Chapter: 14. Unexpected Candidate
Now, in the professor’s eyes, Nagine is just an innocent and kind newcomer, as well as—a student assistant responsible for organizing materials.
She had carefully planned this “chance” encounter, skillfully creating a first impression of being helpful, serious, and reliable. She even subtly mimicked some of the mannerisms and details of that late granddaughter, deepening his impression of her.
At the Star Academy, professors often select trustworthy student assistants from the newcomers to help with daily tasks unrelated to their abilities, such as archiving research materials related to environmental management, or editing charts needed for external promotion of the academy.
Naturally, Nagine wouldn’t miss this open opportunity to get closer to the professor.
She had Erika use her ability to gently “adjust” the selection results for the assistant position—thus, it was “by chance” that she was chosen.
With this, she smoothly became the professor’s personal assistant, quietly drawing closer to him.
Compared to her past, when she was Kazuki’s childhood friend and had to find ways to get closer bit by bit, this progress was astonishingly rapid—of course, this is also because the goals are different.
She didn’t need the professor to awaken to the point of saving the world—she just needed him to have a second awakening under certain circumstances, awakening the “Fragment of the End” within him, which would be sufficient.
The archive of the Star Academy.
Sunlight poured through the high windows.
It painted the wooden floor with a warm golden hue.
The air was filled with a faint smell of aged paper and printer ink, with the metal scanner occasionally emitting a “beep” that intertwined with the rhythm of Nagine’s fingers tapping on the keyboard, creating a quiet and focused melody.
This is one of Nagine’s daily tasks now, helping Professor Tenjo input the materials he is responsible for into the computer.
In today’s so-called information age, beginning to input materials into an information database now seems a bit delayed, especially for an organization of abilities like the Star Academy, which handles advanced technology.
Something is changing.
And Nagine does not yet know what it is; Erika’s abilities have not provided any useful information.
She sits at a side desk against the wall, with research notes from thirty years ago and several yellowing copies spread out before her, while a nearby holographic terminal automatically inputs the classification labels she types, organizing them into file format.
“Thank you for your hard work, Ayane-kun.” The professor’s voice came from behind Nagine as he walked over, low and slightly hoarse.
He placed a cup of brewed black tea in front of her.
“Isn’t tonight the newcomer banquet? Isn’t it a problem for you to be here with an old man like me so early in the morning?” The professor’s tone carried a hint of subtle amusement.
It seemed to suggest that a pretty girl like Nagine should be excitedly selecting her evening gown to wear tonight with her peers, or discussing which handsome upperclassman would host the banquet, right?
Though he knew this young assistant had a serious and meticulous personality, to persist with such monotonous work on a special day felt just like her past—
In a daze, the professor couldn’t help but see the black-haired beauty in front of him overlap with someone from his memories, and a wave of fondness surged in his heart.
Just as he was about to call off Nagine’s work and force her to take a break to prepare for tonight’s newcomer banquet, she revealed a slightly shy and awkward smile first:
“…Actually, I haven’t found a dance partner for tonight’s banquet, so I might not be able to attend…” Nagine excellently displayed the acting skills she had learned as a child star.
In that moment, she seemed genuinely like a young girl who felt a bit embarrassed for not finding a dance partner while also longing to attend the newcomer banquet. Those introverted, shy, longing, and troubled emotions were perfectly portrayed by her.
Nagine’s pre-prepared lines had their intended effect.
The professor’s expression upon hearing this was as if he had heard something unbelievable.
How could such a pure-looking and outstanding new girl not have a single boy invite her to the newcomer banquet?
For a moment, the professor almost thought the boys at the Star Academy had a serious issue with their preferences—though this trend is popular in Hawaii, the Star Academy is ultimately a Japanese-founded institution, and he himself is Japanese, so his values in this regard are still quite conservative.
However, Nagine added with a bit of fluster and forced bravado, “N-no, actually someone did invite me… but I was too embarrassed to accept because I was worried my dancing wouldn’t be good enough…”
To avoid the other party noticing any inconsistencies, Nagine naturally had to put effort into the details.
“I wonder if I was misunderstood and that’s why no one has invited me to the banquet anymore… Hehe, I guess it’s my own fault~”
Finally, Nagine flashed a smile filled with forced bravado, yet one that conveyed her loneliness.
This blow could almost destroy countless men’s defenses and stir their protective instincts—Professor included, especially that smile, which reminded him of his dearly beloved granddaughter who, on her birthday, would seem to need a certain doll in the store but would force a smile to show that she didn’t need it.
Yet back then, he had been so absorbed in research that he didn’t grasp the girl’s true feelings.
It was only after she had forever left him that that smile transformed into an irreplaceable regret.
In an instant, the professor couldn’t help but want to comfort the girl in front of him: he would help her find a suitable dance partner and was even willing to take her to the banquet himself.
But just then, his phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
“Ah, excuse me, just a moment.” The professor glanced at the side pocket where his phone was.
It was an emergency call phone, and he had to set aside the matter at hand.
As he took out the phone and walked outside, he truly embodied the role of a professor at the Star Academy, with a complete awareness and means to prevent eavesdropping.
Even if Nagine strained to listen, she couldn’t discern anything he said on the phone.
Moreover, Erika’s abilities cannot be used anytime or anywhere at the Star Academy due to the existence of the “rules”; students and even teachers cannot casually use their abilities unless in permitted circumstances.
So Erika must choose the right timing for each use of her abilities.
But clearly, “now” is not that time.
After around 3 minutes, the professor returned.
“Sorry, Ayane-kun, I had to take an urgent call.” The professor, in front of Nagine, had entirely dropped any pretense of being a professor and opened with an apology.
“N-no need to apologize.”
Though Nagine was very curious about what call he just received, she could only pretend to be flattered and waved her hand dismissively.
“By the way, I just heard some good news.”
“Good news?”
“Yeah, regarding your dance partner, I happen to have a suitable candidate.” When the professor said this, it sounded like a sigh of relief; he appeared confident in the choice he had in mind and thought it was an excellent idea.
“May I ask who it is…?” Ugh, messed up. Nagine couldn’t help but mentally groan.
However, she did not mind; after all, this was merely an opportunity to further deepen their relationship. If it didn’t work out, she would plan the next strategy.
So, Nagine had made up her mind to politely decline whatever the professor would say next.
Her time was precious and not suited for occasions like the newcomer banquet—
“It’s an S-class student from the Moon Academy.” The professor replied, with a hint of admiration on his face.
“S-S-class?” Nagine was taken aback.
“Ah, yes, the legendary savior—Tsukimi Kazuki. He’s coming to attend a meeting at the Star Academy tomorrow, but will arrive early tonight, and he doesn’t have any plans for this evening, so I plan to invite him.”
“I believe he will also be looking forward to attending the banquet with such a lovely girl like you, Ayane-kun.”
