Chapter 75

As cherry petals danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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As I was pondering how to find a practice partner, someone came to the training facility.

"Hey, there you are. Hi, Mary♪"

A tall man with a light and casual voice stood in front of the room. He was a man I knew, someone who shouldn't be here, smiling brightly and showing his teeth as he waved at me.

"K, Karius-senpai!"

Yes, he was the former Class Master of Solos and our senior, "Karius Iench." He was supposed to have graduated and was studying as a novice knight at the knight's dormitory...

"Oh, calling me senpai is a bit off, isn't it? Should I be called Iench-sama?"

"No, calling me senpai is fine. It feels more natural to me."

With that, he entered the room with a bright smile and came up to us.

"Oh, what are you doing? Come in, too."

Once he came up to us, he noticed there was no presence behind him, turned around, and called out to the entrance.

His actions naturally drew our attention to the entrance. Then, a woman appeared from the shadows of the entrance, sighing as if she had given up.

"Ah, Alice-senpai!"

I let out a strange sound in surprise.

Yes, the woman standing at the entrance, with her silver-rimmed glasses gleaming and her beautiful straight golden hair swaying, was none other than the former Class Master of Alerios, "Alice Ordil" senpai.

Well, we had a bit of a conflict, so I felt a bit awkward.

She had been stripped of her Class Master position and put on probation due to that incident, but she had graduated without causing any further trouble. I thought she wouldn't want to see us.

"It's been a while, everyone."

"H... Hello, Alice-senpai. It's been a while."

She greeted us with a gentle smile as if nothing had happened and approached us.

"Um... Why are the two of you at the academy?"

As I stared at them in a daze, Safina, who couldn't hold back her curiosity, took the lead in the conversation.

"Yeah, good question. Well, it's simple. It's almost time for the martial arts tournament, so we came to help as alumni."

He answered very clearly and brightly.

"You two...?"

Safina also seemed a bit uncomfortable, glancing at Alice-senpai.

(I understand. After all, if you're a Solos graduate, you'd know that Alice-senpai is an Alerios graduate. She shouldn't be involved in the martial arts tournament.)

"Ha ha! You noticed, didn't you, Safina? Yes, Alice was a student at Alerios, so she shouldn't be involved in the martial arts tournament. But, it can't be helped."

"??"

Karius-senpai's roundabout explanation made both Safina and me tilt our heads in confusion.

"In short, as punishment for that incident, I was required to serve the academy for a few years even after graduation. So, I came to help with this year's martial arts tournament."

Alice-senpai answered with a soft laugh. For some reason, her aura seemed ominous, but I told myself it was just my imagination.

"Really, I was making progress with my undead research, and then this trouble..."

(I knew it, she hasn't given up on the undead research.)

I mentally facepalmed at Alice-senpai's muttered complaint.

"But, I was surprised. When I came for the martial arts tournament, it turned out to be a school festival with all students participating. It was the prince's proposal, amazing, isn't it?"

Karius-senpai's praise was directed at the prince, and I couldn't help but smirk inwardly.

"Yes, it's a wonderful thing. Especially, there's a group in Alerios planning to present their undead research. I won't hold back in my support."

Alice-senpai's eyes sparkled as she said something ominous, and I could only manage a dry laugh.

(Please, senpai, don't cause any more trouble.)

"Even so, I can't accept you secretly teaching suspicious techniques related to the undead♪"

Karius-senpai, who was still in a daze, playfully flicked Alice-senpai's forehead. It was supposed to be a playful gesture, but the sound was heavy, and seeing Alice-senpai crouching afterward, we were all taken aback.

"By the way, the reason Karius-senpai is with Alice-senpai is..."

"Yes, the principal asked me to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't do anything strange related to the undead, so I'm accompanying her."

(Doesn't she show any signs of repentance, Alice-senpai? And the academy doesn't trust her either. She's really consistent.)

I looked at the unfortunate senpai, who was still holding her forehead and trembling, with a speechless expression.

"So, why are the two of you here? It seemed like you had something to discuss with Mary."

Safina, who had been observing our conversation objectively, brought the topic back on track.

"Yeah, good question, Safina. We came to offer advice and assistance related to security. But, I heard something interesting from the teachers. You guys are going to do a tag team battle, right?"

(Oh, teachers, wasn't it supposed to be confidential? It's already out.)

But since they are no longer students and are in a more external position, they seem trustworthy, so it should be fine, I thought.

Then, I realized why he brought up this topic.

Karius-senpai, like Zaha, is a combat enthusiast. So, the next steps were obvious.

"How about it? Would you like to have the two former Class Masters of Solos and Alerios as your practice partners?"

With a very excited look, and a tearful Alice-senpai who had just recovered and was glaring at him, I looked at Safina with a dry laugh, wondering what to do.

Thank you for reading this far. [Advertisement] This time, it has been decided to be published by GC Novels. I will report the details in my activity report, so please look forward to it.