They say time heals all wounds.
The awkwardness that seemed eternal had somewhat diluted, but now the silence felt even more uncomfortable.
Then, Alkiné hesitantly called out to me.
“…Rudion.”
“Yes, President.”
“Can we speak more casually when it’s just the two of us?”
“You’re already doing it.”
“Yeah. I’ll keep it that way.”
…Wait, she just drops this out of nowhere?
Thanks to that, the awkwardness that had just started to fade came rushing back.
But if this keeps up, I won’t be able to do anything, so I decided to change the subject before the conversation died.
“By the way, did you come alone? Where’s Seria?”
“…You’re looking for another girl in front of someone who confessed they like you. Bold move.”
“No, that’s not—”
“Just kidding. Seria probably went back already.”
…That didn’t sound like a joke. Her eyes just went dead.
Seria, did you really agree to work with someone like this? Like, seriously? You weren’t being threatened or anything, right?
Not that Alkiné is the type to threaten people, and Seria isn’t the type to cave under pressure either… Ugh, I can’t make sense of this. I never thought things would turn out like this…
Anyway, forget that. The fact that Alkiné decided to speak more casually was a good thing in its own way.
From knowing her real personality and that her usual way of speaking is just an act, her formal tone always felt like a burden.
I mean, come on. Someone who debates which stuffed animal to cuddle with before bed insists on using this old-fashioned, overly formal speech in front of others? That’s just hilarious.
Of course, there’s such a thing as maintaining a public image, so it’s not that weird… The problem is that I know her too well.
‘Understood.’, ‘I see.’, ‘I’ll consider it.’
Every time I hear her say stuff like that, I can’t help but picture Alkiné in her full bunny-patterned pajama set, hugging a teddy bear… Trying to keep a straight face every time is torture.
So, her speaking normally was a welcome change.
Though, since she said it’s only when we’re alone, it seems she plans to keep up the act in front of others… But with all the chaos lately, the Student Council barely gathers unless it’s for Rift-related matters.
So, I’ll definitely hear her formal tone less often… Wait, or will I?
“Will you speak casually in front of Seria too?”
“…There you go again. Don’t make me repeat what I just said.”
“Ah, my bad.”
“Just so you know… Hmm, yeah. Maybe I’ll try speaking casually in front of Seria too.”
This’ll be fun. Alkiné definitely said that.
I don’t know what she finds fun about it, but… I suddenly feel uneasy.
Well, if she’s going to speak casually around Seria too, that’s a good thing, right?
As I was lost in thought, Alkiné subtly shifted the topic.
“So, how is it? Me talking like this. Does it feel awkward?”
“Not at all. You must’ve practiced with your stuffed animals. It feels natural.”
“Yeah, that’s… Wait, what? How do you know about that?”
“Ah.”
Maybe it was because her tone had lightened, but I ended up teasing her like I would with Seria.
If it was just teasing, it wouldn’t have been a problem. But what I just teased her about was a secret she’s been hiding—something no one else knows.
Of course. If you have no one to talk to casually and end up chatting with stuffed animals, that’s just… heartbreaking.
“Answer me, Rudion. How do you know that?”
I already made a similar mistake with Seria, so I know that trying to dodge the question here won’t get me anywhere. The only option I have is to charge through it head-on.
I declared confidently.
“Actually, I know the chairman’s secret.”
“…How much do you know?”
“Like how the chairman picks a few dolls from the collection by the bedside every night, agonizes over which one to hug while sleeping, and ends up hugging two or three at once because they can’t choose just one?”
“Why… why do you know such detailed stuff?”
Alkiné, who was about to interrogate me, seemed to lose her sharp attitude as her secret was laid bare so explicitly.
“You… so you even know why I talk the way I usually do?”
“…Sorry, Chairman. I wasn’t trying to pretend I didn’t know.”
“Y-you…!”
Eventually, unable to bear the shame, Alkiné started swinging her fists.
I’m sorry, Chairman. I’d like to take the hit, but if it’s your fist and not Seria’s, I’d really die.
“Don’t dodge! Don’t dodge!!”
I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!
After dodging about 80 times, she finally stopped swinging her fists, took a few deep breaths, and gradually calmed down.
But what she said next was something else.
“I’ll give you one of the dolls I made next time. Keep it by your bedside when you sleep.”
“…Suddenly?”
I blatantly dug up her secret, but her attitude was surprisingly calm. Curious if she wasn’t embarrassed anymore, I asked, and she averted her gaze and replied.
“I am embarrassed. I am… but strangely, I’m happy that you know me so well. I don’t even know how you found out.”
Wow. You have a talent for driving people crazy with just words. Did you practice this with your dolls too?
Whatever it is, I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear it. I’m starting to feel embarrassed too.
—
We wasted some time like this, but we still had work to do.
Writing the report. I should’ve done it a long time ago, but I kept putting it off until today. I can’t delay it any further.
“Shall we finish what we were about to do? Sit down. You’re the one writing, right?”
At least she seemed somewhat self-aware, as Alkiné stepped forward before I could even bring it up. In the end, I couldn’t pass the task to her and had to write it myself, but what can you do?
Writing the report isn’t actually that hard. You just have to write down what actually happened.
Of course, since I got involved, the report ended up including some tweaks here and there… but the conclusion is the same, so it doesn’t matter.
Anyway, report writing is tedious but easy. However, this time, it was quite difficult.
Of course. What happened in this Rift?
Diggerus, who had gone missing, appeared as a member of the Demon Race, kidnapped Alkiné, and tried to harm her. In the end, we had to deal with Diggerus.
Even the fact that a never-before-seen synthetic Rift appeared felt insignificant in comparison.
So, well… even if the Academy lets it slide, Diggerus’s family definitely won’t.
“It’s going to be chaos once the story gets out.”
I said it casually, but…
It’s probably not even true in the first place.
Starting with whether you really became a demon, why you killed them, or whether you killed a perfectly fine person and framed them as a demon to cover it up—all sorts of speculative accusations will fly around.
Well, it’s Diggerus’ family we’re talking about, right? Where do you think his personality came from?
Most personality issues stem from family history, and Diggerus was no exception to that.
Alkiné seemed to have similar thoughts as she let out a deep sigh.
“I guess so? Sigh… Can I ask you a favor?”
“Would you like some tea?”
“…How did you—never mind. Yes, please.”
You’d think she could just make it herself, but she has this weird habit of only feeling at ease when someone else makes her tea.
I know that, so I just go along with it without saying much.
I sneak out of her personal workroom and head over to the shelf where the tea leaves are stored.
I place a kettle of water on the stove and glance at the tea leaves for a moment.
Let’s see, this is the tea from the north.
It’s tough enough to grow in that cold place, but when brewed, it has a surprisingly smooth flavor… Anyway, it’s Alkiné’s favorite.
I tried it once before, and it tasted like slightly bitter milk diluted with water, so it’s not really my thing.
Soon, the water starts boiling, and since I’ve already prepared the tea leaves, I brew it in the ratio Alkiné likes best.
I carry it back to her workroom.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks.”
She takes a sip and then looks at me with a slightly surprised expression.
“…Did I ever teach you how to brew this?”
“Nope.”
“Is this also part of the secrets you know about me?”
“I guess… so?”
“And you can’t tell me how you found out, right?”
“…Probably not.”
The story about the setting guide is a secret I’ve kept even from Seria.
It’s partly because Seria never really asks about things like that, but even if I reveal everything else, I plan to keep the fact that this world was a game hidden no matter what.
No matter what, telling them they were just game characters feels a bit off, don’t you think?
I don’t know how they’d react, but there’s no need to make them feel uneasy by revealing something like that.
Alkiné seemed to ponder something for a moment before asking another question.
“Wait. So, do you know all my food preferences too?”
“Yes.”
“…No wonder. You’ve been weirdly good at matching my tastes. You already knew everything, huh?”
“Huh? What happened?”
“Don’t you remember? That time you came to hang out with Seria, you lost a bet and had to go buy dessert alone.”
Ah, that time. I remember now.
Back when I used to hang out with Seria and occasionally visit the student council, that day Alkiné seemed particularly stressed about her studies, so we decided to get her something sweet.
Of course, it was Seria’s idea, the bet was Seria’s suggestion, and the result was also rigged by Seria to make me run the errand… Anyway.
Since I was going to buy something, I thought I might as well get what she liked, so I picked out things that matched her tastes.
That incident seemed to have been a bit of a mystery to Alkiné.
“Now it all makes sense.”
She said that and finished the tea in her cup in one go, then let out another sigh.
This time, though, the sigh was filled with relief.
He was there.
“Did they find out the secret? Suddenly, I’m not afraid of anything. Rudion, write down everything that happened in the report exactly as it was.”
“Should I really just write it down?”
“Yeah, I’ll take responsibility. You know who my dad is, right?”
“The great Black Wolf of the North, right?”
“My dad doesn’t really like being called that.”
“Oops.”
I didn’t know that.
“You only know a lot about me, huh?”
Well, the setting book mainly focuses on the main characters, right?
Of course, in terms of strength alone, Alkiné’s father is one of the top-tier powerful figures in the world, but he wasn’t exactly an active character in the story.
But somehow, she seemed to be in a pretty good mood after that.
“Anyway, just write it down. Don’t worry if something happens. Who do you think I am?”
She seemed to be in a good mood, so I just did as she said.
After all, no matter how much the Diggerus family struggles, they’re just a count’s family at best. What could they possibly do?
They don’t have the ability to go head-to-head with the Academy, so they’ll probably turn their attention to the weaker students. And if that student happens to be the Duke’s daughter? They’ll probably swallow their words.
My prediction was almost spot on.
Except for one thing I overlooked…
“That commoner brat is untrustworthy! Arrest him and interrogate him immediately!”
Unlike Alkiné, the Duke’s daughter, I’m just a commoner.
Haha, I’ve never been in trouble for this before, so it’s quite refreshing.
But don’t worry. Alkiné, the Duke’s daughter and Student Council President, told me to trust her.
She’s smart, so she must have anticipated and prepared for this situation.
Thinking that, I looked at Alkiné… Oh, she doesn’t look prepared at all.
Alkiné was staring at me with a bewildered expression.
I asked her,
“You told me not to worry?”
“…I wasn’t in my right mind back then, so I just blurted it out. You know what the mood was like yesterday.”
Well, even though we acted like nothing happened, we couldn’t even make eye contact.
Still, this is too much. Even if it was something said when I wasn’t in my right mind, are you really going to let me get dragged away like this?
“I trusted you, President… To betray my trust like this…”
“Don’t say that. I’m really hurt.”
“…Wait a minute. Alkiné, what’s with the way you’re talking?”
In the end, I, the easiest target, was dragged away by them.
The funny thing is, Seria didn’t seem to have any intention of responding to this situation. Instead of reacting, she was only interested in Alkiné’s way of speaking.
“Is my way of talking important right now? Rudion is being taken away!”
“You must have some plan, right? Otherwise, Rudion wouldn’t just let himself be taken away like this.”
“…What? I felt sorry for nothing.”
“That’s why I’m asking, what’s with the way you’re talking?”
…Now I see, it’s just that she knows me too well.
At this point, it’s almost scary.
“Still, help me out…”
“When?”
“Today’s the last day of the holiday, right? I have to go to class tomorrow.”
“Alright. See you later.”
Just before being dragged away, I had that last conversation and ended up tied up and thrown into a corner of a carriage.
Being treated like this just because I’m a commoner is really too much.
