Chapter 134: Scheming, Scheming, and Romance
“Arena, is Fernora asleep?”
“Yeah, she’s sound asleep. She was excited all day, so she seemed exhausted.”
“Good. Then, shall we become ‘Fairies’?”
“Aye aye, sir♪”
Late at night, when everyone had fallen asleep, we began our operation, careful not to wake Fernora, who was sleeping in the bed next to us. If we left the dorm at night, the ring’s alarm would go off, but with ‘Fairy Magic,’ we could disable it. And if we became fairies, no one could see us.
Sneaking out at night wasn’t new for us, but usually, we spent that time basking in the moonlight and gazing at the stars. Not tonight, though.
Tonight, we had a secret meeting with him.
“Glad you could make it, Kanata Oikawa.”
“We just saw each other earlier. No one saw you coming?”
“…Yeah, we’re fine.”
Our meeting place was the dormitory rooftop. Couldn’t help it—I just loved this spot. There was nothing around to block the view.
He was equipped with the ‘Holy Sword’ and ‘Holy Armor,’ without even wearing a robe. Both were fully activated.
“Sorry for showing up like this, but if I don’t stay in this form, the ring’s alarm will go off… If you know my Holy Sword’s special ability, you’ll understand why.”
“I heard from Kousaka and Hino. They call it ‘Disappearance,’ right?”
“…Yeah. Seeing Ladaria revived and those two doing well… I was really relieved.”
“Then…”
“Yeah… I’m the culprit… I’m really sorry.”
He wasn’t crying… but tears were falling. Without anyone telling him to, Oikawa bowed his head to us.
But we weren’t here to accuse him. It was too soon for apologies.
“So, lift your head. What we want to know is the reason. Your ‘Disappearance’ isn’t what we were told it was, and why did you steal the magic tools?”
“……”
“You’re staying silent… is it for Fernora?”
“…!”
That got a reaction. That meant he couldn’t talk about it.
“So, someone else got to you first, huh? Got it. Arena, let’s do it.”
“Got it!! Here we go~♪”
The two of us joined hands and activated ‘Fairy Magic.’ A bubble of ‘Concealment’ formed around us, and the three of us stepped inside. This wasn’t just any ‘Concealment’—thanks to my ‘Spatial Magic,’ it was like Terbell’s barrier, shifting us into a different phase. No magic could interfere from the outside.
If someone touched the bubble, though, it would pop instantly.
“Now we’re safe. No one can hear our conversation. So, no more apologies… okay?”
“…Got it.”
Morita and Aizawa didn’t live in the student dorms. Instead, they stayed in a house right next to the teachers’ dorms. Unlike the dispatched students, they were placed in this academy as punishment, which came with heavy restrictions.
After the previous incident with Oikawa, those restrictions had become even stricter.
Their bad behavior only made things worse, and they were practically ‘quarantined’ under the title of ‘Hero.’
“Ugh… damn it, my body’s finally stopped tingling.”
“This is such BS… when the hell are we getting out of here?”
The two of them were technically listed as students in the Adventurer Department, but neither had ever taken their classes seriously. They skipped tests, only showing up occasionally for mock battles.
They figured they didn’t need lessons on how to fight monsters—after all, they could defeat low-level ones without even using the ‘Holy Sword’ or ‘Holy Armor.’
Because of that, they never bothered with written exams either. Instead, they only looked forward to the mock battles, where they could enjoy tormenting their opponents.
As a result, they were still considered ‘first-years.’
Honestly, they didn’t mind life in the academy. Well… except for one thing.
This damn ring kept them from attacking the female students.
Even if they flaunted their hero status, that alone wasn’t enough. The ring limited their violence—the first strike was all they got. If they broke the school rules, the ring would activate, paralyzing their bodies on the spot.
Activating the ‘Holy Armor’ could prevent the paralysis, but if they tried, the ring would tighten around their wrists with terrifying force.
One time, their hands had almost been torn off because of it.
The stronger a person’s magical power, the tighter the ring would bind them. It was unbreakable, making the two feel like slaves to the school rules.
But as long as they didn’t break the rules, they were fine. No—even if they broke them, as long as one of them carried the other and ran, they’d be safe. No one could match a hero’s stats, so if they fled, they wouldn’t be caught.
“Hey, Aizawa. Those two girls we ran into yesterday… don’t they look familiar?”
“Huh? …I dunno. But if they’re the kind of chicks that make you really wanna take ’em, there’s no way I’d forget ‘em.”
“Yeah… that’s what I thought.”
They usually ate at the cafeteria, but beyond each other, they had no friends. Or rather, they couldn’t make any.
At first, plenty of aspiring adventurers admired them and approached them casually. But every time, Morita and Aizawa would call them “friends” just to extort them, steal their lovers, or abuse them under the guise of “training” during mock battles.
They blatantly acted against the academy’s ideals, so before long, no one wanted anything to do with them.
“Those who work diligently and strive for the future are the ones who are righteous.”
They spat on those values. There was no place for people like them here.
“Oh, look. It’s Oikawa. Wanna mess with him again?”
“I’ll pass. I’m not in the mood to get paralyzed first thing in the morning.”
“Tch, you’re no fun.”
Lately, they found Oikawa particularly irritating.
Unlike them, he was diligent, kind, and considerate. He had real friends—lots of them. He never acted like a “hero,” but rather, just another student.
To Morita and Aizawa, he was a fool with no ambition. But to everyone else, he was well-liked. Naturally, that led to comparisons.
Even though they brought it upon themselves, they had always hated him. And now, they hated him even more.
So, bullying him had become their daily routine.
They threatened the people around him, tried to intimidate him, and forced him into situations where he had to protect female students.
Most of all, he was a toy they could break as much as they wanted, yet he never shattered. So every mock battle, he always had to face them. And they took great pleasure in beating him to a pulp.
But that only lasted for the first year.
Oikawa kept advancing, and by next year, he’d graduate. He had been assigned as their supervisor, but Asahina had told him that once he graduated, he could do whatever he wanted. So he was planning his future.
That infuriated them even more.
“The school festival’s coming up. We’re planning to do it then, right? We gotta hold back ‘til then.”
“Heh heh, yeah. Gotta save the best for last…”
Two weeks later—
“Two weeks have passed. How are they doing, Jibs?”
“…Yes.”
Jibs sat across from the academy’s chairman in the director’s office. Though he served as the academy’s principal, in front of Marton—who had held his position for decades—he was nothing but timid.
“The two of them have been nothing but model students, enjoying their daily lives without any suspicious behavior. They even help troubled students and show excellent character. Their academic and physical abilities were already assessed before enrollment, so…”
“See? I told you it’d be fine.”
“B-But, Chairman, there’s still a chance the princess could be in danger—”
“They’re wearing the rings. Nothing is going to happen.”
“……”
Marton flipped through documents, clearly losing interest. Jibs had no response.
He feared the princess getting harmed because the responsibility would fall on him. He wanted to avoid that at all costs, so he was being overly cautious.
“…There’s no guarantee there isn’t a loophole. They could still pull something reckless. The cultural festival is coming soon, so I’d like to remain vigilant until then.”
“Do whatever you want, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your job.”
“Of course… Excuse me.”
As the chairman, he had no intention of scrutinizing Jibs’ actions too harshly. To him, those two were simply assigned as the princess’s chaperones. And as long as the principal was monitoring them, Fernora’s safety would be relatively easy to maintain. Even if the hero showed up, the principal could stop him with his authority. Besides, Oikawa was quite devoted to her. She wouldn’t suffer any physical injuries.
“Ugh… this is taking forever.”
The chairman scratched his head roughly as he read through a report. He hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in days, and his brain was beginning to feel sluggish. The dark circles under his eyes hadn’t faded in years.
“I’ve dealt with plenty of divine magic tools, but this kind… Even with engineers, there’s no one who can properly handle it.”
He wasn’t skilled at physical work. Handling the results of his own research was a bit beyond his capability.
“Hmm… what should I do? Maybe… I could have someone use it under the guise of an experiment? …Yes, let’s do that.”
Marton was a man of immediate action. The moment the idea struck him, he quickly got to work.
“Mmm… Nngh… Is it morning already…?”
Yesterday, I was finally able to see Oikawa-sama again after so long. That happiness carried me off into my dreams.
Lately, I had been spending all my time with those two troublemakers. It wasn’t unpleasant, really. But, well… it’s just different when it comes to someone you long for, isn’t it? Who am I even trying to justify this to?
“I should get up alre— Wh-what in the world!?”
“Good morning~♪”
“Morning~♪”
The moment I tried to sit up, I found the two of them already awake, leaning over to peer at my face. H-how improper!
And why are they looking at me with such gentle expressions? What is this? What are they planning today!?
“No, no, it’s not like that. It’s just, well… you know?”
“Yup~♪”
“???”
“By the way, don’t you two seem even closer than before?”
“Eh…?”
“Why are your faces so red? Did Dolly-san do something?”
“You’re coming at me first, huh? Maybe I should drag you around all day again?”
“I sincerely apologize!!”
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