I walked back to the academy with Titania, leading her to her dormitory.
"Bye, Leon," she said, giving me a shy smile. "Um, see you later."
"Yeah, I'll see you." I replied. With a final wave of her hand, she turned and walked toward her dormitory, her smile lingering. I watched her until she disappeared inside.
After that, I headed to the academy gates and made my way to the parking lot. There, I spotted Professor Rose leaning against her car, clad in a thick trench coat.
"Hello," I said as I approached. "Have you been waiting long?"
"Yes," she replied with a curt nod, her eyes narrowing with a piercing, no-nonsense glare. "Now get in." She pointed toward her car, the command clear in her tone.
I slid into the backseat of Professor Rose's car, but she stopped me with a sharp command.
"Up front," she ordered, her voice clipped and impatient.
I moved to the front seat, feeling the weight of her disapproval. Her eyes were a storm of irritation, and it was clear she was far from pleased. I wondered why she wanted me up front with her. Just last night, she'd been dodging my calls. Maybe the gravity of the situation made it impossible for her to keep her distance.
Professor Rose slid into the driver's seat, the car's engine roared to life, and we were off. She said nothing, her focus on the road ahead.
The silence in the car was suffocating, an almost tangible weight pressing down on us. The only sounds were the low growl of the engine and the rhythmic thud of the tires against the pavement.
"Looks like your assumption was spot on," I said, breaking the thick silence hanging between us. "The Eclipse really was behind those kidnappings, huh?"
She didn't respond, her eyes locked on the road, her expression cold and unreadable.
"Answer me, Leon..." she demanded, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "Did you really sleep with them? Do you really have relationships with both of them? I never got a clear answer from you. Irene and Gabrielle didn't say anything, but the way they looked at me confirmed it. I want to hear it from you."
She fixed me with a steely, unyielding gaze.
I nodded in response.
"Say something," she insisted, her eyes growing colder. She wanted more than just a nod; she needed me to confirm it with my own words. But I remained silent. "I said say it!" she shouted, pulling her arm back and then thrusting it towards my face.
I activated my Guardian to block the incoming attack. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Wha...? The Guardian? Why do you have that...? And... what? I thought you were skillless, Leon?" she stammered, staring at her hand that had just tried to punch me, before locking eyes with me again.
I ignored her question, my voice steady as I admitted, "I'm in a sexual relationship with both Professor Irene and Professor Gabrielle."
Her eyes shot wide open, the realization hitting her like a punch to the gut. "So you really are..." she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Then, the man driving Irene crazy... was you."
"Yeah, it was me. But I didn't mean to ignore her. I was just keeping my promise," I said calmly, watching her expression shift between anger and hurt.
She looked at me with disbelief, and then a bitter chuckle escaped her lips.
"Hehehehe... I can't believe this..." she said as she continued driving. "I really thought you were my Prince Charming, Leon. But I was wrong. You're nothing but a scum."
Scum. Yeah, I was that. Akane had told me the same thing before. That I was scum. I slept with plenty of women back in my old world too. When Akane found out, she said I was a scum.
I didn't really understand what she meant back then. And even now... I probably still don't.