“If he’s this powerful, why has he been hiding his strength?” I asked, curious.
“Well, he’s got his fair share of troubles.” Claude clearly knew the reason, but he didn’t seem inclined to share it with me. “Oh, by the way, Teresia...”
“What is it?”
“I’m getting peckish. May I have a cookie?”
“Of course, but I have to warn you, they’re getting soggy.”
He was pointing at the cheap cookies I’d found to pair with my tea. Quite some time had passed since I took them out of the box, and I had lost any interest in eating them. Did Claude like sweets? Ignoring the way I tilted my head at my own unspoken question, Claude nibbled on the cookies like they were the most scrumptious treats.
“Thanks, Teresia. You’re a lifesaver. I’ll make it up to you with some dinner. My treat. When are you free?”
I heaved a heavy sigh. So this is what he’s really after? I’d heard rumors that Claude was the son of a noble family from one of the bigger countries in the Republic of the Blue Sea Union. As a student in the Hero Course, Claude had the latent ability to become a Hero, which promised a bright and successful future. On top of that, he had a rather handsome face. He was the perfect man. That is, if you ignored his lecherous tendencies.
“We can go to a restaurant in the dungeon city or take my wyvern and head to a port. I’ll escort you wherever you please,” he said with a grin, forcibly continuing this topic of conversation. He offset his aggressive approach with his sweet looks. I was sure that many girls fell for this trick.
“Oh, yes. You’re a Dragon Knight as well, aren’t you?” I said. “Is it safe for me to ride your wyvern as well?”
“Of course, so long as you’re with me. It might be scary at first, but once you get used to it, the views are unbeatable. How about it?”
He really didn’t let up with the invitations. I supposed I preferred this over meeker men.
“Claude.”
“What is it, Teresia?” He smiled at me, as if the idea that I would turn him down had never occurred to him.
“Lately, the student council has received multiple complaints regarding a certain Dragon Knight. He’s been flirting with girls from the Swordsmanship Club and the Martial Arts Club, which has a demoralizing effect on the boys in those clubs as well. These complaints are quite a pain in the neck for us, you know?” I said, acting as if I didn’t know who I was talking about.
At those words, the smile on Claude’s face faded away, leaving behind a blank expression. Then he opened his mouth and said, “Is that so? Must be tough, Teresia.”
“It is. It is tough. If only that Dragon Knight would smarten up a little, I wouldn’t mind going out for a bite once in a while.” I glanced up at him through my lashes and saw the smile return to his face, albeit a stiffer one than usual.
“Oh, really? So you like more serious boys?”
“I think most girls prefer the serious type.”
“Okay, I got it. I’ll head back for today, but I’ll see you later, Teresia.”
“Next time, make sure you submit your forms before the due date!”
He waved at me as he walked away, and I gave him a small wave back. Good grief. The other members of the student council were still raving about Eugene’s victory over the Boss. Speaking of Eugene, I’d never heard rumors regarding his love life. He was the complete opposite of Claude. There was the chance that people avoided talking about Eugene’s conquests out of consideration for Sara, though. The moment the thought passed through my mind...
“What is the meaning of this ruckus? What is going on?” President Sara came striding up to me.
“President Sara! Eugene just defeated the Boss of the 10th Level.”
“Wha—?! You’re kidding! He did?!” President Sara dropped her customary elegant manner of speech; this always happened when she talked about Eugene. “Miss Teresia! Explain yourself! What happened?!” She punctuated each word with a violent shake of my shoulders.
“P-President Sara, please calm yourself! Um...” I gave her a quick rundown of what we’d just witnessed on the screen. “And so he defeated the Boss to help the explorers from the Blue Sea Union. It was amazing, really. I’m sure the recording magic saved the footage, so you can watch it for yourself and... President Sara?”
I trailed off halfway through my explanation when I sensed something wrong. President Sara was staring at the screen, her mouth agape. When I followed her line of sight, I saw the new student, Miss Sumire Sashiougi, hugging Eugene. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks flushed red. Oh, goodness. I suppose we can’t count Eugene out of the love race just yet.
“Eugene and Miss Sumire are becoming fast frie—” The last word died on my lips.
“How dare she... My Eugene...” I’d never heard such a low and furious tone from the levelheaded President Sara before. She sounded like she wanted to curse Miss Sumire to death.
Sh-She’s so scary! Despite my unease, I asked, “Er, President Sara?”
She gasped as if she had just realized what she was doing, then smoothed out her expression again, much like Claude had earlier.
“It’s nothing,” she said. “I’ll have to congratulate Eugene next time I see him.”
She sounded like her usual sophisticated and beautiful self, but I knew the truth. President Sara seemed like a candid and easygoing person, but in truth, she was very prone to jealousy. Oh, Eugene. Good luck. For his sake, I prayed things didn’t get too out of hand. I returned to my work, ready to process the form Claude had handed me earlier.