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I checked my schedule for the week.

If the academy reflected the noble society, then one\'s status as a noble should also be reflected in their position within the academy.

In that case, the suspicious ones would be individuals like Rox—members of royal families who excelled in their studies even in the senior section.

However, Rox was unlikely to be involved. According to Strass and Eliza, he had become a completely different person and was now attending classes earnestly.

The problem was, I didn’t have much information about the students, making it difficult to find any leads.

Now, how should I go about investigating?

I decided to seek out someone who might be well-informed about such matters.

Walking down the hallway and looking around, I spotted the red hair I was looking for.

"Rox-kun," I called out.

Rox, who was unusually alone, widened his eyes in surprise. "Huh?! Ah, oh, Aoi-sensei… W-what do you want?"

Rox was more flustered than ever.

Suspicious. Very suspicious. Could Rox be the mastermind?

Rox\'s behavior of avoiding eye contact while sweating profusely looked extremely suspicious. He kept stealing glances at me to check my expression, making him look like he had something to hide.

"Rox-kun, if you have something you\'re hiding…"

"Nothing! There\'s nothing at all!? Why are you looking at me like that?"

I looked at the panicked Rox for a while, but it seemed he wasn\'t lying.

If he were the kind of person who harassed people from behind the scenes, he wouldn\'t be this visibly shaken.

"No, it seems to be my misunderstanding."

"I-I see. That\'s a relief. Really, what a relief." Rox sighed with obvious relief.

I smiled and asked what I wanted to know. "By the way, Rox-kun, you probably know many people in this academy. Besides you, are there any other royals or people of high status here?"

Rox frowned in puzzlement. "Royals…? If you\'re thinking of calling kings like you did with me, I\'d advise against it. My father, the king of this country, is quite easy-going, but other kings are different."

"Oh, no. So far, the only student who caused enough trouble to require a call to their parents is you, Rox-kun."

"… I see." Rox\'s shoulders slumped at my words.

Ignoring that, I returned to the main topic. "So, are there any royals or related people?"

"Let\'s see. Starting from the elementary section…"

"Ah, if possible, start from the senior section."

"Hmm…? Well, there\'s Barrel Black from a duke family of the Karvan Kingdom. Like Shenley, he moved up to the senior section early. There\'s also Prince Hiram from the Maple Leaf Holy Empire, Duke Kragan from the Grandsands Kingdom, and Balvenie-dono from the Bushmills Empire, who has enough skill and knowledge to graduate but remains for research. Oh, and Cote from the Cote Highlands is of similar rank."

"Cote-kun?"

Come to think of it, I had heard he was a high-ranking noble. His polite manner of speaking and gentle demeanor had made me forget that fact.

He would occasionally chat with me in the hallways or dining hall after the first class. But there was no way it could be him.

However, it might be worth talking to him.

While I was lost in thought, Rox said with a slight hint of dissatisfaction, "Is that all you need?"

"Yes. Thank you." I thanked him, signaling the end of the conversation.

"I see." Rox pursed his lips and walked away.

His behavior was odd.

"His ears were red. Is he feeling unwell?" I tilted my head and left.

―――

After searching around various places, I couldn\'t find Cote.

On Tuesday, before class, I saw Cote talking to Felter.

Seeing the two of them glaring at each other with stern faces, I quickly approached. "No fighting."

Both of them turned to me, then looked at each other and exchanged meaningful glances.

Cote turned to me. "Sorry, we weren\'t fighting, but I apologize for causing you concern."

I looked at Felter. "Is that true? You shouldn\'t bully others."

"I didn’t bully anyone," Felter answered sulkily.

Cote muttered with a wry smile, "Bullying…"

"Cote-kun," I called out, wanting to confirm some things.

But Cote made an "ah" sound, clapped his hands, and pointed down the hallway. "Isn\'t the class about to start?"

"We\'ll talk later." I hesitated for a moment and realized a teacher couldn’t skip class. Leaving a parting remark to Cote, I turned on my heel.

Barely making it in time, I opened the door and entered the classroom. "Sorry for being late."

As I entered, the students who had been attending since the first class, along with Strass and Speyside, who inexplicably sat in on every class, were already seated and waiting.

"Aoi-sensei, you\'re late!"

"No, you\'re right on time! Ayle, come on!"

"Oh, Cote-senpai!"

The excited trio made a fuss, and I stood at the podium with a wry smile.

Only then did I notice that someone else had come along. "Cote-kun?"

I turned around and saw Cote waving with a bright smile from the doorway.

"Is there still time to join?"

"Yes, that\'s fine, but…"

I showed him the class roster. Cote smiled and smoothly wrote his name.

Knowing that now wasn\'t the time to think about this matter, I decided to start the class.

At that moment, Cote made an "Oh?" sound.

I looked up and saw him tilting his head at Ayle.

"Ayle, what are you doing here? Have you been attending from the beginning?"

Cote asked gently, but Ayle turned away with a huff.

Her unusual attitude seemed both sulky and angry.

However, Cote didn\'t seem to mind and found an appropriate seat.

I sensed something unusual about their behavior, but I decided not to dwell on it.

"Let\'s begin the class." I started calling out the names of the students.