Choice (3)
"So… are you saying that partner is me?"
Selena wore a questioning expression.
Her eyes, already glazed with drink from midday, blinked blankly.
Even so, it was a reaction that clearly betrayed her bewilderment.
"Will you do me the honor? Teacher."
I nodded as if it were nothing.
A question returned with brazenness.
Perhaps it was because it was so sudden.
The woman even pushed aside the bottle of alcohol she was drinking and straightened her posture as if to look at me.
Her flowing purple hair seemed exceptionally glossy.
Her red eyes held a murky light.
A brief silence hung over her luscious lips.
"······."
What outlandish thing is she trying to do now?
It was a look bordering on suspicion.
The gaze that pricked at my cheek stung, but I maintained my nonchalant demeanor without showing it.
The woman muttered with a voice buried in fatigue and intoxication.
"······Perhaps… are you unaware of the meaning behind a partner request?"
"If it's the superstition of the Galimard Ball, then I am aware."
"Then that makes it even more questionable."
"It is because I know that I am making this request."
I had vaguely heard of the superstition of the Galimard Ball.
It had been a hot topic among the students recently.
A somewhat cliché superstition where a pure man and woman pair up and fall in love if they dance together.
Well… it's not like I'm the type to care about superstitions.
'But the kids are.'
Recently, more people in the academy had started focusing on my actions.
Was it because I had won against a professor?
Even without that, I was already attracting attention.
If I carelessly chose a partner, I could get caught up in a scandal.
For young, impressionable kids, love stories are delicious gossip to whisper about.
This was to prevent that.
'First times are precious, after all.'
The same went for those kids.
The protagonist group I had grown close to.
I didn't want to taint them with unnecessary boy problems.
Later, when the world reached its conclusion, some of the kids might start families of their own, and I didn't want them to have lingering unpleasant memories from this time.
This was why I chose Selena.
'Surely, it's not her first time.'
She was a thirty-year-old adult.
She was old enough, her appearance was full of decadent charm, and her figure was overwhelmingly curvaceous, so she must have had plenty of experience with men.
The premise of the superstition involved virginity and purity.
In other words.
If even one person wasn't pure, then such a superstition would be rendered invalid.
It was a way to avoid forced romance flags.
"Heh."
I smiled at my perfect plan.
On the other hand.
Selena still seemed to be pondering.
Her pupils were unusually wavering.
Was something wrong?
As I waited silently for her answer, she asked a question as if to confirm.
Her fingertips tapping on the desk held a hint of anguish.
"If you are requesting me as your partner knowing the meaning behind it, then I don't know how I should take it."
"Just take it as it is."
=Meaning it’s to avoid unnecessary gossip.
"I know there are many other female students around. Wouldn't it be better to ask one of them?"
"It has to be you."
=Because you are the only partner who can directly break the superstition.
"······."
As the conversation continued, her troubled expression deepened.
It was a surprisingly novel reaction.
Having always seen her with a cold, corpse-like demeanor, it felt fresh to see even a slight flicker of emotion.
Of course, it also felt like getting caught up in a troublesome situation.
The woman sighed and muttered.
"······Frankly speaking, it's not exactly an appealing offer."
"You don't have to feel burdened."
"How can I not?"
"I won't force you to do anything. I would simply be happy if you would enter the ball with me."
=If you say no, there's nothing I can do… but it would have been a good solution.
"It would be difficult to accompany someone my age… and it wouldn't be enjoyable at all."
"You don't have to worry about that."
The woman negatively assessed herself.
I firmly shook my head and gave her red eyes a bright smile.
"The fact that I'm with you is what matters most to me."
"······."
Even while making the offer, I felt a little guilty.
Was it okay to use my teacher to avoid a difficult situation?
The Confucian values deeply rooted within me seemed to waver, but this was an unavoidable choice to escape the problem at hand.
It would also be good to narrow the distance between us with this opportunity.
'Though it will be difficult.'
Selena was a solitary person.
Even if someone approached her with goodwill, she would never allow them beyond a certain line.
Among the people around me, she had the most impenetrable defenses.
Like a wild animal difficult to tame.
That's why I wanted to get closer to her.
"Just standing by my side as usual will be enough."
The ball, and the partner.
A small allowance would soon lead to an exchange of emotions, so I intended to narrow the psychological gap this time.
It was also a time when the academy was facing various incidents.
The impending attack and tragedy.
If I firmly secured the faculty's support beforehand, it would definitely help with a proactive response.
It was a stepping stone to gaining control of the academy's situation in the future.
I smiled leisurely.
"One day shouldn't be too much to ask, right?"
"······."
"I won't ask for much. Just spending one night with your student will be enough."
"If you ask it that way… I don't intend to refuse outright."
"I'll take that as a yes."
"······You truly are unpredictable, Student Judas."
"Thank you."
A satisfactory answer.
I nodded, feeling like I had overcome a major hurdle.
Now, I wouldn't get caught up in unnecessary gossip.
"I will be looking forward to that day."
The plan was a success.
However, if there was one fact I had overlooked, it was that the young ones were malicious.
Who would have thought they would even entangle teacher and student?
In the end, the day I would be troubled by gossip was a future not too far away.
I enjoyed the brief peace, unaware of the fate that was approaching.
It was winter.
***
Scratch, scratch-.
The pen nib made a sound as it moved across the paper.
Neat handwriting processed the work.
"Ahem."
Two days before the ball.
Even though the break was just around the corner, the pile of paperwork wasn't disappearing.
On the contrary, it became even busier as I had to clear my schedule for a whole day.
I had to finish the work in advance.
Because of this, I had no choice but to visit Selena's lab frequently to help her, who was even busier.
She had granted my unreasonable request, so I felt I should lend a hand.
It was originally my direct responsibility anyway.
'There's so much.'
I thought as I looked at the neatly lined-up documents.
Since there were no other personnel besides me, most of the paperwork had to be handled by the two of us.
Even while continuing to work, it was an unconsciously puzzling point.
Why wasn't she taking on an assistant despite using such a large laboratory?
I asked, moving my pen.
"Wouldn't it be easier to have more hands?"
"Perhaps."
A nonchalant voice returned.
On the opposite side sat the woman with purple hair. As always, she held a bottle of strong liquor and a pen.
She mechanically moved her hand and responded to my question.
It was a tone too stiff to be considered casual conversation.
"It's always been like this."
"Am I your first assistant?"
"Yes. I've had a few errand runners out of necessity, but you are the first student to be given the position of chief assistant."
"Is there a reason why you haven't had anyone until now…?"
"Because I dislike people."
There wasn't even a hint of hesitation in her answer.
As if she considered it obvious.
I suppressed an amused smile and continued with the remaining questions.
"Why did you accept me?"
"A talent that will go down in history… I judged that the benefits of accepting you outweighed the emotional cost of my simple dislike."
"That's a truly calculating answer."
"I am an adult, after all."
"Has that dislike changed at all?"
"······It's difficult to say it's in a good direction. But I don't think I dislike you enough to say I hate you."
"That's good enough for me."
"Is that so?"
A cynical drunkard.
As if her throat was dry, she tilted the bottle she was holding.
I spoke with a hint of playfulness.
"Could you give me some too?"
"I refuse."
"Oh, come on."
"Alcohol is harmful to life. Especially for children."
"Then why do you constantly indulge in harmful things?"
"To forget."
"What do you want to forget?"
"Everything."
Her eyes seemed to sink.
Her slender fingers fiddled with the bottle, then offered a faint reply, like a candle flickering before being extinguished.
It was a murmur perhaps filled with confusion and lament.
"For example… perhaps it's to forget my shame."
"What are you ashamed of?"
"The fact that I drink."
"That's a strange thing to say. Can't you just stop?"
"It's because I can't stop that I'm an adult. Even if we know something is wrong, we are too old to change."
"······."
The bottle, the snake, and then her own hand.
The woman, who had been shifting her gaze between them, slowly closed her eyelids.
Silence hung between them for a moment.
Her faintly trembling shoulders revealed her drifting consciousness.
Was she reminiscing about something?
Or perhaps she was contemplating her own words.
Knowing that something was wrong, yet making excuses that it was too late to fix it, stepping backward from change, ultimately breaking down like a train that couldn't stop, and simply reaching for the alcohol, adults or herself, heaving her chest to swallow all that discord.
Was that resentment towards life?
Regret?
Or perhaps guilt?
Whichever it was, it wasn't a pleasant sight to witness.
I muttered to myself, feeling a sudden familiarity.
'Indeed… I thought so.'
It was a look I had seen reflected in my own past countless times.
I said with a bitter smile.
"If you have any worries, I'm always here to listen."
"It's alright. There's nothing wrong."
Her red eyes opened again.
Beyond their blurry surface, a thick fog lingered.
The woman murmured as if casting a spell.
"Yes… nothing at all."
In the end.
The conversation didn't continue any further.
***
Two days later.
As time passed, the day of the ball arrived.
It began in the evening, after the sun had set.
In front of the elaborately decorated hall, the snake and the drunkard stood side by side.
Both were dressed formally for the occasion.
"You look very elegant."
Especially.
The drunkard, who had shed her usual plain attire and donned a sophisticated dress, drew the attention of those around her.
The beauty of her curvaceous figure was captivating.
She exuded an adult aura in many ways.
The boy gently reached out his hand towards the woman.
"Shall we… enter?"
"Very well."
Their hands lightly overlapped.
The teacher and student, who had briefly gazed at each other, then took measured steps into the hall.
The short and beautiful night had begun.
***
Meanwhile.
Behind the two people entering the hall, several gazes followed them.
They belonged to none other than the familiar faces of the girls.
"Wow…! Those two look so good together!"
"Is this really the time to be admiring them?"
"Yeah. They look cool."
"I know, right? Surprisingly, formal wear in lighter colors suits him too."
"······."
The five girls, gathered together.
Each held different emotions, but regardless, the curtain had risen on the night of the ball.
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