Rotsard reached out to Justin the next day before the lectures and explained in detail what he meant as per Syon's advice. From the looks alone, the news seemed to be much more of a blow to the future hero than the bleached-blond-haired youth ever expected, but in the end, it didn't change the plan.
…Rotsard's death being essential to the story, changing it and going against the Arch Deofol directly could very well lead to the end of humanity…
Maybe... just maybe...
Following the story to the letter was the better choice...
It once again became clear to Rotsard why the deofol openly explained everything to him in such detail.
The torment it inflicted on him… that accursed being must have been reveling in his suffering!
That's why...
Justin did arrive in the empty classroom in the evening, his real form, that of a short, petite black-haired girl, only that dressed in clothes practical for training and not the maid uniform like before.
In Rotsard's eyes, it was a statement that Justin was serious about the training he was about to receive, and nothing could make the bleached-blond-haired youth happier.
Training together also gave Rotsard a chance to openly interact with Justin's contracted fae, which was also easing his anxiety a lot. He did not share the future nor his plans about it to anyone else, though…
Syon and Rotsard both used spells on the classroom, making it one of the best training spaces in the entire Nordenthele kingdom, and Justin was taking full advantage of it.
With increasingly more knowledge about his own abilities, Rotsard could adjust the training accordingly to aid the future hero more efficiently. With the incorporation of internal magic, swordsmanship, and the contracted fae, Justin could start to develop the techniques and battle style that only originally emerged late into the story.
In the following days, with the beginning of the end of the year exams as the arbitrary finish line, the future hero wasn't just making progress. His abilities improved by leaps and bounds, and Rotsard couldn't be happier!
While Rotsard was growing more restless with each day, those training sessions were the only moments he was calming down.
Justin and Polaris weren't simply meeting his expectations but rather exceeding all of them.
On the day before the last day of their training, Justin, with Polaris clinging to his left arm, actually managed to destroy the two ice puppets that Rotsard thought they would at most scratch!
"Ahaha~ You cheeky buggers~!"
As the shattered ice littered the ground, Rotsard was already by their side, hugging both the petite girl and the golden cub clinging to her arm, his face half burrowed in the fur and half brushing against a sweaty nape.
"!?"
"Nnraoo~!"
Both were surprised as neither noticed him approaching despite being focused and alert. Their reactions were completely different, too. The girl flinched in shock while the bear cub let out a joyous growl, reciprocating the hug as soon as it could.
"Amazing! Both of you are amazing!"
"...ehehe~"
Rotsard cheered out, picking up the girl and twirling together. As soon as the girl adjusted, she blushed and let out a slightly inappropriate giggle, using the chance to lean into the bleached-blond-haired youth just like her contracted fae was doing… only without the innocence of the baby fae…
"Muah~ Muah~"
"Nrao~!"
"!!!"
After a moment, Rotsard put them down, but then, overtaken by the moment, he ended up kissing the fuzzy head of the golden cub… and then, as if going with the flow, he kissed the petite girl's forehead too, making her freeze up with widened eyes!
"...a…!"
Right then, Rotsard realised his mistake and froze up with an awkward expression, hurriedly stepping away.
"Sorry! I wasn't going to…! It just seems that when I'm worried, I end up looking for skinship and… a-anyway…! I apologize for the inappropriate behavior!"
His initial reaction was to apologize, his face burning with shame as he stuttered through the apology.
"Y-you're not innocent either! You made your forehead too kissable! What's with the tier of your disguise spell!?"
But after a moment, his nature kicked in, and he started partially pushing the blame back on the petite girl who was standing there in silence, pressing both hands against her forehead without showing her expression.
"...!"
She ended up flinching at the remark, her shoulders trembled, and then she looked up at the bleached-blond-haired youth bashfully.
"I… I have a… kissable forehead…?"
"!!!"
She asked shyly while blushing so hard her head was basically letting out steam, causing Rotsard to flinch as he realized that he only made things more awkward.
"E-exactly! And while we're at it, you made your appearance way too cute! You should have been more considerate of me! Although, to your defense, you did dress up modestly... so, it's not like you went overboard… maybe it is just my fault after all… Agh! Nevermind! Today's training is over! You did a great job, and you should be very proud of yourself! Don't forget to show up tomorrow too, I'll get you something to commemorate your achievement!"
At first, Rotsard stepped forward, doubling down on his declaration, but then backed off again, too self-aware to push it any further, and then he even backtracked before waving his hand dismissively and declaring before turning around and leaving the classroom without looking back.
"...Polaris, did you hear…? I'm cute~ I'm too cute, and I have a kissable forehead~!"
Even after he left, Blanid stayed in the same spot, still holding her forehead before giggling uncontrollably, all fidgety as she boasted to her contracted fae.