By Zephyria 
From Saturday morning, I went to the Alchemy lecture hall with the children and immersed myself in making reagents.
Instead of submitting a report, I had to submit the results of the completed reagents to Cedric by this Saturday.
I failed twice, but succeeded on the third try, achieving satisfactory results.
Still, having tried it a few times, it wasn’t difficult to pour ingredients in appropriate amounts according to the markings on the reagent bottles or to measure them by weight to achieve a consistent quantity.
The children and I high-fived each other multiple times, praising one another.
The gestures of holding hands when greeting, placing a hand on an arm or shoulder when meeting a dear one, and loudly slapping palms together when happy or congratulatory sometimes felt bewildering and unfamiliar, but I didn’t dislike them.
After submitting the reagents, and being busy with the children, noisily praising each other and joking around, I arrived at the library at a time closer to evening than lunch.
Rubel was already sitting at our usual large table, studying, so I placed my bag down and greeted him with my eyes.
“When did you get here?”
“Ah, a little while ago. … Were you busy this morning?”
“I went to the lecture hall to finish the assignments I couldn’t complete yesterday.”
Just then, Rubel’s stomach rumbled.
Seeing his pale face flush red, I let out a hollow laugh.
He said he’d just arrived, but it was clear he had been sitting here studying since morning without even eating lunch.
I felt a pang of pity, wondering if there was any need to sit here starving himself when it wasn’t even exam period, no matter how busy he was.
“…It’s a bit early, but how about we eat together?”
“Ah, no! It’s fine!”
Rumble. His stomach let out another pained sound.
Suppressing a laugh, I looked at him, then picked up my bag again and slung it over my shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
“…Okay.”
Counting the time, it was about three to four hours past lunchtime. Thinking of the child who was so engrossed in studying that he hadn’t eaten, I felt both sad and proud.
Knowing the cafeteria wouldn’t have food prepared, I took Rubel to the cafe.
I set out a sandwich and a bitter tea for him, and a strawberry cake and an ade for myself, and we enjoyed the breeze.
Each table spread across the wide outdoor area was shaded by an awning, and the autumn sun, shining at an angle, was warm. I occasionally cast glances at his cheeks and earlobes, still red as he silently ate with his head bowed.
It was then that the thought occurred to me: perhaps the child had been sitting in the library waiting for me.
I knew he had few close friends and liked spending weekends with me, but I hadn’t expected him to wait for me while starving himself.
Suddenly, I felt a sense of apology.
Children should primarily eat well and sleep well; what was I, to be so concerned?
However, I also knew that if I pointed this out, he would shake his head and say he wasn’t uncomfortable.
After waiting for him to finish his sandwich, I picked one of the strawberries from my cake and offered it to him.
“…Huh?”
“Eat it.”
“Ah, …Mm. Yes. Thank you.”
Rubel smiled prettily and opened his mouth to accept the strawberry.
Seeing his face light up, I was relieved that he seemed to like fruit.
After vaguely conveying my apology and somehow finishing the meal, only about thirty minutes had passed since we sat down.
As I stood up to suggest going back to the library, the child immediately grabbed my sleeve.
“Can we go for a short walk before going in?”
“…Yes?”
“…”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
I thought he must have something urgent to say, given how he spoke without taking a breath, but then realized he had struggled so much just to say that, and I burst into laughter.
Seeing me laugh, his face, now flushed crimson again, resembled the strawberry I had just tasted.
Since I didn’t have to write this month’s camping report, I had relatively more free time. I didn’t feel like refusing the child who was trying so hard, so I walked beside him.
It was that pond again.
Shierun Academy had plenty of places to rest and sit.
Yet, for some reason, when walking with Rubel, I always found myself heading towards this short bridge. Leaning against the railing, I looked down.
A school of fish, mistaking our shadows for food, swarmed towards us, only to turn back with a flick of their tails.
A cool breeze tickled the back of my neck. I heard someone laughing in the distance. I assumed Lucilla was playing ball again, but Rubel frowned, complaining that his sister was too energetic, even though she was his sibling.
“It’s good to have energy.”
“Energy should be in moderation…”
“Rubel, Senior, you always seem to lack energy, which worries me.”
“…Me?”
Among the children around me, he was the most frail.
Whether he only acted that way in front of me, or if he was always low on energy, I didn’t know.
It was truly strange, considering how he looked when he drew his sword, with his lean, powerful, trained limbs.
Rubel himself didn’t seem to realize it, asking “Me?” several times. Seeing his bewildered expression, I quickly brushed it off.
Leaning against the bridge railing, I looked up at the boy’s face.
While it might be more comfortable to sit side-by-side and feel rested, I thought this current position was better, as it allowed me to look at his face up close.
Even staring at him, I couldn’t read what he wanted to say from his expression. I finally asked aloud.
“What did you want to say?”
“…”
“Senior?”
“Oh? Ah. No, just… …I just wanted to walk a bit because I was full. It’s nothing important…”
“I see.”
As the child turned his gaze to look at the pond, I also looked up at the distant sky.
Leaning my back against the railing, I listened to the sound of fish splashing in the water and gazed up at the blue sky, not rushing him as there was no urgency.
Rubel cleared his throat a few times, then called me in a weak voice.
“…Young Master Ernhardt.”
“Yes.”
“It’s almost November now, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“And soon it will be exam period…”
“It will.”
“…After the exams, you’ll be going home, won’t you?”
“Yes.”
I couldn’t figure out what he was trying to say, hesitating so much. Still leaning on the railing, I turned my head to look at the boy’s profile.
He lowered his dark gaze, not looking at me, and continued speaking as if whispering.
“…Before you go, can you look at my face just once?”
“Hmm?”
I was momentarily stunned, not understanding why he would ask that specifically.
I straightened my posture. The child still hadn’t lifted his gaze from the pond. Rubel’s tension was palpable from his hands gripping the railing tightly.
“Why?”
“…Because I won’t be able to see you for a long time during the break. That…”
I briefly pondered if I had gone on a trip before the summer break without seeing him.
I recalled that Rubel had approached me first to ask for a walk then, but I wasn’t sure… I hadn’t paid much attention, so my memory was hazy, and I shook my head.
“Well, I will.”
I answered so easily because it wasn’t a difficult request, but Rubel’s face brightened like a blooming flower, which greatly surprised me.
The boy, not hiding his joy, turned to me and nodded shyly.
I always thought of him as a raven, but seeing him like this, he was just like a tamed puppy.
I told him that on Sunday, he shouldn’t starve himself and should meet me after lunch, and he meekly nodded. I patted his back a couple of times.
I felt a strange sensation.
❖ ❖ ❖
It was the Monday of the fourth week of October.
Since the students began sparring in the beginner swordsmanship class, I had recently come to know Benjamin quite well.
In the advanced swordsmanship class, there were many First-Rate Martial Artists, so we took turns sparring, and I didn’t have much time to clash swords with Benjamin. However, in the beginner swordsmanship class, we were each other’s only opponents.
As we grew accustomed to clashing swords, I could now predict the direction of his sword before he even drew it.
It was amusing and interesting how we would research new sword forms to defeat each other, only to find that the other already knew them and could easily block them.
Just as I was learning his swordplay, he too had come to resemble my swordsmanship.
Although we started sparring with a light heart, after two or three clashes, I could no longer easily deflect Benjamin’s earnest attacks, so I also became engrossed in the sparring.
The sound of swords clashing echoed with each exchange, and my elbows grew numb after two exchanges.
I created distance and caught my breath.
Knowing that neither of us would win if we tried to overpower the other, Benjamin and I often used swift swords rather than heavy swords when sparring seriously.
To counter a sword strike that descended like lightning, I couldn’t afford to blink carelessly.
It was impossible to tell if I was facing a one-handed or two-handed sword. His single arm possessed such formidable strength.
Instead of blocking the force of his upward slash from lower left to upper right with brute strength, I leaped into the air while maintaining contact with his sword.
I soared about one jang high in the air and shot towards him like an arrow. With a great rotation of my body, my swung sword struck his sword blade forcefully.
Clang, with the noisy sound of clashing swords, he was pushed back two steps.
His wide, round eyes were cute and amusing, and I laughed heartily.
Those who have never lost to strength tend to falter when they receive a stronger blow.
Knowing the match was decided with one strike, I stood before the boy who sheathed his sword.
“How did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Just now, you completely changed direction in mid-air without a stepping stone…”
“That’s right. When Young Master Claudian swung his sword like that earlier, you placed your pivot on your left foot and concentrated your strength on the center of the blade, didn’t you?”
Standing beside the boy, I explained, mimicking his movements. Maelo Sanson, who was glancing over from across the way, smiled with satisfaction.