The academy was empty.
The cadets remaining at the academy during the break were far fewer than half the number during the semester.
No matter how hard you walked around inside the academy, the people you met were the same old faces.
Most of them were either professors who continued coming to the academy even during the break, or teaching assistants who were like slaves to those professors.
Just as a boy who did wrong would be sent to a juvenile detention center, those TAs must have done something wrong too.
Of course, there were slightly unusual cases as well.
Cases where they neither particularly resided at the academy nor commuted every day, but would call a cadet as if they had some business.
“I have a favor to ask.”
And if there was a professor who said this so boldly, it could only be Professor Sumeragi.
Moreover, to make a request that was the complete opposite of the last one.
“Please persuade Ian to return to the Engineer Club.”
Because she jumped straight to the point, my head couldn't process it for a moment and I couldn't answer.
After some time had passed and I thought it over, it felt somehow absurd.
Why tell me this?
I put my hands behind my back and straightened my posture, bringing my eye level more or less even with Professor Sumeragi's.
“C-couldn't you just tell Ian yourself?”
If she wanted Ian back in her club, couldn't she just call him and talk to him directly?
In matters like these, the person's own will was the most important thing.
Professor Sumeragi's face turned pale.
“Dip doesn't know how scary Imperial family members are.”
Were they really that scary?
Honestly, up until now, the only so-called Imperial family members I knew were Ian, who was half Imperial, and some foolish Imperial Princess, so I couldn't really get a sense of it.
“Dip, have you ever met the chairman of our academy?”
“Ah, no.”
Usually, the only time a cadet saw the chairman's face was at the entrance ceremony.
But this academy, obsessed with efficiency, even kept the entrance ceremony extremely brief.
I remembered that during the joint year training, they boldly skipped speeches and such, only announced precautions, then quickly began the training.
In the end, the chairman had never once stood before the cadets in person.
However, all manner of facts and rumors about that chairman were widely spread throughout the academy in nonsense posts.
That he was from the Imperial family. That he had the appearance of a child. That he was a super pilot who had undergone human experimentation by the Imperial family. That he had switched to a child's body to hide his identity.
Thinking that the nobles who normally maintained a perfect cadet image would return to the dorms and write all sorts of nonsense posts felt rather absurd.
At any rate, while the other rumors were dubious, I had heard that the chairman being from the Imperial family and having the appearance of a child were definitely facts.
Naturally, from the outside, he probably didn't look very scary or intimidating.
“D-don't say that when you've never met one. Imperial family members have a unique atmosphere.”
Professor Sumeragi trembled.
Just what had the chairman done to her?
“Yesterday at the meeting too, he scolded me harshly for being late. He growled at the end of every sentence, and his voice was so loud—I'm startled every time he shouts.”
Wasn't being late her own fault?
“I'm not even a student, yet he says he'll give me a knock on the head. I've never even been hit by my father!”
“A kn-knock on the head?”
One thing was certain.
This person was probably single-handedly dragging down the entire academy's professor average.
As a certain captain of a certain warship in a certain story once said, there is no human in this world who grows up properly without getting hit.
Professor Sumeragi trembled as if truly frightened, then let out a deep sigh and raised her head.
“Well, anyway. You know that Cadet Ian took first place in the engineering major this time, right? Ah, Cadet Dip, your ranking went up a lot too. Congratulations.”
“Ah, th-thank you.”
She used to seem like she had no interest in her surroundings, but now she seemed to pay attention here and there.
Professor Sumeragi nodded a few times, then took a long sip of the iced Americano beside her.
“After that, I received several contacts. The students in the Engineer Club said they wanted to talk with Cadet Ian and build a rapport. His outstanding skill makes it hard to ostracize him just because he's not a noble.”
Well, was that really true?
It was difficult to interpret that innocently. It wasn't Ian they wanted, but to get close to whoever took first place.
When it was revealed that Revan, who had belonged to the Maid Club, took first place, an enormous number of people came to the maid cafe just to see his face.
They were cadets who targeted the top student's market benefits, trying to get close to Revan so he would buy things for them.
Even though they were nobles, recklessly spending money on Titan customization was bound to be burdensome.
Only a powerful ducal house like Aaron's could spend money as they pleased.
So, it was only natural that the club members over there wanted Ian.
Especially if they wanted to make and distribute Titan-related products directly as an engineering major and club, they would need even more money for the development process.
It was such an obvious scheme that my expression scrunched up, but Professor Sumeragi herself didn't seem to notice that fact.
Should I say that though she didn't know the detailed circumstances of this matter, she had a sense of responsibility and wanted to resolve this for the students anyway?
It was such an innocence unbefitting the academy that watching it was a bit irksome.
“So please ask Cadet Ian's opinion directly, Cadet Dip. You're his friend.”
“Y-you want me to persuade him?”
“Of course, it's closer to that. Last time, he transferred to the Employee Club to earn the money he needed for customization. Since that's resolved, it would be natural for him to return to the Engineer Club.”
Ah.
It was the Employee Club, not the Maid Club. I had completely forgotten.
Well, that's neither here nor there. It's not important to this conversation.
“If you persuade Ian, I can promise you no small reward.”
“T-that's what they're saying.”
“Yes?”
I raised my smartwatch.
When Ian's figure appeared via hologram, Professor Sumeragi flinched.
“I t-trusted you! I trusted Cadet Dip!”
This professor was saying something straight out of an adult webtoon.
Contrary to Professor Sumeragi's reaction, I hadn't really done anything.
I had simply hidden my hands behind my back and tapped my smartwatch so that Aili would tactfully call Ian.
“The Imperial family isn't that scary.”
At Ian's words, Professor Sumeragi flinched again.
“Hem, hem, hem.”
“I'd rather you didn't imitate that.”
Imitate what?
The trembling Professor Sumeragi took another long sip of the coffee beside her and exhaled a “phew.”
“Th-that's not something I'm saying with some ulterior motive. I just want the cadets in my club to get along with each other.”
That seemed to be the case.
Professor Sueragi had no ulterior motives. The cadets asking favors of Professor Sumeragi were the ones with motives.
Since Ian knew that too, even if he refused, surely he would—
“Don't want to.”
—refuse politely, but there was no way.
Polite wasn't Ian's style.
“W-well, we'll give Cadet Ian something too.”
“Going back to the club is fine, but I don't want to do activities with those guys.”
“H-huh?”
Professor Sumeragi's eyes went round.
I too was stunned for a moment, unable to understand what he was saying.
“Ah.”
“Ah?”
So that's what he meant.
“I'll join the Engineer Club too at the same time, but I'll only do activities at the Employee Club.”
At present, Ian had completely transferred clubs.
That didn't mean the academy didn't allow simultaneous membership in two clubs.
Most cadets simply joined only one club from the start to keep their stamina from burning out due to excessive activities.
I had occasionally seen some motivated first-years join multiple clubs at once, only to collapse from exhaustion due to frequent socializing and drinking.
Though that had nothing to do with me.
Professor Sumeragi made a puzzled expression.
“But if you're going to do that, why return to the Engineer Club?”
It was a reasonable question.
If I hadn't become able to predict Ian's way of thinking to some extent after working as a team with him for a semester, I wouldn't have known either.
Of course, I could only predict it; I still couldn't empathize.
“I'll just exhibit under my name at the club festival.”
Exhibit.
Few things were as important as the hardware or software created by an engineer being exhibited at the club festival and seriously discussed for commercialization.
They said that even if only one work was properly commercialized, that engineer would be free from money troubles for at least one semester.
However, there was a problem.
“Wouldn't it be more disadvantageous to exhibit as a club unit?”
A club unit exhibit.
By the nature of the club festival, where multiple works were revealed at once, if one work was exceptionally outstanding, the other works were bound to get buried.
“Not at all.”
In other words.
“Others will be at a disadvantage.”
Ian planned to completely crush all the other club members' works with his own.
In other words, he was going to give a big middle finger to the other cadets who thought of him as a discount coupon.
Professor Sumeragi, who had been wearing a blank expression for a moment, showed a hint of a smile.
“How confident are you?”
“I'm already in the middle of customizing Aili.”
What.
The heck.
Wait a minute.
“C-coating and waterproofing—you said you'd only do the customization I asked for, didn't you?”
“I never said that.”
“W-what on earth are you doing?”
“I won't tell you because it's not finished yet.”
You won't tell me even though it's the Titan I pilot?
No, before that.
Aili knew that and didn't tell me?
“I-Ian. No matter how I think about it, that's a bit—”
“I'll finish the customization cleanly before going to the western front.”
Click.
The call cut off and the hologram disappeared.
Professor Sumeragi, who had been glancing around cautiously, placed a hand on my shoulder.
“W-want to go to the hangar together right now? I was thinking we should check what he's doing.”
“Ah, no.”
I should be understanding.
“It's fine, it's fine.”
And think positive.
None of the customizations Ian had added or improved so far had been bad.
It wasn't a matter of being deceived.
“If it's Ian, I can t-trust him.”
It was a matter of trust.
As I said that, I gripped my smartwatch tightly.
The speaker buzzed as if anxious.