A few hours later, I found that my task had become a lot simpler. As long as the kids behaved themselves, this might not have been too bad of a job.
“I don’t get it! This doesn’t make sense!” one of the kids groaned, not able to accept what’d happened.
This was the result of my brand of education. The kids were now reading books, drawing pictures, and overall, passing the time without causing any trouble. This was all after I had them quickly clean the room and inspect the facilities. Thanks to that, I was comfortably enjoying a book.
Kikuko later returned from grocery shopping with two giant bags. “I’m back, kids!” she announced.
“Oh? What’s the matter? You’re all so quiet today,” Kikuko commented, tilting her head at the room that, curiously, had become as silent as a library.
✦ ✦ ✦
At the same time, just a little ways away from the orphanage Abel was working at, there was a business district where a certain cake shop had recently opened. Due to it being a new shop, and with Christmas around the corner, it was getting lots of business.
“Thank you for your purchase! We hope to see you again soon!” a girl with crimson hair said.
It was Eliza. After recently accepting the quest to help sell cakes, she had begun working at this new shop.
“Eli, thanks for helping out today! The store’s so lively because of you,” the owner of the shop said to Eliza.
“O-Oh no, I haven’t done anything special,” Eliza demurred. “I still have a long way to go.”
Eliza was very well-liked at this shop; she was very cheerful, pretty, and could smoothly speak with anyone. As such, she’d already earned the trust of the shop owner.
“Oh, by the way, we’re going to have a new part-timer starting today. Is it okay if I leave it to you to show them the ropes?” the owner asked.
With Christmas coming up, the demand for cakes was much higher than normal, and so it was only natural that the shop would need additional help besides Eliza.
“Of course. No problem,” Eliza said.
“Thank you so much! She’s a cute girl from the same school as you. I’m sure the customers’ll be so happy to see the two of you working together.”
Eliza started to wonder if this might be her chance to make a new friend. Since they were from the same school, she had high hopes.
“Heh heh. With two poster girls at my store, there’s no doubt we’ll make a killing! Let’s rake it in!”
Eliza fell silent after getting the feeling that she was hearing the store owner’s true motives. For now, she decided to not comment on it.
“The new girl should be done changing any minute now,” the store owner said.
Eliza was curious: what kind of person was this new part-timer? The store was new, and its cutesy decor everywhere and stylish employee uniforms made it popular. If the new part-timer was also a cute girl, then there was no chance that she wouldn’t pull off the uniform. While Eliza contemplated all this, the door to the changing room suddenly opened.
“Ugh.”
Both Eliza and the girl reacted at almost the exact same time. Eliza couldn’t hide how shocked she was to finally see her new coworker, mouth hanging open at the sight of her fellow Research Society member: Noel.
✦ ✦ ✦
After an unexpected run-in with a familiar face, Eliza’s shift began once more.
“I’m surprised. I didn’t think I’d ever see you here,” Eliza remarked.
“That’s my line,” Noel quipped. “I didn’t hear anything about you being here. How unfortunate.”
Eliza and Noel were descendants of the Hero of Fire and the Hero of Water, respectively. As such, they’d known each other since childhood, and were constantly pitted against each other. Their subsequent rivalry was imbued with two hundred years of history.
“Oh, look. Here comes a customer,” said Eliza.
“Huh?” replied Noel.
But right now, they were at work. They needed to leave their pride and circumstances at the door. Noel tottered over to the new customer.
“W-W-Welcome! H-Hello...”
She was unbelievably stiff. At first, Eliza had thought her actions were some kind of prank, but she soon realized that Noel wasn’t at all joking.
“Uh, could I have the strawberry tart and also a shortcake?” the customer asked.
“S-S-Sure! C-C-Coming right up!”
Noel opened the display case, and with a pair of stainless steel tongs pulled out a cake.
“Wait, that’s the Mont Blanc!” Eliza said.
“Ah...”
Hearing Eliza snap at her made Noel suddenly freeze with nerves, and the chestnut topping of the Mont Blanc fell to the ground.
“So sorry!” Eliza said, stepping in after seeing Noel struggle. “Here’s your strawberry tart and shortcake.”
Eliza was great at customer service, and ultimately, thanks to her help, Noel was saved from the difficult position she’d found herself in.
“Thanks...Eliza...”
“Get it together! We have another customer!”
“Ah...”
Since this was a newly opened store, customers came so frequently that there was barely any time to breathe. To Noel, this might have been the most difficult quest that she’d ever accepted.
✦ ✦ ✦
A few hours later, Noel had finally finished the grueling experience that was her first day at a new job. The sun had set, and the store was closing for the day.
“I’m...so exhausted...” Noel said, slumped in a chair inside the employee changing room, expression extremely disheartened.
“You okay, Noel? Here,” Eliza said, putting a chilled drink that she’d grabbed from the refrigerator against Noel’s cheek.
“Yeah... Thanks...”
Though Eliza and Noel fought like cats and dogs, they didn’t actually hate each other. When it was necessary to work together, they could be friendly.
“So... I’m not sure if you’re cut out for all this,” Eliza said, expressing her true thoughts.
No matter what, people had things they were and weren’t good at. For Noel, who was more introverted, she wasn’t especially skilled at communicating with people she was meeting for the first time. Customer service work was thus very poorly suited for her.
But even in Arthlia Academy of Magecraft, a gathering of the most elite upcoming mages in the country, Noel stood at the top. For that reason alone, surely there must be better jobs out there—ones that’d be more in her wheelhouse.
“I’m...gonna keep trying.”
Truthfully, the reason that Noel had chosen this quest was because socializing was her weak point, and she wanted to try overcoming it.
“Why are you even working? Your family’s rich. If you need money, you could just ask your parents,” Eliza asked.
As a family of generations of merchants, they’d amassed a large fortune. If Noel wanted, she could’ve bought the entire cake shop.
“I won’t do that,” Noel replied. “There’s a reason why I need to make money on my own.”
“What do you mean?” Eliza asked.
Eliza sensed that Noel possessed certain motivations, but couldn’t figure out what exactly they were. So she had decided to soothe her curiosity and ask outright.
“I’m planning on asking Abel out. I’m going to give him a present and tell him my feelings.”
Noel’s answer shocked Eliza. “Oh... You’ve made up your mind, huh?”
“Yeah. I think I’ll be disappointed in myself if I don’t tell him now. I don’t expect him to say yes. But even so, I won’t regret telling him.”
Hearing Noel’s words made Eliza rethink things. I need to do my best too! I can’t let her get ahead of me...
Thinking about it, Christmas was the perfect opportunity for guys and girls to become closer to each other. After Christmas, Arthlia Academy would enter into a long winter break. Becoming second years meant changing classes, so it was possible that there’d be fewer opportunities to see Abel.
“Abel...” Eliza said the name of the person on her mind, not to anyone in particular.
It really had been love at first sight. Ever since their duel during the entrance exam, she couldn’t stop thinking about Abel. Okay. I’ve made up my mind. I’m gonna ask him out too! Sorry Noel, but I’m gonna strike first!
Unbeknownst to Abel, Eliza had gained a newfound determination.
✦ ✦ ✦
At the same time, on the Austra Archipelago, far to the southeast of Midgard, Cain—the Hero of Ash—was deep in his work at the Demon King’s castle.
“Phew. Just a little more.”
Cain was currently touching the magic stone that Zeke had been sealed in. This magic stone had been under strict lock and key two hundred years ago. But after defeating the Demon King of Twilight, humans turned on each other, with brutal fighting spreading all over the land they themselves once ruled.
While the humans fought amongst each other, the demons used that chance to steal this magic stone and secure it within the Demon King’s castle.
“I expected nothing less from Mr. Abel. Even an Ashen Eyes like myself couldn’t have activated this many magecraft equations during battle.”
There wasn’t anyone else who was as proficient with Barrier Magecraft as Abel was. An Obsidian-Eyed specialist might have gotten close, but Abel was still a cut above.
“Back then, I was so impressed that all I could do was simply watch in awe, but now, I can at least undo his seal.”
By using Ashen Eye magecraft, Cain had learned Immortality Magecraft, and had spent all that time improving his magecraft skills. As a result, he’d essentially become a master in all fields of magecraft.
“Come on out, Zeke.”
As soon as Cain called him, the multiple magecraft equations surrounding the magic stone cracked, and an intense, dark mana seeped out.