The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter
Chapter 362: Side Story — Reunion (1)

“…”

It was a holiday, so I decided to have breakfast with White.

Although there was accommodation for White, meals were not provided. The reason White was attending the academy was to develop her independence. The only things White could enjoy as royalty were safety and a guaranteed place to sleep.

So, I brought Merlin with me and went to a restaurant in the academy’s shopping district, but White had been keeping her mouth shut since a while ago.

It’s awkward to talk to her…

I understood White’s feelings.

She revealed what she was feeling last night. And to make matters worse, she even fell asleep without realizing it.

It must have been very embarrassing.

So, it was no wonder she was feeling disturbed.

Merlin, standing solemnly by the wall, seemed to understand our silence. Reading her mind, she probably thought it was the aftermath of a hot night.

If she had any sense, she would have immediately realized that wasn’t the case… Unfortunately, Merlin didn’t have that kind of experience.

“…Senior Isaac.”

“Yeah, White.”

White finally spoke.

I immediately answered her warmly.

“Why is the morning so bright?” White murmured, blankly gazing at the sunlight outside the window.

Why would she ask that…?

“And why is the night so dark?”

“Hmm?”

Her questions were rather unusual.

There was no way White wouldn’t know such basic information.

Is it a philosophical question?

It seemed that White, having had a sound and refreshing sleep on our first night together, had begun to deeply contemplate things she normally took for granted.

“Why are you suddenly asking that?”

“It just… suddenly occurred to me.”

White lowered her eyes. She looked dejected. Seeing her slightly moist eyes, it seemed she was blaming herself severely.

Even that sight was so cute that the corners of my mouth lifted on their own.

Is she that disappointed?

It wasn’t like last night was the only chance.

Of course, I knew that White had been greatly anticipating our first night together.

How could I not know that she had occasionally felt sexual curiosity towards me, her senior, since her first year? Even without using [Psychological Insight], it was obvious and I couldn’t help but notice.

So, now that we were engaged, it was fully understandable that she was feeling a strong thirst for not being able to unleash her sexual desires on me.

I was the same way. It might be a perverted thought, but there were also many times when I had the urge to lick her smooth armpits until she teared up.

“Have you finished eating?”

“Huh? You’re already done?”

White stood up along with me.

“I’m not leaving.”

“Huh?”

I moved to the seat next to White and gently pressed down on her shoulder. White, with a confused expression, obediently sat back down on the chair.   I sat next to White and placed my hand over hers. She flinched in surprise, instinctively straightened her back, and her face turned red.

I leaned my head on White’s shoulder.

Since we were the only customers in the restaurant, there was nothing to worry about.

I decided to do what White wanted after she had sorted out her emotions. After that, I planned to make love to her as I pleased.

Last night had already passed, so we’d just have to let go of any lingering regrets.

For now, I decided to soothe her with affectionate gestures.

“A-ah, Senior Isaac…? A-are you sleepy…? T-this is a public place, you know…?”

White’s voice trembled as if an earthquake had struck, but I paid no mind.

“It’s just holding hands. There aren’t any other customers anyway, and no one’s going to bother us.”

Even if there were people, I doubt they’d dare to interfere.

“Ah.”

As I spoke while looking at White’s slender nape, she shuddered. The warm breath escaping from my lips tickled her neck.

I didn’t intend for it to happen, but she reacted sensitively.

“Then…”

White forced a determined expression.

“Just for a little while, let’s stay like this…!”

“Okay.”

She seemed to like it too.

“Huh…?”

With a bright smile, I wrapped my arms around White’s waist and pulled her close. She stiffened even more.

White’s fingertips lightly brushed against my hand that was placed over hers. I interlocked our fingers and held her hand first.   White, with flushed cheeks, lowered her head and pursed her lips, trying to hold back her giggle.

Seeing her look so happy that she could die made me feel rather proud.

We stayed like that for a while.

At the time when the sky was dyed deep blue, I arrived at the reunion venue.

In a place decorated with a certain sentimental touch, I saw familiar faces. From ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ to now, they were faces I had seen for a long time.

“Isaac!”

The first to wave her arms and greet me was Amy Holloway.

She was the fiancé of our protagonist, Ian Fairytale, and the first heroine of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.

Dressed in a beautiful gown, Amy was holding a bottle of alcohol and smiling brightly. Her bunny ribbon headband remained the same.

Following her greeting, the other alumni all turned to look at me.

“You’re here, Isaac!”

“Welcome back!”

Ian Fairytale and Mateo Jordana greeted me warmly. Compared to their academy days, they had gained more muscle and now had sharper appearances.

Should I say they’ve matured over the past year?

Next to them, a woman with wavy blue bobbed hair, Ciel Carnedas, was quietly nibbling on her food. She simply waved her hand lightly. Seeing that she no longer carried the pillow I had given her, it seemed she had graduated from it.

I greeted the rest of my classmates as well. Mateo’s group, who once gave me a sense of belonging and had plotted to kidnap Amy, the bold Lisetta Lionheart, the former student council president, Keridna Whiteclark… And many other familiar classmates.

There were many welcome faces.

I approached Ian’s group first.

“Where are Luce and Kaya?”

“Luce was too busy to come, and Kaya said she’d have to see, but she probably won’t make it. By the way, you guys look a little different.”

“We built a lot more muscle, right? At the academy, we focused on magic, but after graduation, we trained mostly in swordsmanship,” Ian answered while showing off his arm muscles. His confidence had definitely grown.

Anyway, I had become much closer to the Ian I had seen in the ending of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱. Watching his growth process was quite enjoyable. The same went for the others.

“On the other hand, you look the same?”

“I’m in an ageless state. Ah, thanks.”

I took the glass Amy handed me and took a sip.

The appropriate level of astringency was satisfying.

I had tasted many high-end drinks in Düpfendorf, but I liked the slightly cheaper taste of this one.

“Kuuu, you talk about something so insane like it’s nothing. That’s fitting for the greatest wizard of humanity! So, are you planning to stay like that forever?”

“I think I’ll live with a slightly older face later. If I get tired of it, I can just change it again.”

“Huh?”

Ian looked doubtful at my casual response.

The others also seemed unable to comprehend my answer.

“Wait. You can control aging?”

Ciel narrowed her eyes and asked, to which I nodded.

“To be exact, it’s completely up to me. I can become younger if I want. I could even turn into an old man right now.”

Unlike others blessed with eternal youth, I could freely choose to have an aged appearance or revert to a youthful state.

I assumed it was a fantastic synergy between my eternal youth and my divinity. Though I didn’t fully understand the exact effects of divinity, it allowed me to achieve all sorts of extraordinary feats.

As time passed, I planned to adopt a more mature appearance. Ideally, something at the level of the Lightning Sovereign. Just my personal preference.

Everyone looked at me with disbelief. It was a natural reaction since no one else could even imagine such a thing.

The reason I revealed this ability wasn’t a big deal. I just didn’t want them to be confused when they saw me again later.

“How is that even possible…?”

Mateo’s voice trembled.

“I don’t really know either. I just ended up this way somehow.”

That was the truth.

It was only a partial divinity, nowhere near the level of the Nether King’s, yet it still allowed me to perform various miracles.

“Show us.”

“Sure, why not.”

At Ciel’s request, I ran my hand down my face. It was a performance of sorts. Since the process of my face changing might look grotesque at a glance, I intentionally covered it momentarily.

Their shocked expressions were etched into my vision. I must have taken on a more mature look now. I had changed my face to resemble myself in my thirties.

Swish.

I ran my hand up my face and returned to my original appearance.

Clap, clap.

Amy clapped her hands with an amazed expression.

“Unbelievable…”

Even Ciel, who usually maintained a monotone expression, now had wide eyes.

As the atmosphere turned strange, I smiled slightly.

“Anyway, that’s how it is.”

“My friend has transcended human limits…!”

Amy, her face full of curiosity, exclaimed and then leaned in to whisper to me.

“Then, o’ Archwizard, can you turn younger too?”

“If I do that, my clothes won’t fit properly. That’s a bit…”

“Too bad… I bet you’d look adorable.”

Amy expressed her disappointment and returned to sit next to Ian.

I chuckled and sat at the same table as them.

After that, we chatted about various things. As the alcohol took effect, the atmosphere became more lively.

But seriously… why are they here?

Suddenly, I sensed their mana and realized it.

On the roof of a nearby three-story building, there were two cats.

One was Ella, a white cat who had presumably flown in on starlight mana.

The other was Cheshire, a plump purple cat who had likely come through a gate near the academy.

They seemed to be secretly chatting. Cheshire was smiling and flirting, while Ella was playing hard to get, just like usual.

Did they send them to spy on me?

Dorothy and Alice.

Did those two feel uneasy about me going to the reunion alone? Were they worried some other woman might try to get close to me?

Dorothy, I could understand, but Alice was unexpected. I occasionally sent updates into her mind, but I didn’t think she’d go so far as to send Cheshire…

They must have known I would sense Ella and Cheshire’s magic, so sending them was probably a way of indirectly saying, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Thinking of it that way, it’s kind of cute.

I didn’t touch anyone except the women I love. They had nothing to worry about.

Ah. Now that I think about it, with Dorothy and Alice acting like this, wouldn’t Luce have done something too? Maybe there was one of her surveillance methods lurking around.

But she was so meticulous and secretive that, unlike Dorothy or Alice, she probably had a way to avoid my mana detection.

…For now, I’ll just ignore it.

I was only here to enjoy the reunion and leave, so I decided not to make a big deal out of it.

Thinking about using this as an excuse to tease them later with some playful mischief, I actually started looking forward to it.

Nothing’s going to happen anyway.

What could possibly go wrong here?

There was absolutely nothing to worry about.