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Chapter 46 - The Second Lesson (1)

"Hehe."

"Why are you laughing like some sinister villain plotting an evil scheme?"

"Look at this. It\'s Charlotte\'s massage coupons. I got fifteen of them. Bought ten, and she threw in five more as a bonus."

"Wow. Yeah. Amazing."

"And?"

"Uh... Well, I\'m impressed."

"Right. You should be."

I proudly showed off the glittering massage coupons, enjoying the envious look in Sylvia\'s eyes.

Now, when should I use these?

Just imagining it lifted my spirits.

I hadn\'t even gotten the massage yet, but I already felt my fatigue melting away.

"I saw Julia was preparing something too. Didn\'t you get anything from her?"

"Oh, that."

I couldn\'t help but laugh.

While Charlotte had offered something as tempting as a massage coupon, Julia had proudly presented a tutoring coupon.

Her plan was to sell me a coupon for a personal lesson from her.

"But she got upset and didn\'t want to sell it."

"What exactly did you say to her?"

"I told her there probably wouldn\'t be much demand for that."

"…"

[The Evil God \'Kali\' strongly criticizes you!]

I know. I know.

I messed up.

I was too honest.

I should\'ve said something nicer.

"You should probably go and make it up to her. Maybe I could... No, it’s probably better if I don’t."

Sylvia, who was about to volunteer, thought better of it and slinked back into the shadows.

Charlotte might listen to Sylvia, but Julia? Not so much.

Julia does trust Sylvia as a strong protector, but that\'s where it ends.

She doesn\'t see Sylvia as the mentor figure like in the original story.

\'Looks like I\'ll have to talk to her myself.\'

Unlike Charlotte, Julia is much more sensitive, making situations like this a bit tricky.

But what do I even say to make it up to her?

It’s not like I’ve ever raised kids before.

"I’ll deal with Julia later. For now, let\'s start with the massage while I think about it."

"The way you say that, it sounds like a line from a scumbag leaving his angry girlfriend to go to a hostess club."

"Hey."

I nearly docked her pay again but held back.

When a person’s body is tired and aching, their brain doesn’t work well either.

Getting myself feeling refreshed was the priority.

"So where’s Charlotte right now?"

"She’s at the makeshift training ground, preparing to demonstrate the \'Super Strong Sword.\'"

"Ah, today’s the day for the Super Strong Sword\'s performance test."

I’d completely forgotten.

Until now, we\'d been estimating the Super Strong Sword’s specs in a rough, trial-and-error way.

I do remember planning to do a more precise, quantitative test one day.

But I hadn’t realized that day was today.

"Get ready to go out. Bring Julia along too."

I heard that many residents from Arient and Vermont were coming to witness the power of the sword that could split mountains.

Maybe I\'ll go check it out myself.

"Julia’s refusing to leave the library."

"…Sigh."

[The Evil God \'Kali\' is furiously angry with you!]

She’s really upset.

What to do?

After some thought, I pulled out the tutoring coupon I had stashed away in my drawer.

It was the one Julia had discarded.

"Go ahead and tell them I’ll be late. They can start the test without me."

"As you wish, my lord."

Sylvia smiled, clearly pleased as she bowed and left.

.

.

.

Tick-tock.

The only sound breaking the silence of the library was the ticking of the clock, a reminder that time hadn\'t actually stopped.

I walked through the peaceful quiet, making my way to a corner of the library.

The sofa Julia liked was already occupied, as usual.

The difference was that Julia was holding a book up high, hiding her face.

Doesn’t that make your arms tired?

"Make some room."

"…"

Without a word, she slid over slightly, creating space for me to sit.

But she kept holding the book up to cover her face.

I sat down next to her and opened a book of my own.

They were books I had borrowed from the Imperial Magic Academy\'s library.

I didn’t glance at Julia or act like I was watching her; I just pretended to focus on my own work.

Let’s see how long she’ll keep sulking.

Her arms must be getting tired.

She’ll want to lower them.

"It’s cramped..."

A little while later, Julia finally reacted.

Even though we weren\'t touching, she complained about the lack of space and tried to leave the sofa.

Where do you think you\'re going?

I subtly pulled out the tutoring coupon and spoke.

"Don’t go. I’m using the coupon right now."

"Why do you still have that!?"

Julia\'s face turned red as she shouted in anger.

Ah, finally looking at me.

For some reason, seeing Julia get angry made me feel a bit pleased.

It reminded me of a mischievous little boy teasing the girl he liked.

"I never sold that to you! So it’s not valid!"

"A coupon becomes valid once it’s issued. So this is a valid coupon. Denying its validity would seriously damage your personal credit, Julia. Are you okay with that?"

"Ugh... I don’t care, just give it back..."

"I’m not okay with it. I have to use it."

"What do you mean you have to use it... You didn’t even care about my lessons... All those compliments were just lies..."

She was on the verge of tears, her eyes quivering before she turned away, shoulders trembling.

But she didn\'t completely run away, as if silently asking me to stop her or to tell her she was wrong.

So you were so happy with my compliments before, and now you’re digging yourself into a hole?

This girl can be so troublesome.

"I’ll be honest. I wasn’t interested in the content of the basic magic lessons."

"See, I knew it!"

[The Evil God \'Kali\' is glaring at you with icy blue eyes.]

Just hear me out first, you two!

Seriously, both of you have no patience.

"You knew all the basic magic already, you were just trying to tease me..."

"I wasn’t interested in the content."

"…!"

"What mattered was the process. Reciting the material and explaining it is something anyone can do. But the way you explain it reveals your level of understanding and thought."

"You were evaluating my teaching skills?"

"That’s part of it. But mostly, I genuinely wanted to learn basic magic from you."

"Lies! Who would believe that! Most kids master basic magic by age seven!"

"…"

She shuddered, still thinking I was mocking her.

I felt so wronged.

I genuinely wanted to learn basic magic and was serious about it.

Is it my face?

Or is it my tone?

Whatever it is, it’s clear that my honesty isn’t reaching Julia.

I’ve slowly gained Sylvia’s trust and met Charlotte, who doesn’t judge by appearances, so I had almost forgotten about this curse of my face.

But with Julia, it’s still 100% in effect.

I feel a bit defeated.

But even so, I’ll take one more step forward.

There’s only one way to make Julia believe in my sincerity.

"If you think I’m lying, no dinner for you tonight."

"Ah!?"

[The Evil God \'Kali\' sneers at you, calling your methods childish and petty.]

What’s childish about this?

I have feelings too.

Even if Julia is a tsundere character, if she only gets the stick without any carrot, it wears me down too.

What kind of tsundere is this? Just tsun without the dere?

Ah, I guess she’s just not a tsundere to me?

Well, if that’s the case, so be it.

"That’s so unfair! How can you do that!?"

"What are you going to do? Starve yourself over this pointless argument? You know I’m not someone who goes easy. If I say no dinner, you won’t get a single drop of water until you give in."

"Ugh..."

Swoosh.

I waved the tutoring coupon lazily and smiled.

A hunger strike? Go ahead, see if it works.

I’ve squeezed blood out of Count Arient. Do you think that’ll work on me?

Julia knows I’m not a pushover.

It was clear she couldn\'t bring herself to threaten to starve.

"Sit down. We’ll pick up where we left off with Basic Magic Volume 2."

"You really have a bad hobby. Do you enjoy seeing me get all smug and then secretly laughing at me?"

"Think what you want. But I’ll tell you this: Even if I were mocking you, that kind of joy would only be temporary. Now that you’ve caught on, where’s the fun in it?"

"That’s..."

"And I intend to use all ten of these coupons. So, keep that in mind."

"…"

Julia’s pouty lips finally relaxed a little.

Her shoulders, which had been tense with irritation, slumped.

Her gaze slowly lowered until it was fixed on the floor.

"...It’s going to be boring. Really long."

"I don’t mind."

"Tch. You’re so weird. Where’s the book..."

"Right here."

"Hmph. You’re such a prepared student. If you’re going to be so stubborn, I guess I have no choice! Hmph!"

Julia plopped down next to me and opened the book.

She still looked irritated, but it was a different kind of irritation now.

More like a passive annoyance, the kind she wears unconsciously rather than genuine anger.

"But what’s that book?"

"It’s a text on dark magic."

"Ugh. Are you sure that’s okay? Her Majesty just left not long ago."

"It’s purely for research. If it’s for academic purposes, there’s nothing to worry about. The content is pretty difficult, though. Want to study it together? I could use your help."

"I don’t know anything about dark magic..."

"Neither do I. That’s why we should study it together. I need your brains, not your knowledge."

"Hmph. If you put it that way..."

Julia’s mood seemed to brighten as she started humming.

Has she finally accepted my sincerity?

Before I knew it, Julia had leaned in closer to me as she opened the book.

She smelled nice.