55 - Can I Cry Now?
Episode 55
The main building, located in the center of the Academy for the Gifted, was where the Dean's office, the administrative office, and the head professor's office were located.
As such, there were not many classrooms in the main building.
Obtaining a classroom in such a place was a source of pride for the professor and for the students who took classes there.
Professor Maless was shrugging his shoulders there now.
"Behold! Your new classroom!"
He puffed out his chest and pointed to the door as if proud.
"Now you won't have to walk so far to get to other classrooms. Besides, no other students can use it, so you can leave heavy things behind. I don't have any other classes besides this one, so no other student will need to use it!"
It wasn't that he didn't have classes, but that he refused to do them no matter what, but the children had no way of knowing that.
"Wow! It really is a new classroom!"
Ibi raised both arms in front of Professor Maless, expressing her joy.
For the past few days, she had been holding Irene's hand and going to the mathematics classroom together.
Still, she had to hurry quite a bit on days when other classes ended late or when the weather was bad.
Then, when Ibi fell once more and scraped her knees and hands, Irene glared at Professor Maless with terrifying eyes.
"Oh my, I think she's going to hit the professor!"
"Huh? Is that okay?"
"I'm just saying! Just saying! Look at this kid rolling her eyes!"
Even as he said that, Professor Maless ended up carrying Ibi on his back to the infirmary after class.
"No, how can you only put that much bandage on!"
"If you put more than this on for a scraped knee, it'll just be hard to move."
The staff member sighed and asked Ibi.
"More than that, you have a lot of scrapes from falling, do you run around often? You should be careful. You'll get scars."
At his question, not only Irene but also Ruska and Arcel, who had come along, stared at Professor Maless.
As if to say that you were the culprit who made Ibi like this.
And today, the next day, the professor brought the four of them here, saying that the preparation of the new classroom was finally finished.
"Can we go in?"
"Of course, child. Go in and take a look."
At the professor's permission, Ibi knocked on the door.
"Excuse me."
Professor Maless smiled contentedly at the sight.
"Whose student is she to be so polite?"
“……”
At his muttering, the other three, except for Ibi, exchanged glances for a moment and shook their heads as if to say nothing.
\ \ \
The classroom was perfect.
It wasn't very large because it was originally used as a professor's office, but that was better for the four students.
If there was too much unused space, concentration would be distracted.
In addition, thanks to Professor Maless's various deals with Seraphina regarding the timing of her retirement, the classroom was filled with many things.
Not only various kinds of mathematics-related books, but also a long sofa and table where they could lean back and rest when they were tired.
It wasn't just there to make Professor Maless feel good.
"If you have nowhere to go between other classes, use it comfortably. It must be tiring to go back and forth to the dormitory every time."
"Yes!"
Ibi answered vigorously to the professor's words.
"Then let's end the class here today."
"Yes!"
Ruska raised his hand in response to those words.
"This guy, he's just happy that class is over."
Professor Maless clicked his tongue and glared at Ruska.
But that was only for a moment, and soon a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
'At first, I only wanted to teach Ibi, but this is... The other guys are all very useful too.'
At first, he thought of the other three as annoying extras attached to Ibi.
But after conducting the class, Professor Maless gave all four of them a passing grade.
'Irene Terrence is indeed quick with calculations, as befits a family of merchants.'
She doesn't seem to have much enthusiasm for deep academic inquiry, but she understands very well when taught.
Besides, she has a very strong sense of pride, so if she doesn't understand something, she would grab him and ask him again and again until she understood.
'Ruska is the same.'
Ruska is the one who can't keep his body still the most during class.
He yawns loudly, and sometimes he lies down on his desk, saying he can't do it.
But he would come up with unusual solutions that even Professor Maless, who had devoted himself to mathematics for decades, had never thought of.
Of course, most of them were ridiculous formulas.
But some of them came up with answers.
These were things that even Professor Maless had to look at for a long time to see why they could produce an answer.
'Huh, these guys sometimes find really amazing formulas.'
Of course, when I see him groaning that it's too hard after solving one problem, I want to punch him a little.
'Arcel goes without saying.'
In terms of academic achievement alone, Arcel is impeccable.
Arcel's name had already been known to everyone in the empire for several years.
Because the professors were all talking about how the son of Duke Keilen was a genius.
Besides, Arcel was the only student among the four who had mastered all of Advanced Mathematics.
He was truly a talent that could be called complete.
'To be able to teach a class with only these kinds of children.'
Professor Maless clenched his fist.
To think he would have such good fortune at the end of his life.
'I need to work harder.'
He shouldn't be satisfied with just getting a classroom.
He had to contact the relationships that had been severed long ago and call his disciples together.
'That way, Ibi will be strong even after graduation.'
Unaware of how important that meeting would become in the empire later, Professor Maless hummed and headed to the administrative office.
\ \ \
As soon as Professor Maless left, the four of them immediately packed up their books.
"Ugh... I'm tired..."
Irene stretched out her arms and groaned.
Apart from working hard, the long class hours were difficult.
"Are you tired?"
Irene stretched out her arms and groaned.
Apart from working hard, the long class hours were difficult.
"Are you tired?"
As Ibi, who had finished packing her books, approached as if worried, Irene reached out and hugged Ibi as if hugging a doll.
"Hmm, I'm tired from class, but I think I'm more tired because I'm worried about the weekend."
As she said that, Irene gently grabbed Ibi's cheek.
Perhaps it was thanks to feeding her diligently at every meal these days.
'She's definitely gained weight.'
The cheek fat in her hand became softer compared to the beginning.
Of course, it was still a long way from the ideal 7-year-old that Irene had in mind.
"Why wekend?"
Ibi's pronunciation was off because her cheeks were being held, but she could understand what she was saying.
"This weekend is the first weekend since classes started that we can go outside."
"Ah."
At Irene's answer, Ibi remembered what she had seen in the Academy for the Gifted's book.
Students can go out on weekends once a month when it is judged that the remaining students are somewhat familiar with the Academy for the Gifted.
"All the branch families of the Terrence family in the capital are gathering at the Townhouse and telling me to come out and meet them... I already have a headache from how noisy they all are."
As Irene groaned, Ruska also said with a tearful face.
"I have to go home this weekend too. My brothers told me to come out because they said the swordsmanship training at the Academy for the Gifted would be bland and they would spar with me."
Ruska, who had three older brothers, lowered his head, already imagining himself being beaten like a sparring scarecrow.
Then he asked Arcel, who was quietly looking at his book.
"Arcel, what about you?"
"I'm also thinking of going home. There's a meeting and I want to bring some books from home. There's a festival in the park near the Townhouse on the weekend, so it'll be a bit noisy..."
Arcel, who was answering absentmindedly, saw Ibi listening to their stories blankly and closed his mouth.
Ruska and Irene were the same. Ruska somehow opened his mouth to try to fix it.
"Uh, um. Ibi, why don't you go somewhere to play too? Like the festival Arcel mentioned earlier... Ack!"
Thud! Ruska grabbed his shin.
Irene, with a look that said, 'What are you saying, you insensitive bastard?' kicked him under the table.
"Irene, you...!"
The moment Ruska, with tears in his eyes from the pain, tried to argue with Irene.
Thwack!
This time, Ruska's body staggered and slumped down from a foot that accurately tapped the back of his knee.
Arcel, with the same expressionless face as usual, said from behind Ruska.
"Sorry, my foot accidentally bumped into you."
