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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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After Adrian’s return, a predictable lecture commenced.
As always, he delivered a moderately challenging lesson and assigned moderately difficult homework.
After a brief Q&A session, the class concluded.
The students breathed a collective sigh of relief as the man exited the classroom.
It was a sigh of relief, yet simultaneously it held a sense of dread.
They were glad he was back, but the thought of the hellish studying that would now resume filled them with a sense of foreboding.
Despite this, no one complained.
With only a week left until the academy-wide competition, the students, more than anyone, were eager to perform well.
But even the most beautiful scenery is best enjoyed after a meal.
As everyone filed out to eat, one student remained.
Charlotte Forte.
She lingered anxiously in the classroom, her fingers fidgeting restlessly.
Her timid nature often made her anxious, but this time, her unease was palpable.
Isabel, Lotten, and Michelle patiently waited for her to speak.
One minute.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Time ticked by, but Charlotte remained silent.
They say the most irritable creature in the world is a hungry woman.
Even Michelle, a daughter of a prestigious family, was no exception.
Finally, Michelle broke the silence.
“So, what is it this time?” she asked, twisting her hair.
Her tone wasn’t particularly kind, but the failing class students knew how restrained she was being.
“Uhhh…”
Charlotte, with her eye darting nervously, began to wring her hands.
She was clearly not herself.
Something, whether physical or mental, was deeply troubling her.
“Mmm…”
Now she started biting her nails.
Was this her answer?
The other three looked at her, bewildered.
Finally, after a long pause, Charlotte spoke.
“What do I do… What should I do…”
“What do you mean, ‘what do you do’? Tell us what’s wrong so we can help. None of us are skilled in mind-reading magic, you know.”
Charlotte bit her lip, as if she was about to burst into tears, then suddenly let out a forced laugh.
The thought of Adrian being angry with her was terrifying.
The girl herself couldn’t understand her own feelings.
She had only known the man for half a year, yet why did his opinion matter so much?
“I… I think Professor Adrian really hates me…”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Charlotte had agonized over those words, hesitant to even voice her suspicion.
But Michelle’s blunt reply shut her down instantly.
“W-what?!”
Charlotte practically jumped out of her seat, her eyes wide with shock.
To an outsider, it might have looked like Michelle had hurled insults at her.
“On the contrary, is there any reason for him to like you?”
It was a short, simple question.
The telekinetic girl’s question was heavily implied.
But Charlotte understood its meaning immediately.
“Oh…”
Charlotte slumped back down, she had a dejected look on her face.
Her rose-colored eye stared blankly at the floor.
A sigh escaped her lips.
“That’s… true.”
Even Charlotte could think of countless reasons why Adrian might dislike her.
Of course.
First, she had entered an area forbidden to academy students.
That alone wasn’t a good look.
And second, she had broken her promise to Adrian.
She had vowed to run away if she encountered demons, and she had broken that vow.
Just two reasons, and her throat already felt parched.
Charlotte took a swig from her water bottle.
After another long pause, she finally began to confide in her classmates.
“Is that… really it…? Come to think of it, I’ve only done things that would make Professor Adrian hate me. He’s been treating me a little better lately, so I got a bit too cocky…”
Her tone was so serious that none of the other students dared to interrupt.
Charlotte continued in a weak voice.
“Actually, I ran into Professor Adrian in the hallway before class. I went to ask him a question, and I think he got really angry at me. Really angry. I was being presumptuous…”
Shaking her head, Charlotte stood up.
“Well, it’s my fault, so there’s no point dwelling on it… It’s my fault. Let’s go eat. Sorry for making you wait. You must be hungry.”
Just as Charlotte finally decided to go eat…
“He got angry? He didn’t seem angry with me at all.”
Isabel’s words stopped Charlotte in her tracks.
“Right, Lotten? We went to ask him questions too. He was curt, but he answered everything thoroughly. Wasn’t he?”
“He definitely did. He was just his usual unfriendly self.”
Charlotte’s face darkened.
Oblivious, Isabel put her arm around Charlotte’s shoulders.
“You said you’ve been tired lately, Charlotte, right? Maybe you’re just imagining things? When you’re sensitive, even the slightest bit of unkindness can feel amplified.”
Isabel meant to comfort Charlotte, but her words had the opposite effect.
Sensitive?
No, she had clearly been met with animosity.
“Oh…”
A foolish sound escaped Charlotte’s lips.
Since losing her parents, her life had been devoid of color.
The world was black and white, and Charlotte believed she was incapable of feeling emotions.
But then Adrian had appeared, painting her world with vibrant hues.
He had awakened emotions she had never known.
And now, through Isabel’s words, she was forced to confront the reality that he truly disliked her.
He had even answered Isabel and Lotten’s questions, but not hers.
What had she done wrong?
What had she done that was so different from the others?
If she couldn’t figure it out, she would continue to be disliked.
She had to find the answer, but…
Finally, Michelle sighed.
“Isabel, Lotten, you two go ahead and eat. I can’t leave her like this.”
“Huh? Michelle? What are you going to do?”
“Look at Charlotte’s face. She’s clearly not convinced. I’ll take her to see Professor Adrian myself. I can be objective about this.”
“That’s a good idea, but…”
Isabel glanced at Charlotte.
…Could she even make it to the professor’s office?
She looked like she could barely make it out of the classroom.
“No, I can’t.”
It was Charlotte who voiced her refusal.
Her eyes were filled with fear.
“If I go now, he’ll hate me even more. I-I don’t want that. I’m scared…”
“You can be scared after you get some answers. The competition is only a week away, and you’re going to stay like this? Are you kidding me?”
Michelle ignored Charlotte’s mumbling and dragged her by the wrist towards Adrian’s office.
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“Get out.”
Thwack!
Michelle’s eyes widened.
Adrian’s action of throwing a stack of papers at Charlotte was shocking.
Adrian always had a reason for his actions.
But this time, he seemed to be acting purely out of emotion.
Charlotte seemed even more shocked than Michelle.
She stood frozen in place, her body trembling as if caught in a storm.
Silence.
She bit her lip.
She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.
Finally, she spoke.
“P-Professor Adrian…”
Adrian’s sharp gaze pierced Charlotte.
Michelle’s eyes darted back and forth.
Charlotte was unexpectedly smiling.
“It’s okay if you treat me badly. I must have done something wrong to deserve this. J-just… I hope you don’t hate me…”
“I told you to get out.”
“Y-yes, sir. I’m sorry.”
Charlotte bowed her head and hurried out of the office.
Something transparent seemed to flicker in the air behind her.
Her retreating figure was pathetic.
At least, in Michelle’s eyes, it was.
“What is your business, Michelle?”
“Huh?”
Michelle finally snapped back to reality.
She shook her head.
She needed to check on Charlotte.
“It’s nothing. I-I’ll be going now.”
As she turned to leave, something caught her eye.
The scattered papers that had fallen from Charlotte’s grasp.
Strengthening Fire Magic, Fundamentals of Elemental Synergy, The Correlation Between Mana Distribution and Efficiency…
Something felt off.
Michelle’s thoughts stuttered to a halt.
Come to think of it, Adrian’s actions always had a purpose.
‘Suspicious.’
She needed to take a closer look.
“I’ll be going now.”
Michelle gathered the papers and left the office, a nagging unease settled in her heart.
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[gaslighting arc lmao]
I feel so bad for Charlotte ;-;