I asked about the key point first.
“Would you begin by explaining the part about using magic on Haku during class?”
Elysia slowly recounted what had happened that day.
How Richard had mocked Haku and Elysia in the classroom.
How he had thrown pieces of eraser.
How, during class, he had used small spells to tease Haku or try to hit him.
And how Elysia had stopped him each time.
Oscar’s expression grew increasingly rigid.
“An intentional act of harm against a registered familiar.”
He spoke briefly.
Selena quietly added,
“Regardless of a familiar’s danger level,
using magic on another person’s registered familiar without the owner’s permission is prohibited.
It is, in particular, a violation of the basic protection regulations.”
Haku blinked very slightly.
It was a reaction as if he had only now felt relieved.
I moved on to the next question.
“Would you also tell us what happened after school?”
Elysia took a moment to steady her breath.
Then she explained how, after school, in a quiet area between the corridor and the training grounds, Richard had picked a fight with her again.
He had insulted her verbally, blocked her path when Elysia tried to simply pass by, and in the end, attempted to attack her.
“What happened after that?”
“I subdued him.”
Elysia’s answer was short.
But there was firmness in those words.
Even while stating the facts of the harm she had suffered, she did not lower herself excessively.
I quietly took note of that.
She was not a strong student from the beginning.
But she was a student trying not to break.
“So Student Richard attacked first, and Student Elysia defended herself and subdued him.”
“Yes.”
“Were there any witnesses?”
Elysia hesitated for a moment.
“I don’t think any students saw it directly. But Haku was with me.”
Everyone’s eyes gathered on Haku.
Haku merely blinked from within Elysia’s arms.
He looked so small and docile that, for a moment, he even seemed out of place in the atmosphere of the conference room.
Selena asked cautiously,
“Is Haku capable of expressing his intentions?”
Elysia answered.
“He can express simple intentions.
By nodding or shaking his head.
And… with me, there are times when his meaning is conveyed to some extent through resonance.”
The atmosphere in the conference room shifted subtly once more.
Resonance.
When that word came out, Selena’s eyes deepened slightly.
Mariette’s pen also stopped for the briefest moment.
Tobias glanced once at the recording magic tool, then wrote something down separately.
I noticed their reactions, but for now, I did not dig deeper.
“We will deal with that part in a later agenda item. First, let us summarize the matter regarding Student Richard like this.”
I lightly tapped the documents with my fingertips.
“First. Student Richard is suspected of having used magic without permission on another person’s registered familiar during class.”
Mariette’s pen moved.
“Second. After school, he is suspected of having personally provoked Student Elysia von Valerion and attempted to attack her.”
Oscar folded his arms.
“The Disciplinary Committee will verify it immediately.
If we check with the professor in charge, the corridor surveillance magic tool records from that time period,
and the entry records near the dueling grounds, we should be able to find out to some extent.”
Tobias also nodded.
“If it was the passage behind the main building, that is an area with old-model surveillance magic tools installed.
There is a high possibility that audio was not preserved, but residual mana reaction records may remain.”
“Can they be secured?”
“If we request them today, yes. However, professor-level authorization will be required.”
“I will submit a temporary preservation request under the name of the Chair of the Starlight Council.”
“Understood.”
I looked at Oscar.
“What do you think about temporary measures?”
Oscar answered at once.
“Until the investigation is concluded, we will place an access restriction on Student Richard regarding Elysia von Valerion and Haku.
Except in cases unavoidable due to class, personal contact will be prohibited. Dueling requests will be prohibited. Contact with the familiar will be prohibited.”
Selena agreed as well.
“Since an act of harm related to a familiar is involved, this should also be shared with the Department of Special Familiar Studies.
Not because of Haku’s danger level, but because of the possibility of external harm directed at Haku.”
The possibility of external harm.
When that expression was spoken, Haku’s tail moved very slightly.
I calmly reached a conclusion.
“Very well. The matter of Student Richard will be opened as a temporary investigation under the name of the Starlight Council Disciplinary Committee.
Until the investigation is concluded, access restrictions will be applied, and if the facts are confirmed, the matter will be referred to the faculty disciplinary committee.”
Elysia quietly bowed her head.
“Thank you.”
“It is not something to be thanked for. If rules exist, they must be applied.”
My answer was calm.
But those words were also directed at myself.
If rules exist, they must be applied.
It must not be covered up simply because it was a problem between noble children.
One must not act excessively just because the name Valerion was great,
but conversely, one must not make her unable to speak of harm because of that name either.
At that moment, Haku looked quietly up at me.
For the gaze of a small fox, it was far too direct.
Before that gaze, I briefly had this thought.
‘We are being tested.’
We are.
The Starlight Council is.
And this academy is.
I turned over one sheet of documents.
“Then now, let us move on to the original agenda.”
Haku’s ears perked slightly.
“This concerns the student contact regulations for the registered familiar Haku, the guarantee of rest time, and his provisional safety rating.”
As if he had been waiting for this, Tobias placed a small plate-shaped magic tool on the table.
A blue light rose, and something like a schedule unfolded in the air.
Magic Knight Department, First-Year Class A — morning break priority.
Magic Knight Department, First-Year Class B — second session before lunch.
Elemental Magic Department, First Year — first half of lunch period.
Department of Special Familiar Studies observation requests — separate permission required.
Aside from that, time slots and turn orders for each department were densely organized.
Haku’s eyes narrowed.
It was as if he were saying, “You really made one.”
Tobias said with a slightly embarrassed expression,
“This is a compilation of the turn order lists currently circulating unofficially.
It does not mean we intend to formally implement it exactly like this.”
“That in itself means there is already a problem.”
When I said that, Tobias quietly lowered his head.
“I acknowledge that.”
I looked at Elysia.
“The issue is how much contact with students Haku can permit.
Student Elysia, does Haku currently dislike being touched by students?”
Elysia did not answer immediately.
Instead, she looked down at Haku in her arms.
“Haku?”
Haku seemed to think for a moment.
Then he slowly shook his head from side to side, and then nodded a little.
Selena blinked.
“May we take that to mean he does not dislike it, but that restrictions are necessary?”
Haku looked at Selena and nodded.
“…It really does seem as though he understands and answers.”
Selena murmured softly.
An undisguisable pride appeared on Elysia’s face.
“Haku is smart.”
Haku flattened his ears in a very subtle way.
Seeing that reaction, I nearly laughed.
Mariette was already recording rapidly.
I organized the meeting again.
“Then I will propose temporary regulations.”
I pointed out the items with my finger.
“First. Contact with Haku is permitted only when authorized by Elysia von Valerion or the professor in charge.”
Haku nodded.
“Second. Pulling his ears or tail, hugging him by force, and luring him away with snacks are prohibited.”
This time, Haku’s reaction was a little clearer.
It was as if he were saying that this item, at least, was absolutely necessary.
“Third. At least one hour after lunchtime will be designated as Haku’s rest time.”
Elysia also nodded.
“I think that is necessary as well.”
“Fourth. Contact, measurement, or observation for research purposes is not permitted without the consent of the Department of Special Familiar Studies and Student Elysia.”
Selena quietly added,
“It would be best to include Haku’s own rejection responses as criteria as well.
Actions such as backing away, folding his ears, hiding his tail, or hiding behind his contractor should be defined as immediate stop signals.”
Haku blinked.
It was as if he had once again realized that he himself had become the subject of the meeting.
I read the final item.
“Fifth. Acts of harm against Haku will be handled at a higher level than ordinary harm against familiars.
This is because interest within the academy is currently high, and there is a need to prevent imitative behavior.”
Oscar nodded.
“It is necessary in connection with the Richard matter as well.”
I set down the documents and looked at Selena this time.
“And now, the safety rating. Representative Selena, please give us your opinion.”
Selena unfolded the documents she had prepared.
“According to the existing classification standards of the Department of Special Familiar Studies,
Haku is registered as an ordinary fox-type familiar.
However, there are many unusual points that have been confirmed so far.”
She began reading them one by one.
“Abnormally elevated resonance. Irregular spirit reactions.
Deferential reactions from other familiars.
Unclear mana reactions. A high social impact regarding student contact. And…”
Selena looked at Haku for a moment.
“The possibility that Haku himself can express intent.”
The possibility of expressing intent.
Those words settled quietly over the conference room.
For some reason, Haku’s face looked as though he wanted to curl his tail closer to his body.
I asked,
“Representative Selena’s opinion?”
Selena answered without hesitation.
“I am opposed to placing his danger rating high.
So far, there has been no case of Haku voluntarily harming a student.
If anything, he is closer to having been on the receiving end of harm.”
It was the right judgment.
“However, his protection rating should be raised.
Not because he is a dangerous individual, but because the attention and approach from those around him have become overheated, creating the possibility that Haku may suffer harm.”
I nodded.
“In other words, keep the danger rating low. Raise the protection rating.”
“Yes.”
Oscar added,
“We can strengthen the prohibition clauses regarding harm to registered familiars.
Not because Haku is dangerous, but because the students who mess with Haku are highly likely to cause problems.”
Haku looked at Oscar.
There was not much change in his expression, but somehow, he seemed a little pleased.
I summarized the conclusion.
“Then we will record it as a temporary resolution of the Starlight Council.”
Mariette’s pen began moving rapidly again.
“The registered familiar Haku shall not be classified as a dangerous individual at the present time.
However, considering the overheated interest within the student community and the need to protect the familiar, his temporary protection rating shall be raised.
Contact shall require permission, and approach for research purposes shall be prohibited without separate approval.
Acts of harm against Haku shall be dealt with more severely than ordinary harm against familiars.”
Haku listened to those words in a daze for a moment.
Perhaps he was organizing the situation himself as well.
A familiar who was not a dangerous fox, but had become a protection target because he was too popular.
It was an odd conclusion.
But considering the current situation at the academy, it was also the most realistic conclusion.
Elysia asked cautiously,
“Haku, are you all right?”
Haku thought for a moment, then nodded.
I smiled very faintly.
“We will record that Haku has also agreed.”
Haku’s ears twitched subtly again.
Mariette’s pen moved.
She had probably recorded even that reaction just now.
At that moment, Tobias cautiously raised his hand.
“Then what should we do about the contact schedule?”
The conference room fell silent for a moment.
In a place where, until just now, they had been discussing acts of harm against a familiar and protection ratings, suddenly only a petting schedule remained.
Leonhardt gave a cough with a subtle expression, and Oscar frowned slightly.
Selena was seriously thinking it over.
After a brief silence, I said,
“That part… let us reduce it in a way that lessens the burden on Student Elysia and Haku.”
Reduce.
When that word came out, a little of the tension left Haku’s shoulders.
But Tobias operated the magic tool seriously and said,
“Then how about temporarily adjusting it to three times a week, a maximum of twenty people per day, and no more than thirty seconds of contact per person?”
Mariette immediately wrote it down.
“Three times a week, a maximum of twenty people per day, no more than thirty seconds per person…”
Selena nodded.
“Considering Haku’s fatigue level, that seems like a good starting point.”
Oscar also said,
“If we can line them up and control them, the commotion should decrease too.”
I reached a conclusion.
“Then we’ll leave it as a provisional measure. If any problems arise after implementation, we’ll adjust it.”
Haku stared silently up at the ceiling from within Elysia’s arms.
Somehow, his face seemed to say, “This academy is strange.”
Seeing that reaction, Elysia covered her mouth with her hand and stifled a small laugh.
“Haku, are you all right?”
Haku looked up at Elysia.
He made no sound, but there was a clear protest in his eyes.
Elysia laughed even more softly.
“Sorry.”
Watching them, I suddenly had a slightly strange thought.
Elysia von Valerion had clearly been tense before coming here.
But each time Haku reacted, her expression softened little by little.
And Haku, too, seemed to be enduring this formal setting because Elysia was beside him.
Master and familiar.
Somehow, that alone felt insufficient to describe their relationship.
I organized the documents one last time.
“That will conclude today’s agenda.
As for the matter concerning Student Richard, the Starlight Council’s Disciplinary Committee will begin an investigation immediately,
and the provisional regulations regarding Haku will be posted as an announcement this afternoon.”
Then I looked at Elysia.
“Lady Valerion.”
“Yes.”
“I will make sure what you told us today is not buried.
And the regulations concerning Haku will also be adjusted in a way that lessens Haku’s burden.”
Elysia quietly bowed her head.
“Thank you.”
This time, I looked at Haku.
“Thank you for cooperating as well, Haku.”
Haku looked at me for a moment.
Then he gave a very small nod.
Mariette’s pen began moving again.
Perhaps Haku heard the sound, because his ears flattened ever so slightly.
Seeing that, I finally let out a tiny laugh.
“You don’t have to put even that reaction into the official record, Mariette.”
Mariette flinched.
“Ah…… yes, President.”
Haku’s ears perked up a little.
For just that moment, the little fox looked genuinely relieved.
The meeting ended like that.
The door opened, and Elysia left the Starlight Council meeting room with Haku in her arms.
There were even more eyes gathered in the corridor than before.
They were probably students curious to know what result Lady Valerion and her familiar, who had been summoned by the Starlight Council, would bring out with them.
Amid those gazes, Elysia walked without faltering.
Haku quietly had his eyes closed in her arms.
He seemed tired.
But he did not look anxious.
After watching the meeting room door close, I lowered my gaze back to the documents on the table.
Provisional Regulations Regarding Contact with Registered Familiar Haku.
Commencement of Provisional Investigation Concerning Student Richard.
Originally, today’s meeting had been meant to coordinate the students’ overheated interest surrounding one cute familiar.
But now, that had changed.
Haku was not simply a cute familiar who needed to be protected.
The attention and hostility surrounding him.
And even the gaps within the academy that had failed to properly address that hostility.
All of it had to be confirmed.
I spoke to Mariette.
“Divide the minutes into two copies. Summarize the Haku contact regulations for a general announcement, and restrict viewing authority for the Richard matter.”
“Yes, President.”
“Oscar.”
“I’ll move immediately.”
“Tobias.”
“I’ll submit a request to preserve the records from the surveillance magic tools.”
“Selena.”
“I’ll organize a draft for Haku’s rejection response criteria and protection level.”
I nodded.
The small silver-pink fox, who had been at this academy for less than a week, had officially become a protected subject.
And Richard would soon learn that what he had laid hands on was not merely a single familiar.
I glanced once at the closed door.
I recalled the sight of Haku giving that final nod.
Small, quiet, and able to understand human speech to a strangely uncanny degree.
I still could not know what sort of change that child would bring to this academy.
But one thing was certain.
The Starlight Council would not let this matter pass lightly.