“I’m not such a crazy wink enthusiast that I want to see everyone wink.”
‘Had Author Senna’s resolve wavered?’
‘Or was Reysir simply feeling burdened by being treated like a wink enthusiast, or did he just not want to see the winking scenes of some of us?’
The exact reason couldn’t be known for now.
Regardless, thanks to the Protagonist of Another Novel saying that with such a serious face, Pret’s suggestion for everyone to take turns winking was rejected.
For me, it was nothing short of a great relief.
“Then, to continue the training evaluation…”
Perhaps because the stiff atmosphere had softened.
Bjorn pointed out the students’ mistakes with a much more relaxed expression than before, and the students listening also reacted calmly without being overly intimidated.
Seeing this, Bjorn let out a sigh of relief while —.
“Dealing with children is difficult…”
He muttered, revealing his feeling of being at a loss.
Since he had prepared the mock battle in a game format to match the students’ level, I thought he was used to dealing with children, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
‘Rather, because he’s not used to it, was it a setting where he had no choice but to worry from various angles about how to conduct the lecture?’
If so, when he said he was disappointed in us with a serious face in the last episode…
It might have been because there was a risk of us getting seriously injured or dying if we entered the Demonic Realm like this.
I felt like he might have done that on purpose to make us stay alert because he was so worried.
‘Or maybe he was shocked because we felt too young to be fighting for our lives in a dangerous Demonic Realm…!’
At any any rate, after Bjorn finished evaluating all the students, mealtime was given.
Those on the winning team ate Dining Hall lunch boxes that came in triple-layered insulated thermal boxes.
Our team members, who had lost, made do with the retort food Reysir handed out.
In case my kind readers might worry about us, I should mention that the quality of the retort food Reysir carried was quite good.
Although there were no fresh vegetables, it contained tomato spaghetti along with a hamburger steak, so the nutritional balance of carbs, protein, and fat wasn’t bad.
Since it came as a set with flame-less heating packs, we could even eat it warm.
In fact, Bjorn’s meal was much more meager than ours.
Even though no one would have said anything if he ate the Dining Hall lunch boxes with the Cyan Team students.
He insisted on taking out immediate-consumption preservation rations from his Inventory to eat.
‘Did his conscience prick him, eating an expensive and delicious meal in front of students eating preservation rations?’
After lunch, a 30-minute break was given.
Following that, the Ribbon Snatching training began again.
Only a rule that everyone must actively participate in combat was added; the basic rules and team composition were the same as in the morning.
Since dinner was just something we would go to the Dining Hall to eat after the lecture anyway, no penalty for losing was set.
However, that didn’t mean anyone approached the training half-heartedly.
‘The result was, of course, our team’s victory.’
It was so one-sided that describing it in detail would be meaningless.
While Hailga was capable of long-range attacks using her Aether Attribute ability, Risi had no choice but to engage in close combat.
Furthermore, it was because the Protagonist of Another Novel, as if determined to make up for the stupid thing he did in the morning training, moved like lightning and went around snatching the ribbons of the opposing team members.
In the morning, because we were losing, we had to invade their Starting Point to take the opposing team’s ribbons.
But in the afternoon, the fact that we didn’t need to do that was one of the reasons the battle flowed so one-sidedly.
‘Will they reorganize the teams next time? Or has the original author prepared a way for both teams to compete equally while maintaining the current team composition?’
The lecture ended at 5:00 PM.
Usually, we ate dinner at 7:00 PM, so there would normally have been a bit of a time gap, but today, everyone suggested eating dinner early and getting some rest.
Since everyone had used up all their physical and mental strength by focusing on combat all day, it seemed they were all tired and hungry.
Even so, the location where the lecture was held was not inside the Academy but on the back hills, so a significant amount of time had to be spent moving.
We also needed to go to our rooms, take off our dirty clothes, and thoroughly wash off the dust covering our entire bodies.
In the end, it was only 6:00 PM, a mere 1 hour earlier than usual, when we gathered at the Dining Hall.
“Haaa… at this rate, wouldn’t it have been better to just handle dinner in our own rooms?
That stuff we ate at lunch was easy to eat…
It would be even better if we could eat Dining Hall lunch boxes right there after the lecture ends…”
***
After finishing the meal.
When I returned to my room, washed briefly, and changed into my pajamas, these thoughts came naturally to mind.
If I had done that, I wouldn’t have had to go through the inefficient process of moving my tired body and washing and changing clothes twice.
“Mya-nyang, mya-nyang.”
The wise baby dragon also expressed his agreement with my words.
While doing so, he stroked my head with his tiny hand, an action that felt as if he were encouraging me by saying I had worked hard today.
No, it was definitely an action with that meaning.
A wave of emotion washed over me, and my heart felt tight.
Thus, when I hugged Yor and buried my face in his soft mane.
— Knock, knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
Only after hearing that knock did I remember the promise I made with Reysir in the morning.
He had said at the end of chapter 227 that he would come to my room after dinner, but I had completely forgotten about it.
‘Should I open it?’
Even though I had given him permission to come.
Thinking about the disgraceful behavior the Protagonist of Another Novel committed during the morning lecture, his coming to my room felt incredibly unscrupulous and shameless.
‘Come to think of it, this guy even said in chapter 212 that he would win because I was on his team.’
It was only because I was a possessor that I was used to the taste of processed food.
If it had been the real Karbaldr, his palate might have been very sophisticated like Fjodra’s, and he might have felt a sense of repulsion toward artificial and stimulating sauces.
Thinking that way, I even felt a sense of resentment.
“Karbaldr, it’s Reysir… Are you inside?”
As I stared blankly at the door, the Protagonist of Another Novel on the other side knocked again and even spoke to me.
The thought of continuing to ignore him crossed my mind.
But remembering his tenacious personality, I approached the door and spoke.
“I am here, but I am debating whether or not to open the door.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Hmph!”
I snorted as if there were no chance, but my hand was already fiddling with the doorknob.
Because his apologetic voice had sunken weakly, making his sense of reflection feel vivid.
While I was debating when would be the best timing to open the door as if reluctantly, I suddenly realized I was wearing pajamas.
‘Would meeting a guest in pajamas be against noble etiquette?
Furthermore, we aren’t even close enough to talk while wearing pajamas…’
Since I had already said I was debating earlier, I thought I could just quickly change my clothes now.
The moment I took my hand off the doorknob with that thought.
“I did make a big mistake during the morning training.
But in the afternoon, even when Pret said things like, ‘Senior Karbaldr, are you crying right now?’ or ‘So that’s how Senior Karbaldr laughs~?’, I didn’t get distracted. As a result, our team won. So please forgive me, okay?”
“No, what on earth are you saying in the middle of the dormitory hallway?!”
Because the Protagonist of Another Novel brought up a comment that induced anger disguised as an apology, I had no choice but to snap and reflexively throw the door open.
After that, I tried to close the door again, thinking ‘Oops,’ but…
The cunning Protagonist of Another Novel was faster at shoving his foot into the door crack.
“How cowardly…!”
“I don’t know why you’re calling me cowardly. Since there’s no one but me in the hallway right now, you don’t need to worry about anyone hearing what I just said. Given the time, everyone must have gone to eat dinner.”
“……”
“Can I come in?”
Since he was stronger than me, if he was determined to swing the door wide open and come inside, there was no way for me to stop him.
‘Yet, for him to ask me like this was — thank my lucky stars?’
No way.
His attitude of insisting on getting words of permission from me felt truly persistent and mischievous.
“…Wait.
Since I forgot you were coming, I am wearing pajamas and need to change.”
“Why bother with that?”
“Isn’t it against etiquette to receive a guest in pajamas?”
“I don’t mind.”
“It’s not like we’re close enough to talk in such comfortable attire…”
“You’re already talking to me in that attire. Then at this very moment, we’ve become incredibly close, haven’t we?”
It was clearly nonsense, but I was frustrated because I couldn’t think of a rebuttal.
Greatly so.
“……On second thought, it seems attire has nothing to do with intimacy. Just come in.”
In the end, I had no choice but to utter these words and obediently open the door.
The sight of the Protagonist of Another Novel walking in with a beaming smile, closing the door, and changing into slippers was nothing short of detestable.
So, as I stood there with my arms crossed and a deep scowl, the other party scanned me and spoke.
“So you really do wear that style of pajamas.”
“‘Really’? Isn’t this normal?”
“Right, it is a traditional and common style. But I feel too exposed below if I only wear that, so I wear pajamas that are divided into a top and bottom.”
“……?”
Since I possessed this body, I had always worn only long, shirt-like pajamas that reached my ankles.
That was because all the pajamas in Karbaldr’s wardrobe were of this style.
Since the nightshirt was the general pajama style worn by European men after the 16th century, it was an appropriate outfit for the world-setting.
‘But pajamas with pants also existed…?’
No one had deceived me, but I felt somehow deceived.
“Why are you suddenly getting embarrassed? Didn’t you say with your own mouth that wearing a one-piece pajama like that is normal? That’s why I also admitted it’s a traditional and common style. Since Master Dyuf also wears those kinds of pajamas, I don’t think it’s particularly strange.”
I knew it too.
That there was nothing strange about me wearing these pajamas.
But for me, who possessed the sensibilities of a modern person, despite pants clearly being an option, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by the fact that I had been wearing a one-piece gown all this time—and was still wearing it now.
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