Chapter 75

The sun had disappeared half an hour ago, but on the square outside the dome, one could hardly feel the difference between the presence or absence of the setting sun. The powerful searchlights erected around the area almost turned the sky a snowy white, making even the moon, half-hidden by the clouds, hard to find.

Levi stood at the edge of the square, looking at the crowded yet orderly fans, and couldn't help but marvel at the charisma of idols. He wasn't naive enough to think that this square had coincidentally gathered all the top students from the prestigious schools on Academy Island. In fact, just a few meters in front of him, a group of students in bizarre outfits, who clearly looked like delinquents, had just passed by. But how did they behave? They walked orderly, without loud talking, and certainly not with cigarettes in their mouths, looking cool. They obediently joined the queue, as if they were a model of discipline.

Was this the work of the staff maintaining order? In fact, apart from occasionally directing the queue, the uniformed staff were as relaxed as people enjoying coffee under umbrellas on a Paris street. The fans' behavior was mostly to avoid causing trouble for their admired idols. Levi really wished his students would treat his classes with the same respect.

Meow.

Huh?

Levi, who was dreaming of being a successful teacher, suddenly heard a sound like that of a feline. And that sound was very familiar, as if he had heard it not long ago, probably after finishing something. Could it be...

"Uh, Yuki."

Looking at the alien girl who appeared beside him, as if she had been there all along, he thought her stealth skills were definitely better than Eve's and Kaguya's.

"Actually, you didn't have to make that sound."

"Meow?"

Yuki still had that inorganic expression, but it conveyed a sense of questioning.

Seeing that she seemed to like that sound, Levi decided not to bother correcting her. Besides, it was a sign of obedience. If the girls at home could learn from her, it would be great. Levi found himself dreaming more and more these days.

"Nothing, you're really on time."

Indeed, she was on time, perfectly on time. When Yuki made the sound, Levi happened to glance at the clock tower in the center of the square. The timing of the short-haired girl's appearance was precise, measurable even in Planck time.

"The entry has started."

The crowd in front of them, which had been frozen, began to move slowly. Yuki actually took the initiative to remind him, showing how much she was looking forward to the concert.

Since that was the case, Levi certainly wouldn't dampen her spirits. It was rare for her to care about something. Despite the crowd, he led Yuki into the winding queue, even holding her hand to avoid getting separated.

"Levi... and Nagato!?"

After moving about ten to twenty meters, someone in the queue called out Levi's name. He turned his head and saw it was Sazuko Yamazaki, whom he had asked for Yuki's phone number yesterday!

"You, you, you, you, you... I thought it was just a rumor, but it's true!"

Oh no!

He couldn't let this misunderstanding continue, so Levi quickly spoke up.

"Don't jump to conclusions! I just happened to have a ticket, and Yuki wanted to come. It's just a coincidence, nothing else! Right?"

Levi's words were mostly true, but they clearly weren't enough to dispel the misunderstanding of their appearance together after school.

"Really?"

As expected, Levi's words had little effect. Sazuko, wearing glasses, didn't even look at him, instead asking Yuki behind him.

Levi looked at Yuki nervously, and only when she nodded slightly did he feel a bit relieved.

"Is that so?"

How sad, a high school teacher's credibility was less than that of a first-year student. Seeing Yuki nod, Sazuko seemed to believe it, though she still had some doubts. She might have realized she was being watched, as her voice had been too loud, and the people nearby in the queue were looking at them. Even Levi felt a bit embarrassed. A grown man with a small, uniformed girl, some people's ambiguous glances made their thoughts clear.

"I didn't expect you to be here too, what a coincidence."

Explanations could wait until they got home and talked on the phone. Levi felt they shouldn't continue this topic. He wasn't optimistic enough to be proud of being a rare bird in a zoo.

"Very rude, I'm a music teacher, it's normal for me to come to a concert. But today, I'm mainly here to bring the members of the Light Music Club."

Levi was a bit nervous from Sazuko's dramatic reaction, and only then did he notice four students in casual clothes behind her.

"Light Music Club? I remember it was like the Literature Club... sorry."

It was a bit impolite to say that in front of the people involved, but Levi glossed over it. Sazuko didn't seem to mind.

"Calling it 'like the Literature Club' is actually a compliment. The Literature Club at least has Nagato as a member, but after the third-year students graduated last year, the Light Music Club was practically defunct. But that's in the past."

Sazuko shook her hair and pointed to the four girls behind her, who looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Hirasawa Yui, Akiyama Mio, Tainaka Ritsu, and Kotobuki Tsumugi. The four members who formed the club last semester are now almost ready to perform on stage. And the advisor, of course, is me. Hehehe."

Ignoring Sazuko's self-praise, Levi put on a friendly teacher's face and chatted with the four girls for a bit. They were a bit embarrassed, probably due to the earlier commotion. Especially Akiyama Mio, the long-haired girl in Yuki's class, who seemed to be avoiding Levi's gaze. The misunderstanding of him being a teacher who preys on students seemed hard to clear up.

Fortunately, the queue was long and winding, and after a few turns, Levi couldn't see Sazuko and her four students anymore. He finally breathed a sigh of relief and, with Yuki, was almost at the entrance of the venue.

A few minutes later, after checking their tickets at the machine, Levi finally led Yuki into the huge dome.

"10F... 10F... it's over there."

The concert hadn't started yet, and the indoor lighting was relatively bright. Levi quickly found the seats indicated on their tickets.

"Yuki, let's sit down first."

As he was about to sit down, bending over, he caught a familiar figure approaching from the opposite aisle.

"Okazaki Tomoya."

"Levi. MacDowell-sensei."

I wonder who has a lucky charm. Levi realized his luck had been particularly bad lately. What were the odds of running into an acquaintance in a venue with tens of thousands of people? No need to calculate with paper and pen; it was a negligible number. Yet, he had encountered this rare situation, and this was the second unlikely event in just half an hour, after running into Sazuko in the queue!

Could someone be cursing him? Thinking of the curse on Evey, he thought it was very possible. According to Al, he had quite a few enemies in the magical world.

However, another thing piqued Levi's curiosity. The usually troublesome Okazaki didn't comment on him and Yuki coming together? He soon found the reason.

"Ah! It's you!"

"...Levi-sensei."

The twin sisters, Fujibayashi twins with their differently styled purple hair, arrived at the seats to the right of Okazaki.

I see.

Looking at the different expressions on the twins' similar faces, Levi forgot his own situation and felt sympathy for the young man beside him. His earlier assessment of himself as not being an optimistic fool definitely needed revision.