A Desperate Plea

Nade, backed into a corner with no other options, threw away all sense of pride and clung to Shina.

"Professor! Please give us a chance. Isn't there another way besides the presentation? You know it too! Our research society exists for a reason. We're the only ones who can challenge the magic society that blindly follows logic!"

Shina scoffed, unimpressed.

"Then prove it already. If we've compromised this much, it's only fair that you show results. This is already an agenda item in the teachers' council, so I hope you make the right decision."

As Shina stood up, everyone followed suit.

"Professor! Wait, just a moment…!"

The heavy iron door slammed shut, and as if that were a signal, Shirone and his friends collapsed onto the sofa.

It felt as though they had just woken from a strange dream—utterly dazed.

"We're completely screwed."

Clang, clang. Istas' mechanical device began restoring the research lab to its original state.

The Principle of Gauge Symmetry

It was a peaceful holiday.

On any other day, Shirone would have been at the library even on his day off. But now, he was sitting in the central park, absentmindedly watching the scenery with a drink in his hand.

The same went for Iruki and Nade, who sat beside him.

"What time is it?"

"I don't know. At least it's not night."

"Wow, genius deduction."

The conversation trailed off into awkward silence.

As Shirone sighed, two more sighs followed immediately after.

Eventually, unable to hold back any longer, Shirone jumped up and shouted.

"What are we going to do about the research society? Shouldn't we at least be coming up with a topic to present instead of wasting time like this?"

Iruki responded.

"Alright, let's think. What kind of research topic would the school approve?"

Nade shook his head.

"As far as I know, we've never had a formal presentation before. Sure, we've done a lot of unique and crazy experiments, but there's no way the school would officially recognize something like that."

There was no real way to elevate their study of supernatural psychic phenomena to an academically rigorous field.

If there had been, it would have already been acknowledged as science by now.

Once again, the three were left staring blankly into space.

Their heads followed passing female students, but their minds were empty.

"Oh? Guys, look over there."

At Nade's signal, they turned their attention toward the school gates, where a breathtakingly beautiful woman, one they had never seen before, was entering.

She wore a trench coat and heels, her wavy purple hair swaying elegantly at her waist.

"Biologically speaking, that's a flawless design. Who is she?"

"A senior? Most girls our age don't dress like that."

While his friends were busy evaluating her, Shirone squinted and studied her closely. There was something oddly familiar about her.

"Wait… isn't that Professor Shina?"

"What? Professor Shina?!"

Iruki and Nade whipped their heads around simultaneously.

Sure enough, it was her. She wasn't wearing her glasses, and her usual neatly tied-up hair was now cascading freely, but it was definitely Shina.

"Whoa, can a person change this much?"

"Seriously! And with makeup, she looks like a completely different person! But Shirone, how did you recognize her? You have a surprisingly keen eye for women."

Shirone had seen her with her hair down before.

But he had no intention of mentioning that she had visited him late at night.

"Haha! I just have good eyesight."

"Where do you think she's going? She even put on makeup, so it must be something important."

Iruki tapped his forehead.

"According to the Women's Anatomy Research Society's monthly schedule of Professor Shina, today is her day off. There are no school events either. That only leaves… a date."

"A date? No way. You know her personality."

"Still, she has to meet someone, right? A woman at twenty-six faces immense pressure from her family. The Olifer name still holds value, after all."

"Hmm, that's true…"

Nade, rubbing his chin in thought, suddenly turned to his friends with a gleam in his eyes.

"Should we follow her?"

"And do what?"

"We've got nothing else to do. Sitting here won't give us any answers either. Come on, you're both curious. As long as we get back before sunset, it's fine."

Iruki was skeptical.

"You really think we won't get caught? She's a certified sixth-rank mage. Even without Spirit Zone, she's incredibly perceptive. We'd be found out in no time."

"Then let's do this: Iruki, you track her, and Shirone, you act as the relay. I'll stop by the lab for a moment and then catch up."

Shirone immediately saw through Nade's plan.

"The invisibility cloak?"

"Exactly! With that, not even Professor Shina will notice us. What do you think?"

Now intrigued, Iruki smirked.

"Stalking a sixth-rank mage, huh? Sounds like fun. I'll go ahead. Shirone, you pick up Nade."

Before Shirone could reply, Iruki was already heading for the gates.

Shirone sighed. His friends were ridiculously proactive when it came to things like this.

Nade was already making preparations to leave.

"I'm counting on you, Shirone. You have the most important role—tracking the route and distance. You can manage, right?"

Shirone hesitated but nodded.

Even in this situation, he had already mapped out the calculations in his head.

"Fine. But hurry up. I can only hold it for ten minutes."

"Haha! I knew I could count on you!"

Once Nade left for the research society, Shirone followed Iruki for about seven minutes. Then, he quickly returned to the gate, picked up Nade, and ran for five minutes along the memorized path until they caught up with Iruki.

Nade asked immediately, "Where's Professor Shina?"

"Last I saw, she turned right at the bakery. That means she's heading toward the commoner's district. We can still catch up."

"The commoner's district?"

That was unexpected. But reaching Shina took priority.

As they moved, Nade asked, "Why the commoner's district? Dates usually happen in the noble sector. Is she seeing a commoner?"

"No idea. But one thing's odd—she's being extremely cautious. She was aware of her surroundings the entire time. If I hadn't been watching her eye movements, I might have been caught."

"This is getting interesting! Do you think she's involved in something illegal, like us smuggling contraband?"

Shirone gave Nade an exasperated look.

"Professor Shina wouldn't do that."

"Tch! Who knows? If we catch her in something, we might be able to use it to save our research society."

Iruki pointed ahead.

"Found her. That was close."

At that moment, Shina entered a two-story house.

The three of them, now wearing the invisibility cloak, crept closer to observe who would answer the door.

A blonde man emerged and awkwardly embraced Shina before ushering her inside.

The door closed, and the group was left in stunned silence.

"So… it really is a guy?"