Atelier Tanaka

Book 3: Chapter 3 (2)

Witch

We returned to the dormitory after our meal.

After opening the door, a maid came rushing towards us. Sweat ran down her brow and she looked flustered. It was my personal maid, Sophia. She looked really tired and was holding out something with both of her hands.

Umm, Tanaka-san, a letter arrived for you.

For me?

Y-Yes. Its from the deputy director of the school.

I grabbed the letter from her hands. The words deputy director had caused her body to stiffen.

She wasnt the only one feeling nervous. I remembered the conversation I overheard in the restaurant and the fact that I had made myself known amongst several powerful people in this country.

Thank you.

I broke the wax seal on the back of the envelope and removed the paper from inside. As Sophia-chan and Ester-chan looked on, I scanned through the contents of the letter.

.

The letters text was straightforward.

A large jailbreak had occurred at a prison in the capital city of Kalis. The government is currently recruiting people from all across the country to help capture the escapees. The school had received an order from the government requesting the aid of only those exceptionally skilled in magic. They were requesting the aid of Tanaka-san and Fahren-sama.

The last line told me that I should visit the Deputy Directors office the moment I got the letter.

What a timely letter.

What does it say?

Ester-chan tried to peer over my shoulder to get a look at the letter.

But this soy sauce faced guy wont allow that. I took a small step away from her.

Im sorry but Ill be leaving for a while.

Eh? Ah, sure.

W-Wait, where are you going!?

This letter is truly a godsend.

If any of the escapees were caught, it wouldnt be long before they started talking about this one-of-a-kind soy sauce face. This would be the end of my peaceful life living with Sophia-chan.

I cant just sit on the sidelines.

I should do whatever I can to keep an eye on how the investigation is progressing.

I will return soon. Im sorry, but, please, wait for my return.

T-Then, Ill join you! I-I can come with!

Im sorry, but I need to do this alone.

Eh, but.

If youll excuse me.

I left Ester-chan in the room and ran down the corridor to the Deputy Directors office.

***

I arrived at the corner of one of the buildings filled with offices of the academys most important people.

I stopped abruptly to catch my breath in front of one of the office doors. I took a few deep breaths to settle my nerves. I cant mess up here. I must protect my life with Sophia-chan.

all right.

I prepared myself and knocked on the door.

KnockKnock

A flat sound echoed through the corridor.

After only a brief moment, I could hear a voice inside.

Who is it?

It was a womans voice.

The voice was dignified. It made me think of a career woman in her mid-thirties. She was accepted to a good university, went straight to work after graduating, and knew nothing but work for most of her life. She must have a mature body thats never felt the touch of a man.

Eventually, she gave up on the idea of ever finding a man and now feels that no man would actually look at her as a woman.

How nice.

I could become a gold digger.

Its Tanaka.

enter.

Yes. Pardon my intrusion.

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I opened the door as instructed and entered the office.

There were already several people inside the ten tatami mat sized room. There was an equal split between men and women and their ages ranged between the early twenties and middle-aged. It was most likely the faculty of the academy. They all stood lined up in front of the Deputy Directors desk.

Everyones attention was focused on me.

Im already very nervous.

Youve got great timing, Tanaka-dono.

The only person sitting was a woman on the opposite side of the desk. Based on the voice, theres no doubt that its the same person that called out to me when I was outside. She was in her mid-thirties just as I expected. Her slightly long hair looked beautiful and her eyes had a sharp look about them.

She must be the deputy director that wrote to me.

I came here after receiving your letter.

I held out the letter I had received from Sophia-chan.

Yes. We were actually just discussing that matter.

I see.

I see what she meant by great timing.

She really is a beautiful woman. I bowed to the woman that was carefully studying me. I then bowed to each member of the staff.

Once she confirmed that I was finished, she spoke again.

Because you werent here for our earlier discussions, Ill briefly go over everything once more.

Apparently, she was going to repeat herself just for this soy sauce face.

What a nice person.

As you already know, the great thief managed to break everyone out of the capital city prison. Most of the escapees were already infamous throughout the country. The average soldier wouldnt be capable of capturing these prisoners. It seems the government has decided to recruit from the academy once again.

This was all covered in the letter already.

I waited for her next words as my heartbeat increased.

The Royal Academy was asked to provide assistance to this investigation. However, our students arent mercenaries, much less military. After holding negotiations with those involved, I was able to get them to allow us to investigate on our own.

Oh, as expected of the deputy director.

Shes able to start her own investigation now.

How much trust must the government have in her?

For those willing to assist in what I consider to be an honourable endeavour, please step forward.

The mature woman declared this loudly.

What should I do?

Im at a loss.

If I step forward, in a sense, I wont be able to act freely. If I consider my social status and position as a student, its possible she might send someone to investigate with me.

I had planned on investigating on my own without drawing attention to myself. However, by agreeing to help, Ill gain position within the academy, but I dont want to put myself in a disadvantageous spot.

However, the others in the room didnt allow me much time to consider what I should do.

The sound of several people taking a step sounded in the room.

Once I heard this, I looked around at the others. Wait, what happened? When did they all move back? Without moving a muscle, I was now the only one standing forward.

Oh, are you feeling up to it, Tanaka-dono?

.

Seriously.

I didnt expect to see such a classic action like that in this world.

These people are good.

And the Deputy Director seemed perfectly fine with the result.

Ive heard many good things about you from Fahren-sama.

great.

On your own with no weapon, you were able to stand against a dragon. Im confident that youd be able to handle any criminal, no matter how strong, with your abilities.

.

Apparently, the noble mage has told her all about me.

However, it didnt look as if the Deputy Director believed her own words. I looked at the others in the room to see that they all had the same looks on their faces. Thanks to the pointless flattery by the noble mage, these people dont seem to have the best opinion of me.

Is everyone here a member of the aristocracy? Theyre all wearing fine clothing. Theres a good chance that theyve already heard about me potentially becoming a baron. Im getting an overwhelming feeling of jealousy and disgust coming from them.

So? What will it be?

The Deputy Director gave me a look that said I couldnt refuse.

I accept.

If nobody else has accepted, its virtually the same as working on my own.

Since I dont have to worry about someone accompanying me, I can look into this without anyone getting suspicious. Im just acting on behalf of the academy to apprehend the escapees.

Its easier if I just accept obediently.

As I thought about this, I heard a familiar voice.

Wait a moment!

The office door was slammed open with a loud bang!

The person that appeared was none other than the loli bitch.

Based on her timing, theres no doubt she followed me and has been listening since I entered.

Fi-FitzClarence-sama.

The Deputy Director, who had remained seated in front of everyone else, stood straight up with a look of astonishment on her face. The rest of her staff showed similar expressions.

The power of the FitzClarence family really is amazing.

Why did she come in though?

Is what you just said true?

She went straight towards the directors desk before saying this. The other nobles and members of staff moved out of her way as she walked.

FitzClarence-sama, students are banned from entering here.

I asked if what you just said was true.

The Deputy Director regained her composure and tried to avoid Ester-chans question.

But Ester-chan just looked annoyed.

Shes not even half the Deputy Directors age.

And yet, its the Deputy Director that appears on the verge of cowering.

as I mentioned earlier.

The Deputy Director started talking, assuming Ester-chan had been listening through the door.

Im sure she was.

Hmm~?

The blonde lolita walked around the room, carefully examining each of the staff.

Youre all teachers at the Royal Academy, arent you? How pathetic.

I felt like I could feel the temperature in the room drop.

Their expressions all changed. Some were scared, others looked angry, and one even looked pleased.

As expected of a dukes daughter.

She gave one last look over the staff before turning to face the Deputy Director. I cant imagine anything good coming from this. Theres something wrong with this loli bitch.

FitzClarence-sama, Im sorry but you need to go.

The Deputy Director repeated herself once more.

But Ester-chan didnt stop. She marched forward until she stood in front of the desk next to me. Shes standing so close to me. Her shoulder is rubbing up against my arm.

And she made a declaration with a loud voice.

Ill go with him!

She didnt appear at all concerned about the consequences her words would have.

The others in the room looked terrified.

But the Deputy Director persisted.

FitzClarence-sama, are you sure you havent misunderstood what Im asking of him? Ive asked him to go out and capture dangerous criminals. Its not like hell be going on a relaxing trip or to an evening party. If you think this will be like your other casual outings, youre sadly mistaken.

What is that supposed to mean?

I will not allow a student like you to take on such a dangerous task. Something like this should only be handled by faculty and staff. Please, leave immediately and return to your dorm.

Youve been asking a student to do this the entire time. Isnt he a student just like me? But you already knew that. The staff of the school is prohibited from allowing politics to influence decisions they make. Dont even pretend like this wasnt your intention, Deputy Director.

Tch.

Ester-chans profile as she said this awe-inspiring.

If she were a virgin, I wouldve dropped to my knee and proposed to her right here.

Why dont you still have your hymen?

H-Hes special. Fahren-sama himself has vouched for Tanaka-donos skill.

How exactly is he special?

well, hes very skilled with magic.

Are you trying to say the staff here arent skilled with magic?

T-Thats.

Todays loli bitch is shining.

Shes sparkling.

However, the Deputy Director desperately tried to resist.

With the academic conference right around the corner, its hard for the school to spare any members of staff. As you know, every member of staff is obligated to participate in the conference. Im sure even taking the time to come here today has been detrimental to their work.

If they study seriously on a regular basis, they shouldnt have any problems. Isnt that what every teacher says to the students before exams? I dont think anyone that cant follow their own words is fit to be a teacher at this academy.

.

But the loli bitch didnt care for her words.

There would be no more effective attack than for a student to throw a teachers words back at them. I know how seriously Ester-chan takes her studies. I think it had a considerable effect on the teachers in the room.

I didnt envy the position the Deputy Director had got herself into. After everything Ester-chan has said, it would be hard for her to refuse, but if Ester-chan were to suffer a single scratch while investigating for the Deputy Director, she could expect to lose her job or even worse.

Thinking back to the assassination attempt on Ester-chan, most of that family was executed.

I should keep that in mind if I wish to continue my peaceful school life.

Deputy Director, may I ask something?

what is it, Tanaka-dono?

Id just like to ask about one thing. What is this academic conference?

Youre a student at this school but you dont know about that?

Its a little embarrassing, but I really havent spent much time in this school since joining.

Its not a big deal. Its a very prestigious conference held by the Royal Academy of the Penny Empire that many countries from around the world participate in. Some say our academic conference is even comparable to those held by the Academic City.

I-I see.

Im still not sure what it is but it seems like an amazing event is coming up soon.

The teachers of this academy seemed to be preoccupied with preparing for this conference.

For teachers like us, taking part in the academic conference is the highlight of the year. For a brief period of time, the teachers, not the students, take centre stage and present their years-long research for all to see.

I see.

I guess its some kind of mass presentation.

While this academy is a place for students to learn, its also a place for the faculty to conduct research. The academic conference is similar to the finals for the students. The faculty will present their research and their evaluations will be based on this.

Thats right. I think its a wonderful event.

Exactly. Its our pride.

Originally, I thought this was all happening due to some type of political corruption at the school. However, it seems like their reluctance to join the investigation was due to the passion they all have for their research and their desire to impress at this conference.

However, there are some teachers that are opposed to this method of evaluation. Theyve even grown to resent the Deputy Director.

The Deputy Director glanced over at the teacher that said this.

Its a difficult position for all, but those select few do have my sympathy.

Im starting to think it would be in my best interest to accept. If I refuse, it could lead to a teacher losing a job and I dont need anyone holding a grudge against me. Besides, they all have a lot of work to do while I have nothing but free time.

I can understand why all of the teachers here dont want to volunteer.

How about it, Tanaka-dono?

Yes, if thats the situation, Ill accept.

Before I could accept, I was interrupted by several voices coming from the hallway.

As expected of FitzClarence-sama! Please let me come with you! I-I want to come too! Ah, wait, thats not fair! I also want to come, FitzClarence-sama! I w-will definitely be the one to help FitzClarence-sama!

Everyone in the room looked towards the door.

There were several students packed into the doorway leading out into the corridor. Now that their leader had entered the room, they decided to follow suit. I recognized several of their faces.

It was Ester-chans entourage.

Y-You all! Students are prohibited from entering here!

As soon as she regained her composure, the Deputy Director shouted this.

But the FitzClarence entourage didnt listen.

FitzClarence-sama, please allow us to accompany you! You wont even need to lift a finger! Allow us to catch the criminals! Thats right! A great dragon slayer like you doesnt need to be bothered with such a trivial matter! Let us offer you our strength! Please! Please, let us join you! I have a little knowledge of recovery magic!

The Deputy Director has been completely ignored.

Besides, one of those criminals theyre trying to capture is right in front of them.

H-Hey! Be quiet! Students arent allowed in this area!

The Deputy Directors age combined with her panicking expression is cute. However, considering her age, theres little chance she still has her hymen. Well, Im sure theres some world where she could still have it.

Ester-chan used her entourage to push her point even further.

Isnt this school wonderful? There are so many amazing students.

She showed a bright smile.

But her eyes werent smiling.

.

The Deputy Director was left speechless.

She clenched her teeth.

Im worried about what shell do. If she starts to dislike me, Ill have no chance of enjoying a peaceful school life. Wait, isnt this actually a great opportunity for me?

Deputy Director, I have a suggestion.

What is it, Tanaka-dono?

Allow me to take control of the investigation.

.

The Deputy Director looked at me with eyes filled with disgust and frustration. The FitzClarence name holds the ability to cause intense hatred and joy.

After a brief moment of silence, she cleared her throat, ready to address the room. Everyone in the room and Ester-chans entourage in the hallway turned their attention to her.

then, Ill leave it to you, Tanaka-dono.

Yes. You can count on me.

Just barely safe.

This loli bitch seems intent on making my life difficult.

Love is pain.

***