"...Did you say something?"
When I asked this, Solare shook his head from side to side. However, his expression had clearly darkened.
"...If there's something you want to say, please tell us. I might be able to help."
I asked once more, but Solare fell completely silent and still. This might have been because Glenn was present.
Thinking this, I looked at Glenn.
"...Perhaps I should step out."
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Glenn let out a sad sigh and stood up. Solare didn't look up once the entire time Glenn was leaving the room.
Glenn was undoubtedly deeply worried about Solare, so why did Solare avert his eyes? After Glenn left the room, Solare seemed to relax his shoulders just a little.
Noting this, I carefully addressed him.
"...As we heard earlier, Shenley here also had a very difficult time, similar to you, Solare-kun. She experienced painful, sad, and frustrating things. While perhaps not everything, I believe she understands your feelings. For that matter, I myself experienced bullying when I was young, so I should be able to offer counsel."
"Eh!? Aoi-sensei, you...!?"
Somehow, even though I was speaking to Solare, a surprised voice came from Shenley.
Tilting my head at that, I continued.
"...I was young once too."
Giving an ambiguous answer, I looked back on the past. The bullying had happened during my junior high school days in Japan. After I had participated in a tournament in my first year and achieved results, a third-year senior took notice of me. I lost count of the times my uniform got cut with scissors, or I was hit hard on the head and face with a shinai under the guise of 'practice.'
Well, I subdued them all within half a year, but I still remember how incredibly tough it had been.
"...In Aoi-sensei's case, it wasn't just one-sided, was it?"
Since Shenley brought that up, I agreed somewhat passively for the moment.
"At first, I endured it. But I realized things couldn't continue like that, so I worked hard until I could defeat anyone in a one-on-one match. After days of requesting practice matches myself and thoroughly defeating everyone in front of the whole group, the bullying eventually stopped. I was lucky that the bullying ended so easily, but I think it would have been very painful if it had continued."
When I answered, Shenley and Solare stared at me with stunned, wide-eyed expressions.
"...I don't think Aoi-sensei could be bullied anywhere."
"...It would be amazing if I could be like that... but it seems impossible for me..."
As they said this, they naturally looked at each other. Both exchanged a somewhat wry smile, and the atmosphere in the room lightened a bit.
"Well then, as fellow victims of bullying, let's speak frankly."
When I announced this, the two looked at me with rather complicated expressions.
"...O-okay."
"Fellow victims...?"
For some reason, the mood became a bit awkward, but I addressed Solare once more.
"From what I've heard, Solare-kun, I understand you possess exceptional talent in magic. Because of that, you advanced to the high school division classes at Fiddiq Academy at a remarkably fast pace... However, I also heard that you suffered considerable harassment from other students who were jealous of your talent. Is that correct?"
When I confirmed this, Solare looked down with a pained expression.
For a moment, silence filled the room, but eventually, Solare began to speak on his own.
"...I-I wasn't harassed because of magic. I was harassed... as a defective elf...!"
"...A defective elf?"
At Solare's words, I unconsciously frowned and asked for clarification. I had indeed heard that young elves from the elven kingdom were also harassed. But was Solare harassed by other students for not being an elf as well?
As I pondered this, Solare narrowed his eyes and sighed.
"...When I moved up to the middle school division classes, the students already there knew I was the headmaster's grandson. Perhaps because of that, not many people talked to me. But there wasn't much harassment either... However, when the elf person transferred in..."
Solare trembled, clenching his fingers tightly, as he recounted the past events.
"In the elven kingdom, half-elves and their children are apparently mocked as defective... The rumor spread through the academy that I was defective. Sometimes people threw stones at me... Sometimes a stranger would trip me as they walked past... And then, everyone would laugh. They'd all... point at me..."
Solare's shoulders trembled. Seeing this, Shenley's eyes welled up with tears.
"...Did those elves instigate those things to happen?"
If so, I would have to storm that so-called Elven Kingdom. Resolved, I asked for confirmation, but Solare shook his head.
"...I don't think they specifically gave orders or involved other seniors in the harassment. It's just... after they started saying bad things about me in front of everyone, the other people started treating me coldly too..."
Hearing Solare whisper this in a fading voice, I recalled something I learned during my teaching internship.
"...Group psychology, isn't it?"
Two Chapters today to make up for the missed release on Wednesday. Happy Reading!!