[59] Shiina Under the Moonlight (2)
But Shiina walked on without a word, eyes fixed on the ground.
Shirone felt heavy at the sight of her dejected posture.
If not for the accident in her childhood, things might have developed well between her and Armin.
Still, he couldn't be blamed for marrying. He had left Shiina's side himself to ease the guilt he felt toward the sister he cherished.
Nade muttered in displeasure.
"Tch. Men and women are impossible to figure out."
"It can't be helped. Not everything in life goes the way you want."
"Damn it! He was so cold at school, but to see him like that now—I don't want to."
Clenching his fists in indignation, Nade quickened his pace and came up to Shiina.
"Teacher."
"Ah, yes?"
"We're hungry. Since we're already out, buy us a meal."
Shiina made an incredulous face. What they had done today—breaking into a house—was the kind of thing the school should punish. And yet they had the gall to ask her to buy them food.
"You've got some nerve. You expect me to eat in this situation?"
"So what? Even if we get punished, we still have to eat. We're learning magic to make a living, aren't we?"
Shirone cut in.
"Yes, teacher. Let's at least eat. I'm hungry too."
Iruki said, "In that case, we should head to the nobles' district. The school's nearby anyway, and I know a really delicious—expensive—restaurant over there."
Shiina didn't even have the energy to be annoyed. The students' brazen attitude was bad enough, but she could vaguely guess why. She didn't want to go back to school feeling like this either. After all, today was a holiday.
"Fine. Alright. You must be tired from your mischief, so let's eat. But once we go back to the school, be prepared."
"Hehe! Yes!"
Nade winked at his friends. His first goal was to cheer Shiina up, but he was also counting on buying time to defuse any punishment.
The nobles' district was lined with upscale shops. Iruki led Shiina to the most ostentatious building. Standing before a six-story façade, Shirone gaped.
As befit a place frequented by successful nobles, even the entrance was exceptional. Columns carved from a single block of white onyx supported the balcony ceiling, and marble sculptures of mythical beasts flanked the sides like guardians.
Restaurant: Gold Cupid.
It was a top-tier eatery where everything carried a premium.
"Wow! I've never even been here. We're really living it up today. Shirone, let's go in."
"Uh, well, um..."
Shirone glanced at Shiina. As expected, she wore a resigned smile and stared up at the sign. It was the most expensive restaurant in the area, so it was understandable. Besides, Iruki wouldn't pick this place unless he planned to take advantage of their teacher somehow.
But Shiina didn't get angry. Instead, with a sigh as if nothing could be done, she strode through the entrance.
"Alright. We'll eat here."
"Ooh! Our teacher! Truly generous!"
Nade's flattery was echoed by Iruki.
"Don't be naive. You can't judge a teacher's generosity by this alone. A certified Grade 6 mage can come and go to places like this as if they're restrooms. Right, teacher?"
"Enough. Just get inside. But we'll only eat, then head straight back to school."
Shirone, who'd never been inside a nobles-only restaurant, was surprised by how much larger it felt once he crossed the threshold. It was as if some magic made the interior far more expansive than the exterior suggested.
Tables were spaced so far apart it almost felt like a waste of space, and along one side a bar decorated with all manner of crystal lamps occupied the room.
Of course the patrons were nobles; the jewelry they wore made it clear they were well-off in Creas.
"Shirone! This way!"
Shirone, lost in thought, followed his friends to a table. Nade and Iruki glanced around occasionally but showed no sign of nervousness.
A waiter approached to take their order. He wore a swallowtail and had a greasy air; when his gaze lingered on Shiina with an unmistakable leer, Shirone and the others felt deeply offended.
At school they were teacher and students, but out here it was expected that men would escort women. Yet the waiter ignored the students entirely and kept his eyes on Shiina alone.
"Welcome, guests. Thank you for visiting Gold Cupid. I am honored, especially that such a lovely lady has graced our establishment."
Had he stopped at flirting, it would have been one thing, but his deliberate ignoring of the rest of the party was blatant.
"Tch. For a top restaurant, how do they train their staff? Don't be ridiculous—does he really think our teacher would pay any mind to a sleazebag like you?"
Nade simmered. He scanned the menu prices like a hawk. He intended to order the priciest dishes to teach the presumptuous waiter a lesson.
Iruki, without much thought, rattled off orders for several courses. Encouraged, Nade added another course.
Shirone still hesitated. In truth, he didn't recognize a single menu item. How was he supposed to know whether "Olaris stew" was meat, fish, or a monster's tongue?
But quick to pick up social cues, he calmly ordered the same as Nade. Iruki's choices made him uneasy.
As VIP dishes for the highest clientele kept arriving, the waiter's face grew pale. His first thought was whether they could actually afford it. Everything had a premium, and the cheapest and most expensive menus differed by more than threefold. If these naive kids had miscalculated, they might end up facing a bill many times larger than they'd expected.
The waiter looked at Shiina with anxious eyes. But she seemed unconcerned as she chose her dish.
"I'll have the Dasko course. And one bottle of Rimunes."
Shiina didn't often drink, but when she was feeling down, she sometimes drank cognac. Rimunes was a distilled spirit with a faint vanilla scent—expensive, but with a pleasant aftertaste popular among women.
"Ah? Teacher, are you going to drink?"
"Why not? You guys pick locks and barge into someone's house, and I can't have a drink?"
Nade grinned awkwardly.
"Haha. True. Oh, right! Today is your day off, teacher, isn't it?"
The waiter clicked his tongue and left, and the group exchanged sly looks and smirks. But as reality set in, worry flickered across their faces. When they realized all four of them had ordered course meals, the price tags sprang to mind. Suddenly they worried they'd been overly bold, but Shiina wore an untroubled expression.
A certified Grade 6 mage's income placed her in the top ten percent of noble society. And working at Alpheas School of Magic—one of the five great academies—meant she could enjoy life without having to dip into the Olipher school's coffers.
"She's had a pretty successful life. Our teacher."
A life chasing dreams, not money. But Shirone, the son of mountain folk, knew better than anyone that wasn't easy.
Because there were four different course menus, dishes kept coming to the table without pause. People at other tables shot bored glances their way.
Shirone and his friends, unconcerned, were intent on stealing bites from one another. Nade and Iruki were nobles and Shirone had at least learned table manners, but dignity was useless among friends.
Forks and knives flew across the table, yet Shiina simply watched her students eat with a smile.
As their stomachs filled and the flavors dulled, the conversation turned to magic, fitting for students of the School. It was an enjoyable, instructive gathering for Shiina. Laughter lingered, and her earlier gloom lifted—Nade's plan had worked.
"Hehehe. Teacher, this undutiful student proposes a toast to the master I respect."
"Hmph! Do you think I'm going to let you off that easily? I'm only holding my tongue while we're eating. Be ready when we go back."
"Yes, yes, understood. Here, please accept it."
Nade's knack for socializing shone even now. Shiina didn't seem to dislike it and accepted the drink he offered. Cognac was strong, so Shirone watched with concern.
"Teacher, aren't you drinking too much?"
"Heh, it's fine. This is nothing."
"Of course not. You're a certified Grade 6 mage. You wouldn't be defeated by a bit of alcohol."
Nade agreed with whatever Shiina said. He'd have believed a fork was a trident if she said so.
"Oh? You're desperate. But really, I'm okay. I'm pretty strong with drink."
Under Shirone's worried gaze, Shiina downed another measure of the strong liquor straight.
One hour later.
"Hey, you! You! You! Nade."
"Yes, teacher."
Shiina propped her elbow on the cleared table, her face flushed as she swayed. Shirone and the others sat rigidly, sweat beading on their brows.
In an hour they'd emptied a bottle of cognac.
Shiina's tongue slurred and her eyes were slightly unfocused. Shirone's group couldn't turn their heads; they only exchanged glances with their eyes.
"This is bad. Teacher's drunk."
Shiina, muttering under her breath, suddenly bowed her head hard. Nade, fearing she'd fall from her chair, grabbed her arm in a panic.
"Teacher, are you all right? We should go back now."
"You little rascals!"
Shiina snapped her head up and mercilessly pinched Nade's cheek. Her skin stretched like mochi, and Nade grimaced in pain as he got pulled.
"Ouch! It hurts!"
"I'm telling you to behave. I want to be a good teacher like Etella. Stop getting distracted by silly things and study properly."
"Yes, yes! Understood, teacher! It really hurts!"
"And Shirone, Iruki. You two!"
"Yes!"
Shirone and Iruki straightened their already-braced backs and assumed rigid postures.
"You two are the same. If you rely on talent and slack off, I won't forgive you. Think I'm a bad teacher if you like, but I won't forgive you."
"No one thinks you're bad. So please get a grip."
"Fuuu. I know. I know why I put myself through all this trouble. Hmm."
Shiina's eyelids drooped halfway and her head fell. Eventually she rested her face on the table, using her arms as a pillow.
"Teacher, you need to wake up. Teacher? We haven't even paid yet."
"I'm sleepy. I'm going to sleep."
"Teacher?"
Shiina did not answer.
Nade looked at his friends in a daze. But they had no better solutions. While they fretted over how to handle the situation, two men who had been watching from a nearby table walked over.
"The young lady seems quite drunk. Shall I have a carriage sent?"
A neatly dressed young man addressed Shiina. Behind him, a man with a sun-darkened, leering face wore a lewd smile.
Shirone and the others' gazes turned icy at once. They had noticed these men from the moment they entered; the two had been watching Shiina and making suggestive remarks from the start.
"Teacher? Teacher. Please wake up."
Their best hope was to rouse her and leave as quickly as possible. But when she tried to lift her upper body she couldn't and slumped back onto the table. Hearing the word "teacher," the man brightened and moved in with lascivious intent.