Shit! I remember now, that weakling bastard!

Lawrence Givley, an instructor in the elementary division.

During the entrance exam, he deliberately broke his own ribs to play the victim and tried to get me disqualified. Then, during the dungeon curriculum, despite knowing about the homunculus appearance, he restarted it out of personal spite against me. Truly the worst instructor.

“……”

Hiding behind the trees and benches in the schoolyard, I trailed behind Lili as she walked, her instructor’s uniform skirt swaying as usual with an air of dignity.

Of course, I maintained the closest possible distance without alerting her.

The wind blew, lifting Lili’s long hair. Without breaking stride, she pulled a string from her uniform pocket and tied it back.

“Guh…! Is this meeting really that important for her to be in such a hurry…!? She should just ignore whatever promise she made with Lawrence…!”

My chest felt restless.

This must be what they mean by gut-wrenching.

Thinking back, Lawrence had been eyeing Lili since the entrance exam.

Even during the practical test, when he was facing me with a wooden sword, his lecherous gaze was fixed solely on Lili. Not me, the opponent in front of him.

As a result, half his ribs got shattered—but that was his own damn fault, and I’d argue it was self-inflicted.

I muttered curses to myself.

“And Lili, of all people! Just because a man called her out, does she really need to rush over so eagerly…?”

Shameless. I never raised her to be that kind of girl.

Hiding in the shrubbery, I gnawed my thumbnail.

Unforgivable. Absolutely unforgivable. A cowardly, incompetent worm like Lawrence could never make my disciple happy.

My clenched teeth creaked.

In that instant, Lili suddenly turned around.

“—!?”

Panicking, I ducked behind the tree.

Too sharp. As expected of the War Maiden. If it weren’t me, I wouldn’t have been able to hide in time. Probably not as sharp as Riona, but still.

Lili kept looking in my direction for a while, then tilted her head slightly before turning back and continuing on her way.

“Phew…”

I let out a breath of relief.

That was close. I shouldn’t let my emotions take over. My body heat rises, my breathing gets erratic, and as a result, my presence gets noticed.

Deep breaths. Stay calm, me.

But really, why am I so agitated? From an outsider’s perspective, it might even look like I’m jealous. No. That’s not it.

This isn’t jealousy. It’s pure concern. Like a father watching over his daughter. That’s right. I raised Lili Ituka. It’s only natural.

…Though lately, it feels like she’s the one raising me.

“Ah…”

I lost sight of her.

I immediately broke into a run.

Lehan Royal Knight Academy had a so-called dating spot—Riona once tried to invite me there. It was a small flower garden built in a corner of the schoolyard, commonly referred to as the Flower Garden.

As the name suggests, it had flower beds and benches. That’s all I knew. I had no interest, never visited.

Besides, the academy had only been open for two months. Calling it a "dating spot" was a stretch—there probably weren’t even proper student couples yet. Probably. I wouldn’t know.

“She wouldn’t be in a place like that… right?”

Just as I was about to pass by, something caught my eye.

“—!”

There they were. Lili and that garbage insect—no, Lawrence.

Hiding behind the bushes, I peered at them.

Lili sat on the bench in the Flower Garden, just as she had been invited to. Naturally, the garbage insect sat beside her. No one else was around. Just the two of them.

The soft breeze made the colorful flowers sway.

“……”

“……”

They were talking about something, but they were too far for me to hear. I wanted to know. I desperately wanted to know. But if I got any closer, I’d definitely be noticed.

What a dilemma.

Every time Lawrence spoke with that gentle expression, Lili smiled and shook her head lightly.

What was this unsettling feeling welling up inside me? No, it wasn’t just unease—it was outright panic. Calm down, me.

“Damn it, Lili. What are you smiling for? That guy’s human trash.”

She knows what he did to me. And yet, why was she smiling at him?

Damn it. I’m pissed. At Lawrence. At Lili.

For a moment, I seriously considered chucking a rock at Lawrence, but Lili would probably react and block it.

There was nothing I could do. How powerless.

No, not yet. It’s too soon to give up. I could just pretend it was a coincidence.

Resolving myself, I stepped forward into the Flower Garden.

"—?"

Lili’s gaze immediately shifted to me.

A moment later, Lawrence followed her gaze, and the second he saw me, he made an obvious grimace. I could almost hear him clicking his tongue.

What? You got a problem? Should I break another couple of ribs?

Striding confidently, I approached him.

"Eremia Neu? What are you doing here?"

"Taking a walk. I love admiring cute flowers. It’s my second favorite thing after sword fighting."

"…What the hell are you saying with those bloodshot eyes?"

This bastard. Should I break him again?

The moment that thought crossed my mind, Lili, as if sensing my killing intent, stood up from the bench.

"Eremia. Sorry, is it already that time?"

"Huh? Time?"

For a brief moment, our eyes met.

Lili quickly jogged over to me.

"Let’s hurry to the training grounds. The club members must be waiting."

"Club…? But the training grounds are closed today—"

"Precisely because they’re closed, we can clean them. Come on, hurry."

Lili took my hand, then turned back to Lawrence with a slight bow.

"Apologies, Instructor Givley. I’ll explain to His Majesty and Count Givley myself soon, so for today, I must excuse myself."

His Majesty? Count Givley?

Does this have something to do with Kilpus and Lawrence’s father?

"Wait, Instructor Ituka! This is a great opportunity for you! If you let this slip, you’ll regret it! There’s still time!"

Lawrence rose from the bench, reaching out to Lili. But Lili pulled me along, quickening her pace.

"I’m terribly sorry. Excuse us."

We left Lawrence behind and exited the Flower Garden. Lili remained silent as we walked hand in hand. When we reached the entrance to the girls' dormitory, she let out a deep sigh and released my hand.

She placed one hand on her hip, the other on her forehead, and sighed again, looking down.

"O-Oi, Lili?"

"I thought I felt a presence. So you were tailing me, weren’t you?"

"Ugh…"

Busted. Though, at least she hadn’t known it was me.

Just as I was about to fumble out an excuse—

Lili suddenly hugged me tightly.

"…Eh?"

Right by my ear, she sighed.

"Thank you, Eremia."

"Huh? Eh?"

With an exhausted expression, Lili muttered,

"…I’ve had enough. That man is so full of himself, it’s impossible to have a proper conversation with him."

"Wait, but isn’t this bad…?"

Lili pulled away.

"It’s fine. Everyone except Class One thinks you’re a girl."

"…A girl?"

Ah. Oh. That makes sense.

At the same time, we both spoke.

"Love is such a hassle."

"Love really is such a hassle."

Huh?