I’m the Slit-Eyed Character at the Academy, but I’m not the Mastermind – Chapter 438

“Zero, you’re absolutely not some stupid fool. I can guarantee that.”

“…Huh?”

“It means stop tearing yourself down. Self-loathing eats away at your body and mind before you even notice.”

-The kind of idiot who’ll do anything to protect something precious… and then fails, and ends up wrecking even himselfd.

The self-deprecating line I’d thrown out just to dodge the situation.

Apparently she didn’t like that.

‘Well… getting a confession from Rodelin? There’s no way Rodelin, who’s basically divorced from romance, would do something like that.’

Was I just being delusional?

No. It was a situation anyone would have misunderstood. Honestly, even right now.

“Is there any reason you have to say something like that from this close…?”

“Hmm?”

Maybe she suddenly realized how close our faces were, because Rodelin’s face flushed bright red.

She quickly put some distance between us and turned her head away, but she couldn’t hide her bright red ears.

Judging by that, she’d gotten worked up and misjudged the distance.

“Why is your face turning red?”

“I–it’s because it’s cold out today!”

That’s the best excuse she could come up with? It’s ridiculously cute.

Normally she’s the strict, competent vice president of the student council, but every now and then she has these hopelessly clumsy moments.

How should I put it? Rodelin’s real charm is the cuteness hidden under all that maturity.

‘This side of her is what made her the most popular character in the game.’

I took off the cloak I was wearing and draped it over Rodelin’s back.

“Ah… thank you. Aren’t you cold, Zero?”

“Keke, I’d be fine even if I froze to death, as long as it’s for you.”

“W-what are you saying! W-we’re not at that kind of stage yet…”

“It means I respect you that much as my senior, you know?”

“…Ah. I see.”

Rodelin’s eyes narrowed into a sharp glare.

‘What the? Why is she suddenly sulking?’

Thinking it over, I realized I hadn’t actually thanked her.

She’d sincerely worried about me and I hadn’t even thanked her. Of course she’d be annoyed.

“Thank you. For comforting me.”

“As your senior, it’s only natural. It’s nothing you need to thank me for.”

“…Then why were you pouting?”

I looked at Rodelin, but all she did was pull the cloak tighter around herself. She didn’t answer my question.

‘Now that I think about it, meeting her at dawn like this… is this a hidden piece too?’

Too many things have changed. It’s starting to worry me.

For now, I should at least try to get some information out of Rodelin.

Tap, tap.

Rodelin rose onto her toes and started lightly scraping at the ground.

She looked like she wanted to ask something, but wasn’t sure if it was okay.

I patiently waited. If I took the lead in the conversation, there was a good chance what she really wanted to ask would end up changing.

Only after she’d made a little mound of dirt in front of her did Rodelin finally speak.

“Why did you turn down my sister’s offer?”

“Huh?”

“You refused the offer to become a retainer of our family.”

Caron and Lowell. I remembered almost getting killed, stuck between a giant rat and a crazy lion.

“Keke, both offers were so good I just couldn’t decide, that’s all. What do you think, senior?”

“Like you said, both sides are good places. Of course, our family is much better. Ah, that’s just an objective assessment, of course. We treat our retainers very well.”

“Doesn’t that mean there are just as many obligations? I’ve heard there are more rules to follow than in other houses.”

“T-that’s… just what should be expected. If you’re acting under the great name of House Lucid, of course you have to watch your behavior and choice of words!”

“Then how come Lady Lowell…”

“My sister is a good person! Her reputation when it comes to missions is excellent! Her language is just a bit rough, but her personality is… h-her personality is…”

Rodelin began to tremble. It seemed even she couldn’t bring herself to say Lowell had a good personality.

“Let’s just call it so-so.”

“R-right. A so-so personality… no, ordinary! That’s perfectly ordinary. Don’t you think?”

Beating people up, greeting acquaintances with a kick, and picking fights with anyone strong enough to be interesting.

That counts as ordinary?

When I stared at her, Rodelin averted her eyes and turned her head.

Whatever. Lowell isn’t the important one right now.

‘What’s Rodelin really getting at with this question?’

That was what mattered.

“And what I asked wasn’t an objective assessment. I meant your own thoughts, senior.”

“Hmm?”

“I wasn’t asking which side is better. I was asking whether you think it would be good or not… if I joined you.”

“Ah…”

Rodelin’s lips parted as if she were at a loss for words.

Rodelin made another little mound of dirt with her toes, then spoke hesitantly.

“W-well… I did think it wouldn’t be so bad, working together. It’s easier to work with someone you know.”

Rodelin wound a strand of hair nervously around her finger.

So right now…

“Are you confessing to me?”

“Of course not!!”

Whoosh—!

Rodelin’s fist came flying straight at my face.

I threw my upper body backward to dodge the attack.

“Urgh!”

I managed to avoid her fist… and completely lost my balance, crashing onto my back.

“A-are you okay? I swung without thinking…!”

Rodelin reached a hand out to me.

Beyond that hand, her face was full of worry and apology.

“Keke, as expected of House Lucid. Seems it’s too much for a guy like me to join.”

“I told you not to beat yourself up, didn’t I? Don’t worry. I’ll fix that personality of yours before you graduate.”

“You even have a personality correction program. Truly a prestigious house. I’ll consider it favorably before graduation.”

“You do that. In the end, you’ll choose us anyway.”

I took Rodelin’s outstretched hand.

Her hand was rough with calluses here and there, firm yet warm.

It was a hand she’d trained, over and over, just to earn Lowell’s recognition.

As I let her pull me to my feet, I asked:

“Are you happy?”

It was a question about whether she was happy, now that she’d made up with Lowell.

Did she instinctively pick up on what I meant, or interpret it in her own way?

I didn’t know which it was, but Rodelin smiled brighter than ever as she answered.

“I’m happy.”

Rodelin smiled and looked up at the sky. I followed her gaze.

The night sky was full of stars.

Whether this was a hidden piece or not… whether the future would unfold the same way or not… who cares.

‘She’s this happy right now.’

So for now, I’ll shove all those pointless thoughts aside and just commit Rodelin’s smile to memory.

The further this game goes on, the more that smile fades away.

---

The next morning, in the plaza.

Swish, swish—.

“…”

Swish, swish, swish—!

The sound of wind kept cutting through the air.

It was the sound made by Luna’s head whipping left and right.

Her head movements were strong enough to stir up the air.

Luna was always a bit strange, but today she was acting especially weird.

“Mmm…”

Luna kept scanning the area, as if looking for something.

Then she suddenly wrapped her whole body around my arm, hugging it tight.

She did this sometimes, so that part wasn’t new. The problem was how hard she was clinging today.

She was squeezing my arm like she meant to crush it.

“Keke, what’s gotten into you?”

“…I think more people are aiming for you.”

“Huh?”

“I can feel more eyes on you than usual. And they’re impure eyes, like they want to steal my friend!”

‘Hmm… could it be because you’re clinging to me like this?’

Come to think of it, if we look like this in the middle of the plaza…

“How passionate.”

“The love between those two hasn’t cooled in the slightest!”

…we get weirdos like that staring with weird eyes, saying weird things!

That wasn’t the only problem.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!

Caron, arms crossed, was glaring at us with a terrifying look in his eyes.

If you couldn’t feel how wrong something was with a stare like that on you, that would be the truly strange thing.

“I-I feel it! A powerful gaze is on usss!”

“Tch! Let them come! You think I’ll let go that easily? I’ll hang on even if it kills me!”

“Wooooaaah—!!”

The kids erupted into cheers at Luna’s declaration. Even the instructors whistled and egged her on.

When are these people ever going to catch on?

That Luna wasn’t protecting her boyfriend, but just her friend.

I was swinging my arm around, trying to shake off Luna who was stuck to me like gum, when—

“Ah~ it’s morning already? You should’ve woken me. I wanted to play all night.”

“We can’t afford to let today’s schedule fall apart. And… you’re still injured, aren’t you? You need to invest time into recovering.”

“Listen to that sweet concern for her big sister. That’s my Delin! Let’s ditch today’s job and go have fun. As for Caron, I’ll deal with that annoying old man!”

“K-keep it down! He’ll hear you!”

“I said it so he’d hear, so what. Caron, you heard, right? We’re skipping the mission today.”

“N-no, ma’am! The mission! I definitely! Want to go!”

“Is he ignoring me? Hey! Are you blowing me off? I said I wanted to spend some time with my little sister for once! You got a death wish or what!?”

Lowell started toward Caron, but she never reached him.

Because Rodelin had scooped Lowell up in her arms.

“Hmm… the embrace of a beloved little sister. Not bad.”

“If you let us carry out today’s mission, I’ll carry you like this all the way to the site. Looking after the wounded is also my duty.”

“How is my little sister this kind and cute and pretty and elegant and…”

“Th-there isn’t a single word in there that suits a soldier!”

Rodelin grumbled, and Lowell burst into peals of laughter.

It wasn’t just Caron watching them. Even Luna, who’d been scanning the surroundings, now had her eyes fixed on the sisters.

“Jealous?”

“…Yeah.”

Luna had lost her entire family in an instant under the accusation of treason.

Of course she missed them.

Luna watched the Lucid sisters, but for some reason her gaze slipped away almost immediately.

“Well, it’s fine. I’ve got a new family now anyway.”

“So that’s how it is. You went and formed a new family without me even knowing?”

My daughter had grown up enough to move out and start her own family. I should probably be proud.

But then why—

Ta-daaan—.

—is she looking straight at me while saying that?

“Why are you avoiding my eyes? You know it’s bad for family members to act all distant, right?”

“Keke, and when exactly did we become family?”

“We eat together, live together, sleep together(?). That makes us family.”

“Hmm… when she puts it like that, it’s hard to argue.”

This is all Caron’s fault. Making us share the same dorm as a unit.

No matter if this is a game, this setup is really pushing it.

“We should start planning our future. How are we gonna fill our stomachs?”

“With food.”

“Obviously. I’m asking how we’re going to earn the money.”

“Isn’t this a bit early? We haven’t even finished the first semester.”

“So what. The earlier the better. Sooner is always good.”

“No, earlier isn’t always better.”

Some things, this or that or… that kind of thing(?), are better when you take them slow.

You want an example? …Choosing a career.

When you’re deciding on the job you’ll have to live with for life, you should take your time.

Seriously.

“Watching my senior and her family this time, I realized it would be nice if we had the same job. That way we could stick together all day like that.”

“Hmm. The scary thing is, I can totally see you actually doing that.”

“So what do you wanna do? Just say the word. I’m fine with anything.”

I was wondering how to answer when the bushes behind us rustled.

When I looked back, I saw Yuridia and Victoria hiding in the undergrowth, each holding up branches to camouflage themselves.

“W-what exactly am I listening to right now?”

“It’s a proposal to be together forever!”

“Zero just proposed to Luna!”

The two girls started running around, spreading the rumor.

How is that a proposal? And even if it was, Luna’s the one who proposed to me!

Whisper, whisper—.

‘Did the membership of the Love Aid Club increase or something?’

It didn’t take long for the rumor to reach Caron’s ears.

Crack—!

Caron’s neck twisted at an angle a human neck really shouldn’t bend.

I couldn’t see his face clearly, but I could tell from here his expression alone could probably kill me.

“…Everyone, fall in.”

At Caron’s icy command, everyone fell silent and lined up.

“O-okay, I’m just gonna faint for a bit.”

Thud.

Rezé stuck her tongue out and passed out.

Ron picked up the collapsed Rezé and carefully packed her into a wooden crate.

Luna the stalker, Pufferfish Rabbit Rezé, the Love Aid Club, and Caron’s furious glare.

It hit me then that my everyday life was truly back.

–TL Notes–
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