Chapter 92: Makoto’s worries and unexpected rumors
The company is going well.
I think it is stupid that I didn’t think about it, but after opening there have been conspicuous resales and things like buying all the goods. It isn’t perfect, but I made some counter-measures.
Specifically speaking, things like limits on how many goods one can buy and “requests” for the people that want to resale.
It isn’t something that I can completely stop anyways, so giving up somewhat, I made a plan to the extent I can. Because doing the same thing repeatedly and going stale is just unproductive.
The lectures too… One might say, they are going well.
Since then, the students that were introduced by Brait-sensei some of them remained, and those that remained introduced the cla.s.s to other students, so we succeeded in securing a fair amount of students.
… That only 5 people remained, well, it’s probably good like that. Having too many just makes it troublesome, yeah.
The 5 people are all scholarship students and have the nature of craving for power. Seeing it from a normal student perspective, my lectures didn’t fit their taste, but the highest percentage felt danger from it. It was probably not a very desirable lecture.
For the time being I am still accepting students, but I am not really expecting much. As for the students that remained I will do some light “experiments” without permission on a level where their health is not affected, and while at that, have them take the lectures.
Because I use a weakening [Sakai] in the practical skill area the whole lecture, it looks flashy but since it is not on a dangerous level, the academy side decided it was okay. Just as planned. What I was worried about was that the effect should weaken depending on the scope of the effect, but lately, maybe because I am getting used to it, the effect seems to have increased.
Currently, there haven’t been any interference from the teacher faction and it has been peaceful.
In short, the livelihood in Academy Town is going favorably.
And yet…
In the library I have been going to as a habit after my lectures, I find a book I am looking for and sit on a desk that’s slightly to the front of it, and just like that I fall prostrated.
A long sigh leaks from my mouth.
Right now, I am being cornered in a sense.
“To think that in this world the hyumans practiced polygamy” (Makoto)
A sacred system that was established by G.o.d, or so it seems. Yeah, G.o.d.
A monologue comes out from my mouth. Maybe because no one understands me, I feel like my monologues after coming to the Academy have increased. I don’t want them to look at me with strange eyes so I am trying to not do it that much though.
But, to think they practice polygamy. That bug, she really gets me every time. That total idiot.
It looks like a system convenient for men, but it is actually not the case. In my lack of imagination, I thought of the polygamy system as something like a harem. I was really naïve.
After looking at the hyuman society I have finally noticed.
This is not something like having as many wives you want and going “uhauha”, rather, it is more like the qualitative difference between modern j.a.pan gets even worse.
People that have the most beauty and riches, in other words, the women gather onto the superior men and it isn’t like everyone can have a harem.
On the contrary, it increases the chances of males that can’t marry. G.o.ddess, just how many terrible things do you have to do in order to be satisfied? There’s no need to screen them out that much.
Polygamy system is actually a really dream-like system for the majority of males.
Even so, it makes the chances of me marrying even lower, or not.
… It’s the opposite.
It has been several months since I come to this Academy but, maybe it was 2 weeks ago?
That I was confessed to.
For someone like Shiki, from the first day there were numerous girls that wanted to go out with him, but I just laughed as if someone else’s business and didn’t envy, nor soothe, or hear his complains.
At the time when my company had rode on the tracks and the Academy had somewhat approved of my abilities; well it is something recent though.
It began with a call that said a student had something to consult. It was a girl I have never seen in my lectures. In short, a student I have never met before.
“Is sensei already married?”
That was the beginning of my nightmare.
[I’m single. What about it?]
Of course, that’s how I responded.
I don’t know how it turned this way, but after that, the girl said this:
“Then after the third one, could you please marry me?”
The inside of my brain… became a complete mess. In my previous world, when I was confessed to by my kohai and my club friend, I didn’t feel anything like tension or excitement.
I was just dumbfounded. Because, even if a person I first met suddenly asks me to marry her, my feelings are zero. Also she said something about numbers. At that time, I didn’t understand the meaning.
To the female student that said something absurd with an unexpected serious face, I breathe out a sigh, knowing that it was rude.
[I am sorry, but I don’t have any intentions to]
I was somehow able to write that and left the place.
The next confession was that day at evening. No, instead of confession it was like the first one, a proposal.
And so, in the store, outside, inside the Academy; without caring about the place, they called me and if it gets bad they make a marriage proposal right there.
Moreover, there’s always the “please make me your wife number X”. However, in the X number, it is always a number that’s not number 1. They were mostly 3 to 5.
Polygamy. Really the worst.
I have a business and have a decent amount of money as well as having fair amount of ability. Then they ignore my face and just suggest to be the number 2 wife and on to gold dig. That’s probably how it goes. Just their objective of having me support them is cruel and yet, it feels like they might even bring out something like rebuilding their home and have all of my money taken. There were girls who had some transparent ulterior motive like that.
Leaving the love and raising the child to the number 1 or 2, they aim to do nothing at all.
In truth, that’s just how it is.
There was once when a girl who had an appearance that was truly to my taste came wearing a white robe and, I couldn’t tell if she was demanding research expenses or proposing marriage, but when she did, I said jokingly:
[If you become my number 1, I will marry and give you as much money as you want]
And when I said that, not only did she show me an expression of incredible disgust, she also said:
“No thanks!”
As if her life was at stake, and ran away as fast as she could.
I have been confessed as if looking down on me several times, but that one really got me.
… Really, I give up. It isn’t popularity, I am just being locked on as prey. It was a lot easier when they just didn’t treat me like a human being. The way they are now makes it hard for my spirit.
In the library there haven’t been those kind of developments, but it is just a matter of time.
Now that I think about it, why is it that the library is a safe zone?
Do they have some sort of rule? Or is someone keeping them in check? No matter which, I am grateful.
I raise my head and hold the book in my hands. Now then, let’s study today as well.
Today I don’t need to go to the store. At first I was doing business with no breaks, but most of the stores normally have a 1 or 2 days break. We even work till late, so thinking that it would be okay to have regular holidays, I made it so in a day when I have lectures it will be a free day.
The small one of the Forest Onis said “Gloria~~!!” and raised her hands in the sky. That girl is someone I still don’t understand well.
“Ara, today is a book about religion? Raidou-sensei really reads books of many different types. Magic, combat, history, geography, customs, also demi-humans… The ones I haven’t seen you reading are probably tales, math and biography”
[Eva-san huh. If you suddenly talk to me like that, it will scare me. Also, do you remember every book someone like me reads?]
“Yeah. I am interested in Raidou-sensei after all” (Eva)
The librarian Eva-san smiles teasingly.
[Please give me a break. You won’t be coming to ask me for marriage as well right?]
“… Ah, so the reason of your fatigue was that. Superficial love. It seems like there are many girls that want to marry. I sympathize with you sensei” (Eva)
[Right now this is the only place in the Academy that can bring me peace. Concerned about my appearance and after my popularity increased they now want to suck on the sweet nectar. Geez, just what do they take marriage for?]
“Well, here the number of students that are n.o.bles or have a big mercantile house is not small, so there are a lot of students that don’t think of marriage as mutual love” (Eva)
Changing her smile to a wry one, Eva-san answers to my resent. Maybe she has experience herself, Evan-san doesn’t answer in an intellectual way, but in a way that feels like she has some basis. I like when it is easy to understand.
[Political marriage huh. To have such a way of thinking at their teens. Is that normal for n.o.bles and rich people?]
“… It’s just that some will reach that way of thinking faster than others. Is one way of taking it” (Eva)
[I think that a marriage where feelings of love exist is not bad though]
It is not that it isn’t bad. I really think that’s how a marriage should be. Something that connects the people that marry.
“Raidou-sensei is i-, no, pure huh. Since small, no matter who, they would put marriage as like and dislike but… as expected, when one grows up they take into account the feelings as well as advantages and disadvantages. Of course, it is not like it can be put into words nor can be defined with a set definition” (Eva)
Hearing the talk of Eva-san, I remember the voice I heard in my head the first time I met her. Now that I think about it, it resembled the voice of her. That time I didn’t link the contents with anything dangerous, so I wasn’t sure nor did I take it in mind but…
Maybe she also has some sort of ulterior motive for being considerate with me. If that’s the case, then it is a bit sad.
[Then what is Eva-san’s meaning of the word adult love and the feelings that it contains?]
“… Let’s see. In times it is a material for bargaining. If I say something like that, will sensei be disappointed in me?” (Eva)
[Who knows. However, I am not in the mood of reading anymore. For today I will be going]
A material for bargaining huh. Unexpected. Words that didn’t connect to the word love at all. To have heard such a thing from a person who doesn’t match that image is just… shocking.
I give her the book I was planning to read and leave the library.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
[And so Gin, what did you want to talk about?]
After leaving the Academy, I was caught by one student.
The owner of the voice that stopped me is a male.
It’s the male swordsman that has been attending since the first lecture without missing one. He uses magic and seems to have been especially impressed by the style of Shiki, and while learning foundation techniques, there are times when he requests spars with Shiki.
From the five, I just remember the swordsman Gin that has been attending since the first day and the bow-wielding girl Amelia.
Gin uses the sword as main and magic as support in battle, but Amelia uses magic as main and bow as support. I still can’t say much, but well, the two of them show promise. Amelia does have desires for power, but more than that, she is in love with Shiki. Maybe she is changing the power of a woman in love into learning power, she is fast at memorizing and improvement.
Well, since I was called by a student I know of, I decided to just take lunch with him.
By the way, Amelia seems to have aesthetics in the afternoon.
Aesthetics.
When I heard this word for the first time in the Academy, my eyes went wide.
After asking in detail and researching in the library, it seems that aesthetics is a concept that was brought about by the G.o.ddess. An inst.i.tution for the sake of pursuing beauty and spreading it.
Before spreading such stupid things, there should be techniques that need to be taught to hyumans or something like that. I was truly amazed. Because of that reason, there are names of cosmetics I have heard about before and there were times when I was asked if my company also handles cosmetic products.
Currently I don’t manage those and I have no plans to do so in the future though. Things like lipstick and powder are stuff that Tomoe might suggest and I don’t want that. In the current state, she is already making Asora pa.s.s through so much hardship after all.
Well, for now let’s leave aside the topic of Amelia, aesthetics and cosmetics. Honestly, I don’t even have the energy to retort.
I wavered, but in the end I decided on Gotetsu.
I haven’t visited as frequently as Shiki. Even so, the taste is to my liking and since I am used to coming here, it is relaxing. Gin seems to have come here for the first time and was looking at the store interior with curiosity and smelling the scent of the food.
Asking for a private room at the inner part of Gotetsu, we both enter and take our sits.
“Ah that’s right. Sensei comes from Tsige right?” (Gin)
[Yeah]
“Actually there are two students that were attending this Academy and are currently absent” (Gin)
[Fumu, continue]
“They are not scholarship students, but they have quite the skills and are promising” (Gin)
[If they are promising, why are they absent?]
“It seems that they are ill” (Gin)
N, ill? Since Tsige, these are the first ill people. Students… and their age.
Could it be…?
[Could it be, are you talking about Rembrandt’s daughters?]
“… So you already knew huh. I heard that Rembrandt Company has quite the influence in Tsige, so I thought you might know” (Gin)
[But what about it?]
“I don’t know if they were truly ill, but it seems like they will be returning to the Academy soon. And so, I was thinking about warning Sensei” (Gin)
[Warning? Also Gin, even though school friends are returning to school, you don’t seem happy]
“You see… Sensei probably doesn’t know but, those sisters are…” (Gin)
[If you are warning me, make yourself clear]
Why is it getting hard for him to say it? What is he trying to tell me?
“… Their personalities are the worst. They are the archetype rich girls and are particular about beauty. And they have good grades too, so that makes their personality even worse” (Gin)
…
….. Eh?
Those girls had that kind of personality? No well, didn’t they give more of a fleeting feeling?
No, wait a second.
Now that he mentions it, there have been no moments where I have exchanged words with those girls properly. *“Run away” is the only thing I was told*.
Even if you talk about beauty or whatever, taking into account the wife, the three of them were monsters.
Since Rembrandt-san is a good person, I thought that her wife and daughters were good people as well.
Rich ladies and have a bad personality? Are you serious?
“It seems you didn’t know. No well, lately Sensei has been targeted right? From the girls around” (Gin)
Maybe he took my silence as affirmation, Gin felt sympathy for me.
[Don’t say it. It makes my head hurt]
“When they return to school, it is better to not get their attention. The two of them are incredibly particular about physical appearance so it might be okay, but just in case. It’s just, if they have their eyes on Shiki-san, it might impede the lectures. Really, be careful okay? Ah, this thing called Nabe is delicious. I didn’t know about it~” (Gin)
…
I feel like he indirectly told me something rude. Also, I feel like he is actually worried about Shiki.
[Understood. I will tell Shiki as well]
“Thank you very much! Is this place your favorite Sensei? How tasteful~. Can I come here as well?” (Gin)
[Do what you want. Ah right. Shiki also comes here quite often. Since we are already here, how about I order you his favorite?]
“Is that okay?! I’ll eat! Eh? And Sensei?” (Gin)
[I remembered I had something to do. Just take it easy]
After ordering the cream Nabe on my way back and finishing my revenge for his rudeness, I winced as the seeds of troubles increased while I leave the store.
But, the Rembrandt daughters are ill-natured?
Are they really? Seeing Rembrandt-shi’s stupid manners, I could tell that they were truly loved daughters so I didn’t doubt it. Is he the type of person that no matter how the daughter acts he will still think of them as cute?
Well, if they are really going to be returning to the Academy soon, it will be clear at that time.
After being proposed twice on my way back, I arrived at my store.