Chapter 85
But that was only for a moment. With a gentle smile, she just tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.
“Oh my… Did that happen? I’m not familiar with that story… You seem to be misunderstanding something.”
“Is that so? Haha. Then it could just be the trivial rumors from those who are jealous of Angela, Instructor.”
“Huuu… I knew there were people who disliked me. But I didn’t expect it to be so blatant…”
If I were someone completely clueless, I’d probably pity Angela.
Her acting was just that perfect.
I smiled and reached out my hand toward Angela, who was showing the wounded look of a woman.
“I’m sorry. I seem to have hurt you, Instructor Angela, by bringing up unnecessary topics. I apologize.”
“Fufu. No, it’s okay. I know you care about the students. I’ll consider this incident as something that happened from that caring heart.”
“How could you be so warm-hearted… It’s touching.”
“If you really think so, would you meet me again next time?”
Angela’s eyes sparkled.
Using that as an excuse to want to meet again means she’s trying to draw me in.
In the class I was overseeing, there were many key figures from the Empire, Kingdom, and other countries, not just Ludwig.
And there was also Arisha, the niece of the King of Rights, whom Angela thought of as an enemy.
So she probably thinks if she can charm me and get me in her grasp, it would be easy to hurt them.
It’s a blatant scheme, but I suppose I can pretend to go along with it since it’s amusing.
“I have something I want to say.”
Was my response satisfying? A deep smile appeared on Angela’s face.
After finishing the meal and playing around a bit, I escorted Angela out and arrived at the instructor’s office, where some people were waiting for me.
Arisha, Sowol, and Lena were there.
Seeing their pouting expressions, it seemed they’d heard about my conversation with Angela.
“Teacher! How could you?!”
“It could happen.”
“…Is it going well with Instructor Angela?”
“I’m building a decent relationship.”
“…D-do you want to marry her or something?”
Seeing Lena, who looked like she was about to burst into tears, my heart softened.
Should I stop teasing and just tell them?
“Angela is a descendant of the Magic Empire.”
The expressions of my three sulking students stiffened.
As if they were at a loss for words, the first to speak was, surprisingly, Sowol.
“Instructor Angela?”
“Yeah. She’s a squad leader of a special forces unit among the descendants of the Magic Empire. She’s a fierce vanguard leader leading the charge in many battles.”
“No way. That person who looks like she couldn’t even kill a bug?”
“Exactly! I thought so! Anyone who smiles so broadly must have a dark side!”
“S-she doesn’t suit you…”
If I consider only the hiding of intentions, I might be able to build a decent relationship with her.
But since our positions are different, we can only be hostile.
“Anyway, let’s keep this a secret. I have something I’m thinking about too.”
“…So you have no feelings for Instructor Angela?”
“Yeah. If I fell for her tricks, wouldn’t I already have fallen for yours?”
“What tricks?! It’s pure feelings!”
“Sure, sure. Anyway, I have no such relationship with Instructor Angela, so don’t worry too much.”
“I-I guess if you say so, it must be like that… are you really okay with this?”
Knowing that Angela is such a dangerous person, Lena asked if I would continue interacting with her, and I just smiled.
“What do you think of me? Don’t worry too much.”
*
Here and there, it seemed Angela was trying to control the professors of the liberal arts classes, but I already had their leashes in hand.
That meant none of them followed Angela’s will.
Thanks to that, Angela’s expression was getting worse as days went by.
It seemed she wasn’t pleased that things weren’t going her way.
Maybe that’s why her attempts to seduce me became more active.
Since she couldn’t use her cards, she was trying to gain a new one: me.
Of course, I wouldn’t fall for her tricks, but it was amusing, so I played along with her schemes.
“I think I’ve had too much to drink…”
Today was the same.
After class ended, I planned to go in and rest, but Angela invited me to dinner.
So I came out, and after a few drinks, she was subtly leaning against me pretending to be drunk.
If I hadn’t known, it would have been quite a heart-fluttering sight.
After all, Angela was a beautiful woman.
A slightly drunk woman, especially one who seemed to like me, swaying was indeed thrilling.
“I think you drank too much. Let’s stop with the wine now.”
I handed her some water.
To her sulking about not wanting to drink, I smiled and brought the water to her lips.
As she sipped it, looking up at me with her damp eyes, she said,
“I want to be with you today…”
“I feel the same.”
“Really? Then…”
“But that won’t be possible. Now, shall we get up?”
There was no reason to stay any longer now that the meal was over.
I paid the bill and got up to escort her.
Perhaps my unwavering attitude didn’t sit well with her; Angela tightened her grip on my arm.
Oh dear, how amusing.
She might be managing her expression, but it felt like she was trying hard to not express the feeling of having just eaten poop.
“Do you dislike Instructor Lee Hyun?”
“Of course not. Who could dislike someone as beautiful, kind, and pure as Instructor Angela?”
“But then why…”
“I’m a proponent of sexual abstinence before marriage.”
“…Ah.”
“I just want to cherish someone I truly love.”
“…I see…”
The grip on my arm tightened.
Angela, who had been slowly looking up at me, breathed heavily.
Then she looked straight at me, placing her hand on her chest.
“I like… Instructor Lee Hyun.”
“I see. Thank you.”
“…So you really are rejecting me, huh?”
“I’m aware that Instructor Angela is a wonderful person. However, given my circumstances, dating someone is hard to imagine right now.”
“…Is that so?”
“Why don’t we start as friends?”
I took her hand.
Was my answer to her liking? Angela’s expression brightened.
“Sure! Then let’s be friends starting today…”
“Haha. Yes, let’s do that.”
“Since we’re friends, a little skinship should be okay, right?”
With a gentle smile, Angela hugged my arm.
I could feel her ample bosom against my arm.
Was she trying to seduce me like this to get me to cross the line?
Well, it doesn’t matter.
I wouldn’t fall for it anyway.
With Angela clinging to me, I headed towards the Academy.
As soon as we arrived, some students were whispering as they saw Angela and me together.
And among them were Arisha, Sowol, and Lena.
Their faces were completely shocked, and when our eyes met, I smiled at them, and they quickly turned away with expressions that said they didn’t know what to say.
Ouch, that hurt.
I’ll have to soothe them later.
“Then please go in.”
“You’re sounding too stiff. When we meet next time, how about we speak comfortably? We are friends after all.”
“Haha. Right.”
Angela staggered inside as if she were tipsy.
Watching her go in, I made my way to the instructor’s office.
“Teacher~!”
With the sound of something rushing towards me, I was suddenly hugged.
Of course, it was Arisha.
Like a puppy, she clung to me tightly, rubbing her body against mine.
“What are you doing?”
“There’s a strange woman on you, so I’m getting rid of it!”
“So you were marking me… okay, okay.”
“Hehehe~.”
“She looked pretty nice though?”
“Really? You think so?”
“But she doesn’t suit you. I think someone more noble should be by Master’s side.”
“Someone like you?”
“Yup!”
“Putting that aside, she was being way too obvious…”
“I know. Since Angela doesn’t have any cards she can play, she must be trying to seduce me.”
“Are you going to fall for it…?”
“Me?”
I gently patted Lena’s head while smiling.
“To fall for something like that would be too precious for me. But how about you guys? Are you studying well?”
“Of course!”
“We’re not just listening to liberal arts classes, but all the other classes too…”
“Yeah! Me too!”
The class president and vice president are so focused on their studies. The future of Class A is bright.
“Make sure to get good grades.”
“Why?”
Why, indeed.
After Chapter 2, many quests related to the main story appear, and there are also plenty of well-rewarded ones.
And the rest of the quests not related to the main story can only be completed with high scores.
But instead of explaining all that, there’s an easier way to say it.
“Life is basically ranked by grades.”