Endless Silver Machine

The leader of the "Discipline Team" did not have any special markings on his clothing, nor did the student council president. In Shimozuki Academy, where there are not many people, this kind of thing doesn't mean much.

As long as you attend the student assembly, you will definitely be known by the entire Shuoyue Academy students. Lingzhen doesn't know whether this is luck or misfortune.

In short, everyone now probably knows that she took over the position of leader of the "Discipline Team" from Tirua-senpai, and people will say hello to her when patrolling in the corridor.

Ling doesn't want her popularity to increase at all. People who know her only need people close to her.

However, this force majeure made Ling become a "famous figure" that he did not want to become. And because of her troublesome character, she must show her most perfect side.

She herself didn't notice that her disguise in front of others was now much easier than the one she used to disguise in front of her family.

Because this is no longer deliberate, but naturally shows the most natural side of herself, but Ling stubbornly thinks that she has not changed at this point.

He changed because of Aika, and admitting this would feel like showing weakness to him, so Ling was still unwilling to admit it in his heart.

"Team Leader," a small figure suddenly flashed in front of Ling, "Thank you for your hard work on patrol."

After Ling came back to her senses, she noticed that the other person was Qiu Ke.

"To each other, we will grow up."

Ling also hit back at Qiu Ke unceremoniously, but Qiu Ke just looked silly and smiled as usual.

"When I was on patrol, I wasn't with everyone anymore."

"Of course we can't be together all the time. There are times like this."

The "Discipline Team" does not specifically arrange team inspections in daily life. Most of the team members freely form teams to conduct inspections in the academy out of a sense of responsibility and handle emergencies in a timely manner.

There are also classmates in the "Discipline Team" who have a good relationship with Ling, but Ling is walking alone now because Teacher Letika asked her to go to the office building to retrieve some useful information and to inspect the school building. .

"I'm going to the 'Moonlight Bath' next. Will Ling come with me?"

By chance, Qiu Ke rarely invited Ling to have lunch alone.

And Ling happened to have such preparations today.

Luoluo and Wei Xi made an appointment to have dinner with other girls in the class, and Aika also made an appointment with Carlo.

Is this also some kind of coincidence? Ling couldn't help but think that in this case it would be a good choice to accept Qiu Ke's invitation.

"Well, let's go together."

As a result, the new leader of the "Discipline Team" and the current student president left in the same direction.

…………

Both of them were already regular visitors to the "Moonlight Bath" and ordered their favorite food as usual.

"Qiu Ke, do you want to eat so much meat in one meal?"

Ling looked at the dinner plate in front of Qiu Ke with some surprise.

This was not the first time she and Qiu Ke had meals together, but they always ate lunch together in the classroom. Such a spectacular piece of meat had never been placed in the limited lunch box.

As far as Ling knows, there is no food of this size in the menu of "Moonlight Bath". This is probably because the store manager, Senior Sister Sera, pays special attention to Qiu Ke, a regular customer.

"I don't know why, even if I have a hearty breakfast in the morning, I feel hungry before noon."

Qiu Ke happily raised his knife and fork and ate. Although the portion on the dinner plate was decreasing at a speed visible to the naked eye, Qiu Ke looked very much like a girl when he ate.

During meals, her normally erect ears would droop softly, and her big tail waving back and forth would become quiet. Ling didn't know if this was to express respect for the food.

"Maybe it's because you've been so active all morning."

Qiu Ke, who is always jumping around, consumes energy that is probably unmatched by Ling, and the orcs' extraordinary physical abilities should also require a lot of energy to support.

"If you sleep after eating and eat when you wake up, you will be more reserved like Ling."

"That would make him a different species... reserved?"

After complaining about Qiu Ke's unrealistic fantasy, Ling looked at her food. For ordinary girls of this age, it is a very normal portion. It does not mean that they eat less for reasons such as losing weight.

"Well, it feels very girly!"

trust yourself! Qiu Ke gave Ling a thumbs up energetically, but the meaning was completely unclear.

"Qiu Ke, don't you feel like a girl?"

"Huh? I don't have such an idea. It's just me."

Qiu Ke seemed to really not understand Ling's question. She blinked her big watery eyes in confusion.

Qiu Ke, who was "enshrined" as the class mascot, might be better described as a girl's cuteness than herself. Looking back at myself, it seems that she lacks many elements that ordinary girls should have.

Of course, these elements that Ling knew were just things written in words in books about this aspect, and were for reference only.

From a boy's point of view, ordinary girls should have a clear definition...

Ling didn't know if she was an ordinary girl in Aika's eyes.

"Ling? Are you thinking about something?"

"Ah, no..." Ling hurriedly smiled and fooled her. She was a little embarrassed to let Qiu Ke know her thoughts, "Speaking of which, Qiu Ke, I have something to ask you."

This is not to change the subject. If Qiu Ke didn't invite him today, he would one day invite Qiu Ke.

"As long as I know something, I will tell you!"

Without even listening to Ling's request, Qiu Ke made a declaration with confidence, which touched Ling's heart in an instant.

Originally, she was planning to get the answer from Qiu Ke indirectly, but Ling suddenly thought that it would be easier to solve her troubles if she explained them directly to her.

"Don't be afraid that you can't do it well. What matters is whether you dare to do it or not." During this period of time, Ling has personally experienced the true meaning of this sentence.

After confessing, she can face her family frankly... Ling has realized that if she continues to hide all the things she fears in her heart, she will never be able to get relief in the end.

"Qiu Ke..." So, Ling decided to say it outright, "I don't think I am suitable for my current position..."

…………

Aika and Carlo were also bathing in the moonlight at this moment, but they were sitting in completely opposite positions to Ling and Qiu Ke. It was normal for them not to notice each other.

The two of them came here before them. Senior Sister Sera wanted to tell them about this, but accidentally forgot while she was busy.

"I finally got you to move."

"Don't say it so bleakly, don't you always run away from the classroom as soon as the get out of class is over?"

"you caught me……"

Carlo spread his hands and gave up continuing to act in front of Aika.

"A popular man should accept corresponding pain. Carlo, this is the only fair place in this world."

Even if Carlo, the noble son of the God Clan, hides himself deeply, his appearance will attract many girls who have little contact with him.

The girls in the Gemini class who had a close relationship didn't bother him much, probably because they were aware of Carlo's reservations.

That's why he would leave the classroom at the end of get out of class to avoid the embarrassment of not being able to get out of the classroom door.

"You don't have the right to say that to me. So, you feel the pain too?"

"……without."

"It's too obvious..."

It's not that Aika is not good at hiding his feelings, it's just that Carlo is very sensitive to his momentary pause.

"Are you here just for a heart-to-heart talk?"

Aika looked at Carlo who was laughing and mocking him angrily.

Ling had something to do and left the classroom. Luoluo and Wei Xi were also dragged into a small circle that they had no relationship with. Only then did Aika agree to Carlo come here for dinner.

Thanks to him, the bento that Luo Luo made for himself could only be eaten in the afternoon when he felt hungry. Aika didn't order a lot of food now.

"What's wrong with two men having a heart-to-heart talk once in a while?"

"What are you talking about? Do you want me to listen to you complain or do you want to hear me complain?"

"No, I discovered something." Carlo lowered his voice mysteriously, "You know I chose the support department, right?"

"Yeah. I know."

Aika nodded. It was within his expectation that Carlo would choose the auxiliary discipline.

"We and the equipment department were notified some time ago that they were going to start preparing the aviation magic ship. I'm afraid they are preparing for a big move."

"What big move?"

"I heard it has something to do with the ruins."

"Relics..."

"It seems that you know about the ruins. Obviously Shuoyue Academy has never taught this kind of content in class."

"Ah, that's..." Aika unknowingly revealed her knowledge of the ruins, but she couldn't tell Carlo that she learned about it from Pope Sethis, "I just heard about it, don't you?" Do you also know about the existence of the ruins?”

"Like you, I found out about it by accidentally overhearing the conversation between the instructors during this practical study."

"So, what's next?"

If it was the topic of ruins, Aika couldn't ignore it.

Although he didn't know whether it was a coincidence that the location of the ruins formed a magic circle covering the continent, Aika was still curious about it.

"When it comes to ruins, it's probably about exploring ruins."

"Do you want to participate in Frost Moon Academy too?"

"It should be carried out independently as a unit similar to a country. After all, the exploration of ruins is carried out by countries of various races. Frost Moon Academy also has such qualifications."

"The neutral area can indeed be regarded as a country."

This is not an exaggeration. The power under the leadership of Shimozuki Academy is indeed so huge, and its neutral status makes Shuoyue Academy a fair referee between countries.

"I just don't know if the exploration team is composed of mentors or students."

"Even if they are students, they are the seniors in the third grade who need to leave the academy to practice in the outside world."

"It is possible that second-year students should not have a chance to appear." Carlo agreed with Aika. "I heard that ruins exploration work is very dangerous. After all, it is different from our usual practical classes. After leaving Shimotsuki Academy, It’s like facing a battle with real guns and live ammunition.”

"Why did you suddenly start exploring the ruins at this time?"

The Bisi Empire has been exploring ruins within its borders a few years ago. It would be understandable if Shimozuki Academy wanted to follow suit.

"The ruins are the origin of magic equipment. Have you heard about this?"

"Well, I know a little bit..."

Hearing the word "magic costume", Aika didn't dare to say anything else. He didn't reveal his identity like Ling did.

The names of the "Chize" family and the "Heinz" family are not only famous among humans, but even among other races.

Once you are famous, you will definitely be noticed. Precisely because Aika has no real sense of the name of his family, the impression left on him by this name is just that he cannot say it casually.

Carlo stared closely into Aika's eyes, and his bottomless pupils seemed to be trying to read the facts he wanted to hide from his eyes.

"The ruins we plan to explore this time seem to be the place where the incredible magic costume was born, so that's why Shuoyue Academy pays so much attention to it."

"oh……"

Aika no longer wanted to talk about the ruins anymore, but he couldn't think of a new topic for a while.

"In this case, many instructors will leave Shimotsuki Academy temporarily. It would be nice if they could take a long vacation."

Carlo stretched. He didn't seem to be interested in discussing this topic in depth. He was just looking forward to the arrival of an unstipulated holiday.

“Even if it’s a holiday, there’s nowhere to go.”

Aika said this and turned to look out the window.

Although the spring rain stopped for a while, it now started dripping on the windowsill again, covering the glass with a layer of mist.

In the rainy season, people feel a little depressed.

…………

On the other side of the "moonlight bath", Ling expressed her inner troubles to Qiu Ke, who was also attracting much attention.

"Because there are still many things that have not stabilized yet, I am not that focused on work. It will definitely not work if I deal with it with such a casual attitude."

"Well...there are indeed some difficulties."

Qiu Ke didn't say nice things to Ling out of consideration for her mood. This was the first time she knew that Ling had such troubles, and she didn't know what kind of attitude she should take.

"Qiu Ke, what do you usually do?"

Ling had heard a lot of complaints about Qiu Ke from senior Tiluya, but Qiu Ke always did a good job in front of everyone. Ling didn't understand why there was such a difference.

"Because of that..." Qiu Ke probably didn't know that Ling knew about her behind-the-scenes appearance from Senior Tiruya, but since Ling asked clearly like this, she was not prepared to hide anything from Ling. "Sometimes the work suddenly becomes a lot, and then Xiao Yaya will come to supervise me to finish it all before I can go back, so the work of the student union can basically be completed on a regular basis."

Tirua-senpai and Ling's complaints were basically similar.

"There is suddenly a lot of work" just because it has been piling up there, and when it is needed, I find that it is all a blank piece of paper. Tirua-senpai once said this to Ling in a very troublesome way.

"So I definitely can't do it alone, but with little Yaya's help, there shouldn't be any big problem."

"Qiu Ke, you are surprisingly serious when you work."

"I am also a very serious mature woman outside of work."

"That would be even more surprising."

Both Ling and Qiu Ke were amused by what they said, but Ling's question was not over yet.

Now that you have spoken, say it all at once. It is enough to end the shameful experience in one go.

"Qiu Ke, how can I interact with classmates I don't know?"

"Dating?" Hearing this word, Qiu Ke's hand holding the knife and fork froze in mid-air, "Not with Aika, but with someone else I don't know?"

"It has nothing to do with him at all!"

Ling couldn't help but blushed and slapped the table in denial. Fortunately, her voice was quickly covered up by the surrounding noise. Ling, who noticed that she was losing her composure, took a deep breath.

"Wow... What an exaggerated reaction... I thought you were already mentally prepared."

Qiu Ke realized that he might have misunderstood, and apologized to Ling with an embarrassed smile.

"I'm mentally prepared...but that's not what I meant..."

Ling quickly finished his thoughts, and then re-explained the question he just asked.

"I mean, when you are walking in the academy, people will occasionally talk to you, right?"

"Well, occasionally."

Qiu Ke nodded in sympathy, but not all students would greet him.

Most of the people who take the initiative to say hello are first-year girls. Students in the same grade and senior students usually greet each other when their eyes meet.

If you have to say hello to everyone you see, you may be exhausted before you even reach the classroom.

"That's it. My attitude is always very stiff. Will this give others a bad feeling?"

"Is your attitude very stiff? I didn't feel that way when I saw it?"

"It would be better if it's between friends, I mean others who don't know each other..."

"I'm just talking about when you face classmates you don't know."

Qiu Ke looked at Ling who kept explaining with confusion.

"Have you seen it before?"

"Well, occasionally."

Until just now, Ling didn't know that Qiu Ke knew this side of him from the beginning.

"...Did I feel particularly weird at that time?"

"There's nothing strange like you said. You feel exactly the same as usual."

"Eh? Is it the same as usual?"

Ling always thought that that kind of polite smile was just a look she was forced to put on. When she tried to smile in front of the mirror at home, the feeling of self-loathing was still clearly left in her heart.

"Well, there is also a feeling that Xiao Yaya had at that time. It should be said that it is the majestic feeling unique to the leader of the 'Discipline Group'."

Ling originally wanted to get a negative answer from Qiu Ke. Although you will feel a little uncomfortable when your inner feelings are confirmed, you will also feel a little relieved.

Unexpectedly, Qiu Ke's eyes seemed to have some kind of shining light now, and it seemed a little wrong to say that it was a feeling of longing.

"Is that really true?"

"Well, it's really true. It's completely different from me."

"Eh?"

Qiu Ke smiled stupidly, as if he was telling the obvious truth, and used Ling's existence to deny himself.

"Although Xiao Yaya has been helping me, I also know that it is not allowed to continue like this. Everyone will have expectations for the student president, so I also want to work hard to respond to this expectation, but it is really too difficult for me ”

"Qiu Ke, are you doing it for me..."

"I'm not saying this just to take care of your mood. I used to be just like you, and I didn't want to stand in such a dazzling position. I was also afraid of being too dazzling."

"But now you don't make me feel that way."

"Just to prevent you and everyone else from feeling that I am like this."

Ling had rarely seen Qiu Ke depressed, and had never thought that this was the reason for her depression.

"But, I am very happy when I work with everyone, and I can also know a lot of things that ordinary students don't know, just like you left Shigezuki Academy at that time."

About the incident in which Ling was seriously injured in the academy, probably only Principal Phyllis and the members of the student council knew the detailed information in Shigetsuki Academy.

"Although I may not be able to fully meet everyone's expectations, I can still do some things that I can't usually do. So gradually, I started to like this job."

Ling was speechless.

Although I had already heard from Senior Lilith that Qiu Ke had hid at home to avoid becoming the student council president, now he has said such words with his head held high.

She is the same kind as him, and perhaps she is still hiding something at this moment.

But precisely because they were of the same kind, Ling knew that she was not lying and that these were her true feelings.

"Actually, it's not that difficult to have a better relationship with everyone. As long as you listen patiently to their voices, know what they want, and then work hard to realize the right wishes, that's it."

Finally, Qiu Ke, who returned to his usual spirit, did not forget to answer Ling's original question.

This is exactly the answer she got in the past year, and now she gives this answer to Ling, who is still her junior schoolmate on this stage.

…………