I got into school for nothing - Chapter 225
I got into school for nothing (225)
Lesson 44. A Strike Piercing the Gap - 5
"Yes, I was the Starlight Player's contractor."
At Ban Yuwon's words, she nodded in affirmation.
He tilted his head, looking at the tiny universe swirling within the wine glass Yumina held, seeing traces of Starlight more perfectly formed than anything Ban Yuwon himself could conjure.
"You mean not anymore?"
"You know that true Starlight Magic isn't this shabby, don't you? These are merely fragments left over after my contract with her was severed. ...It's also why the Principal gave up on me."
Ban Yuwon found no words to reply, falling silent.
In truth, Ban Yuwon had long harbored some suspicions about the relationship between Yumina and Stella.
"Could that be..."
Ban Yuwon, who had been hesitating, spoke again around the time the empty plates were cleared and another dish arrived.
"Could that be related to Stella... no, to the Starlight Player's downfall?"
"The Principal wants to manage the Tower stably."
Perhaps having lost the desire to drink the wine, Yumina set down the glass, which still shimmered faintly, and continued.
"And Constellations are the most dangerous beings that threaten the Tower. The Starlight Player, however, is a being who can suppress Constellations simply by being there. You understand, don't you, Yuwon?"
"Many seem to fear her, indeed."
"When the Principal first sponsored her, she wasn't a Constellation, of course. He intended to stabilize the Tower further by borrowing her power, but... in the end, she became a Constellation."
She became a Constellation.
It sounded as if Stella hadn't wanted to become a Constellation.
He had thought this ever since encountering Constellations, but perhaps Constellations weren't simply "beings who transcended mortal limits with immense power" as others believed.
Indeed, he had found it odd from the moment these so-called transcendent beings were all scouring dimensions in search of contractors.
"Then, Professor..."
"Hmm?"
Yumina's eyes shimmered piteously.
To cling to that title even in this situation... an ominous thought flashed through Ban Yuwon's mind: perhaps he had buttoned his shirt wrong from the moment he first called her 'older sister'.
"Older sister, did you, perhaps, aim to contract with the Starlight Player from the very beginning?"
"More precisely, the Principal took me in, confident that I could contract with her. He sponsored me in many ways to enable me to contract with her. Even if there were ulterior motives, I am truly grateful for that."
"...But the Starlight Player..."
Stella once confided in him that she had fallen into a trap set by Constellations and was sealed away.
Due to having forgotten most of her memories related to it, he hadn't received a proper explanation, but perhaps Yumina had also been present at the scene.
"Does she remember me?"
"She's looking for the girl who was her contractor. But whether that's you, older sister... probably not..."
"Just finding her contractor is enough for my gratitude. Heh heh. Even though I don't deserve it..."
Yumina, who smiled bashfully, looked genuinely as pure as the young girl who had first contracted with Stella, and Ban Yuwon, too, momentarily forgot how to speak and simply gazed at her.
"I don't even deserve that..."
"..."
Then, as if remembering something, her expression twisted into sorrow.
Yumina's hand reached out to the forgotten glass, still holding the Starlight.
A few stars, drifting within the crimson universe, began to flicker, their brightness changing.
Constellations.
Transcendent beings existing in a mysterious realm, beyond the challenge of human power.
Soon, the Starlight flickered out one by one, and the wine in the glass returned to its original state, as if freshly poured, settling still.
"They've forgotten me. Some have even forgotten that the Starlight Player had a contractor."
"Could it be the Starlight Player?"
"But I haven't forgotten. I remember all of them."
"...Are you going to seek revenge?"
Even as he uttered the words, they felt unfamiliar.
He had always thought that words like "revenge" didn't suit the kind and gentle Yumina, who enveloped and protected all the Rebellion members with overflowing motherly affection... No, though her affection was quite often limited to Ban Yuwon, specifically, he still thought such a blood-soaked word didn't fit her.
"Revenge? What meaning would that hold? Destroying those Constellations won't bring her back, will it?"
"...That's true."
"Rather, I'm worried that those Constellations will try to harm you."
"Ah."
Most Constellations had already realized Ban Yuwon's connection to the Starlight Player and were making their moves.
Indeed, during this very exploration, hadn't they demanded Stella in exchange for sponsoring him?
If he went against the Constellations, many troublesome things would surely happen in the future...
"It's too late to hide it now. So, I'll give you a list of those who openly antagonized her. The Constellations who were most active in sealing her... the Starlight Player. At the very least, you should know who your enemies are, shouldn't you?"
"Thank you."
Knowing a Constellation's true name helps in discerning their abilities and in identifying who they sponsor or contract with.
But.
"Is that all?"
At Ban Yuwon's direct question, Yumina turned her head slightly, her expression apologetic.
"I'm sorry, if I had my way, I'd protect you myself, but the situations where I can act are far too limited."
"No, that's not what I meant."
He shook his head decisively and said,
"You had a favor you wanted to ask me, didn't you? This is advice or counsel, not a favor."
"That..."
"Older sister, are you still hesitating?"
"It's..."
Yumina closed her mouth and her eyes, squeezing them shut.
Faint emotions, rising from her, were readable in his eyes.
She was usually incredibly difficult to read due to the vast difference in their 'rank', but perhaps because they had shared such an intimate conversation today, deepening their connection, he could easily discern her momentary, superficial emotions.
"It's a favor related to the Starlight Player, isn't it?"
"That's right."
"Perhaps... it's also related to the Tower?"
"...That's right."
"As I thought."
Since Stella was first discovered in the Tower, it was only natural.
Ban Yuwon closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, mimicking Yumina.
He thought.
He deeply surmised the moment he first encountered beings known as Constellations, their words, their ambition to conquer the Tower, and their intentions in intertwining themselves with countless humans.
And he reached a conclusion.
"I understand. You don't have to say anything more. ...Anyway, climbing the Tower will resolve it, won't it?"
"...Once, I resented the Principal. But now, having come to my senses, I find myself doing the exact same thing he did."
Yumina offered a bitter smile and carefully reached out her hand, taking his hand, which rested half-draped on the table.
"It's shameless of me, but... I ask you to look after her. You're probably the only one who can."
"You don't have to tell me; I intended to do so from the start."
Ban Yuwon offered her a faint smile and rose from his seat.
Yumina, hesitating, perhaps feeling too sorry to let him go just like that, reached out to him again.
"I, Yuwon. If there's anything I can do to help... I can do anything."
"It's alright, I said. Both our minds must be complicated right now, so let's call it a night. Older sister, you should rest too."
Ban Yuwon took her hand, stroked it a couple of times as if to reassure her, and then left the place.
"...Truly."
Left alone, Yumina sighed deeply and reached for the wine bottle again, but a hand intercepted it midway.
"You seem lonely, Professor Yumina."
"...Professor Zenon."
As if he had been waiting for Ban Yuwon to disappear, Zenon emerged from beneath the table's shadow and poured wine into a glass crafted from black darkness, taking a sip.
Then, with a 'Hoo', he exhaled a bitter breath, and sat in Ban Yuwon's vacated seat, saying,
"As expected, I still can't discern the taste."
"But you should know the price. It's an expensive wine I painstakingly opened, determined to share it with a precious student."
As Yumina, uncharacteristically, retorted with a sharp tone, Zenon shrugged his shoulders and quietly returned the bottle to the table.
"A precious student, is that all?"
"Well, what else would there be?"
"Hmm, it looked as if you just tried to seduce him and were properly rejected."
In truth, it wasn't entirely untrue, and Yumina's face flushed instantly.
Having revealed a past she had meticulously hidden from everyone, it would be a lie to say she didn't feel a desire to lean on him a little more.
But seduction, of all things! She hadn't intended such a bold act!
"Did I know you could say such things? ...Wait a minute."
Yumina was well aware of Zenon's Authority.
The Chancellor could create as many eyes as he wished within the Academy if he set his mind to it, and Zenon was the most trusted of those eyes.
Of course, Yumina, as a full professor favored by the Chancellor, was usually not within his surveillance network...
"You're acting on your own initiative, Professor Zenon. You're doing something dangerous."
"Since traces of Starlight have appeared, I naturally had no choice but to watch you. He would permit it, too. Because the most important child to him now is that boy, not you."
Yumina bit her lip at Zenon's words.
She felt no jealousy that the Chancellor's attention had shifted to Ban Yuwon.
Right now, she was simply worried about Ban Yuwon.
As if he had read her mind, Zenon spoke in his characteristic, level, mechanical voice.
"I've come to give a warning. I would prefer you not plant any unnecessary ideas in his head. He is exceptional, but also quite precarious... Unnecessary stimulation could cause his abilities to run wild in an undesirable direction. That would be no different from the Constellations rampaging in the Tower, would it?"
"Yuwon is an adult. He has the right to know what he wants to know... and the right to judge and act for himself."
"But what was the result when you, in the past, judged and acted for yourself?"
At Zenon's merciless remark, a memory flashed through Yumina's mind.
It was a painful memory, terribly sharp like shards of broken glass, tearing at her mind every time it surfaced.
The Starlight Player's downfall was her responsibility.
A truth she hadn't yet confessed to Ban Yuwon, but perhaps he had already noticed even that and had been considerate of her.
Yumina recalled him and clenched her teeth once more.
"So, you're telling me to just leave that precarious boy alone? In a situation like this, when all sorts of Constellations and the Ten Great Families are targeting him?"
"He said that all of it is nothing more than a predetermined trial――."
"Professor Zenon, as you know, he's not always right."
"...Indeed, perhaps you're right."
It was Yumina herself who was surprised by Zenon's sudden agreement.
She narrowed her eyes, glared at Zenon, then scoffed, "Hmph," and rose from her seat.
"You'll have to pay for the wine properly."
"Some is left, though."
"I don't particularly enjoy drinking with other people."
"...Still, I'm being treated like a person, I see."
"Ah, if you happen to want a drink, why don't you offer it to Professor Campanella? She would surely welcome it."
Yumina uttered those words and then vanished from the spot.
Zenon, rejected by Yumina, who had just been rejected by Ban Yuwon, suddenly found himself alone. He sat there for a while, then picked up the glass into which he had poured wine earlier and tasted it again.
"...As expected, I still can't discern the taste."
Like the two who had left before him, he, too, soon left the place.
In the abandoned glass, the Starlight flickered for a moment, then vanished.
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