"Try this, Theo. It's from a famous dessert shop."
"I'm not thirsty."
"...But it's really delicious."
Mari, looking a bit sullen, took a sip of her mint chocolate latte and picked up a piece of chocolate to eat.
"..."
"Eating sweets helps clear the mind, you know. You should try it too. I got this as a special gift from the shop owner I know. Even if customers are willing to pay any amount, they only sell a limited quantity."
Of course, I can understand that, but this isn't the right time.
My appetite has vanished.
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Alright..."
After Mari's weak reply, silence filled the faculty room. It was so quiet.
'I'm sorry, but...'
I know it's impolite to keep rejecting someone's goodwill. But if it's not right, it's not right.
I reminded myself of my original goal.
'I came here to help with Mari's research and to repay her for the debt I owe her.'
Breaking the long silence, I spoke up.
"Anyway, I was wondering if you were too busy to have me visit."
"Well, I'm not that busy yet. Do I look busy?"
"You're dressed as if you're going to a formal event today."
I refrain from making potentially rude comments, like it seems she put a lot of effort into her makeup.
I believe that it's good to have some boundaries even with people you consider on your side.
Mari shrugged her shoulders.
"It's not a particularly formal event, just a gathering at the Hero Association. People argue noisily about who's right and who's wrong. Ah, just thinking about it gives me a headache. Should I just not go?"
"No, if it's an association gathering, you should attend. You must be busy, so let's get straight to the point. Tell me how far your research has progressed."
"Oh, so this is how it works... I just need to apply it like this, right, Theo?"
Mari's eyes widened as she looked at me.
"Yes, you understand quickly, Mari. As I said earlier, unless the leader of the group is at the highest level, this method is guaranteed to work. After most of the monsters are wiped out this way, only a small number of people need to be sent in to complete the mission."
"Ah, I see..."
Mari nodded repeatedly.
'She's not the youngest professor in the Hero Department for nothing.'
Mari was smarter than I thought. I was prepared to explain for two hours, but she understood most of what I said in less than thirty minutes.
"Wow... I never thought about it like this. Why didn't I come up with this idea?"
Her light green eyes were filled with admiration as she looked at me.
"Maybe it's because you've been researching alone all this time. It seems like you couldn't share your findings with other professors."
"…That's true."
"Since you seem to understand up to this point, I'll talk about the situation after the small group is sent in."
I continued my explanation.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm... Wow, it fits perfectly. Even those who barely do anything in the association wouldn't know about this."
By now, Mari was nodding not just with her head but with her entire upper body.
'But it's so distracting.'
As her upper body moved, her ample chest swayed as well. Her tight shirt couldn't contain it.
The faint outline of her impressive, deep and white valley was visible. I couldn't take my eyes off it.
'...Damn it.'
I felt a sense of guilt.
I understand that I'm at an age where such desires are normal.
But even if it's a physiological phenomenon, I'm not a monster. I can't believe I couldn't control even this small desire at such a crucial moment.
It seemed like Mari hadn't noticed my lewd gaze.
Honestly, I can't think rationally when it comes to matters of the opposite sex.
'She shouldn't know.'
If she finds out, I'll die of embarrassment.
'Huuuuu...'
...It's all because of Siena. If someone who doesn't know my reputation asks when I became such a lustful person, I would answer it started when Siena hugged me yesterday.
That obscene elf seemed to have dragged out the lust that was deep inside my heart. I could almost hear her giggling in my ears.
I recited the national anthem in my head at 16 times the speed.
"...Splendid rivers and mountains."
Ah, damn it. Because I recited it too quickly, my inner thoughts slipped out.
Mari tilted her head and leaned forward to look at me.
"Um, Theo? Why are you suddenly like that? I'm following along well, there's no need for you to be considerate."
"…Ah, I'm sorry. I was just thinking about the next part of the explanation."
I slowly backed away. We were too close.
'I can't embarass myself anymore.'
If I make another mistake, I'd rather bite my tongue and die.
With that thought in mind, I spoke.
"I will explain the next part."
***
After finishing the discussion with Theo, Mari headed to the association's branch office in the kingdom's capital.
Though she had casually mentioned it to Theo earlier, today's gathering was quite an important event.
Mari, a hero of commoner origin, was in her late twenties, but she had already distinguished herself in the association where numerous heroes were affiliated.
As a result, she had received a lot of pushback from the noble-born heroes.
'Those fools who can only rely on their family names.'
However, Mari's mood was cheerful, thanks to the explanation Theo had practically hammered into her head.
'I can't believe he's the same kid from last semester. How could he come up with such an idea?'
When she first heard Theo's explanation, she felt as if she had been hit in the head with a hammer. He had suggested something that even the well-established heroes in the association hadn't thought of.
With this, she would be able to deal a significant blow to the noble-born heroes who endlessly tried to suppress her.
"Hehehe~."
Humming a happy tune, Mari boarded the academy-bound carriage.
'On another note, he's unexpectedly cute in some ways.'
Mari recalled Theo's appearance in the faculty office.
He kept glancing at her body. He probably thought she hadn't noticed, but he couldn't evade her intuition.
He would suddenly stop while explaining things well, and when she approached him, he would hurriedly back away.
'A cute child deserves a reward.'
Mari giggled.
***
After having lunch, I headed to the training ground.
Since club meetings were canceled yesterday and today, there was nothing else to do.
'Having done plenty of mock training and duels in the morning...'
I decided to go to the gym.
Squeak-
I promptly pushed the entrance door open.
There were about ten people in the gym.
All of them familiar faces: Neike, Piel, Eshild, Max, Aisha... even the mage, Andrew, was there.
'Obviously, stalking her. What kind of gym workout would a germaphobe mage do?'
***
Everyone, except for Piel and Aisha, welcomed me.
"Nice to see you all."
I'm in a good mood. It's quite a sight to see the students who used to look at me with subtle eyes now greeting me enthusiastically.
People really should make an effort.
After stretching my body, I headed towards the center, where the lower body training equipment was located.
"Oh, you're here... I mean, you came, Theo."
Aisha greeted me with a slightly annoyed tone. Why is she acting like this all of a sudden? It doesn't suit her.
"Aisha, is something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong?"
It seems like there's a big issue, but I decided not to pry.
"Alright, got it."
She was just fine two days ago. What changed her mind?
It's also strange to see someone I've never seen in the gym before.
With that thought in mind, I turned my gaze to Andrew.
"..."
Andrew, who had caught my eye, approached me.
"I heard from Aisha that you skillfully led the two teams."
"You didn't hear that from me, Andrew."
Aisha immediately corrected him. After Andrew managed his expression, he spoke again.
"We had a deep conversation with our club regulars about the magic dungeon incident. Aisha was quite surprised. I guess there was things I didn't know about—"
"There wasn't anything like that. And I wasn't that surprised."
"Eshild praised you a lot."
"That's true."
"..."
Andrew hesitated and closed his mouth.
Ah, they say a boy in love becomes a fool. What a pure heart.
He's a germaphobe, so he can't even touch exercise equipment others have used.
"Uh, uh, I, I can do, I can do it!"
My prediction was accurate. Andrew was still hesitating, debating whether or not to grab the barbell.
He kept glancing at Aisha.
...Is he trying to show off his masculinity? He should just stick to his magic.
It's hard to watch. I'll just help him.
During the magic dungeon incident, Noctar, who had been on the same team as Andrew, told me how he went above himself to protect everyone.
"Andrew."
"···Are you going to mock me?"
"Take this."
I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and threw it to Andrew.
Of course, it was an excessively fashioned item for a simple handkerchief, tailored to Theo's taste.
Andrew looked at me with a puzzled expression, and I immediately provided an answer.
"It's unused. Wrap it around your hand and use it. You don't have to return it."
"······Alright."
Andrew turned his head, muttered, "I lost again," and tightly wrapped the handkerchief around his hand.
'Why is he like this?'
Anyway, I should focus on my own training.
***
3/4 Enjoy the chappy! We got bonuses this week as well.
