Please Do Not Abandon the Adopted Heroine

Chapter 22 – When Called “Oppa”… Instantly

“…That’s how things unfolded not long ago.”

“Hoo!”

The barbell’s rod bent oddly under the weight on both sides. A weight that surely surpassed a ton in kilograms. Just supporting that barbell with sheer muscles, even with the use of magic, transcended the realm of humans, in my opinion.

The director, dozing off as he listened to my story, suddenly exhaled sharply and lowered the barbell.

“…Hoo! Professor Neperna, you always manage to surprise me!”

“hahahahaha! It’s an honor.”

“Well, well. Let it be. I welcome any new stimulation around me if it startles me like you do. After all, appointing Professor Neperna was initially for that purpose.”

“You’re too kind. I, Eugene Sir Neperna. Didn’t you promise to uphold whatever was discussed between us when you stepped foot in this school with the director? hahahahaha!”

“Yeah, making oneself family with students is part of the deal too, it seems. hahahahahah!”

“Well… hahahahaha… unavoidable circumstances… But leaving that aside, what are your thoughts? For now, those kids are under Freiya’s protection.”

“Professor Freiya, huh?”

“It seems the girl named Rin is being fed and put to sleep directly by Freiya… And the younger sibling, Lan, isn’t in good health, so Professor Aegis is personally taking care of him. It seems Rin has eased his guard since then. Maybe it was possible because they’re of the same kind. However, the younger one…”

“Hmm… We probably don’t need to worry much about the boy named Lan’s health. There’s no healer in the empire who surpasses Professor Aegis. Even if he grows new eyes, it should be a breeze without the need for surgical intervention.”

“That’s true. I remember when he revealed himself as a family member to her. When he asked to become an experimental subject, I thought it was a joke.”

“…I’m relieved that Professor Aegis knows how to keep a secret.”

… ‘Knows how to keep a secret’… I wonder if that expression truly suits his personality?

“The problem is that the boy, Gran, is from the Banir tribe.”

“It’s hard to imagine any possibility other than the young Banir being blind.”

“There’s probably no chance of another tribe being involved.”

“I’d like to see if there’s a significant force within the empire that could attack the Banir tribe.”

“Ah, it seems the Banir tribe is quite stubborn.”

“… It must have been quite shocking for the Banir tribe to have their first offering to Brisingamen taken away by us. They are a tribe obsessed with gold. The goddess must be pleased.”

“…… The goddess… our moon goddess….”

At that moment, the director suddenly seemed to remember something and clapped his hands loudly.

“Whooa! The sound was so thunderous, I thought a bomb had exploded.”

My heart almost stopped. Well, not really.

“Oh! I completely forgot about the goddess. Let me regain my composure. hahahaha!”

“… Is something missing?”

“It’s nothing important. There will be a festival to honor the goddess soon. Although there are various events, our school has a tradition of students holding friendly competitions as an offering to the goddess.”

“…. Ah, I see.”

“Professor Neperna must be well aware of this. It’s essential for students assigned to a mentor professor. The mentors organize groups centered around the professors, essentially turning it into a conflict among the faculty.”

“I see.”

“Although it’s a festival, it’s also crucial for the faculty evaluation. Just keep that in mind. hahahahaha!”

“Ah… that’s quite useful…”

“hahahahaha!”

“………… I see….”

“hahahaha!”

“…………….”

Hmm…? What word just rang in my ears? P’ilcham? No, more importantly, the teacher evaluation…?

“Yes…….. Y-yes? Yes? What did you say?”

As I absentmindedly responded, I suddenly caught myself.

………. Yes? What about it? P’ilcham…? What evaluation…?

Is this a sudden announcement…?

***

“Breaking news! Urgent breaking news! Undine! Ignis! Cecilia, assemble!”

I dashed into my home office, which doubled as my quarters.

Bang! As I pushed the door open and entered, the curtain above the open window fluttered.

… Did I leave the window open when I went out this morning?

Anyway, I know now is not the time to worry about such trivial matters.

Undine and Ignis are fine even if they’re far away, but the remaining one is the problem.

“Teacher?! What’s going on?! Overwhelmingly serious, Undine is here!”

“Ughhh… I was just about to rest after finishing class… Why all of a sudden?”

Undine twinkled her eyes brightly, and Ignis, with drowsy eyes, scratched his tousled hair as they appeared.

I firmly grabbed their shoulders.

“Listen carefully. ‘Enwol Festival’ is scheduled in about two weeks from now!”

As I spoke with a serious tone, Undine blinked her eyes in surprise.

“Oh my… Did you happen to not know?”

“Uh, Wondine, did you happen to know?”

“Yes, are you talking about the festival? There’s a friendly match scheduled between students as part of the event.”

“Oh, right. That.”

“I knew. I received several requests to join as a mercenary there~ My, you’re so capable and beautiful that it becomes a flaw~♡ I wonder who will snatch you away quickly~ Hm~♡”

What did she say? Mercenary? Already…? Others were already preparing, and I had no idea?

Ignis looked at me as if finding me pitiful.

“It seems like you’re keeping your ears closed too much, Professor. The school has been so noisy lately because of that.”

… Was I ostracized alone? If there’s such information, couldn’t they have shared it with me?

I was reconsidering if I had done anything wrong when a rustling sound came from one side of the room.

“Oh my, Professor~ Did you have a cat or something? Looks like there’s mischief on the bed. How adorable♡”

“A cat. I live here alone.”

If I had one, I would have boasted to you, I added. Wondine, who had been wearing a faint smile, froze for a moment with a face as cold as ice, and in a blink of an eye, she even flipped the blanket.

The identity revealed from the fluttering blanket.

The scream that followed from Wondine might have been expected.

“Ack! Wha… What! Unbelievable! What on earth are you doing on the professor’s bed!”

“………”

“I-iik! What! Don’t pretend to be asleep and get up quickly!”

“……….”

“Hurry!”

“………… Sigh… Sniff…! Haa……”

Finally stretching, Cecilia’s fox-like ears perked up sharply. Seeing Undine looking like she might cry, I hurriedly pleaded for my life.

I truly don’t know. I’m innocent.

Meanwhile, Cecilia lazily opened her mouth.

“…I was taking a nap.”

“A nap…? During the day? Why are you here instead of in the dormitory! Why were you sleeping here!”

“The dorm is too far, I don’t like it.”

Undine, taken aback, stared at Cecilia with a dumbfounded expression as she wagged her tail and blinked her eyes. Suddenly, her gaze shifted to the pillow and blanket Cecilia was hugging.

“Exactly! The blanket’s scent changed! You sly fox! Have you already absorbed all of the sweet teacher’s essence by now!”

Undine, with a sudden move, buried her face in the blanket and melted onto the floor.

“Ugh… I even matched the detergent and fabric softener to the teacher’s preference to secretly give it as a gift!”

“Oh, are you talking about the gift you gave me last time? I’m using it well, thank you… Matching preferences…?”

“Well… it’s obvious, Undine. I wanted to create misunderstandings around the professor by matching scents just like yours.”

It was Ignis, perhaps acting as a protective older brother, who explained while representing his younger sister. It was only then that I could grasp Undine’s intention.

Undine suddenly got up, her eyes sparkling. Her recovery skills were almost like those of a Planaria. Undinaria remarked.

“Of course! If a man and a woman have the same scent, anyone would look at them suspiciously, right? Imagine Extra Number 1 passing by and accidentally smelling the teacher’s scent, ‘Huh? This…! It’s exactly the same as Undine’s scent! Maybe… Professor Nepherna… has something with that student?’ Even though the flustered teacher denies it quickly, pure-hearted Undine, whose memories of the previous night suddenly come back! Her face reddens and she can’t say a word…! Thump-thump, ahahahaha, it’s Bucket List 37-6!! Wheehee…”

I see. I almost found myself in a situation where I had to take off my clothes overnight without even realizing it. If rumors like that spread between the faculty and students, our lenient principal would certainly not remain silent. Our skilled-in-assassination student Undine, whether she knew my inner thoughts or not, began muttering with a serious expression.

“Just a moment… No… No. For such a result to occur, someone has to sniff the teacher’s scent, right? Gosh… Who would dare…! No! Absolutely not! No, no… It can’t be… This method needs to be reconsidered….”

As time passed, Cecilia approached me, her tail swaying.

“Cecilia.”

“Yes, Professor?”

“How did you get into my room?”

“…… Do you dislike me being close by?”

First, her tail sagged. Her downcast voice left me more bewildered.

Cecilia… I just asked how she got into my room; I never told her not to come near.

“It’s not that. I don’t really care, but if others see… they might get the wrong idea.”

“Professor, you’re so severe.”

“Hmm?”

“The one who used to come closer than anyone else, but when I approach, you keep your distance. It’s really upsetting.”

Was I being severe?

It was right at that moment when something within me, some sense of propriety, was slowly shifting.

“That’s what I’m saying! This is manipulation! Manipulation! As a student, I strongly protest! I demand a bit more sweetness… no, just some sweet affection!”

Should I simply pour some sugar on that soft, chatty mouth?

Softly, Cecilia said, “I won’t get caught next time.”

Exhaling a warm breath, she whispered. My ears grew warm,

“Ahem!” I coughed, clearing my head that had rushed forward.

I’m sorry. I’m a bad person. I won’t disregard a student’s presence again. I’ll make amends.

“… So Professor, what do you think about the squad? Even though it’s called a student friendly match, let’s be frank, it’s basically a showdown among the supervising professors, isn’t it? I heard from a friend that there’s a bit of a pride battle in it too.”

Ignis redirected the conversation, asking.

“Pride? That’s fine. The faculty evaluations are the real issue here.”

“Hmm…”

“First, including Cecilia and you, and also Windine, that’s three people…”

“I don’t care about me and Windine.”

“There’s nothing for you to do anyway.”

“I have a few dates planned on the day of the showdown…”

“Cancel them. Now. I don’t care how many there are, cancel all of them.”

The thought of you leisurely sitting with a girl (not your lover) in the stands, sharing ice cream while I toil away under the scorching sun is utterly unpleasant.

Ignis chuckled softly, shrugging his shoulders.

“… Well, if I include myself too. But isn’t the minimum number four people? We’re still short of one.”

“If the number of people is short, I might have a good suggestion.”

A sudden response came from across the room.

Then the door creaked open, revealing Freya.

“Freya! How did you…!”

Creak!

And behind Freya’s back, a girl appeared.

A familiar face, she looked at me and greeted me with an incredibly wide smile and a slight bow.

“……… Oh, hello! Brother! I’m really grateful for yesterday!”

“Wow, who is this? You’ve changed so much that I almost didn’t recognize you after just two days, Lin!”

“hehehe… It’s because Freya unnie lent me the clothes she used to wear before…!”

“Much more comfortable than my clothes, right?”

“No, it’s not! Your clothes were also comfortable, oppa!”

“Lina, I’m not unnie… Well, go ahead and call me whatever you want.”

It was when Freya touched her forehead. Suddenly, one couldn’t help but feel the atmosphere in the room turn cold.

“………….”

“………….”

“………… Hiccup!”

“………… Clothes? Teacher’s clothes? Oh, no, more like… oppa?”

With a question mark as the final word, Wondine fainted first, and the light disappeared from Cecilia’s eyes as she sobbed.