108: The Third (Provisional) Gathering to Discuss Weiss Fancent at Noblesse Magic Academy

"Well then! As your moderator, I, Lilith Scarlet, shall summarize our findings!"

Inside a private room at Noblesse Magic Academy, a group sat huddled around a round white table. The roster was a regular who’s-who of my social circle: Cynthia, Tura, Cecil, Carta, Olynn, Allen, Duke, and Shari.

At the front of the room stood a whiteboard—a complete anachronism for this world—bearing the bold heading: [CLOSING IN ON THE STRENGTH OF THE TOP-RANKED LOWERCLASSMAN: WEISS FANCENT].

As for the subject of the meeting, he—that would be me—was currently soaking in the Noblesse Bath. For the third time today, I might add.

To be honest, this whole thing was just a classic case of student-induced hyper-fixation. Someone had brought it up over dinner, the idea caught fire, and now it was a full-blown emergency summit.

Cynthia was the first to take the floor.

"Weiss is strict with both himself and others, but he possesses an incredibly kind heart as well. It’s so adorable I can hardly stand it. I believe his true strength stems from the beauty of his inner character—and, as a reminder, I am his fiancée."

She twirled a lock of hair around her finger, making sure to stick the landing on that final point.

Next to her, Tura nodded with such vigor her whole body swayed. Despite their rocky start, the two had become fast friends. The catalyst for their bond was a secret duel they’d held in the Underground Training Room—a fight I still knew absolutely nothing about.

Cynthia had won by a Narrow Margin, but that’s a story for another time.

"U-Um, may I?"

Carta raised her hand bashfully. Her magic staff was leaned against the back wall, though the narrator probably didn't need to mention that.

"I-I agree, but I think the reason he's so strong is because he gives his all to everything he does. I-I mean, I know we all work hard, but I feel like Weiss-kun is chasing a massive, singular goal... S-Sorry! That was really vague, wasn't it?"

"I’m inclined to agree with Carta-san," Cecil chimed in. "Whether it was during the Battle Universe or just our daily lectures and exams, he never cuts corners. And whenever we speak, he looks me straight in the eye. He’s very... sincere."

Cecil finished her thought with a pointed, suggestive nuance. I could practically hear the gears grinding as Cynthia’s polite smile twitched by exactly one millimeter.

"I feel the same way!" Olynn chirped. Pippin, her pet squirrel, was perched on her head. "Weiss-kun has this unwavering core. It’s really cool!"

Pippin performed a tiny acrobatic spin on Olynn’s head, prompting an amazed "Ohh!" from Tura. This exchange contributed absolutely nothing to the discussion.

"Nah, you’re all overthinking it. It’s the biceps," Duke grunted, interjecting with his usual brand of nonsense. "To forge a body like that, you need the discipline to keep punishing yourself. I’m putting my money on the Muscle Theory."

Allen sighed and shook his head. "He’s definitely strong, but Carta is onto something. I think he’s aiming for a goal we can’t even see. Most people just want to be the best at Noblesse, but I get the feeling Weiss is looking far beyond that."

"I’m with Allen," Shari added. "When he saved me during the exam, I felt this incredible pressure from him. It was a sheer, indomitable will to never lose."

The room fell into a chorus of contemplative nods. Then, Tura—who was still wearing her hakama while waiting for her uniform to arrive—raised her hand.

"I haven't known him long, but when we faced off at Duran, I sensed a very refined mana within Weiss-dono. However, there was something... off. It was like he possessed two distinct natures—Darkness and Light. Am I the only one who felt like there were two different people inside him? Perhaps that is the secret."

"Oh, he shows me his dual nature all the time when we're alone," Cynthia remarked airily.

Her words hit the room like a physical shock, making several maiden hearts skip a beat.

Cecil pushed her glasses up her nose with a sharp clack. "...Now that you mention it, Fancent-kun does seem to smile much more when it’s just the two of us. Perhaps that’s the connection."

"W-Well, when we’re practicing Flight Magic together, he shows me an aspect of himself he doesn't show anyone else!" Carta squeaked.

Cynthia’s cheek twitched again. One millimeter. Two. Three.

Hoh, Duke thought to himself, I wonder if muscles have a dual nature too.

"Okay! We’re getting a little off-track here, so let’s summarize!" Lilith shouted, sensing the rising tension. She began scribbling furiously on the board.

1. Weiss-sama is strong. 2. Weiss-sama has a secret objective? 3. Weiss-sama has two sides. 4. Weiss-sama has a precious fiancée named Cynthia-sama.

After writing the fourth point, Lilith shot a wink at Cynthia. It worked; Cynthia’s expression finally began to soften.

"I feel it too," Lilith continued. "Weiss-sama has a powerful will. There’s no doubt he’s working toward a specific goal. But if he doesn't want to talk about it, maybe we shouldn't dig too deep..."

The room went silent. But then, Carta broke the hush.

"...What if we just asked him? I understand what Lilith-san is saying, but... if there’s anything I can do to help him, I—I want to know."

The usual timidity was gone from her voice, replaced by a rare flash of resolve. Cecil nodded in agreement.

"That might be for the best. Provided Cynthia-san is okay with it, of course."

"I agree with Carta-dono," Tura said. "Directly questioning him is more efficient than racking our brains from afar."

"Me too! Understanding the heart is a vital part of Subjugation, after all!" Olynn added.

"I’m in. You too, Allen?" Shari asked.

"Yeah. I want to be someone Weiss can lean on."

Every eye in the room turned toward Cynthia. She closed her eyes for a moment before nodding. "...Very well. As his fiancée, I shall be the one to ask."

"I’m telling you, it’s the muscles," Duke muttered under his breath. Shari promptly stomped on his foot.

A few dozen minutes later, I walked back from the baths, feeling refreshed and ready for a quiet evening. I opened the door to the room, only to find that things had become... outrageous.

"I'm telling you, it's the damn muscles!" Duke roared.

"It is obviously not the muscles!" Shari screamed back.

"Guys, please! Stop fighting!" Allen was frantically waving his arms between them, looking like he was about to have a breakdown.

"Tura-san! Oh no, what do I do?! I-I'm so sorry!"

"W-Where is it?! H-Hey, that tickles! Not there—ahh! Stop! ////"

Apparently, Tura had gotten a bit too intense while staring at Olynn’s squirrel. Pippin had panicked and, in a desperate bid for safety, dived straight into Tura’s hakama. The squirrel was currently thrashing around inside her clothes, leaving Tura beet-red and twitching uncontrollably.

"Eek! Wait! Where are you going?!"

"Carta-san, you’ll never catch it at that speed. You have to flank it!"

Carta was chasing her own magic staff as it zoomed around the room like a caffeinated bird. She must have bumped into it while backing away from the chaos, accidentally triggering a Flight Magic loop. Cecil was standing in the center of the room, calmly calculating its flight path to help her corner it.

Meanwhile, Lilith was using her entire body to shield the whiteboard from my view. Probably because, in the heat of the moment, she’d added a fifth point to the list: [Does Weiss-sama like the 'bounce'?]

"W-Weiss-sama! You’re back?!" Lilith shrieked.

"What... what exactly am I looking at?" I asked, my brain struggling to process the carnage.

Cynthia, the only person who appeared sane, walked over to me with a graceful smile. "Welcome back, Weiss. Was the bath pleasant?"

"Uh, yeah." I glanced past her. "Wait, what does that say? 'Likes the bou—'"

"Weiss," Cynthia interrupted, her gaze locking onto mine. "There is something I wish to ask you."

"What is it?"

For a second, a shadow of hesitation crossed her face. I could see her struggling with something. Was she worried about prying? Did she think she was forcing me to reveal secrets I wasn't ready to share? She looked like she was deciding whether it was better to just wait for me to come to her.

"Cynthia? You okay?"

"...Do you love me?" she asked suddenly.

"Wait, what? Where did that come from—"

"Please. Tell me."

I blinked, then sighed, my heart softening. "...Yeah. Of course I do. I love you."

"Fufufu. That is all I needed to hear."

She beamed. Whatever secret goals or mysterious purposes I might have, they didn't matter to her. She had already decided to follow me to the ends of the earth.

I, however, felt a sudden, sharp pang of loneliness. Man, everyone seems to be having a blast without me.

Before I walked in, had they totally forgotten I even existed? They were probably all sitting around laughing and eating fruit while I was off soaking alone. I wanted to ask what they were really doing, but I couldn't bring myself to ruin the mood.

Still, seeing everyone from the Original Story getting along so well made me happy. Even if I was doing all this to avoid my own destruction, I shouldn't be too self-centered.

But still, I thought, feeling a bit sentimental as I watched the chaos resume, it’d be nice if they thought about me just a little bit.