“Did you not hear me?” To the bitter end, he was expressionless. I wanted to retort with all my might.

Is it okay not hearing that?

No, not hearing what he has to say from now on and escaping also seems good?

(*the sound of being pulled back to reality with a thud*)

What is he suggesting all of a sudden? Even if it’s a joke, that’s nasty. Way too nasty. Since that speech of his caused whatever I had in mind earlier to vanish, what am I supposed to say now?

“Meryl Foster, your reply…”

“Is your head even screwed on right?”

In the end, my mouth exposed itself. The first thing I said happened to be an absolutely terrible answer.

(I’m an idiot—-! ! !)

In being upfront with my feelings I said too much! While I was freaking out and closing my mouth in a hurry, it was already too slow for the occasion.

I must be insane for doing something as unwise as that! I really, really think I shouldn’t have said that! Even if he made such a perverted statement, the other party is older and in an upper grade. And he’s seemingly a t.i.tle-bearing aristocrat!!!

“I-I’m sorry! Just now, that was a slip of the tongue!”

I made him angry… ohhh, I might be hit!

For now, I’ll lower my panicking head. What should I do!? Should I kneel here on the ground and beg for forgiveness or something? What even triggered the interaction with this n.o.ble when it should have never existed in the first place……

“…… u, um, Senpai?”

My back broke out into a cold sweat, and my heart was racing. But, neither jeers nor harsh words came falling because of him.

When I timidly attempted to try raising my face…

“W-what is it?”

“H, huh? You aren’t angry?”

The unexpected thing is that when I faced Senpai, I found him unchanged from his calm demeanor in this situation. Quietly getting angry – the ambience isn’t like that at all.

“There’s nothing to be angry about. Because your response was an appropriate reaction, I was admiring you instead.”

(Appropriate…)

I’ve been saying this for a while, but I truly think he’s actually crazy? This person’s outer appearance was relatively suave, but unexpectedly the inner contents were perhaps – no, quite possibly – that of a natural airhead.

“Just in case, I want to make an apology – but it’s not a problem?”

“Ah, yeah… in brief, it’s because the result was less severe than expected.”

If I were to s.h.i.+ft my gaze, I’d see that the area outside the windows was steadily fading from red to mostly pitch-black. It should be that there’s really no time left until the academy’s complete lock up. Making the best of the situation with a nod, he sat on a desk within reach and began to speak with an uninterested, almost expressionless look.

“Do you know of the divination master?”

“Divina… a person whose specialty is fortune-telling magic, right?”

Second years like me are only learning about divination as a branch, but even among magic the subject is unique.

Precognition, foresight, seeing the future. The popular names for it are varied, but from tomorrow’s weather to the compatibility between men and women, divination was connected to the future. In any case, magic specialists who excelled at predicting future events are called “divination masters.”

“The gist of it is that a handful of divination specialists exist for n.o.bility – but at the moment of when I returned home the other day, this house was saying very interesting things.”

His golden eyes capture me. With such a piercingly strong gaze, in that instant I only felt a shock.

“Meryl Foster, I’m of the impression that you are the owner of an exceedingly rare physical const.i.tution. By consorting with you, it appears that I will fully complete the manifestation of my potential.”

“………”

Con…sort… with?

“Again, if we receive a child between us, people say it would be born possessing unparalleled talents.”

“A child, you said… w-w-wait a minute! …”

“If you have any questions, don’t hold back.”

“It’s not a question!”

So then, whatever the phrase “consort with” meant had the word “child” a.s.sociated with it. Saying something like『to consort with』that specifically involves a man and a woman, in other words that’s certainly…

tanuki

“Um, could it be that you’re talking about sleeping with me in the s.e.xual sense or something like that?”

“Ah, that’s right.”

tanuki

tanuki

tanuki

tanuki

tanuki

tanuki

tanuki

KYAAA——————!!

tanuki

Blood came rus.h.i.+ng up to my face. This man – for a while now, he’s been smoothly saying such things without hesitation. No excuses or nothing: he’s totally unfazed by this! He actually said to sleep with him!!!

tanuki

“… What. Are you dissatisfied by me being that type of partner?”

“Objections and anything else shouldn’t exist in a first meeting!! And to begin with, whatever that was isn’t even an apology!!”

As expected, I won’t withdraw my previous remarks. This person is crazy! Supposing if what he’s saying is par for the course, I absolutely can’t trust this country’s n.o.bility. The man went and said something like “child” while continuously looking all deadpan and composed, but how could you recognize something like that as normal?!

“So I’m saying, it seems. ‘Acquaintance’ is with that meaning.”

“Whether or not if that’s the meaning, ordinary humans don’t say things like commanding people to sleep with them! To begin with, don’t do such things like abruptly pinning down a person!”

That’s right; all of a sudden he came and pushed me down, this person. Leaving that meaning as is, so that means his plan was to commit a crime at school?Especially if I didn’t resist!? At the first meeting with the person!?!?

“…… pervert. No, a rapist. I thought the means of this event at school was suspicious – you’re the lowest. Disgusting.”

“I haven’t done anything yet. So therefore – as one would expect – I order you to withdraw those remarks. My convictions should have been transferred to you by constructing the mood.”

“Putting off an explanation only because of that? In that occasion, you’re the absolute worst.”

Or, how should I put it… after she was pushed down like this, what kind of woman would even fall for such a beautiful figure?

…… nope, it’s possible. This man – just his outer appearance alone, out of several other reasons, surpa.s.ses everyone else. More or less there are dubious circ.u.mstances, but it’s appearing that I don’t believe he did something evil.

Until now it was like that. And I wonder what’s going to be next.

(This person really is the embodiment of a separate world.)

Breathing out a deep, deep sigh…… this time I’ll gaze directly at him.

I think it’s already plenty if I heard up to here.

tanuki

tanuki

tanuki

tanuki

tanuki

tanuki

tanuki

“I don’t wish to talk with you anymore. If you’ll please excuse me!”

“Hey, wha… oi, wait! Meryl Foster?!”

tanuki

Who’d even wait, this isn’t a joke!!!

Like h.e.l.l I’m going to a.s.sociate with this headache-inducing concept any further!

In the end, after that s.e.xual a.s.sault attempt, a chast.i.ty crisis at present (or something like that) is naturally impossible!

From my rear Senpai’s yell was audible, but I break into a run without absolutely looking back at all.

With my feet before me enduring at the limits of their strength, even one step forward is fine – anything that would take me to far away from that cla.s.sroom.

It was becoming completely dark outside of the windows. Around this time, the seniors are expected to go patrolling in order to confirm the academy’s closing. a.s.suming if I’m caught, I’ll ask for their help.

(To have to have this type of bad experience, why me…!)

Descending down the staircase at a run while showing no signs of tears at the world’s absurdness, I hasten my way back to the women’s dorm.

tanuki

(I hope that was all just a bad dream! I really hope tomorrow’s ordinary and goes without a hitch!!)

My palms were sweaty as I wrenched open the door and shut it with all my might, praying all the while to all the Merciful Powers That Be that something like that never even happened.

“Alright, I managed to get away – ah!” I weakly sat down. Some of the other girls had noticed, but I was more concerned with my already nonexistent stamina.

tanuki

tanuki

I’m exhausted. Really exhausted. Exactly what on earth was that, geez…

For now, it’s looking like I should go to sleep for today. Immediately, no matter what. Today of all days I’m deciding to do nothing.

I didn’t meet that pervert. I was a little late in leaving campus and returning to the dorms, so Senpai scolded me before I hurriedly went out and came back home. That’s it. Right, today’s evening was nothing!

tanuki

tanuki

tanuki

tanuki

tanuki

tanuki

… However, I was forgetting something.

That the G.o.d heeding those previous prayers of mine is actually a being who favors that perverted man – of that, I’m uncertain.