-1462- Alright then

"..."

Upon hearing Kanata's words, both Misora, Lecty, and Rico were left stunned.

It wasn't just the three of them—Yuri almost lost her balance and nearly fell from the sky.

Rozen's mouth twitched slightly, feeling a growing urge to punch Kanata.

In contrast, Kanata seemed utterly oblivious to the implications of what he had just said.

"What's wrong with you guys?"

This man clearly had no idea how suggestive his words had sounded.

"You, of all people! You have great observation skills and sharp judgment when it comes to aerial combat, and you're pretty smart too. But when it comes to matters like this, you're still as clueless as ever, like a blockhead."

Rozen sighed deeply, massaging his forehead.

Ever since their childhood, Kanata had always been like this—completely oblivious in matters of the heart, while being annoyingly brilliant in combat. Rozen had lost count of how many times he'd teased Kanata about being the quintessential protagonist of a light novel—the kind you just want to punch.

Yet, Kanata remained as dense as ever in this area.

"What's the big deal? It's just a date, right? Why make it sound so complicated?"

Kanata's puzzled expression made Misora, Lecty, and Rico all want to punch him.

"Kanata-senpai..."

Yuri's face was a mix of emotions, torn between feeling relieved and wanting to be furious.

Rozen gave up trying to reason with Kanata.

"Why did you suddenly bring this up?"

Rozen simply asked.

"Oh, I just wanted to ask you for help with something." Kanata didn't overthink it and got straight to the point. "You seem pretty busy with your research in the Alchemist Division and all the students you're mentoring, but you can't work all the time. Sometimes you need to relax and take a break."

Kanata didn't explicitly state the reason, clearly mindful of Yuri's feelings.

As for Rozen, he glanced at Kanata, noticing a hint of a smile in his eyes. He then turned to Yuri, who, upon noticing his gaze, quickly looked away with a flustered expression. Rozen had a rough idea of what was going on.

After all, Rozen had grown up with Kanata in this world. They were childhood friends, and Rozen could usually tell what Kanata was thinking with just a look.

This was also true when it came to Chloe.

Rozen, Chloe, and Kanata had developed a sort of telepathic connection over the years. With just a glance, they could communicate almost anything to each other, which was why, after forming their team, they didn't need any additional training for teamwork; they could jump right into battle.

So...

"Alright then."

Rozen agreed without hesitation.

""""Wha...what!?"""

Misora, Lecty, and Rico gasped in unison.

"He...He agreed...!?"

Yuri also panicked.

Only Kanata seemed unaffected, quickly wrapping up his conversation with Rozen.

"Let's meet at the school gate after the practical training course ends."

"Alright, I'll head over then."

The two exchanged a few words and ended the conversation.

That's how it was between childhood friends—no need for pleasantries or formalities, just straight talk, get to the point, and then wrap it up, with no sense of distance.

"Alright, let's go, Yuri."

Kanata, feeling accomplished, flew out of the training grounds.

"W...Wait for me, Kanata-senpai!"

Yuri finally snapped out of it and quickly followed him.

Back at the scene, only Rozen and the three members of Team E601 remained.

"Geez..."

Rozen scratched his nose, then turned around.

But as soon as he did, Rozen was startled.

"W-What are you doing?"

Rozen was astonished.

Misora, Lecty, and Rico had somehow appeared behind him at a very close distance, glaring at him as if they were interrogating him.

"I can't believe you're into something like that! I totally misjudged you!"

Misora exclaimed loudly, pointing at Rozen as if he were something filthy.

"Is the instructor...really that kind of person?"

Lecty looked at him with tearful eyes, as if she had lost something precious.

"No wonder you're so famous and popular, yet there's never any gossip about you. Turns out you have this kind of fetish?"

Rico crossed her arms, her eyes filled with disdain as she looked at Rozen.

The three members of Team E601 spiraled further and further into misunderstanding and terrible imaginings, completely altering their perception of Rozen.

But could you really blame them?

Rozen and Kanata might have the kind of mutual understanding that childhood friends have, but they didn't have that with everyone else.

So, to others, it looked like Kanata had just invited Rozen on a date, and Rozen had agreed.

This was basically...

"A pervert! No wonder Yuri-senpai was so agitated just now! She was trying to stop you!"

"Is...is the instructor a pervert?"

"Definitely a pervert! Otherwise, how could he not react to someone as beautiful as me? There's no other explanation besides him being a perverted freak."

Misora continued to rant, Lecty looked devastated, and Rico seemed to have come to some sort of understanding.

"You little brats..."

Rozen's eye twitched, and he felt another urge growing within him.

This time, it wasn't just the urge to punch someone; it was the urge to pin them down and spank them until their butts were sore.

"Get back to training, all of you!"

Rozen raised his hand, about to flick the three girls on their foreheads.

The three girls yelped in surprise and quickly ran off to continue their training.

...

Meanwhile, Kanata and Yuri were flying back in triumph.

"I've arranged everything for you. Now, it's up to you."

Flying in mid-air, Kanata spoke to Yuri.

"I...I didn't..."

Yuri, trailing a short distance behind Kanata, tried to protest, but her tone wasn't as firm as before.

"You're still so easy to read, your reactions." Kanata smiled knowingly. "Haven't you been wanting to do this for a long time? This should be a good opportunity, right?"

With that, Kanata didn't give Yuri a chance to deny it and quickly changed the subject.

"There's likely to be a lot of trouble ahead." Kanata's expression grew serious as he spoke to Yuri earnestly. "You know how significant the reaction was after Rozen's last move. Now, with Vebel preparing to host the Sky Wizards Martial Arts Festival, there's a lot of suspicious activity behind the scenes. If this keeps up, Rozen's influence will undoubtedly drag him into the mess. By then, you might not get another chance to clear things up with him."

Upon hearing this, Yuri's expression immediately changed.

Seeing this, Kanata patted Yuri on the shoulder.

"I've said all I need to say. It's up to you now. I just hope you don't leave any regrets."

Leaving those words behind, Kanata sped up and left.

Yuri watched Kanata's departing figure, caught in a mix of emotions and silence.

Time slowly passed by.

Before long, the school day came to an end.