[21.3] Challenge Me! I dare you!

When the Headmaster and I arrived at the Academy to leave with the students, I ran over to Cyrus, Caldwell, Felix, and Hazel waving my arms.

Cyrus frowned, "What are you doing here?"

I stood proudly with my hands on my hips, "The Headmaster is allowing me to go. I managed to convince him."

Cyrus clicked his tongue, "You threatened him, didn't you?"

My mouth dropped, "Oi! Why would you assume I threatened him!?"

He smirked, "Because it's something you would do."

I mean...

I did try.

Felix cut in, "Did you guilt him into letting you go?"

I looked at him mischievously, "Hehe~ I may have. I tried really hard to cry like you, but not many tears came out so I had to bury my face and wail."

Felix laughed, "I see you've been learning my technique."

I stared at him blankly, "So you really have been crying on purpose this entire time?"

Felix averted his eyes, "Urrr.."

Hazel fiddled with her hands nervously, "Well… I'm really happy you are coming… But won't the students be upset? They will say that the Headmaster gives preferential treatment."

Cyrus crossed his arms, "They won't just be upset. They'll be furious."

I waved my hand, "Eh, who cares about those brats."

I raised my voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "If anyone's upset, they can challenge me to a duel."

The students shivered and averted their eyes.

The Headmaster glanced at me with a frosty look, "You promised to behave."

I turned to him with a childlike smile, "I will be the most behaved girl you've ever seen, Papa~"

The Headmaster looked away holding his heart. Although his expression never changed, it was clear that being called "Papa" dealt him a powerful blow. The other teachers nearly fell over in surprise once they saw how "happy" he looked.

I turned back to see Cyrus, Caldwell, Felix, and Hazel staring at me with their mouths wide open in disbelief.

I felt my cheeks start to get warm, "T-That… I-"

Cyrus blinked, "You just called him…"

"..Papa." Felix finished his sentence in doubt.

AHHHH!

I can't believe I said that in front of THEM!

Zephyr snickered, "That's her new manipulation tactic."

They all nodded, accepting this explanation quickly, "Ahh. That makes sense."

I let out a sigh of relief and silently made a mental note to buy Zephyr chicken as thanks.

"By the way… " I looked back at the group and cleared my throat. I pointed at the person standing too close to Felix, "What is that thing doing here?"

Priscilla screeched, "Who are you calling a thing!?!"

Felix ignored her screams and smiled, "Ah, my sister also was randomly selected. Isn't that a coincidence?"

I glared at her, "Too much of one."

"Hmph." She tossed her head arrogantly then tugged on Felix's sleeve, "Big brother! Watch! I'm getting better at making bouquets!"

She waved her wand and muttered a spell. Flowers appeared at the end of the wand and turned into a bouquet. She pulled them out and thrust them into his face, "Aren't they nice?!"

He nodded obediently, "Very nice."

She grinned, "Hehe!"

I looked at her carefully, "Flowers?"

Felix smiled, "My sister is a Flora attribute. She's really good at it too."

She stuck her nose high into the air with a smug grin, "That's right. The Newman family only has the best Earth elements in it. My brother is the best at healing, and I'm the best at making flowers."

I snickered, "Just making flowers? How is that any useful?"

Her smug look disappeared in an instant, "Just flowers!?! Ha! You must be an idiot!! MY flowers all have special properties! They can give you a good night's sleep and even give you pleasant dreams. They aren't JUST flowers."

Wait…

Then the flowers that were at my bedside…

I looked at Felix who looked away with a guilty expression.

"..."

The carriages arrived just in time before I brutally attacked another child.

I followed them to a carriage but was suddenly pulled back. I didn't need to guess who it was that had picked me up by the collar. There was only ever one person who would do that.

I looked up at the Headmaster frowning, "What!? What is it?"

He shook his head, "You can't ride with them."

"EH!? Why!?!"

He narrowed his eyes at Cyrus, "There are no adults to supervise."

Cyrus shivered under his cold stare.

Priscilla stuck out her tongue, "Hah!"

Caldwell forced a smile and raised his hand, "Um… What about me? Aren't I an adult?"

The Headmaster clicked his tongue, "Barely. But you're certainly not a responsible one."

Caldwell hung his head with a pitiful expression.

The Headmaster gave one last look at them and spun around. He carried me to a carriage while Zephyr rushed after us. Once we were in the carriage, I squished my face to the glass to watch everything pass by the window.

Even though the city resembled an advanced civilization, the architecture was closer to something from a different time period.

It was so unique.

I didn't want to miss a single thing.

Zephyr also mirrored my actions with his tail wagging in excitement.

The Headmaster watched us as we were looking out of the window with enthralled looks. He spoke up, "Is it really that interesting?"

I nodded quickly, "Duh! I've only ever seen parts of the Capital. Other than that, I've only been to a few of those kidnappers' camps and that weird forest. I haven't traveled more than that."

"Oh… I see…"

I paused and glanced at the Headmaster to see him making a troubled face.

Crap! Aren't I coming off as a pitiful orphan right now!?

Well… I guess I kind of am.

He nodded deep in thought, "It's hard to travel with my schedule… But perhaps in the future, we could go on a trip somewhere close by."

I sat back and scratched my cheek awkwardly, "I-It's not a big deal. I'm sure I will get the chance in the future when I'm an adult."

Although the thought of the Headmaster taking me to new places sounds fun, isn't it a bit…

Awkward?

However, the Headmaster didn't seem to hear me and spoke aloud to himself, "...Where do children usually like to visit?"