The championship finale was over and the closing ceremony unfolded. Ronaldo gave a speech as the representative student of the closing ceremony but he couldn''t remember anything about it at all.


    Because what was upying his mind was the crying face of that red haired girl who ended the match with her own will for the first time.


    A sh with the strong person where he couldn''t read the oue of the battle. A sense of tion as if his blood was boiling that made him actually realize just how much he has grown-up in this one year. And that intoxicating feeling was abruptly crushed by Ste, the red haired girl.


    After the intervention of Ste, he thinks all members of the S ss, beginning with short-tempered and straightforward n, must have felt extremely ufortable. When he and other team members entered the waiting room to give a voice of protest to Ste for insulting their fight, they saw her huddled in a corner of room with her whole trembling, and realized that they had a fetal misunderstanding.


    They were then driven out by Aqua and others, the girl group of ss S, saying to leave Ste''s matter to them.


    That night, even though he should have been dead tired, his mind was strangely clear and even when he wanted to close his eyelids, he couldn''t remove the image of Ste''s retreating little back that was etched into his retina.


    In the early morning next day, he visited the familiar S ss ssroom.


    A lot happened in this ssroom. In the beginning, it may be because of his stubbornness after being called an ordinary person by the talented and famous Lord Horus of military affairs but he was gradually absorbed in the lessons of this ss.


    "Yo~ Ronaldo"


    A rough looking red haired boy, An Kruger, raised his hand in greeting to Ronaldo.


    Except Aqua and Ste, the rest of the members were sitting on their respective seats in the ssroom. He guessed Aqua is beside the depressed Ste to take care of her.


    "It''s really hard work to gather everyone when the sses are over for the time being"


    "Exactly"


    When he shrugged his shoulders and smiled bitterly, n''s face turned serious.


    After all, everyone''s reason foring here is the same it seems.


    "It''s about yesterday''s Ste right?"


    "Yeah, she was indeed dissatisfied being in this ss clearly but i think she must not have wanted to act selfishly and go that far"


    "You''re right. Rather, wasn''t she more cooperative than a certain someone?"


    Ste''s best friend, blonde twin tailed young girl 一一 Aria, gave her blunt opinion while looking at n.


    "Shut up! You horse tailed woman!"


    "You''re a brat in this regard. I think you need to learn from His Highness more"


    When Aria shrugged her shoulders in amazement,


    "So, why did Ste do that in the end?"


    He asked the question everyone present here wants to know the most.


    She should have been together with her after the finals.


    "Ste didn''t said anything after that and only that kid knows the truth"


    "Don''t put on air Aria, you must have a rough guess at least, right?"


    "Well yeah, we are still best friends and I know more about the surrounding in details than you guys"


    It''s not only because she''s the daughter of the Academy Dean. She''s a member of the Sagami Company managed by Professor Shirabe. She''s also apparently the manager of the  Leithe shopping district. So there''s no doubt the information she has about the same member Ste must be world''s apart from them.


    "Then hurry and say why. We arerades, aren''t we?"


    "No way"


    Aria immediately rejected n''s request.


    "Sto一一"


    n stood up violently in a fit of rage and was about to shout when Aria interrupted him,


    "You will have to hear it directly from Ste''s mouth"


    "I wouldn''t have been asking from you if I could do that!"


    "Why? I don''t think it''s hard to do as long as you try with your usual cheekiness. Well I can more or less guess your reason for not being able to do that"


    n''s whole body flushed red in an instant and everyone showed him a smug face.


    Everyone in the ss can see that n likes Ste. More specifically, everyone except Ste herself knows that.


    "Is the reason for that professor Shirabe?"


    "I will not deny this. Ever since that incident, Ste is bing a bit timid"


    A deep sorrow was confided in the eyelids of Aria who muttered this vacantly.


    "That incident?"


    At Ronaldo''s query, Aria''s face, who stopped spacing out, be expressionless and said,


    "That''s a secret"


    Aria refused to say any more to Ronaldo and others with an uncharacteristically cold voice.


    Ronaldo and others are still taking her worries lightly as if it''s just a naive story like a quarrel between man and woman. However it''s not as simple as it looks. It''s much more about their fundamental perspective. It was simply conveyed by Aria''s abnormal appearance.


    "It''s fine if you don''t want to say. I will ask from the person herself as you said. Even if it''s something bitter or painful, she should be able to feel better once she speaks out. Hey, isn''t it right? you guys!"


    n stood up while looking at everyone.


    "That''s right"


    In response to Ronaldo,


    "Yeah, n can speak about good things once in a while!"


    "That''s right. After all, he''s a child who can''t read the atmosphere. I''m a bit moved"


    "Yup, it''s hard to think these wordse out from a self-conceited boy"


    Everyone nodded while giving their thorough evaluation of n.


    "You bastards一一"


    Just as n was about to shout,


    "Ok-Ok. We listen to you slowlyter. More than that, I have a message from the G ss homeroom teacher."


    "From Shirabe Sensei!? What did he say, hurry up and speak!"


    As soon as n heard Aria mentioning the homeroom teacher of G ss, he urged her to speak and ss members fell silent. This name was the driving force that kept Ronaldo, n and others working hard frantically throughout this one year. So it can be understood why they are excited.


    Aria sighed deeply at n''s childish action, coughed slightly and said,


    "I''m sorry for yesterday''s Ste. We have settled everything about the academy''s side, so there will be no disadvantage to you students. Please get along with the ss G members from next year"


    She spins out the expected words.


    "So the matter regarding the academy has been solved huh. It really turned out just as you said, Aria"


    In the beginning, n was almost ready to beat the examiner who messed up Mia''s answer sheet. Ronaldo was somehow able to keep n in check but Mia may be expelled due to the Injustice of the selfish members of the Magic knight academy. In this fact, he also felt a murderous intent like a deadly poison.


    However, Aria who was watching the exchange in the examination venue together with Ronaldo just looked at examiners with sympathetic gaze while muttering, "I really doubt their sanity to send oneself into the mouth of the demon themselves. Are they idiots? Or they had a death wish?" and "it''s a waste of time to worry about this, not worth it. They are in [his] ss. Anyway, all the Morons who have weaved this charade will end with thier bones being suckedpletely and tossed outside '''', dered straightforwardly.


    Of course, n, who have the knowledge of how terrifying and sly those pure bred aristocratic faction, didn''t believe in her words so easily and opposed but when he heard about the fate of the pitiful viins who be the sacrifices for Professor Shirabe, he finally believed in the authenticity of Aria''s word and didn''t bring up this topic again.


    After all, he''s the persona who overthrew Duke Cyrus, who was said to have great pride in his power and was the most brutal in the empire. If you think about it, the pure-bred aristocrats working in the Magic knight academy indeed aren''t even enough to fill the gap between his teeths.


    "Yeah, it seems the research division is currently busy investigating Matthew Muru, the preparator behind the incident this time, including several other professors as well as the members who are training from an early age. As for Deputy head and new professors, they have decided to feign ignorance about this"


    This information most likely came from her father, the academy''s dean. I have had the chance to meet him several times but he''s an absurdly doting parent. To arger extent, he must haven''t been able to refuse his daughter''s request.


    "Matthewー, or rather what about that idiot?"


    "Who knows, but there are rumors that even the retired emperor was seriously angry, so it''s also possible that national defamationw may apply. In short一一"


    "Capital crime...... That''s the fate you get for picking up a fight with him. It''s just too numbing"


    I felt the same. Now I can easily understand the meaning of what Great sage Sieg meant by expressing him as [A devil even more terrifying than the demon king].


    "Anyway, it''s our victory. As promised, Professor Shirabe should be our homeroom teacher from next year!"


    "All right! G ss will be with us next year! I''m getting excited!!"


    When Ronaldo dered so, n leaned on his desk and shouted in a loud voice. A cheers rose up from the rest of ss members too but,


    "Sorry, that''s most likely not going to happen."


    Even though Aria said it while scratching her cheeks apologetically, for Ronaldo and others, it was as if she had said something extremely outrageous.