CH 41

The second period of the spring semester class came to an end…

Like the Breathing Techniques, the concentration and imagination exercises were well received by the students.

The students chatted cheerfully after class.

Compared to the classes that Fran had given in the past, there was a clear difference.

Each student seemed to have enjoyed the training, although their results varied.

The third period was self-study in the classroom or library.

Therefore, Lou left Fran and went back to the staff room.

When Lou opened the door and entered the staff room, the new teacher, Adeline Colette, came running up to him.

“He-hey, how are you, Lou-sensei?”

“You mean, the class? I’m getting by.”

“I-I see…Did you manage it well?”

“Un! All my students said it was fun.”

Adeline’s eyes widened at Lou’s reply.

Then she let out a deep sigh.

“I’m hopeless…”

Adeline muttered in a fading voice.

So, Lou couldn’t help but ask.

“Hey-hey, what’s the matter? What’s wrong, Adeline?”

What!

Beads of tears welled up in Adeline’s eyes.

Lou asked her about it…

It turned out that she suffered from a stage fright because it was her first class.

The students thought she was an ‘unreliable teacher’ because she kept faltering with her words terribly and spoke impatiently.

“Adeline, who was the teacher you worked with?”

“It’s Baudrier-sensei.”

“Umm…”

Lou looked around.

However, Clotilde Baudrier, the former priestess senior teacher who worked with Adeline, was nowhere in sight.

Lou had no choice but to turn his attention back to Adeline.

Adeline, like himself, was an assistant homeroom teacher.

How did Baudrier, the teacher, instruct Adeline?

“What did Baudrier-sensei tell you, Adeline?”

“U-Uh…she said as a teacher, I should be able to figure things out by myself…”

Adeline then covered her face with her hands.

She didn’t want Lou to see her in tears.

“Adeline, that’s meaningful advice.”

“What do you mean?”

Adeline sniffed, removed her hands that were covering her face, and looked at Lou.

All the same, her eyes were brimming with tears.

Lou smiled and handed her his handkerchief.

Adeline was so overcome with emotion that she forgot to even wipe her tears.

“T-Thank you!”

Adeline received the handkerchief handed to her and wiped away her tears.

Lou felt it…

None of the teachers gave off a nasty, throbbing, dark magical aura.

Clotilde, as a former priestess, also emitted a gentle and kind magical aura.

This time, too, she must have been thinking of Adeline, her junior, and daringly pushed her out.

“Adeline, first, think long and hard about why you failed. I’m sure you can think of something…can you?”

“Yeah…”

“I think that’s what it means by thinking for yourself.”

Regardless of one’s identity as a senior, he wasn’t a handyman who could help someone with anything when they were in trouble.

The panic-stricken Adeline must have asked Clotilde how to proceed right then and there.

Also, she looked like she had gone through death many times…

“As soon as I stood on the podium, my mind went blank and I couldn’t think of anything. I was trying to perform well… What a disgrace…”

“Cheer up, Adeline!”

Adeline’s shoulders shook from her weeping, so Lou gave her a pat on the shoulder.

“Let’s face it! We’re new teachers. It’s common to mistake yourself as inept, but that doesn’t mean it’s true just because you can’t do something right the first time.”

“Uhh?! Can I rectify it?”

Adeline was taken aback by Lou’s bold statement.

“Yes, you need to apologize when you make a mistake, but don’t dwell on your mistakes. Just be calm and collected.”

“Calm and collected”?

“Yes, Adeline, you tend to speak impatiently. No one is going to complain, so just speak slowly and make sure everyone can understand what you’re saying.”

“…I see! I’m sure no one will complain if I speak slowly, right?”

With Lou’s advice, Adeline’s smile finally returned to her face.

“Lou-sensei, no, Lou-san, thank you so much! Oh, it’s time to go!”

“Yeah, go to class with your chest up confidently. Good luck! And if you need anything else, just let me know!”

“Okay!”

Adeline waved as she clutched Lou’s handkerchief and headed to her class.

Lou looked away with the same calm demeanor. 

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ 

The third period of the class was for self-study.

Students opened and read ‘Magical Studies I’ and practiced breathing and concentration exercises…

They spent their time as they wished.

Fran was already back in her classroom, and she smiled radiantly at Lou as he entered the classroom.

And as soon as Lou entered…

Several students flocked around him, led by the class president, Esther Lejeune.

Lou stood on a rather small podium set up beside another podium for the assistant homeroom teacher to greet them.

“Lou-sensei, I have a question for you!”

Esther called out first.

“These are the students who have already set their goals for the future and are thinking about specific paths and methods. Would it be possible for you to consult with us individually?”

Esther had already abandoned Fran as the teacher to some extent.

To put it bluntly…she ignored her.

“Sure, got it. Francesca-sensei and I ・・・・・・・・・・ will be happy to consult with you.”

Lou replied with his usual gentle smile.

His answer took Esther aback.

Intelligent by nature, she quickly realized Lou’s intentions.

It looked like she’d be punished severely…

So she immediately approached Fran and asked her to do the same.

As Esther and the others returned to their seats, Josephine took her turn to approach Lou.

“Oh, Josephine! Well done, kid.”

Lou suddenly praised Josephine, who was standing in front of him.

In fact, Josephine was going to ask Lou for a special private lesson.

However, her enthusiasm was killed when she was suddenly told that.

“Wha-wha-what?”

“Josephine, it seems that you received Sylph’s blessing when you performed the breathing exercise earlier.”

“Huh?”

“Congratulations! You have an amazing talent for the wind attribute.”

“Yeeaaaahhh?!!”

Josephine could hardly speak satisfactorily upon hearing Lou’s words.

She was amazingly talented.

It was the first time someone ever told her that…

“I-I-I, I’m amazingly talented?!”

“Yes, if you believe in spirits and work diligently, you can become a very skilled senior wizard. Just don’t get carried away.”

Josephine’s eyes widened, and she stared at Lou.

Lou’s serene smile soon became hazy from her tears…

Josephine’s mother died when she was very young, and because she was the only daughter, her father, the Count, doted on her.

She also possessed better magic power than others, so she was admitted to the Magical Girls Academy with her father’s help.

After entering the school…

She did whatever she wanted, and had her ‘cronies’.

She wanted to enjoy her remaining free youth to her heart’s content.

It was because her father planned to find a suitable partner who fit her family status and marry her off after she graduated.

Josephine herself thought that this was her predestined course of life, being born into a noble family.

But…what a surprise!

A path suddenly opened up in front of her.

The path to becoming a senior wizard…

“Ahhhh, um, Lou! N-No!, Lou-sensei, you’re going to teach me a lot, won’t you?”

“Of course, leave it to me!”

“Leave it to you, you say?! Now that you said it…you must take responsibility for your word! All right?”

Lou heard Josephine’s words, as if she were trying to get a word in edgewise.

He smiled wryly and replied, “All right.”