Volume 2 Chapter 2.1
Convenient Alliances, Invitations
Mixed with Poisons Part 1
Translator : PolterGlast
"Like I said~,
why the hell are you here~!?"
The next day. As soon
as they arrived at the only café in the school, which had been designated as
the meeting place, Casper came up to Jin. He aggressively crossed his shoulders
and yelled in his ear.
There were many people
in social gatherings who changed their attitude depending on whether the other
person was of the opposite or same sex, but Nina had never seen such an extreme
example before.
"What? You're the
one who told me to bring Nina here, didn't you? ......"
"I didn't ask you
to come along! Do you know what the word "date" means? A date is not
a date if the same sex is present!"
"A-A date!? Why I
haven't been told of such a thing?"
"A~a, sorry
Nina-chan. Looks like there's an unfortunate miscommunication because of this
idiot......"
"You did tell me
that you wanted to form an alliance with Nina, though?"
"That was just an
excuse, of course! You should have guessed that much! Don't tell me, you have
never experienced love before!?"
"...... Alright,
alright. So should I just go home?"
"Yeah, get the
hell out of here."
When Jin shrugged his
shoulders and was about to leave, Casper began to tremble for some reason.
"...... Hey, wait
a minute. I just realized something outrageous."
"Haa ....... What
now?"
"Why the hell are
you calling Nina-chan by her name!?"
Casper ran off
screaming and sat down holding his knees a short distance away. It seemed that
he had completely lost it.
─Is such a person really a candidate for the
<shepherd's dog>?
It's hard to
believe that the headmaster, who is so cautious that he doesn't even show up at
the entrance ceremony, would appoint such a messed up person as a spy......
As Nina resisted the
urge to leave, Jin whispered an instruction to her.
"Look, you have
to comfort him."
"Hah? Me?"
"Who else is
there besides you?"
"Can we just
ignore him for now? I mean, this guy doesn't seem suspicious at all."
"Nina, I have a
word of advice for you", Jin said as he casually walked away. "There
is nothing more dangerous in the world than a seemingly harmless
fraudster."
Watching Jin's back as
he moved away, Nina suddenly felt uneasy.
Indeed, Jin might be
right.
Now she found herself
thinking of Casper as an insignificant opponent. ...... Even though the other
party is a psychic with psychic abilities so powerful that he was exempted from
the entrance examinations.
No, that's not all.
Casper is the only one
among the group exempted from the entrance exam that has not disclosed any of
his psychic abilities. From this fact alone, it could be inferred that he has
been cleverly manipulating his information.
─It could all be an act to catch us off guard. I have
to stay sharp.
Nina told herself so
as she approached the crouching monster.
She wasn't sure what
to do, but she decided to comfort him by patting him on the shoulder.
"Casper-san, cheer
up."
"Huh? A
goddess?"
"............. I
already told him to go back to his dormitory. So be at ease."
"Are you and that
guy lovers?"
"...... No, of
course not."
"What kind of
relationship then? Don't tell me, Nina-chan, you have feelings for that guy......"
"I-It's just some
kind of partnership ...... right, he's just a servant! I don't have any strange
feelings for him at all!"
When she hastily
explained herself, Casper looked up at her with a big smile on his face.
"Nah, figured so!
I worried for nothing!"
Seeing Casper recover
in an instant, Nina did her best to hold back a sigh.
◇
─What time is it now, I wonder?
Nina and Casper had
been chatting for an hour in a corner of the café, which was sparsely populated
with customers.
Life at the Heiberg
Academy. Memories of their childhood. Food preferences, hobbies, and so on.
None of these topics
seemed to have anything to do with the alliance. It seemed that Casper was
really here with the intention of going on a date.
Even though Casper was
talking continuously to her, Nina was getting tired of having to keep
interweaving lies into her conversation. She had to be careful not to let her
guard down and say something unnecessary.
"Come to think of
it, Nina-chan, why did you decide to come to the Heiberg Academy?"
"Of course,
that's because my two older brothers are both graduates of this school. I also
wanted to be like them who belong to the <White Knights>."
"Oh, the famous
Stingray brothers. My father used to talk about them a lot."
According to the
information that Jin had the detective investigate, Caspar Crawford came from a
prominent family that has been producing top-level officers in the Imperial
Army for generations.
His father, in
particular, was sometimes involved in joint operations with the <White
Knights>, and his only son, Caspar, has all the qualifications to become a
<shepherd's dog>.
[All right, it's time
to get to the bottom of this.]
Jin's voice could be
heard coming out of the tiny transceiver plugged into her right ear. Jin, who
had anticipated that Casper would try to be alone with Nina, had given it to
her before coming here. The transceiver was hidden by her platinum-colored
hair, so there was no risk of it being discovered.
Of course, the
contents of their conversation were also transmitted to Jin through a bug
hidden in her bag. Even though she can only receive instructions from him in
one direction, it is still a very reliable means of communication.
After secretly
regulating her breathing, Nina carefully interjected
"So, Casper-san,
are you also aiming to become a member of the <White Knights>?"
"Hmm, about that.
I haven't decided what to do yet."
"......Pardon?"
"You see, I just
happen to have been born with a powerful psychic ability. That's why I somehow
ended up enrolling in this Heiberg School, which is the best in the country,
but to be honest, I regret it."
"Eh, is that
so?"
"I had heard that
it was an intensely competitive environment, but I didn't expect it to be this
bad. I was even exempted from the entrance exam, which made girls wary of me
and wouldn't approach me. Right now I'm on the least popular moment I've ever
been in my entire life......"
"Well, that's
only natural......"
As shown by Bennett's
previous attempt to burn nearly 20 students to death, this school is not
structured for the enjoyment of a proper youth. It is a battlefield where
anyone who is not careful can be outwitted, exploited, and ultimately killed in
an instant.
How naive Casper's
thoughts were.
Of course, the fact
that he is able to survive even with such a mindset proves his ability.
"...... Now I see
why your points barely moved."
"Haha, I'm just
doing the <practical exam> and turning down all those
<duels>."
"What are you
going to do if you are dropped from the race for survival?"
"Well, I guess it
doesn't matter. With my psychic abilities, I can survive anywhere in the
world."
Hearing this, Nina's
heart was suddenly filled with sadness.
The only reason Casper
can take this stance is because he is a psychic who boasts overwhelming power.
He is able to choose
from the countless options spread out on the table, the one that suits his
current mood each time. He is definitely different from her, who has been
playing the role of a monster ever since she was a child and finally had no
choice but to drift into this abnormal academy.
[......As expected,
this guy is suspicious.]
Jin's doubtful voice
shook her eardrums.
[It's obvious that
he's hiding his true nature. All he does is ask questions, and when it comes to
talking about himself, he dodges the topic at the most appropriate moment.
Normally, men who are trying to seduce the opposite sex would be more confident
in disclosing themselves. ...... Or maybe, he meant everything he just said.]
Nina sipped her warm
coffee and decided to calm her head a bit.
It seemed that her
life was so different from the boy in front of her that she had developed a
feeling akin to jealousy.
She needed to learn
from her accomplice and observe the other party's behavior more calmly.
[Nina, explore
Casper's thoughts more. Ask him why he approached you.]
As a signal of
understanding, Nina tapped her ear lightly.
"So, Casper-san.
Why did you approach me?"
"Huh? Of course,
it's because I like you, Nina-chan."
"P-Please answer
me, seriously!"
"Wawa, are you
upset......!? I really like that expression! I want to take a picture of it and
hang it in my house!"
[Nina, shove him away
once.]
"...... Enough,
I'm going back to my dormitory."
"Wha-, wait! I'm
sorry!"
Casper confessed in an
embarrassed manner as he grabbed Nina by the arm and stopped her.
"Well, the thing
is... It's true that Nina-chan is very attractive, and it's true that I wanted
to go on a date with you. That's absolutely not a lie. But, you know, there was
one more thing I wanted to ask of you......"
"Then, please
hurry up and get to the point."
After scratching his
cheeks in embarrassment, Casper raised his gaze upward and said.
"Nina-chan, would
you like to form an alliance with me?"
"...... An
alliance, huh? You denied it earlier, though."
"Well, umm, even
though it's called an alliance, it's actually just a formality. You see, as you
probably know from attending yesterday's meeting, I'm in a bit of trouble with
Karen right now......"
"You messed with
Karen-san's best friend, I presume?"
"No-no, I didn't
mess with her! I merely invited her to go out to town with me. But because Karen-chan
is such a caring friend, she lightly threatened to kill me......"
"It's totally
your own fault, isn't it?"
"Don't say that
and please cooperate with me......! Nina-chan, you don't have to do anything.
If anyone asks, all you have to do is tell them that you're in an alliance with
me."
Not knowing how to
respond, Nina bought herself some time by drinking coffee.
[It's getting more and
more suspicious.]
Jin seemed to be
getting more and more doubtful.
[This guy is also a
member of the group that was exempted from the entrance exam, right? It's too
unnatural for him to be so weak-minded when he was targeted a little bit. I can
only think of it as an excuse to keep in touch with you in the future.]
When Jin's doubts were
put into words, Casper answered hesitantly.
"Karen-chan's
psychic abilities are a bit too incompatible with me. I'll do my best not to
fight with such a pretty girl, but there is always the possibility that I might
...... But if I can trick her into thinking I'm in an alliance with Nina-chan,
I might be able to keep her in check."
[......Answer him that
you'll form an alliance with him under some conditions. It's a chance to find
out more about him.]
She felt troubled deep
inside her heart, but it was for a good cause.
Nina quietly put down
her coffee cup and muttered in a tone of voice that showed signs of having been
troubled to the limit.
"......It can't
be helped, let's form an alliance. Under some conditions, of course."
"Aaahh~! Thank
you! You are a goddess after all! I wonder why there are no songs about you in
this world! Damn, It's making me pissed. ......Ah, right, I'll just make one
myself! Okay, I'll go buy a guitar right after this."
"I don't need any
weird enlightenment, so in exchange for the alliance, please tell me", she
thrust the blade of words down Casper's throat, as instructed by the
transceiver. "What exactly is your psychic abilities?"
"Ah, I can't
answer that."
A chilling atmosphere
surrounded Casper at a tremendous speed.
He immediately put on
a smile, but a momentary glimpse of the abyss made Nina's heart palpitate.
─This person may be hiding something terrifying .......
"Well, I'll
accept any other conditions. Let me know after you come up with something."
The man, whose true
intentions could not be read, gave her a big smile as he stood up.
"I'm looking
forward to working with you, Nina-chan."
◇
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