[31] Teleportation (2)
The argument kept roaring on, making the older teachers frown. They stayed silent, though—those sparring held higher ranks.
Shiina, Sade—both certified sixth-class mages in their mid-twenties—and Etella were the pride of Alpheas School of Magic.
The dispute showed no sign of cooling. Etella tried to mediate, but it was, quite literally, like fire meeting ice—neither side would back down.
Alpheas simply smiled. If they lacked passion for teaching, they wouldn't argue like this. Their fervor was just directed at different things.
Sade wanted the school to progress; Shiina wanted the students to grow. A teacher ought to side with Shiina, but Sade's loyalty to his alma mater was understandable too.
"I've heard both your arguments. I understand what each of you means, so stop and take your seats."
The moment Alpheas spoke, Shiina and Sade fell silent as if a switch had been flipped. Their one shared trait was their respect for Alpheas.
"As far as I can see, both sides have merit. Shiina's point is logically sound. But remember—we are teachers. We must avoid letting prejudice take root in the children's hearts, yes?"
"That's exactly what I was saying, Headmaster."
Sade smiled; Shiina kept his expression blank. Alpheas, though, didn't intend to drop it there. After thinking for a moment, the corners of his mouth tugged and he offered an idea.
"So then… how about this?"
A single official notice appeared on the bulletin board of the upperclassmen building.
Dozens of students gathered and read it, stunned.
It announced an unprecedented event in Alpheas history: all members of Class Seven would be given a promotion evaluation.
The notice's gist:
All Class Seven students would be offered an early promotion opportunity. Only one student would be promoted; upon passing the test they would be elevated to Class Five. In recognition of the students' concerns, the evaluation would—exceptionally—be graded by magic rather than in the Spirit Zone.
The evaluation item: teleportation.
"Te-teleportation? I don't know how to do that—do you?"
"No. Of course not. It's an official Class Five spell."
"I tried it once. It was so scary I couldn't force myself to try again."
"You idiot! It's easy if you follow the official method. It only gets hard when you start improvising."
The murmurs died down abruptly as Shirone walked over. Under a barrage of stares, he reached the board and read the notice through. The teachers' council had decided on a head-to-head test among students.
'Teleportation.'
Shirone etched that word into his mind.
* * *
The so‑called Class Seven bullying incident had even upperclassmen talking—especially since the target was Shirone.
"My goodness! That actually happened? Amy, did you know?"
Amy, who only checked the board near the end of the day, read the notice pale-faced. Seriel told her the scraps of gossip she'd picked up, and Amy's fists trembled.
'They bullied him? Because of me?'
Classmates supposedly wouldn't even meet Shirone's eyes. In mixed classes, some would even openly curse when Shirone greeted Amy.
"What do you think? Well, Class Seven has kids, so I guess it could happen. I had something similar once—got promoted fast, so it didn't matter in the end."
"Being young isn't an excuse. By that logic, aren't we young too?"
"Anyway, we're Class Four. Magic's got a lot to do with the mind; age isn't everything."
Amy didn't want to pick it apart. Her head was a mess and she couldn't think straight. She was just angry that Shirone had been treated that way.
"You idiot! Why didn't you tell me?"
If he'd been honest and talked it out, they might have found a better solution. She was Class Four's top student regardless of popularity—thinking lesser students had done that to him felt like someone had done it to her, and that made her furious.
"I should go see Shirone."
"Go? Fine. But what are you going to do?"
"First I'll smack him. Then I'll call all the Class Seven kids together. We're a couple—this is allowed."
"What? Are you crazy? Absolutely not!"
"What's not allowed? Should I just sit here and do nothing? Because of me he was treated like that?"
"Oh my, you really don't understand men. Do you know why Shirone didn't tell you? His pride was hurt. Men live and die by pride. If he got bullied, do you think he'd want to tell the girl he likes?"
Seriel had a point—if they truly loved each other. But if it was only a pretend relationship, why wouldn't he say anything?
'He probably thinks it's all my fault. That's why he's avoiding me.'
Seriel approved of the school's decision.
"At least it's a good thing, right? If he passes the promotion test, he can enter Class Five. Choosing teleportation for the test is clever—Class Seven kids should learn it from the start anyway."
Amy felt differently. There's a difference between never having learned a specific spell and never having learned magic at all.
And teleportation, of all spells.
The hardest part of learning teleportation is beating the fear. Its speed is on a different level from flight magic, and if you misjudge and collide with something, you could die.
"Come to think of it, this test is insanely dangerous. What are the teachers thinking?"
"They'll probably adjust the difficulty. Maybe they're testing the students' passion. Apparently more than half of Class Seven plans to try."
"What? That many, even though they haven't learned it?"
"The reward is Class Five. And since they'd be learning from scratch, I'd try too."
Amy couldn't shake her unease. The students taking the test would likely get help from seniors or be assigned a teacher for intensive practice.
Shirone would have none of that. A dedicated teacher was unthinkable for him, and he probably had no friends to ask for advice.
'He might actually fail.'
Shirone's talent was acknowledged, but looking at the short preparation time alone, passing wasn't guaranteed.
"Right! Amy, why don't you help Shirone? Use this chance to patch things up."
"Hmph! After being treated like that and not even getting a word, I'm not helping. I'll pretend I don't know."
"Oh come on. If you like each other, that's all that matters."
"Mind your own business. That's just how our relationship works. Besides, I'm busy—graduation promotion tests are coming up."
"Oh, right! Sorry."
For a student, nothing mattered more than promotion. Even Amy didn't have the bandwidth to worry about anything else while climbing that steep graduation hurdle.
"Do what you want. If you can't even do that, you don't deserve the title of my boyfriend."
As Amy turned from the bulletin board she thought to herself,
'Even if it's a fake relationship.'
* * *
Near midnight.
A masked figure slipped into the boys' dormitory garden. Her movements were catlike—she didn't even rustle the grass underfoot. Seeing a light on the seventh floor, she scratched her head in irritation.
'I'm not doing this because I'm worried! I'm doing it because I'm responsible—got it?'
Amy ground her teeth. Even if she tried to ignore it, Shirone was on her mind and she couldn't focus on her studies.
"Just you wait. I'll make him beg."
She scaled the wall to the seventh floor. If rumors spread that someone had crossed into the boys' dorm at night, she'd never hold her head up—but a mischievous streak lingered.
"Heh. Might as well scare him out of his wits."
Amy opened the window and did a forward roll. The landing was calculated: overpower Shirone, throw him onto the bed, then wrench his arm until he screamed.
"Huh?"
She couldn't move. Shirone stared at her with startled eyes. Beside him, sitting in a chair, was Shiina.
"T-teacher?"
"You—Amy?"
Shiina adjusted his glasses and looked again. The red hair and the heavy double‑lids left no doubt—it was Amy.
They knew Shirone and Amy were dating, but lately both had seemed entirely focused on studying. Seeing this now made Shiina suspicious.
"You mean you've been meeting like this this whole time? Ignoring each other by day and having trysts at night?"
"Oh no, it's a misunderstanding, teacher! It really is a huge misunderstanding!"
Shiina hurriedly covered her mouth.
"Shh! You'll wake the next room."
Amy covered her mouth and glanced toward the next room. This was the boys' dormitory—if a female voice came from Shirone's room, she'd be the first suspect. Even if she had no defense, she couldn't afford rumors.
"Wait. Even if that's true, why are you here at this hour, teacher?"
Thinking about it, Shiina was the least likely person to be here. There were ways to summon students—there was no reason for a teacher to come in plainclothes at midnight.
"Explain yourself. Why are you here at this hour?"
Amy's pointed question made Shiina flush, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke coolly.
"I came to give some advice about the promotion test. Given the circumstances, it wouldn't be wise to draw attention."
If the promotion test was the reason, Amy had no answer—she'd come for the same reason.
"Um, senpai."
Shirone brewed tea and handed a cup to Amy.
"Have some tea first…"
"Hmph."
Amy lifted the cup and inhaled the aroma, keeping the polite posture of a junior meeting a guest.
"Don't give me that—this whole mess is because of you!"
"I'm—sorry!"
Shirone's apology only made Amy angrier. He was too mild-mannered; no wonder the younger kids looked down on him.
"Sit. I want to finish what we were talking about."
Shiina gestured to a seat. Amy sat beside Shirone and twisted away from him. She'd come because she couldn't stop worrying, but she was still furious.
"As you know, the evaluation item for this test is teleportation. The Headmaster made that decision himself."
"The Headmaster?"
Amy finally understood. She'd thought the test ill-suited to Class Seven, but it made sense if it was the Headmaster's doing.
"Yes. To be honest, I don't quite understand his intent either. Teleportation is a dangerous spell for lower classes."
"The test will probably be at the Impassable Bridge, right?"
"I can't say for certain, but… there really isn't anywhere else."