The Principle of a Philosopher by Eternal Fool “Asley”

In the magic classroom’s head professor’s office, Irene the Invincible Sprout sat on one of the sofas.

The only source of illumination in the room was the moonlight streaming in through the window. Irene gazed absentmindedly at the head professor’s seat where Asley usually would be.

“It’s been five years…”

Irene muttered to herself. What that number meant was known only to her, as she was the only person in the office at the moment.

…Or so she thought.

“From the look on your face, anyone can tell that it’s been more than five…”

“And you’re as inappropriately creepy as always.”

Irene didn’t react with alarm to that sudden remark.

The voice belonged to someone she knew well — and one with sufficient authorization to enter the head professor’s office.

“I’d prefer that you sat over there instead, but… go ahead.”

The man who had appeared in the dimly lit room was Warren, the adviser of the Resistance, also known by his nickname of ‘Black Emperor.’

Irene grumbled in response to Warren’s request to take a seat next to her — despite the fact that, on the other side of the table, there was another sofa left unoccupied.

“Wonderful. Rest assured, Miss Irene — even with me sitting next to you, there will still be plenty of space left unoccupied♪”

Warren said without even a hint of hesitation.

As Warren sat down, Irene kept her eyes — and only her eyes — trained on him.

“…Ugh.”

“Considering what is coming tomorrow, it’s only natural to be on edge.”

Warren said, smiling.

“Oh, really, you can tell that I’m on edge, huh?”

Irene said in reply, sounding just as bored as Tūs would normally be.

“Yes, of course. I can read your mind like a book♪”

“So? What are you doing here?”

“Nothing in particular. Still, since you’re here, I’d like to ask you a question — about how you reduced sixty-eight years’ worth of feelings down to five.”

Warren’s words caught Irene’s attention.

“…T-that was a suspiciously specific number to bring up. Did someone tell you that?”

Irene thought of two individuals who might know what it meant: one was a fool of fools, and the other, the Familiar of the fool of fools.

However, there was no way either of them would reveal that information to Warren. As such, Irene was torn on where to direct her anger.

“No one, actually.”

“…What, are you saying it was just a wild guess?”

“I simply gauged the weight of it from your expression, Miss Irene.”

In response to Warren’s grin and calm response, Irene could not help but feel a chill run down her spine.

“Now I feel like I understand why you’re called the Black Emperor…”

“Oh? I thought saying that would get you to tell me about your past… I suppose that was a miscalculation on my part.”

“I’m not telling anyone anything. Absolutely not…”

“Is that so? I must admit I’m quite disappointed.”

With Warren saying that, Irene heaved a sigh, and then, yet another person entered the head professor’s office.

“I’m finally here, li’l bro! And I didn’t expect to see you here, li’l Irene!”

There were not many people who dared to take such a casual tone toward Irene, the Commander of the Resistance — as well as Warren.

Neither Warren nor Irene reacted to the person in question with anger. After all, such interactions with her had become their daily routine by now.

“Whew.”

The new arrival proceeded to jump onto the sofa, landing softly next to Irene.

“Jenny, you’ve damaged the leather. This is actually pretty expensive, you know.”

“Whoops, sorry ’bout that.”

Jennifer — known by two nicknames: Bone Fist and Black Fist — was Warren’s elder sister and a former member of the Six Braves.

Currently, she served as a high-ranking officer for the Resistance.

Jennifer offered an apology in response to Warren’s comment, but it was only superficial. Considering how nonchalant Jennifer had always typically been, Warren had never expected to get a genuine apology out of her.

Looking at the Fulbright siblings, Irene asked,

“So… what are you doing here?”

“Ah, Miss Irene, I’m afraid you’ve been asking too many questions tonight.”

Warren replied, avoiding giving an answer to Irene.

“Oh come on, quit messing around!”

Irene harshened her tone, but Warren still did not answer.

Instead, he skillfully fetched a glass from the Head Professor’s room shelf.

When he placed the glass on the table, or rather, when Irene counted the number of glasses, she felt a sense of unease.

“There are only three of us here.”

“Yes, of course.”

“But you just bought five glasses.”

“We, I’m sure we can all count, yeah?”

Following Warren, Jennifer confirmed Irene’s observation.

Shortly after, Irene turned to Jennifer, recalling the words spoken by the latter when she had entered the room.

— I’m finally here, li’l bro! And I didn’t expect to see you here, li’l Irene!

This meant that Warren had called Jennifer over.

The moment Irene realized this, the door to the head professor’s office slid open, albeit not stealthily like when Warren or Jennifer came in. Instead, it opened perfectly normally…

“Oh, apologies… was I late?”

…And upon seeing who it was that had just arrived, Irene at her in surprise.

“What the– Trace? I didn’t know that you’d be here.”

“Of course you didn’t.”

“Yeah, pretty sure you weren’t supposed to know.”

Both Warren and Jennifer nodded to Irene’s statement.

As Irene’s face was stuck in an utterly puzzled expression, the one to dispel it was the final arrival.

“Hmm? Miss Irene? I wasn’t told that you would be here…”

“Dallas!? What… what?”

And then, Irene finally realized that she herself was the uninvited guest in this room.

Trace sat between Irene and Jennifer, while Dallas took the seat next to Warren.

“I see you have brought some fine wine for us tonight.”

Warren said happily as Dallas placed a bottle on the table.

“I did not expect Miss Irene to be here, though… this might get us in trouble.”

“Wait, wait, wait… what is that even supposed to mean!?”

Dallas tapped on his forehead and said with a hint of embarrassment, prompting Irene to press her question.

At this point, Trace, as she was filling the glasses with wine, smiled upon realizing what Dallas’ statement actually meant.

“Oh, my… hehehe…”

“Oh-ho-ho… I see you are a man of culture as well, Sir Dallas.”

Warren added.

“Hmm~~? …Hup!”

Jennifer hopped onto Warren’s shoulder in order to see what he was looking at.

“I see, I see… Hahaha, you really know how to celebrate, eh, ol’ Dallas?”

“Hey! You get down from there, Jennifer!”

Pushing aside Jennifer’s body and Warren’s neck, Irene looked at what they were laughing at. By the time Irene was able to identify what it was, the five glasses had already been filled with it.

“I suppose this kind of thing does happen when you’re as renowned as you are, Miss Irene.”

“They also made one for me, you know — sold in stores and stuff. When I got kicked out of the Duodecad, though, it just all disappeared.”

“Oh, I believe I have one of yours on display in my room, Miss Jennifer.”

“Hahaha, that’s adorable, li’l Trace! Thank you, thank you!”

“Heh… I suppose this can bring back a whole series of embarrassing memories…”

Dallas said in a deliberately embarrassed tone. And then, unable to hold himself back any longer, he burst into laughter.

“Pfft… Hehehe…”

Gradually, the laughter spread, affecting everyone in the room except Irene, who was left speechless and red-faced.

“The Invincible Sprout… one of the finest wines of our time!”

Warren’s comment made Irene bury her face in her hands, her cheeks turning even redder.

“W-what’s is even going on anymore? Will someone please explain this!?”

Irene demanded, turning her back to everyone, as if she was putting up resistance.

Jennifer and Trace exchanged glances, then said to Irene,

“Well, I mean, what is there to explain?”

“I suppose you could call this… well, the managers getting together for a drink? We do this from time to time.”

“A-and you’ve been doing this behind my back!?”

“Ah, apologies… We were not aware that doing this required your permission.”

Interpreting Dallas’s words as sarcasm, Irene turned around, her expression fraught with anger.

Instead, she was met with faces smiling ear-to-ear.

“Li’l Irene, you’re not a manager, y’know…”

“That’s right, ma’am, you are the commander. We couldn’t possibly include you.”

“It’s essentially a get-together for just us four.”

“Would you like to join us next time, Miss Irene?”

To the words of Jennifer, Warren, Dallas, and Trace, Irene slumped her shoulders.

She then placed her hand on her forehead, ran it through her hair, and sighed as if she had given up.

“Ugh… Great, just great. You’re saying that as if there will even be a next time…”

Irene appeared exasperated. Warren proceeded to offer an explanation as if to add to his side’s case,

“It’s not as if we’ve been deliberately excluding you, ma’am.”

“Yeah! And since this might be the last time, we actually tried to invite you as well, y’know.”

“Asley, too, of course.”

“However, Mister Asley ended up declining the offer.”

Irene, still not fully convinced by their explanations, questioned,

“So does Asley not coming have anything to do with you not inviting me in the end?”

“Do you even need to ask? Remember, you were the one who joined the Resistance after you were told that Asley’s allegiance to us had been secured…”

“Oh, was that how it happened?”

Dallas, who had emptied his glass without anyone noticing, appeared surprised.

“Hey– That’s not it! I had my own reasons for deciding to join the Resistance!”

“Oh, reeeeeeally? What kinds of reasons are those, then, eh?”

Jennifer slyly glanced at Irene, her eyes probing for answers.

Irene, naturally, found herself tongue-tied. Immediately following that, Trace downed a full glass of wine in one go.

“W-whoa, Trace!?”

“…Uhuhuhu, tonight is a good night to enjoy some fine wine.”

Watching Trace’s enigmatic expression, Irene’s face twitched.

“Well, well… this has turned into quite a chaotic night, don’t you think, Miss Irene?”

Warren’s words barely registered for Irene as her face continued to twitch.

In fact, one could argue that she was trembling at this point.

“C’mon, c’mon~~ Tell us your secret, li’l Irene! C’mon♪”

It was a forceful and extremely forward question, pushing past the boundaries of etiquette.

Irene realized at this moment that she had no choice. She could not escape this situation, for tonight might truly be the last time they could be together — a moment she could not let slip away.

“Well, well, it seems that we’ll be in for a blast to the past tonight♪”

Warren’s added remarks, which could be considered coercive, excited everyone.

“”Ooh!!””

Irene relaxed her clenched fists, and she shook her head as if to clear her thoughts.

“O-o-okay… Okay, fine! Just a little bit! Just a little bit, all right!?”

With a huff, Irene finally conceded, taking a step forward to accept the glass from Warren. She then downed it in one gulp, as if swallowing not only the contents but also her anxieties about tomorrow.

“–!? Gah–!! Is it supposed to be this spicy!?”

This night was the little free time they had before the decisive battle — the final night that had descended upon everyone alike. How each person would spend, however, was up to them…

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