When Theo returned to the academy, it was almost evening.
In front of the Hero Department, Theo bid farewell to Mari and Natasha.
"Professor Mari, Instructor Natasha, thank you for providing a good experience. I hope you both have a relaxing weekend."
"You too, Theo. Rest well. I didn’t expect the matter to become this big. More work just a few days after the midterms."
Mari responded, sticking out her lips in a playful pout.
Earlier in the day, an in-depth interview had sparked a new perspective, prompting her to consider revising her paper.
Theo recalled the incident and smiled faintly.
"That interview was indeed more insightful than the others."
"Right. I hadn't expected the reporter to have such a level of understanding. By the way, the academy festival starts next week.
Thanks for everything, Theo. I'll update you on the revisions to my paper. For now, I better get going before I forget my new ideas."
"Take care, Professor Mari."
"Yes~ See you next week~"
With that, Mari left.
"I should be heading out too. Hopefully, we'll meet again, Theo."
As Natasha began to leave, Theo called out to her.
"Ah, Instructor Natasha. I have something for you."
As he said this, Amy took something out of her bag and handed it to Natasha.
Natasha looked at Theo curiously.
"...What is this?"
"It's a specialty of the kingdom, Lemon Black Tea. I received it from a guild. If it's alright, please accept it."
Almost involuntarily, Natasha reached out for the lemon black tea.
Natasha has a fondness for sweets.
She likes spending her time sipping on sweet beverages and eating cake while fangirling over heroes.
Among those, the kingdom's specialty, Lemon Black Tea, is hard to come by.
'Should I really accept this?'
Natasha withdrew her hand.
"I haven't really done anything to deserve this."
"It's fine. I don’t particularly like sweet food. If I take it, it will just take up space."
"Then... thank you."
Natasha accepted the Lemon Black Tea.
A faint smile blossomed on her usually expressionless face.
After handing the lemon-flavored sugary drink to Natasha, I went to find Little Fist, whom I had entrusted to Aisha.
I hope nothing went wrong.
Little Fist can talk once a day now, which is slightly unsettling.
Soon after, I arrived in front of Aisha's dormitory.
Perhaps because it was Sunday evening, the surroundings were quiet.
...Anyway, where was Aisha’s room?
The dormitory of the Hero Department is unnecessarily large.
"This way, young master."
As if reading my mind, Amy skillfully guided the way.
Amy knocked on the door of one of the rooms.
—Bang bang, bang!
At the same time, noisy sounds could be heard from inside the room.
...What is Aisha doing?
"Haah, haah... Oh, Theo. You're here."
Aisha, with her long silver hair tightly tied in a ponytail, opened the door.
She was slightly out of breath, sweating.
What, was she dancing the samba or something?
I asked casually,
"So, Aisha, where’s Little Fist?"
"Really, Theo? Isn't it polite to ask if everything went fine first?"
"Alright then, how'd everything go?"
"Of course there was something~ Don’t be surprised. Just wait a moment, just wait a moment."
Saying so, Aisha went inside.
'Could it be?'
I was anxious.
Did Little Fist do something?
After a while, Aisha came out wearing different clothes.
A white polo shirt on top and a beige tennis skirt on the bottom.
"..."
What's this?
I looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"I knew you'd react like that. But remember, I'm from the Waldeurk family, and we love surprises."
Aisha said with pride, clapping lightly.
Then, Little Fist ambled out from inside.
"...Huh."
I naturally looked down at Little Fist, who had moved to a spot near Aisha's feet.
Little Fist was wearing clothes.
A white polo shirt that went halfway down its body and a tennis skirt from its midsection to its tail.
It matched Aisha’s outfit.
"How about it, Theo? Super cute, right? These are the clothes for performing at the Academy Festival. When I found out there was a version for pets, I quickly bought it."
"Is that so."
Phew, seems like nothing happened.
I mean, dogs can wear clothes too.
I lost interest almost immediately.
On the contrary,
"...Wow."
Amy seemed thoroughly impressed.
Amy stared at Little Fist with sparkling eyes.
Aisha looked at me triumphantly once more.
"I told you my sense of style is impeccable. See? Amy can tell. Theo, you really don't understand real taste."
"...If you haven't had dinner yet, shall we eat together, Aisha?"
"Hehe, sure."
I went to the student cafeteria with Aisha and Amy.
Given that it was a holiday, the cafeteria was relatively quiet.
As usual, I ordered the 'Orc Set Meal.'
Aisha chose a diet salad, and Amy ordered meatball spaghetti.
Once we received our food, we found a suitable spot and began our meal.
"Yum, nom."
Aisha chewed her vegetables.
"Nom, yum yum."
Unlike the sounds she was making, her expression was sour.
I couldn't help but notice.
"······Why the long face?"
"It tastes awful. I'm eating it just to maintain my figure······. Eating just full veggie meals for every meal since yesterday is killing me."
"Nutritionally, the combination seems fine, but the portion looks too small to meet even the minimum daily calories."
"Well, what can I do? I have a performance next week... I have to endure. Yum, nom."
Saying so, Aisha crunched on a cherry tomato.
Aisha is the idol of Elinia Academy.
Although she's a student, she enjoys a great deal of popularity, which involves her in events and performances like dancing.
She is scheduled to perform on a special stage at the academy festival next week.
'This is exactly like the game.'
The week-long academy festival is similar to modern university festivals.
In addition to performances and a variety of foods, there are also competitions with dazzling prizes.
The academy is open to the public during the festival period.
Given the private nature of Elinia Academy, it's not usually open to outsiders.
In the game, during this period, various incidents and accidents happen.
"Amy, how’s the food?"
I spoke to Amy, who was twirling noodles on her fork.
"Yes, young master. Considering it's mass-produced, this level of taste is passable."
Amy delicately took a bite and gracefully wiped her mouth with a napkin.
Unlike the lady beside her.
···Come to think of it, in the game, Amy was a gourmet.
We rarely dined together, so I'd forgotten.
"Your dish, the Orc Set Meal... The portion is really generous. Can you finish all of it?"
Amy, after taking a sip of water, spoke while looking at my plate.
"Hmm, I'll probably leave about a fifth of it."
"It seems like a fifth would be more than enough for an average person."
"The more I eat, the more my appetite grows."
It seems my stomach is gradually becoming Orc-like.
Speaking of which, I wonder what Noctar has been doing since the midterms ended.
"What's Noctar up to these days?"
"Oh, Noctar? He left the academy yesterday afternoon with some lizardmen. Something about determining the true master of the desert?"
"······I see."
They went to have a brawl.
Lizardmen and orcs have always been at odds.
Somewhere on the continent, they must be battling over territory right now.
It's fortunate that this is an academy; in the wild, a few would likely have been killed by now.
Orcs and lizardmen share many similarities.
If orcs are all about physical strength, lizardmen, while physically weaker, possess relatively higher intelligence.
Of course, the average intelligence of a lizardman is still lower than that of a human.
Aisha spoke.
"Yum, yum. But Theo. There’s something eerily similar between Little Fist and you."
"What do you mean?"
As I narrowed my eyes, Aisha put down her fork and leaned towards me.
"······Theo, everything I’m going to say from now on is the truth."
Aisha spoke in a serious tone.
"······It seemed like Little Fist was talking. He had a voice eerily similar to yours."
"······."
I hastily enhanced [Twisted Noble's Dignity] with the [Amplification Orb].
‘Sh*t, this is bad. What the hell.’
Despite my inner turmoil, I calmly continued eating the orc meal.
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