Chapter 78: School Festival Part 3
Razé: “….”
Adis: “What’s wrong?”
Razé: “No, nothing.”
Razé and Adis were doing their task as the steering committee members to patrol the school building. She pretended to act cheerfully when answering Adis but she could sense something was off. It was a very tiny strange feelings that one wouldn’t normally notice as it blended with the surroundings very naturally.
She was alarmed when she realized that she couldn’t detect the number of her opponents. However, she knew it was not a good idea to let the opponent know that she had sensed their presence. Razé decided to pretend not to notice that she was being watched, and waited for the opponent to make a move.
Adis: “Let’s go inspect the class programs. We need to check 4 classes.”
Razé: “Alright.”
They not only had to patrol the school building, but also need to make sure the class programs didn’t violate any rules or causing any danger. Razé took out a pamphlet. She had marked the location that they needed to visit on the pamphlet. “Where should we go first?”
The grouping for this patrol task was decided by amidakuji[1]. She was hoping that she would be paired with Folia or Carna, but the luck was not on her side.
The school festival was held for two days. The visitors could enter the academy and joined the festival on the first day, while the program for the second day was exclusively for the students only.
She didn’t have much free time on the first day. However, thanks to Ruben’s generosity, she would be able to enjoy the second day of the festival with Folia and Carna. She gathered her nerves and persuade herself that she only needed to entertain the visitors for one day only. I only need to endure for one day. Tomorrow will be my paradise!
Razé stood at the end of the corridor while confirming the location marked on the pamphlet. Adis stood next to her and looked at the map on her hand. He traced the route with his finger, saying, “There’s nothing nearby. Let’s start from the top floor.”
The surroundings were crowded, so it was unavoidable that they had to stand close to each other, but Razé was startled when their gazes collided as she raised her head. She thought she had gotten used to it, but she still was surprised at his look. Or perhaps, she was surprised that she had lowered her guard against him although she was being vigilant towards her surroundings.
Either way, she kept being startled when she was with Adis. She pretended to act calm as she replied, “Sure, let’s go.”
* * *
Ducard: “What do you think?”
“They were too close,” Bonalt promptly replied with a grim stare.
They were watching Adis, who was looking at the map on Razé’s hand. They were currently hiding in the shadow while observing Adis. It was a justified action in the name of protecting Razé. They were just observing, so the wristband didn’t show any reaction. They were involved in the product trial back in the military, so they understood the function very well and were able to demonstrate their own power without any hesitation.
Victor: “The situation is not good, Cross-senpai.”
He called Bonalt ‘senpai’ as a camouflage. Unlike Ducard and Bonalt, who were focusing on Adis, Victor had been observing their surroundings and he had noticed something that made him turned pale.
Bonalt: “What is it?”
Victor: “It’s- It’s like this. According to my analysis, it seems that most of the pairs of male-female students here today have a romantic relationship. You see that couple over there, another one there and one more here!”
He was reporting seriously and looked a bit scared. He seemed to be more agitated than the time when he was in a difficult situation during an expedition in Baruda.
Bonalt: “Don’t lose your cool. Didn’t the young men at the classroom just now said that they were doing the task for steering committee members?”
He admonished Victor to stop acting suspicious, otherwise they might get caught by Razé.
Bonalt: “Besides, I think you’re overthinking things. There are not much couples around here.”
Surprisingly, Victor wouldn’t give up. “No, you’re wrong! Look over there.” He pointed to a group of students not far from them and explained his analysis calmly. “At a glance, they look like a group of four students. But if you look carefully, you can see that the braided hair girl and the guy with the volume fringe are a couple, while the dark-haired girl with glasses who is bickering with the blond guy are another couple. They are very clever. It would be too obvious if they walk in pair, so they group together.
Since the parents are also participating in the school festival, it is best for them to move in group for camouflage. The couple who got acknowledged by their family can date openly like a triumphant hero. This is terrifying. Aren’t these youngsters our future knights?”
Although he was speaking calmly, the content was quite absurd. After listening to his long speech, Bonalt was not sure how to react. After thinking for a while, he finally said, “Anyway, you should put into practice this analytical skill. Maybe you will be able to work more efficiently.”
Ducard who was watching Razé and Adis warned them, “They’re moving.” The three men continue to follow them discreetly.
As they walked down the hallway, they saw Adis was surrounded by a group of girls. These girls didn’t seem like students here.
Victor: “They got blocked.”
Bonalt: “Yeah.”
It seemed that the visitors could easily identified them as the steering committee members when they saw their armband.
Victor: “Are those girls interested to join this academy?”
Ducard: “Maybe, but most likely they are attracted to his look. These kids are not good at judging characters. They don’t even know that the most amazing student is the girl standing next to him.”
Razé stood quietly next to Adis while he answered all the questions patiently. Looking at the situation, Victor gave a dry laugh and said, “She never let others realized how amazing she is. It’s very typical of Leader.”
Seeing their humble but reliable superior acting the same at school gave them a heart-warming feeling. But the relaxed atmosphere was gone suddenly when they saw the person approaching Razé.
“It’s him!!” The three of them ran towards Razé in a haste.
* * *
“Hey. You’re looking good!”
Razé was waiting for Adis when suddenly a man tapped her shoulder. When she realized who it was, she frowned inwardly.
Razé: “… It’s been a while.”
Zelhide Knit Olusanya gave her a smirk. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in Shian Imperial Army, the same rank with Razé. And he was the leader of 302th SAB who had been treated like a sandbag during a joint training session with 537th SAB led by Bonalt.
Olusanya: “It’s been a while, Razé Granoli-kun. You look great in that uniform!”
There was nothing wrong with his words, but Razé could feel that he was making fun of her. A troublesome person has come…
She felt offended by him because she knew he treated her like an enemy. Did he come here purposely just to see me acting as a commoner student? That’s creepy. She felt like running away after seeing Olusanya spoke with a flimsy smile.
Olusanya: “What? Did you forget my name after not seeing me for a while?”
Ugh… His pretentious words were giving her goosebumps. She felt annoyed by his acting but she steeled herself and maintained her gentle expression.
Razé: “Of course not. How can I forget your name?”
Olusanya: “Oh, really?”
The sparks flew as they confronted each other silently.
Olusanya: “Well, you shouldn’t have forgotten me. It’s no exaggeration to say that you can leisurely stay here thanks to us.”
Razé knew he was provoking her. Based on his personality, Razé was pretty sure that he was trying to trip her up. She clenched her fist.
Olusanya: “Anyway, that uniform really suits you. You look cuter in this uniform compared to the other one that you always wear. I’m sure your family in heaven will be hap-”
Razé’s expression changed when he mentioned about her family, but someone else cut off his word before she could react.
“If you have any question, you can talk to me,” Adis said in an unpleasant tone. He was standing next to Razé, flashing the Grim Reaper’s signature smile while staring coldly at Olusanya.
“!?” Olusanya was stunned into stupor when he saw the face that was very similar to his superior giving him a glare. Anyone could see that he had turned pale in an instant. “No- Nothing!” He immediately ran away at lightning speed.
Adis: “… What’s wrong with him?”
Razé: “—Hahaha.”
Razé unable to hold back her laugh after seeing his pitiful look. Her shoulder was trembling as she laughed for quite a while.
“What are you laughing at?” Adis was puzzled seeing her laughing after being intimidated by a grown up man.
Razé was impressed that he could get rid of the troublesome man and smiled at him. “You’re amazing, Adis-sama. I feel relieved, thank you. We haven’t checked any classes yet. Let’s not waste time here.”
She walked down the hallway in a good mood. Adis had noticed the heavy and dark atmosphere that she had for a brief moment in front of Olusanya earlier. He was confused by her change of mood.
“What’s wrong,” Razé asked with a gentle expression when she saw that he was not moving.
Who was that man? What happened to you in the past? Adis swallowed those questions. Instead, he murmured softly, “… As long as you’re happy.”
Razé: “What did you say?”
Adis: “Nothing. The program for our first class inspection is boardgame?”
Razé: “Yes! Want to have a match?”
Adis: “Okay. Whoever lose have to buy a drink.”
Razé: “That sounds fun!”
The school festival had just begun.
[1] amidakuji: also known as ghost leg or ladder lottery. Wiki page here. ↩
