A Death Row Convict Teaches at a School of Magic

“Are you sure about this?”

After leaving Matthias’ house, Xenia, who was walking next to me, repeated the question for what seemed to be the umpteenth time.

“Yes, of course. To start off with, mine is only like a hobby—including this case with Fina—so I wouldn’t be naive enough to risk my life for it.”

“Isn’t that a roundabout way of mocking me?”

“Ms. Xenia, your ability is on the rise. A small villain like me has a heavy burden.”

The copse’s rain-soaked soil adhered to the soles of my shoes as if they were kneading clay with each step I took.

Having worn school shoes was a mistake, I thought as I looked at the woman next to me who was in such an excellent mood that she seemed to be humming a tune.

“―But then again, Ms. Xenia is indeed Ms. Xenia. It’s amazing that you help Mr. Matthias with his work while demanding almost no reward at all.”

“Well, I have been indebted to Mr. Matthias for a long time, after all.”

Being told that was painful. I instantly felt ungrateful for having turned down the job so bluntly.

Perhaps sensing this, Xenia also gave a bitter chuckle, saying, “I am really not blaming you, Kanaki. For my part, there are other reasons, too, including the fact that it sounded like pure fun, and certainly this is not a job I would take lightly.”

“But for that reason, Ms. Xenia, your answer was immediate.”

“I mulled it over thoroughly before reaching a decision.”

That didn’t seem to be the case though.

When I laughed, Ms. Xenia joined in the laughter as well. The moonlight reflected her smile bewitchingly.

“Then, I’ll go this way.”

“Yes. See you tomorrow.”

“Mmm-hmm. Until next time.”

Xenia suddenly brought her face close to mine, so I put my hand on my forehead to stop her.

“What are you trying to do?”

“Eh, it’s a goodnight kiss.”

“As if you can do that. What if someone spots us?”

“It’s all right. Nobody’s here.”

“You never can be certain of that. Besides, I am not in the mood for this right now.”

“…Hmph. How boring.”

The scent of roses that had been present at the same time as Xenia separated her body from mine also disappeared.

There was not a hint of any other scent in the air.

Xenia turned her face away with a pout, her flawless beauty distorted in displeasure.

“Then, ‘Teacher’ Kanaki-! I’ll see you tomorrow at the school!”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry.”

Having emphasized the honorifics so starkly, Xenia turned on her heel and vanished into the night. In any case, she was probably going to have another drink. Her propensity to drink excessively cannot be deterred by the fact that work was on the line the next day.

A small sigh slipped out of my lips as Xenia’s figure disappeared around the corner.

Her body was scented solely by perfume, while her beauty was too impeccable, and her emotional volatility was beyond measure.

In my original state, I would have developed a fondness for her, following the pattern of the boys in the school, but…

She doesn’t have much human touch.

It was as though she was a monster masquerading as a human being. Humanity itself was absolutely devoid in her. That was also the reason why my distance from her remained at least one step away.

Would the real her, the one who was manipulating Xenia, have the same scent of humanity?

The rain had begun to beat on my damp suit again before I knew it.

■■■■■

“Good morning.”

“…”

On that following morning, I encountered an inconceivable development.

While greeting the students coming to school that day for duty at the school gate, I was greeted by two girls who naturally opened the way for the students.

They were Karen Ortesia and Fina Trinity, students in my homeroom class.

Now, when one of them, Fina, spotted me, a polite greeting ensued.

Ortesia, who had been trying to pass by in silence as usual, seemed to find this slightly unconventional.

“Oh, Fina. What’s gotten into you?”

“Actually, Teacher helped me out a little yesterday.”

“…Heh, I would like to know the details of that.”

Ortesia took an inquisitive glimpse at me with suspicions surfacing in her irises.

Well, did she roughly assume that I was attempting to hold on to Fina?

“…No, Fina, I simply lent you my umbrella since it rained yesterday. To claim that I helped you was an exaggeration. Right, Fina?”

“…Yes.”

“…Heh. Well, I suppose I should leave it at that.”

Ortesia turned her back on me, the hue of her pupils remaining unchanged during the entire exchange.

Fina retrieved an umbrella from her bag and handed it to me.

“Thank you very much for this.”

“No problem, I’ll see you later in class.”

“…Yes.”

Fina made a bow before following Ortesia.

A breath of fresh air was heaved over my shoulder, only to be greeted this time by a spirited voice.

“―Teacher Kanaki! That was Ortesia and company, wasn’t it!?”

“Oh, Arti, and you too, Eto. Good morning.”

“G-Good morning.”

“When did you befriend those two, Teacher!?”

Arti was impatient with me, as opposed to Eto, who politely returned the greeting.

Please don’t shake my shoulder.

“I didn’t befriend them. I bumped into Fina on my way home yesterday and lent her my umbrella. So, I haven’t even had a chance to speak to Ortesia yet.”

“Eh, but Ms. Trinity spoke to you rather normally!”

“Conversely, she was able to talk properly at last with me. If anything, this is where the main stage begins.”

I had to confess, though, that it was unexpected how swiftly Fina’s attitude mellow toward me—I had anticipated it taking a little longer—but this was a pleasant oversight.

“But it would be one less thing for us to worry about if Teacher keeps this up and gets along with the two of them!”

“What, are you two worried about me?”

“Yeah. Isn’t that right, Eto?”

“Y-Yeah.”

Eto nodded reservedly. While I was aware that Arti and Eto were in the same class and close friends, it was apparently a more intimate relationship than I had realized. Since she was Matthias’ only daughter, I placed a reasonable amount of trust in Eto, but I still sometimes feared that a piece of confidential information might be leaked at some point. Each time I would simulate a way to “dispose” of her—the source of my anxiety—Matthias would somehow find out, which would ultimately lead to my death.

“More importantly, did you two remember to bring your canes with you today?”

“Yes. Of course I brought it, but…”

“Aaahhhhh!”

Eto humbly nodded as the person next to her shrieked.

“Arti…”

“You’re mistaken, it’s not that! Since I always lose track of things, I had it all in my bag until last night! However, on the way here, I figured I’d simply check the previous class for a quick review, and sure enough, it was sitting right there on my desk…”

Eto patted Arti on the back when she was sullen with her head hung low.

“Since there’s a reason for it, it can’t be helped. I’ll lend you my spare one before class.”

“Really!? As expected of Teacher! You have a soft spot for me!”

“…Don’t get too carried away, okay? If necessary, I can contact Teacher Melt at home and request a three-way meeting with you, since your number of forgotten items today is in the double digits.”

“I sincerely apologize.”

“Arti, your behavior is changing so fast…”

With a sudden change that made Eto withdraw, Arti’s attitude shifted ninety degrees and interrupted her.

Oh, these girls are really good.

I squinted after sending them off.

After all, females were more appealing to me at such a vulnerable age. The youthful, who was not yet conscious of this world of cruelty, or even if they were in the light of it, could not come to terms with it, was irresistible to my inquisitiveness.

If only Ms. Xenia possessed that kind of youthfulness―

After the bell has rung, accompanied by my light, bouncy steps, I returned to the school building.

Today will be an entertaining one, as I had my first class in a long time coming up soon.