Chapter 41: Unexpected Encounter at the Shopping District

To be honest, Yagesi had never looked forward to someone’s message so much.

No, to be precise, he had hardly ever received any letters from others. That was only natural—even among the [Beasts], he was an absolute outlier. At the academy, only Teacher Annie had always been gentle with him, often asking about his well-being.

Apart from that, Yagesi basically had no friends.

So this time, the message from Alice was something Yagesi was quite looking forward to. Not only did it directly relate to his plan to ‘pursue Liya,’ but it also marked the first time he had received a message from a friend. So, starting from getting up at six in the morning, Yagesi had been exercising while preparing to receive the communication at any moment.

His efforts paid off. A little after ten o’clock, he finally received Alice’s message.

“Hmm… Shopping district, department store? Doesn’t seem too far…”

At this moment, Yagesi was at the academy gate. Calculating the distance to the shopping district in his mind, his body once again surged with murky magical power—the sign of his impending transformation into a werewolf. But the power stopped rising after reaching a certain level.

“Right, Annie said I’m forbidden to transform into a werewolf outside the academy…”

Yagesi suddenly recalled a certain teacher’s admonition.

Although he didn’t have good relationships with most teachers in the academy, that one teacher was an exception. From his first year to now, as a third-year student, having been her student, he had often been constrained and helped by her. She was the only one in the entire academy who, after learning that he basically ate junk food, would bother to send him homemade dishes every week.

Not that they tasted great.

But in the end, he had promised her. As a student, he had promised that teacher he wouldn’t transform outside the academy and would avoid using violence unless in an emergency… Well, fine.

“It’s okay.”

The so-called werewolf transformation actually had other uses.

Magical power overflowed from his body, forming a wolf-like phantom that attached itself around Yagesi. Although not as efficient as direct transformation, using the wolf as a guardian spirit granted about seventy percent of the power of the transformed state. That level was more than enough for traveling.

Then Yagesi took two minutes to dash from the academy to the address Alice had sent, at a speed ordinary people could only dream of. With his extraordinary eyesight, he quickly spotted the figure he was pursuing.

Calm down. No getting excited now. He had to put on a composed and intellectual facade—that was the best attitude. Otherwise, he’d definitely be disliked.

“Yo! If it isn’t Liya! Fancy meeting you again!”

Yagesi felt his performance was perfect, but for some reason, Liya’s reaction completely exceeded his expectations…

“Want me to send you to the hospital for a vacation, you beast?!”

Why such hostility?! Was it that the sense of security he had given her during their last duel wasn’t enough? Couldn’t she see how strong he was?

“Uh…”

Yagesi had no idea how to respond. He had no experience either. When a girl says something like that, how should he reply? He hadn’t learned that! The ‘Guide to Becoming a Ladies’ Man’ hadn’t covered how to handle this… What to do?!

Then he saw Liya’s friend, whom he had also met before—seems her name was Cecilia… So he greeted her, but it seemed he wasn’t welcome either. What had he done wrong?! Yagesi was frantic, almost instinctively starting to look for Alice.

(Wingman? Where’s Alice the wingman?! Come help me!)

Finally, sharp-eyed Yagesi spotted the figure he longed to see. Alice had just come out of the restroom, an embarrassed smile on her face… Yagesi immediately waved at her happily.

“?!????!”

For some reason, Alice froze on the spot. Strange? What happened?

“Yagesi?! Why are you here?!” Alice exclaimed in genuine shock.

“What do you mean ‘why am I here’? Didn’t you—”

“Ooh! So you’re Yagesi! I’m Cecilia! Hello~!”

Before Yagesi could finish, Cecilia stepped forward, cutting him off, and threw a meaningful glance at Alice.

Alice, meanwhile, was breaking out in a cold sweat. She had almost exposed the fact that she had called Yagesi over. If Liya heard that, it would be disastrous. Thank goodness Cecilia reacted quickly! She must have also sensed Yagesi’s intentions, which was why she helped, right?

(I owe you one, Cecilia!)

Alice shot Cecilia a grateful look, and Cecilia understood perfectly.

“By the way, Yagesi~! I didn’t expect you to be at the shopping district too. Since we’re free anyway, how about joining us for some shopping? We could use someone to carry our bags!”

“Huh?”

Yagesi tilted his head. What had Alice said earlier? Follow the plan, meet up with them, and then act together… Right! That’s it!

“Okay! No problem!” Yagesi rolled up his sleeves, baring his arm, trying to look reliable.

Liya, meanwhile, watched the entire interaction between the three with wide eyes.

(When did this beast get so close to Cecilia and Alice?! How come I didn’t know?!)

Liya felt a huge blow… But since Yagesi hadn’t made any improper moves so far, she didn’t react too drastically. Still, she shot him a fierce glare:

(You beast, if you dare do anything to Alice or Cecilia, I’ll make sure you spend a whole year in the hospital!)

Yagesi, seeing Liya’s fierce glare, thought:

(This is… ‘making eyes’?! When a girl gives a guy a look… I remember the ‘Guide to Becoming a Ladies’ Man’ says that’s called making eyes! So that’s it! Looks like I’ve finally made Liya feel safe?! Excellent!)

****

“Report, sir. The target has been located, and the barrier magic mediums are all in place. We can deploy at any moment to seal off the entire department store.”

“Well done… Were you discovered?”

“We’ve already eliminated all suspicious individuals. No problems!”

“Good… We’ve waited this long for the chance to catch the target outside the academy. This time, we can’t afford to let her escape. Once we capture her, our standing in the empire will improve, and that emperor will have to think twice. So this mission must not fail! Understood?!”

“Yes! We swear by the Seven Stars of the North Sky!”

“…We shall win the future!”

In places where sunlight cannot reach, shadows always exist. Even the mighty Demon Empire cannot avoid the infiltration of shadows—just as the grandest palaces always hide rot within.

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