more baffled.
“Shall we consider things sorted now? I have afternoon plans.”
“…Yes. I’ll aim to return around eight.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
It was an oddly intimate exchange for two people from the same class who weren’t even close.
We exchanged polite smiles and left the student council room.
“What the hell just happened to us?”
Shirley clutched her head and kept mumbling the same thing until we passed Black Lily House and the central garden.
I patted her shoulder and said,
“This works out better. We’ve cornered Makina so she can’t dodge. That’s why she agreed.”
“No, even so! You’re driving a wedge into that playboy rumor yourself! With your own hands!”
“That’s why it’s a misunderstanding…”
Playboy, really.
I did dream of a big family, but that was just a “dream,” and I’d have to discuss it with my future partner anyway.
My big-family plan included being a devoted, wholesome father inside and out, so I had no room for promiscuity.
“I’m so anxious, senpai. How do we know Makina doesn’t have some scheme?”
“Then come watch over me, Shirley.”
“I won’t be able to sleep starting tonight… Huh?”
“You come too. Asher Usher seems to plan the same. The upper floor mirrors the student council room, right? That’s probably why Makina suggested it.”
Asher nodded at Judith’s words.
Theodore didn’t seem surprised, as if he’d known Asher intended that from the start.
“Seasonal semester starts tomorrow anyway. I’ll be out half the day, and the rest is just with Makina. We even have separate rooms and bathrooms—what’s there to worry about?”
“Ugh… Senpai really doesn’t get it. Instead of that, she could’ve asked for the Spencer family’s secret Holy Spear…”
“You gonna fight Makina starting today?”
I couldn’t help being more relaxed than Shirley since I still couldn’t gauge her strength and weaknesses well.
“Today?! Yeah, right now!”
Shirley suddenly rolled up her sleeves, fuming, then dashed off saying she needed to train.
“Hope she’s not just wasting energy for nothing.”
“She won’t tire that easily, don’t worry. Still, I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
As Judith said, Shirley wasn’t one to wear out from swinging a spear a bit—in fact, venting some rage like that would prevent bigger issues at night.
Judith whispered a few words to Theodore, then headed toward the training grounds at Crucifix House, where Shirley had gone.
“…What’d Judith just say?”
“She said we’re on duty to watch Arma Cruise tonight.”
“Come on, no need. You’ve got your own stuff—head back to the dorms. What trouble could come with mages and knight candidates around?”
“No, we agreed with the idea ourselves.”
“Agreed how?”
“Things happening in plain sight are less stressful than in the shadows.”
She spoke with the certainty that trouble would happen…
With that presence lurking somewhere inside me, I couldn’t outright call Theodore’s conviction wrong.
Plus, every time I tried pushing these two away, something big had gone down.
I nodded and jerked my chin toward Crucifix House.
“I’ve got stuff to grab—give me a sec to fetch it. You two got any personal items?”
At my words, Theodore pulled something from his pocket.
‘Chalk…’
No idea if he carried it because he liked it or had no other option.
It was a real blemish that chalk was an essential item for Theodore, with his refined, elegant face.
Theodore pocketed the chalk again and asked Asher if he had anything.
“Theo, you should use a fountain pen instead of chalk. Bring ink too.”
“…”
“Let’s stop by Crucifix first, then head to Thorn Crown House.”
I inwardly admired Asher’s smooth coordination as we made for Crucifix House.
The two, habitual about silent steps, followed me more quietly than any servant.
I guided them to the tables and chairs in the dorm entrance, then hurried up to my third-floor room.
‘Journal, holster, major-class pistol.’
Servants would handle daily necessities, but I had to pack small items from the wardrobe and console myself.
I set out a uniform and several shirts for class, toiletries, writing tools, and such on the bed for the servants to bag, then left the room.
Since I tucked the holster and journal straight into the leather pistol case, the only visible extra was the case in my hand.
“Ready to go? You heading straight to Black Lily after grabbing your stuff?”
“Depends where Arma Cruise goes.”
“The initiative’s mine now…”
We had time until everyone gathered that night, and I didn’t want to waste the last holiday before seasonal semester like this.
‘Maybe take Cookie for a lap around campus?’
Fetching Cookie meant swinging by the kennel, looping the star-shaped corners—perfect for killing time.
The two didn’t object much, so as we headed to the grounds for Cookie—
‘Huh?’
Makina was there, the one we’d just parted from.
But she wasn’t alone.
Her usual student council entourage was nowhere, replaced by a lanky, towering middle-aged woman and a short, rock-solid man.
Makina clearly spotted us but kept talking to the strangers and looked away.
“Who’re they?”
“Detectives… I think.”
The pair in black frock coats and matching fedoras didn’t look civilian from their attire and build.
Unrealistic as detectives at the academy seemed, Theodore’s guess made sense.
“Dispatched from the mainland?”
Aegis Academy was a royal school founded for special purposes, so mainland law enforcement rarely showed up.
Then it hit me—the Cale Ace murder case I’d shamefully forgotten, though I shouldn’t have.
“Ah. The body turned up.”
Why had I blanked on that?
It was a murder, and I’d been wrongly implicated.
No excuse—even scrambling with my own crisis, forgetting a death was inexcusable.
The sight nagging at me, I approached Makina and the mainland visitors.
“Hm, perfect timing—you came right to us. This is Arma Cruise, the first witness at the scene.”
Makina introduced me smoothly, without a hint of surprise.
As if she’d planned it from the start.
I bowed politely to seem courteous and waited for the others to speak.
“Inspector Julia Anne Smith… This is Investigator Henry Anderson. We’re here investigating the discovery of Cadet Cale Ace’s body, murdered last fall.”
Julia’s polite speech felt forced.
Probably not her usual style, but she was minding manners at this academy of noble heirs.
I responded in kind, matching her tone.
“Yes. I’ll do everything I can to help.”
At my words, Inspector Julia Anne Smith scanned me with sharp eyes.
About ten centimeters shorter than me, her 170cm frame was tall for a woman.
A middle-aged orange-haired woman with piercing eyes, she had a husky voice and rough demeanor—like a wolf.
“Help, huh. Hope there’s something.”
Her husky voice buzzing my ear dripped with suspicion toward me.