"Hey, Lloyd, have you secretly joined the Student Council by any chance?"
As I was resting back at the dormitory, Ren of the Poison Moth spoke up hesitantly.
"Ah, you figured it out?"
"I knew it! I was certain of it. 'A menacing newcomer arrives at the Student Council! A master mage of unknown identity! Who could he be?!' ...The moment I heard that, I knew it had to be you. What are you going to do? It seems the whole academy is buzzing with rumors."
"They invited me, and I couldn't really turn them down."
"You say that, but I bet you were just lured in by Noah-san’s magic, weren't you? He is a descendant of the Progenitor of Mages, after all."
Ren shot me a deadpan look. How did she know?
"...By the way, I also heard that a formidable newcomer joined the School Delinquent Group. Don't tell me that's also...?"
"Ah—well, yeah."
When I nodded in confirmation, Ren let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Juggling roles in the two biggest groups running the academy... You really aren't trying to avoid standing out at all, are you?"
That was also an unavoidable situation, in its own way.
It was simply the result of letting my curiosity get the better of me. I figured it was probably best not to mention that I was also juggling the Magic Tool Club on top of everything else.
"But with all that going on, don't your duties ever overlap?"
"Student Council work is mostly in the morning, and Gazel’s stuff is almost all after school. They've never clashed."
"Even so, what if you bump into someone...?"
"Don't worry, I'm leaving that side of things to Grimo."
"Oh, is that so? Then I guess it's fine."
Ren had been worried until a moment ago, but the second she heard Grimo’s name, she nodded in relief.
What was with that level of trust? I was actually a little shocked.
"Well, I intend to handle things well enough... but those two have been acting a bit strange lately. It might be necessary to stay on guard," Grimo interjected.
"What do you mean?"
"You know those brothers don't get along, right? Apparently, they've both gotten wind of the fact that the other has landed a talented newcomer, and they're clashing even harder than before."
"Huh, is that so?"
They certainly competed over the strangest things.
If they really got along that poorly, I didn't think there was any need to pay the other any mind.
"Master Lloyd, just as that Majin says, it would be wise to be a little careful," Jiriel added. "Since ancient times, humans have always been prone to comparing themselves to others. It wouldn't be strange if they wanted to test which one of them had acquired the more superior talent."
"Especially since they're brothers," Grimo noted. "And in that case, there's only one Master Lloyd to go around. It isn't hard to imagine what would happen."
It was true that if it was discovered I was enrolled in both groups at the same time, it might become quite a problem.
The two didn't seem to get along, so they might make me quit one or the other. At worst, maybe both... Hmm, that would be troublesome.
"I'll need to take some kind of measure. ...Right, I might be able to use that. Hehe."
"Master Lloyd is laughing in an ominous way..."
"I've got nothing but a bad feeling about this..."
How rude. If this went well, the two of them would make up and my identity wouldn't be exposed—a perfect plan to kill two birds with one stone.
Well, they could just leave it to me.
◇
"Speaking of which, did you hear? Apparently Gazel-kun’s underling isn't actually that impressive."
I didn't miss the subtle twitch of Noah’s ears as he overheard the male students' gossip.
And then, after school that same day.
"Did you hear? The newcomer who joined the Student Council is surprisingly ordinary."
I didn't miss the way Gazel knit his brows at the female students' gossip.
Good, good. It looked like both were taking notice. The plan seemed to be working.
—The plan was essentially this:
Since the reputations of the respective newcomers were so high, they were curious about which one was superior.
In that case, I just had to lower those reputations. If they realized their "promising newcomer" wasn't all that special, they shouldn't bother trying to compare them. In fact, they'd probably want to hide them. Yes, yes, it was a brilliant plan, even if I did say so myself.
"Using us to possess humans and spread rumors... as usual, you don't pull any punches when it comes to your methods," Grimo commented.
"But will it really go that smoothly? Rumors are difficult things to control. It might not necessarily go according to Master Lloyd’s expectations," Jiriel cautioned.
"Hahaha, you two are such worrywarts."
I laughed it off, but... a few days later, the situation took a sudden turn.
"—This is quite unacceptable," Noah said quietly, but with a forceful tone.
"My foolish younger brother and his ilk are spreading baseless rumors about you. If it were just us, it would be one thing. However, I absolutely cannot forgive such an attempt to disparage someone as excellent as you."
The other Student Council members nodded along in agreement with Noah’s words.
Furthermore, the matter didn't end with the Student Council.
"Listen up, boys! Those Student Council bastards are spreading false, nasty rumors about Lloyd! Man, I'm disappointed in that Scumbag Older Brother of mine. If it were just us, I might get it, but I absolutely won't forgive him for bashing such an excellent guy!"
The people around Gazel were also nodding in agreement.
What was this situation? How did it turn out like this?
"Well, since they're spreading bad rumors about each other, naturally they're going to hear the insults directed at their own side," Grimo pointed out.
"Indeed. If they feel their prized newcomers have been mocked, it's inevitable that their relationship would worsen," Jiriel added.
They both nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Hmm, maybe my thinking was a bit shallow. Things don't always go so well.
While I was pondering that, I noticed Gazel was glaring at me.
"Hey, Lloyd, what are you spacing out for? This is partly because you're so pathetic. If you're a man, take some damn responsibility for yourself!"
"Which means...?"
"You just have to show everyone that rumors are just rumors. We're going to settle once and for all who's better: you or the newcomer who joined the Student Council."
Gazel clenched his fist and spoke with even more intensity.
"I've already settled things with that Scumbag Older Brother of mine. Tomorrow after school, you and the Student Council's newcomer are going to battle to decide who's stronger. Don't you dare lose!"
Gazel pointed a finger straight at me.
The School Delinquent Group's promising newcomer versus the Student Council's promising newcomer—a fight to see who was superior.
Wait... does that mean, by any chance—I have to fight myself? Is that what's happening?
"No, no, no, that’s clearly asking for the impossible!" Grimo cried.
"It is out of the question. Even for Master Lloyd..." Jiriel agreed.
"—No."
I said that and gave a mischievous grin.
"I've just come up with another great idea. You can leave it to me."
As I thumped my chest confidently, Grimo and Jiriel watched me with cold, skeptical eyes.