I Think My Fiancé Has Regressed

Chapter 47: Second semester begins (2)

I’ve been spending a lot of time learning new magic with the help of President Del.

That aside, I can’t rule out my student council duties, so this afternoon was another day when I showed up to conduct business.

“Sorry, I’m a little late.”

“Welcome, Ariana.”

It was a little later than usual, so I figured everyone else would have arrived before me, but to my surprise, Alex was the only one in the student council room working.

“Uh, where’s everyone else?”

“Eamon’s getting to know the international students of the Eloreal Empire, and he’s supposed to visit them over the winter break, so I’ve asked him to get to know them beforehand so there’s no awkwardness.”

It must be important business.

It might seem a little odd for the first and second princes of a country to visit at the same time, so Alex and Prince Eamon needed to come up with slightly different reasons for their visit.

“Prince Eamon, that’s one thing, but what about Charlotte?”

“She said it was a gathering with a lot of young ladies.”

Aha.

So she wants to go with Prince Eamon because the idea of a gathering with a lot of young ladies triggered Charlotte’s insecurities.

Either way, Charlotte’s still fawning over her fiancé, which is saying something.

“Kael, it’s on external club patrol duty, right?”

“Yep. He said he’s checking on the off-campus activities of the equestrian and musical clubs today.”

Since the academy is basically a gathering place for the children of nobles from all over the country, the students’ hobbies are often extravagant and expensive.

The academy’s grounds are too small to accommodate all of the students’ needs, so many clubs rent out outdoor facilities for their activities.

Of course, it’s important to keep an eye on club budgets to make sure they’re not wasting money on something so unnecessary, so every once in a while, someone from the student council needs to go out and do an audit.

Today was Kael’s day to do just that, which also means that there are only two people in the Student Council room today, me and Alex.

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I immediately gathered up the papers I had in front of me and placed them on Alex’s desk.

“…What are you doing, Ariana?”

“Alex, can you take a few steps to the right?”

“Sure….”

The student council president’s desk was generously sized in the first place, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for two people sitting side by side.

I set the chair I’d brought from my seat down to Alex’s left, sat down next to him, and got down to business.

“Charlotte usually sits by Prince Eamon’s side and I’m a little jealous.”

“Yeah, well, no one’s looking now.”

Alex looked puzzled for a moment, but eventually understood the situation and focused on his work.

I never get to be alone with Alex at the Academy.

It wasn’t exactly taboo to go into my fiancé’s dormitory, but if I were to come in and out too blatantly, it would be rumored in more ways than one, both for me and for Alex.

As much as I’d love to spend time with Alex, it would be a blot on House Anastasia’s reputation to be seen as an unsophisticated, color-seeking woman.

…I’d feel less guilty about it if I actually did something about it.

That’s why we’re taking advantage of these rare days to spend intimate time together without anyone else noticing.

This kind of non-verbal communication between a couple is important for a long and deep love.

Of course, we’re not actually married yet.

And just by sharing the space, we’ve found that we’re much more efficient at work.

“Ariana, I think you’ve got the wrong number of digits on the third line here, the budget for the drama club.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll fix that in a second and reorganize it for you.”

“You can take your time. When you’re done, I want you to go through the student complaint box first. Handle what you can in moderation.”

“Okay, okay.”

This would cut down on the amount of time spent passing around paperwork, and the instant communication would make things more efficient.

…or even replace the desks in the student council room with round or long tables.

Right now, Alex sits alone at a desk dedicated to the student council president, and there are three other two-person tables.

If we replace it with a long eight-seater table or a round table, I can sit next to Alex in a way that makes me feel comfortable.

“….”

I guess you could call it overthrowing the student council president’s authority and improving work efficiency. This weekend, I need to go to the shop and have them make an eight-seater table for me….

“…Ariana?”

“Oh, yes!”

“You were thinking about something else.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear what you were saying.”

“It’s nothing, I just wanted to know if you could give me last year’s graduating class list.”

“Oh, yes!”

I quickly turned my mind back to the beanstalk and fished out the yearbook from a stack of papers.

This is where I really have to kick myself: I got distracted and neglected my student council duties while I was still in office.

I pulled the yearbook out of the stack of papers and handed it to Alex and a few sheets of paper fell out of the stack.

“Here you go, Alex.”

“Thanks.”

Taking the yearbook from me, Alex quickly unfolded it, and then resumed where he’d left off.

I was reorganizing the papers that had spilled out with the yearbook when something caught my eye.

“The Alchemy Club budget increase application?”

“Oh, you can deny that one.”

It was a budget increase application for an obscure club whose name I’d never even heard of, and Alex’s immediate response was to reject it.

“That club hasn’t had a solid track record in three years, and when I asked them to provide a list of receipts they used for their budget, they deliberately left them out several times.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“They haven’t gotten into any major trouble yet, so I’m keeping them, but they’re one of the clubs I’m going to shut down before I graduate.”

Certainly, a club that hasn’t had a track record for three years is an eyesore to the Academy, a budget drain.

Especially since alchemy isn’t even a recognized discipline yet.

There have been many researchers in the past, but in over a hundred years, no one has really produced anything of substance.

It’s a discipline that’s already had hundreds of prominent scholars throughout history, and yet it’s a discipline that’s ended badly.

There’s no way they’re going to be able to produce something in a few years with the knowledge they have now.

“…….”

One thing, though.

As I was reading the alchemy club’s budget increase request, there was something that bothered me a bit.

It wasn’t so much that I was intrigued by the nebulous discipline of alchemy, but rather the name of the club’s president.

“Ariana?”

“…I’m going to go on a little club watch patrol.”

“Okay, be careful.”

After leaving the student council room, I headed straight to the location of the Alchemy Club that was listed on the paperwork to catch them cheating.

I guess I need to have a proper talk about this one.

* * *

After climbing the stairs to the fourth floor, the highest floor of the academy, I headed straight for the club’s classroom in the far corner.

I was carrying two papers, one with an application for an increase in the Alchemy Club’s budget, and one with something else.

Normally, I wouldn’t have even noticed.

I’m glad I did, because up until now, I’ve been a bit complacent when it comes to dealing with club budget requests.

The Academy’s club paperwork is currently split between three people.

I handle the liberal arts and arts clubs, such as knitting, flower arranging, and the tea ceremony.

Alex handles the academic clubs, such as magical research and magic practice.

And external clubs like horseback riding and musical theater are inspected and managed by Kael.

It’s a system that came about naturally to distribute tasks according to our respective specialties and to allow for more efficient oversight.

But in hindsight, there’s a fatal problem that we didn’t realize.

Someone has been taking unfair advantage of this system all along.

With that thought in mind, I went to the alchemy club on the fourth floor.

No, I knocked twice on the door of the Tea Ceremony Department.

“……Who is it?”

The club’s door, which had just been bustling with activity, suddenly went silent, and a voice I’d heard a few times before came from inside.

“It’s the student council, we’re here to inspect the tea ceremony club.”

“Student…ah, Lady Ariana?!”

“I need to go in right now and check on the club activities of the ‘Tea Ceremony Society’, so could you please open the door quickly while I’m asking nicely?”

“Now, hold on, Lady Ariana, one minute, just give me a minute to organize!”

“Ten, nine, eight….”

From inside the clubhouse, I heard the sound of something being dragged across the floor, or a bottle or tin can rolling across the floor.

I don’t see it, but I have a mental picture of what it’s like inside.

“…3, 2, 1.”

“Come in……Ariana!”

If they didn’t open the door, I was going to use some violent means to get it open, but luckily, the president of the tea ceremony club opened the door just in time.

Her hair was a mess from busily putting something away as she greeted me.

“…It’s been a long time, Miss Sophia.”

“Ah, ah, hello….”

Miss Sophia, the head of the tea ceremony club, had a suspicious look on her face, and was flashing me a wicked smile.