Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

“Have the decisions on publishing other papers been made now? I’ll conclude the discussion based on that understanding. The problem is this paper… Four “No Issues” and two “Rejections.” Oh my.”

“This is the result of nearly a month of verification by seven reviewers. The fact that there are two “Rejections” means there’s a problem with the paper, I think.”

“Please be careful in expressing opinions. You’re not a reviewer. Likewise, Professor Müller over there, I know you don’t intend to, but your gaze is too fierce. Professor, you’re currently in the position of an observer. … Yes. Thank you.”

“…Editor-in-chief, what do you plan to do then?”

“First, shouldn’t we gather all the opinions of all the reviewers?”

The editor-in-chief of the ‘Magic Studies Yearbook’ journal then bowed slightly to someone.

“It’s been a while. Haha, it’s quite awkward how to address you. I’ll call you Professor for now. Is that alright?”

Soon after confirming a rather hearty laugh in response, the editor-in-chief spoke with a more docile expression.

“You must have already read the paper. Instead of responding by letter, you came here, so I’ll ask for your opinion directly. Do you think this paper should be published?”

To that question, the old man sitting across the desk laughed heartily and…

“—Did you think I’d say that?”

People don’t need a big reason to be surprised.

Whether it’s waking up to find a spider descending from the ceiling on a thread or dropping a spoon loaded with marmalade, people can be startled by such trivial things.

…And I had to add a new item to that list of trivial reasons: ‘When the expression of the person right in front of you changes in the blink of an eye.’

“What?”

“I asked if you thought I’d say ‘I missed you.’ Eugene.”

Even when I cautiously asked again, her suddenly brusque expression didn’t change back to a warm one.

In the end, I had to gauge Julia’s mood while frozen in the same posture I had been in when brushing the snow off her chestnut hair.

She doesn’t seem particularly angry, but…

Just as I thought that her eyebrows, sharp gaze, and lips pursed to one side seemed somehow familiar, Julia stepped closer.

We were already only a span apart. Approaching in that situation meant we would practically be pressing against each other.

Her voice was heard again.

“What are these clothes? Really…”

“Ah.”

Because she’s so close, I can’t even see her expression well, even when I tilt my head as much as possible. But I could finally understand what Julia’s intention was.

Nagging.

“No matter how I look at it, you’re not the same person I saw at the ball. Eugene, are you really the Eugene I know?”

“I am.”

“That can’t be. If you used just 5% of the sponsorship money I sent you on clothing, you could fill two wardrobes. There’s no way you’d come out wearing clothes like this to meet your lover on a holiday. You’re not Eugene, are you?” [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“I am, I tell you. This coat… You should be familiar with it since you’ve seen it a lot.”

“Oh my. So it is. Seeing you wear the same coat for three years, I guess you are the Eugene I know!”

“…”

I didn’t know she had been observing so closely.

Soon, Julia continued speaking while fiddling with the hem of my coat and my tie.

“Tsk. Clothes can’t be worn semi-permanently just because you wash them well. The shirt is quite worn out, too… Hmm. I’ll praise the tie-pin. It’s neat and looks good.”

I wanted to smile and refute Julia’s words, but I couldn’t.

Her hands and arms are touching various parts of my body.

Her body heat and touch were invading so randomly that the best I could do was to stiffen up in an awkward posture without room to resist.

Then, suddenly…

I discovered that Julia had buried her face in my chest and was clasping her arms behind my back.

Inhale, exhale.

After finally taking a deep breath in that state…

She suddenly lifted her head and opened her lips.

“Eugene.”

“Huh?”

“What are you doing? Hurry up.”

The reason I couldn’t respond immediately was due to cognitive dissonance. The grumpiness had completely disappeared from Julia’s expression as she looked at me.

Only then did I realize…

…that the previous nonsensical nagging was a strategy to naturally share an embrace….

…and that my posture was still as awkward as a dead tree.

I forcibly moved my tense muscles to wrap my arms around Julia’s slender body.

My movements were too stiff to be described as ’embracing.’

Just as a couple sharing an incredibly awkward hug in the middle of Lapien Square was born…

Julia, held in my arms, gradually began to shake her shoulders and…

“Pffft—”

…finally burst into laughter.

“Julia. You’re dirtying my shirt.”

“AHAHAHAHA, hahahaha. Your constant hesitation is just too funny, pfft…”

Saying that, Julia put more strength into her arms. It wasn’t just to press against each other but was for a proper hug.

After feeling my warmth for a while, she stepped back a couple of paces and smiled slightly.

“Sorry. The joke went too far. It’s been a while; I missed you. Eugene.”

“…Yeah.”

I smiled back.

Soon after, Julia, standing next to me, slightly raised her head.

“Let’s go, my lover.”

That behavior was so nonchalant.

Somehow annoyed that she was acting so calm after teasing me thoroughly from the moment we met, I didn’t hold back the mischief rising within me.

I grinned and answered:

“Yes. Let’s set off, young lady.“

I deliberately put emphasis at the end of the sentence. It was enough to draw the attention of those gathered in Lapien Square.

It seemed to be a very effective method, judging by how Julia reddened her ears and slowly hid her face in her scarf.

“…Don’t call me that.”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I gently grasped her left hand as if really escorting a young lady and took a step.

Side by side.

A certain inertia in life doesn’t allow people to change their way of living in an instant, even if it’s in a positive direction.

Similarly, the relationship between Julia and me didn’t change dramatically as soon as the ball ended that day.

Rather, it was very awkward.

It was natural.

Three years. To be precise, three and a half years.

I had never thought those amber eyes would be directed only at me, nor had I ever imagined those crimson lips would touch mine.

Julia felt the same awkwardness, only differing in degree. We couldn’t look at each other properly and had to approach right in front of the carriage.

In that situation, Julia, who suddenly turned around, squeezed her eyes shut and made one request.

It was to ‘meet regularly, at least once a week.’

I’m in research, and if I want, I can get endlessly busy.

Worried about that, Julia wanted to create a rule where we had to meet without any excuses or pretexts. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

That was also the reason why we were out together this weekend.

However, as soon as we left Lapien Square, we both felt embarrassed at the same time.

Neither Julia nor I knew what it meant to be lover-like.

So, paradoxically, the method we finally chose was to go back to the past.

It turned out to be a pretty good choice.

Just like back then at the University of Magic, I politely escorted Julia around as she smiled brightly with artificial smiles.

<…>

<…Eugene? Aren’t you going to feed me?>

<…>

Or we had meals while I refused her requests to feed her – unlike then, Julia got angry this time.

But by the time we finished our meal and stepped out, both Julia and I realized that it was enjoyable just to walk the streets calmly with smiles on our faces.

Snow is falling.

When we feel cold, we can hold hands.

“It’s cold, but warm.”

I silently agreed with Julia’s mutter to herself.

As we were walking around the streets, acting like adults – one a graduate of the University of Magic and one about to graduate…

“Extra! Extra!”

A boy with a basket full of newspapers.

He looked about 15. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Whether the newspaper company had pressured him to meet his quota, the boy running in the opposite direction from us committed the misdemeanor of failing to watch where he was going and…

Thud!

…he bumped into my arm and was about to fall over.

“Oh?”

But the boy didn’t fall.

Because an invisible force was supporting him.

Feeling the presence of the grimoire in my pocket, I reached out to the boy, maintaining his balance while tilted.

“Are you okay, little one?”

“Yes! I’m fine. Thanks to you, sir.”

As expected of a sharp newspaper boy, he didn’t miss that my lips had moved just before he was about to fall.

Is it maybe because of his age?

Normally, I would have been satisfied that the boy didn’t fall and moved on, but I felt an urge to meddle unnecessarily.

I spoke again to the boy who was standing there awkwardly.

“As an apology, let me buy a newspaper. How much is it?”

“Ah, just toss me one 1 shilling coin, and that’s enough!”

“Alright.”

I handed over the coin as if it were a fortune, and the boy who handed me the newspaper upside down soon bowed and slowly walked away while constantly glancing back at us.

It’s a shame for the boy, but since I had no intention of reading the newspaper, I roughly folded it and put it in my coat pocket.

Then, when I turned to look at Julia, for some reason, she was smiling softly.

“What?”

“It’s nothing. I just thought you’re kind to children, Eugene.”

“I think it’s normal.”

“Huhu. Maybe so.”

Julia, who laughed lightly, looked at me.

“Eugene, did you have a boyhood like that, too?”

“Well… I remember I wasn’t as polite as that, at least. I didn’t do proper jobs like newspaper delivery either.”

“Oh? Then what kind of work did you do?”

It was a light question, but I felt dismayed. A slip of the tongue.

This is a topic that shouldn’t be brought up.

…Even to Julia. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

I tried to change the subject as naturally as possible.

“I just played at home when I was young. More importantly, Julia, there’s something I’m curious about.”

“Yes.”

“There’s less than a month left until your graduation from the University of Magic. I don’t think I’ve heard about your plans after graduation. Can I ask?”

“Hmm.”

Julia closed her eyes, pondered a little, and then answered.

“It’s a secret.”

“…”

“It’s a secret, but I’ll just tell you. Anyway, I don’t think Lena will ever tell.”

“Lena?”

“Yes.”

A name that appeared out of context in the conversation.

Moreover, since Lena usually didn’t tell me her stories, almost to an excessive degree, I asked in slight surprise.

“Why is Lena coming up?”

“I see. You didn’t know why Lena was trying to save up money like that?”

“If it’s something I shouldn’t hear, I’ll withdraw the question.”

“Hmm, it’s not like that. It’s just that she’s being shy about it.”

Julia’s next words surprised me a bit more.

“She plans to establish a Magic Studies Foundation and Research Institute.”

“A research institute…”

“Yes. A research institute where researchers can do the research they want in a comfortable environment with almost no interference. Since it’s a dream-like plan that will require a lot of capital, it’s probably a story for the distant future.”

Julia smiled softly and met my eyes.

“She says it’s for you, Eugene, and your family members.”

“…”

“I’ve decided to help with that too, since there’s one scholar who doesn’t listen in our family, too.”

“I see.”

“Ah, don’t tell Lena that I told you, okay?”

“Okay, okay.”

I smiled slightly and looked ahead again. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

The feeling of gradually becoming an adult along with the people around me…

This feeling was unfamiliar yet warm and, at the same time, somewhat pitiful.

I quietly stroked my worn-out scarf.

Dusk. It became a time that’s hard to describe as such.

Knowing well from experience that if the brooch’s mana ran out, something problematic would happen, I half-dragged Julia straight to the Müller mansion when the twilight started to creep over the ridge.

In the end, Julia, standing in front of the mansion door, pouted and glared at me.

“I can still walk more, you know.”

“I know your body has cooled down a lot. We can see each other again next week, and there’s no rule saying we can’t see each other during the weekday, so don’t be like that.”

“Tch.”

It seems my advice wasn’t to her liking at all.

Julia wouldn’t turn around for a while, as if she didn’t care about saying goodbye, when suddenly, her eyes widened.

She had the look of a schemer who had come up with a great idea.

Julia approached me quickly and looked up.

“Eugene.”

“What is it?”

“You know my father has gone as a reviewer for the ‘Magic Studies Yearbook,’ right?”

“I know. I saw him off.” [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Julia, who nodded, slightly grabbed the front of my coat and said.

“Yes. So the mansion is empty now.”

“I guess so. Even if he’s fast, he probably won’t be back until tomorrow morning at the earliest.”

“Yeah. That’s right. So the mansion is empty now.”

Why is she repeating the same answer?

Curious about that, I met Julia’s gaze, and at that moment, I felt a chill even though there wasn’t a breath of wind.