Chapter 126
On the whole, it had been smooth sailing.
Of course, the fact that one would use such a roundabout expression means there were exceptions, however small.
"Oh my, if it isn't Mr. Byrne!"
It happened one day after school.
As Clael was walking down the hallway of the main building on an errand, someone called out to him, and he turned around.
The one who had spoken was a middle-aged woman dressed in a fine, obviously expensive dress.
Her graying hair was neatly arranged, and she wore a monocle over her right eye, looking every bit the nervous type.
"......Ah, Mrs. Veleno. Good day."
The woman's name was Mrs. Veleno.
At the academy, she was the teacher in charge of music.
Since Clael was usually in the sanctuary, he rarely crossed paths with her, but whenever he visited the main building, she would speak to him.
"I heard about it! Once again, one of my students seems to have bothered you. I'm so terribly sorry for the trouble!"
The reason she called out was usually the same.
It was about Clael giving music instruction to some of the female students.
"Mr. Byrne must be troubled too, right? If they don't understand something, they should just ask me! Honestly, those girls are such a handful!"
"No... it's not really that much of a bother."
"Oh no! Of course it's a bother! You're being asked for opinions on music, which isn't even your field! Mr. Byrne, you can say no, you know! If someone who isn't an expert gives advice, it only leads to poor results. They should rely on professionals!"
Mrs. Veleno shrieked in a high-pitched voice.
Though she spoke as if she was concerned for Clael... to summarize her point, it was "Don't interfere with my students."
It seemed her pride had been deeply wounded by the fact that the female students majoring in music were seeking guidance from Clael, who wasn't even responsible for them.
Every time they met, she would complain persistently.
(I did tell them to ask the music teacher though...)
As he let her words go in one ear and out the other, Clael quietly sighed.
Clael was not a music expert either.
He had told the female students who came to him for guidance that they should ask Mrs. Veleno instead.
However... every time he said that, the girls made bitter faces.
'Mrs. Veleno is, well... a very strict person.'
'She nitpicks every little mistake and constantly brags about how busy she is...'
'She acts like we should be grateful just to receive her instruction. She only boasts about herself and belittles us—she's totally unreliable!'
In other words... that was the situation.
Mrs. Veleno was a former court musician and apparently a very skilled instrumentalist.
However, unfortunately, she seemed to lack both the talent for teaching and personal appeal.
Many students were fed up with her strict and sarcastic instruction, and they kept their distance.
(If she speaks this way even to her colleagues... she must come off even more overbearing to the students.)
"Are you listening!? Mr. Byrne!"
"Yes... of course, I'm listening, Mrs. Veleno."
"Then please! Tell those girls more about how amazing I am!"
"Ah, right... I'll be sure to explain it to them."
The current situation was the result of him doing just that... but even if he told Mrs. Veleno, she probably wouldn't understand.
She found it troublesome when asked for guidance during breaks, yet felt humiliated when she wasn't approached... That was the kind of person Mrs. Veleno was.
(Annoying, but... well, there were people like this at former workplaces and among clients... it's unavoidable when you're part of the working world.)
"Yes... yes... you're absolutely right. I agree with everything you said, Mrs. Veleno."
Though he found her irritating, Clael gave noncommittal responses while waiting for the conversation to end.
But... that moment came sooner than Clael had expected.
"What are you two talking about? Mrs. Veleno. And Mr. Byrne."
"Huh...?"
Someone else had joined the conversation. This time, it was a man.
"You both look like you're having fun... mind if I join in?"
The newcomer was a man with his shirt boldly unbuttoned at the chest.
He was one of the characters who appeared in the game—a seductive male teacher who could be romanced on a second playthrough or later.
"Mr. Amlet..."
He was a sexy and handsome male teacher named Albert Amlet.