Chapter 43: Caught Red-Handed

Huh?

Wait?

This situation…

Ewan felt his heart quicken.

Generally, in a quiet setting with just two people, when one casually asks, ‘Do you have someone you like?’ it’s undeniably a prelude to something significant.

Precisely, it’s that legendary confession!

First, one uses seemingly casual small talk to gauge if the other person is already taken. Once confirmed, a fierce offensive is launched to capture their heart in one swift move!

All those hundreds of romance manga I read in my previous life taught me this!

Huh? But, would Senior Anna truly…?

Wouldn’t that be a bit too sudden?

However, since Senior Anna had asked so earnestly, I could only respond with my sincere truth.

“No.”

Ewan straightened his back, his hands clasped beneath his chin, and replied with utmost gravity, “Absolutely not.”

“Is that so? What a pity, then,” Anna sighed, touching her cheek.

“Eh?”

Ewan was taken aback.

What did she mean, ‘pity’?

Was it a pity to her that no one liked him?

Could it be that a simple, direct approach was no longer enough for Senior Anna?

Did she prefer snatching someone else’s heart rather than claiming an unclaimed one?

Was Senior Anna also a devotee of the NTR cult?

“Then… does Junior like anyone?”

Ewan’s mind was still buzzing, unable to process, as Anna continued to ask languidly.

This question, however, only made Ewan even more bewildered.

“I… I suppose so.”

Ewan replied.

After all, with An present, no matter how much he lied, it couldn’t reach such an extent.

“Is that so?”

Ewan saw Anna’s eyes suddenly light up.

“Can you call her out?”

“Huh?”

Call her out?

Why?

In that instant, a terrifying image flashed through Ewan’s mind.

Senior Anna holding his hand, a triumphant look on her face, telling An, “The one you like tastes quite good, doesn’t she—”

No, no, no!

This would be disastrous!

An would go berserk! She’d carry a mountain of blades and meticulously chop both him and Senior Anna into mincemeat!

“Th-that…”

Seeing the expectant look on Senior Anna’s face, Ewan couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the reason, Senior?”

Although, given Senior Anna’s personality, she might simply want to do something mischievous. Yet, Ewan’s intuition told him she might have other motives.

“Reason?”

Anna averted her gaze, twirling the small tail of her braided hair around her finger.

She seemed to be deliberating something, but just as she was about to speak, her eyes suddenly caught a bird perched on a tree branch outside the window.

Anna’s brows subtly arched. “Never mind.”

“Eh?”

“It seems I was too impatient.”

“What?”

Ewan was utterly confused.

From the very beginning, he felt as though he couldn’t keep up with Senior Anna’s train of thought.

“That’s all for today.”

Anna stood up.

“Class will be over soon, and I need to make some preparations, or I’ll be too busy later.”

“Oh, oh.”

Ewan nodded blankly. “Then, do you need my help, Senior?”

“Help?”

Anna shot Ewan a charming look. “Junior, you skip class just to study with me; do you really have time to help me?”

“Uh…”

Ewan awkwardly scratched his head. “Actually, it’s not that I don’t have time, it’s just that for a certain reason, I must pass the ‘Basic Introduction to Magic’ exam a month from now. So all my time and energy must be focused on that.”

“Pass?” Anna paused slightly.

“A first-year exam?”

“Second-year,” Ewan said with a wry smile. “Is it difficult, Senior?”

“Hmm, it’s difficult, very difficult.”

Anna thought for a moment, then said seriously, “But it doesn’t seem impossible.”

****

After Ewan left, Anna watched the bird perched on the tree branch outside the window and gently called out, “Go.”

The bird, startled, quickly flew away.

She let out a soft sigh. “That green-haired person from the Newspaper Club really likes to peek.”

Inside the deserted library, Anna rolled up her sleeve.

On her fair skin, faint traces of scales were visible.

“After the moon was driven away, it became a bit more docile,” Anna murmured softly, gazing at her wrist, reassuring herself, “Don’t rush, Anna, don’t rush, there’s still time.”

“Even if it truly comes to that…”

Anna’s gaze drifted towards the library door, as if tracing someone’s retreating figure.

****

“I feel like I’m a little closer to my goal of sixty points.”

Stepping out of the library, Ewan couldn’t help but stretch, feeling a pleasant sense of accomplishment.

Another fulfilling morning.

“So, next…”

Ewan pondered for a moment, deciding it was best to grab lunch while it was still early.

After the cafeteria filled up, it would waste a lot of time.

“Hmm?”

But after only two steps, Ewan’s brows furrowed once more.

A faint, almost imperceptible gaze, like a sharp blade, lightly scraped against his back, bringing a chill.

It was like a parasite clinging to his bones, impossible to shake off.

“Ignoring it won’t work, it seems.”

Ewan’s expression turned cold.

He had no desire to be constantly followed by a pervert.

With the keen perception honed by countless deaths in the Black Book, Ewan moved slowly, pinpointing the source of the gaze little by little.

Outside the library was a dense forest.

It was more than enough cover for hiding.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of stealth could easily conceal themselves in such a place.

However, there was no wind at the moment.

Thus, even the slightest movement would create a distinct rustling sound in the woods.

Unable to move, no matter how well one hid, there would always be a moment of discovery.

Moreover, the other party’s stealth technique didn’t seem particularly outstanding.

Ewan’s hawk-like gaze swept across the area, quickly identifying a bush in the shadows.

Through the gaps in the foliage, a small corner of clothing could faintly be seen fluttering.

“If you want to be a pervert, at least hone your stalking skills before you try,” Ewan scoffed, a cold expression on his face, as he gradually approached the bush and abruptly plunged his hand into it.

“Come out, you damned pervert!”

“Uwah! Don’t grab me, I didn’t mean to!”

“Eh?”

Unexpectedly, what he pulled out of the bush was not a muscle-bound man with a scarred face, but…

A small girl?

Ewan looked at her in confusion.

The girl was wearing the academy uniform, and from its style, she appeared to be a second-year, just like him. Her thick, smooth black hair was tied into two large braids, and she wore oversized black-rimmed glasses that partially obscured a smattering of freckles on her face.

Overall, she seemed like the kind of inconspicuous girl who would be impossible to pick out of a crowd.

But as Ewan looked at her, he felt an unsettling sense of familiarity.

It was as if… he had seen her somewhere before?