Zoemi couldn't pay attention to the class at all! Because of what he was about to try to do, he was nervously tapping his fingers on his thigh and glancing at the window time after time, glaring evilly at the sky that didn't seem to want to cooperate with his plans...
Come on...! Why is it so cloudy?!|
The black-haired attendant's plan was simple and sweet – instead of letting the heroine activate the Horeo's event, he would create an event just for Miriette and Horeo so the affection level of the two would increase or at least remain the same.
It may have sounded easy but as far as Zoemi's leftover memories about the game told him, the original script did not provide even a single event beneficial for Miriette – they all were meant to bring down the first prince's affection towards his fiancee down.
Simply said - if the heroine was there and the villainess was there - things will play out in such a way that the villainess will be shown in the worst light possible.
Therefore, the conclusion was easy - for everything to play out as Zoemi has planned, the heroine must be kept away from the pair!
...or at least from Miriette...
That's why that very day was perfect for making things work!
Regardless of which route the player would choose to complete, on the first day of school the heroine would encounter the scripted event in the cafeteria with two sophomore capture targets! She - together with a bunch of other students including the son of a duke, brown-haired Xeonith Zarble Derizno - will be pulled into a prank of the son of the country treasurer, the green-haired Reo Serentii Moyena.
Xeonith being an overwhelmingly prideful person wouldn't take kindly to being showered in oatmeal blown all over the cafeteria with the use of stealthily placed wind bomb spell, which would result in a confrontation between the two.
In the game, that would be the spot where the player could make their first real choice.
Pick the option to try to calm down the furious Xeonith by reminding him that an honorable man such as himself doesn't have to lower himself to the level of some cheap prankster, or go with the opposite choice and pick to defend Reo by saying that the wind bomb could be planted in the pot of oatmeal by any wind magician.
Although originally, Mireitte was not involved with that event whatsoever, Zoemi had no intention to run the risk of any possible suspicion falling on his master either way - so he wanted her as far as possible from that place.
...preferably the back of the academy building...
"Next person, please."
"..."
The black-haired boy was so preoccupied with thinking about preventing the possible threat for the dark-haired girl's safety, that he missed that the students' introduction was taking place and it was already his turn.
"Excuse me, can the next person introduce themselves?"
"..."
The teacher, a red-haired middle-aged mage clicked his tongue glaring in Zoemi direction, but the black-haired boy with the scarred face was looking out of the window and completely ignored any and all attempts on getting his attention.
Hmph! Rude brat! But what else could anyone expect out of a darkness magician?!|
The teacher thought to himself and...
"Boy, you are keeping your friends waiting....!"
...frowned, raising his voice brimming with dissatisfaction.
"Zoemi...!"
"!!!!"
Miriette leaned towards her attendant and whispered – and towards her, the reaction was instantaneous.
"What's the matter, my lady?"
As soon as he has heard his master's whisper coming from behind, Zoemi stood up from his seat and turned to her, as if everyone else in the classroom weren't even there.
"Is there something I could aid you with?"
"...!"
He asked bowing down, not paying attention to the startled students nor the teacher who already popped a vein from anger.
"...oh dear..."
Horeo sitting next to Miriette facepalmed and sighed, shaking his head while looking away.
"What are you doing!?"
Miriette put her hand to the side of her face to shield herself from some of the looks of other students and the increasingly agitated red-haired teacher.
"Zoemi – it is your turn to introduce yourself!"
"Ah! So we're going through the introductions!"
The black-haired boy gasped and turned back towards the rest of the class as if nothing happened.
"Hello everyone, my name is Zoemi Auequas, I wield darkness attribute magic, but I'm not a scary person. Instead, I am the attendant of the amazing lady Miriette Lisea Espine. Everyone, please, get along with my master!"
He put his right hand to his heart and bowed while smiling friendly.
"Uwa...! His face is scary!"
"You've heard him? If we'll mess with lady Espine he'll kill us!"
"Why must I be in the same class with a darkness attribute mage!?"
"..."
Zoemi - who sat right back down and started worrying over the future of his precious master again - didn't register the scared whispers of his classmates.
And neither did he see the exchange of worried looks between Miriette and Horeo - nor did he notice the sour face of Grazio...
...or the anxious, fearful glances of the blond-haired heroine, who tried to keep her distance from him even more than average students...
The scarred attendant was only worried if the magic he infused the picnic basket with would be enough to stop the darkness from dissolving the food hidden inside his shadow.
Using the shadow as a storage compartment was a convenient trick that the black-haired boy figured out together with the first prince Horeo and the young lady Miriette.
After a few months of trial and error, he could safely store various things in his shadow if only those things were encased in a protective layer of mana – but that would only work if they were completely covered in it, which was honestly pretty difficult to accomplish.
...
After the first period was over, Zoemi turned to his master.
"My lady, don't you think it would be nice to have lunch outside?"
He asked doing his best to appear innocent – so he showed off the left side of his face and smiled warmly.
"Are you talking about that spot behind the academy, you mentioned this morning?"
Miriette smiled back, leaning towards him while coiling a strand of her short hair around her index finger while adorably tilting her head, clearly interested.
As expected of my master! She catches on fast!|
Zoemi held back the excited shout that was forcing itself out of his throat and instead continued in a calm and composed voice.
"Exactly, my lady, it is a very beautiful place."
He slid back together with his chair, making their talk more intimate and discreet.
Or at least it was rather nice in the morning when I checked it out before my morning routine...|
The black-haired attendant thought to himself but decided that it wasn't something worth saying out loud because it could have soured the mood.
"Oh? Is it romantic...?"
Miriette leaned even closer to Zoemi and her voice lowered seductively...
...which might have even been unintentional, but probably not...
That was how a huntress about to catch her prey sounds like!|
Zoemi clenched his fists from excitement as he could already see in his imagination how the affection level between the Miriette and Horeo skyrocket after the intimate picnic!
"Of course... It is near the pond and is surrounded by blooming spring flowers, giving it an almost magical atmosphere..."
"...~!"
After hearing his words Miriette trembled in anticipation and leaned back in her seat with a slightly blushed face.
"Perfect. We shall go there after the morning classes are over."
She declared proudly and nodded her head benevolently.