Vol. 6 Ch. 73

"I like you. This isn’t just an impulsive confession—I’ve liked you for a long time… So… can I invite you to dinner?"

At the entrance of the school building, calling it a crowd would be an exaggeration, but the number of students who had come to watch the scene unfold was by no means small.

In the midst of the gathered students, a silver-haired girl, dressed elegantly in her school uniform, gazed at the young man in front of her with shining eyes, filled with deep emotion.

She was nervous yet hopeful, waiting for his answer.

"I’ve never seen Elucia-senpai confess to anyone before…"

"Yeah, for her to be this straightforward—did that guy save the entire Samael Continent in his past life?"

"That look in her eyes… If it were me, I’d say yes in a heartbeat!"

"…"

"Hey, hey, stop staring at just Elucia-senpai. Don’t forget—that guy is famous for being completely immune to romance. He’s rejected countless girls before, and every time, it’s been instant."

"That’s true. And his excuse is always the same. I wonder if even Elucia-senpai will lose to the legendary ‘sacred beast’ excuse?"

The surrounding students whispered amongst themselves.

And yet—

For the person being confessed to, the waiting period before answering was pure agony.

A single second stretched like an eternity.

One second… two seconds…

Three seconds…

"She made it to three seconds! No girl has ever lasted this long without being rejected!"

"I think she might have a chance!!"

"No! Damn it, don’t accept her confession!"

"They’re a perfect match! What’s wrong with you?!"

"…"

Four seconds…

Five seconds…

Just as everyone, including Elucia herself, felt their hearts in their throats, the guy finally opened his mouth.

"Sorry, I have to go home and take care of my donkey tonight."

Silence.

The entire crowd fell into a dead hush.

"Tch~ That stupid excuse again. Can’t he be a little more serious?"

"No, wait. He actually looked serious this time."

"And did you notice? This time, he took way longer to reject her."

"Yeah… Senpai lasted a full five seconds. That’s gotta be a school record."

"…"

And so, the school beauty’s confession ended in failure.

The students gradually dispersed.

Elucia clenched her skirt hem in frustration, biting her lower lip so hard it turned pale.

"I won’t… I won’t give up, Leon."

Leaving those words behind, she turned and hurried away—

Or rather, judging by her posture, she practically fled.

In no time, the entrance was empty, save for Leon and a few passing students.

With a deep sigh, he finally felt relief.

His gaze lingered on Elucia’s retreating figure, her brilliant silver hair glimmering in the sunlight.

But then he murmured,

"It still doesn’t feel right… What’s missing?"

Ah, whatever.

His master had always told him: "If you haven’t met the right girl for love and marriage, then your fate simply hasn’t arrived yet."

And when fate arrives, no matter how unlikely it seems—

Even if the other person was a silver-colored slime, he’d fall for them.

Leon highly doubted he’d ever marry a slime, but he couldn’t deny that his master’s words held some truth.

After all, aside from casual flirtations, he’d never truly fallen for anyone.

So far, there wasn’t a single girl in this academy who had caught his attention—

Just as he turned away, another dazzling silver presence entered his vision.

Her waist-length silver hair shimmered under the light.

A well-fitted teacher’s uniform hugged her figure, accentuating her perfectly curved silhouette.

Her face was bright and elegant, charming without being seductive.

Her dark-rimmed glasses added a touch of sharpness to her already piercing gaze, which carried a hint of playfulness and amusement.

She held a work journal in one arm.

And when Leon took a closer look at her attire, he finally realized—

She was a teacher.

"You’ve been staring at me for a while, Leon-kun."

The new teacher’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Leon snapped back to reality, shaking his head.

"Nothing. Sorry, sensei."

He paused, then asked,

"I don’t think I’ve seen you around campus before."

"I’m the new biology teacher. You can call me Melkvey."

"Oh, I see… Apologies, Melkvey-sensei."

"It’s fine."

Then, with a teasing smile, she asked,

"You just rejected a confession, didn’t you?"

"Yeah."

"Why? Do you not like her?"

"I have to take care of my donkey. I don’t have the time or energy to spend on a relationship."

"Bullshit, Casmod—"

A sudden voice interrupted.

Melkvey turned to Leon and asked, “Back then, when you rejected girls using your donkey as an excuse, did you actually mean it?”

Leon immediately denied it. Of course not. He just didn’t feel like coming up with a better excuse.

"No wonder Aju likes you—you’ve been using him as a scapegoat since day one."

"But there’s one thing he wasn’t lying about—"

"He really was insanely popular with girls back in school."

"Oh, really?"

"Mhm."

Leon, who rarely spoke much with others, had somehow chatted quite a bit with this nosy teacher.

But he figured it was just curiosity on both their parts.

"Well then, I’m heading to class, sensei."

"Alright."

Leon gave a small nod and walked into the teaching building.

Rosvisser watched his retreating figure, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"So… this is your memory, huh…? Heh. Now I’m really going to enjoy playing with you, idiot."

Thursday – Last Period.

Leon pulled out his textbook and flipped to the last section the teacher had covered.

His notebook was filled with dense notes, some written in his own words to better understand the concepts, others emphasizing key points the teacher had stressed.

Several lines were highlighted in red, marking the parts he still struggled with—ones he planned to review again tonight.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

"The teacher for Alchemical Mechanics, Professor Robert, is on leave today. This period is Biology," the class president announced.

The students casually referred to it as Biology, but the full course name was "Ecology of Dangerous Species"—one of the core subjects in their curriculum.

"Biology…?"

Upon hearing the subject name, Leon’s thoughts instantly drifted to the nosy teacher he met at noon in front of the school building.

And in that split second, as her silver-haired image flickered in his mind, Leon suddenly blinked forcefully and shook his head.

"Tch… weird…"

He wasn’t the kind of person to randomly daydream about pretty girls.

To be precise, he never thought about things like that.

So why had he just thought about the new teacher, Melkvey…?

As he was momentarily lost in thought, the classroom door slowly opened.

The sharp sound of heels tapping against the tile floor echoed with rhythmic precision.

Leon had his head down, flipping through his book, when he suddenly heard gasps from the other students.

"Wow… she’s gorgeous."

"Is she really a teacher? She looks like an upperclassman from our school!"

"Hey, does anyone know if teachers are allowed to enter the school beauty contest? If they are, I think she’s secured the top spot this year."

"…"

Hearing his classmates' excited murmurs, Leon couldn't help but glance toward the podium.

"Melkvey-sensei?!"

The moment he blurted out her name, he immediately felt sharp stares from every male student in class.

"You already rejected Elucia-senpai. Fine. But now you know the new teacher too?!"

"Sign up if you want to bash Casmod with a spiked club on the rooftop!"

"…"

Leon covered his face, resisting the urge to slap himself.

His mouth…

Why the hell did his mouth suddenly act on its own?!

What was he trying to prove, shouting out her name like that?!

"Ahem. Alright, alright, class. If you have something to discuss, save it for after school,"

Rosvisser—now playing the role of Melkvey-sensei—lightly knocked on the blackboard.

"If Leon-kun says so, you may call me Melkvey. I am your new Ecology of Dangerous Species instructor. Open your textbooks, and class president, tell me where you last left off."

For the entirety of that lesson, one person was on edge.

Leon, who was usually the academic star and top scorer, for the first time in his life, desperately wished class would end faster.

Not for any reason—

Other than the fact that he wanted to get as far away from this "Melkvey" teacher as possible.

Leon had no idea why he felt that way.

But something in his subconscious was screaming at him—

Being near that woman was dangerous.

The last thirty seconds of class.

Leon was no longer paying attention to the lecture.

His eyes were locked on the classroom clock, silently counting down.

"Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!"

Finally—

The dismissal bell rang!

Leon snatched his bag, ready to make a run for it—

But then, from the podium, a calm voice rang out—

"Leon-kun."

His movements froze mid-step.

"You spent the entire class staring at the clock," Melkvey said, her tone light yet teasing. "Do you find my teaching methods unsatisfactory?"

Leon whipped around instantly.

"No, sensei, that’s not—"

"Come to my office after class. Let’s have a proper chat."

Leon: "?"

A sudden, ominous feeling washed over him.

Why…

Why did he suddenly have a very, very bad premonition…?