From this morning, Third did not seem to be in a very good mood.
It was all due to that ridiculous prank after the battle on the roof.
It was an overly easy victory for Third.
Jack had fainted in just one blow, not even able to put up any resistance or attempt any action.
Surprisingly, that guy Jack was just a hopeless idiot, so dull that he couldn’t even feel the presence of danger, lacking any abilities or means.
Third felt extremely disappointed by such a dissapointing opponent, but thought to himself, as long as he won, that was enough.
However, at the Academy, it didn’t just end there.
The next day, Third was called to the staff room.
The reason was, of course, school violence.
Ironically, it was one-sided, whether subjectively or objectively, so it turned into a simple “assault,” not a mutual altercation.
For that reason, Third found himself in a position where he had to respond to Jack’s parents’ demand for a settlement.
However, they were the ones who instigated the trouble first, and from Third’s perspective, it was also them who committed the evil act of bullying a child.
Yet, to think that it would lead to this kind of progression after not hearing anything at the time.
It was, in Third’s opinion, an incredibly stupid story, but isn’t that how society works in the end?
He simply had a short-sighted perspective.
As he sat at his desk, propping his chin on his hand, the image of the teacher passing on a command that was not really a command while barely managing to endure Third’s glare surfaced in his mind.
“By, by tomorrow, bring your guardian to the Academy.”
“By tomorrow, my guardian?”
“Yes, yes. We need to reach a settlement from both sides…”
Beside the teacher stood Jack, wearing a triumphant smile for reasons unknown, with his neck and arm in a cast.
There’s an expression about winning a battle but losing a war, and isn’t this exactly that?
Third sighed, recalling Jack’s unpleasant expression.
In the past, Third had never spared the victim or witnesses.
Isn’t there a saying that the dead cannot speak?
Of course, in this age where necromancy and memory reading have advanced, that saying has lost quite a bit of meaning.
The dead, in modern times, tend to have surprisingly many things to say.
Moreover, much knowledge in that area has been lost due to the effects of Circle Reconstruction.
Consequently, while he knew how to kill, he didn’t know how to dispose of the bodies, leaving Third with no choice but to be a little more cautious.
Erasing a student in such a small society as the Academy was inherently too risky.
However, if he kept the matter to a minimum and spared their lives, wouldn’t they feel grateful and stay quiet? This shallow expectation was precisely the cause of his defeat.
Third closed his eyes, thinking that perhaps there was no best course of action for himself from the beginning.
“By the way, a guardian…”
On paper, the guardian would be Yerna, the Forest Keeper, but it felt extremely dubious to call her for such a matter.
Asking a Forest Keeper to come to the Academy for the issue of school violence was a bit awkward.
Although she seemed to trust him to some extent due to Luke, it couldn’t be said that that trust was deep.
If her perception were to turn negative because of this incident, Third could hardly imagine how that would come back to him.
She was not just any Forest Keeper, but a highly capable one who could dig into the secrets of the “Proiten” family without suffering any consequences.
If she were to decide to delve into his past…
It was a horrifying thought he did not wish to entertain.
That said, if he claimed he couldn’t bring a guardian because he had no parents, the teachers, who viewed him unfavorably to begin with, would undoubtedly proceed with the expulsion process.
And if Master found out about such a thing, she would no doubt not say, “Well done.”
She was very pleased that he was attending the Academy.
“…”
It was truly a dilemma.
Third looked up at the clear blue sky outside, trying to calm his troubled mind.
The sky was indeed very blue.
The torrential rain from this morning felt almost like a fantasy.
“I should have just killed him….”
It was an incredibly frustrating day.
—-
Around that time, there was a girl named Yumi watching Third.
Yumi believed that Third was not as scary as he appeared.
Even now, there was a hint of warmth in the way he looked at the sky.
Some might interpret that gaze as “eyes glistening with murderous intent,” but…
Still, Third’s expression clearly showed dissatisfaction, and the reason was pretty obvious, especially since they were classmates.
Naturally, it was due to the meeting with the teacher that had taken place that morning.
“What should I do…?”
Yumi felt that Third’s bad mood was her fault and was at a loss.
If she hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have had to fight, and he wouldn’t have been called to the staff room.
Thus, Yumi was a significant factor in Third’s current state.
And this became something Yumi felt she needed to take responsibility for.
What if you helped someone who was being attacked on the street, but out of fear fled the scene, leaving the person who helped to be arrested as the assailant?
In that case, the actual criminal would be released back into society and the good Samaritan would end up in jail; it would turn the world of good and evil upside down.
In this instance, Yumi herself was the victim who almost became a target, and Third was the good person who saved her.
To ensure that the good person could remain good, Yumi had an obligation to soothe the boy who had stepped up to defend her, no matter how intimidating he looked.
No matter how scary he seemed.
Carefully, Yumi approached Third and opened her mouth.
“Um, excuse me….”
“What is it?”
At Third’s low, growling voice in response to her opening words, Yumi instinctively shrank back.
Even though Third was clearly a good kid who had helped her, her body trembled instinctively.
However, she didn’t want to run away saying, “It’s nothing!”
Compared to the sorrow and fear she had endured before, this was truly nothing.
“Um, you know… thank you… for stepping in for me. You’re the only one who has done so far.”
“Is that so?”
However, Third’s reaction to Yumi’s expression of gratitude was lukewarm.
It was something that just happened accidentally, and he wasn’t doing it to receive thanks, so there was really no reason for him to feel good about it.
From Third’s perspective, nothing had been resolved.
At the very least, if he had gained something from the fight, that would have been different, but that was not the case.
Getting an unnecessary thank-you on top of everything felt more like a burden to him.
It felt like his train of thought had been interrupted, causing him to frown.
Still, it was impossible to outright tell the child to go away after hearing her say thank you…
“So, is that all you wanted?”
“What do you mean, all I wanted…?”
“‘What do you mean’?” Yumi thought, feeling flustered, since she simply wanted to express her gratitude, not have a grand purpose.
Observing her flustered expression, Third eventually turned his head away and began to speak.
No, he tried to.
“No, wait.”
Third’s eyes suddenly widened at the thought that just popped into his mind.
What he had done was, conventionally speaking, simply an act of assault.
But what if there was someone who had been benefited by his actions?
Wouldn’t that offer grounds for mitigation?
Yet, he couldn’t be sure, as Third was not familiar with the Academy’s ecosystem.
This incident, he had brushed off as a mere child’s brawl, had come back as a threat of expulsion!
In that case, it seemed prudent to contact Master, who was familiar with the Academy and discuss it with her.
She would surely have a solution.
Well, even if he were to be expelled, it would reduce her disappointment somewhat.
This could be useful.
The order might be somewhat odd, but it would be better to describe it as a “friend.”
They were not really friends, but that should be manageable.
She was hoping to make many friends at the Academy.
“Alright, from now on, you’re my friend.”
At Third’s words, Yumi froze in shock.
Not because she disliked it, but because she was happy.
Yumi nodded with a noticeably bright expression.
“… Yes! Third, we’re friends now!”
“Is that really such a good thing?”
He didn’t understand; what was it about being friends with someone like him that warranted such a bright expression?
Well, whatever.
“Okay, then…”
As Third was about to continue speaking, he suddenly realized he didn’t know her name very well.
That was only natural; they had never shared their names.
He had heard Jack call her by something once, but “Yumi-something” didn’t sound like a proper name.
Additionally, while he had seen the name on a note attached to a chocolate he had received a while ago, he had skipped over it, so it was all a blur now.
“Yumi… what was it again?”
Third finally mustered the courage to ask her name.
“But what’s your name?”
“It’s Y-Yumi-r.”
“Okay, Yumi. Do you have time after the Academy? We need to go somewhere together.”
“Go somewhere? Where?”
Third briefly recalled Master’s location.
The ‘Location Detection’ enchantment on this magic support ring gifted by Luke.
Its operation was not unidirectional, so with a little concentration, he could quickly determine Master’s general location.
Luke had intended for Third to find him whenever he needed help.
Then, Third revealed the location he found for Luke.
“It should be at Tigr Academy.”
“T-Tigr Academy? Really?”
Yumi’s reaction upon hearing Third mention their destination felt a bit excessive.
For Third, it was simply a place he was heading to meet Luke, but for Yumi, it was something different.
Today, Tigr Academy, coincidentally, had just started its festival.
From Yumi’s perspective, Third’s suggestion sounded like an invitation to “go to the festival together.”
“What’s so good about that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing!”
Yumi was very happy.
“So, this is what ‘the purpose’ meant!”
