Hey, you know what?
What, Cecily Arkwright?　...and who is that?
You know, the...
Oh that's the cursed user who says he refused Cecily Arkwright's advances.
But you said no to his offer.　And yet you're holding hands...
'Dear Cecily, you haven't given up yet, have you?

Can't they teach you how to learn it?
'Isn't that why Lady Cecily is so obsessed with it, because it's not easy to do?
I don't approve of you dating certain men!　Because Cecily-sama is like the common property of the school!

But you're beautiful every time you look at her and you're strong and intelligent and she's just the kind of girl God loves.

　I heard the students' words as they passed through the main building's corridor.
　Indeed, Makina-san was right, 'The forbidden user appears! The news of the "Forbidden Wizard, Cecily Arkwright, refuses the advances of Cecily Arkwright! The news of the
　Cecily Arkwright is the center of attention.
　It may not be an exaggeration to say that she is the idol of the school.

　I look at Cecily, who is opening a basket next to me.

''.........''

　Well with this person, it's no wonder he's always at the center of the conversation, isn't it?

　I was currently sitting on the edge of the fountain alongside Cecily-san.
　However, this wasn't the fountain plaza, which was the students' resting place, but rather the small broken fountain on the back side of the main building.
　The fountain itself is difficult to see because of the thick growth of trees around it, and also because the bent branches and leaves of the trees cover the fountain in a way that makes it look like a roof.
　In terms of hiding, this might be the perfect place to do so.

'Come on,'

　Cecily holds out a basket.
　Inside was a piece of lightly toasted bread with cheese, tomatoes, and thin slices of meat between them.
　Is this........a sandwich?

'It's a staple at Reno thread, but it's a sandwich bread with cheese. Not sure if it's to your taste, though.

　I pick one up and try it.

"Oh, it's good.

　I guess the ingredients are good, but most of all........the balance of the ingredients is exquisite, I guess.

I'm glad I got up early to make it. It was worth getting up early to make it.
'What?　Then this........was this made by Cecily-san?
Yes, sir.
You cook.
My father and brother would be happy to see me make it. This is the kind of food that men like to cook.

　

''Here's some more.......herbal tea.

　Inside the basket were two small, silver-colored water bottles.
　After pouring the herbal tea into the cup with the lid, Cecily handed me a cup.
　I thanked her and drank the herbal tea I had received.
　Then I ate my sandwich - and........
　.........Ah.
　This herbal tea........goes perfectly with this sandwich.
　The taste is enhanced, or rather, enhanced.

　As recommended, I ate the sandwich in the blink of an eye.

''I ate most of it, but was that a good thing?

　In the end, Cecily only ate two things.

'Yes, I have a small appetite.

　With that, Cecily sipped her herbal tea with both hands in a gracious manner.

　Then, after a few moments of silence, Cecily cut in with her hands on her lap as she wrapped her empty cup around it.

'This may be a somewhat rude question, but may I ask you one thing?'
'Thank you for lunch. Ask me anything you want.
Then.....

　Miss Cecily's long lashes are slowly lowered.

'Why did you want to team up with Currier Versteen?
Well it's because I wanted to put it together, I guess. ...Honestly, that's all I can think of right now.
You mean you felt a strong attraction to her?
In a nutshell, it could be.

　Cecily puts her cup on the rim.

'I mean, that's--'

　Then I poked my hands on the edge and she leaned her upper body towards me.

'If you find me more 'attractive' than her, then I have a chance to win... can I interpret it that way?'

　........It's like I'm under duress and my face temperature rises.

''Oh, um, can I ask you one question too?''

　Her sky-blue eyes roll back and Cecily tilts her head.

'What?　Yes, go ahead.
'Cecily-san you treat me well because you see the value in being a forbidden spell user, don't you?

　And then Cecily drew back and put her index finger to her pale cherry-red lips.
　Then she turned her gaze into the air.



　.........right?

　Zeke-san had lightly touched on that area before, but I wanted to ask him just one more time.

''It's just--''

　Cecily-san, who tilted her head, sent me a sink eye.

　........I've seen those eyes a few times before.
　She has the charm of a flower spirit, and sometimes she has these eyes that remind me of a spirited fox.
　It's bewitching and seductive........but it also has some danger in it, those kind of eyes.

''Now I'm becoming somewhat.......curious about this one individual, Sagara Kurohiko.
One person, you mean...?
Yeah.

　I winced and winced slightly, feeling pressurized.

　I gulped.

　I took a breath to regain my composure, and then Cecily returned to her posture.
　The atmosphere that seemed to have sharpened earlier had already fizzled out.

''........Let's change the subject for a moment. Kurohiko.........what do you think of me?　Don't worry about anything, just say what you feel.

　So, as if to relieve the atmosphere of the place, Cecily-san gives a wry smile.

''........though it might be difficult to say....
'Well...'

　I thought for a moment before answering.

'I guess you'd say he's extraordinarily beautiful ... but he's also strong, smart and talented ... perfect.
...I see.
I'm sorry if I sounded offended.
No.

　With a pensive face, Cecily-san drops her gaze.



　Miss Cecily stroked her pale lemon hair that hung down her cheeks.

'When I was a little girl, my parents, my brothers and others around me complimented me on my appearance. Naturally, there was some flattery mixed in, but... well, no one feels bad about being complimented on their appearance.

　Huh, Cecily-san let out a self-mocking smile.

'It's just ... there's one problem. Whenever I fail or fail to do something, the people around me say, 'Cecily is pretty, so there's nothing wrong with her not being able to do it,'

　Cecily smiled downcastly.

'It's funny, isn't it?　If you're pretty, can you be forgiven for making a mistake?　........How can such a ridiculous story be true?

　There is a sting in her tone.

I want people to praise me for things other than my appearance. I want people to see me do my best. ...especially to my father and brother.

　With her hands on the rim, Cecily looks up at the sky.

'Then I realised that I was being hailed as the perfect, the genius ... and even the girl God loved. To be honest, I was puzzled. Because instead of being recognized for our efforts, everyone had come to believe that Cecily Arkwright had it all and could do anything.

　Cecily's eyes narrowed.

''Then I'll be able to do everything.......I've made up my mind.
..........
And if I do what no one else has been able to do, I'll be truly recognized for my efforts.

　A softness returns to the air surrounding Cecily-san.

''Huh... Even so, I had a bad temper when I was a child, you know?　No one who didn't know then would believe me, though.
Is that so?
Yes. Only, as the years went by, I was corrected by those around me who demanded that I be ladylike.

　



　Her voice had a somewhat ridiculous sound to it, as if she was making fun of herself.

''Girl........I have decided to go over my brother first. .........By the way, the reason I decided to make the attack team as three people is because when my brother was in this school, the three of us formed an attack team. ........Do you know the highest level of the Holy Ruins in this school?

　I think I heard that in a culture class, I think.

'Twenty-nine levels, was it?　........and that means--
''Yes. The person who surpassed the previous record of 24 levels, the highest level of attainment, by five levels, and set a new record for the school, was my brother.

　A breath of admiration escapes me.

'I see ... that's a tall, lofty goal.

　And there are only three of you.

But - and there you are. You will definitely be needed in the future to achieve my ideals, so I decided to stop focusing on the three of you and asked you to join the attack team, but you have been wonderfully rejected. you are.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry...
I don't need to apologize for that. More importantly........please continue to be a good friend to me if you can, Kurohiko. As a friend.........or maybe even a deeper relationship....

　A thin, milk-white hand is offered to me.
　I stiffly shook his hand.

"Don't be alarmed, I'm not going to eat you.

　Cecily-san smiled jokingly............but that's not what I meant by hesitating.
　The one just now was, shall we say, similar to that of hesitating to touch an expensive piece of art.

''Um, Cecily-san,''

　Again, hesitantly, I opened my mouth.

'What you said earlier ... why are you telling me?

　........I don't think that's something to talk about with someone who's only met you for a few days.

Apparently, gentlemen have a weakness for confidences from women.
"Huh?
That's what my mother told me. So just think of that as my own pickup line.

　Cecily-san smiles vaguely and releases her handshake.

''Well I see that I still have a chance to win, so I guess it's time to go back.

　Hmmm, Cecily stretches out.

'................

　The fact that she stretched and bent over at the same time made her shapely breasts strangely accentuated, and if it were a man, it would have been a hee-hahaw scene... but I wasn't in the mood for that, and I decided to say the words I had been debating whether to say or not.

'Cecily-san,'　
Yes?
You know, about your impressions.
Yes, what is it?
What I just said is, indeed, the impression I had of you.
'Oh, do you mind?　Huh, I'm not worried about it, it's fine.
No, actually, there's one more thing.
?

　The words that Cecily-san released the night before last come to mind.

''Doomsday Township........and the people from the abominable Sixth House.......both of which I intend to purify in the future when I join the Holy Tree Order. --

　If that's what she calls 'my ideal'.

　I squeezed my combined hands in my lap.
　I don't know if I can say this, but--

I know it's not my place to say that, but I'm a little concerned about you.
Me?
'Miss Cecily was like a beautiful but fragile glasswork on a dangerously balanced platform...'
..........
That's what it looks like.
...Oh, I see.
So I thought it would be great if I could help hold it up... even if I couldn't change the stand, I could at least hold it up.
..........
''It might be difficult to form an attack team, but if there's anything I can do, please don't hesitate to tell me. Of course, I can do it as a Forbidden Spell User.

　After I finish saying it, I start to sweat uncomfortably.
　........What am I saying?
　I panicked and tried to look cheerful.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say anything weird!　Oh no, what am I talking about, me!
No....

　Picking up the basket, Miss Cecily leaves the fountain.
　Her slender shoulders and slender feminine lines stand out in the back.
　I knew she was very beautiful.

　But I can't see her expression.
　I was getting uneasy.
　Now, I might have offended her.

　And as I was leaving--

　The words Cecily-san left behind were these words.

'It's troubling, Kurohiko.........................If you say that--I'm going to want you more and more, aren't I?

　　　　　　　　　　*

　Once the lunch break is over, the next step is the jutsu class.

　However, since I can't handle the holy element in this class, when we moved on to the practical content, Soraku Kurohiko was the only one to sit in the classroom.
　While everyone else in the outdoor area where we fought Cyclops was doing Thunderbolt-like lightning strikes at the target, I was indoors quietly reading a book.

''.........''

　Well, knowledge is important, Currier-san said.

　Also, the academy is currently considering what to do about the evaluation of the first period in my jutsu class.

　By the way........Cecily-san, who parted ways like that during the lunch break, spoke to me in a perfectly normal manner before the art form class.
　However, Cecily-san and Currier-san were subtly trying to keep each other in check, or perhaps they were just trying to keep each other in check, so she didn't talk to me during the class, which made me feel more and more alone.
　So the only person who talked to me in class was Ira-san.
　That Ira-san was in a lively tone of voice.

"Don't look so shabby, d*mn it!　Come on, cheer up!　

　And, as if to cheer me up, he patted me on the back.

　Only then did I feel that Currier-san and Cecily-san's breaths, which were clothed in cold air, seemed to match perfectly... maybe it was my imagination.

　　　　　　　　　　*.

　Then, after the surgical class was over, after school.

　I said a word to Currier-san and then headed to the library.

　The school library is located to the east of the main building.
　It's not integrated with the main building, but the main building and the library are connected to each other by a covered walkway.

　When I reached the front of the library, I opened the formal double doors and went through the arched entrance.

　The high-ceilinged interior of the library, with its vaulted ceilings, expands into view.

　The color of the semicircular lights that poured down was orange, unlike the pale crystal lights.
　There are some plants that look like ornamental plants here and there.
　It looks like a coffee shop with a classic atmosphere where people gather to read books, but now it looks enlarged.

　I suppose it is partly because of the noisy atmosphere that gives it the impression of a coffee shop.
　The library has a strong image of being a quiet place, but everyone, including the students, is chatting away in a chatterbox.
　In the meantime, the library has been explained to me.
　Yes.
　This is a place where chatter is allowed.
　As I recall........the space for reading books is in the basement, right?

　Nevertheless, my purpose is to meet Clarice-san.
　I go to the information desk and tell her I'm here to see her.
　The receptionist immediately informed me that she was here to see me.

　He told me that Clarice was in the special reading room in the basement.
　I thanked him and followed the directions he gave me to the special reading room.