[Check Out My P4treon For +50 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][https://p4treon.com/roooaaa]
===
"Wow~ Only one wrong!"
Ghyslaine raised her head, respectfully accepting the small quiz from Rudeus.
It was a simple arithmetic test on double-digit addition and subtraction.
In just half a year, Ghyslaine had mastered double-digit calculations with the same precision as her swordplay.
Precise.
Swift.
And with an unreasonable elegance.
"42 + 17 = 96."
"This one's wrong. Remember what I taught you? If a double-digit addition seems complicated at first glance, but the sum of the single digits doesn't exceed 10, break it down to simplify it. You did well up to this point—40 + 10 = 50, 2 + 7 = 9, so..."
It was enough to make one's vision darken from frustration.
Utterly baffling.
After listening, Ghyslaine nodded and painstakingly wrote down the reasoning next to the problem in her crooked, barely legible handwriting.
Her progress was slow, and she frequently had to ask Rudeus to repeat himself.
But her expression was deadly serious.
In a way, her reading and writing skills, though still pitiful, had improved far more than her arithmetic.
Rudeus didn't show the slightest hint of impatience—in fact, the corners of his lips curled up in amusement.
At least she was a student who never skipped class, right?
And her attitude was earnest.
...Hmm.
His smile faded as his gaze lingered on Ghyslaine's rather revealing outfit.
He recalled the utterly inappropriate comment Paul had made last month when he visited home: "Hey, isn't Ghyslaine's chest huge?"
Was that really a topic to discuss with a child?!
And he was supposed to be a tutor hired to teach the young lady of the Boreas household—not the sword king's teacher's teacher!
At this rate, he'd get kicked out of the Boreas estate.
Sighing, he rubbed his face and glanced at the clock.
Ten minutes had already passed since class was supposed to start.
Just as Sylphiette predicted.
Those two problem students had skipped again.
Rudeus turned his gaze to Sylphiette, who stood beside him with a blank expression, lost in thought.
"Even though Allen always asks for leave in advance, this can't go on. Eris keeps copying him—she used to skip once or twice a week, but lately, she hasn't shown up at all."
"...Mm. Allen will convince her to come back."
Rudeus narrowed his eyes, staring at Sylphiette in utter disbelief without saying a word.
After a long silence, Sylphie seemed to realize how unconvincing that sounded and awkwardly scratched her cheek.
"Should we... go up there and 'persuade' them to return?"
"Yes! Took you long enough to figure that out!"
On the Rooftop.
Allen's lips twitched as he watched Eris's triumphant expression. He stepped forward, wiping the rain from his face.
With that motion, battle aura erupted from his body—thick and heavy.
A transparent curtain seemed to stretch between the sky and him, shielding him from the rain.
The downpour continued, yet the raindrops could no longer reach him. They struck an invisible barrier about thirty centimeters above his head, sliding down like water on glass before spilling off to the sides.
Allen had entered his "room."
Through the rain-streaked "window," he met Eris's gaze.
She didn't seem the least bit surprised—only blinking rapidly before reaching out to poke the watery "glass" between them.
Her fingertip breached the curtain.
Raindrops struck her skin, creating a faint white outline.
Then—
It vanished.
The residual water dripped from her finger, landing on the roof tiles with a soft plink.
Had the rain stopped?
Eris raised an eyebrow and whipped her head around, scanning her surroundings.
No.
The cascading water had simply shifted—now flowing around her sides and back instead of falling directly on her.
She had been invited into Allen's "room."
Seeing that she was no longer getting wet, Eris casually pushed her rain-soaked bangs back, mimicking Allen. With her forehead fully exposed, the resemblance between the siblings became striking—despite their differing hair and eyebrow colors, their sharp gazes carried the same overwhelming presence.
"I've seen this before! Flow Secret Technique! When are you gonna teach me?!"
Her memory traced back to that rainy night in Buena Village half a year ago, when Allen had used the Flow Secret Technique to shield Sylphiette from the rain.
Back then, he had held Sylphie's hand.
But now, it seemed physical contact wasn't necessary.
Clearly, his mastery had deepened in just six months.
"Once you learn to project your battle aura. Though given how you handle yours, it might not suit you."
Eris grinned, puffing out her chest with confidence—but before she could retort, Allen cut her off.
"I've told you so many times—this place is dangerous. Stop following me up here. And shouldn't you be in class right now? You skipped again?"
Her smile stiffened. Defiantly, she shot back—
"A-Allen's skipping too!"
Frowning, Allen tilted his head, giving her a look reserved for problem students.
"I'm a teacher. And unlike you, I actually asked for leave from Sylphie and Rudeus beforehand. You're a student—"
"I asked for leave too!"
"Oh? Did they agree?"
"I agreed!"
Silence.
The sound of rain pattering against the barrier filled the air between them.
After a long pause, Eris finally wilted under Allen's unrelenting stare, her bravado crumbling.
"...I don't wanna go to class."
"No. Go back."
The instant she was firmly rejected, Eris's face flushed red. She clenched her jaw, staring stubbornly at the rain outside the barrier—until, slowly, she raised a hand.
Her fingers combed through her rain-drenched crimson hair, gathering it at the sides before deftly twisting it into two quick braids.
Then—
"Pleeease let Eris skip class too, nya~! ☆"
Her eyes sparkled with determination, cheeks puffed out as she stared straight at Allen!
Her wet hair clung to her face.
Not the slightest trace of arrogance remained—instead, she looked like a drenched kitten.
This was the Boreas family's signature way of begging.
Allen froze.
He stared blankly at the little finger sticking up from Eris's hastily tied ponytail—mimicking cat ears.
And her expression was alarmingly persuasive! Blinking rapidly, she gauged his reaction before pressing her advantage—
"Don't wanna go to reading and writing, nya~! ☆"
"Don't need arithmetic either, nya~! ☆"
"Just let me skip with Allen today, nya~! ☆"
Allen's face looked like time itself had stopped. It took him several seconds to reboot.
When he finally spoke, his words were gritted out between clenched teeth.
"I've told you so many times—"
"This doesn't work on me."
"I'm not letting you skip. Give it up—"
"Pleeease let Eris skip class too, nya~! ☆"
"NO!!"
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 230 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 75 power stones I will publish the next chapter.