The next morning.
I went to work at the Knight Order Headquarters as usual.
“Yesterday, Veronica-san locked herself in the research lab after we finished… saying she was going to make a new staff.”
I wanted to linger in the afterglow of our passionate time together, but Veronica-san was Veronica-san, after all.
She was probably working hard on developing a new staff.
…Just as I was thinking that, the person herself appeared right in front of the entrance to Headquarters.
Her carelessly tied black hair fluttered in the wind.
Her unadorned face looked strangely alluring, perhaps due to what happened yesterday.
“Good morning, Veronica-san.”
My heart pounded with a familiar ache as I greeted her.
“A-Abel… G-goo… Good… morning…”
As soon as Veronica-san saw me, her expression became unusually awkward.
Her gaze darted around, and she seemed a bit suspicious.
Where did her usual go-your-own-way attitude go?
“Veronica-san…?”
Could it be… she’s intensely embarrassed?
She’s still so cute.
“W-w-what is it?! Stop staring at me like that…!”
Veronica-san yelled, her face flushing red.
Oh, this is bad.
Is this the pattern where she unleashes her usual attack spells?!
…Just as I braced myself,
“…It’s embarrassing. After what happened yesterday…”
Veronica-san mumbled.
She had a demure demeanor I had never seen before.
It was as if she had truly become a different person overnight.
…No, could it be.
Is this all an act?!
Trying to lull me into a false sense of security…
“Of course, it’s not an act! I just… I don’t know what kind of face to make!”
Veronica-san shouted, her ears completely red.
Ah, I must have spoken my thoughts out loud without realizing it.
“An-anyway, I’m going now!”
Veronica-san turned her back sharply and,
“…Will you help me with the staff development today too?”
“Ah, yes. If I can be of any help, I’ll cooperate with anything.”
“A-a-anything?! No! I don’t mean anything strange by that. So, about yesterday… it was strictly for research purposes, so please don’t get carried away and think that we’ve become… l-l-lovers or anything, I’m not having such delusions, I swear!”
“Huh?”
“See you later then!”
With that shout, Veronica-san ran off without even looking back at me.
What in the world is going on…?
“…Hey, that was Veronica-san, right?”
“Whoa, Claire!?”
Before I knew it, Claire was standing behind me.
When did she get there…?
“…Don’t tell me something happened between you and Veronica-san.”
Claire glared at me with a pointed look.
“W-what do you mean by ‘something’…”
“Veronica-san, who hates men, not firing off a greeting attack magic at Abel.”
“No, she doesn’t always blast attack magic at me…”
“You do.”
“……Yes, you’re right.”
I involuntarily nodded at Claire’s lightning-fast retort.
“And the way she looked at you… it was somehow, you know…”
Claire rested her chin on her hand and pondered with a thoughtful expression.
“It’s really bothering me. My woman’s intuition is tingling. Perhaps Veronica-san… with you—”
“No, no, no, no, no.”
I hastily waved my hands.
“…You’re being even more suspicious.”
…But the questioning didn’t end there.
“………… (stares)”
“…Good morning, Abel-kun.”
“…Good morning, Abel-sama.”
Dita, Lil, and Racine all stared at me intently.
“Whoa, when did the three of you get here!?”
Along with Claire, is it a trend to stand behind me silently?
“…Veronica’s behavior was strange.”
“She was looking at Abel-kun like she had a fever.”
Dita and Lil pressed on.
As I involuntarily stepped back, Racine smiled at me.
“That was a woman’s face. Natasha said, ‘When a woman knows a man, she changes’~”
She’d said that before.
Speaking of which, Racine’s eyes don’t seem to be smiling, even though her mouth is?
“…Don’t disrupt the squadron’s morale too much, Abel-kun.”
“Now Ashe-san too!?”
Why is everyone standing behind me silently?
And they’re all giving me pointed looks.
“I-I wouldn’t dream of disrupting morale… I-I’m not…”
…Or am I?
Come to think of it, I’ve slept with all the women in the Third Squad.
Stare.
Claire, Dita, Racine, Lil, Ashe-san.
They all stared at me intently.
A cold sweat started to seep down my back.
That afternoon.
“I apologize for this morning. I… I lost my composure.”
Veronica-san was surprisingly humble.
It was unsettling.
Even if it was for magic power research, we’d become… intimate. Did Veronica-san develop some feelings for me?
Regardless of the reason, it’s good that our distance has narrowed.
I, too, would like to get along with Veronica-san if possible.
Especially after yesterday, I felt that desire even more strongly.
“S-so, stop staring…! It’s embarrassing.”
Veronica-san exclaimed petulantly.
“…I’m still not used to this sort of thing.”
“I’m sorry, Veronica-san’s embarrassed look is so fresh… Um, it’s cute.”
“Th! …~!~~!”
The moment I spoke my true feelings, Veronica-san’s expression changed into something indescribable.
Her face, from her cheeks to her ears, turned bright red, and she lowered her head, unable to speak.
Is she angry, embarrassed, shy, or…?
Her mixed emotions made it impossible to read Veronica-san’s true feelings.
“W-well, putting that aside…”
Veronica-san cleared her throat.
Perhaps she had regained her composure, and returned to her usual demeanor,
“Thank you for your cooperation yesterday… Well, um… whatever. I suppose I could say I’m grateful.”
Are you trying to thank me or not, Veronica-san?
“Thanks to you, I’ve been able to completely analyze your magic power. As expected, hands-on research is important for everything.”
“Mm…”
“So… then.”
Veronica-san’s glasses glinted, reflecting the light in the room.
“I think I’ve found a hint for its completion.”
“The completion… hint?”
I echoed her words and then suddenly realized.
“Does that mean—”
“Your staff can finally be put to practical use.”
Chapter 8, “The Path to Hero, Days of the Harem,” will begin next. We will be taking a break from updates for about a week, and plan to resume on June 8th (Wednesday).
