Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!

Chapter 208 : Beyond One_s Control 2

"Sigh..."

A plaintive voice came from the corner.

A silver-haired loli wearing a black robe and a wide-brimmed witch's hat was crouching in the corner.

If she hadn't made a sound, Elsa would have thought a dark mushroom had grown in the corner.

"But, so you two weren't actually dating?"

"...Why would there be such a misunderstanding?"

"Because I saw Teacher Yuna living intimately with you, Miss Brin, I thought it was what I imagined, but it's not?"

Elsa wore a very disappointed expression.

She had thought there was another pair of yuri companions, but it turned out not to be the case.

"I'm sorry we're not dating! Yuna is just staying at my place temporarily!! And nothing happened during that time!!"

Pulling her hat brim to cover her face, Brin raised her voice in self-abandonment, but quickly lowered it again.

"Yuna... has always only seen me as a friend. I'm the only one harboring these improper thoughts about a close friend..."

"Isn't it normal to fall for someone close to you?"

Elsa smiled wryly as she crouched in front of Brin, who was hugging her knees.

"Teacher, don't be so dejected. There's still a chance, isn't there?"

"But... if I keep pestering her, I'll surely cause her trouble."

A faint voice emerged from under the hat brim.

"You probably don't know, but Yuna's former surname is Floris."

"...Eh, that surname sounds familiar somehow?"

"Of course, Floris is a prestigious family..."

Yvonne explained to Elsa that during the kingdom's founding, a small folk magic user protected the first king from a breakthrough of a thousand demon cavalry soldiers. That hero's name was Floris. After achieving such great military merits, he was granted a large piece of fertile land in the south.

"Despite her appearance, I believe she's something like the eighteenth in line for succession..."

"Eh?! Really?!"

This was the first time Elsa had heard of this.

"If not for her mixed blood, that succession order would probably be even higher."

"...I didn't know the teacher was so impressive."

Elsa was nothing but surprised; she had never noticed this before.

She had always felt that Teacher Yuna, who took great care of her, was very kind, like an older sister from next door. She never expected her identity to be so special...

"Because her mother is human, she lived in the countryside with her mother until the 'Naming Ceremony'... Only then was she brought to the castle..."

Although life there was much more affluent, she didn't have a good time. She was ostracized due to her background.

"That person... finally achieved excellent grades, yet she ran off to such a remote place to be a teacher... It's quite unreasonable, isn't it?"

Actually, Brin knew that this was also a way for her to fight against her own fate.

But even so, it only bought her a little more time.

"Elsa... Yvonne..."

Brin disregarded her dignity as a mentor and senior, casting these aside to plead with these two young ones.

"You are that person's students after all, please help me!"

"Sigh... Although I want to help, how exactly can we help?"

"Like... helping me make her change her mind... or something."

Brin said this without much confidence herself.

"Anyway, let's start by telling me exactly what happened yesterday."

......

"I think Teacher Yuna probably didn't understand Miss Brin's intentions."

After listening, Elsa came to this conclusion.

"...What do you mean?" Brin was a bit angry, feeling she had already expressed her feelings to the best of her ability.

"Teacher Brin... According to what you said, you neither clearly expressed your feelings nor made any promises for the future, right?"

"I was afraid of overpromising and not being able to fulfill it!!"

"Alright... That's not important now."

Elsa pondered thoughtfully.

"I think the most important thing right now is to figure out whether Teacher Yuna prefers men or women."

"Wait a minute??"

Yvonne, who had been silent until now, finally couldn't help but interject.

"If we confirm she's straight, I think it's better to give up early."

Straight women aren't worth it.

And now it seems this possibility is quite high.

"I know... Even if she says she likes me, likes being with me, it's only at the level of friendship."

Beyond this, their relationship would absolutely not take a step forward.

"So? Are you going to give up?"

"...No."

The golden magic pendant on the black hat brim swayed left and right.

"I don't want to see her forced to do things she's unwilling to do."

It seems she already had an answer in her heart.

"Good! Then the most important thing now is how to convey these feelings!"

Suddenly becoming very enthusiastic, Elsa stood up clenching her fists.

"I'll do a simulation for you!"

"...Huh?"

"Think about it, just like how new magic formulas need multiple experiments to develop—Even if we call Teacher Yuna back, we still need to face her properly, right?"

"...That's true."

"Since you're so unsure, please treat me as Teacher Yuna and do a practice run."

"So—why do I have to say it to you??"

Elsa sat down in front of Brin.

"Alright—From this second on, I am Yuna Floris! Don't hold back! I'll listen carefully to whatever you say!! I will definitely help Teacher Brin convey these feelings properly!"

If I treat this child as Yuna...

"............"

Just imagining that scene, Brin's face turned completely red and she couldn't utter a word.

"This won't do! If the real person were sitting here, wouldn't it be even harder to speak?"

Finally, after being silent for over ten seconds, she seemed to enter the right state of mind.

"I'm sorry for saying such abrupt things earlier."

"Mm, I forgive you."

"I... actually, I..."

"Ah ah ah!! No!! I can't say it at all!!"

"...I didn't expect you to be so useless, Teacher?"

"You're not one to talk!!"

"If it were me, I would definitely persist until the other person agrees to date me—"

Thump!

Yvonne, playing the role of the straight man, symbolically gave Elsa a karate chop.

"...I take my eyes off you for just a moment, and you're teaching strange things again?"

"See, this is the result of my persistence."

"That's because you two like each other..."

Brin straightened her hat, looking at the two with a somewhat envious gaze.

If it were someone they disliked, doing this would have resulted in immediate rejection.

It's precisely because she understood this principle that she had suppressed these feelings until now.

In reality, the probability of mutual affection is extremely low.

Yvonne placed her hand on Elsa's shoulder and stood beside her.

"That may be so... but if this child hadn't been so proactive, the story of what happened between us afterward wouldn't have occurred."

If neither takes the first step, they would perfectly miss each other and become two parallel lines, never intersecting.

"Don't worry, Teacher Brin, I'll help too."

Considering how much care both teachers had shown to her and Elsa on a daily basis, she decided to meddle once more.

"Evie~~~!"

"Lady Yvonne, here's the reservation form you requested."

"Thank you, much appreciated."

Following the gaze of this figure who came forward and then retreated, Brin cast a puzzled look.

"...Someone from the guild?"

Wearing a blue uniform with a golden lion emblem on the back, this was undoubtedly a member of the Leinster Guild.

Why would someone from the guild appear here?

Yvonne flipped through a few pages, then revealed a knowing smile.

"Teacher... let me provide you with a bit of information."

She smiled and waved the reservation form in her hand.

"Tonight at the Buffellotte Restaurant, a guest named Floris has reserved a table for two."

·

"Ms. Yuna, it's nice to see you again."

"Hello, Mr. Rich."

In the restaurant, Yuna, dressed appropriately, gave an apologetic smile to the male of her race sitting across from her.

"This restaurant is really hard to get a reservation at. Although it cost quite a bit, seeing Miss Yuna makes it feel completely worth it."

"...Thank you for your trouble."

With the principle of allowing all guests to enjoy their meal properly, the Buffellotte Restaurant provides different services for guests of different races—For instance, to allow the small folk to dine at a suitable height, their chairs are elevated, and there are specially designed footrests to prevent them from being too high to sit on.

"What do you think, Evie?"

Yvonne and Elsa, who had followed, were sitting at another table not far away.

Hiding her face behind the menu, Elsa whispered her criticisms:

"I don't like that smooth-talking shorty at all..."

This small folk has a face like a child's, yet he sports an oily little mustache, giving a very strange impression.

"Elsa... you can't say such things about the small folk, you'll be reported for discrimination."

Yvonne circled a few dishes and handed the menu to the waiter. If they were going to follow, they might as well eat.

"At least judging by his attire and manner of speech, he's not an uncouth person. I've checked; that Mr. Rich is the son of the owner of a conglomerate that controls magic ore mountains in the eastern country."

She paused, then lowered her voice.

"By the way, their family's annual income is about this much."

Yvonne showed Elsa a number, and she immediately drew in a sharp breath.

"...So much?!" "Shh..."

This was almost on par with the guild's annual net profit...

The son of a mine owner was unexpectedly terrifying!

"However, magic ore isn't exactly a renewable resource, so the annual production is decreasing..."

The lord of Floris is still quite young. According to the information obtained, it seems he has decided to seek a suitable heir among his grandchildren.

Because the ore sources are nearing depletion, that's why they're targeting the lord's daughter...

Anyone with eyes can see that this is clearly a commercial marriage with strong profit motives.

All relatives with the lord's bloodline have started to become eager.

What a foolish approach...

Yvonne raised her teacup. While drinking, she stole a glance at the two sitting opposite.

Judging by the way they were conversing, it probably wasn't their first meeting.

"Evie, Evie—It's about to start!"

"...Hm?"

They both turned their gaze towards the entrance.

As planned, that person appeared at the door right on time.

Wearing round glasses. Swaying curly hair tied into two bunches, moving with the hem of the skirt as she walked. Finally, a pair of small, bright-colored ankle boots stopped in front of the two.

"What a coincidence—"

A sweet, mellow voice sounded in her ear.

"Teacher, you're here too?"

Is it one of her students?

However, this voice seems somewhat familiar...

Just as she was about to greet her student, when Yuna turned her head, she nearly fell off her chair.

Standing before her was her familiar friend, wearing the magic academy uniform, smiling at her.

"...What are you doing here?!"