When I arrive at the school, I walk directly to my classroom located on the third floor of the building.
I was twenty minutes late, but I think it's a price to pay for taking care of Aoko-san and Touko-san, which by the way, Touko-san also gave me 1000¥ more for my account.
She may seem more carefree than Aoko-san, but Touko-san is a very good person too.
Although I get along better with Aoko-san, it's not like my friendship with Touko-san is low. I usually pair up with Touko-san to annoy Aoko-san altogether.
Uh.
I think I talk too much about them.
On my way to the classroom I heard several murmurs about a new freshman who transferred from an all-girls school. With a poker face, I let those details slip in the meantime.
I take a breath of air─
Opening the sliding door of the classroom, it seems that I walked right into a break as someone I did not want to see as soon as they arrived approached me.
─Hey, Duke of Crime! Yes, you were late this time! How dare you leave all the cleaning work to me in the morning?! ─. A scandalous voice makes everyone put their sights on me.
Embarrassed by my classmate, I raise my hand silently greeting my other classmates.
In the distance I feel a look looking at my back, but I think it is not really important.
When I get to my seat, the bone of contention approaches me with an outlaw attitude.
I look towards the particular person and I could tell that it was Inui Arihiko. You remember that I mentioned someone when Aoko-san gave me money, right? That person who might not have brought money today, and was probably going to borrow from me.
─As always, you are a nuisance. Also, don't call me "Duke of Crime", you have no right to criticize my late entries.
─As cold as ever, Tohno! Come on man, I've been your friend since elementary school, why aren't you kinder to me?
─Duh? You spend your time going to my house just to see Aoko-san as a half-killed sheep, even Ichiko-san has asked me not to receive you in my house for that very reason.
─Hell, did Nee-san realize it already...? Damn, she's a woman has eyes and ears wherever she goes! But don't change the subject for me! Did something happen, Tohno? I do not see you so animated.
Well, maybe because I have someone who is bothering me as soon as I get to the room.
Although I can't tell him that or I could tell Touko-san to reprimand me, after all, the Aozaki sisters didn't raise me to be cruel to my friends.
─Maybe it's anemia. ─. I respond by avoiding the topic.
Nor could I tell him that I feel somewhat lonely now that Aoko-san is going on a trip.
I know that he is only going to leave for a day, but it is still normal for me to feel this way when the person I admire is going to fulfill a mission where he puts his life at risk. I also know that she is a very skilled fighter, but it is still normal for me to worry about her.
But I think Arihiko is not going to give up on that arbitrary answer I gave him.
─Aoko-san went on a trip again, right?
Ugh...!
It was like a knife driven further into a deep wound.
I would like to hit you, Arihiko, but you are completely right now. I can't deny you absolutely anything, but I won't accept it either.
─You're a coward, Tohno, when are you going to come forward to the person you're in love with?!
Raising her voice from him, Arihiko with those simple words made her focus once again on me.
Looks from all directions focus on me, and the girls in the classroom begin to murmur.
─Tohno-kun has someone he loves, hehe, that's so cute.
─I thought Shiki-san wasn't interested in women, I think it's good to know that Shiki-san and Inui-kun aren't in that kind of relationship.
─Huh? Did you think so too?
─Of course, they hang out together all the time, it would be weird not really thinking that.
─It's a relief to know that the only decent boy in this class is interested in women.
─But, isn't Inui-kun referring to Aozaki-san, the person Shiki-kun lives with?
Some of those comments worry me, but it doesn't matter.
You see what you caused, Arihiko.
Of course I've told Arihiko how I feel about Aoko-san, but by telling her that, I was acknowledging that Aoko-san was a person outside of my hitting zone. And I'm not saying it just because he is an unreachable person, I mean it in the literal sense...
He was about to sink his face to the desk in embarrassment. Arihiko, if we're friends, please don't say those things at a volume where others can hear what you're saying.
I will never tell you a secret or do you a favor again.
That is the verdict I have decided for Arihiko, who is now on a level beyond forgiveness himself.
But if I don't answer him he is only going to annoy me more.
─I-it's not like Aoko-san... hah, hell... it's no use denying it. Tell me Arihiko, how would you do it?
Responding to Arihiko's teasing, I only made the girls in the classroom more excited to hear this conversation. People began to gather around to hear what we talked about.
The root of all evil, smiles truinfante for having been able to attract attention and yells at me:
─As a man should, Tohno! You must take her by the shoulders and tell her in all honesty what you feel, being Aoko-san we are talking about, she would turn red with shame but she would accept you without hesitation!
Of course...
Let's imagine I do that.
It's true that Aoko-san would be embarrassed if she confessed my feelings to her, but that would only stay there. I strongly doubt that she would accept me, we are nineteen years apart after all. When I met her, she was already twenty-nine years old and right now, eight years later, she is clearly thirty-seven years old.
I think she would reject me without hesitation from the moment she decides to confess my feelings to her. Maybe not because we don't share those kinds of feelings, but it's still highly likely that she would suggest that it would be better to find me a girl my age.
But it's not like she knows someone like that...
─Aoko-san is not like girls our age, Arihiko. She is a mature and wise woman, I doubt that she can fixate on someone like me.
─Have you not lived together for the last eight years? Sure they both know a lot about each other, no matter how old she is, you know, he who does not risk does not win, Tohno.
Arihiko sounds very confident of her words there.
Well that's true, but...
Certainly my feelings for her started out as simple admiration. When she began to instruct me in the world of magic, she passed to me a custom that she has, which is to value the precious memories and the value of the lives of others.
The first time she hugged me it was to convey that to me, and over the years, I adopted that custom as if it were my own.
I may treat Arihiko badly, but he's still my friend after all. I don't think I can deny that fact. We have been together since elementary school, so I see no reason to deny our friendship.
He is normally careless and an idiot in general, but I think Arihiko is quite wise when it comes to romantic matters.
─Good morning guys. Inui-kun and everyone else, go to your seats. Let's start with today's English class.
─Uh, it's Noel-sensei...
─Sensei, can I go to the bathroom?
─Shit, I didn't do my homework.
─Tohno, let me copy your homework!
When the teacher we were on duty with came into the classroom... my classmates called her [Noel-sensei].
Huh?
She let Arihiko take my notebook, since I don't have the time to think about it.
Here's... something strange.
It's a weird feeling. As if something is totally out of place here.
If this is English class... Where is Yabuki-sensei?
I'm sure that until yesterday, Yabuki-sensei was the one who was teaching this class. So who is she and why does everyone act like she's normal?
I raise my hand to ask to speak.
"Noel-sensei" he notices me instantly and with a smile he looks at me. But when we made eye contact, a sense of danger made me raise my guard immediately.
─Is something wrong, Tohno-kun? ─. She refers to me in such a familiar way... that she is scary.
I learned something from Touko-san for these kinds of situations.
─No. Sorry, it was nothing. I forgot what I was going to ask him.
What I learned from her is knowing when to avoid talking points.
It is lighter than water.
It would be stupid if I hadn't realized it, after all, I have lived with two [Magicians] for several years and learned many things that I can use for my self defense with alternatives to using my [Mystical Eyes of Death Perception] all the time.
It is only for a small amount.
But I, Shiki Tohno, have learned some magic coming from Aoko-san and Touko-san. And therefore.
Like my two intructors, I am able to tell when a person is using magic to disrupt people's memories.
Noel-sensei is not who he claims to be, but since I do not have a sufficiently valid foundation to substantiate this assertion, then I have no choice but to leave things as they are and see how they develop.