Upon hearing the reply, Dumbledore fell silent.
Wentworth watched everything unfold in silence. He didn't know exactly what had happened, but seeing Dumbledore once again lapse into quiet, he could tell, Dumbledore was angry.
After a long pause, Dumbledore finally said in a calm, measured tone:
"The International Confederation of Wizards undoubtedly intervenes in the internal affairs of various Ministries of Magic and magical schools, but only when the International Statute of Secrecy is at risk of being breached."
"With all due respect, the condition of that girl carries significant uncertainty. Should there arise any potential breach of the Statute, the Confederation will be compelled to step in, completely."
At Dumbledore's words, Yusei, seated at the end of the table, hurriedly expressed his understanding and affirmed his respect for the Confederation's authority as represented by Dumbledore.
After that, the dinner continued in an increasingly tense and awkward atmosphere. Despite Yusei's best efforts to lighten the mood, Dumbledore remained conspicuously disinterested.
It was only thanks to Wentworth's easy and lively conversation with Yusei that the air at the table felt somewhat less strained.
As the evening drew to a close, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor, and a young man, clearly flustered, entered the room. He approached Headmaster Minamoto, leaned close, and whispered something urgently.
Minamoto's brow furrowed the moment the whisper ended. He was about to speak but, perhaps remembering Dumbledore seated right beside him, he held his tongue.
Instead, Minamoto stood, offered Dumbledore a quick apology, and left the room in haste.
Only after he had stepped into the hallway did the group begin to hear Minamoto's muffled, angry shouting from beyond the door.
With that, the dinner came to an abrupt end.
Later that night, Wentworth accompanied Dumbledore back to his quarters. The moment they entered the room, Wentworth could no longer contain his curiosity.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, has something happened here that we don't know about?"
Dumbledore shook his head slowly and replied in a low voice:
"This matter doesn't concern you. It is internal to Mahoutokoro, and possibly even to the Japanese Ministry of Magic."
He paused for a moment, then let out a long sigh and added, with quiet gravity:
"There will always be those who, mere mortals, dare to rival legends."
Baffled, Wentworth took his leave and made his way back to his room.
On his way, he happened upon Yusei, who was moving swiftly down the corridor, clearly searching for something.
Wentworth called out to him:
"Excuse me, did something happen here?"
Seeing Wentworth approach, Yusei managed a wry smile, though he didn't seem the least bit panicked.
"Oh, it's nothing major. Just one of our school's little traditions. Happens once or twice every month. We call it, 'Hide and Seek.'"
Wentworth blinked, stunned. He hadn't expected such a whimsical phrase from someone like Yusei.
Noticing his expression, Yusei laughed heartily, then explained:
"You remember Yukina, don't you?"
Wentworth nodded faintly, recalling the girl they'd met earlier, a delicate, almost bashful Japanese student with a gentle demeanor.
Yusei sighed.
"Yukina has gone missing... again. For the seventh, or eighth? No, more like the tenth time."
Wentworth's face froze in disbelief.
But before he could ask, Yusei continued, sounding half amused and half exasperated:
"Like me, Yukina is from one of the Hachiya of Japan, in her case, the Uesugi Clan, and she's a direct heir. But her greatest passion? Running away from home."
Yusei gave a helpless chuckle before continuing:
"She's done it so many times that I've lost count. And every time she disappears, the head of the Uesugi family, she's his pride and joy, immediately notifies the other seven clans and demands a full-scale search."
He sighed and shook his head again.
From what Yusei had said, Yukina sounded like a spoiled runaway child, but Wentworth, who had met her earlier, found it difficult to reconcile that image with the shy girl who had blushed just from shaking his hand.
Perhaps appearances truly are deceiving, Wentworth thought.
After bidding Yusei goodbye, Wentworth returned to his room.
As soon as he stepped inside, he paused.
Then, with a calm expression, he walked across to the large floor-to-ceiling window, gently pushed open the small upper pane, and let the moist sea breeze drift in.
He closed his eyes, listening to the rhythmic crash of the waves and letting the salty wind wash over him.
After a long while, Wentworth spoke aloud:
"Come out. I gave you a chance to leave. You didn't take it, so now, you're staying."
The room was silent. No response.
Wentworth smiled faintly, a touch of mischief at the corners of his lips.
"Hmm? Was it just my imagination? I was sure someone was in here. Oh well, guess I'll take a bath first!"
With that, Wentworth disappeared into the bathroom. Moments later, the sound of rushing water echoed from within.
Time passed.
Then, a head slowly peeked out from under the bed.
It darted its gaze left and right, pausing briefly to glance toward the bathroom, but the view was blocked.
Seeing no one, the figure began to inch out from beneath the bed.
Just as they had halfway emerged, a voice suddenly rang out from above:
"What exactly are you doing under my bed?"
The voice startled the intruder so badly that they shrieked:
"Ahhh!"
Reacting instinctively, they fired off a spell behind them, without even looking.
Wentworth flicked his wand with a lazy "Protego," but—
Boom!
The spell hit him full-on, hurling him across the room and into the wall.
Groaning from where he lay crumpled against the wall, Wentworth looked up at the girl, half stuck beneath his bed, a wand still clutched in her hand.
Her wide eyes and blushing cheeks belonged unmistakably to the "shy" Uesugi Yukina.
And Wentworth could only stare in stunned disbelief.
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]