(Ryuta POV)
After finishing the day with my interaction with Nanahoshi, I headed to the one place where I feel comfortable doing what I do best: my lab. It is filled with various blueprints on Magic Circles, not just Magic Tools, but also my personal Summoning Magic project, different from the one Nanahoshi is doing.
Hm? Something else I should be doing? Oh, right, the new special students. I can deal with them later. They sound like trouble, and I already have two idiots trying to follow me around.
And how do I avoid all of those problems? I used that time hiding by being productive in my lab, a special student privilege I took from my first day here.
I felt four distinct signals within my detection range as I neared it. The noise of arguing voices reached me instantly, boiling my blood.
"Oh, come on. Not this again."
They were all inside my lab. This isn't the first time someone snuck in it. And if I don't do something, the safeguard that lies in the shadows of my works could harm them.
I quickened my pace, arriving just outside my lab, the voices' volume intensifying by the second.
"Let go of me!"
"As if we'd let ya! You broke into the boss's territory!"
"Just wait till he sees you! He'll strip you naked and dunk you in a cold pool of ice water!"
"What kind of barbarian is that guy?!"
I rolled my eyes over this exaggerated and incorrect supposed method of mine, muttering, "Seriously?" before opening the door.
The scene that greeted me was wrong on many levels: three beastfolk and a human boy. One of the beastfolk had the boy pinned down, while the others looked ready to tear him apart.
"Just leave," I said, leaning against the doorframe with my arms crossed. "I need to work and would like to do it in peace."
"But boss—" one of the beastfolk started, but when he saw the way I was holding out the palm of my hand at them, the three of them froze, terror flashing in their eyes. Within moments, they scrambled to grab the boy and rushed out of the room.
"Hey! Unhand me!" the boy protested, struggling under their grip.
"Dude, we're saving your ass!" one of them snapped.
"The boss is not playing around!" another chimed in.
"You don't want to know what happens when he gets angry!" the last one warned.
Part of me should've been insulted. But honestly? They weren't wrong, even though I haven't charged any mana into my hand at all.
In seconds, I was alone in the lab, and it became quiet once more as the next curriculum began in the school's classes.
Linia and Pursena must've sent their goons to guard my lab. After all, some of the tools I'd designed were worth a fortune on the market—Magic Tools like washing basins, irons, dishwashers, handheld vacuums, and fridges—all household items that could make life easier for people. Of course, some of these were a bit expensive, but those who can afford them love them.
Why was I focusing on these things? Simple: the weapons I kept to myself. There are some very dangerous tools in my repertoire.
I sat at my desk facing the door, letting my mana arms reach for blueprints and prototypes made from Earth Magic from the organized shelves and drawers, and held them up next to me to start working once more.
Some of them were rough drafts with Magic Circles carved into them.
Lately, I've been working on an alarm clock design. It was tricky to get the timer to be neither too slow nor too fast, but I was getting close.
A more exciting project, though, were my target practice disks made out of the Magic Resistance bricks recipe the Magician Guild provided me with. These used Gravity Magic to move through the air, and once struck, they would emit a sound with Voice Magic and light up, turning from red to green. That's still on hold as I'm trying to find the optimal shape and a method to stop it from flying off to nowhere. If I optimize them enough, they will be perfect for practical classes.
The potential for these kinds of tools was immense, and with my affinity for Magic, I could bring just about any idea to life if I put in the time and effort. Even the summon I'm planning on will be something very special.
Magic Circles were like a form of programming on a circuit board—intricate, technical, and precise. I had always been interested in computers in my past life; I even built my own custom rig once. Maybe if I had pursued it further, I could've made a career out of programming.
But here I was, in a new body, with a new life, with a new chance at something big. And with a job, even if my boss looked like he was permanently angry at anyone he looked at.
There is nothing much to complain about in this second life of mine, besides my libido problem.
Well, except... I'm having major trust issues with people in general, not just with money-grubbing leeches.
It might be because I lack time for socializing, but I feel more comfortable being alone than meeting new people. I must've become an introvert due to my self-isolation from my previous life.
My circle of those whom I could call friends is also... low, but still better than the non-existent one I had back then.
What I have with Nanahoshi is more of a mutual 'we're just friends' kind of relationship.
There are two people whom I could consider my friends, but I'm not very inclined toward them. No. It would be more accurate to say that those two have been causing more trouble.
Speaking of those idiots, they just so happen to come close to my lab. And I can already imagine why.
Getting into the leader position with my hands interlocked before my face and elbows on the table, just high enough to let my narrowed eyes be seen, I called out to them once they were close enough to the door.
"Come in."
I could tell that both of them were yelping at the sudden sound of my voice.
Nonetheless, they entered my lab.
Within my sight came two beastfolk girls.
Pursena Adoldia, a dog girl with a fluffy tail and floppy ears, and Linia Dedoldia, a cat girl with a long tail and triangular ears.
They are both special students at this school and candidates for the upcoming village chief of the Doldia tribe, as they are descendants of the Beast God Gigar. In other words, they were princesses.
However, none of them acted in their role as chief candidates.
Pursena was—no, she IS a glutton with a stomach that always demands meat-based meals on an hourly basis.
And Linia is all over her head most of the time, flaunting her authority wherever she goes.
Overall, neither of them is a good choice for the next chief.
Pursena often shifts the blame onto others, and Linia overestimates herself and neglects seeing other people's strengths and abilities.
Orsted says that the odds of them becoming the next chief are equal, which is another way of saying neither makes a difference for his plans.
Thanks to these two, my first days at this school were a bit chaotic. Those two tried to turn me into one of their underlings, only to get the coldest washing of their lives.
Following that fiasco, which almost sparked a winter storm in the city, Linia and Pursena softened their rebellious behavior and appointed me as their pack leader... despite my objections. As their leader, I was obliged to confront anyone seeking to claim them in the upcoming mating season, but all they received was a second chilling ice water bath as a punishment for dropping their own responsibilities onto me.
It has been over a year since then, and I regret every day for not ignoring their delinquencies.
But back to the topic at hand.
"Welcome back, boss," Linia boisterously said.
Meanwhile, Pursena was busy licking off her fingers from what I can only assume were meatballs after she threw her bag in my lab.
I know that I have a lot of sketches hanging all over my lab, but at least they have a purpose, unlike that act of littering.
"You two," I said in an ordering tone. "Sit down. We need to talk."
Both were startled at my dominant voice, but they looked around and got confused.
"Boss... there are no chairs left," Linia replied.
"Did I say 'take a seat'?" I said with a narrow-eyed smile and continued, "Because I could have sworn I told you two to sit down?"
The harsh tone and my furrowing brows showed them that this wasn't supposed to be a normal talk; this was meant as a scolding.
Shaking in fear and their tails tucked between their legs, they obeyed my order and sat down on the cold floor, their heads just high enough for me to see them from the edge of my table.
They both are wearing the new school uniform, but Linia left the top buttons of her front unbuttoned, which left her cleavage open to see, either out of comfort for herself or to allure people, like me.
But that's beside the point right now.
"Do you two know why I'm mad?" I said in a low voice, keeping my leader pose. I wanted to give them the chance to explain themselves.
"Because the goons we set to guard your place failed. I heard they let someone enter your territory," Linia admittedly said with a scoff as if that was the obvious, leaving me without hope for this dumbass.
"No," I firmly said. "In the first place, I never asked for any guards around this room."
"But boss," Pursena began speaking. "Didn't you say some of your stuff is both valuable and dangerous?"
"It is. But don't think I haven't taken precautions to prevent anyone from stealing."
They both looked confused as they tilted their heads before looking around this place.
"What did you do?" Linia asked.
"Secret Safeguards," I simply said.
"Like what?"
"It wouldn't be much of a 'Secret Safeguard' if you knew what it is," I mocked. "Also, I fear you, in particular, would spread rumors if I told you what it actually is."
"Wait, I wouldn-"
"Yes, you would. Just like when you tried to make me look like I'm a panty thief."
Her jaw dropped as I laid out my knowledge of her cancelled idea to get revenge on me before the ice bath I gave her and her group.
"How do you know?!"
"Some girls were consulting with me since you mentioned my name in their presence while bragging about how this would ruin my reputation forever."
The cat girl before me bowed her head, making herself appear smaller. Her ears flattened back, and the tips of her hair rose.
"Told you it was a bad idea," Pursena muttered, doing her shift-the-blame-thing again. What a backstabber.
Honestly, I'm not mad about it. It was before their first punishment, and I managed to return the bag with the stolen underwear and hand it over to one of the girls without ever opening the treasure inside.
Then again, the two critters in front of me tried to do something good by keeping my stuff guarded, so I think bating an eye on that is the least I can do.
Now, on to the other problem.
"Leaving that aside, I heard you two got into trouble with a new special student?"
They both tensed up, knowing that I was against them bullying students.
"W-W-W-Wait, hold on, we didn't start it, I swear," Linia said in a stuttering tone.
"Y-Yeah, he just got angry after we frowned at his ugly toy," Pursena retorted.
Okay, leader-mode down, and instead, exhausted face rubbing on. Jeez, this has gotten ridiculous.
"And now, Frederic bothered me to keep an eye out for the two new special students. On top of that, you two brought trouble with one of them, which returned to me."
"Just show him your power, boss," Pursena told me. "Put him in his place and he'll be gone."
"That will only lead to problems from the school itself. I'm still getting warnings from teachers after what I did to you two."
They don't get it, do they? The school is very careful about special students.
Most only get this status because of their background of high supporter materials, which the school always aims for, besides the pursuit of Magic. However, dealing with delinquent-type students is a shaky task. One bad move there, and a funding source may slip through their fingers.
If I hadn't come along, then Linia and Pursena would still terrorize the school with their group.
"Just avoid getting into trouble, okay."
"We're trying, but it's hard not to get agitated," Linia complained.
"People are starting to look down at us," Pursena whimpered.
Oh, for the love of everything sweet and holy.
I sighed, massaging the bridge of my nose. "Then do what I do—ignore everyone and bury yourselves in work. After all, this is an institution for Magic."
"But we're not genius magic inventors like you," Linia whined, her tail flicking behind her. "We're fighters! Warriors! Alphas!"
"Idiots. Delinquents. Troublemakers," I countered flatly.
Pursena puffed out her cheeks and let out a low growl. "You're so mean, boss."
I leaned back in my chair, letting my mana arms continue their work, unfazed. "I'm not here to be nice. I'm here to make results in my work. And keeping you two from getting expelled—or worse, getting me caught in the crossfire—is starting to feel like a full-time job I'm neglecting."
Linia looked like she was about to argue, but one glance from me shut her up. Progress.
"Look," I continued, softer now. "I'm not trying to make enemies. But I'm also not going to babysit you through every stupid choice you make. You want to keep your little territory in this school to keep your image? Fine. But stop dragging problems to my doorstep."
They both nodded slowly, ears drooped, and tails still—a rare sight: actual submission.
"…Okay," Linia muttered. "We'll try."
"We promise," Pursena added.
I narrowed my eyes. "You break that promise, and I start testing my new security devices—on you."
A beat of silence. Then—
"…You wouldn't," Linia said with a nervous laugh.
"…You wouldn't," Linia said with a nervous laugh.
My mana arms spun one of my prototype disks into the air with a whirr. It hovered briefly, then zipped past Linia's ear with a loud BZZZT and a flash of red light.
Both girls screamed and scrambled behind one another like scared puppies as they both ran for their lives. I wonder how many of Linia's nine lives are left?
Leaning back into my chair again and looking up at the ceiling, I couldn't help but contemplate the difference between my own two lives.
I had wealth, fame, and power, all things I lacked and could never reach in my previous life. Above all else, I achieved something even further away than the aforementioned feats.
"I think I'll visit the brothel tonight."
A man deserves his peace. And said peace sometimes involves some good alcohol in the company of a fine lady.
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