The Magic Academy's Physicist-Chapter 107: Eavesdropping

What Angelica saw were small rocks.

They were gray. They had been prepared with boric acid and cardamom, and that was all her eyes could tell.

What were those rocks? Mana stones?

No, that wasn’t what was important.

Her instincts were telling her that they were a dangerous substance that she shouldn’t be touching.

Angelica hurriedly closed the zipper back up, then took a few steps back.

Aether met her eyes and grinned.

It was a smirk that she couldn’t read the meaning of. Goosebumps broke out on both her arms.

“Are we good now?”

“W-what is that? What are you trying to give to your boyfriend?”

“It’s just mana stone.”

“I’ve never seen this kind of stone!”

Angelica was confident when it came to mana stones.

After all, she was a member of the Totzfel family famous for magipetrology. Before her dream to become a journalist, she had intended to follow in her family’s footsteps and become a researcher of mana stones.

She had studied magipetrology like her life depended on it when she was younger. Thanks to that, she was able to guess the name and usage of most stones based on their shape and color.

That was how much she had studied, yet this one didn’t exist in her mind.

There were two possibilities.

She either learned about it and forgot, or it was something she had never seen before.

Her thought veered towards the latter. Angelica gazed at Aether and asked warily.

“That isn’t dangerous, right?”

There were mana stones harmful to humans as well, which were usually darker in color.

“At the moment. It’s sealed properly so there won’t be any issues.”

“That means it’s dangerous if you handle it wrong! Why would you give that to your boyfriend?”

“Again, not my boyfriend.”

“But you naturally called him that just a moment ago.”

“I can’t even make a joke?”

Aether let out a huff.

“Anyway, if you don’t have any other business, I’ll be going.”

“I do.”

“Which is?”

“Interviewing you and Horde.”

The Golden-Eyed girl scowled, her soft gold eyes radiating with annoyance.

“What? You said not to sneak photos. Then I can only interview you up front, no?”

“And if I refuse that, too?”

“Mm, I guess I’ll follow until you say yes?”

“I’ll refuse until you give up.”

Years of experience told her that bait was required for people like her. And Angelica just happened to know exactly what Aether wanted.

“It’ll be better for you and Horde to just cooperate.”

“What do you mean?”

She took it.

Smiling subconsciously, Angelica continued.

“Well, since you’re both claiming that you aren’t secretly dating, you can just explain yourselves by doing an interview with me!”

“Explaining myself and people taking it seriously are two different things.”

Her words were quite logical, but Angelica had something else to say to that.

But it didn’t happen because when she was about to say it, Aether realized and beat her to it.

“If we say anything, then it’s only going to inform those who didn’t know about it in the first place. It’s better that we leave it alone.”

“Then you mean....”

“That it doesn’t matter much what anyone in the school thinks. There are more urgent matters than that right now.”

“And that urgent thing is?“

“I can’t say.”

Shoot. She lost control of the conversation.

“Anyway, I’ll be going now.”

Aether seemed to know this as well. As soon as she gained the advantage, she quickly ended the conversation. She was trying to get away from Angelica no matter what.

And Angelica didn’t go any further than that.

No matter what I do, you’ll get away using the same method.

It wouldn’t do any good to make the situation worse.

Angelica stayed put and watched where Aether was heading. The Golden-Eyed girl was making her way towards the northwest part of the state, and it wasn’t hard to realize what was over there.

The inn where Vermel Horde was staying.

Are you two close enough to be visiting each other, then!

She had known that they were meeting secretly together for long periods of time in the clubroom, but not about staying over at the other’s place.

All... of Tilette Academy, but a considerable number were curious about Vermel and Aether’s relationship.

How a Golden-Eyed and elf had become friends in such a short time.

Would they be able to see them inherit the old legend of the warrior and saintess who had defeated the Demon Army after respectively graduating as the top and second students and even gotten married?

She had so many questions.

And most of all, they were both significant beauties. That alone was enough to keep the female students talking.

Ah.

As she thought about all this, she was at Vermel’s place before she knew it. Angelica quickly hid herself in a nearby bush.

Knock knock. Aether knocked on the front door.

“Hey, I’m here.”

The door opened as soon as she called, revealing a handsomely tall elf rubbing his eyes.

Vermel Horde–an elf with looks that would’ve made several girls cry. Even Angelica was momentarily mesmerized by his face that made more than enough sense.

“Oh, uh. You’re back. Sorry, I’ll quickly get ready and go.”

Aether waited for ten minutes at the door. It would’ve been a dull wait for a normal person but to Angela who was used to undercover reporting, the time passed quickly as she jotted some lines in her notebook.

At last, Vermel hurried outside as he put on his coat.

“Let’s go.”

The two walked close to each other, and Angelica’s hands shook at the sight.

Really, they looked like lovers.

Maybe not? They weren’t locking arms so were they still safe?

Angelica moved, thoughts not fully organized. Where Vermel and Aether were heading was none other than Tilette Academy.

The two went to the Transmutation Club room into a small space attached to one side. It was the same place that she had checked when commissioned earlier by the Literature Club.

It was strange.

“Why the clubroom and not somewhere else?”

There were other private locations besides there. They could’ve hung out at Vermel’s studio, for example.

Yet the fact that they went there was....

“Is his place not soundproof?”

Angelica’s face instantly reddened at the dirty thought.

To cool down her cheeks, she rubbed them with her sleeve. For some reason, it became damp.

Just then.

“What isn’t soundproof?”

Angelica jumped forward like a spring at the third party voice catching her off guard. Unable to scream, she tried to calm her startled heart.

When she caught her breath and turned around, two girls stood there.

“Oh, it’s the president of the Newspaper Club!”

“What brings you here, Senior Totzfel?”

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They were both people she knew. No, it would be weird to not know, since Angelica knew the names of almost all the students.

“Saliere, and Shelkany.”

“You know us?”

“Of course.”

Angelica put a finger to her lips and went shhh.

“I’m in the middle of a cover.”

“A cover?”

“Do you mean Vermel and Aether?”

“Oh, so you know? Did you hear the rumors about them secretly going out?”

“We heard it as soon as we came back. It’s also why we’re here....”

Everyone practically knew that Vermel and Aether’s main meeting point was the Transmutation Club room.

“Still, I don’t think it’s good to eavesdrop on others. I can’t, Freyr. Let’s just go back.”

“After coming all the way here? Nah, it’s fine for a little bit!”

While the two were whispering, Angelica had crawled her way to the iron door.

If she just passed this thick door, then she could find out what the two were up to in this secretive place. But it was rude to just burst in so she decided to settle for pressing her ear to the door.

“It’s not that big of a deal! Just don’t tell anyone else!”

“But....”

“I’m dying to know what those Literature Club guys were talking about. If you don’t want to, you can go back to the dorm first. I’ll tell you after I hear it!”

“Haaa....”

Before long, Lotte was convinced by Freyr and also waited with her ear to the door.

[.......]

She could hear sound–an incredibly small, faint voice.

The three held their breaths. Freyr tipped up the large witch hat she had been wearing.

Then.

[... Hey, don’t take it off!]

[It’s fine. It’s not going to wear out just from that.]

[Wait...! I said not to touch it! It’s sensitive so it’s dangerous if you don’t do it right!]

[It’s fine, seriously. Just let the expert handle it.]

“What.... am I listening to?”