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"Ding-ling-ling, !"
The sharp ring of the telephone pierced through the silence of the Western-style mansion, breaking the fragile peace of early morning and dragging the Master of the guest room out of her slumber.
But she had no intention of answering. Instead, she turned over, burying her head deeper into the pillow, desperate to sink back into the warmth of sleep.
If only the caller had the sense to hang up.
Clinging to that faint hope, she drifted somewhere between dreams and consciousness.
Reality, however, wasn't feeling generous today.
The ringing persisted, calm, relentless, almost mocking, as the tone spread through the mansion with no sign of stopping.
"Alice, get the phone!"
The Master of the guest room groaned with irritation thick in her voice. Her body demanded sleep, her mind dulled by exhaustion. She wasn't going to move, not if she could help it. Instead, she yelled half-heartedly toward the western wing, where her housemate would no doubt hear her.
Moments later, the ringing cut off. Likely, Alice had picked up.
Relieved, the girl immediately nestled back into her bed, cocooning herself in her blanket. Bliss. At last, she could--
"It's for you."
The voice came drifting through the halls, casual but merciless and an expression of pure gloom crept onto her face.
So much for pretending she hadn't heard.
With no choice, she shoved the covers aside. The chill of morning air instantly bit at her skin, making her body shiver. She hurriedly slipped on a coat, muttering curses under her breath, and stomped across the old wooden floorboards with deliberate annoyance, her footsteps echoing down the corridor.
In the first-floor entrance hall sat an antique crank telephone, an artifact out of another age, receiver placed neatly on its stand.
Alice was nowhere to be seen.
"Hello?!" Aozaki Aoko snatched up the receiver, her tone sharp and irritated.
"Good morning, Aozaki San." A calm, composed woman's voice came through the earpiece.
"Tch. Don't tell me you called just to lecture me. Who the hell thinks it's a good idea to drag someone out of bed at this hour on a weekend?" Her voice dripped with barely-concealed venom.
Of course she was in a foul mood. Last night, something had gone down in town, Alice's familiars had been shredded apart, and on top of that, she had been pushing herself in magecraft practice until nearly five in the morning. And now, barely three hours later, someone thought it wise to call her?
"Hahaha! Don't be like that. Think of this as proof of how much trust Sensei has in you!" The cheerful laugh on the other end only made her scowl deepen. To Aoko, it was the hollow cackle of someone utterly incapable of empathy.
Sneering inwardly, she thought, what a load of nonsense.
"So? What do you want from me?"
"Actually, it's not me who needs you." The woman let out a quick "aiya," her carefree tone grating on Aoko's last nerves.
"It's the Student Council that wants to talk to you. Looks like they've got some work lined up."
"Then why don't they go to President Nero instead?"
"…I wouldn't dare." The answer was blunt, shameless, and dripping with cowardice.
"So you dump it on me instead?"
"Exactly~!"
Aoko's forehead twitched, her face screwing into an expression of sheer exasperation.
Blatant exploitation. That's all this was. She had no powerful family, no political backing, just the perfect sacrificial tool for the jobs no one else wanted.
"Well then, have a lovely weekend!"
The woman's farewell felt less like a blessing and more like mockery. Then the line clicked dead before Aoko could unleash the torrent of curses fighting to escape her throat.
"…Haah."
Her sigh echoed in the empty hall.
Vice President. She is just Vice President. So why was she the one shouldering all this pointless trouble?
"Alice, I'm heading out!"
With practiced speed, she changed clothes, ran a brush through her tangled hair, and shouted toward the other wing of the mansion.
As expected, no reply.
Not that she cared.
The ancient mansion perched on the hilly edge of the residential district looked more like a haunted manor than a home. Lonely, imposing, its age was etched into brick and timber. Ordinary passersby wouldn't dare approach.
And from this so-called haunted house strode Aozaki Aoko, her pace brisk and steps filled with irritation as she marched down the winding road toward the school.
Whoever had summoned her had better have a damn good reason.
If not, she swore she'd wring their neck.
At the school.
"You came quickly, Student Aozaki."
Her homeroom teacher greeted her with elegance. With long golden hair cascading down like silk and delicate European features, the woman looked no older than fourteen or fifteen. Childlike charm practically radiated from her.
Of course, that was only in appearance. Her true age was anyone's guess. Or so she always claimed.
"Lenis-sensei, where's the person who wanted to see me?" Aoko entered the office, her aura dark, her words cutting straight to the point.
"Haha, don't be so uptight. A young lady ought to be more reserved, you know. With a face like yours, it's a shame. If it weren't for your reputation of punching students, you'd already have a boyfriend." Lenis shook her head leisurely, utterly unperturbed.
Anyone could see that Aoko lacked the softness of an ordinary girl. Her bearing was wild and untamed, more feral than feminine.
Rumor had it she once punched a persistent boy straight in the face in front of half the student body, leaving him with a nosebleed and a ruined ego. Word of that spread fast, her reputation became legendary.
Since then, no one had dared confess to her again.
"…It's because I was too gentle." Aoko sighed and tilted her head as if admitting fault.
She didn't actually mind confessions. If anything, she respected those bold enough to speak their feelings instead of bottling them up. Every time, she politely turned them down.
Polite, yes, but for certain overconfident fools, that politeness had been mistaken for encouragement. And when they couldn't take a hint… Well.
Thus her fists did the talking.
If only she hadn't been so gentle. If she had just flattened them the moment they became pests, her life would have been far quieter. No misunderstandings, no needless drama.
"Gentle… hahaha!" Lenis slapped her thighs and doubled over, laughing without restraint.
"Aiya, you, pull that off? Impossible! Hahaha!"
Aozaki Aoko: （╬￣皿￣）
…Thanks.
She was officially pissed.
"Enough, get to the point already!"
Her voice lashed like a whip, sharp and furious, the image of a lioness bristling.
"All right, all right, business, business."
Lenis wiped the tears from her eyes, though her mischievous grin refused to fade.
"The ones looking for you are from the Student Council. But they're not here right now."
"Where?"
"The infirmary."
"…Injured?"
Aoko's irritation wavered for the first time, genuine surprise blinking across her features.
"No, not exactly."
Lenis's grin only widened, her tone lightly mocking. "Just head to the infirmary. You'll see soon enough. If I spoiled the surprise, it wouldn't be as fun."
"…No fun? Don't tell me you actually treat your students like some sideshow performance?"
Aoko's eyes narrowed in disgust. Really, what kind of teacher said things like that?
Lenis, naturally, looked utterly unconcerned.
Rolling her eyes with the most unladylike exaggeration possible, Aoko muttered in her heart what she had always thought: Lenis cared more about her own amusement than her students' well-being. She'd filed more than a few anonymous complaints with the administration, but not once had they ever responded.
Still, her personal crusade remained unshaken.
Sighing, she turned on her heel, leaving the office behind.
Her destination: the infirmary.
Whatever awaited her there, she could only pray it was important enough to justify dragging her out of bed.
(End of Chapter)