Bang! Bang! Bang!
The door shook violently several more times.
"Are you serious—! You're not opening up!?"
The turbulent mana waves from outside reached Gladia through her Heart-Sight.
*At this level of mana... a third-year, maybe?*
Gladia's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Third-years were capable of wielding real power even within the academy.
Probably far stronger than most outside mages or knights, if she had to guess.
That kind of strength was more than enough to walk around with your chest puffed out, daring anyone to try you.
Crackle. Crackle-crackle!
Then came the sound of something scorching the door from outside. Whoever it was had apparently run out of patience and decided to take matters into their own hands.
But in sharp contrast to the violence outside, the club room itself was eerily, almost comically quiet.
"Wh—what! Why won't this thing break!? If you had money to build something like this, you should've paid me back first! Dorothia!!!!"
A creditor's shriek of mingled outrage and despair erupted from beyond the door.
*Tsk, tsk. Should've been more careful about who you lent money to.*
Gladia clicked her tongue inwardly.
Money and relationships had never mixed well—not even between family.
Whoever that student was outside, they'd just earned themselves a life lesson they wouldn't soon forget.
Eventually, after a prolonged battle with the door, the creditor seemed to exhaust herself entirely.
"Ha—hah...! J-just you wait! I'm coming back tomorrow!"
The ragged, furious ultimatum came with the sound of heavy, indignant breathing.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
"Phew... I think she's gone...!"
Dorothia, who had been holding her breath and listening, finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"Th-that was Sara—a friend of mine. I borrowed some money from her recently. I was supposed to pay her back today, but..."
"Then pay her back."
Aiolette replied with barely concealed disbelief.
This was entirely new territory for her.
She had never once been in debt in her life, and yet here she was, hiding from a creditor before she'd even properly introduced herself to this senior...!
Her trust in this third-year she'd just met had plummeted to approximately zero.
Still, the reason she'd obediently ducked under the desk alongside Dorothia was partly because she'd followed Gladia's lead—and partly because of something else.
*...This woman is more of a monster than I thought.*
She had caught on to the fact that this stumpy little person was considerably stronger than she looked.
Aiolette's senses weren't nearly as sharp as Gladia's, of course.
But even she had felt it—the moment Dorothia had yanked her down without warning, she'd sensed it.
Lurking inside that small frame: an enormous reserve of mana, and the aura of Circles too deep to easily measure.
*...At least 3rd Circle... maybe more.*
Aiolette couldn't pin down the exact number, but even 3rd Circle alone was the caliber of a court mage for a minor kingdom—a genuine powerhouse by any standard.
Given that she herself was currently struggling to form her 2nd Circle, Dorothia's strength hit her all the more viscerally.
And yet someone with that kind of power was hiding from a creditor over merchandise.
"B-but... the 1:1 scale Golden Hero statue is a completely limited edition with no reprints, so if I don't get it now, I'll never be able to...!"
Dorothia continued, her voice genuinely aggrieved.
"M-money I can pay back later with a part-time job, but... the Hero won't wait for me...!"
"..."
This woman was beyond saving.
Aiolette had the distinct impression that since arriving at Stellar Academy, she kept running into strange people at an alarming rate.
Pink quack Cruje was one thing, but this senior Dorothia was another entirely. Why did people with genuine talent insist on being like this?
Was this the universe's way of balancing the scales?
*I must be the most normal one here.*
Smart, pretty, and strong, after all!
Aiolette's self-esteem quietly refueled itself.
***
Self-esteem aside, the club was still the club.
Leaving Dorothia behind to rattle off excuses—*I was going to pay her back as soon as the commission came in, creditors don't show up every single day*—Aiolette pulled Gladia and Cruje into the far corner of the room.
"Dia, is this for real?"
"What do you mean?"
"No matter how I look at it, that so-called club president is completely useless!"
Aiolette launched into her case with full conviction.
Even if the small membership made things convenient, that was beside the point!
A club run by someone who went into debt buying merchandise had no business functioning properly!
If they were going to join a club, shouldn't it at least be a decent one?
The academy had plenty of clubs. Surely something better existed if they looked.
But Cruje and Gladia didn't seem to share her view.
Cruje spoke first.
"I think it's great!"
"What exactly are you looking at?"
"She's adorable!"
Aiolette studied Cruje's eyes carefully, trying to determine whether she was being sincere.
Cruje's eyes were completely, earnestly genuine.
Not that Cruje was an idiot.
Dorothia was strange, yes, but...
*I already know two strange people.*
What was one more?
And more than anything—
*That senior feels... familiar!*
Cruje's idiot-radar pinged with recognition.
This person was one of her kind. (Specifically: low friend count.)
Someone like that would make an excellent addition to Cruje's circle.
*This is my chance to expand my friend count...!*
Three whole friends... just imagining it made her shoulders lift with pride.
Reading the sincerity in Cruje's expression, Aiolette exhaled deeply.
*Good grief. I was trying to have a conversation with a lost cause.*
Truly wise people did not argue with fools.
*She wasn't quite this bad when we first met... somehow she gets more ridiculous by the day.*
Aiolette mentally filed Cruje away and turned to Gladia instead.
"Dia, what do you think? Is joining here actually the right call?"
At the question, Gladia smiled faintly.
She knew exactly what was bothering Aiolette.
Even a club president in name only meant someone above Aiolette in the hierarchy—and the fact that it was *this* person was what she couldn't stomach.
Deciding she needed to do a little soothing, Gladia stepped closer and drew Aiolette into her arms.
Aiolette flinched.
The sudden closeness caught her completely off guard, and her shoulders went rigid.
"Wh—why are you—!"
Aiolette's head disappeared neatly between Gladia's rather generous chest.
Aiolette was smaller than Gladia, so when held like this, she fit snugly into the embrace with an almost embarrassing sense of security.
Gladia also happened to have a quietly impressive figure, and the soft warmth of it pressed against the back of Aiolette's head in a way that was difficult to ignore.
Not that Gladia had any ulterior motives, of course.
For reasons she couldn't entirely explain, Aiolette—who normally snapped and bristled at everything—tended to become noticeably more cooperative when held like this during a conversation.
Perhaps it had something to do with losing her mother so young.
Whatever the reason, Gladia had made a habit of employing this method whenever persuasion was required.
*Sniff, sniff. Lavender. Young mistress smells like lavender. Sniff sniff.*
She did take the opportunity to enjoy the scent while she was at it, but there were absolutely no ulterior motives involved.
*There they go again...*
Cruje had already settled herself into a chair nearby, chin propped in her hand, watching the two of them.
Paying Cruje no mind whatsoever, Gladia kept Aiolette tucked against her and murmured softly.
"Now, now. Hear me out, young mistress. We do need to join a club regardless. That much is settled, yes?"
"...That's true, but that doesn't mean it has to be *this* one."
Aiolette replied, hunching her neck slightly as if Gladia's voice was tickling her ear.
There were certainly clubs in better shape than the Hero Research Club—Aiolette wasn't wrong about that.
But the Hero Research Club had something no other club could offer.
"No other club has Senior Dorothia."
"What does having her or not have to do with anything? Don't tell me you're going to say she's *cute* like that quack did!"
The softening tension in Aiolette's posture vanished in an instant, her eyes sharpening to a point.
She had already been quietly irritated by how lenient Gladia tended to be with Cruje.
And now she was adding another woman to the mix?
*Absolutely not.*
Gladia smiled, feeling the indignant little breaths against her chest.
*Such a possessive young mistress. I do wonder how she'll ever manage to get married.*
...Though, to be fair, if Aiolette ever got too close to another woman or brought a man around, Gladia would have her sword out before she'd finished the thought.
In a way, they were perfectly matched.
"Don't misunderstand, young mistress. My high opinion of the senior has nothing to do with her being cute."
Though Dorothia was, objectively, cute.
Even in the game, she'd consistently ranked in the upper-middle tier of popularity polls despite her limited screen time.
The combination of being short and apparently spectacular once that changed had split the vote with Rustil among a certain devoted demographic.
Gladia tilted her chin toward Dorothia, who was in the corner of the room polishing her grimy merchandise and shooting nervous glances their way.
"Senior Dorothia is considerably stronger than you're giving her credit for, young mistress. Having her close will definitely be useful."
"That little stumpy thing is really that strong? I'll admit she has some ability, but..."
*Young mistress has no idea.*
Gladia sighed at Aiolette's reaction, the breath escaping with fond exasperation.
The sudden rush of air against the back of her neck made Aiolette flinch and look up at her.
"Really, young mistress. Please don't go around saying things like that where people can hear you."
"What?"
"It's common sense at the academy—be wary of women, children, and the elderly."
In stories like this, the younger someone looked, the more dangerous they invariably were.
And Dorothia was both young-looking *and* a woman?
That was the kind of person you turned around and fled from on sight, even if you passed her on the street. (For reference, Rustil was a woman plus child plus elderly all at once, which meant you shouldn't even make eye contact.)
"What is she even talking about..."
Aiolette stared at Gladia with an expression that said *that's not common sense anywhere*.
"Shall we find out, then?"
As if she'd anticipated exactly that reaction, Gladia smiled and, still holding Aiolette, steered Cruje along with her toward Dorothia.
"Senior!!"
"Y-yes?"
"Our young mistress says she'd like to experience a club activity before officially joining!"
"R-really?!"
"What? When did I ever say—!?"
Aiolette thrashed in Gladia's arms, but Gladia was entirely unbothered. She pulled Aiolette's head firmly back into her chest and sealed her there completely.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
"Look at her—she's so excited she can't calm down."
"He, heheh..."
Dorothia flushed and broke into a bashful smile at the sudden attention.
In all her time running the Hero Research Club, no one had ever shown this much interest.
This was, without question, the greatest golden age of Dorothia's life.
She was thrilled.
"I-if you really want to..."
A strange ripple of mana stirred at Dorothia's fingertips.
It wasn't a spell she'd normally throw around casually, but she found herself wanting to make an impression on the first juniors she'd ever had.
"I-I've had my eye on... a certain ruin... w-want to go together?!"
In that instant, a massive magic circle erupted from beneath Dorothia's feet and flooded the entire club room in the blink of an eye.
Hmmm—!
The air in the room twisted all at once. Aiolette felt the mana surge from within Gladia's arms and went rigid with shock.
*This isn't 3rd Circle... this is...!*
5th Circle.
The mana that had begun at Dorothia's fingertips started consuming the surrounding space.
Gladia focused on the movement of the five rings turning within Dorothia's heart.
It was the first time since falling into this world that she had encountered the power of a 5th Circle mage, and Heart-Sight transmitted every detail of it with crystalline clarity.
*No wonder 5th Circle and above are treated as Archmages.*
She exhaled in quiet awe as the full weight of that power washed over her.
Honestly, a standard 5th Circle spell would have been impressive enough on its own—but what Dorothia was casting now was something a full tier above that.
5th Circle Applied Magic — Spatial Transfer.
A spatial spell said to be usable by only a handful of Archmages who had reached the 5th Circle.
And it was unfolding from the hands of a single academy student.
The familiar walls of the club room shattered like broken glass, and all four of them were erased from the spot as cleanly as chalk wiped from a board.
Left behind in the empty room, the golden Hero statue caught the light and gleamed.