"Phew... now that was quite the tense lesson, wasn't it?"
Once the Introduction to Magic class had ended, Viola stretched both hands high toward the ceiling.
Ms. Carder's classes demanded your full attention—let your guard down for even a moment and she would immediately pounce with a question.
"Still, it was easy to understand, wasn't it? And she really kept her eye on the students, too."
Primula chimed in from the seat beside her on the opposite side.
For Primula, who was earnest and excelled at desk work, Ms. Carder's high-level lessons seemed to be quite enjoyable.
"Yeah, I think so too. You have to keep a close eye on the students to catch them off guard at exactly the right moment."
The fact that she could point out slacking students meant she was observing them all very carefully.
She answered students' questions with precision, and it was clear she had thoroughly prepared her lesson material.
It was all readily apparent.
She was probably a fine teacher in her own way.
"Next up is 'Magic Acquisition.' It's in a different classroom, so we'd better get moving."
Yuri, who had been sitting in a nearby seat, stood up and urged Rest and the others along.
The next class was also a required course—Magic Acquisition.
As the name suggested, it was a class for learning new magic.
Rest, Viola, Primula, and Yuri moved to a different classroom as a group of four.
Their destination was the Magic Laboratory—a slightly spacious room that resembled a science lab.
Several rectangular tables had been set up, and they chose one to sit at.
After Rest and the others settled in at their table for a little while, the other classmates began filtering in, filling up the remaining chairs in the classroom.
"Sorry, is this seat taken?"
"Um, excuse us."
Two classmates, a boy and a girl, appeared at the table where Rest and the others were sitting.
Their names were...
"Ruido Jisutaru, Jewel Iezuru."
"Just call me Ruido. We're classmates, right?"
"Jewel is fine..."
"Got it. I'm Rest."
"I'm Viola Rosemary."
"I'm Primula Rosemary."
"I'm Yuri Cattleya. Just call me Yuri."
The four introduced themselves in turn to the two new classmates.
"Oh, of course I know you. Rosemary and Cattleya, right? Now that I think about it, what an incredible combination. If Crocus joined too, you'd have all three pillars — politics, sword, and magic."
The boy who'd introduced himself as Ruido laughed in an amused way.
He was a boy with short chestnut hair and a refreshing face.
He wore an earring, and while he seemed cheerful, there was something of a mischievous kid about his vibe.
"R-Ruido-kun, that's rude, you know!"
Meanwhile, the girl who'd introduced herself as Jewel had long, curly grey hair and wore glasses.
She had an introverted, or rather generally quiet demeanor, and freckles dotted the area around her nose.
"Are you two acquainted? You seem pretty close."
"Hey, hey… don't say that, it's not like that at all."
"Well… being told I'm close with Luido is a little off-putting, honestly."
The two made disgusted faces at the same time.
It wasn't just Rest's imagination that their reactions were strikingly in sync.
"Our domains are neighbors, that's all. Childhood friends… no, more like we're stuck with each other, I guess?"
"Luido's been picking on me since we were little. He's really mean."
"Wha— picking on you? I just showed you bugs I caught! You were always shut up in your room reading books, so—"
"Doing things the other person doesn't like is what bullying is. Luido can't consider other people's feelings at all."
"Ahh… I think I understand your relationship now."
Rest laughed dryly as he watched their exchange.
They didn't get along, yet were strangely in sync… probably like a cat-and-mouse relationship from an American cartoon.
"That group over there would be the Rosemary sisters and their fiancé, right? It's become quite a rumor — the beautiful sisters from the magic-famous family getting cozy with some man."
"Yes, that's right. Rest is our fiancé."
"We're very close."
Viola and Primula each latched onto Rest's arms from either side and declared firmly.
They must have been listening to the conversation… a murmur like a collective sigh arose from the other students at nearby tables.
"Oh my, what's the matter?"
"Um… Viola. All the guys in this class have been eyeing the two of you, you know?"
Jewel said in a timid tone.
"There are a lot of Magic Department students who aim to become court magicians. House Rosemary is known both as the chief court mage's family and as a distinguished family of mages, so people have been curious about it. When they heard the rumored sisters would be in the same class, I think a lot of people were hoping to get close to them somehow…"
"Aah… so that's why you were so concerned about our relationship with Rest."
Viola let out a wry smile. Primula also wore an ambiguous expression.
There were plenty of Magic Department students who had their eyes on the Rosemary sisters.
Those students must have been shocked and utterly despairing when they saw the sisters arrive on the first day of school arm in arm with a man.
"Having been thought of as trophies does make me feel a little embarrassed, doesn't it…"
"Perhaps we should continue staying close to Rest-sama from now on. We need to make it clear that neither my sister nor I belong to anyone else."
The two pressed closer to Rest, tightening their grip on his arm.
The air of despair from the boys in their surrounding class grew even stronger.
"You three really are close, aren't you? It makes me envious."
Watching the trio, Yuri smiled warmly.
"I'd love to find a wonderful husband for myself soon too. Isn't there a good man out there somewhere?"
"…!" "…!" "…!" "…………!"
Yuri's explosive remark sent the surrounding boys into a commotion.
While not a family of mages like House Rosemary, House Cattleya was nonetheless a distinguished and well-regarded family.
Among the students of noble birth, many harbored hopes of forging ties with the Cattleya marquis household.
"Y-Yuri…?"
"…Yuri, it seems like there are quite a few things you need to study up on."
Jewel turned beet red, while Viola let her shoulders slump in exasperation.
"So Cattleya-san is actually available…!"
"She has a brother, so a matrilocal marriage is out of the question, but connecting with the Cattleya family would be a huge deal…"
Hah, hah, Yuri-tan. You're so adorable I could stan you…!
The confusion born from Yuri's remark spread through the classroom like ripples and didn't subside before class started.