“Pardon the intrusion!”
I storm into the headmistress’s office in Shiva Mode.
But my opponent is Madame No-Bad-Behavior, so I made sure to knock first, wait for her to respond, open the door quietly, close it behind me quietly, and then shout my greeting as I turned around to face her.
“What an unusual guest,” she says. “I have always wanted to sit down and have a conversation with you. I’m happy you came to see me.”
The headmistress smiles.
To my surprise, she welcomed me (Shiva). I hide my surprise by floating in the air and crossing my legs into a seated position.
“First, may I ask what you’ve come to me for?”
I’m getting a little nervous. I played out the scenario in my head before I came here, but I’m still nervous.
“I hear there’s an event called the Schoolwide Standardized Magic Proficiency Exam.”
“Yes, we hold it every year. You haven’t heard of it?”
“I’m not familiar with the capital or this academy. I also heard that there’s a four-player team tournament in the event.”
“From Haruto?”
Yikes, she’s already trying to snoop. But I expected that.
“Not directly from him, per se. He’s one of the subjects I’m monitoring. I’m watching over his actions. Well, to a degree that doesn’t invade his privacy.”
Heh-heh-heh. The headmistress looks surprised.
Haruto and Shiva are connected; there’s no skirting around that fact. But if Haruto is a point of interest to Shiva, surely that won’t make people think of us as the same person.
Is this really going to work? Can I trust you, Professor Tear?
“Someone who harnesses such grand magic as yourself is taking an interest in Haruto…? As I thought, the boy does possess unimaginable talent.”
I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems like I’m getting away with it?
Elated about her praise, I keep babbling.
“I believe the tournament would be a great opportunity to gauge his abilities. However, I do have some doubts about your current game regulations’ adequacy in assessing him. I imagine all the restrictions will only hinder him from exercising his full potential.”
“This match involves individual students. We must take all precautions to ensure their safety.”
“And I understand that, which is why I am here today.”
The headmistress twitches an eyebrow.
“Are you saying you’re willing to cover the safety issue?” she asks.
Keen as always, Headmistress.
“I’m sure my track record from the Olympius Ruins exploration test was enough to earn your trust.”
Huh? Why does she seem disgruntled?
“I’d rather you refrain from putting on a silly spectacle like last time… However, this function is meant to be showcased outside of the academy.”
She lets out a brief sigh before starting again.
“Very well. I entrust you to oversee the safety of my students. But not before hearing out your suggestions and assessing how they could affect the actual operation.”
Meaning she wants to determine how effective my defense barrier is if I were to envelope every single student in it.
The advisor who’s listening in doesn’t say anything in my ear, so I answer, “Of course.”
Thus concludes our discussion…is what the headmistress is probably thinking. But this is where the hard bargaining starts.
“And one more thing,” I say.
She wrinkles her brows and leers. I hear a “go ahead,” but she seems reserved.
“Haruto Zenfis. That boy is categorized as a leader-type, isn’t he?”
“He is. The final decisions are left to the teachers in charge of the member draft, but I recommended Haruto as such. His skills are far advanced across multiple fields. It’s natural to determine him to be suitable as a future leader.”
The flattery is enthralling but I can’t let myself fall for it. By the way, the headmistress isn’t the one to make the final call? My hopes are getting high.
I say, “Personally, I’d like to measure his magic abilities. He’s still a first-year student. Is it truly necessary to ascertain his leadership skills now?”
Headmistress Theresia furrows her brows slightly.
“That is your personal objective. I’d appreciate it if you’d refrain from meddling excessively.”
“I won’t deny that it’s what I want, but I’m also certain that it will benefit him.”
The headmistress hesitates before speaking again. “Currently, we are short on leader candidates. Some students are sorted into that pool out of necessity. Removing Haruto from it wouldn’t be practical.”
Darn, she’s a tough crowd.
But as of this moment, I’m no longer speaking for myself. I’ve evolved into a sound system that merely plays back my advisor’s words.
I’m counting on you, Professor Tear!
“Sheesh, I’m disappointed in you,” I utter.
Starting it off aggressively, are we? Are you sure that’s a good idea?
“In that case, I’ll stop beating around the bush and instead be direct with you. The fact that you see him as a leader is your first mistake.”
“Excuse…me?”
Her eyes begin to glower. I’ve never seen her like that. This is bad, no?
“The boy is a master of sorcery at an individual level. He’d have no need to rely on others during battle, I can assure you that. Which means he has zero experience as a team player.”
“That’s precisely why he can use the experience as a leader─”
“You still don’t understand what this means? Forcing something unnecessary unto him may nip his future growth. If anything, it could become a huge detour for him.”
“…”
She’s gone quiet. Time for the final blow.
“To force a child with potential to conform to your mold and allow the public to watch his suffering─is that your idea of education?”
Holy crap, Professor Tear is a master troll.
The headmistress clenches her teeth.
“…Very well.”
Oh?
“I shall request the instructors in charge of the draft process to focus on utilizing Haruto’s strengths.”
She actually folded. To my surprise, Professor Tear is really strong as long as she’s not face-to-face with the headmistress. Impressive.
Headmistress Theresia emphasizes, “The final decisions are made by the instructor in charge.” She’s really driving that point home.
Either way, she said what she said. As long as she admits that “Haruto doesn’t have to be a leader,” she won’t find it suspicious if Haruto is removed from the leader pool.
Which means that no matter what the instructors decide on, I can cheat all I want!
“Farewell.” I end the meeting with a simple greeting as well as a polite bow and leave the room. I head back to my personal paradise: my log house by the lake.
By the way…
“Why is Shiva in the headmistress’s office? I need to be nearer to hear their conversation, but they’ll notice my presence if I come any closer.”
I was keeping an eye on my surroundings while I was with the headmistress. That’s when I noticed her: a curvy and erotic looking teacher or something spying on us from down the hall.
She’s wearing a black suit jacket and a cape. Her boobs are practically about to pop a button and burst out of her shirt. She’s showing off her thick thighs under her tight skirt.
The woman had changed her hair color to blonde and made her skin look pale. Despite that, and the fact that she’s wearing glasses, it was obvious she’s that devil named Vari or whatever.
To tell you the truth, I noticed her snooping around a few days ago. She wasn’t doing much of anything, so I’d let it go.
After I (in Shiva Mode) leave the headmistress’s office, Vari hesitates for a few minutes before heading out of the campus.
Maybe she’s off to report to her dear master.
Let me tail her through my surveillance barrier just in case…