国产午夜亚洲精品AⅤ

Chapter 199

“It’s fine! I said I’m fine! I’m not hurt!”

“Seriously, there’s a limit to what’s acceptable as a joke. Firing destruction magic near someone? That bastard needs to get some sense beaten into him.”

Harriet clung to my clothes, trying to stop me from storming out of the dormitory. She seemed really flustered, probably because she’d expected some trouble, but not something this serious.

The Three Idiots scattered as soon as they saw how angry I was, as if afraid I’d turn on them.

“He got a demerit point, and if he does it again, he’ll be disciplined. He won’t do it again! You don’t need to worry about it; it won’t happen in the future!”

In the end, after a prolonged tussle, I reluctantly backed down. Harriet, while trying to calm me down, dragged me to the tea terrace and sat me down.

“Seriously, I really can’t tell you anything now... Even if it did hit me, it wasn’t that dangerous of a spell,” Harriet said.

“Dangerous or not, the fact that he intentionally did it is the issue.”

‘No matter how much of a joke it was, casting a spell near someone in magic class and then pretending it was a mistake? That bastard must be out of his mind.’

While I fumed, Harriet kept a nervous eye on me. She seemed worried that I might charge into the Orbis Class dormitory while she wasn’t looking.

In an unusual gesture of concern, she even made me a cup of tea herself, trying to help me calm down.

“I always wonder if you’ll even react, but when you really do, it scares me. I can’t predict what you’ll do.”

“... Hey. It’s not like I’ve caused that much trouble, right?”

At my minor protest, Harriet’s facial expression warped a little, as if she was aghast. “The fact that you’ve already caused several incidents even though it’s only the beginning of the second semester of our first year is already a problem...”

“... Yeah, you’re right.”

It did seem ridiculous that I claimed I hadn’t caused much trouble when, in fact, I had, while others were going about their lives quietly without causing any trouble.

“Also, when Erhi said that he was hit, you didn’t seem to care, but when it came to me, you got so worked up even though I wasn’t hurt. Why?”

“That’s because...”

‘Because...’

I started to speak, but my tongue froze. What would be the right thing to say?

When it came to Erhi, my prejudice against him made it so that I didn’t really care if he got hit or not. Of course, considering that his actions had been orchestrated by me, disliking him would be self-defeating.

Harriet’s cheeks were slightly flushed. She seemed somewhat pleased that I was angry over something related to her.

“... You’re a friend.”

In the end, that was all I could say.

“... And Erhi is not?”

“Why would I be friends with that guy?”

Yes, to be honest, I was genuinely mad. It wasn’t the action itself but who it had been done to that mattered.

“... Friend...”

Harriet seemed to be rolling that word around in her mouth. She didn’t look disappointed or sad. Rather, she seemed relieved, maybe even happy—her expression was complex, one I couldn’t quite decipher.

“...”

Just then, Ellen, dressed in her training clothes, approached the tea terrace, and our eyes met. This place was slightly secluded, and it seemed she had come here looking for me.

Was she going to ask me to go to the training grounds with her?

However, Ellen gave Harriet and I a brief look and then, without a word, turned on her heel and left.

Was she not looking for me?

“Anyway, don’t cause any trouble. I can handle my own affairs.”

“Okay... I got it.”

Harriet, who was sitting in a position that made it so that she hadn’t seen Ellen, continued to lecture me for a while about behaving myself and not stirring up trouble. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of scolding, Harriet let out a deep sigh and took a sip of her tea.

In any case, I had something I wanted to talk to Harriet about.

“Hey. So, you know, have you ever thought about doing that?” I asked.

Harriet tilted her head in puzzlement. “That? What do you mean?”

“Starting a club or something.”

“... A club?”

Harriet looked surprised, as if wondering why I was suddenly bringing up clubs.

“You study magic, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Mainly with Adelia, correct?”

“Yes. But what does that have to do with a club?”

Harriet seemed slightly irritated, as if urging me to get to the point.

Just as Ellen, Cliffman, and I spent most of our time at the training grounds, Harriet was usually holed up in the magic research lab with Adelia, unless something special came up.

Contrary to appearances, she was a serious academic, at least when it came to magic.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you gathered more people and studied magic together?”

“Gather more people?”

The slice-of-life academy setting was not originally meant to focus much on clubs.

However, since this was the reality now, there was no rule against it. Of course, I had no intention of joining any club myself, aside my tenuous ties to the religious club Grace.

Just as Ellen had grown stronger earlier than in the original story, I wanted other characters to become stronger as well.

Leaving Ludwig alone seemed to be the best approach for him.

Harriet, too, was diligent enough, but there was no reason not to guide her onto a better path.

“For example, if you gathered students from Class B with magical talents and formed a magic research club, you could discuss and learn about magical fields you’re not familiar with. Wouldn’t that be beneficial? You have a talent that isn’t limited to just one specific area of magic, right?”

“That’s true, but... with students from Class B?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm... I know there are clubs in the Royal Class, although I’m not sure about a magic research club. But discussions and research conducted at the student level can’t possibly produce the same results as asking the teachers. That’s why we don’t do it...”

Harriet seemed to have her own reasons for not being part of anything like a magic research club. She believed that the topics and research handled at the student level wouldn’t be of high enough quality compared to what they could learn from their teachers.

But even this reaction was already a success.

The original Harriet would have been disgusted at the thought of conducting research with the lesser Class B students. However, the present-day Harriet had a much different personality.

It wasn’t about them being in Class B or anything; she was more questioning the practical benefit of forming a student club. Instead of outright rejection, she was simply at the level of asking, “Why bother?”

“It will definitely be helpful.”

“... Why do you think that?”

There were two students in Class B with magical talents—Cristina, who was talented in enchantment and alchemy, and Anna de Gerna, who had a talent for dark magic.

Both of them had their own strengths and would become valuable assets in various ways during the Gate Incident.

However, the one who could truly spur Harriet’s growth weren’t these two with magic-related talents.

“There’s Louis Ankton from Class B. He’ll be incredibly helpful.”

“Oh... him? But he’s not a mage, is he?”

Even though Harriet had little interest in Class B, she naturally knew who was who, and she would be aware of Louis Ankton’s talent as well.

“He is studying magic, though.”

“Yes, I know that, but...”

Louis Ankton had a talent for “scholarship”. He was exceptionally sharp—his mind was unparalleled.

Though he couldn’t use magic himself, Louis Ankton was on the path to becoming a magic scholar, studying magic as an academic discipline. He was well-versed in theory, but lacked the ability for practical application.

Cristina and Anna de Gerna from Class B would significantly advance in their magical prowess thanks to Louis Ankton’s advice. This development happened after he warmed up to his classmates and became friends with them.

Louis Ankton had the ability to greatly enhance the growth of others with magical talents.

The original Harriet would have been utterly repulsed by the idea, but given how her personality had softened, I believed she would be open to it, which is why I was mentioning it now.

Studying together with Louis Ankton would benefit Harriet, Adelia, and the other two from Class B.

Of course, the fact that I had planned all this without consulting them first did seem a bit underhanded.

But hey, this wasn’t the first time I had done something like this. And, after all, it was for everyone’s benefit this time.

Harriet seemed to be considering it seriously.

“Hmm... I’m not sure, really.”

“Then just meet up and have a conversation first. If you think it will be helpful, you can go ahead with it. If not, you don’t have to.”

Harriet nodded, indicating that she was willing to give it a shot. “If it’s just that, I suppose we could give it a try.”

‘Alright. This is how you lay the groundwork, piece by piece.’

I couldn’t predict the extent of their accomplishments, but I could suggest numerous magical research projects, including the possibility of connecting the warp gate to another world.

If they made a breakthrough, great; if not, it didn’t matter.

They might even be able to create items that would be needed later in advance.

The mere fact that they would gather and work together on these activities would significantly enhance everyone’s magical achievements.

Louis Ankton might not be a mage, but he was extremely knowledgeable about magic, so he could help the others attain higher levels of achievement.

As I was imagining this vision, Harriet blushed slightly and asked, “But, why are you... interested in creating a magic research club? You’re... you’re a superhuman. Wouldn’t you find it boring to be in a club like that with me? Is that okay with you?”

‘Huh? What was she talking about?’

“Me? Why would I join it?”

“... What?”

The idea was for the students who knew how to handle magic to gather in a small group, discuss various topics, and conduct research together. I never meant for me to be part of it.

Harriet looked somewhat stunned by my response.

“Y-You’re not doing it?”

“Of course not. I’m not a mage, and I don’t know the slightest thing about magic. How could I possibly be of any help?”

Apparently, Harriet had misunderstood me. She took my suggestion to mean that I wanted to start a club together with her, when all I meant was that she should give it a try on her own.

Come to think of it, though, it was only natural for her to have interpreted it that way. Telling her out of the blue to gather people and start a club didn’t really make sense unless I intended to join as well.

So, Harriet’s interpretation—that I wanted to create a magic research club together—was perhaps inevitable.

Inevitable or not, seeing Harriet’s face turn bright red as she realized her misunderstanding was just too hilarious to ignore.

“Do you actually want to do it together with me?”

As I chuckled and teased her, Harriet’s face got even redder. “Wh-What? What are you talking about?”

“Why, do you want me to join?”

“Wh-What?! No! Why would I want to start something like that with someone like you who doesn’t even understand basic magic? I only assumed you wanted to join because you brought it up! So I was just wondering what you could even contribute! Even if you wanted to join, I would refuse! It’s not that I want to do it together—if anything, I don’t want to at all! Absolutely not!”

As predicted, Harriet flew into a rage, peppering me with words like a hailstorm. Watching Harriet lose her temper like this for the first time in a while felt oddly refreshing. It was like a weight had lifted off my shoulders.

“If you don’t want to, then that’s fine. But why are you getting so angry about it? You should wear the earrings I gave you more often. Your mood swings are definitely a sign of a problem, you know.”

“Ack! Why do you act like this only with me?! Either be nice to me or stick to being mean! Just pick one!”

“Oh, calm down. Hey, put that down. You can’t just throw that at someone.”

“I’m going to throw it! I’m absolutely going to throw it!”

Harriet had picked up the teapot filled with hot tea and was looking at me as if she was ready to hurl it at me at any moment.

Harriet’s arm, which was holding the teapot, trembled violently before she ultimately lowered it without throwing it. However, that didn’t mean her anger had subsided; she was still fuming.

I couldn’t tell if it was good or bad that I had managed to transmute her embarrassment into anger—perhaps it was a bit of both.

Of course, even though I wasn\'t going to join the club, it didn’t mean I would just leave everything to Harriet from now on.

“You’re not close with anyone from Class B, right?”

“... I only know their faces. I don’t even say hello.”

While Harriet had grown closer to the girls in Class A, she still remained somewhat distant from the boys, except for me. Unexpectedly, her relationships with any Class B students were non-existent.

“I won’t join, but I’ll try to persuade the Class B students to join. It would be tough for you to handle that directly.”

“... You will?”

Harriet seemed surprised that I was willing to go that far.

“Yeah, I may be an outsider who doesn’t know the basics of magic, but as a bit of a thug, I can at least grab hold of those who are reluctant to join and get them all in one place.”

“Are you saying you’ll drag them here even if they don’t want to come?”

“No, I’m just saying that. I wouldn’t actually do that.”

“But you do seem like the type who would. You thug.”

“No, seriously... I was joking.”

Harriet found yet another way to tease me, just as I had made fun of her earlier. Given the chance, she would pounce on any opportunity to mock me.

“Anyway, I’ll talk to the students and try to gather them together. After that, it’s up to you and the others.”

The mages of Royal Class A and B would unite for the common goal of enhancing their magical abilities.

Originally, this kind of gathering was supposed to happen only within Class B, with the students from Class A only joining much later. I was just bringing that timeline forward.

Just as Ellen had awakened her Mana Reinforcement early, Harriet could also become an even more powerful mage sooner.

Harriet seemed slightly relieved at the thought that I would at least help gather the people.

However, she was still pouting.

“... Hey,” she said.

“What? Do you have something else to say?” I responded.

“... If you really want to join, I might let you.”

“... What?”

“I’m saying although I don’t really want you in our club, if you really want to join and you ask me, I might let you into the club!”

What was this? I had no intention of joining in the first place, and since I didn’t understand magic, it wouldn’t be meaningful for me to participate anyway.

But here she was, suggesting that if I wanted to join and asked her sincerely, she might let me join? What was that supposed to mean?

I pondered this while observing Harriet’s sulky face, and then I understood. Her words meant one thing, but her eyes conveyed another.

This was her way of asking me to join.

However, instead of just saying that we could do it together, she had to frame it as if she was grudgingly willing to grant me membership if I begged.

This way of asking was very much in line with her personality.

I didn’t hesitate for long.

“Alright. Having someone to handle the grunt work wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

Even though I had no idea what I could actually do in a magic research club since I knew nothing about magic, it didn’t matter.

The specifics were irrelevant; what mattered was avoiding seeing the expression she would make if I refused.

“Let’s do it together, then.”

“Hmph, I guess I have no choice then.”

Did she even realize how mismatched her expression and her tone of voice were? I had never seen her smile this brightly before.