NOVEL NEXT Chapter 90
<90 - Professor's Interest>
I woke up early in the morning to go for physical training, but a note fell from the door with a thud.
===
[Bronze Professor's Note]
The professor has sent you a note.
When a professor shows interest in a student, it’s often a harbinger of an ominous incident.
What dreadful thing is about to happen?
===
Oh, and there’s an event notification too.
My head is throbbing.
As I opened the note, my headache got worse.
A mischievous raccoon has appeared in the garden..
If you’re interested, come to my research lab..
-Bronze De Estrada
Bronze de Estrada.
The noble rogue professor with a strong sense of justice has caught onto the theft I committed yesterday.
“Wow. How did I get caught in less than 24 hours?”
Considering I woke up at dawn, it was more like within 12 hours.
Did they already know who the culprit was?
I feel so scared.
I want to dig a hole in the sand and bury my head, but if I do, the professor might come up behind me and say, “Good job burying yourself,” and throw dirt on me.
Or worse, they might misunderstand and come back hours later, plopping my clothes onto a washing magic circle before heading off for a shower.
I need to gather my courage!
I went to the professor’s research lab to see if the crime had been discovered.
[Completed Professor Bronze’s Note.]
[Follow-up event is now waiting to activate.]
[Open the event with proper communication.]
“Do you like cookies?”
“Yep!”
“Oh dear.”
The professor chomped down on a soft cookie with a loud crunch and devoured it all by himself.
There’s a notorious rumor among players that one can’t become a professor without losing their humanity, and it seems that theory is proving true.
Calm down!
Though a bit angry, if I let my emotions run wild, unguarded questions might slip out revealing my true feelings.
I chanted self-hypnosis in my mind to suppress the desire and frustration of wanting to eat cookies.
‘That must definitely be a wasabi-flavored horseradish cookie. Or maybe a tarte au vinaigre or something equally sour.’
The professor suddenly asked.
“Do you like black tea?”
“…Can I drink it too?”
“I only asked out of courtesy.”
What an inconsiderate human!
How infuriating to see him sip with such delight.
I suddenly realize how magnanimous Arcadia is for serving free snacks and tea.
“Are you enjoying your academy life?”
“Very much.”
“Very much, indeed?”
“Yep.”
“That’s a relief.”
The professor set down the teacup and said.
“Soon, there will be events that are far from enjoyable.”
“……”
Has this person always had such a personality in the game?
I don’t remember since I mostly only looked at the chest.
I knew he had a weakness for beautiful women, but I never thought he’d catch me like this.
I regret not remembering people for their faces or bodies, but also for their personalities.
“There are three pieces of news.”
Professor Bronze exuded an aura that was anything but unassuming despite his name.
“But remember, a rogue must acquire what they desire by their own hands. If you wish to know the value of each piece of information, you must pay its worth.”
===
[Three Pieces of Information]
The professor presented three pieces of information.
Choose the information you want to buy and suggest an appropriate price.
If your payment is insufficient, the transaction may fall through.
1. Information on the Academy’s [Weekly Event]
2. Information on the [Thief who stole a treasure from the Plant Club]
3. Information on how to acquire skills at the Academy
===
“Are you asking for points?”
“There’s also a way to pay back with the same information. Surely you have some valuable piece of information you could share, right? Something valuable enough to expect a reply?”
“Well… I do have something.”
“Alright, then speak up. What do you want?”
“I don’t have any information I want to buy!”
“…Oh.”
A look of surprise crossed the professor’s face.
“You must have realized by now that Gift Academy is no ordinary academy. You’d be curious about the value of treasures and would desire strength.”
But you don’t want anything?
Don’t lie!
With the gaze of the professor resembling a watchful elder coaxing a wary child, he said.
“If you’re worried about not getting your money’s worth, don’t be. I swear on the honor of the empire’s top rogue, there will be no trickery or deceit. This offer is a kindness toward you.”
But it’s really common knowledge.
The weekly events follow set patterns, the thief is predictable, and acquiring skills comes from fulfilling the professor’s requests.
But someone who knows everything just isn’t very charming.
Efficiency lacks style!
A true veteran player knows how to sometimes take delight in inefficient paths!
“I’m curious about the skill acquisition.”
“The payment is simple. Show me your skill. If it satisfies the rogue, I will teach you a corresponding skill.”
If you have adequately honed a ‘Basic Skill,’ you can receive its advanced skill or a related skill.
It’s something suited for training instructors at any training ground, but the professor is essentially an extension of that role.
There are professors who primarily teach theory and those who impart practical knowledge, even those who teach the skills themselves.
As for the rogue professor teaching skills…
Sure, I’m tempted by that glorious chest, but getting my own chest to swell with envy… gulp… feels like a psychological hurdle.
I once was an ‘AI’ but never been a ‘woman’.
“Can I borrow an empty cup?”
“If you wish.”
“Another one, please.”
The professor nodded.
“One more, please!”
“If you ask for just one more, I might shed a tear!”
With a slap, Professor Bronze smacked the air.
A sound that threatened to collapse my skull had me quaking in fear.
“Three should be sufficient.”
Mesmerized by Eastern ceramic art, the three cups all had different designs.
“Put a coin in one paper cup and mix the other two. I’ll turn around and keep my eyes closed.”
“Are you trying to cheat at a cup game? Against a rogue?”
“What do you think? Sounds fun, right?”
“It’ll be guessing without looking. Are you capable?”
“Hehe! There’s no guarantee I won’t peek when I turn!”
As I confidently provoked him, the professor took out a coin.
“This is a 777th Anniversary commemorative coin minted in the Holy Central Empire in the year 777. Only 777 of these coins were minted, and it’s said to bring good luck!”
“Wow! Amazing!”
“If you really guess correctly, I’ll give you this coin.”
“Really?”
An item you can’t simply take just because you want it.
Items related to luck are especially rare!
Most are items that only the truly lucky can obtain!
I absolutely have to get this!
Bubbling with excitement, I turned my back as the professor slyly said,
“Then let’s begin.”
“Yes~.”
The professor thudded a coin down into a cup.
Then he raised the two cups without the coin and shuffled them.
“All done.”
“Hmmm~ Where could it be~”
I speak playfully, but I already know.
I heard it all by sound!
“It’s here, isn’t it?”
[You used the cup game to amuse Professor Bronze by finding the hidden coin.]
[Finding Experience Points +1]
[Synesthesia Experience Points +1]
[Social Skills Experience Points +1]
[Performance Experience Points +1]
The professor smiled in satisfaction.
“You did very well.”
“Yay! Give me the coin!”
“Fine. You need to guess correctly a few more times, and that coin will be yours.”
“That’s not how it works!”
“Look, over there.”
The professor pointed to a corner of the table where a [1 time: Challenge Successful] [2 times: ?] [3 times: ?] label glowed.
“You didn’t notice it was there from the start?”
“Ugh! If I guess three times, it’s actually a best of seven, isn’t it?”
“I won’t torment you that much.”
“Alright! Then it’s the second round!”
I turned my head, and the professor immediately said.
“Done.”
“What?”
There wasn’t a single sound.
Not the sound of the cups being picked up, not the coin being placed down, not the cups being shuffled, not a peep from the process.
It was the momentary swell of silence.
This professor, has he seriously used [Acceleration] and [Soundproofing] at the same time?
I turned back, pouting in discontent while the professor chuckled lightly.
“Guess again. If you can still get it right.”
“Hmph. Did you want to see my trick that badly?”
“If you were going to rely solely on sound to guess the coin’s position, I’d be a little disappointed.”
I wonder how serious he takes this as a challenge, but I made no pleas for leniency.
Asking for pity during an earnest competition isn’t something a veteran would do.
In the first place, the coin-finding method is not exclusively dependent on ‘hearing’.
“It’s right here, isn’t it?”
“You really can guess well.”
It’s a simple trick.
The cup hiding the coin stays in position, but the other two cups get shuffled once.
If you memorize a specific ‘design’ of the cups during that process, you can discern which cup remains in its original place and which has moved.
For instance, if the coin is in cup 1.
If cups 2 and 3 shuffle, then cup 1 is still in place, and its design can be found on cup 1.
If cups 2 or 3 contain the coin, cup 1 would mix with another cup, and the design would now be found elsewhere.
The fact that all three cups have distinct designs was the first thing I checked upon receiving the cups!
[You used the cup game to amuse Professor Bronze even more by finding the hidden coin.]
[Finding Experience Points +2]
[Memory Experience Points +2]
[Sight Experience Points +2]
[Social Skills Experience Points +2]
[Performance Experience Points +2]
The professor’s smile deepened.
“Next, it seems I’ll need to learn how to hide my gaze.”
“……Did you really notice?”
“Fuh. Now turn around. We must start the final cup game.”
I prayed it wouldn’t be the case, but as I turned, the professor almost immediately said, “Done.”
To my astonishment, three large cups were stacked on top of the smaller ones.
“Now, find it. Which cup do you think hides the coin?”
This devious professor, in that brief moment, used [Soundproofing], [Speed], and [Covering] all at once.
“Please don’t say it’s unfair to put a cup on top of another? We’ve never established such rules.”
Is this the underhanded strategy of a rogue?
Taking this seriously against a child’s play is just cruel.
I trembled at the malevolent prowess of an academy professor.