NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35.2
Stage 2-4. Budding Curiosity
I provoke the old hag to reveal her true nature.
“…Are you really willing to offer up your beloved apprentice for something like this?”
“Of course. You’re worth that much.”
“I’ll say it again—I don’t see it that way.”
“People have different values. But right now, what’s most important is Vellet’s feelings… isn’t it? How about it? Reina is a prized asset, receiving marriage proposals from many powerful nobles, but I’d give her to you.”
“—I’m sorry, but…”
“Kyah!”
“Whoa!”
I wrapped my arms around Mashiro and Karen’s waists, pulling them close.
They let out adorable little sounds, mixing embarrassment and joy, snuggling into me.
No way that stiff student council president could pull off moves that stir a man’s heart like this.
She always wears that fixed smile, like a mask, without ever really changing.
Even after knowing her for only a month, I can sense something is off. Frone, who’s been her master, must have noticed long ago.
That’s why I sarcastically said…
“I’m not interested in dolls.”
At that moment, I felt a chill run down my spine.
The once-warm atmosphere shifted, becoming heavy and oppressive.
I tightened my grip on the two girls in my arms to reassure them.
I absorbed the overwhelming pressure without taking my eyes off its source.
“Oh… what a shame.”
Her voice was thick, dripping with malice.
It wasn’t the kindly headmistress speaking anymore, but something else… something closer to the dark side of human nature.
“…Heh.”
Holy crap, she’s terrifying!!
If I’d been alone, I probably would’ve bailed right then. That’s how intense her presence was.
Was she angry because I insulted her apprentice? …No, that’s not it.
But now I know what I wanted to find out.
And there’s another effect to my provocation.
I’ve successfully lowered the headmistress’s opinion of me.
If the conversation had continued as it was, I’d still be stuck in negotiations. But now, I’ve made myself undesirable.
That reaction of hers? No doubt, her opinion of me just plummeted.
Now she’ll never choose me.
Heh heh heh… I really am a genius.
“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave.”
“Yes, I suppose there’s no choice after all that. Until next time.”
With the girls still in my arms, I left the headmistress’s office. After Alice closed the door behind us, we started walking toward the classroom.
Mashiro and Karen, who had been frozen in shock, were slowly returning to their usual selves, freed from the oppressive atmosphere.
“O-Ouga-kun, what was that all about? It’s not like you to talk badly about someone.”
“…Do you really think I’d say something like that without a reason, Mashiro?”
“Huh!? So there was a deeper meaning behind that exchange…?”
“Exactly.”
I nodded meaningfully.
The truth is, I just didn’t want to join the student council, but there’s no need to explain that to her.
Sorry, Mashiro, but I’ll let you misunderstand.
“Even so, you didn’t need to go that far, did you?”
“No, you’re wrong, Revetzenka-sama. …I could feel it. I could clearly sense Ouga-sama’s intentions.”
Alice, who’s always been extra sensitive to evil, probably did pick up on it.
Ah, no doubt about it.
That anger wasn’t about me insulting her apprentice, Reina.
It was something more… something darker, something I can’t quite put into words yet.
That brief glimpse she gave me was fascinating.
“There was no anger in her eyes.”
Before her gaze changed, the only emotion filling them was confidence.
Why would she believe an abrupt marriage proposal would be accepted?
The headmistress thinks she can do whatever she wants with Reina.
At her core, she believes that ‘an apprentice must always obey their master.’
She doesn’t see Reina as anything more than her tool.
I’m sure of it because I’ve seen that same look in the eyes of my boss from my previous life.
“…Maybe I should change how I approach her.”
A newfound sense of sympathy.
…Now that I think about it, I remember hearing a rumor that the student council president is good at making tea.
Maybe I’ll visit her after class.
With that idle thought in mind, I strolled down the hallway as the warning bell rang.
But little did I know that I was about to experience something that would make me realize just how legendary she truly is.