Chapter 27

If there was a memory of Rabi being praised by someone, it had already become a distant past memory.

There was a tiny, sparkling memory of when Fel, who still had small palms, with cheeks so red they seemed about to spill over, said, "Nee, Nee, that's amazing," while looking at Rabi's ordinary hand movements with a look of admiration. But after that, such memories gradually faded away with the encounter with Nelra.

Embarrassed, Rabi bowed her head and reported the test results to Sai. "You did well," he simply said, and his usually stern expression softened slightly. Then he seemed to realize something and hurriedly frowned again. It turned out he had restated it in a more formal way, saying, "It is the result of Lady Rabi's efforts." They were not on such familiar terms that they could speak without using polite language.

Still, it was hard not to be happy. The ordinary courtyard seemed vividly colorful, as it did in her childhood, and she repeated his words in her head many times. For no reason, Rabi was just happy. She felt like a rabbit, jumping around in her heart. Piyon piyon.

Of course, such a happy feeling didn't last long. Rabi looked at her homeroom teacher with a deadpan expression. As always, a sheet of paper was missing. Moreover, since the test, it felt like he was even harsher.

(… I wish he would just stop it)

While the rule was that all students should be treated equally, the classroom was filled only with purebred young ladies. Although Matthew didn't openly criticize Rabi in front of them, he seemed to add snide remarks whenever he could. What was up with this twisted man?

Rabi's feelings towards Nelra were nothing but hatred. She hated even being involved with her, even seeing her, and wanted to run away. In comparison, Matthew's jabs were just minor irritations, but the word "unfair" filled Rabi's mind. Or rather, it was troublesome to have to say every time that a sheet of paper was missing.

She thought about saying something, but it seemed foolish to waste so much effort. Rabi's time was precious, and she couldn't afford to waste a single second. During break, Sai would come from another building to join Rabi, and the monitoring would begin, with the usual route being to the courtyard. All she had to do was raise her hand and say, "I'm missing a sheet of paper," but just as she was about to raise her right hand, the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

"Then, that's all for today."

Matthew neatly closed his book and quickly left the classroom. "Wait a moment," Rabi called out, and when he realized it was her, he frowned deeply but quickly got to the point.

"The materials from earlier, I didn't have enough. Could I have a spare copy?"

"…Ah, yes."

He was rumored to be a genius mage, born from the brain itself. He couldn't have been careless, but she swallowed that thought. She didn't want to make more enemies.

"Thank you. I'll be going now."

It was best to escape quickly. She was an expert at fleeing from dangerous people with her tail between her legs. Even though she was "Rabi Heathfen," Matthew stopped her. His voice was cold. Thinking it was troublesome, she forced a smile and said, "Yes, sir." How was it? Was the practice paying off? Not yet?

Matthew's expression didn't change. He narrowed his already thin, sharp eyes and looked down at Rabi as if in disgust.

"You should be a bit more serious, don't you think?"

"…Huh?"

She was taken aback.