LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 69
Arisha’s state was a bit unusual, but she had a good time eating and playing at the cafe.
“Well then, we’ll be on our way.”
“Huh? Can’t we stay just a little longer?”
“It’s a bit of a distraction for your studying, you know.”
Since Rena and I showed up, Arisha and Ripa haven’t studied at all.
It’s not the instructor’s job to keep interrupting kids who came out to study. Having killed enough time, I thought it was about time to head back, so I stood up.
“Rena. Let’s go.”
“Yesss!”
Rena jumped up from her seat and stood next to me.
Arisha, watching us, suddenly broke into a smile.
But it wasn’t the smile I knew.
It was a forced smile that felt out of place.
“Arisha?”
“Yeah?”
“Study well. I’ll check on you later in the evening.”
“…Got it!”
Her expression changed in an instant.
With her trademark lively smile, Arisha waved her hand, and I gave her a light nod before leaving the cafe with Rena.
“What should we do now?”
“I w-want to see a play…”
“Unfortunately, today is not a play day.”
“Aww…”
“We’ll see a play next time.”
“Ugh… then, will we go together again…?”
“Sure. Next time, let’s bring Sowol and Arisha along. Since they’re the class president and vice-president, we should take care of them like this.”
“Ah…”
“Why?”
“Oh, it’s nothing…”
Rena, looking a bit deflated, grabbed my arm even tighter.
It seemed like she had something more to say, but she just drooped her head instead.
Then, hugging my arm, she brightened up.
“I-I want to go to the bookstore, can you go with me?”
“Of course.”
After finishing our outing with Rena, it was around sunset when we returned.
I sent a tired Rena into her room and went back to mine.
On my desk, there were materials that seemed to have been sent from the church.
When I opened them, I found a list of suspects for Asura sect members inside the academy.
“Hmm…”
After excluding characters related to the story, I could narrow it down to about five people.
I committed their names to memory and opened my drawer to pull out the map.
[Underground Waterway Map]
It was the map of the underground waterway, which would be the last battlefield of Chapter 1.
In the story, the mayor sends people to fix issues in the underground waterway, but they go missing.
Feeling suspicious, the mayor sends soldiers, but they also fail to return, causing the mayor to commission this task to the academy.
And the team starving for a real battle, Class A, accepts this quest and enters the underground waterway to solve the problems inside, completing Chapter 1 in the process.
Yesterday, when I checked on Arisha’s current condition, she told me all sorts of details about how she’s been doing lately.
From what I heard, I could tell how much of the story Arisha had roughly completed.
It wasn’t long before the ending of Chapter 1 arrived.
Considering that, it would be wise to prepare myself as well.
I closely examined the map of the underground waterway.
The underground waterway is divided into three paths. If we can’t activate the devices at all three locations, we won’t be able to enter the final room, so it’s better to split the team into three.
With Sowol and Rena on my side, if we each take turn as the leader of one of the paths, we can攻略 the area more securely.
And… I should consider the Asura sect’s involvement as well.
In the original story, the Asura sect isn’t supposed to interfere, but surely there are remnants of the sect sneaking into the academy right now.
Their goal is likely to injure or kill key members of Class A to create chaos.
It’s only natural they would interfere before the raid on the underground waterway.
They must know I’m around too, so they’ll be coming at full force.
I didn’t feel particularly scared.
Even if those guys interfere, they won’t be able to stop me.
Knock knock.
“Teacher! Can I come in?!”
Arisha burst through the door, wearing a crop top that clung tightly to her fit body.
Does this girl ever learn to wait after knocking?
As she grinned and tried to barge in, I shook my head.
“Hey now. An adult woman shouldn’t just come barging into a guy’s room.”
“Hahaha~! I only do this with you, so it’s fine!”
“Still…”
Well, at least she talks well.
Seeing her not coming inside the room, but staying outside put me at ease.
I put on my outerwear and stepped outside.
“Let’s see how much you’ve studied today. What did you cover?”
“I studied understanding magical power and detection methods. It’s hard~.”
“Well, you’re not a magician, so it makes sense. But it’s still good to have the basic knowledge.”
Attending classes related to magical power increases magical defense.
For a fighter who uses their body as a weapon, this kind of class helps enhance their basic combat strength.
“What don’t you understand?”
“This!”
Arisha showed me the book she opened, and I led her to a spot in front of the instructor’s building.
Thanks to the magical lanterns, it wasn’t dark at all.
I could see a few instructors grinning as they looked at Arisha and me.
It seemed they were pleased to see Arisha studying hard.
I felt a strange sense of pride.
“Let’s see. Drawing out the power of nature is like grasping the flow of magical energy in your hands. Following that…”
I read through the content stated in the textbook and explained it in a more detailed way.
After listening for a while, Arisha tilted her head in confusion a few times, but when I explained it thoroughly again, her eyes sparkled with understanding.
“Ah! I got it!”
“Really? Then can you explain it to me?”
Arisha, beaming, explained what she understood.
She stumbled a bit, but her explanation wasn’t very different from the key content.
At this point, I could say she understood it properly.
“What do you think?”
“Excellent.”
I patted the proud Arisha on the head.
Maybe it felt nice, because her face was beaming with happiness.
“Ah! Since I did well, does that mean you’ll take me out too?”
“What are you talking about?”
“But teacher, you only took Sowol and Rena out…”
Her face which had been smiling just moments ago flipped into a pout in an instant.
Puffing her cheeks, Arisha looked up at me while laying her head on the table.
“Ahh~. I want to go out with you too!”
“Haha. Sure. Next time, if I have time, we can go out together.”
“Really?! When’s next time?!”
“Well, I can’t do it this week… next week I have an instructors’ meeting…”
“Wha-! Then let’s go out on a date when I want!”
“Haha. Sure, sure.”
She’s going to have a lot of hard times ahead, but taking her out for a day isn’t that difficult.
“Really?! It’s a promise!”
Arisha extended her pinky finger.
A pinky promise. Even though she’s an adult, she’s still just a kid. But I won’t say no.
I hooked my pinky with hers.
“Promise! Promise! If you lie, I get a wish~.”
“Sure, sure. It’s a promise.”
“Hehehe~… sneeze!”
This girl! She came out in thin clothes, and I knew it would happen.
I took off my outerwear and placed it over her shoulders.
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Ah, no… I’m fine…”
“If you’re sick, I’ll be in trouble.”
To perform well in the final battle of Chapter 1, Arisha needs to become stronger.
But if she caught a cold and could neither focus nor learn, she might not even finish Chapter 1.
In a world without saves or loads, one failure can lead to a quick downward spiral.
So I need to do my best too.
“Even if it smells, just bear with it.”
“U-uh huh. It feels nice and warm~!”
“Glad to hear that. So, what’s the next thing you’re unsure about?”
“Yeah! This!”
Arisha eagerly asked about a part she didn’t understand, and I did my best to teach it to her as simply as possible.
After about two more hours of study, Arisha was blinking sleepily.
“Shall we call it a day?”
“I can do more…”
“You clearly look sleepy. Come on, get some rest.”
“Ughh~. Okay. Good night, teacher…”
Getting up from her seat, Arisha gathered her books, swayed a bit, and headed to her room.
Watching her go, I snapped my fingers.
This girl even took my clothes with her.
*
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Arisha headed to her room.
When she opened the closed door, Sowol, sitting in the living room, froze up as she stood up with a smile.
“A-A-Arisha?!”
“Ah! Sowol! You didn’t sleep?”
As sleepy Arisha spoke in a languid voice, Rena’s door opened.
Coming out while sipping a beverage, Rena saw Arisha and spat out her drink.
“Puhah! A-Arisha?!”
With the gazes of two beauties on her, Arisha tilted her head.
And then, she suddenly realized.
Their attention was focused on what she was wearing.
Clothing soaked with Lee Hyun’s scent.
Feeling as if she were hugged by him, Arisha brought her sleeve to her nose.
It smelled lovely.
A pleasant scent that lifts the spirits and warms the body.
“Why are you wearing Master’s clothes?!”
“Why on earth…?”
“Hehe. Teacher was worried I’d be cold, so he made me wear it~.”
“…I see! Since it’s Master’s clothes, I’ll get them back for you, so hurry up and take it off!”
“Ah, no. I… I think Arisha looks sleepy…”
“I’m going to wear it to sleep tonight~.”
She wanted to enjoy the warm, sweet scent all night long.
Shaking her head at the two, who looked frantic, Arisha entered the room and laid down on her bed.
Maybe it’s because the scent of Lee Hyun kept tickling her nose?
She felt like she’d have sweet dreams tonight.
“Hehe… good night, teacher…”