Elite Instructor at a Third-Rate Academy

40 – Crack☆

It’s incomprehensible.

At first, Ochia found Senite’s company delightful, especially when they first talked. It was she who eagerly opened the door at the suggestion of sharing the leftover blueberry pie. Trusting a saint was different from trusting any other woman.

“Teacher… you met Petrona?”

As Senite hesitated while picking at the pie with her fork, she asked, dragging out her words.

“Ochia, you can speak comfortably when you’re with me.”

“No… it’s just a habit.”

“She even had a meal with me.”

Ochia accepted the pie Senite offered with a fork and fell into deep thought.

—I clean every day, but she never mentioned having a meal together.

Maybe she didn’t like the cleanliness. Well, she didn’t know she had to clean under the wardrobe. Yet, she had separated the Ming sword for polishing, and even though she knew the teacher’s identity, she pretended not to. Wasn’t this discrimination?

—But she even gave me a gift.

She had enclosed a letter under the wardrobe, giving me some silver coins to buy grammar textbooks. If she didn’t like me, she wouldn’t have shown such kindness. Therefore, practically speaking, this was no different from being treated to a meal.

“Ochia, by the way.”

“Yes… Senite?”

“I’m not sure about this, but has a man ever fed you with a fork like this?”

“A man to another man?”

For a moment, Ochia recalled the lewd culture often committed by nomads and made an inappropriate comment.

“No, a man to a woman.”

“Between lovers… I suppose that could happen.”

“I think so too.”

Senite hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“But isn’t it strange for unfamiliar men and women to do such things?”

Her speech, typical of women, sought agreement, making it difficult for Ochia to respond.

“Of course. That… should be seen as an expression of interest.”

“Perhaps it was to cool it down in case it was too hot?”

Ochia, munching on the blueberry pie, spoke as if tempting.

“What if there’s no affection between them?”

Today, Senite’s question seemed insistent, and Ochia stopped eating, lost in thought.

“That seems a bit disorderly.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yeah, it seems like the giver has intentions and the receiver… doesn’t seem very grateful.”

“Thank you, it’s clear now thanks to you.”

I asked, wondering whose story this was at this point.

“Just someone I know.”

“It’s not… about yourself, is it?”

“Oh no, I’ve devoted myself to the clergy.”

At times, Ochia was envious of how straightforwardly Senit conducted herself.

Even though she wasn’t noticeably beautiful, her unique femininity and clear personality made her popular, and it seemed more like an inferiority complex rather than jealousy. If it was about external beauty, she knew she had won, but if it was about internal beauty, she couldn’t catch up to her. Sometimes it was embarrassing because she was conscious of other people’s gazes and evaluated others inwardly, and she had a completely different standard for seeing the world.

“Then can I give you advice?”

Ochia was perplexed by Senit’s question, unsure who she was referring to.

“Which… person?”

“Oh, a man. He’s really nice to everyone except when it comes to being kind to women.”

“Yeah… as long as it’s not too personal… but, this tastes really good. Is it… very expensive?”

“I don’t know because I didn’t buy it with my own money.”

-So you met Zenoa.

Ochia thought to herself and changed the topic abruptly. It was strange for Senit to talk about a man in such detail, and it was awkward to have a conversation on this topic. To be honest, she herself didn’t know what men were like since she had no dating experience. All she knew was that they were a troublesome bunch who went out of their way to show off in front of her.

“By the way, what did you talk about with the teacher?”

“I think she’s planning to convince all the students who refuse to go to school.”

“She seems like… a good person.”

“I think so too.”

As she said that, Senit took out a familiar package from her pocket.

“She gave me this too.”

“Candy…?”

“Yeah, it’s cherry flavored, and I loved it.”

Senit smiled happily, and Ochia’s pupils gradually showed a touch of suspicion.

“Did the teacher… give it to you?”

He laughed innocently and said that they made a promise to give one candy each time they helped convince a student who refused to go to school.

“A promise…?”

Ochia felt a constricting feeling in her chest and couldn’t find the words to say. Since she hadn’t given a gift to a man before, she couldn’t gauge whether this made sense or not. So, does this mean I gave the candy I gave to someone else and made a promise?

If I think rationally, since I gave it to her anyway, she can do whatever she wants. If I think emotionally, I can’t help but think that this is too much. She desperately examined the color of the wrapping paper. It was not gold, but finally her heart softened.

“Senit… this is a story about someone I know.”

Ochia couldn’t hold it in any longer and began to speak, his frustration reaching up to his throat. The two women, without even knowing that they were gossiping behind each other’s back, continued to weave stories. Somehow, the distance between them that always felt far away became closer today.

[#40 – School Refuser]

Kenneth borrowed three books from the library.

I thought there would be some books about funerals, but there were not enough books, and there were no proper research papers either. When I asked the librarian, she said that there weren’t many scholars who delved into it properly because the demand was low, and the well-written works were restricted as confidential books. When I asked about the reason for the restriction, it was absurd.

“Because they can be taken as s*xual objects.”

It has been over a hundred years since the empire banned s*xual abuse. However, there were still those nomadic tribes who used horses and goats for s*xual acts. The slang term “pasture of herdsmen” usually referred to livestock. Since there were so many unmarried individuals, it was officially prohibited but informally overlooked.

“Would s*xual intercourse with funeral attendants be considered s*xual abuse?”

“It’s not about that, it’s a problem.”

– Funeral attendants are already having a hard time adapting to society.

If that’s the reason, then the current book lending policy of the town is correct. In fact, the books borrowed now didn’t directly deal with funeral attendants. They only briefly introduced their customs as an extension of the customs that had been passed down from previous generations. I knew what the main point was, so I shouldn’t have messed up the system with my personal intentions. Funeral attendants should not become s*xual objects in order to mingle with human beings.

Kenneth didn’t ask any more questions and left the library.

When he returned to his lodging, he opened the window and took out a leather strap from the drawer. Afterwards, he quietly sneaked out through the window with a lantern lit. When he tried to tie the latch of the door with the leather strap from the outside and jump down, Priddie was staring blankly.

“What are you doing?”

Thud – as he landed, she continued to stare at him strangely.

“It’s a bit difficult to explain.”

“You’re not doing something strange, are you?”

“You can come in and see for yourself.”

Of course, it’s locked though.

“What book is that?”

“It’s a book about customs.”

“Can you show it to me?”

“You probably misunderstood, thinking there might be spring flowers.”

“Yes.”

Now that Priddie was familiar with his personality, he handed her the three books as they were. After she carefully examined them, she found no problems and looked puzzled. If she had looked at them without knowing, she would have yelled that he was a thief, so he simply explained the reason.

“It’s a trap.”

“What are you trying to catch?”

“Hooligans.”

“Oh, did you just speak informally to me?”

I involuntarily stepped out. It was a mistake to let this woman constantly demand teachings like a student.

“Have you read any anatomy textbooks?”

“Well, I have a bad memory.”

As if it wasn’t enough for the students to witness, she pleaded with a clamor.

“I know it sounds audacious, but I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to theory.”

She even offered to pay if he attended her classes again and gave some advice. It was a humble request, so he felt inclined to accept. Those who honestly acknowledge their abilities and strive to improve have potential for progress.

However, they must proceed with their work, respecting each other’s authority as equals. Conducting an anatomy lecture as an observer like before was clearly manipulating the situation. That’s why Kannis proposed to Friede.

“Allow me to conduct the entire class that day.”

“Oh, using informal language again?”

“I will guide them earnestly, and it would be great if Professor Bendelin could observe our class regulations.”

“Isn’t this going a bit too far?”

“If you could advise on how to improve the classroom atmosphere, I would appreciate it.”

This way, their equal relationship would be maintained. Although Friede lacked teaching ability, he excelled at bringing unity among the students.

“Alright.”

“I have one more favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“If the neighbors upstairs make noise tonight, please pretend not to notice.”

“Hey, is there really nothing inside?”

To dispel any suspicion, he even said that if she wanted, she could break the door lock and enter.

“Master!”

As there was no suitable place to study, she came to Geoffrey’s quarters and suddenly called him that. Ever since her affair with Diana and the start of her relationship with Lude, she has been mixing titles like master, teacher, and father, and finally settled for master.

“What about the thesis?”

“I was actually working on it.”

Just by looking at Geoffrey’s expression, Kannis could already tell what he wanted to say, and it made her nervous.

“Is it about Lude?”

“I paused for a moment because of that.”

He couldn’t gather his thoughts after dating an exceptional woman. Even though he didn’t want to hear it, he felt that if he didn’t, it would bother him soon enough.

“I should confess, since the girl herself is doing it, it would be nice if you did it as well.”

“But, sis, even though you know everything about women, there are times when you want to confirm their love, right?”

The words of Vissalle flashed in her mind, and she slightly furrowed her brows.

“So I thought about various things.”

“The mini-paper?”

“That’s all I thought about, and I planned to finish it right away.”

Even though she sent an unimpressed gaze, this foolish person, drunk in her first love, didn’t even notice it.

“I wanted to show my sincerity, so I folded ten origami cranes every day.”

─ Mini-paper.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“I was thinking of soaking them in oil and burning them in the shape of a heart.”

“Hold on.”

She asked if this was not a purification ceremony in the erosion zone, but for confession.

“Yes, Father!”

“Where are you going to do it?”

“I was going to put the origami cranes on the fountain we met before and burn them.”

“At night?”

“Yes, because it was around seven o’clock when Lude hugged me.”

“Is that true?”

“I thought of bringing flowers as a gift, but I couldn’t decide what to buy.”

Kennis sat silently at Geoffrey’s desk. Looking around, the ink and fountain pens were already dry, and the bookmarks stuck in the reference books were barely turned over. Only the scraps of origami cranes were scattered, and he felt like he knew how much time this guy was wasting. If they continued dating like this, things would end up in a mess.

─ Isn’t it that Rude fell for the image of you wanting to improve, not for yourself?

He didn’t know for sure, but at least in his opinion, it seemed that way. Geoffrey had to make desperate efforts to close the gap with Lude. Although it might hurt the truth, he just said it.

“Geoffrey, you believe in what I say, right?”

“Yes, even more than my father.”

“Do not speak ill of your father.”

“At least when it comes to dating, Father is truly a god!”

─ Since the gods have commanded it, stop fooling around and write the mini-paper.

“What Lude wants as a gift is not the shape of the origami cranes.”

Moreover, the joke was that the fountain was not a shape joke, but he just stubbornly shook his head.

“Tell her that you’ll finish this mini-paper first and then announce the co-author’s name as a pen name.”

“What?”

“There will be a name she wants. Since she will send your personal information anyway, you just have to change the pen name.”

“How does that become a gift?”

“The gods said to break it open and see.”

Kennis convinced his disciple with words he had heard countless times in the military.

“If it’s meant to be broken, break it.”

Jeffrey drew a sword.