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Although I put it grandly, the relationship between my former companions and me wasn’t bad.
After all, we hadn’t had any real conflicts, and we parted ways on good terms, even shouting a final ‘Fighting!’ before going our separate ways.
I never heard anything like, ‘You useless scout, get lost!’
There was no overt discrimination.
It was just me overthinking everything.
Anyway, I was old enough to ask directly without feeling ashamed.
Of course, I didn’t act like we were close.
“What is this place?” I asked.
Rain flinched at my words.
She probably recognized me from my voice, right?
Even after meeting so many people, I still remembered the voices of my companions.
“…It’s the headmaster’s office.” she replied.
“Oh, I see. Please excuse me.”
After a brief exclamation, I backpedaled out of the room in the same posture I had entered, then closed the door.
Considering my current relationship with Rain, barging into the headmaster’s office like that was definitely a blunder.
What kind of new student would brazenly throw open the door to the headmaster’s office?
‘I’ll have to be more careful from now on. I’m not Ron the adventurer or Ron the former companion of the hero, but Ron the student of the academy.’
As I turned to leave, the door swung open again.
Two pairs of arms seized mine, their grip firm, pulling me back into the room.
“Whoa?”
A stupid sound escaped my lips as I was overwhelmed by that irresistible force and the flow of magic.
A moment later, I was dragged back into the room.
Thud.
The massive door made a loud noise as it closed.
Or maybe it just seemed loud because the room was too quiet.
When I came to my senses, I was sitting in front of them, kneeling for some reason.
Judging from the presences I could feel, Rain was on my right and Sora was on my left.
‘What? Why are you here?’
“Um, Headmaster?” I asked, thinking it was pointless to pretend I didn’t know them.
Instead of an answer, I was enveloped in something warm.
I knew without having to think about it.
Rain was hugging me.
I didn’t expect this reaction at all.
I had expected her to either ignore me or reprimand me, so this kind of response was completely unforeseen.
As I stiffened, Rain tightened her embrace.
As if she would never let me go.
“Uh… uh…”
For the record, this wasn’t the sound of me holding back tears of joy at our reunion.
This was the sound of my body screaming under the pressure of the First Hero, Rain Garden, the paladin with the power of light.
It was a mix of the air being squeezed out of my lungs and my bones protesting.
Whether she heard my cries of agony or not, Rain tilted her head back slightly while still holding me, her gaze fixed on me.
“What happened? Why haven’t you contacted us? And what’s with the bandages? No… don’t answer. Just don’t run away. I won’t let you out of my sight ever again…”
“Gah…”
“Hold on a second. Let him go before you crush him. He needs to answer us, right?”
Sora cast a spell, releasing Rain’s grip.
‘Haha, I thought I was going to die. Thank you.’
I wanted to say those words, but Sora’s next words made me swallow them whole.
“So… tell us why you were so busy that you couldn’t even contact us.”
Even though I couldn’t see her face, I knew she was furious.
And a furious Sora was incredibly dangerous.
Like a lit bomb.
“Please spare me.”
“Spare you? You need to answer me first.”
Sora spoke as if she were a mother scolding a misbehaving child.
But I could see it.
Her magic wavelengths were slightly distorted.
And that meant ‘I’m extremely angry right now.’
Sora’s voice sounded hesitant, but keeping her happy was far more important than worrying about such details.
“Well… you see…”
Averting my eyes despite the bandages, I somehow managed to part my lips that seemed glued shut.
“I was… traveling.”
“Traveling without a word to us? And you ended up enrolling in the academy?”
“Well… no. That was just part of my travels…”
“Or were you hoping to see me, the one you were closest to in the party? Did you not know how to send a letter?”
When I fell silent at Rain’s question, Sora, as if to say it didn’t matter anymore, patted my shoulder and changed the subject.
“It’s fine. At least we know you were doing well!”
“Sora…”
‘Ah, you’re as radiant as the sun. Thank you for not holding a grudge…’
“Well, it’s good to see you again after all this time. I guess you’re here to graduate now that you’ve come this far?”
I couldn’t bring myself to tell her, ‘Well, I was thinking of dropping out after having some fun.’ while looking at her face.
As I nodded vaguely, Rain let out a small laugh.
“Good. As the headmaster, I will offer you my full support, Ron…”
“Hey, that would be favoritism. I doubt Ron wants that.”
‘Sora…’
‘Ah, you’re as radiant as the su…’
No, forget it.
Just as she said, I wasn’t fond of using connections or receiving special treatment, so I shook my head.
Rain seemed to realize her mistake and quickly corrected herself.
“Th-that’s right! But still… Just call me by my name like old times when it’s just us.”
“Anyway, we’ll be seeing each other a lot from now on! You’ll be attending my magic class, right?”
To be honest, I wasn’t really interested…
“It’s mandatory.” Sora cut in, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Did she read my mind?
How could she tell even with my eyes covered?
Sora’s words, closer to a threat than a suggestion, made me freeze.
And with that, the conversation ended.
It seemed Rain wanted to say something more, but Sora’s imposing presence seemed to hold her back.
I was relieved that they didn’t seem to think badly of me.
Although I couldn’t see their expressions, their voices and actions indicated that they were happy to see me after all this time.
As for Rain hugging me… well, she was always a kind person, so it was probably nothing out of the ordinary.
“Ah, want some snacks?” she offered.
“I wouldn’t mind, but… is it okay for me to be here?”
“It’s fine. Students never come here anyway, even though I always leave the door open. I wish they would ask me for advice sometimes.” she sighed.
‘As expected of the former Hero. She doesn’t let her position go to her head and is always open to those beneath her.’
My admiration was cut short as Rain, with shocking speed, set out snacks and black tea before us.
The black tea, which I hadn’t even mentioned, was steaming, as if freshly brewed.
There had been no smell of tea when I entered.
“Are you sure it’s okay to bring out something so expensive?”
“It’s fine. I prepared these for the students anyway.”
Was this the attitude of an educator?
She had truly become the headmaster.
I thanked her and popped a crispy cookie into my mouth.
It was a cookie with my favorite flavor.
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After Ron left, I couldn’t help myself.
The moment I confirmed that it was truly him, I pulled him into an embrace.
For a fleeting moment, I wondered if he would think I was being clingy, but I wanted to feel his scent first and foremost.
His familiar scent, the one I loved, wafted into my nostrils, unchanged even after all this time.
He hadn’t changed.
Even after all these years, even with his face hidden behind bandages, his essence remained the same.
Only one thing had changed.
I now knew for sure what kind of feelings Sora harbored for him.
As expected, the moment he appeared, Sora couldn’t hide her anticipation.
It was as if she was desperately holding back from running towards him with some kind of objective in mind.
While her tone towards Ron seemed angry, her expression betrayed her anxiety.
It was as if she was terrified of the possibility, however small, that he might disappear again if she said the wrong thing.
After exchanging a few words, Ron bowed and left the room.
As the door closed with a thud, I reflexively raised my hand, as if to stop him from leaving again.
But I held back.
I didn’t want him to think I was overly attached.
If Al Sora could endure it, then so could I.
Besides, as long as he was at the academy, there would be plenty of opportunities to see him.
Right now, dealing with the mage before me was my priority.
“Sora, you knew, didn’t you?” I asked, my voice sharp.
“Know what?”
“Where Ron was.”
“No?”
“…Really? Don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence that you decided to come here?”
“Nope.” she said, popping another cookie into her mouth.
I could feel my voice turning cold.
I knew Sora was a former companion, but after realizing her feelings for him, I couldn’t help but speak harshly.
A hero was supposed to be impartial towards everyone, but it seemed impossible when it came to her former companions.
She knew their feelings, and she remembered all the things they had done, even those concealed beneath the surface of their agreement.
It seemed Sora was the same.
Perhaps even her decision to become an instructor at the academy was an extension of those feelings…
Sora, after giving me a few curt answers, seemed to ponder something while munching on cookies.
Then, her gaze turned sharp as she looked at me.
“You…” she began, her tone serious.
Then, she put into words the very thought that had crossed my mind.
“You saw something strange about Ron, didn’t you?”
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Party breaking rizz