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Just because the students’ classes are over doesn’t mean the instructor’s job is finished.

They have to prepare for the next day’s lessons and write various reports before heading home. Instructors must handle not only teaching students well but also neatly deal with all these trivial administrative tasks.

In that sense, compared to Instructor Rilya, I was still a half-baked instructor.

Even in the military, I was hopeless at sitting at a desk and twirling a pen, and since I rarely talked to people, it was obvious I wouldn’t be adept at writing reports.

While I struggled to fill even half a page with my report, Instructor Rilya typed up hers smoothly and effortlessly.

Tap, tap—

Before I knew it, she had put on her glasses and was diligently tapping away at her magical typewriter, looking less like a mature woman and more like a skilled professional immersed in her work.

In the end, I couldn’t finish my report until Rilya completed her tasks, so I had to ask for her help.

“I’m sorry for bothering you.”

“It’s fine! It was nothing! You’ll get used to it quickly, Instructor Graham.”

Well, I managed to adapt and survive in the harsh lands of the continent, but getting used to desk work felt like a different story altogether.

We exited the Teacher’s Office building and arrived at the Tram Station. As I naturally tried to enter the station heading toward the academy’s main gate, Rilya caught my arm and led me to a different stop.

“Instructor Graham! Not that way!”

“Huh?”

This was the complete opposite direction from the entrance.

Philion Academy’s grounds were vast, and besides the student cafeteria, there were other dining places and cafes within the premises.

But there’s no tavern, as far as I knew, and commercial areas were close to the main gate, so unless we completely circled back to the entrance, there was nothing in this direction.

“Where on earth are we going?”

“You’ll find out soon. It won’t take long.”

Just as she said, the tram arrived at our destination in no time.

What we arrived at certainly didn’t look like a bar in any way.

“Tada! We’ve arrived!”

Instructor Rilya beamed with a broad smile, spreading her arms wide.

I let out a short sigh and said, “…Instructor Rilya, this is Garnet Red Dormitory, isn’t it?”

“And it’s also the only place in this academy where alcohol can be consumed—my room.”

Wait. Are you serious about having drinks alone in your room?

There were so many aspects to address that I didn’t know where to start.

“It would have been nice if you had informed me in advance.”

“If I had told you, you wouldn’t have come, right?”

Well, that was true. No matter how much I lacked common sense from living in the military, I could certainly imagine what it meant for a man and woman to drink together alone in a room, and how it might look to others.

So I was flustered. I thought I was somewhat close to Instructor Rilya among the instructors, but were we really on such friendly terms that she would invite a man she’d known for only about a week to her room without a second thought?

Then, Instructor Rilya placed her hand on her flat chest, wearing a somewhat sad smile.

“Instructor Graham, think about it. Is there even a bar in the Capital City that would let me in?”

“…Ah.”

I got it.

Instructor Rilya didn’t look of legal age at all. Naturally, if such a young girl confidently asked for alcohol at a bar, any owner would surely refuse her.

“Can’t you just show them your ID?”

“Of course, I did. But they assumed it was all fake. Do you know how it feels when the Capital City Gendarmerie scolds you when you haven’t done anything wrong? And even if someone believed me, what good would it do? To other customers, it would look like a little girl is drinking alone. In the end, I was banned from entering after just a few days. Hah, it’s not like I wanted to be so underdeveloped… A filthy world where I have no place to drink in peace…”

A deep shadow crossed Instructor Rilya’s face, and she began muttering to herself with a vacant look in her eyes, as if so much was weighing on her.

I hesitantly opened my mouth.

“Uh… I understand what you mean. But you don’t necessarily have to drink. We could have a light meal nearby—”

“Ugh! What kind of man talks so much? Let’s just go up! It’s dinner time, and there’s no chance we won’t be found out if we don’t go up right now!”

Instructor Rilya was more stubborn than I expected.

She shoved me toward the Garnet Red Dormitory. I had never been pushed around by an ogre, but her small hands somehow made it feel impossible to resist.

Unlike the luxurious noble mansion-like Opal Black Dormitory, Garnet Red Dormitory had more of a homey atmosphere. Of course, its scale couldn’t be compared to an ordinary household, but that was the impression it gave.

While the newly built Opal Black Dormitory only had nine residents, Garnet Red, which had been around for decades and currently housed hundreds of students, appeared much more relaxed and clearly reflected the students’ lively environment.

As Instructor Rilya said, it was dinner time, so there was no one in the lobby. However, from the direction where the dining hall should be, the sound of raucous student conversations echoed.

“Hahaha!”

The laughter-filled voices suggested that Garnet Red students had a warm atmosphere, with strong bonds between juniors and seniors.

Meanwhile, Opal Black Class seemed to be falling apart…

Instructor Rilya’s room was also on the third floor like mine. It was impossible not to notice anyone approaching, but she tiptoed carefully toward her room as if she had to make sure students wouldn’t catch us.

Clunk! Creak… Instructor Rilya carefully opened her door without making a sound. It felt a bit strange, as if we were doing something embarrassing by just having a drink with a colleague.

Once inside, she let out a sigh of relief as if she’d shed the tension from her shoulders.

“Phew, now that we’ve arrived, I can relax.”

“Then if you don’t mind, I’ll take my leave.”

“Of course not! Come on in without hesitation… Ah.”

Since she opened the door first and I followed in, we naturally ended up close together in the narrow entrance.

Rilya looked up at me, and her shoulders tensed once more.

In a cramped room, just the two of us—this strange closeness we inadvertently created.

It seemed she suddenly realized how odd this situation was, given that she was the one who invited me.

Her eyes trembled slightly with anxiety.

“Uh, um, how should I say this…”

“You can leave now if you want.”

“A, no! That’s not it… I don’t think of Instructor Graham in a strange way, but… this room isn’t soundproof as much as I thought? I’m not saying anything specific, but… I thought I should let you know…”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“J-just that! Oh! The alcohol! I need to prepare it! Please just sit comfortably! But don’t look too closely around, okay?”

What am I even supposed to think?

Are you hinting that if you drink too much, you might yell out? If you’re that worried about it, you shouldn’t have invited me in the first place.

Or maybe it really is that serious?

Instructor Rilya took out some drinks and snacks from her magical fridge. I leaned against the wall and casually looked around her room.

Rilya’s room, while showing signs of disarray with blankets askew and clothes hung on the sofa, was generally clean.

A neatly organized desk overflowed with specialized books on tactics and history. It seemed she didn’t neglect her studies even at home.

And there was something very unusual on the bed.

What was that? A teddy bear?

Its size was nearly that of a person.

As soon as I thought that, Instructor Rilya kicked her blanket aside and quickly covered the stuffed animal with it. Her cheeks flushed and she muttered an unsolicited explanation.

“Th-this is… a gift! A gift from a student! It was given to me, so it’d be rude to throw it away!? So I just kept it in my room…”

“…I really didn’t think anything of it.”

Honestly, I debated whether I needed to hide the fact that I liked cute things, but there was no real need to be completely honest either.

Instructor Rilya noticed I was standing and pointed to the chair at the table.

“Instructor Graham, don’t just stand there. Please sit down.”

After a moment’s hesitation, I followed her guidance and sat at the table. The drink she brought out was sparkling wine, something a woman could easily enjoy.

There was no toast. It wasn’t a celebratory occasion. Instructor Rilya tilted her wine glass and drank while I followed suit. It was sweet and bubbly, going down smoothly. The fact that it didn’t seem like it would get me drunk quickly was a nice bonus.

With some alcohol in us, Instructor Rilya’s tension eased, and she asked in a gentle voice.

“How is the instructor job treating you? It must be your first time doing it.”

“It’s nothing special. Just something that needs to be done.”

“Like performing a mission in the military?”

“Similar.”

“How long were you in the military?”

“Since I was 14, so this year makes exactly 20 years.”

“Wow, that’s impressive. It must have been really tough, too.”

As she poured herself more wine, she continued speaking.

“I don’t really know what kind of life you’ve led. Headmaster Heinkel didn’t bother to tell me. If you enlisted at 14, it’s not like you graduated from the academy like I did, so you must have started as a private, yet still managed to survive on the battlefield and even get promoted to captain. You must have gone through some serious challenges… though I’m really curious about your background, I guess you wouldn’t answer if I asked?”

I took a light drink and responded.

“That’s all you need to know.”

“Liar. I can tell. Instructor Graham is a truly remarkable soldier. The headmaster snatched you up quickly, and considering you don’t have a degree, a notable family, or honor, it must be your skills that stand out.”

I had meant to ask her how to get along with the students, but somehow, we were just talking about me.

While sparkling wine is said to have a low alcohol content, Instructor Rilya was drinking at a rather fast pace. I found myself matching her speed, drinking faster than I usually would.

Not wanting to only drink, and feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the questions, I decided to jump to the main topic.

“You mentioned you thought you understood why Gwen acted the way she did.”

“Already? I was planning to say it after we had a bit more to drink… Hmm. Alright.”

Instructor Rilya pulled out a new bottle of wine.

Maybe her desire to talk was just an excuse; perhaps she just wanted to drink.

“As I said earlier, Instructor Graham is a truly remarkable soldier.”

Instructor Rilya gazed at me, her cheeks slightly flushed.

“I believe that’s where the problem lies.”

 

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