After I finished my job on Christmas, I started walking back to the school.
“That was fun, wasn’t it, Master?!”
Most likely, Ted had gone through the kids’s rough “baptism.” The proof of it was on his face, which still held traces of the scribbles the kids had drawn on him.
“But still, I had no clue you were working at an orphanage. The pay wasn’t that high, was it?” Ted asked.
“Yeah, not really,” I replied.
“Do you have some kind of ties to orphanages?” Ted asked, suddenly cutting right to the heart of things.
“Not really... Working there was just a simple way to kill time.”
I’d never revealed the secret of my reincarnation to Ted, even though I’d grown up with him. Of course, I had no intention of revealing it to anyone in the future either. I doubted anyone would understand me, and I was sure revealing the truth would only lead to more headaches down the road.
“That makes sense! I can’t even imagine you taking care of kids!” Ted cackled.
In this guy’s case, he never really thought too deeply about my circumstances, so it was easy to be around him. For those with a troubled past, like me, it was easy to have a long relationship with people like Ted, who were simple and straightforward.
“Hm? Isn’t that...”
As we walked and talked, Ted noticed a certain familiar silhouette. It was Zyle, our classmate whom we’d recently started spending more time with.
“Hey, Zyle, whatcha up to?!” Ted called out.
Zyle was acting strange; his head was hung low as he trudged through the snow, and overall he seemed completely lifeless. In each hand he held a bouquet of flowers. Those flowers look fresh. I’m guessing he just bought them.
“Oh... Ted... Abel...”
Hm. This is the first time I’ve seen Zyle so down in the dumps. For some reason the way he acted made it seem as if both the bouquets were withering.
“Ted...women are stupid. You can’t trust them!”
“What happened?! Are you okay?!” Ted exclaimed.
It seemed that something had happened. Now that I think about it, Zyle had cryptically said that he had plans today.
“Dammit... I was used!” Zyle exclaimed. “She asked for all these presents and then she said that she has plans on Christmas so she’ll be taking off from work! Who does that?!”
“O-Oh that really sucks, Zyle. By the way, who was she?” Ted asked.
“She works at the neighborhood maid café. She’s the most popular girl, and the one customers ask for the most.”
Both Ted and I fell silent. It seems like this girl has her own circumstances. If so, then I don’t think we can really blame her for how she acted.
“It’s okay, Zyle! There are so many more fish in the sea!”
“Ted... You’re gonna forgive me after how cocky I was acting about having plans today?”
“Of course! The Unpopular Guy Alliance is forever!” Ted declared, sticking up his thumb.
“T-Ted... You’re such a good guy!” Tears began pouring out of Zyle’s eyes.
Good grief. I thought the alliance fell apart, but now our bond has apparently deepened further? This alliance is all over the place. Then again, I was growing used to this farce.
“Zyle, let’s go out and just eat everything!”
“Hell yeah! I’m gonna eat so much Christmas chicken!”
Hm. The atmosphere’s getting kinda weird. I’m gonna leave before things get too annoying. I actually have plans.
“Hey! Where did Abel go?!”
It seems that Zyle noticed, but you’re too late. I was already making my way to the next destination, and had already moved pretty far away from the two of them.
“Dammit! Abel, you traitor!” Zyle screamed out.
“I can’t believe you, Master! I thought our bonds as the Unpopular Guy Alliance were forever!” Ted cried out.
Sorry Ted, sorry Zyle. Unfortunately, I never had any intention of joining your strange alliance. I’m going to prioritize the plans that I’ve been putting off.
After leaving Ted and Zyle, I went to buy the ring that I’d had Edgar put on hold for me.
“Hey, kid! I’ve got the item you want. You should be thankful for my generosity! Ga ha ha!”
Good grief. As usual, the way he speaks aggravates me. But I’ll let it slide today.
After finally buying the ring, I left his shop and began my walk back to the dorms. Night had fallen, and the town was illuminated in lights, granting it a charm that seemed to enchant everyone who saw it.
“Abel!”
Just as I entered the city shopping district, two familiar faces called out to me—Eliza and Noel. It’s rare to see the two of them together, especially in the city at this time of night.
“Do you have a minute?” Eliza asked. “We have something we want to talk to you about.”
Hm. Looks like there’s more to this situation than meets the eye. This might be the first time I’ve seen the two of them act this seriously.
“Sure. What’s on your minds?” There’s still some time before I said I’d meet with Lilith. I can spare a moment for these two.
“Um, so, Abel, I like you.” Noel’s words took me completely off guard.
“I feel the same way. Ever since we met...ever since the entrance exam, I think I’ve been drawn to you the entire time...” Eliza said as well.
Good grief. Even I could never have expected that the two of them would profess their feelings for me at the same time, right here and now. But, hm. What should I do?
Of course I had noticed their feelings for me, but it would be impossible for me to reciprocate them. In this case, it would be best to act in a way that didn’t hurt them.
“Sorry, but the wind was kinda loud, so I didn’t catch any of that.”
After thinking hard about what I should do, I came up with something that even I wasn’t too impressed by. Not much I can do about this though. I have to resort to making up such poor excuses so I don’t hurt them.
“Don’t try to run away!” Noel said, her strong will clear in her voice.
“The two of us are serious. Don’t treat us like kids!”
Eliza seems serious too. Hm... I don’t think I can fool my way out of this anymore.
It looks like it’s time for me to say exactly why I can never return their feelings for me.
“You two are very important to me, but no matter how much time passes, I doubt that we’ll ever enter a romantic relationship.”
“Why...?”
Good grief. I had hoped to take this secret to my grave, but that seems impossible now. “Because I’m a mage from two hundred years ago who’s been reincarnated in the present,” I declared, making sure to say it in a way that they knew I was completely serious.
I never thought there’d be a day where I told them the truth of who I was. Despite my caution, it seemed like I’d slipped up—I’d come to care for them so much that I ended up telling them my most closely guarded secret just to spare their feelings.
“Both the Hero of Fire, Maria, and the Hero of Water, Daytona, were my disciples as well as my comrades. As their descendants, you two are more like the kids of my relatives than anything else. And it’s because of that I don’t think I’ll ever have romantic feelings for either of you.”
The two of them fell silent at my explanation, looking utterly bewildered. They seemed to believe my words, but were still processing them.
“Huh? How...?” Noel stammered.
“You weren’t born in this era? But how’s that possible?” Eliza asked.
They still looked doubtful, but I couldn’t blame them. That was the normal reaction. Reincarnation Magecraft was an original spell that I’d created two hundred years ago. Being the first of its kind in magecraft, it’d be difficult to fully explain it.
But suddenly, I felt an ominous presence coming from behind me—the presence of an unparalleled, powerful, and dark mana. A mana so evil that it was rare even two hundred years ago.
“Eliza, Noel—get back.” It looks like the enemy has business with me; it’s approaching extremely quickly. “Seems like it’s time for me to prove that I’m a reincarnated mage,” I said.
I can tell that this opponent is the first one in a long time that I’ll have to go all out against. In that case, one might say that this was the best time to reveal my identity.