Back to Square One (3)
Almost three weeks.
Perhaps it was because I had been away for quite some time.
The girl showed an intense reaction.
"Ssssp··· haaa···."
A rough breath grazed my ear.
The fox buried her face in the nape of my neck, exhaling breaths that were hot enough to burst.
The desperate heat spread down to my chin.
"Lady Irene?"
Perhaps she had been anxious.
Having suddenly disappeared without any promise, she might have worried that I would never return.
She probably had no one else to trust but me.
It seemed she was glad to see me after being apart for so long.
Feeling proud, I held the girl's body gently.
"Haa, haa···."
The fox clung to me with disheveled breaths.
A sticky warmth embraced my body.
With our chests pressed together, the soft flesh was crushed, conveying a blatant sensation.
Perhaps because our navels were touching.
The firm physique beneath the clothes could be felt clearly.
It was a precarious position in many ways.
"Oh my."
A subtle scent of skin tinged the tip of my nose.
It was like being on the verge of being devoured by a beast.
As I lay there for a while, enjoying this situation, the girl who had been silently pouncing on me raised her head.
Irene, whom I faced, had a somewhat disheveled expression.
"······You're late."
Shaking black pupils.
Beyond them lay joy, longing, gladness.
And relief.
"You were so late··· I was worried that I was abandoned."
So she had such worries after all.
I smiled wryly.
First, I intended to alleviate that concern.
"I told you."
"······."
"I won't abandon you. Even if everything else in the world abandons you."
"I know··· but I was still scared."
"You're a scaredy-cat."
"Maybe."
"Then I should comfort you so you won't be afraid."
I stroked her head to reassure her.
The fox quietly received my touch.
The snake leisurely explored the flowing strands of hair, then reached for the perked-up scarlet ears.
The caress felt strangely tantalizing.
"······Hnn."
The girl bit her lip as if to suppress a sound, then gradually exhaled a deeply sunken moan.
The breath she couldn't swallow gradually tinged the surroundings.
"Haa··· Ah, nn, nn."
"Of course, a good child should be rewarded, right? Thank you for waiting patiently for me."
I learned this by touching various parts.
Irene especially liked it when I touched her ears.
It felt similar to how dogs expose their bellies to their owners.
It seemed like a sign of loyalty, and she seemed to enjoy it, so I used to touch them whenever I had time before leaving.
I played with the soft ears.
"Ah, nnng···."
All the fox could do in response to the owner's bold touch was to twitch her shoulders and try to suppress her reaction.
As if enduring the tingling sensation.
The girl hugged me even tighter.
A single breath, now hot as a furnace, touched the nape of my neck and melted like ice.
Our body temperatures intertwined between those moments.
We lay on the floor for a while.
***
After the intense reunion, we got up from where we had been lying.
The girl's cheeks were still flushed.
Her complexion was red enough to be concerning, but she asked me not to worry about it, so I complied.
I informed the other members of my return.
"You have returned, Master."
Neria greeted me as if she had been waiting.
Since I had contacted her in advance, she didn't seem as surprised as before.
"Hahaha! I heard you've returned! Captain!"
The one who came running next was the red swordmaster, Kyle.
"I should have gone to meet you··· I apologize."
Lena saluted with a stiff posture.
They were the three core members of Astro.
I chatted with those who came to the captain's office.
The vice captain asked the first question.
"Have you finished all your business?"
"Ah··· I should say it was successful? It's not complete yet, but we're steadily progressing."
"I see."
"I came to pick up Lady Irene today. I’ve been staying at the Academy again since yesterday."
"Yes. I'll go."
The fox nodded beside me.
Although she had an indifferent expression, the tail behind her was wagging with a whooshing sound.
I smiled slightly and stroked the girl's head.
Meanwhile.
Kyle looked at us warmly, then burst into hearty laughter and spoke.
He was praising Irene.
"Hahaha! You'll be surprised! She's become incredibly strong in the past three weeks!"
"Oh?"
"I just helped her review the basics··· but since she's already reached a certain level, even a simple inspiration created a huge wave."
"For the highest star to give such praise."
"It reminded me of my younger days!"
"Is it that significant···?"
"Of course, I'm talking about when I was 12!"
"······."
I knew it.
It wasn't even the latter part of the original story, so it was too early for the precursor of the star to appear.
I laughed, shaking my head.
"Hahaha! But the assessment that she's become stronger is definitely true!"
"Of course, I believe it."
I could tell at once.
The atmosphere was different.
Previously, it felt like an uncontrollable energy was overflowing after her awakening with the flame, but now she definitely had a refined sharpness.
It was a calmness that could cut even the falling silence.
Although I had expected it when I entrusted her, she had risen to a much higher level than I anticipated.
I praised her out of admiration.
"You've worked hard. As expected of Lady Irene."
"······Well. I guess you could say the teacher was good. It was nothing special."
The fox gets embarrassed at times like this.
I had no intention of pointing it out.
Instead, I poked her flushed cheeks as a substitute for words.
Leaving Irene, who eventually turned her head away, I shifted my gaze to the silver-haired girl standing next to her.
It was the vice captain who had been silently standing there.
"Lady Neria."
I brought up a new topic.
"I have a request."
"If it is the Master's command, I will gladly do anything."
The girl answered with unwavering affirmation.
It was the usual straightforward loyalty.
Perhaps because she was the first member of the organization and the one with whom I had the longest relationship, she always followed me well.
I started with a faint smile.
"I would like you to collect some data."
"Data··· what kind of data?"
"Manastone disease. I need information on that."
"Understood."
"Most of the publicly available information is probably useless··· so it would be best to look into forbidden books or heretical cults."
"I will prepare it within a week."
There are no questions about the order.
Only a short answer and a firm determination to carry it out.
I lightly tapped the girl's shoulder.
"Then I'll be counting on you."
Manastone disease.
It felt suspicious in many ways.
The emperor's subtle reaction and the fact that the exact details hadn't been revealed made me think that additional investigation was necessary.
It was also a part of the original story that was left as a kind of MacGuffin.
If I wanted to know the story behind it, I had to take action.
The vice captain twitched when my hand touched her shoulder, but she answered in a stiff tone to hide it.
Her expression was rigid.
"Yes, Master."
Of course, even if she wanted to maintain that attitude, she couldn't erase the shaking in her eyes.
I playfully kneaded her slender shoulder a few times.
Then.
"Ah··· Ek··· Uh···?"
The vice captain broke down.
It was always a fun reaction.
I wanted to enjoy it a little longer, but I knew that if I continued, she might cry, so I slowly removed my hand.
Her eyes were actually glistening as if it had been a close call.
I pretended not to notice.
"Haha··· I should get going now."
It had been a while since I saw the members' faces, I had finished giving instructions, and I had seen that the children were doing well, so it was really time to go back.
I gestured to Lena, who was waiting.
The black-haired woman reached out at the signal and tore through the dimly shining dimension in the air.
It was a portal back to the Academy.
I extended my hand to the fox who had been listening to the conversation behind me.
"Then··· shall we go now? Back to the nest where we belonged."
Irene looked at me.
As if there was no need to hesitate, the girl took my hand with her warm body temperature.
"I've been waiting."
We stepped through the portal.
***
A week passed by.
It had been a busy month.
It was a season when many landscapes changed from time to time.
With the help of the princess and the snake, Rose was gradually adapting to the outside world.
The strained relationship between the sisters seemed to be slowly recovering.
I heard from her exclusive maid that although there was some awkwardness, they were trying to work it out.
There was still a long way to go.
-Now the two of them sometimes smile!
-Whenever that happens, I feel like crying··· It's all thanks to you, young master!
Tanya hopped excitedly as she talked.
I stroked her small head.
It had been busy, but it was a rewarding schedule.
After that, peaceful days continued.
The issue with Rose was settled for now, the troublesome cult was quiet, and there was no other news.
It seemed like a tranquil daily life was finally continuing.
Of course.
That was until I heard the news.
"Did you say, exam?"
"You didn't know? The final exam is starting tomorrow."
"Oh my··· I completely forgot."
"I knew it. You made a promise to study together, but then you suddenly disappeared for three weeks, so it's understandable that you forgot."
"I have nothing to say about that. I'm sorry."
"Hmph. Whatever."
The exam was starting tomorrow.
Moreover, it was the notoriously difficult written exam, a long-standing tradition of the Gallimard Academy.
For ordinary students, it was a moment to realize a major crisis.
"A-Are you okay, young master···?"
"Of course not! It's not like he studied outside, and his grades will probably drop significantly this time!"
Different reactions came back.
The protagonist worried about me.
The villainess spoke loudly.
I covered my mouth with a serious atmosphere and answered.
"Ah··· I'm fine."
"I-I'll tell you the exam scope. There are a few subjects that aren't on the first day···."
"Thank you, Lady Regia."
Regia was full of concern.
On the other hand.
"What a shame. It looks like I'll be taking the top spot in the written exam this time, then?"
Emilia seemed to have her spirits lifted.
Perhaps she still had lingering feelings about the top spot in the written exam, as her blue eyes were shining unusually brightly.
She seemed certain of her victory.
"This is a crisis···."
I muttered briefly, carefully covering my exposed mouth.
So that my expression wouldn't leak out.
'I'm sorry, but.'
I was smiling slyly inside.
I was imagining how amusingly distorted the face of the villainess, who was confidently puffing out her chest, would become.
A thrilling surge of dopamine.
'She probably has no idea.'
That during the past three weeks, while working as a physician, I was also studying like a madman for this exam.
I twisted myself, thinking that I could never give up the top spot.
I wasn't particularly obsessed with grades, but the thought of Emilia taking the title made me feel spiteful.
In the end, I dedicated every early morning to relentlessly preparing for the exam.
Only to crush the opponent.
I completely devoted my life to it.
It was truly the mindset of a troublemaker addicted to dopamine.
"Just you wait! My name will be on top this time!"
I thought to myself.
Not a chance.
Your fate is to be 'second' again.
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