Everyone knew that whispering in front of others was extremely rude. But no one objected to Nigel’s action of gathering the group in a circle.

Even Sid didn’t.

“…What do you think?”

Nigel stretched her neck and glanced sideways at the intruder, whose gender would have been impossible to guess if not for the flesh protruding in the middle of their long neck.

“I’m not sure if they’re cursed, but… I’d like to cast a vote for Evans’ opinion.”

“Ah, you mean they look like a crazy vagrant?”

“Allen.”

When Allen carelessly raised his voice, Noah admonished him in a low but firm tone.

Fortunately, he was focused on tending to the magical beasts trapped in the cage, not paying much attention to the group.

“For now, the most urgent thing seems to be keeping an eye on him so he can’t escape. If we can just hold out until tomorrow, the professors will arrive. Also, if we hide here, we won’t be caught by the seniors.”

“So that means…”

Allen’s face clouded over as he immediately understood what Sid was implying.

“You’re suggesting we spend the night here, Sid?”

Noah finished Allen’s unspoken words.

“Right here, exactly.”

Even Noah, who usually doesn’t assert his opinions strongly, smiled unpleasantly, showing his reluctance.

“Sid, I don’t completely disagree with your opinion, but isn’t it a bit unreasonable?”

Noah looked around the room, which was so cluttered there was no space to even sit, let alone sleep.

At that moment, Noah’s and Nigel’s eyes met.

“Besides, that… It might be fine if it was just us, but…”

Noah quickly turned his head to avoid Nigel’s gaze, despite his earlier boldness.

“Hmm, it certainly is a problem.”

Sid’s face turned serious as he belatedly realized the issue. On the other hand, Allen’s eyes gleamed with a scheme.

“Why? What is it?”

Nigel blinked at the three different gazes directed at her.

“…How about you stay in the chancellor’s office instead, Nigel?”

Nigel looked at Noah with an expression that said, ‘What nonsense are you talking about?’

“Why don’t you just ask the chancellor if you can crash there for a bit?”

“What interesting conversation are you having?”

Just then, a pleasant androgynous voice reached Nigel’s ear.

Before Nigel could turn her head, the magical energy dissipated, and in an instant, she was far from the voice.

“Oh~ That was fast.”

The man clapped his hands, his tattered rags fluttering.

The vigorous movement sent dust flying from the rags.

Allen, who was closest to the man’s rags, coughed repeatedly.

“Ah, but why have our good children sneaked all the way here to hide?”

‘That’s what I’d like to ask.’

Nigel barely managed to keep her mouth shut.

“…Oh right! It’s as natural for minors to make immature decisions and actions as it is for magical beasts to crave magical energy, isn’t it? That’s right! It’s the behavior of a good adult to pretend not to notice such things, right? I was being quite insensitive.”

The man spoke again, giving no room for rebuttal.

“Sorry, sorry. I forgot that rebellion is the privilege of minors. Then, as an apology, I’ll specially let you stay in my hideout for today!”

Everyone’s face showed questioning displeasure at whose authority made this a hideout.

“Oh! My heart is fluttering like when I discovered a new magical plant for the first time! That’s right! I should prepare a place for the young ones to rest comfortably!”

The man spoke frantically and then walked off somewhere just as frantically.

The group left behind quietly watched the man’s retreating figure, drained of energy.

“…I suddenly had a strange thought. Can I say it?”

“No.”

“I decline.”

Nigel and Sid refused almost simultaneously.

Allen naturally ignored their refusal and opened his mouth.

“It’s really absurd, but I had this weird thought that maybe that person is a professor this semester and this place is the classroom…”

“Allen, you got scolded badly by your parents for forgetting your magic stone, are you still struggling a lot?”

“How could someone in the position of a Royal Academy professor go around looking so unkempt?”

“That’s why I prefaced it by saying it’s absurd.”

Allen pouted and made excuses to Nigel and Sid, who were criticizing him sharply.

Noah didn’t even react, his mouth hanging open.

“Wow… That reaction really hurts, Noah.”

“Huh? But I didn’t say anything.”

“Yeah, that’s why it hurts.”

Noah tilted his head in confusion.

“He’s a person who… keeps his word.”

Nigel said, looking at the resting area prepared in a corner of the room.

On the empty floor, which had been cleared in such a short time that even Widrun wouldn’t know how, there was a wide blanket folded in several layers. Cushions were placed in a row on top of it.

The number of cushions was one, two, three, four, and five.

“I didn’t expect we’d all be sleeping with that person though.”

Since he, whose thoughts were always slightly out of sync with human reasoning, would never have considered the comfort of Nigel’s group by leaving extra cushions, the meaning of the five cushions was clear.

Meanwhile, Allen and Sid’s expressions were ambiguous as they looked at the bedding.

Though they had said it was fine verbally, now that they actually thought about sleeping there, their feelings seemed complicated.

Nigel had initially thought they were making a fuss over nothing, but now she understood the young masters’ feelings.

Just as Nigel only had the options of hard pillows and heavy blankets, they only had the options of pillows that wrapped around their heads and light, fluffy blankets.

Moreover.

“Kieek!!”

“Aargh!”

The magical beasts in the cages placed around the room, true to their instinct to steal magical energy, frequently stretched their hands and feet towards the group.

This time it was a black furry magical beast.

At that moment, the man who had been observing the cage with a gaping smile from the opposite side quickly ran over.

“Bokshil! That’s not for eating!! You’ll get sick if you eat it, no no!”

The man’s focus was not on Allen and Sid’s safety, but on ‘Bokshil’s’ health.

“…Well, that figures.”

Sid snorted, as if he hadn’t expected anything else.

Strangely, the magical beasts didn’t show much reaction to Noah, perhaps knowing his powerlessness, so Allen quickly hid behind his friend’s broad back, using him as a shield.

Sid also casually moved his feet towards Noah’s direction, pretending not to.

“If you really can’t sleep, you two can just leave. It’s fine.”

Nigel said, looking at Sid and Allen clinging to Noah’s solid body like cicadas. A clear light of joy remained on their faces.

However, Sid looked around briefly and then opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.

“No, I was the one who suggested this first, so I can’t run away now. Besides, I’d feel uneasy leaving just the two of you in a place like this…”

“…No!”

Allen interrupted Sid’s words. Ignoring the displeasure evident on Sid’s face, he continued.

“I think it’s better for me and Sid to return to the dormitory after all! Even though Sid said that, he told me earlier that he felt like he had made a slip of the tongue and was on the verge of tears.”

“…Evans?”

Sid’s voice was full of disbelief, as if wondering what nonsense Allen was spouting.

Allen put his arm around Sid in a friendly manner. Then, swiftly and naturally, he extended his arm a bit further to cover Sid’s mouth.

“Ahaha! It seems Sid can’t bring himself to refuse because of his pride. So let’s give him a pass this time, guys.”

Nigel, who still felt guilty about involving Sid in the auction because of her, nodded readily.

“Well, it could be. I understand completely, Sid.”

Noah, who vividly remembered Sid’s pale face when he fell for Nigel’s prank on Balein’s Day and was shocked, also gently raised the corners of his mouth.

“Yes, there’s no need for both of you to push yourselves. If you sneak into the dormitory when it gets dark, there shouldn’t be any problems. We’ll guard this place together, Nigel and I…”

As Noah was continuing his words, just as he was about to sense something odd, Allen’s grinning face entered his field of vision.

‘Good luck.’

Allen mouthed to the dazed Noah with a broad smile, then turned towards the greenhouse, grabbing Sid’s shoulder with his empty hand.

It seemed he had finally made his move, after complaining to Noah as soon as they arrived at the dormitory about how long he was going to be satisfied with just being friends.

…Alone with Nigel.

Well, to be precise, they would be spending the night in the basement of the annex with the three of them, including the unidentified man, but Noah’s mind was hazy with the thought of spending the night with Nigel.

Would the feelings he always suppressed burst out?

Would those feelings make Nigel uncomfortable?

Would he grow distant from Nigel again?

Worries came first. But still, the joy and excitement were greater than the worries.

His heart, which had been content just to be by Nigel’s side, grew greedy.

“…!”

At that moment, his gaze met Nigel’s purple eyes, completely unaware of his thoughts.

Noah, feeling as if his thoughts might be discovered in those eyes, turned his gaze away.

‘Why do you keep avoiding me since earlier…?’

Nigel frowned and glared at Noah.