The Former Swordmaster Who Pretends to Be the Worst, and the School’s Top-Ranked Chairman’s Daughter Who’s Way Too Sweet in Public, It’s a Real Problem
“Well… for the reasons mentioned above, the nations east of Britain—now known as Euclid—are currently devoting themselves to research aimed at achieving the coexistence of science and magic. The most famous among them is Novozarks. Given that its predecessor was a major power, it has achieved results that are incomparable to those of other nations.”
—It was as if the commotion of the past few days had never happened.
Today’s world history class was proceeding quite quietly, as usual. In an academy where magic reigns supreme, this kind of classroom lecture is often overlooked. Even so, true to their status as top-tier students, not a single one of them was dozing off; they were all staring at the panels serving as their textbooks.
Mind you, since this was the final class of the day, many looked exhausted.
I, in particular, was yawning widely without a care in the world for the teacher’s gaze.
“……Hmm, looks like that’s it for today.”
Just then.
A bell rang throughout the academy, signaling the end of class. The history teacher glared at me as he spoke, gathering the stack of materials he was holding.
As soon as he left, my classmates all started getting ready to leave at once.
I slumped face-down on my desk, exhausted, and let out a deep sigh.
“Good job today, Saito-kun!”
“Ah… Good job, Rika.”
Then, my childhood friend sitting next to me called out to me with a cheerful smile.
She was probably feeling a sense of relief, but she also seemed genuinely happy to be talking to me. As I watched her smile, someone else spoke up.
“Hey, Saito! Got anything planned for later today?”
“Ed… you’re always so full of energy, aren’t you?”
Edward, the red-haired exchange student, spoke in his resonant voice.
Even though we’d spent the entire day enduring the ordeal of studying, these two seemed tireless. Or maybe they’re just built differently.
I don’t consider myself particularly smart, but I don’t think I’m that much of a fool either.
—No. In my case, it’s not so much that I’m a fool as I’m just lazy.
“Come to think of it, today… Hmm. Now that you mention it, I feel like something happened—ah!”
As I thought about that, I tried to come up with a reply to Edward’s question.
I remembered that I had received something truly rare. As I reached into my desk to pull it out, my childhood friend and the red-haired boy exchanged glances and tilted their heads in confusion.
I showed them the “letter” I’d found in my locker this morning.
“What’s that? It’s on some pretty cute stationery…”
“S-Saito-kun!? T-Thatt!!!??”
It was Rika who clearly showed signs of agitation.
She didn’t care about the stares around her and slammed her fist down on the desk with all her might—BAM. It came as a bolt from the blue even to me, but my childhood friend seemed to feel the same way.
Amidst all that, Edward was the only one who paused for a moment before finally nodding.
“Ah, I see. So this is what they call a ‘love letter,’ huh?”
“Why do you use such old-fashioned language?”
—Or rather, where did you even learn that?
Just as I was about to call him out on it, Rika cut in. With a firmness I’d never seen before, she demanded:
“Who is it! Who sent that love letter!?”
And with that, she started banging on the desk again.
The other students around us all turned to look, wondering what was going on. I tried to calm my excited childhood friend down with a hand on her shoulder while opening the letter I was holding.
Inside, there was a short message that read:
“To Aragaki Saito. I’ll be waiting behind the school building after class.”
There was no sender’s name.
Still, given the circumstances, that’s what it must mean. While Edward and I were convinced, my childhood friend was getting even more worked up.
A torrent of immense magical power surged around her, and the remaining classmates hurriedly fled the classroom. …Well, I guess nobody wants to get caught up in that.
“What are you going to do, Saito-kun?! Are you going to accept this confession?!”
“Uh… well, about that… I was thinking I should go behind the school building for now.”
“What?!!!!!!!”
And as Rika pressed me for answers, I replied with a wry smile.
Then she screamed, almost a shriek.
“No way! Even if it’s okay with you, Saito, I absolutely cannot accept it!!”
With tears welling up in her eyes, she pleaded with me.
Seeing my childhood friend like that, I scratched my cheek in exasperation and told her.
“It’s okay, I’ll turn her down. Still, it’s rude to keep her waiting, isn’t it?”
“Really? You mean it, right? You know what’ll happen if you’re lying, don’t you!?”
“Agatsuma san. If you go that far, I think it’s starting to border on blackmail, don’t you think?”
Rika brought her beautiful face so close that our noses were almost touching.
Seeing this, Edward—unlike his usual self—interjected. Perhaps his remark hit closer to home than expected, because she startled and cleared her throat.
Then she made a proposal.
“In that case, I’m coming with you!”
“Rejected.”
“Why!?”
But I answered immediately.
To Rika, who was protesting, I said this.
“Because if you’re there, it’s definitely going to get complicated, right? —Or rather, the other girl might start crying.”
“Mm, mmm…!”
“So, you know. Just wait here for a bit today, okay?”
After I said that much, my childhood friend finally backed down.
But judging by the way she was biting her lip hard, she didn’t seem convinced. Still, since the situation was settled for now, I picked up my things and stood up.
Then, I called out to Edward.
“…Well then, Ed. I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yeah, I got it.”
The red-haired boy’s lips curved into a faint smile, and he gave a small nod.
I acknowledged his resolute expression with a nod of my own before leaving the classroom.
◆
—At this time of day, the area behind the school building was just sinking into a dim twilight where no sunlight reached.
In a place like that, there was no way any sweet, bittersweet, youthful events would happen. It seemed my hunch was correct, and I called out to the figure standing there.
“Ah, just as I thought—”
…while wishing it weren’t so.
“…So it was you, Takanashi.”
Even in the dim light, I could make out the silhouette of a petite girl.
Where a bright smile had always graced her face, there was now an expressionless mask, like a Noh mask.
Noticing my arrival, she averted her gaze, slowly closed her eyes, and then—
“Yeah, that’s right. I—”
Her lips trembled slightly, then she spoke in a sad voice devoid of any inflection.
“I’ve been deceiving Aragaki all along. …I was a spy.”—she said.
Maiban