"Arrgh!"

"Damn it, our allies are down! Medic! Medic!"

"Teacher, hurry. Move forward. We're going to be too late if we don't!"

"Yes, yes!"

At Aileen’s urgent voice, I hurriedly moved forward.

Someone was spewing fire and ice from their hands, and others were attacking the enemy by lighting cannons.

The screams and flying dust made it hard to see, so I started wandering the battlefield.

"Teacher, not there. Over here. It’s really dangerous if we delay any longer."

"I, I can’t see anything... Where is this... eek?!"

With a loud crash, a cannonball passed overhead and struck the nearby castle wall, causing debris to begin falling on me.

Trying desperately to survive, I ran in the opposite direction, but eventually, I was crushed under a boulder.

After catching my breath for a moment, my heart stopped.

I couldn’t help but be despondent seeing the scene on the screen.

"Ah... I’m dead... Sorry, Aileen."

"No, it’s okay. I was a bit surprised that you’re so bad with directions, though."

"I’m not bad with directions! It’s not my fault you found the way so easily when it’s so hard to see!"

"I’d like to say that, but you’ve already died here three times."

"..."

It’s hard to argue with that.

No, but seriously, what am I supposed to do with this game’s navigation being so difficult?

Though I wanted to protest, Aileen was already accurately finding her way for the third time.

...Was I really that bad with directions? It’s shocking.

I made a shocked expression, put down the controller, and spoke.

"It’s shocking to think I was bad with directions. Well, Aileen, we’ve played enough, so let’s get back to studying..."

"Let’s play more. I’m sure we can beat it this time."

"You’re changing the subject again. I said this was the last time."

"Since we died because of you, let’s just get through this chapter and then study. Okay?"

Sigh.

I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.

Rather, I hoped it wouldn’t come to this as my imagination had been too vivid.

But no matter how hard I tried, Aileen remained immovable.

"...Really not going to study?"

"Oh, an item. Teacher, if you don’t hurry, you’ll miss it."

"Ugh..."

When I was a student, I often got annoyed with teachers and parents urging me to study.

I couldn’t understand why they were so insistent when I could manage it myself.

As an adult, I understand now. I see now that those warnings were true.

If you don’t listen now, you’ll regret it. Such stories troubled me.

I didn’t understand why they said such pointless things back then.

But now I think I do.

...Aileen just won’t study!

"We agreed to study after this."

"No, I don’t want to. It’s a hassle."

"Are you really going to be like this?"

"I won’t."

"If you don’t get a good score this time, you’ll repeat the year! You were at the bottom during midterms!"

What can I hide?

Despite her genius status, Aileen is currently the lowest-scoring student in the school.

Why, you ask?

Unlike other students who hit the scarecrow, Aileen didn’t hit it at all!

It was a test of attack power, but she didn’t attack!

"At least you should have hit the scarecrow once!"

"Uh, I was uncomfortable with it. It felt like it might attack me, so I gave up."

"Ughhh!"

Spouting such ridiculous lies.

She didn’t do it just because she didn’t want to, and now she’s clearly trying to evade the situation with nonsensical excuses.

While I liked her calm demeanor as a user, it’s burning me up now that I have to force her to study.

"...If that’s how it’s going to be, I have no choice. I’ll have to force you to study."

"What? Sorry, teacher. I’m not the type to study just because someone forces me. I appreciate the concern, but it’s a waste of time."

"I know. I know you’d escape no matter what if forced."

Even if I hypnotize her to force her to study, I’d probably find a way to escape.

That’s how absurdly reliable she seems.

...Then, I just have to make her study without force.

"So, I’ll make Aileen study on her own, without force."

"What? No, why should I do that?"

"Because it will be fun."

"No, what’s so fun about studying...?"

"Don’t worry, Aileen. I’ll make you a student who loves studying so much that you rival model students."

I knew well why Aileen resists doing anything forcibly.

Even if it leads to ruin, she sees moving on her own as a sin.

She only acts when it concerns her father. That’s her way.

I know she was deeply hurt when she was young. It must have been painful.

But if you just sit idly with unhealed wounds, nothing will improve. It will only become harder to move.

...She won’t strive to achieve anything on her own, and thus, ruin is inevitable someday.

Even if a train is rushing toward her, she won’t actively try to avoid it.

In that case, I’ll just drag her off the tracks by force.

"First, I’ll make studying so fun with a friend that she can’t refuse."

Aileen might not consider Orca a friend, but still.

Since Orca is also averse to studying, she needs to be seated at the desk as well.

I couldn’t stand seeing them refer to Leona, Stella, and Anastasia as seniors.

I tried to avoid using hypnosis if possible, but given the situation, there was no choice.

I resolved myself.

"This is strange, strange."

Stella couldn’t bear the current situation, feeling excessively anxious.

It had been almost a month since the assassin’s visit.

Of course, Stella didn’t send the assassin back after extracting all the information.

By now, they were probably good fertilizer for a farm.

The imperial family was sure to be aware of this fact.

An assassin who still hasn’t returned, and herself walking around the academy unscathed.

She thought something unusual would happen, but it remained quiet.

"Just probing?"

No, that couldn’t be it.

Stella dismissed the hypothesis she had formulated.

Her brother wasn’t the type to do that.

He wouldn’t just poke a cornered rat and let it go; he’d kill it no matter what if it revealed itself.

He wouldn’t be silent if one of his subordinates had crossed a river they couldn’t return from.

"...I just don’t understand."

How long had it been since she started staying up at night, unable to know when an attack might come?

The thought that the assassin might come and slit her sleeping throat made it impossible for her to sleep properly.

She felt she might go mad with stress if this continued, so Stella moved her feet.

She couldn’t discuss this with her childhood friend Charlotte. She couldn’t involve others in uprooting the Duke’s family.

She might ask Anya for help, but she was a church overseer. It was even harder for her to move than for Stella.

She couldn’t ask for help with such trivial matters.

Thus, Stella’s steps were resolute.

"Ophelia-sensei, are you here?"

"...Stella?"

"Yes, it’s me. May I come in...?"

"Come in quickly, come in!"

"?!"

Ophelia-sensei, who was always so composed, pulled Stella inside, causing her face to show surprise.

Ophelia-sensei’s usual calm demeanor was replaced with urgency.

Could the assassin have come to her counseling room?

Stella steeled herself and looked at her.

"What’s wrong, teacher?"

"I... I couldn’t manage it on my own. I tried, but I couldn’t hold out."

"..."

"Please help me, please...!"

Ophelia-sensei, with tears in her eyes, begging Stella for help, shook Stella’s heart.

Ophelia-sensei, who always smiled gently, now appeared fragile.

Seeing her as a threat because she had helped her before, guilt surged within Stella.

"Okay. I’ll help. Where is the enemy?"

"...Enemy? Is it really an enemy...? Anyway, over there. The booth inside the newly made counseling room. It’s in there."

"Don’t worry, Ophelia-sensei. I’ll handle it."

Stella steeled her resolve and walked into the booth.

To protect her allies.

But inside the booth was a scene entirely different from what she had expected.

"Uh, teacher. About this problem... What, it’s you?"

"...Troublemaker? And Aileen?"

"Oh, it’s Her Highness the Princess. Speaking of which, Her Highness is good at studying."

"What?! That’s great!"

"Wait, what is going on...?"

"Hey, weren’t you supposed to be friends with me last time?"

"Troublemaker. Just wait. Let me assess the situation..."

"Forget that. Didn’t you say we were friends?!"

Seeing Orca clutching Aileen’s shoulders, the princess felt instinctively intimidated.

Instead of the expected enemies, there were only two seemingly out-of-their-minds individuals.

"Y-yes. Friends. I definitely said that."

"Then as a friend, can you help me study?! Come on! The teacher ran away saying she didn’t understand!"

"...The teacher ran away?"

And then Stella realized.

She had been greatly mistaken.

And the teacher had used her as bait and then fled.

Stella shuddered at the sense of betrayal washing over her.