= Star Radiance Council President – Cecilia’s Perspective =
Even before the door opened, the air in the meeting room had settled a little heavier than usual.
I looked over the documents laid on the table once more.
Elysia von Valerion.
First-year, Class A, Department of Magic Knights.
Young lady of the ducal House of Valerion.
And the name written beneath that.
Registered familiar, Haku.
Species, classification pending.
No signs of danger.
Temporary observation subject of the Special Familiar Studies Department.
Rapid increase in student contact requests.
I lightly pressed the edge of the document with my fingertips.
“If the Star Radiance Council were to act simply because a familiar is cute, that would be rather absurd.”
At my words, Mariette, seated beside me, adjusted her glasses and gave a small nod.
“But it has already gone beyond simple interest.
Among the second-years in the Department of Elemental Magic, a lunchtime contact schedule has been created, and in the Department of Magical Engineering……”
“A magically automated waiting ticket system.”
Tobias answered calmly.
I looked at him for a moment.
“That is not something to be proud of, Tobias.”
“I am aware. That is why I confiscated it.”
“All of them?”
“All that have been confirmed.”
Which meant there might be more that had not been confirmed.
I let out a quiet breath.
The students did not harbor malice.
If anything, it was the opposite.
The familiar called Haku lowered students’ guard to an unusual degree.
Small, fluffy, docile, and soothing to look at.
But that was precisely why it was more dangerous.
Crossing the line because something was cute happened far more easily than one might think.
A familiar was not an object.
Especially not a familiar that showed a high resonance with its master.
Just then, quiet footsteps approached from beyond the door.
The student waiting outside the meeting room knocked.
“Come in.”
The door opened.
The first to enter was Elysia von Valerion.
Her first impression was quieter than I had expected.
I had thought a young lady of Valerion would give off a sharper, stronger impression,
but rather than being intimidating, she was composed.
Her rose-gold hair was arranged without a strand out of place,
and though her blue-gold eyes were tense, she held them steady.
And in her arms.
There was a small silver-pink fox.
‘So that child is…….’
Haku.
For a moment, I nearly forgot to speak.
When I had first encountered him through documents, I had honestly been half in doubt.
I thought the students might have exaggerated a little.
A rare-colored fox familiar.
If that was all, it would not be strange for attention to gather around him.
But Haku, seen in person,
was difficult to describe merely as a rare or cute familiar.
He was small.
Truly small.
Seeing him quietly held in Elysia’s arms, it seemed as though a few palms would be enough to cover him completely.
A very faint pink hue spread over his silver fur,
and his tail was curled softly.
But it was strange.
Normally, when a small familiar entered an unfamiliar place, it would look around,
sniff the air, or burrow deeper into its master’s arms.
Haku was different.
Though his body was slightly curled up as if nervous, his eyes were clear.
He was looking at all of us.
As though he understood what this place was.
“Thank you for coming, Elysia von Valerion.”
I spoke in my usual calm voice.
And then I shifted my gaze to the little fox.
“And you as well, Haku.”
Haku’s ears perked up.
The reaction was so distinct that I saw Mariette’s hand tighten slightly around her pen beside me.
She was probably barely suppressing the impulse to record it.
Elysia adjusted her hold on Haku to support him more securely, then greeted us politely.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
I gave a light nod.
“There is no need to feel burdened.
Today’s meeting is not a disciplinary hearing or an official examination,
but merely a place for confirmation and coordination.”
Even as I spoke, I did not miss Haku’s reaction.
Haku narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.
As though he had heard my words and was grumbling inwardly about something.
‘……Am I imagining it?’
I set that thought aside for the moment.
“Please, have a seat.”
Elysia sat in the prepared seat.
Haku was still in her arms.
In official settings like this, familiars were often placed on a neighboring chair or under the table.
But no one pointed it out.
Even Selena, the representative of the Special Familiar Studies Department, remained silent and watched.
It was not because she had been swayed by his cuteness.
When it came to matters involving familiars, Selena was colder than anyone.
The fact that she said nothing meant
she had judged the current contact between Haku and Elysia to be natural and stable.
I turned over one sheet of the documents.
“Recently, interest in Haku within the Academy has spread faster than expected.
Contact requests from students are becoming excessive,
and I have received reports that separate schedules are even being circulated among some students.”
Haku averted his eyes.
He truly averted his eyes.
At that moment, I became certain.
This familiar understood a considerable portion of what we were saying, at the very least.
It was not merely a matter of reacting in accordance with his master’s responses.
He understood the situation itself.
‘The Special Familiar Studies Department was not wrong to leave his classification pending.’
I continued speaking.
“Originally, contact with a personal familiar should be carried out freely, with permission from both the master and the familiar in question.
However, the current situation has grown to the point where even upperclassmen across departments are gathering,
so we have judged it necessary to establish minimum safety regulations and rest standards.”
Elysia nodded calmly.
“I agree with that as well.”
Her voice was composed.
But her arms tightened a little more around Haku as if to shield him.
It was an unconscious movement.
The reaction of a master trying to protect her familiar.
Or perhaps, something even closer than that.
I lowered my gaze to the next item.
“And the second matter is a brief confirmation regarding Haku’s safety rating.”
Haku’s ears moved again.
I deliberately pretended not to look that way as I spoke.
“In the temporary materials currently held by the Special Familiar Studies Department, he is listed as ‘no signs of danger, classification pending.’
However, considering his resonance level, spirit reactions, and the degree of student interest,
we believed it necessary to reorganize the standards from a protective standpoint.”
It was then.
Haku quietly looked up at Elysia.
It was a simple movement.
But in that instant, Elysia’s expression changed subtly.
As though she had exchanged words without speaking.
With my fingertips pressing down on the document, I looked at the two of them.
‘So the report that their resonance is high was true.’
No, it might not be merely high.
Elysia slowly opened her mouth.
“There is one matter I would also like to have confirmed.”
The air in the meeting room changed.
Leonhardt straightened his posture, and Oscar’s eyes sharpened slightly.
I answered calmly.
“Please speak.”
Holding Haku close, Elysia spoke in a clear voice.
“A student in my class, Richard, once used magic against Haku during class.
And after school, in a place where no one was watching, he picked a fight with me and attacked me.”
For a moment, the meeting room fell silent.
Mariette’s pen stopped.
Selena’s gaze sank low, and Oscar’s eyes had already turned cold, as though classifying the details of the incident.
I maintained my expression.
But inwardly, I was already calculating several branching possibilities.
Use of magic against a registered familiar during class.
Provocation and an attack in a blind spot after school.
The student named as the perpetrator was Richard.
First-year, Department of Magic Knights.
It was a name that had come up in several minor reports regarding classroom attitude and problematic remarks.
However, he had never been classified as the subject of formal disciplinary action.
‘Was the report omitted?’
Or.
Had someone judged it as a low-level dispute between students and passed it over?
I slowly opened my mouth.
“……That is the first I have heard of this report.”
With those words, the air in the meeting room changed completely.
Until just a moment ago, this had been a relatively mild meeting to confirm Haku’s contact regulations and safety rating.
But from the moment Richard’s name was mentioned, it was different.
This was not a simple quarrel between students.
He had used magic against a registered familiar during class,
and after school, in a place where no one was watching, he had picked a fight with Elysia and attacked her.
If that was true, it was not something the Academy rules could simply overlook.
I lowered my eyes briefly in thought.
Then I soon opened my mouth calmly.
“We will hear the details of that matter shortly.
However, before leaving it as an official record,
it would be proper to first introduce the Star Radiance Council officers present here today.”
I arranged the documents on the table, then introduced myself first.
“I am Cecilia Rainford, president of Excellia Academy’s Star Radiance Council.
I belong to the third-year Department of Elemental Magic, and I currently hold the Triple Crown.”
Triple Crown.
At those words, Elysia’s shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Haku also gazed at me quietly from within her arms.
His stare was far too clear to belong to a little fox.
The male student seated beside me bowed his head.
“I am Leonhardt Graham, vice president of the Star Radiance Council. I belong to the third-year Department of Magic Knights.
I mainly handle interdepartmental duel requests and dispute mediation.”
His short, neatly kept golden-brown hair and upright posture.
At a glance, he strongly gave the impression of a student who used a sword.
The female student beside him gave a slight bow while holding her pen.
“I am Secretary General Mariette Klein.
I belong to the second-year Department of Elemental Magic.
I will be in charge of today’s minutes and official records.”
Mariette gazed intently at Haku from behind her round glasses.
There was curiosity in her eyes,
but she did not seem to have forgotten that this was an official meeting.
Next, the male student in a black uniform spoke bluntly.
“Oscar Wald, head of the Discipline Committee. Third-year Department of Magic Knights.
I handle violence between students, rule violations, unauthorized duels, and harmful acts related to familiars.”
His tone was short and stiff.
But in matters like this, that was actually reassuring.
Beside him sat a female student wearing a deep green ribbon.
“I’m Selena Mork, representative of the Special Familiar Studies Department.
I belong to the third-year Special Familiar Studies Department.
For today’s confirmation of Haku’s contact regulations and safety rating, I’ll be the one mainly involved.”
Selena’s tone softened at the end, but her eyes were quite sharp.
Even when she looked at Haku, rather than simply reacting to his cuteness,
her gaze was closer to that of a researcher checking the condition of an observation subject.
Lastly, a male student wearing a uniform with brass-colored ornaments raised his hand.
“I am Tobias Miller, representative of the Department of Magical Engineering. Second-year.
Today, I am here to handle the recording magical tools and the magical organization of the contact schedule.”
Contact schedule.
The moment those words came out, I saw Haku’s ears flatten ever so slightly.
Seeing that reaction, I nearly stopped speaking for a moment.
‘He really does understand.’
Elysia seemed to have sensed Haku’s reaction and lightly stroked his back with her fingers.
Once the introductions were finished, I resumed the meeting.
“Then first, we will confirm the matter regarding the student Richard, raised by Elysia von Valerion.”
Mariette raised her pen.
The magical tool for writing the minutes began to operate, emitting a blue light.
“Your statement will be kept as a temporary record.
Afterward, once we verify it with you personally, confirm it with the professor in charge, and check witness testimony from the scene, it will be converted into an official record. Is that acceptable?”
“Yes.”
Elysia quietly nodded.
Haku remained still in her arms.
He was calm, as though he knew this was not the moment for him to step forward.