[AN: Episodes 86 to 88 will be in third-person perspective.]
“Ugh… Ughhh…”
Lydia Ainsworth’s mornings start early.
She is naturally a complete night owl. And it is not a secret that she works more efficiently at night when doing research.
Normally, she wouldn’t mind indulging in sleep and staying in bed until noon. However, since April of this year, Lydia has made it a habit to wake up by 8 AM.
There is a certain reason for this…
“Lydia-sama, it is time to wake up.”
“Just ten more minutes…”
“You always say that and try to delay it, but that won’t work.”
Cara Hale.
She is a live-in maid working for Lydia. Cara has been working for Lydia for about two years now. A lot happened when she first started, but currently, she is very satisfied with her life.
“Ugh… hmm….So sleepy…”
“You’ll be late to see Ray-sama.”
“!?”
A magic word.
Cara knew exactly what to say.
Yes. All she had to do was mention Ray. Lydia stubbornly denies it, but the truth is, she cherishes Ray deeply.
Since they used to always be together, she would often tease him, say random things, and treat him roughly. However, now that they are apart, she feels a growing sense of loneliness… or rather, affection.
They say love grows stronger with obstacles. Lydia’s love is exactly like that.
Now that she is separated from Ray, the days when she can’t see him feel incredibly lonely. She spends her time alone in the study, focusing on research.
But then Lydia had a thought. If she couldn’t see him, she should just go see him.
So, since April, she has been frequently visiting the academy, quietly watching Ray from a distance.
A sorcerer as skilled as Ray should definitely notice such a gaze.
However, the combined abilities of Cara and Lydia, both proficient in espionage, barely surpass Ray’s awareness. There were times when they almost got caught, but so far, Ray hasn’t noticed.
During these visits, Lydia often relies on Abby for help.
“Hey, Lydia.”
“What?”
“You really need to let go already.”
“Huh!? I-It’s not like that…! I just worry about Ray, or, well, something like that…!”
“Sigh… Try thinking about the trouble I go through to accommodate you.”
“Ugh… I do feel bad about that, but…”
Shortly after getting ready, Lydia had Cara push her wheelchair to the academy.
Of course, her home is quite a distance away. However, by using certain spells, Cara and Lydia increase their travel speed—though they use magic that they cannot openly disclose.
After arriving at the academy, Lydia confirmed that Ray was going about his day as usual. Then, she moved to the headmaster’s office, where Abby was.
Her usual routine was to have tea there before heading home. However, lately, Abby has been nagging her more than usual, making Lydia feel uncomfortable.
Though, in reality, the one intruding is Lydia herself.
“I told you, Ray will be fine.”
“But the nobles’ bullying…!”
“That issue was resolved long ago. Things are much better now.”
“Ugh… That’s true, but still…”
Back when Ray first enrolled, Lydia had heard about the discrimination he faced.
At that time, she had proudly declared that she would freeze all the offending students solid. However, thanks to Abby’s persuasion, she refrained from doing so.
Albert and the others narrowly escaped being turned into ice sculptures by Lydia.
“I won’t tell you not to come, but you need to realize this. Ray has already left your side.”
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
Lydia suddenly fell silent.
Then, she pouted and turned away from Abby before speaking.
“B-Because! I’m worried about Ray!”
“Sigh…”
Abby placed a hand on her forehead, shaking her head in exasperation “Oh Dear”.
Abby had known Lydia since their student days. Lydia sometimes had childish tendencies like this.
This was why Lydia could never stand up to Abby. Though they were the same age, their relationship was more like Abby being the older sister and Lydia being the younger one.
At the same time, Abby could never bring herself to abandon Lydia. That was the nature of their relationship.
Lydia trembled slightly as she continued speaking.
“And, and… if Ray were to get a girlfriend…”
“If he did?”
“It makes me want to freeze her solid…! Is this what they call a parent’s love?!”
“Sigh… Then Ray would never be able to get married. Besides, a sorcerer as great as Ray is bound to get married someday.”
“Ugh…! But if that’s the case, then Abby, you’re the same!”
“Ugh…! Well, you’re the same too!”
“Ugh…!”
“…” “…”
They decided to stop tearing each other’s wounds open. Without further conversation, the matter was left unresolved.
Lydia’s inability to get married was entirely due to her difficult personality and her excessive love for Ray, but that wasn’t the case for Abby.
She was a remarkable adult, one of the rare top-tier sorcerers who possessed both common sense and exceptional talent. On top of that, she was beautiful and highly intelligent.
It was hard to believe that no man would pursue her—yet, none did.
The problem was that she was simply too exceptional.
Men were intimidated by Abby’s overwhelming brilliance. Because of this, both she and Lydia were approaching thirty and remained unmarried. It was a sad reality—they were completely left behind.
“Abby-chan! Let’s go for lunch~☆ Oh? Lydia-chan is here again~☆”
Without knocking, Carol barged in uninvited.
As always, she wore a flashy outfit with a daringly low neckline, and her lustrous pink hair was styled in loose waves. Truthfully, Carol had the biggest personality issues of them all, but she was popular among students—mainly because of her bewitching appearance.
“It’s Carol. Is it a problem that I’m here? Huh?”
Lydia immediately took an aggressive stance.
Lydia and Carol weren’t exactly on bad terms, but they didn’t get along. Well, in reality, they had known each other for over ten years, so perhaps they were close, but Lydia would never admit it.
From Abby’s perspective, their constant bickering was exhausting.
“Not really~☆ But seriously, isn’t it time you let go of your child already~? Caro-Caro thinks Ray-chan is already a full-grown adult~☆”
“Oi. Dumb pinky. I know what you’re up to—you’re still after Ray’s virginity, aren’t you?”
“Eh!? No way~☆ That’s so unfair… Right now, Caro-Caro and Ray-chan are just teacher and student. That kind of forbidden relationship… pfft…”
Carol’s snow-white cheeks blushed a soft pink, and she dramatically placed a hand on her face.
At first, she had intended to deny it, but as she imagined the scenario of a forbidden student-teacher relationship, she ended up blushing even more.
Lydia, naturally, was absolutely furious.
Carol truly had no self-restraint.
“If you lay a hand on Ray, I won’t let you off easy…!!”
“Eh~? But eventually, someone will, right? Wouldn’t it be better if an adult properly guided him~☆”
“Shut up! I’ll be the one to decide that!”
“Then Lydia-chan, why don’t you just take it yourself?”
Carol suddenly took a step back and coldly stated her suggestion.
“Huh?”
“Lydia-chan should just take Ray-chan’s virginity~☆ That way, you won’t have any complaints, right~?”
“WHAAAAAAT!?”
Lydia’s voice echoed throughout the room.
If it weren’t lunchtime, her outburst would have caused an uproar.
And now, she was in full-blown panic, her face as red as a tomato.
“I-I, um…! That’s not what I meant! R-Ray is, well… h-he’s cool, but it’s not like that! I-I mean… ugh… this is so embarrassing…”
Her entire body flushed red as she desperately tried to deny it. She looked like a pure, innocent maiden—too inexperienced, even compared to the average girl.
Abby and Carol had seen Lydia’s embarrassed reactions many times before, but every single time, they had the same thought.
—So cute!
Abby and Carol had seen Lydia’s embarrassed reactions many times before, and every time, they thought the same thing.
She was simply adorable.
Because they knew this side of her, Abby and Carol couldn’t help but treat Lydia with a certain kindness and patience.
If Ray ever saw this, he would probably think, Oh, so even my master has a cute side. But Lydia would never show him this.
For Lydia, revealing such pure, maiden-like femininity to Ray was unbearably embarrassing—especially since she had always presented herself as strong and fearless in front of him.
“Well, Lydia, good luck with that.”
“Yeah, yeah~☆ Good luck, Lydia-chan!”
“I hate that look in your eyes when you act all kind and understandinggggg!!”
With that, Lydia sped off in her wheelchair, vanishing from the room.
“I’ll be taking my leave as well.”
Cara, who had remained silent the entire time, gracefully flipped the hem of her long skirt and followed after her mistress, Lydia.
“Lydia-chan is so cute~☆”
“Ease up on the teasing. If she really loses it, I’ll have to deal with the fallout.”
“Yes, yes~☆”
“Anyway, shall we go get lunch, Carol?”
“Yes~☆”
And so, Abby and Carol left the room together to have lunch.
As for when Lydia would finally come to terms with her own feelings—only time would tell.
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