Ophelia's Counseling Room

"Alright, it's done."

I did my best to tidy up Orca's hair, which was in disarray. Ideally, I'd like her to take a shower since she's covered in dust and dirt. If she laid down on the bed like this, it would be a disaster.

Maybe I should push a bit more.

"Orca, I think it would be better if you washed up... I'll fix your hair again afterward."

"..."

Sigh.

She doesn't seem to be listening. Her face is twisted with frustration, unable to accept that she lost. She looks like a child throwing a tantrum.

No, kids are easier. You can at least force them to take a bath.

Orca is much stronger than me, so I can't force her to do anything, which makes it worse.

"Come on, don't be so down... How about I buy you something delicious? I've heard shrimp is really good these days."

"..."

I knew she was deeply disappointed. She was proud of her close combat skills, and losing must have been a huge blow.

But I didn't expect her to be this depressed.

Even trying to lure her with food didn't work.

Am I treating her too much like a child?

But she is still very much a child, unable to grow up.

The same goes for Leo, who is staring blankly into space.

He seems even more shocked than Orca, probably because he's lost twice already.

"I'll be back later."

It felt like nothing would progress if I stayed, so I decided to step outside for some fresh air.

Looking around, I saw that the students seemed to have gotten closer because of the match. They were gathered in groups, chatting away. They seemed much more comfortable with each other.

I wondered if one day, the kids I care about will also have such normal, happy times.

Scenes I've always seen in fan art and fan fiction...

Will I be able to witness them with my own eyes?

Just imagining it made me feel happy.

"Ophelia."

"Headmaster. What's the matter?"

"Looks like you forgot. I told you I'd come by later."

"Oh."

Right, she did.

I had forgotten while taking care of the students.

...Probably because of the shocking scene earlier when she reprimanded Stella for calling her old.

It was so impactful that I forgot everything else.

"Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

The third playable character I've met after Orca and Leo.

The one with the highest potential for power.

Second Princess Stella.

I had spent a long time thinking about how I should react when meeting her.

Should I learn some court etiquette to impress her? I even considered that.

But knowing her character, she'd dislike it if I learned just for show, so I decided against it.

I decided to react based on the situation when we first met.

...Now that we're meeting for the first time, I have no idea how to react.

I had imagined meeting her in a more dignified setting.

Like in a place fitting for a princess, or in a formal setting.

I never imagined I'd meet her with a bump on her head, looking sheepishly at the headmaster.

How could I have predicted this?

...What should I say?

"Ahem. Forgive me, but may we go inside the counseling room? I feel a bit... conspicuous out here."

"Oh."

Without paying attention to my reaction, Stella seemed to want to move to a less visible place.

Well, I understand.

Even I can't help but stare at the bump on her head, so other students must be the same.

She's already someone who draws attention just by being herself, and now with that bump...

It's more noticeable if she doesn't try to avoid attention.

"I'm sorry, but that's not possible."

"Why?! The headmaster isn't stingy with money!"

"You called her old again."

"Gah!"

She's really asking for it.

Since earlier, she's been practically inviting trouble with her words, which is so like her.

She's probably embarrassed and lashing out, but no matter how embarrassed she is, I can't let her into the counseling room now.

"Orca and Leo are in the counseling room right now."

"Those two? So what?"

"They're very upset about losing in their specialties. If you come in, things might get worse."

"...? Losing to me shouldn't be something to be upset about. They should be proud."

"Haha..."

That confident and arrogant statement.

So typical of her.

But that's precisely why I can't let her in.

She would provoke them without any remorse.

Leo would probably just dig himself deeper into a hole...

But Orca might actually try to kill her.

So, I can't let her in.

We can't have her being charged with attempting to assassinate royalty, can we?

"It's your unthinking words that are the problem."

"Ow! You hit me again! How dare you strike the royal body!"

"This is the only way you'll listen."

"Ugh..."

The headmaster is right.

If I let her in now, it would only make things worse.

"Why don't we use the headmaster's office instead? No one will be there."

"That would work..."

"You heard her. Come back when your attitude is fixed."

Stella looked at the headmaster with a mix of frustration and resignation but knew she couldn't do anything.

The headmaster was the emperor's mentor.

She couldn't win in strength, and tattling to her father wouldn't help, as he always sided with the headmaster.

Knowing this, Stella had no choice but to comply.

"Princess, don't be too angry..."

"I'll spank you later."

"Sure, if you can, I'll take a few hits."

Despite her threats, her defiant attitude remained unchanged.

So typical of her.

"So? What are you going to do with me?"

"Hmm, well..."

"Just so you know, I'm perfectly normal. Don't believe everything that old hag says. She's just old."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The moment we entered the headmaster's office, Stella immediately declared her normalcy.

As soon as the headmaster left, she confidently took the headmaster's seat, acting as if it was her rightful place.

...It seemed more like the headmaster left to prevent influencing the outcome of the consultation.

But Stella probably didn't care about that.

For her, the important thing was that the person who could control her was gone.

"That old hag has always been like this since I was a kid. She needs to tone it down."

Watching her complain with her head tilted back in the headmaster's chair, I couldn't help but smile.

In the game, their relationship wasn't detailed, but it was easy to guess from their interactions.

The headmaster must have constantly curbed Stella's behavior, making her life quite bothersome.

"I agree with the headmaster."

"...Huh?"

"That personality of yours, while charming, needs some restraint."

The problem is that her personality is indeed problematic.

Her abilities don't match her character.

She tends to look down on anyone she doesn't acknowledge.

And her threshold for acknowledgment is so high that she rarely helps anyone.

This was probably the game developers' way of balancing her overpowered abilities.

But as a result, she never reaches her full potential.

Abilities that could benefit many are wasted on a few.

I remember discussions in the community about how if she used her powers more liberally, she would always become the emperor.

When modding to remove the limit on her enhancement targets, I quickly turned it off because it made the game too easy.

"Sorry, but every attempt to correct me by that old hag has failed."

"Really?"

"Yes. Fasting, meditation... none of it worked. Even if I were hypnotized, I wouldn't change."

"I see."

"Yes. I've lived this way my entire life."

She said, expressing her confidence that even hypnosis wouldn't change her personality.

"What if I tried to hypnotize you?"

"I just said, I'm confident it won't work. I'm not fooled by such cheap tricks."

"Impressive."

"...What? That weak response. I thought you'd be more competent, having corrected that delinquent. But you're useless too. I won't fall for hypnosis..."

Hmm, weak response?

What should I say to not seem weak?

I smiled at the princess, who was now standing blankly.

"Princess, when did you start believing you're immune to hypnosis?"

So cute.

She was already under hypnosis the moment she stepped into the headmaster's office.