I Became a Swordsmanship Instructor in a Romance Novel

On the way back to Hillaise Bakery after swordsmanship class.

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaawm….”

Soi yawned widely, feeling languid.

Her hair and eyes had now returned to their original colors.

Cling—

“Welcome…. Oh, Soi! You’re back?”

As Soi opened the bakery door, her older sister, Silia, who was organizing the display counter, greeted her lightly after glancing towards the door.

Yes, this was it.

Was there any other place that could make her feel as comfortable as Hillaise Bakery?

A gentle smile spread across Soi’s lips.

“Where are James and Mom?”

“They went to volunteer at the orphanage after donating the leftover bread from yesterday.”

“Heeh—”

Seeing Soi suddenly laughing emptily, Silia twisted her lips and made a worried expression.

“…You’re doing it again.

Soi, are you really okay?

Ever since you went with the Instructor, you’ve been a little… strange….”

“I know, I know.”

Hug

Affirming Silia’s words, Soi snuggled into her embrace.

The aroma of freshly baked bread and the warmth of her sister’s body soothed her mind, which had been tormented all day.

Haa— Sniff—

Nuzzle, nuzzle

“Hey, hey…!”

Silia flailed her arms in the air, flustered as Soi buried her face in her chest and seemed to be sniffing her.

“Heheh—”

After that day, while receiving Zeke’s personal instruction, Soi had become able to control her emotional powers to some extent. ‘

However, her ability wasn’t something that could be perfectly switched on and off like a candle.

Even though she couldn’t clearly read others’ emotions like before, she could still sense them intuitively to some degree.

Therefore, she still became fatigued quickly in crowded places.

Now, so many children attended classes in Zeke’s class.

And were the Instructor’s classes ever ordinary?

At first, when the children had transferred to Zeke’s class, they had entered with a swaggering attitude, seemingly having completely forgotten the incident during the demonstration class.

Initially, since Zeke was absent, classmates like Iriel and Selena, who had been training with her originally, took over as temporary instructors.

They taught as they usually did, but when the other students couldn’t keep up, they reduced the intensity to a third, yet the children’s faces still turned pale.

—T-This is a joke, right…? Y-Yeah! We’re new here…. He’s probably making it this hard to assert his authority…!

—…But the Princesses don’t look tired at all…. They’re not even out of breath….

—Of course! They’re just enduring it…!

Thinking that way, they competed with each other in training, but inwardly, they all wished for Zeke’s return.

However, when Zeke actually returned, it didn’t take long for them to realize that the hell they had experienced so far was just a preliminary roasting and that the true hell hadn’t even begun.

Zeke, after observing the students’ training, clicked his tongue, seemingly disappointed.

—Seriously, what a mess. You’ve all been slacking off while I was gone…. No, what on earth did the previous swordsmanship instructor teach you? Selena, Iriel! Haa. The problem is that these kids are too soft.

No one could agree with the word “soft,” but those who had originally been in Zeke’s class hung their heads in shame.

After that, Zeke began to diligently drill the students.

Thus, the training ground was constantly filled with groans and screams.

—That… that bastard…. Someday…. I’ll definitely…. Kill him.

—Hoooo…. I want to quit….

—You can enter as you please, but you can’t leave as you please….

—I didn’t enter as I pleased…. I was forced to enter because the previous instructor disappeared….

After class, everyone would collapse on the floor like a procession of corpses, busy badmouthing Zeke.

With all their might, they vented their resentment.

Their emotions invaded Soi’s mind without restraint.

As a result, Soi experienced more mental stress than physical.

‘Haa…. He said he’d send the kids back when the new teacher arrives…. But when is that teacher coming…?’

Soi wasn’t the only one with this wish.

Originally, she had been close with Iriel, Selena, Yuri, and Rosnante, but now that groups of followers had formed around them, the time they could freely talk and play together had all but disappeared.

‘Still, it’s a relief that at least that’s not unsettling….’

Although they had become physically distant, whenever their eyes met during training, she could feel their apologies and goodwill, so she didn’t mind at all.

In Rosnante’s case, there was even a strange mix of respect, which made her even more bewildered.

—For him to say that guy is dangerous…. Soi Spoon, just who are you…?! As expected, you are my rival… !

Anyway, even amidst such hardships, the presence of her family kept her strong.

“Soi, aren’t you going to let go of me now…?”

Silia gently pushed Soi, trying to detach her, but Soi remained immobile.

“Mmm…. Just a little longer…. I need more….”

“Oh, why is she so strong? I’m going to suffocate.”

“Sister….”

“What?”

“When I first came here, my hair and eye color were strange, right? But why didn’t you say anything?”

Soi suddenly remembered that day and asked Silia.

When she first returned home, how nervous she had been! Back then, she couldn’t bring herself to open the bakery door.

Of course, in her heart, she knew that her family loved her, but….

It was partly due to her changed appearance, and partly because she suddenly realized that she wasn’t their real family.

However, after standing outside the door for a while, her mother appeared from behind and pushed her back.

—You silly girl, why are you just standing there at the door when you’ve come home?

—Uh…? Mom?

It was disconcerting.

She had expected her mother to say something about her changed appearance, but aside from her eyes widening slightly, her family didn’t ask a single thing about it.

And as if to reassure her once again, the emotions emanating from them were filled with pure, unadulterated warmth.

Soi truly felt fortunate to have met such a family.

“Hmm…. As expected, something happened to you, didn’t it?”

“No, nothing happened….”

“Suspicious…. Anyway, what surprised me more was when you were dragged away by the Princesses and transformed into a noble!

I was already so shocked then that maybe that’s why.

Well, there’s no way that Instructor would have done anything weird to you.

He probably did it for your benefit, right?”

“…Yeah. That’s right.”

“That’s why it happened. And…. Hmm, there was also that story Dad told me before.”

Soi’s eyes widened.

The family rarely talked about their father, so she hadn’t imagined it would come up from her sister.

“…Dad?”

“Yeah. He said you’re actually an incredibly mysterious and beautiful person. He said your eyes sparkle and your hair is transparent or something?”

“Uh….”

“He said that someday, you might briefly take on that appearance, but when that happens, just hug you tightly.

He said not to treat you any differently.

I thought it was just his usual nonsense back then. But it was real?”

Soi’s heart felt warm and fuzzy.

“…But, I guess you’re finally ready to talk about it…?”

Silia smiled mischievously.

Soi’s face became slightly uneasy.

“So, Soi Spoon. Tell me. How far did things go with the Instructor?”

“W-w-w-what are you…!!!”

“Come on~. Honestly, a man and a woman wandered around outside for two weeks. Just the two of them.”

‘It wasn’t just two people…!’

However, this matter was top secret.

No matter how close they were, she couldn’t tell her family. If she carelessly spoke about it, the remnants of Lost Hope might target her family.

“Th-that’s…!”

“Heehee, you like him, don’t you? That Instructor.”

Soi was at a loss for words.

Yes, she did like him. She had realized her feelings for Zeke through this incident, and she didn’t intend to deny them.

‘I was just going to have a lighthearted crush.’

However, the problem was her feelings, which were growing day by day, unexpectedly.

‘The one person I can’t read is him….’

People, including her family, everyone.

Whether they had good intentions, bad intentions, or indifference towards her, when they approached, she could sense something.

But Zeke Clayman was different.

Except for the time she saw that clear madness, he was just… nothing.

She couldn’t understand what he was thinking, what he thought of her, what he liked, what he disliked—nothing at all.

‘He even… c-confessed, sort of, but he’s still treating me the same way…!’

The fact that she couldn’t read him drew her in even more, making her feelings grow.

Soi had recently been unable to even look Zeke in the eyes.

As she thought about Zeke, her face grew redder and redder.

Like a predator facing delicious prey, Silia wore a sly smile.

“So, I’ll keep it a secret from Mom, okay? Tell me, how far did you go…?”

“How far did we go, what are you…!”

Cling—

Just then, they heard the sound of a customer entering from behind.

“Welcome, customer!”

“Welcome, custo…mer…?”

Soi bowed her head along with Silia, then trailed off, struck by a strange sense of déjà vu.

Black hair and black eyes, the same color as Zeke and Yuri.

A slender figure and a gaze that seemed to pierce right through her.

And beside her stood a woman of imposing stature.

“Hmm…. You’re Soi Spoon…?”

She said, tracing her lips with her finger.