Chapter 14
Ms. Georgia had barely turned back to the board when a loud flutter echoed through the classroom.
A blur of brown feathers shot in through the open window.
"Eek!"
The bird zigzagged wildly over the students' heads, knocking loose sheets of paper into the air.
"Pigeon!"
"No, that's a dove!"
"Who cares?! Get it away from me!"
Within seconds the orderly classroom descended into complete pandemonium.
One student ducked beneath their desk. Another climbed onto theirs. Someone at the back was laughing so hard they could barely breathe.
"This is the best lesson ever!" one of the boys shouted as the bird swooped inches above his head.
Mika doubled over, tears forming in her eyes. "I can't breathe—Amanda, your face!"
Amanda, who had been trying very hard to maintain her elegant image, had abandoned all dignity.
"It's coming this way!"
She waved her notebook like a sword. "Stay back! Ew—ew—not my hair!"
The bird changed direction so abruptly that it sent a few feathers drifting through the air.
Unfortunately, its new course led straight toward Ms. Georgia.
"Oh dear!"
The startled teacher stumbled backwards. Her glasses slipped from her face. The stack of worksheets she'd been holding scattered across the floor like autumn leaves.
"My papers! My glasses!"
Meanwhile the poor bird, trapped in an unfamiliar room, flew even more frantically.
It darted toward the window.
Freedom!
Thud.
The class collectively winced as it slammed beak-first into the closed glass.
The little creature tumbled onto the windowsill, dazed.
Amanda finally saw her chance.
"Move!"
She snatched the thickest textbook on her desk.
"If it won't leave peacefully—"
Before she could throw it—
A hand caught the book.
Amanda blinked. "...Huh?"
Elara stood beside her, holding the textbook with surprising ease.
She smiled apologetically. "I believe that would hurt the little one."
Amanda puffed out her cheeks. "It's just a bird!"
"No."
Elara gently set the book back onto the desk. "It is a frightened life."
Those simple words caused the room to fall strangely quiet.
Elara slowly approached the windowsill.
The tiny bird trembled violently, pressing itself into the corner.
"There now..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"No one here wishes you harm."
She slowly extended one finger.
Instead of grabbing the bird, she waited.
"..."
"..."
The little creature hesitated.
Then, almost unbelievably, it hopped onto her finger by itself.
A chorus of surprised gasps spread through the classroom.
Elara smiled softly. "There you are."
She carefully cupped it in both hands. Its tiny heart beat frantically against her palms.
"You must have been terrified."
With infinite gentleness, she stroked the feathers along its tiny head.
Once. Twice. Again.
"It's alright. You've done very well. There is nothing to fear anymore."
The trembling gradually stopped.
The bird tilted its head, looking up at her with curious little eyes.
The room had become so quiet that everyone could hear its tiny chirps.
Even Mika had stopped laughing.
"...She's like a Disney princess," someone whispered.
Charlotte rested her chin on her hand with a faint smile. "Heh... wasn't expecting that."
Amanda folded her arms and looked away. "...It's still just a bird."
Several classmates slowly turned to look at her.
One boy frowned. "Remind me never to let you babysit my goldfish."
A wave of laughter swept through the room.
Amanda's face immediately turned red. "I wasn't going to hurt it that badly!"
Elara walked to the window. This time she carefully slid it open.
She raised her hand.
The bird remained perched there for another moment, as though reluctant to leave.
Then, with one cheerful chirp...
It spread its wings.
And disappeared into the golden afternoon sky.
Elara watched until it became nothing more than a tiny silhouette.
"I'm glad you're safe."
Only then did she notice Ms. Georgia kneeling on the floor, patting around blindly.
"My glasses... where did they..."
Elara quickly bent down, spotting the spectacles beneath a nearby desk.
"I believe these belong to you, Ms. Georgia."
The teacher looked up in surprise. "My glasses!"
Elara gently placed them into her hands before kneeling to gather the scattered worksheets.
"I'll help."
Several nearby students immediately joined in.
Within moments the classroom had returned to order.
Ms. Georgia adjusted her glasses before looking at Elara with a warmth that hadn't been there before.
"Thank you, dear. It seems our class has gained quite a remarkable young lady."
---
Elara noticed a girl with glasses glaring at her from across the room.
She nudged Mika with her elbow.
"Have I done something that might have offended her?"
"Oh, her? Don't mind her too much. Her name is Trisha, and she's basically the teacher's pet. So you helping Ms. Georgia was like you stealing her moment."
"Teacher's pet?"
"Basically students who help teachers a lot, usually in exchange for gaining the teacher's favor. Although in Trisha's case I think it's because she's a perfectionist."
"I see."
"Yeah, she works really hard to be a model student."
---
The first lesson passed in a blur of introductions, laughter and the occasional argument between Amanda and half the class.
Before long, the bell rang.
"Alright, everyone," Ms. Georgia announced while gathering the stack of textbooks she had brought earlier. "We'll continue from here tomorrow."
She bent over to lift the heavy pile.
"I'll help."
"I'll carry them."
Two voices overlapped.
Ms. Georgia blinked.
Standing beside her were Elara and Trisha.
For a brief second the two girls looked at one another.
"..."
"..."
Then both smiled.
"It seems we had the same idea," Trisha said politely.
"It would appear so."
Ms. Georgia laughed awkwardly. "Well... there are two stacks, so I suppose that solves the problem."
The girls each picked one up.
---
The moment they stepped outside the classroom, silence followed them down the corridor.
For nearly half a minute neither said anything.
Eventually Trisha spoke.
"...Why?"
Elara tilted her head. "Pardon?"
"Why are you doing all this?"
"The books?"
"No."
Trisha adjusted her grip.
"You've been helping Ms. Georgia since the lesson started. You rescued the bird. You picked up her papers. You found her glasses. And now this."
She looked straight at Elara.
"What exactly are you trying to accomplish?"
Elara looked genuinely confused.
"Accomplish?"
"Yes. There has to be a reason."
Elara thought for several seconds.
"...Because she looked like she needed help."
Trisha stared. "...That's it?"
"Should there be another reason?"
"You aren't trying to become the teacher's favorite?"
"No."
"Earn extra privileges?"
"I didn't even know that was a possibility."
"Improve your reputation?"
Elara blinked. "Does helping someone improve one's reputation?"
"...Usually."
"How peculiar."
Trisha narrowed her eyes. "...You're serious."
"Of course."
Elara smiled softly.
"Where I come from, knights exist to aid those around them. One does not calculate whether helping another is profitable."
She looked ahead.
"If someone is struggling, you help. That's all."
Something inside Trisha wavered.
She had spent years trying to become the perfect student.
Perfect grades. Perfect attendance. Perfect behavior.
She volunteered because excellent students volunteered.
She answered questions because excellent students answered questions.
She helped teachers because...
Because that was what excellent students were supposed to do.
When was the last time she'd helped simply because someone needed it?
She couldn't remember.
---
They reached the staff room.
Ms. Georgia happily accepted the books.
"Oh my goodness, thank you girls. It would've taken me three trips."
"My pleasure."
"Think nothing of it."
Ms. Georgia smiled warmly.
"Honestly, Elara... you've only been here half a day and you've already brightened the classroom."
Elara scratched her cheek awkwardly. "I merely did what anyone would."
Trisha silently disagreed.
No. Not everyone would.
---
As they walked back toward class, Trisha suddenly stopped.
"Elara."
"Hm?"
"I've made a decision."
Elara turned.
Trisha extended a hand.
"I still intend to become the best student in Class 1-B."
Her normally gentle smile became surprisingly competitive.
"So from today onward..."
"...you're my rival."
Elara stared.
Then her face lit up.
"Wonderful!"
She immediately shook Trisha's hand enthusiastically.
"I accept!"
Trisha almost laughed.
Most rivals glared.
This girl looked excited.
"...You're strange."
"I've been told that before."
"I can see why."
---
By the time they returned to Class 1-B, another teacher had already begun writing equations across the board.
Unlike Ms. Georgia's lively atmosphere, the classroom had become deathly quiet.
Each scrape of chalk against the board somehow sounded intimidating.
Mr. Bernard didn't even look around.
"You are three minutes and twelve seconds late."
Elara looked surprised. "...You counted?"
"I always count."
"...Impressive."
The class collectively lowered their heads.
Amanda whispered, "He's scary."
Charlotte nodded. "Terrifying."
Mr. Bernard finally turned around.
His sharp eyes swept across the room before landing on Elara.
"The transfer student."
"Yes."
"You may sit."
"Thank you, Commander."
"..."
"..."
"...Commander?"
Mr. Bernard adjusted his glasses. "I'm a mathematics teacher."
"My sincerest apologies."
Elara bowed.
"The aura you possess reminded me of the commander of our royal knights."
"...I'll take that as a compliment."
A few students covered their mouths.
Mika bit her lip.
Please don't laugh. Please don't laugh.
She lasted exactly three seconds.
"Pfft—"
Soon the entire class was trying—and failing—not to laugh.
Even Mr. Bernard let out the smallest sigh.
"...Sit down before someone suffocates from holding their laughter."
"At once."
Elara hurried to her seat.
---
The lesson resumed.
Almost immediately, the scratching of pencils filled the room.
Elara stared at the first question.
Unlike English, mathematics proved to be Elara's greatest weakness.
Mr. Bernard solved an equation. Elara copied every symbol perfectly...
...and somehow reached an answer that wasn't even mathematically possible.
She frowned at her notebook.
"Negative... apple?"
She slowly raised her hand.
"Sir Knight."
"...Mr. Bernard."
"My apologies."
She corrected herself immediately.
"Sir. Bernard. How does one obtain negative fruit?"
The classroom exploded.
Even Mr. Bernard had to remove his glasses for a second.
"...You don't."
"I thought as much."
He walked over. "You made an arithmetic error here."
"Oh! I see."
"No..."
She looked again.
"I do not."
Mr. Bernard patiently explained it.
She nodded confidently. "I understand."
Five minutes later...
"...I've somehow arrived at negative oranges."
Amanda nearly fell off her chair laughing.
Even Trisha couldn't hide a smile.
Mr. Bernard simply rubbed his forehead. "This may take a while."
And surprisingly...
...he didn't seem bothered by it.
Whenever Elara misunderstood something, she immediately admitted it.
Whenever corrected, she listened carefully.
Whenever she failed...
...she tried again without the slightest embarrassment.
There was no pride. No excuses. No fear of looking foolish.
Only genuine determination.
By the time the independent exercise began, Mr. Bernard noticed something unexpected.
Although Elara still made mistakes...
...she never repeated the same mistake twice.
Her improvement was absurdly fast.
When the papers were handed in, he quietly marked them while the class worked.
Eventually he reached Elara's.
"...Hmm."
Not a high score.
Not even close.
But when he compared it to the paper she had turned in at the start of the lesson...
He set down his pen.
---
"We will now continue with—"
Snap.
The chalk broke in half.
"..."
Without a word, he walked toward his desk to fetch another.
Before he could reach it...
A fresh piece of chalk appeared in front of him.
He looked down.
Elara smiled politely. "Here you are."
"..."
"..."
Mr. Bernard accepted it.
"...Thank you."
He returned to the board.
A few students exchanged glances.
"She helped Mr. Bernard?"
"He thanked her..."
---
The lesson continued.
A few minutes later, Mr. Bernard finished writing a long equation across the board.
He reached into his pocket for his pen.
Nothing.
He checked another pocket.
Still nothing.
"..."
Without saying a word, Elara quietly walked over.
"I believe this is yours."
She held out the pen he'd left on his desk earlier.
Mr. Bernard stared at it.
"...You noticed."
"You seemed as though you would require it."
"...I see."
Again, no scolding. No complaint.
He simply took it.
The class was beginning to look confused.
---
Not long afterwards...
A ruler slipped from the edge of the teacher's desk.
Before it even touched the floor—
Elara caught it.
"You have impressive reflexes."
"Thank you."
She placed it back on the desk.
"You know..."
Mr. Bernard finally looked directly at her.
"...You don't need to keep helping me."
Elara tilted her head. "Why not?"
"...Because these are trivial matters."
She thought for a moment before smiling.
"I disagree."
Mr. Bernard raised an eyebrow.
"If I can save you even a few seconds each lesson, then that is more time you can spend teaching us."
The room became completely silent.
"..."
"..."
For the first time all lesson...
Mr. Bernard didn't have an immediate response.
Instead, he quietly turned back to the board.
"Very well."
---
From the corner of the room, Trisha bit her lip.
That... actually worked?
She'd spent months trying to earn Mr. Bernard's approval.
She always answered questions correctly. Always submitted homework first. Always greeted him politely.
Yet he'd remained exactly the same.
Meanwhile the transfer student had spoken to him for less than an hour...
...and somehow she'd gotten him to say thank you twice.
What exactly am I doing wrong?
---
The lesson soon shifted to another short exercise.
"Ten minutes. No discussion. Begin."
Even Mr. Bernard couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from twitching as he returned to his desk.
By the end of the exercise, Elara's answers still weren't perfect.
But every mistake was different from the last.
She wasn't repeating them.
She was learning.
Mr. Bernard looked over her paper.
"...Remarkable."
"I still got several wrong."
"Yes."
He nodded. "But you did not repeat a single mistake."
He placed the paper back on her desk.
"That is rarer than a perfect score."
The class stared.
Coming from Mr. Bernard...
That might as well have been a standing ovation.
He quietly placed three Personal Liberty cards onto her desk.
"For diligence. For courage to ask questions. And..."
He hesitated.
"...for reminding me that teaching someone willing to learn is enjoyable."
The room froze.
Did Mr. Bernard just compliment someone?
---
Then it happened.
Amanda slowly raised a trembling finger.
"U-Um... Sir..."
Mr. Bernard looked up. "Yes?"
"...You're smiling."
"..."
He instinctively touched his own face.
The class leaned forward.
For the first time in recorded history...
The legendary stone-faced mathematics teacher...
...was smiling.
It wasn't a big smile. Just a small one.
Warm. Genuine. Real.
Silence.
Then—
The classroom exploded.
"HE SMILED!"
"NO WAY!"
"I SAW IT TOO!"
"Mika, slap me!"
"I'm busy freaking out myself!"
Mr. Bernard immediately cleared his throat. "...Settle down."
It only made them laugh harder.
---
At that exact moment...
Ding!
The classroom speakers crackled to life.
Todd's cheerful voice echoed through the room.
"Attention, Class 1-B."
"Congratulations on achieving something many believed impossible."
The entire class went quiet.
"After reviewing today's classroom reports... I am delighted to announce that Class 1-B has successfully made Mr. Bernard smile during a mathematics lesson."
A beat of silence.
Then—
"As promised by academy policy, Class 1-B is hereby awarded ten Class Liberties."
The room erupted louder than before.
"WE HAVE A POLICY FOR THAT?!"
"I DON'T EVEN CARE, WE GOT TEN LIBERTIES!"
Mika threw both fists into the air. "ELARAAAAAA!"
Amanda slumped over her desk. "I've spent a whole year trying to impress him..."
Trisha sighed dramatically. "...I have officially found my rival."
Mr. Bernard simply adjusted his glasses. "...This academy rewards the strangest accomplishments."
From the speaker came Todd's chuckle.
"That's because the strangest accomplishments are often the most memorable."
The announcement ended.
Mr. Bernard looked toward Elara one last time.
"...Welcome to Class 1-B."
For such a reserved man...
Those four words meant more than any speech could have.
---
Trisha stared at her own paper.
Three liberty cards lay on Elara's desk.
Trisha had never received a liberty card from Mr. Bernard.
Not once.
She looked down at her hands.
Then back up.
Her expression hardened.
Fine.
If that's how it is...
She picked up her pen and wrote something in the margin of her notebook.
Elara noticed from across the aisle.
"What did you write?"
Trisha turned her notebook so Elara could see.
Beat Elara. No excuses. No shortcuts.
Elara read it.
Then smiled.
She picked up her own pen.
And wrote beneath it:
I look forward to it.
Trisha blinked.
Then—despite herself—laughed.
"...You're impossible."
"So I've been told."
---
Meanwhile, in another part of the academy...
Haru's day was about to get considerably more complicated.
— END OF CHAPTER —