Chapter 18

Two students died on the school grounds. The deceased were the two who had not been favored by Gérard, a member of Liam's group.

At the end of the brick path extending from the terrace of the cafeteria, there is a gazebo. A young female teacher—she was the one who had taken Gérard away from the cafeteria the other day—discovered the two bodies lying face down on the table there. She said she had been directed to the gazebo by Liam and Desmond.

Rumors at the school suggest that Liam and Desmond were the ones who killed the two students. This is because many students witnessed them heading to the terrace with the two victims. Prior to that, they had been in a loud argument with a group of upperclassmen from the Spellvia faction, which had drawn a lot of attention. I was in the cafeteria at the time, so I know the argument took place.

Additionally, it is said that the two victims, who were part of a bullying group, had wanted to leave the group because they disliked being lumped together with the bullies. There are also reports from students who overheard Liam and his group planning to pressure the two to stay. In fact, Liam and Desmond were the ones who had carried out the excessive bullying against Ruby Livy, so if the two had managed to leave the group, the criticism against them would have been less severe.

Given these circumstances, it was natural for suspicion to fall on Liam and Desmond. Moreover, their testimony was suspiciously incoherent. They claimed that the two suddenly went mad and started killing each other. If their story were true, it would mean that Benjamin and Jacob alternately attacked each other with a single knife, and the last one standing committed suicide. Who would believe such a story?

However, their clumsy testimony was strangely suspicious precisely because it was so clumsy. If I were suspected of murder, I would have come up with a better excuse, such as someone suddenly breaking into the gazebo, killing the two, and then leaving.

Liam and Desmond were placed under house arrest. They are day students, but even if they were boarding students, they would have been sent home to avoid affecting the other students. I believe the two victims were also day students from the townhouses in this area.

The four of them had been close since their time at the affiliated school. They were all part of the Spellvia faction, and their families might have been close neighbors since childhood. It's a terrible end for such good friends.

I came to Elsa's study to read a paper, but with all the recent events, I can't concentrate. Since being here isn't helping, I decided to return to my room today.

As I opened the study door, Elsa was just about to enter, and our eyes met.

"Hey, hey..."

It was an unusually friendly greeting for her. Perhaps because she was doing something out of character, her voice trailed off at the end, which was quite unsettling.

"What's that about?"

"...It's a greeting."

"I see. Good evening."

"Yeah... Are you going back already?"

"That's the plan."

"See you..."

Just as I was about to pass her, I remembered something I wanted to ask Elsa.

"Ah, right. I have a question about magic. Is now a good time?"

"Hmm? Sure, I can make some time."

"Thank you."

"...I'll just put my things away, so wait a moment."

"Okay."

Elsa placed her bag on the desk and left the room. After a short wait, she returned with a tray holding a teapot and cups. She sat on the sofa opposite me, poured tea into two cups, and placed one in front of me.

"So, what do you want to know?"

"Um... Can I ask something first?"

"What?"

"You seem different today, Elsa."

"What? I don't think so. I'm just the same."

"About this tea?"

"This? It's imported tea leaves from Tosa, which has recently become popular in the capital—"

"Not that. You've never made tea before, have you?"

"Well, that's not true..."

I lifted the cup and took a sip.

"It's weak."

"Huh..."

Elsa took a sip from her cup and made a subtle expression.

"So, what do you want me to do?"

"What? Why would you think that?"

"Are you trying to win me over with such hospitality?"

"No, not really. I just felt like making tea with the leaves a colleague gave me."

Elsa isn't the type to do something on a whim. ...Ah, I see.

"Is that colleague Mrs. Livy?"

"...You figured it out."

Of course. Lily wanted to bring us closer. Elsa's unusual behavior today must be because Lily said something to her.

"Well, I don't know any other colleagues of yours."

"Lily and I talked the other day."

"Yes, when I went to Ruby's house."

"Did she say anything about me?"

"Of course. That's the only topic we had in common."

"Hmm? Did she say anything strange?"

Strange. She was a mysterious woman.

"By the way, she said she likes your eyes. They resemble yours."

"...That girl."

Elsa sighed. I wonder if she dislikes being told that her eyes resemble mine.

"I don't think they look alike. I think my eyes are more like my father's, sharp."

"No, if Lily says they look alike, they do. She's very knowledgeable about eyes."

"Is that so?"

She's stranger than I thought. She's a worthy friend of Elsa.

"Let's talk about Lily later. Let's get to the main topic. I have a question about magic."

"Ah, yes. --What I want to know is, does magic have an effect on personality?"

"Did Lily do something to you!?"

Elsa stood up abruptly and leaned over the table. Her face was so close that I instinctively leaned back.

"No, she didn't do anything..."

"Oh, right... Lily wouldn't do anything to Roy. --What was your question again?"

Elsa sat back down as if nothing had happened.

"Um, I want to know if being infused with someone else's magic can affect one's personality."

"...Why are you curious about that?"

"Do you remember when I gave Ruby a lot of magic a long time ago?"

"Yes, when you were kidnapped."

"Yes. After that, Ruby changed."

"How?"

"The way she treated me... became more... intimate."

"Isn't that because you saved her life?"

"It's not just Ruby. I observed the same phenomenon when I gave magic to a monster."

"To a monster... Why would you do that? Aren't you supposed to be researching long-distance communication?"

"It's separate from my research. When I kicked a monster to death... I accidentally gave it magic to keep it alive, and it became attached to me, clinging to my hand. It eventually died, though."

Elsa looked confused. I averted my eyes from her and fixed them on the cup of bad tea, trying to speak as calmly as possible.

"It happened over four years ago. It was a small, harmless monster. It was jumping in front of me, so I kicked it on a whim. When I tried to keep it from dying by giving it magic, it became attached to me, clinging to my hand. It died eventually, though."

I wondered what expression Elsa had on her face. I couldn't look up. The silence made me uncomfortable.

Eventually, Elsa stood up. Was she leaving? I couldn't blame her.

However, she didn't leave. Instead, she sat down on the sofa next to me. When I turned to face her, the world suddenly went dark. It took a moment to realize that she had hugged me.

What's happening? Is this some kind of experiment? Several question marks popped up in my head. I couldn't push her away, so I just stayed still. Elsa stroked my back, and I realized my body was tense, so I relaxed.

After a while, my face started to feel hot.

"Um... It's been a while..."

I gently pushed Elsa away. The cold air touched my face, and the area around my eyes felt cool.

Elsa didn't stand up. I cleared my throat.

"About that... earlier..."

"I was crying."

"Crying? I was?"

"You were."

When I blinked, I realized my eyelashes were wet.

"Why did you hug me when I cried?"

"Because... it's a rule."

Elsa turned away as she answered.

"A rule?"

"Yes. That's how the world works."

Everything was so strange. As I stared at Elsa, I noticed her ears turning red. She seemed to be blushing.

Unable to bear my gaze, Elsa stood up.

"...About your earlier question."

"Huh? Oh, the one about magic."

Elsa spoke without looking at me. The shock of being hugged by Elsa made it hard to focus, but I remembered my original purpose. I had come to ask about the effects of someone else's magic on the human body.

"I can't give you a clear answer."

"Is that so?"

"But I can lend you something else. I think it will give you a hint to the answer you seek."

Elsa turned to face me.

"A hint... What is this 'something else'?"

Elsa blushed and turned away, speaking in a small voice.

"...A joint diary."