The empty corridor was wrapped in a thin layer of morning light.
Siloque walked through the corridor to the staff room, gave the door two symbolic knocks, and timidly entered after hearing a “Come in” from inside.
Inside the staff room, the teachers were currently drinking tea and chatting; they all looked quite old.
Siloque walked to Teacher Godlo’s desk and found a stool already placed in front of it.
“Please, sit.”
As Godlo spoke, he even poured a cup of tea for Siloque.
“Uh… thank you?”
Siloque sat down and picked up the teacup.
‘Is this drugged?’
(Negative thinking).
He decided not to take a single sip.
“Student Dasvey, first, I want to apologize to you.”
Godlo bowed his head.
“No, no, Teacher, please raise your head. Why would you need to apologize to me?”
This was the first time Siloque had seen a teacher lower themselves so much for a student.
‘This isn’t some kind of prank, is it? An old prankster?’
Godlo stroked his thinning, graying hair and said, “Regarding that question earlier, I truly asked it with the intention of embarrassing you… I didn’t expect you to actually be able to answer it. That was a university exam question. I originally just mentioned it to the class and didn’t expect anyone to be able to answer.”
“Eh?”
‘The correct answer was not to answer at all!’
‘Damn, I really overdid it.’
Siloque felt deep regret in his heart.
“Do you like chemistry, Student Dasvey?”
“It’s alright…”
‘I only learned that knowledge to make the release of Alchemy more accurate and efficient. I don’t actually have much interest in it.’
“Student Dasvey, I called you over because I wanted to ask. Have you considered transferring schools?”
“?”
First a teacher bowed to him, and now one was encouraging him to withdraw.
“What I mean is, with your level of chemistry, you could get better further education at other schools. I know your results in Dungeon Exploration aren’t very high, and it’s also dangerous. Why not consider transferring to a regular school? It would be safer.”
Understood.
Godlo was actually concerned for him.
‘But he’s just misunderstanding me for some kind of amazing science student.’
‘If I hadn’t answered that question correctly, he probably wouldn’t be advising me like this.’
Siloque put on a professional, rehearsed smile.
“Thank you, Teacher Godlo, but I worked hard to get into this school. Naturally, I am prepared to face various risks. I have no intention of transferring.”
“…Then there’s nothing for it. I’ve wasted your time. My apologies.”
Godlo didn’t try to persuade him any further; he had only tried on a whim.
He gave a kind smile, completely different from his usual stern expression.
“By the way, I want to ask you one last question.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Is it because you’re afraid of the cold? Why are you always wearing the boy’s uniform? Or is it some recent fashion trend? I don’t understand much about that, but you still have to wear the corresponding uniform on campus…”
“I’m a boy.”
“…Huh?”
It took Godlo a long moment to respond.
“This is no time for jokes, Student Dasvey. Just because you want to wear the boy’s uniform, you can’t…”
“I’m sorry, Teacher Godlo, but I really am a boy.”
Siloque showed his Student Card, which clearly listed his student ID number, enrollment date, and gender.
Godlo’s eyes widened, the wrinkles on his forehead doubling.
After repeatedly comparing the person to the Student Card, he couldn’t help himself.
“WHAAAAAT?!!!”
A deep, middle-aged scream rang out, drawing the gazes of the other teachers in the office.
***
Leaving the staff room, he walked toward Priss’s office at the end of the floor.
The homeroom teacher of each class didn’t stay in the staff room but had their own office.
Siloque’s breathing had returned to calm, and only the sound of his footsteps and heartbeat remained in his ears.
Although the rhythm of the two tended to synchronize, as he approached the door, one became sluggish while the other grew rapid.
He felt as if something bad was inside.
Siloque knocked, but there was no response for a long time.
He took a deep breath, turned the handle, and walked in.
His pupils shrunk instantly.
Priss was sitting at her desk, working.
Although she was hunched over and yawning repeatedly, she was indeed working.
‘If you’re in there, just respond.’
“Teacher Priss, this is my leave application form.”
“Oh… leave it here… you can sit first… and… your Ring Chart…”
Luckily, Priss still spoke with her familiar, slow cadence.
She stopped typing on her keyboard, took the application form, scanned it, then pulled out a data cable to connect Siloque’s Ring Chart to her computer, scrolling the mouse to check the information.
Siloque looked around the room, which had thick gray curtains drawn and the air conditioning turned up high.
Scattered throughout the room were piles of unorganized materials, along with a brown leather sofa and a glass table, separated by a partition.
Siloque sat on the sofa.
In fact, to the left of Priss’s desk, there was also a partition with a circle of blackout curtains, making it impossible to see what was inside.
Siloque remembered there was a latex spring bed inside that Priss had brought from home.
Besides that, other personal items like a sleep mask, bedsheets, a hanging projector, and a bedside cabinet were all present… it was practically her personal living space.
That was right — she lived in her office.
“Your Lv is rising very quickly… Siloque…”
Priss’s voice was unusually high-pitched.
“Haha… it’s alright. Just a bit of good luck.”
‘Like hell. My luck is actually terrible most of the time.’
‘A few days ago I fell from a height, and I’m still shaken.’
“Do you really… not plan on recruiting more teammates? The Third Floor… it’s… no joke…”
“Yeah, just me and my sister will go. If she doesn’t agree, I’ll go alone.”
“The others in class… are afraid of you, aren’t they?”
Apparently, Priss had noticed the strange atmosphere in the class.
“The Dungeon Task earns a lot of credits… if you used that as a reason to recruit… people would be willing to join… I should say… with your Lv, the fact that you’re still insisting on solo exploration… is strange in itself.”
“It’s fine. It’s my own choice. I won’t blame anyone if I die.”
“Well… it’s… whatever to me…”
Click-clack, click-clack.
Priss finished typing, imported the new data into the Ring Chart, and stamped the application form.
It was finished — the leave request.
Siloque took back the Ring Chart, put it on his hand, and stored the form inside.
“Thank you, Teacher Priss. Oh, by the way, please don’t mention my Dungeon Task to the class.”
He didn’t want to publicize it.
Carrying out a Dungeon Task faster than the Main Character would increase his popularity in and out of the class.
It was better to keep his reputation under control.
“…? …I wasn’t planning to… but what if… someone asks?”
“It’s okay, no one will ask. In fact, compared to the start of the semester, aren’t there already two people missing from the class? If one more person like me goes missing, it won’t cause much of a stir.”
With Siloque’s status in class, no one would notice if he didn’t speak.
“…You’re certainly confident… I understand… if someone asks… I’ll just find an excuse… is that okay?”
“Yes, no problem. Sorry for the trouble, Teacher Priss.”
Siloque smiled, bowed to Priss, and left the office.
As soon as the office door closed, Priss immediately stopped working and slumped into her chair, completely relaxed.
“Are you satisfied, Senior?”
She pulled back the curtain of the partition to the side.
“Oh my, he looks so cute, yet he’s such a cold-blooded guy. It doesn’t match his appearance at all~~”
A tall woman with deep blue hair tied in a bunch lay lazily on her side on the latex spring bed.
She was swiping on a tablet with her right hand and hugging a giant capybara plushie with her left.
Because she was so tall, her long legs had to stretch out past the bed.
“I wonder how Cassia would react if I tied him up and threw him into my daughter’s room?”
Vitoris’s face showed a somewhat mischievous smile as she spoke in her beautiful voice.