“I’m back again.”
“Good job.”
“What do you mean good job? You’re the one who worked hard to find it!”
Kaila smiled as she patted Luke on the shoulder.
“Oh, and they say the culprit has already been caught. Apparently, they were caught trying to set up in another changing room.”
“Well, that’s a relief. It wouldn’t have been an academy student, right?”
“No, not an academy student. They said it was an outsider. Since it’s the festival, they took advantage of the loosened security for outside visitors.”
“Then that’s good.”
Somehow, it felt more reassuring to think that such a pervert was an outsider rather than someone from the same academy.
Luke sighed, relieved that the incident was resolved quickly.
“But why on earth would someone do such a thing?”
I mean, wanting to secretly film children changing clothes before they even reach adulthood…
If it were a student from the academy, that would be quite disappointing.
But to commit such an act at Tigr Academy of all places? That’s bold, to say the least.
Tigr Academy is a prestigious institution where many children from prominent families study.
Therefore, the chances of the parents of the children studying here being influential figures in society is significantly higher compared to other academies.
Just looking at Shirud, he is the son of the head of the Hootry Group, which runs a large department store. Mary’s parents operate a well-known toy company that most people would recognize by name, and Helena has a father who runs a company that is often mentioned among the top five in Aires.
Even the girl in maid attire right in front of him had parents who owned and operated a famous café franchise.
Although the distinctions between nobility and commoners have faded in modern times, it does not mean that everyone’s social positions are equal.
No one openly says it, but as long as there are societies where many people interact, a ‘class’ will inevitably exist.
And an incident like this occurring at Tigr Academy, which is practically at the top of that class, is certainly not something that can be brushed off lightly.
It’s evident that a little contemplation would show that there is no good to be gained from such behavior…
“Well… maybe it’s because there are many pretty girls among the students at our academy?”
“That could be the case, but…”
Since it is an academy frequented by children from affluent homes, the resources they expend on improving their appearances are on a different level than typical households.
They use luxurious soaps enriched with alchemy and magic to wash their hands.
It’s not particularly surprising that they have superior aesthetics on average.
However, thinking that the students of Tigr are simply more attractive than those from other academies seems to lack motivation.
“Ah.”
‘Ah. Could it be that this is due to my own ‘misfortune’…?’
It could be thought that way.
Just as ‘luck’ often coincides with the misfortune of others, ‘misfortune’ can sometimes require others to exist.
The bad luck from a bad draw is merely a personal misfortune.
But what about today?
The torrential downpour he experienced this morning would have been just another day’s weather on a different day, but today is the festival day.
Had that rain continued, the festival would have been canceled, making misfortune not solely his own.
The flowerpot that fell from above while he was walking likely contained a cherished plant of someone.
Yet by falling on Luke’s head, it became the same misfortune for its owner.
Not to mention the splattered water from the road and the delayed bus due to traffic jams.
Today’s misfortune was affecting not only Luke but those around him as well.
“…….”
If that’s the case, this ‘misfortune’ might be beginning to spread around him.
And that hypothesis resonated quite persuasively with Luke.
Typically, when one thinks of being unfortunate, only unfortunate events come to mind; these days, isn’t it just too hard to think of anything lucky?
Just considering the numerous instances, he almost tripped over a rock, nearly lost his wallet through a hole in his jacket pocket that he discovered too late, and almost dropped a jam-covered toast on its jam side.
At least, what was fortunate was that Luke had enough ability to cope with whatever misfortune befell him.
Tripping over a rock is merely a matter of righting one’s posture, and nearly losing his wallet from a hole in his jacket just meant being sensitive to the change in weight in his pocket.
The jam-covered toast falling with the jam side down is simply an issue of catching it before it hits the floor, and a car running a red light is just something he can dodge by reacting a bit quicker.
Even if misfortune occurs, he could simply cover it withhis own abilities, but for someone like Luke, the story is different.
Put bluntly, Luke could handle a meteor falling from the sky without any reason.
With the complete knowledge and intellect of a great mage who reached level 5 and even level 10 circles, not to mention the calculation ability of a super high-performance computer.
Moreover, he possesses immense divine power that could even revive the dead if things went wrong!
As for Luke’s own immortality, it goes without saying.
This means, in whatever form misfortune strikes, Luke would certainly not die; even if the entire continent were to perish today, he could eventually mobilize all available resources to rebuild everything he remembers from before that destruction.
“Well, still, I don’t particularly want to consider such an extreme situation.”
However, no matter how confident he is, that doesn’t mean he wishes to endure such a horrendous effort.
“Hey, Luke? Your expression looks pretty serious. Why did you suddenly get so grave?”
As Kaila asked worriedly, regarding Luke’s suddenly solemn expression, he reflexively held back a ‘it’s nothing’ in response.
What could possibly be more than ‘nothing’ than worrying about the continent’s destruction stemming from his own misfortune?
If his misfortune continues to consistently rise in a positive direction, it is certainly a probable scenario for the continent’s downfall; thus, Luke couldn’t simply dismiss it as ‘nothing.’
So he decided to be honest about it.
“I was just worried that I might be so unlucky today that it could lead to the destruction of the continent.”
“…….”
In response, Kaila only made a subtle expression.
How on earth did a conversation about “catching a criminal who peeked in the changing room” lead to a discussion about “the destruction of the continent”?
Or does it mean he was feeling that bad?
“Luke, are you feeling off today? Do you want to go home?”
“No, that’s just not an option.”
If this misfortune were coming because of him, it would be imperative that Luke doesn’t leave.
Having already put so much of his touch on the café, it’s quite evident what would happen if he vacated.
In the worst case, it could cause issues with the recipe he created.
If that were the case, wouldn’t he have to stay at the café just to prepare for incoming misfortune?
Just then, a noisy commotion came from outside.
It sounded like two men were fighting.
“What’s going on? We’re supposed to start the café soon, why are they fighting in front of our café to ruin it for customers?” Kaila grumbled.
Luke wondered if this too was occurring because of his misfortune, and stood up.
“I should go out and tell them to fight somewhere else.”
“Yeah, I’ll help.”
As they grabbed the café door handle to go outside, the sounds of the fight became clear enough to understand the conversation.
“No, I’m telling you, I’m a parent! Don’t you see my lunch box here?”
“What on earth does your lunch box have to do with your unauthorized intrusion on campus?”
‘Huh, that voice sounds familiar.’
It almost resembles Dayton in its entirety…
“And! What young parent are you? Furthermore, your daughter’s name is ‘Luke Irushi’? Honestly! If you’re going to make up a name, can’t you at least come up with a pretty name suitable for a girl?”
“No! I’m serious! What’s wrong with her name?!”
To everyone’s surprise, standing in front of the café and arguing was none other than Dayton himself.
“Dayton? What are you doing over there?”
“Oh, Luke! My lovely daughter!”
As Luke feigned ignorance, Dayton waved exaggeratedly with his rather large hand gestures and greeted him loudly.
Then he turned to the guard, wearing a triumphant expression.
“See! I told you it’s true!”
But the guard looked unconvinced.
How could a young and muscular man possibly have a cute cat-human daughter at that age?
At least if it were Yang brother, it would make sense…
“Student, is that man really your father?”
Luke, in embarrassment from the guard’s gaze, turned his face away and muttered in a small voice.
“Y-yeah, he is…”
“Really??”
Hearing that, Kaila looked more surprised than the guard.
