First, I assessed the situation and reacted as quickly as possible.
"Are you a cadet? What brings you here..."
I asked with a slightly awkward expression, my hands held together cautiously. I feigned a look of slight fear, keeping my head slightly bowed. I tried to pretend I knew nothing... but there was no way it would work.
"Wh-what, no, how? Why? A janitor... wait a minute."
The girl approached me with a look of disbelief, trotting over. She placed a hand on her chin and began to circle me. Honestly, it was dizzying.
She stopped when she saw the back of my head and shouted as if she had realized something.
"Ah! You, you're that guy who was at the back of the classroom that day! The one wearing those strange clothes!"
"That is not me."
"What do you mean it's not you! It is!"
Watching her stomp her feet, I felt a cold chill run down the back of my neck. I'm in real trouble now. She found out about that too.
But more than surprise, I felt a sense of wonder. I was certain there had been no sign of anyone. How did she see me?
"How did you learn magic? You're not a noble. So why... even to me..."
Watching the cadet get lost in her own thoughts, I quickly ran through dozens of simulations. I chose the most reliable one and went for it.
"Cadet."
"What?"
"I truly do not know what you are talking about. Magic? I am just an ordinary janitor."
I maintained my expression of incomprehension. At the same time, I moved a bandage behind my back and tore off the end with my hand. As quickly as possible.
The end was hard to grasp, so I floated it with a current and then pulled out a sharp gust of wind to...
"...?"
It wouldn't come out.
Why?
What had worked perfectly just a moment ago was now failing me. Left with no choice, I used my fingernail to tear off a tiny piece. Fortunately, a thread from the bandage came loose in one go.
As soon as I was done, the girl shrieked.
"Don't lie! I just saw you float the bandage, you know!"
"Ah, are you talking about this?"
I threw the bandage I'd taken from behind my back onto the floor. Then, with a thin thread, I pulled it back into my hand.
"I apologize. I was a bit bored, so I made a yo-yo out of the supplies. I will not do it again."
"... Huh?"
The girl stared blankly at the bandage with the thread attached, then shook her head from side to side.
"Then what about that time you cut the straw with wind magic!"
"Did you perhaps see me cleaning? I cut it with these scissors. Straw can be a fire hazard, so it must be cut into small pieces before being thrown away."
I took a pair of scissors from my pocket and showed them to her. For the record, the rule about cutting up straw was complete nonsense. But what would a noble know about cleaning?
I was confident. My proficiency wasn't very high, so I had to be extremely close to generate enough power to cut anything. Even if she had been spying on me, unless she was right in front of me, it would have been hard to notice.
"Uh, huh?"
Seeing my opponent's slight confusion, I was certain my excuse had worked and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It seems to have worked well. Still, just in case, I delivered a final blow.
"Even so, I apologize. It is all my fault."
"Huh?"
Thud.
I fell to my knees, bowing my head with a somber expression.
"It is my first time working as a janitor, so I mistook this place for the staff infirmary."
"I failed to know my place and entered the cadets' space with my dirty feet. I will gladly accept any punishment you see fit. Please, take responsibility and punish me."
Contrary to my words, I knew this was the staff infirmary. The important thing was the word 'responsibility'. Have you ever tried telling a child to take responsibility?
"No, there's no need for punishment... and this is the staff infirmary, but..."
Without a single exception, they all react like this. The girl, poking her index fingers together and averting her gaze, already seemed to have lost all her spirit. I breathed an inward sigh of relief.
It looked like I had managed to get through it somehow. Still, from now on, I should probably come early before class to check on the kids, and if I see this one, I should run rather than listen in.
Safety first.
The cadet gave me one last, slightly suspicious look and asked.
"But... are you really not a mage?"
"Yes. As a matter of common sense, how could a janitor use magic? I know that magic is a privilege reserved for nobles."
"... That's not exactly true..."
"Pardon?"
"Ah, anyway, if you're not, then that's fine. I'm sorry for suspecting you..."
Why is this girl so obsessed with me being a mage? Taking advantage of the cadet's subdued mood, I stood up and quickly bowed my head.
"Thank you for your generous mercy. I will be on my way now."
"Uh, okay..."
This was an uncomfortable situation for both of us. I tried to leave quickly.
[... So, this way?]
[Yeah, I'm sure of it...]
Until I heard voices. Of course, it was none of my business, so I was just going to open the door and leave, but the cadet suddenly had a fit and blocked my way.
"No! Not now!"
"...?"
Two small hands grabbed me. I frowned, wondering what this sudden physical contact was about, and the voices from outside stopped.
[... Hmm. That voice...]
[Hehe...]
Watching the girl cover her mouth as if she had made a mistake, I roughly grasped the situation. I had wondered why a noble would come all the way to the staff infirmary. It seemed she was being chased by someone.
Bang, bang, bang! A series of aggressive knocks immediately followed.
[Hey, open the door!]
[We know you're in there!]
"Wh-what do I do..."
"They're telling us to open it. Shall I?"
"No..."
The cadet trembled, not knowing what to do. Her eyes grew moist, a pattern I had seen often at the orphanage. The state of children just before they're about to cry.
Well, she must have done something to deserve it. It wasn't my problem.
[How dare you run off without a word? I guess we'll have to teach you a lesson today, won't we?]
[I'll cut that hair of yours!] ...
Right, maybe she didn't do anything wrong. Still, kids grow up fighting. A 2-on-1 situation was a bit desperate, but it wasn't impossible to win if she got the first hit.
As soon as the door opened, even just scratching their faces with wind magic would be half the battle.
[You underachiever who can't even use magic!]
[Come out now! Should I burn your clothes too?]
"... Wait, you can't use magic?"
But this was unexpected. If so, there wouldn't be a fight. Does she use it, but her output is weak or something?
"..."
But seeing her nod with a gloomy expression, it seemed she really couldn't use it at all. It was just basic magic, so even a kindergartener could do it if they were a mage. This wasn't an issue of being an underachiever.
There must be some other reason. I think I understand why she's being bullied by those two.
"... Haaah."
I let out a deep sigh as I looked at the banging door and this helpless, cheeky girl. Normally, I could have just considered it a quarrel between friends and moved on. A mage and a normal person.
And 2-on-1 at that? No matter how I looked at it, I could only picture a... a gruesome scene. It wouldn't be a proper kids' fight.
It could genuinely turn into a bloodbath. Then... just by being here, I would get into trouble. I couldn't stand by and let such a dangerous possibility unfold.
With no other choice, I grabbed all the bandages that were lying around.
"Hold on for a moment."
"What?"
There was nowhere to hide in this room. We were on the third floor, so escaping through the window was also impossible. So, I tied the cadet's hands tightly with the bandages.
The cadet looked at me with a bewildered expression. Her blue eyes, like glass beads, were quite striking.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
"You must not scream. You will be safe."
Wrapping the bandages tightly under her armpits, I instantly bound her up like a swaddled baby.
"Just in case, I will cover your mouth too."
"?"
I turned the still-confused cadet into something resembling prey wrapped in a spider's web.
"??"
"It's alright, so don't struggle. Heave-ho."
"?! ???!!!!!!"
And just like that, I threw her out the window. The bandage tied to the railing grew taut and began to support her weight. This was insane.
If this cadet fell to her death, I would be executed for killing a noble. Of course, I had no intention of entrusting a life to the strength of a mere bandage. 'She's floating well.'
The bandage was just a trick to deceive the eyes and senses, and a double safety measure for any unforeseen circumstances. The real purpose was to wrap her up tightly like this so she would be affected by the flow of the currents.
For some reason, it's really difficult to directly affect living creatures with currents, unless they're wearing something like heavy armor. If that were possible, I would have been levitating myself long ago. But in a state of being wrapped up without any gaps by a bandage, she would be judged as an object, and I could manipulate her sufficiently.
And thanks to messing with currents so much recently, the limit of my current magic had also increased quite a bit. Even so, it wasn't enough to make a girl float in mid-air... But at the very least, I could keep her from falling.
The third floor? It's within the range of my currents. Even if I were to cut all the bandages now, she would fall slowly and reach the ground.
Just in case she struggled, I looked out the window and gave her one last warning.
"I will pull you in after they're gone. Until then, please stay quiet."
"..."
Her mouth was covered so she couldn't say anything, but the fact that I was trying to help must have been clearly conveyed, as she slowly nodded her head amidst her confusion.
Good.
I closed the window and messed up my hair to look like I had just woken up. I approached the door, using a broom like a crutch, and opened it.
"Why'd you take so long to open it? Do you really want to... what the?"
"Who's this guy?"
Before I said anything, I looked them over. Judging by their faces, they were at most one or two years older than me, but their build was no joke. They must have been well-fed growing up, as I would have believed them if they said they were fifteen.
While the tall blonde and red-haired cadets were looking at me with expressions that said, 'what's with this guy?', I took the initiative, bowing my head repeatedly with a bewildered look.
"My, what brings you cadets here?"
"We definitely heard a voice... Where is she?"
"Pardon? Who do you mean by 'she'?"
"I mean Elysia!"
"Elysia...? Who might that be..."
So that girl's name was Elysia. As I tilted my head as if I truly had no idea, the red-haired kid flared up in anger.
"That silver-haired half-breed! How dare she not know her place and run away? I was going to beat her to a pulp today."
"I-I'm sorry. I was sleeping in here, so I did not see anyone."
"Tsk, really? You're not hiding her somewhere?"
"Where could one hide in a room this small? But if you wish, you are welcome to search as much as you like."
"Hmm..."
"Aargh... Hyuins, what should we do?"
It seemed the blonde cadet named Hyuins was the decision-maker. As I waited with a slightly anxious heart, Hyuins scanned the room and clicked his tongue.
"This guy's right. Where could she hide in here? We must have misheard."
"You think so...?"
"Let's go. I'm sure she's hiding somewhere around here, so let's check the upper floor."
"Alright! I don't know where she's hiding, but just you wait until I find her..."
The red-haired cadet stormed out of the room, fuming. Hyuins was about to follow but suddenly turned back to look at me.
"You, are you a janitor?"
"Ah, yes..."
"You look injured. Sorry for waking you. Take this."
Flick!
Hyuins flicked something shiny from his pocket. I caught it out of reflex... it was a silver coin.
One silver.
No way, a silver coin. This is half a year's worth of my allowance.
"You did not have to give me something like this... Thank you!"
There's nothing wrong with having money. I tried to hide my smile as I cheerfully accepted the side income, and Hyuins continued to speak calmly.
"If you happen to find the silver-haired cadet, come up to the fourth floor and tell me secretly. I'll give you ten times this."
"Is there any reason not to! However..."
I asked cautiously.
"Did that person do something wrong?"
"Wrong? Hmph, of course."
Hyuins crossed his arms with a genuinely displeased expression.
"How dare a half-breed try to attend the same class as us. She doesn't know her place. She needs to be beaten until she quits."
"What do you mean by... half-breed?"
"That girl can't use magic. She's not a mage."
Hyuins's expression was filled with deep contempt.
"It means one of her parents is a commoner. Disgusting creature..."
"..."
I don't know who his parents are, but they sure did a spectacular job messing up his upbringing. As I offered my condolences, Hyuins smirked viciously and said something absurd.
"That's right. When you find her, it's fine if you beat her up and bring her to me. She's a commoner like you anyway. It doesn't matter if you rough her up a bit."
He's talking nonsense. Does he think I have a death wish?
"Yes. The moment I see her, I will punch her in the jaw and knock her out!"
"What? Hahaha! I'm starting to like you."
It wasn't what I wanted, but it seemed I had earned his favor. After a hearty laugh, Hyuins left for the fourth floor. Only after the sound of his footsteps completely faded did I go to the window and pull up the bandage.
"Heave... Are you alright?"
"..."
"Hmm, I will take that as a yes."
Even while I was untying the bandages, Elysia kept her head down with a deeply troubled expression. She must have heard the entire conversation from outside the window. If all of that was true, well...
I guess there was a reason she was so obsessed with me using magic. After carefully removing the bandages so as not to damage her skin, I sat her down on the bed and offered some half-hearted comfort.
"Don't worry about it too much. Not being able to use magic won't hinder your life in any way."
I, for one, would like to distance myself from it a bit. Elysia, still with a gloomy expression, muttered.
"Why are you still talking so formally?"
"Pardon?"
"What they said is all true. I... I can't use magic..."
Gone was the cheerful girl from our first meeting. She hugged her knees and entered a state of despair, beginning to belittle herself.
"Because I'm a half-rate noble, I skip class and run away every day. So..."
"Skip."
"... Huh?"
I raised my hand in the middle of her sentence to stop her. Before Elysia could say anything with a tilted head, I spoke first.
"That's a shame. I wish you the best of luck. You can do it. Fighting."
"... Uh? Huh?"
Leaving only those words behind, I backed out of the room, leaving a bewildered Elysia behind. Did I have any intention of getting involved in this bizarre event? Not at all, not even a little bit.
I have my own problems to deal with. Since it's my day off anyway, I should find another room and get some good sleep.
"Huh, what the...?"
From the room, I could hear Elysia's confused muttering, as she still hadn't grasped the situation.