I knock on the Dean's office door.

'It's Kurohiko. Are you okay now?
Oh, Kurohiko?　Yes, go ahead.

　When I opened the door and walked in, I saw Ms. Makina staring at the papers.
　Makina-san puts the papers on the desk.

'What's wrong?'　I have a first semester exam tomorrow, are you ready for that one?
Cecily tutored me in writing, so I think I can handle it.

　In fact, the other day I was given some valuable time and tutored by Cecily-san, who had excellent grades.
　Aside from the practical test for combat classes, I still had some concerns about the written exam, as my knowledge of this world was still limited in some areas.
　So, while I was studying, he gave me some tips and tricks of where I might appear on the exam.
　In a way, it was a time when I lacked concentration, but in the end, I was able to complete my written exam preparation thanks to Cecily.
　Also, it seems that my jutsu skill test, which I couldn't handle the holy element that was hanging in the air, will be replaced by the content of presenting forbidden spells to jutsu users and scholars from influential noble families related to this school.
　The purpose of this is for academic research, and since Makina-san and Clarice-san will be present at the site on that day, there doesn't seem to be any particular concern about being alarmed.

''To Cecily........she's a particularly good student, you know. 　Was he able to focus properly with the Private Instructor?

　The teasing in Makina-san's gaze.

''Well to be honest it was a pretty tough private class.

　People have a past that they don't want to talk about much.
　I realized that Cecily is still a horrible little angelic devil who is a mixture of aware and unaware.
　I'd like to believe that I'll eventually have the opportunity to talk about it - I don't want to believe it.
　Makina-san rested her weight on the back and cut her off, ''So........''

''You're visiting the headmaster's office other than on call, is there something you want to discuss with me?''

　There are many cases where Machina-san comes to my house for a meal or just to chat about trivial matters or to vent her grievances.
　On the other hand, when I visit the headmaster's office, he often comes to me with something to discuss.
　I told her that I was going to the Iowa farming area and that I wanted to invite Makina-san to do so.

"Huh?　I don't know how you managed to get a spare room over there at this time of year. You didn't plan this all along, did you?

　When I told the story of how the student body president had arranged for a special room to be made available.

　It's not as easy as it sounds, especially when you've just heard that a relative of yours has been given a room to stay in. Well, you always elicit a positive response from the most unexpected person. Starting with that hibigami.
''I'm going to properly thank Chairman Dristos again. So ... will Makina-san be able to go?
Hmmm, I'm not sure.

　Makina-san pours her gaze over the documents on her desk.
　The edges of her mouth are twitching with a smile, mmmmmm.

It's a good thing that you're able to have a little bit of time to relax since the work related to the Seibu Festival has settled down recently, but in the meantime, there's another paperwork that has accumulated in the meantime.... It feels like the end of
You know, I don't suppose you could just give me a hand with that?

　Makina smiles bitterly.

"I appreciate the offer, but this isn't a task that Kurohiko can do overnight. You'll need a huge amount of background information to keep track of.
Well.....

　With the Holy War Festival and my normal work overlapping, is it still tough for Makina-san to stay the night.......
　At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

''It's Mia.''
Mia?　Yeah, you can come in, okay?

　The door opened and Mia, dressed in a maid's uniform, bowed.

'Excuse me.'

　Mia walks into the room and stands next to me.

'About the Iowa Nourishing Ground I suggest you go there.
Did you hear what I said, Mia?
'I'm sorry. I know it's rude, but I'm sorry to ask. Well I feared that Makina-sama might decline.

　She had sensed that someone was at the door, but it was Mia.
　'Huh,' breathed Makina-san.

'Then you heard me right. I'll have to turn this story down. More than anything else, you know the amount of work I have to do, and Mia, of all people, has the best grasp of it, right?
Yes, sir. That's why I know best how much work I can do in my place.

　A change in Makina-san's facial expression differs.

'Mia, you........'
As expected of a Machina-sama. Yes, I am. While you are staying at the Iowa Nurturing Area, may I be so presumptuous as to accept a part of the work that I can do as well?　Wouldn't that make it possible for Makina-sama to go to the Iowa Nourishing Ground?
But that means that Mia's--

　When I point out Mia's burden, Mia, who seems to have been the first to notice something, winked at me and stopped me from starting to say that it's okay.
　Mia got her feet together and bowed to Makina-san.

''It is the duty of a maidservant to not only take care of your personal affairs, but also to consider the mental state of the Lord you can use......I was taught that. Therefore, if Makina-sama refuses this offer, I had no qualifications to be Makina-sama's maidservant - I have no choice but to judge that.
Mia....
So go ahead...

　Mia looked up and smiled at him.

'Welcome, Makina-sama.




　Thanks to Mia's cleverness, it was decided that Makina would go to the Iowa nursery.
　However, Mia's preemptive folding of the refusal was a brilliant word.
　She must have known well the character of Machina, and that was the reason for her quick thinking.
　Mia-san is usually a genuine person, but she doesn't make any mistakes that seem to be mistakes in housework or work, and she's a remarkably good person in a wide variety of ways.
　At the very least, she's able to take on some of Machina's tasks in her place.

　By the way, it was decided that Makina-san would participate in this event, but she would start on the second day.
　She said it was indeed difficult to stay for two nights and three days.
　Still, I'm happy to have Makina-san here.
　Of course, the most important thing is that this Iowa vacation will refresh my mind.




　The next day, the morning of the first semester's examinations, I was in the classroom of the Shishigumi.
　When I told the Shishigumi classroom that Makina-san had been chosen as the last one to go to Iowa, Curie-san, Cecily-san, and Ira-san welcomed me to the classroom.
　I'm going to tell Ray-senpai after the exam, but that guy should be welcoming us too.

　And.........the biggest contributor to making Makina-san's trip to the Iowa Fostering Ground this time would be Mia-san, after all.
　........I'll have to thank her in some way when she comes back from the Iowa farming area.




　Thus, the first semester exams ended successfully.

　Right now, in the classroom and in the corridor, everyone has a sunny expression on their face, as if they were freed from their chains.
　It seems that even in this world, exams are a depressing event.
　It may be that just being in a position to take an exam is actually something to be thankful for, but.......

I'd like to ask you something, but--
Yes?　Oh, Miss Cecily.

　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who's been in a position to do this.

'This written exam... how did you do in my private lessons, Sagara?

　Finally, Cecily Arkwright had mastered the limited "kunn" attachment.

''Yes, thanks to Instructor Cecily, it's a perfect fit.

　Cecily said, "Hmmm? He studies my face very persistently.

'........Cecily Sense, right?

　Cecily curls her smoldering, shapely, cherry-red lips.

''Ugh...''

　I'm really sorry that I let the momentum get the better of me and instilled trivial knowledge in the Arkwright family, mainly.
　And I had no way to stop the phenomenon of my face becoming feverish as I looked at it.

''Hahahahaha!''

　Cecily, who suddenly couldn't take it anymore, laughed and nimbly tapped my shoulder blades with a floppy, floppy, floppy sound.

'Kurohiko, you're turning all red!　I'm sorry, was that a bit much?
...It's awful, Miss Cecily.
'What do you mean?　The awful thing is that it's the original, if you can call it that, Blackhawk!　I tried to watch him study diligently, but he couldn't concentrate at all... And then, for some reason, he got angry all of a sudden... And maybe it was just the momentum of the moment or something...

　Ms. Cecily put her hand on the bottom of her head and made a shio-like pose, oyoyoyo.

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

　As expected, he knows how to change gears the moment all the students other than the members of the Iowa Yodachi-bound group disappear from the classroom.

''That's why I'm sorry!　I mean, that was, you know, even Cecily-san, who wore explicit clothes, was bad...?

　The way I said it earlier, there's also a subtle and arbitrary factual alteration going on.

'Whoa!　You're putting this on me?　I see, this is the best kind of evil...........　I finally understand, too.

　Hmm.
　There's room for a small joke like, 'I finally understand, too,' with a sober face while pushing up the tendrils of an imaginary eyeglass.......
　Moreover, before you know it, the "Demon King" Sagara Kurohiko's commentary on the "Demon King" has been incorporated into the material for counterattack.......well, this guy has traced Hibigami's words in the past as well.......

　From the side, it might look like an argument, but well, this is partly because they know each other.
　This A-Un is probably one of Cecily's most beautiful points.

'Let's get rid of Kurohiko's candidate and really become a candidate for Currier already...?

　A-Un exchange........right?
　I was slightly uneasy about it.
　Since we became partners in the quest to win the Seibutsu Festival, our relationship has accelerated even further.
　Is this the second part of the secret garden where the lilies are in full bloom.......

''Hey, we have to get along!　We're all going to Iowa soon, you know.　Right?　Well, Cecily's a little crazy too, isn't she?

　Ira-san interrupted, looking seriously worried.
　Cecily-san returns a bitter smile.

''Ho, I'm not seriously fighting with you, so it's okay, okay?　Hmm, don't worry.
...Is that so?
Of course. Isn't that right, Kurohiko?
Yes, of course I was joking. The only person who was really angry was Cecily--
'Kurohiko!　You're betraying me here!
Just kidding.
d*mn it!　Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
...Cow thing?
..........
..........
There's no way!

　I hid my voice.

'Miss Cecily, you're out of the water........'

　Just like the place where you are frustrated becomes easy to frustrate again, Cecily-san may be gradually becoming more and more grounded.......

''Ughhh.......it's your fault, isn't it?

　A little bit Cecily was a little bit teary-eyed.

''S-sorry ... I'm a little sorry ...''
Why are you always so mean to me and only me?　Moooooooooooooooooo!

　I chuckle as I poke fun at Cecily-san, who smacks me in the face with her pop-pop-pop hardware.

''Cecily-san, I often feel like doing some kind of small-scale nasty thing... I always wonder if I'm being bad?
What's that?
That's a cute reaction, and I just couldn't resist.

　The rush to get to the bottom of the situation came to a screeching halt.

Phew, all right then!

　For a change, it was a satisfied Cecily.

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

　I feel like I've been able to draw out a few words from you earlier through clever guidance........
　Ira-san pats his chest.

''What, we weren't really fighting................Good. Hahaha........I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'm actually really looking forward to going to Iowa this time. After all........we all want to have fun and get along with each other!
"I'm really sorry for causing you unnecessary worry, Ira but it was mainly Kurohiko.
'Miss Cecily!　You're betraying me here!

　Currier-san, who had been sitting in her seat in silence for a long time, muttered to herself with a dumbfounded face, "I never get tired of looking at you guys.......




　The evaluation of the first semester's exams is not immediately available.
　Iowa Nurturing Ground--even after returning from Iowa, we're still waiting for each evaluation score to be released for a while.
　The unveiling of my forbidden curse hasn't taken place yet either, and this one will take place after I return from Iowa.
　I thought that going to Iowa this time was the right decision, even if it meant stretching my wings after the exams were over - or so I thought.

Isla-san's not feeling well...?
Yeah, the weather's turned out to be a great day for a trip, but...

　The day after the closing ceremony of the last term - that is, the day we were leaving for the Iowa nurturing area.
　In front of the square of the Great Clock Tower (under restoration), where we were to meet, Ray-senpai told us that Ira's condition was not good.

'I'll have plenty of rest after we go to Iowa, so I didn't hear that we're going to do the same amount of training as usual until the day of the event... I guess I'm feeling tired all over again on the day of the event...?　But it's just fatigue, so I'm sure if you get some rest you can join us tomorrow.

　Ray-senpai lowers his eyebrows.

''I wonder if the last stop that led to my physical condition is due to the fact that it seems I had too much fun and slept too little lately...''

　I can't help but chuckle as I have an idea of what I'm talking about.



　I'm currently taking on Ira-san's training partner until the end of the Seibu Festival, but I had to take a break from training before the exam.
　Ira-san always tries too hard, and I usually told her to be careful not to train too hard.
　But.........if the reason for this was that she was looking forward to the trip so much that she couldn't sleep for days on end, it would be hard to chide her for this.
　The emotions that fill your heart with anticipation are difficult to suppress.

　But ill health can't be cured by a healing technique.
　That's why it's important for you to rest your body for now.
　Besides, there's still a chance that you can join us tomorrow.
　That's why it hasn't been decided that Ira-san can't come to Iowa Nourishing Ground anymore.

''I understand.
Haha, you're a very perceptive person, aren't you? Yeah. If we don't tell them early, it is likely that Kurohiko and the others will come to check on them carefully, or even postpone their departure by a day, so Ira asked me to deliberately tell them after they have finished their preparations.
...I see.

　That kind of concern is typical of Ira.

Ira doesn't want to put a damper on our fun trip to Iowa because of him. That's why I'm happy for the three of us to have a good time without worrying about anything.

　I had a feeling that this was the case, but it looks like Rei-senpai is planning to stay behind as well.

It's a good idea to have a good time with the three of you, since you'll be joining us tomorrow anyway. Right?
'If that's what you mean but if you're feeling okay, you'll definitely come back tomorrow, right?　You promise, right?
'Yeah, I know!　And besides, it's not all bad, since we're leaving tomorrow and we get to ride in the Renoir family's luxurious carriage, right?

　As expected of Ray-senpai.
　It seems he's already spoken through to Makina-san.
　Currier-san, who had been listening to the conversation in silence, opened her mouth.

It wouldn't be good if we forced him to go with us and he got worse in the process.

　Cecily continued.

'Well it's a shame I can't go with Isla, who always softens the atmosphere of the place, but I guess I can't help it.
Miss, it's time to go.

　Mr. Banton called out to him from the carriage's gosholder's stand, pocket watch in hand.
　'We are to take the Arkwright family's carriage to Iowa,' said Mr. Banton.

'I understand, Mr. Bunton. Well, Ray I'll see you tomorrow. And tell Ira that I look forward to seeing you in Iowa.
'But at the same time, tell them not to overdo it. We have a holy war festival on Isla, you know. Well.....

　Mr. Currier sniffs, humphing.

'Of course I'd be delighted if Isla came,'

　Senior Ray smiles.

All right. I'll be responsible for telling them. So, Kurohiko, Cecily, Currier, I'll see you tomorrow.
Please tell Ira-san not to get too overwhelmed. Also, if you can't make it this time I'll be responsible for bringing Aila-san to Iowa again.
You're right, Kurohiko. Yeah, I'll tell them that too. Well, be careful out there.

　Once senior Ray's back was out of sight, we carried our bags into the carriage while talking about how worried we were about Ira-san's health.

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

　--I don't know if I'm a sleeper.

　To tell the truth, I've been sleeping poorly lately, too.
　It wasn't a lack of excitement about going to Iowa, but there was a bigger mental reason.
　The new Ssangyong technique didn't quite take shape, and as expected, I was beginning to get impatient.
　Also, no matter how many times I tried to simulate a fight with Hibigami, which I repeated before bedtime, I was not likely to win.
　This was accelerating my impatience.
　Thanks to this, I was starting to get suitably stifled these days.
　I'm well aware of the dangers of sleep deprivation.

　But today I'm okay.

　Thanks to a measure, I was able to sleep better last night than I have in a long time.
　Because last night I took a sleeping potion that she gave me when Shanatrice Twelfth was staying in the royal capital.

'Whenever you feel like forgetting everything and going to sleep in peace, take this potion. Take this potion when you want to forget everything and get a good night's sleep, but only when you really need it.　Actually, the drug is-- Oh, my God!　What the hell was that?　Did you see that, Blackie?　A bird I've never seen before is now looking out the window--'

　I was only halfway through the explanation, but, well, I'm pretty sure it's a sleeping pill.
　And even if there were side effects, if it only made me a little taller like Makina-san before, it wouldn't be a problem.

　There was a slight change of plans, but it looks like Ira-san, Rei-senpai and Makina-san will be able to join us tomorrow.

　Yeah--.

　Following the Cirrus Baths, the training camp at Iowa Nourishment Area is going to be fun.