<h4>Chapter 25: Annoyance</h4>


    "Hey," Euphemia called out to me as I made my way through the bustling hallways of the academy.


    I turned to her my curiosity piqued.


    "What?"


    "Let''s talk," she said, her voice filled with determination.


    I hesitated for a moment, ncing around at the students passing by, all busy with their own affairs.


    "I''m busy right now, so maybeter?"


    I tried to excuse myself, hoping to find a way to avoid a conversation with Euphemia.


    However, she was having none of it. Euphemia quickly closed the distance between us, spreading her arms wide to block my path.


    "Wait," she insisted, "I''m just going to ask you a few questions."


    I arched an eyebrow, curious about what she wanted to discuss.


    "What kind of questions, exactly?"


    Euphemia''s expression was a mix of curiosity and earnestness.


    "Just some things I''ve been wondering about. You don''t have to answer if you don''t want to, but it won''t take long."


    I sighed inwardly, realizing that avoiding her wouldn''t be so easy after all.


    "Fine, ask away."


    Euphemia''s eyes lit up with excitement, and sheunched into her questions, her genuine curiosity evident in her every word. As we began to converse, I couldn''t help but wonder what had sparked her interest in me, and where this unexpected conversation might lead.


    Euphemia''s questions came at me like a barrage, and I found myself increasingly irritated by her persistence.


    "During your absence, what type of experimentations did you do?" she probed.


    I stared at her incredulously.


    "What?"


    "Don''t lie to me," she insisted.


    "I know the excuse you used about having family-rted matters was a lie. Now, tell me what sort of experiments did you conduct secretly. I know I''m prying a bit too much, so as an exchange, I''ll even give you some of my secret methods in brewing my potions."


    I sighed in exasperation. This girl had always been one to stick her nose where it didn''t belong. She couldn''t resist the allure of a mystery.


    "Haah, what I told in my excuse wasn''t a lie," I retorted, my irritation clear in my voice.


    "I was seriously away due to family matters, and even if I did lie and used the extra time for secret experimentations, I have no obligation to tell you, do I? And what value do your secret methods have to me when I''m the number one student at our department, Miss Number Two?"


    I hoped my assertive response would drive the point home and discourage her from prying further into my affairs. The less I had to deal with Euphemia''s curiosity, the better. However, I couldn''t help but feel a twinge of regret at passing up the opportunity to learn from her, considering I was always on the lookout for ways to help her naturally surpass me in rank without arousing suspicion.


    But contrary to my expectations, Euphemia didn''t seem to get upset by my words. Instead, she gazed into my eyes, her expression unwavering, and shed that beautiful smile of hers. Shivers ran down my spine, not from fear, but from a growing sense of unease. What was this girl about to do?


    "Alright, I won''t pry any longer," she finally relented, her voice softening. "It seems I''m offending you for some reason."


    I was taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor. Did she finally understand how rude and invasive her questions were? But before I could respond, she continued.


    "Instead, how about you help me?" Euphemia suggested, her eyes filled with hope.


    "Help you?" I echoed, puzzled by her request.


    "As you said, I''m our department''s number 2, and you''re the number 1," she exined. "So helping me wouldn''t be a problem for you, would it? Honestly, I''m having trouble with my experiments at the moment, so will you please help me?"


    She sped both of my hands with hers, her expression a mix of sincerity and vulnerability. I couldn''t help but feel conflicted. While I suspected that her request was merely a ploy to gain ess to my own research, her earnestness tugged at something inside me. Could I trust her enough to share my knowledge? Well, it''s not like I have a bunch of knowledge regarding alchemy in the first ce.


    "No, I''m sorry," I replied, my voice firm.


    "I''m also busy with my own experimentations."


    As I turned to leave, Euphemia''s desperation reached a new level. She grabbed onto one of my arms and pressed on, undeterred.


    "What type of experimentations exactly?" she asked, her eyes searching mine.


    I hesitated for a moment, considering my response. But ultimately, I decided to maintain my boundaries.


    "I told you, that''s none of your business."


    Euphemia didn''t back down. "Then help me with mine," she pleaded.


    My patience was wearing thin, and I finally snapped. "No."


    "Then tell me" She insisted, her smile never fading.


    I could only make a face full of irritation as I struggled to contain my frustration. Euphemia''s unwavering persistence was pushing all the wrong buttons, and I found myself growing increasingly agitated.


    "Look," I began, trying to keep my voice steady, "I don''t owe you any exnations about my experiments or my research. What I do during my absence is my own business, and frankly, it''s none of yours."


    Euphemia''s smile remained intact, almost as if she were enjoying this confrontation. Her emerald green eyes held a glint of determination, and it was clear that she wasn''t going to give up easily.


    "Haah" I could only sigh.


    …..


    "Bye everyone"


    "Hey wanna train at the groundster"


    "Sure, let''s meet at 2"


    "Bye Louise"


    "Bye Chelsy"


    "Louise, can I have a bit of your time it''s regarding your application for the uing joint training exams"


    "Yes professor?"


    students exchanged farewells and ns for future training sessions as the summoning department ss came to an end. Louise Obelia, the top student in the summoning department, found herself facing a dilemma. She had been struggling to concentrate during sstely, and it was starting to show.


    "Louise, is something wrong?" Professor Mona inquired; concern etched across her face.


    Louise hesitated for a moment, contemting whether to confide in her teacher. She finally replied,


    "No, nothing really, Professor. I thought you were going to ask me questions regarding my application for the uing joint training exams?"


    The professor''s inquiry had been merely an excuse to address Louise''s apparent troubles. "That was just an excuse," she admitted, "I couldn''t help but notice that you haven''t been paying as much attention in ss as you used to. Is something bothering you? You can tell me if you want."


    Louise considered her teacher''s offer but ultimately decided to keep her personal worries to herself. "I''m really fine, Professor," she assured her. "I''m sorry for not paying attentiontely. It''s just that some of my spirits have be quite talkative, so my attention tends to drift elsewhere."


    Professor Mona nodded understandingly. "I see. Please make an effort to focus in ss next time."


    With that, she let Louise go, and the young summoning student left the ssroom with a heavy heart and a troubled mind. She couldn''t share with her professor the real reason behind her distraction – the absence of her dear friend.


    However, as Louise walked out into the hallway, she was in for a surprise.


    "It''s nice to see you again, Louise," Adrian greeted her.


    "Adrian?" Louise couldn''t contain her excitement and emotion. She rushed forward and enveloped him in a warm hug.


    "You''re back!" She giggled happily. "I''ve missed you so much."


    Adrian responded with a mixture of surprise and awkwardness. Hugs and affection like this were unfamiliar territory for him, and he wasn''t entirely sure how to react. However, he managed an awkwardugh and replied,


    "Yup, I''m back"


    "Ahem"


    As Louise and Adrian shared their warm reunion, their moment was interrupted by a clearing of the throat. Both of them turned their heads to the source of the sound, and Louise''s expression immediately soured when she saw who it was.


    "I hate to ruin your little reunion, but let''s hurry up and go to the cafeteria. I''m getting hungry," Euphemia dered, her smile as radiant as ever.


    Louise''s frown deepened, and she couldn''t hide the glint of irritation in her pink eyes. "Adrian, why is she here?" she demanded to know.


    Adrian began to exin, "Well—"


    Before he could finish, Euphemia chimed in confidently, "We''re partners."


    "Partners?" Louise asked, her curiosity piqued despite her initial annoyance.


    "Yes, partners," Euphemia confirmed, taking a step closer to Adrian and casually linking her arm with his. She looked back at Adrian and gave him an affectionate smile. "Right, Adrian?"


    Caught off guard, Adrian hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Yes."


    Louise''s expression shifted from annoyance to confusion. She wasn''t entirely sure what was going on, but it was clear that Euphemia had some level of influence over Adrian, and this unexpected partnership left her with many questions.


    ....


    "Uhm, Adrian, who is she?" Tristan inquired, a hint of confusion in his voice.


    I began to introduce Euphemia, but she didn''t leave room for me to exin. With a graceful gesture, she spoke for herself


    "My name is Euphemia Dunhaven, Adrian''s partner. Nice to meet you" she said, offering a slight bow and lifting the hems of her skirt.


    Tristan and Alex exchanged nces, somewhat surprised by the unexpected introduction. Tristan then introduced himself, saying,


    "Oh, hello, I''m Tristan, and this is Alex"


    Alex gave a casual nod. "Yo"


    Euphemia confirmed that she knew they were Adrian''s friends but didn''t borate further, leaving Tristan and Alex curious.


    They turned their attention back to me, expecting me to provide some exnation. I couldn''t help but feel a headacheing on.


    Euphemia''s persistent insistence on referring to me as her partner stemmed from a previous agreement where I reluctantly epted her as my training partner.


    Now, she seemed to be taking this partnership to a whole new level by casually inserting herself into our friend group.


    Tristan and Alex exchanged nces again, puzzled by the situation. Louise, on the other hand, continued to shoot cold res, especially at Euphemia.


    Euphemia, seemingly unfazed, asionally wore a smirk when she caught Louise''s icy stares, further worsening Louise''s mood.


    The lunch that day became the heaviest they had ever experienced, as the tension between the two women shed and seemed to spark lightning all around them.


    …..


    Adrian had returned to his dormitory after a long day of sses and training. As he flopped onto his bed, a sense of fatigue washed over him. He nced at the clock and realized it was still early, too early for sleep. Restlessness began to gnaw at him, and an idea popped into his head.


    "Hey, Meralda, wake up," he eximed, prodding his dormant spirit with a yful grin. It had be a routine to find her napping the moment she materialized in his room.


    Meralda stirred, her ethereal form slowly taking shape. She blinked her translucent eyes, looking somewhat disoriented. "Wh-what?" she mumbled.


    "We''re going out," Adrian dered with newfound energy, as if he had just discovered a hidden treasure.


    Meralda''s expression shifted from confusion to mild irritation. "For what?" she asked, still trying to shake off her drowsiness.


    Adrian chuckled mischievously, his eyes twinkling with excitement.


    "Nothing, really. We''re just going to make preparations to show our pure and beautiful saintess just how dangerous and ugly the world can be."


    Meralda frowned, thoroughly unimpressed by Adrian''s enthusiasm for mischief.


    "Do we have to do this now?" she groaned.


    Adrian didn''t wait for her to fully wake up and agree. He was already out of his bed and on his feet. "Come on, Meralda, we have no time to waste," he urged, gesturing for her to follow him.


    Reluctantly, Meraldaplied, her form solidifying as she floated beside Adrian. She knew that once he had an idea in his head, there was little she could do to dissuade him. And so, they embarked on an adventure that would involve gathering elements to teach their saintess the less enchanting aspects of the world.