Elise's Revenge

From Akira's perspective

"What's up? You seem spaced out."

I was sitting on the dorm bed when Hans suddenly spoke to me.

"No, it's nothing."

I was surprised at how flustered I looked, as if straight out of a painting.

"Ha ha ha. Have you fallen for Elise?"

"No way!"

Despite my protest, Hans continued with a serious look and tone.

"I don't know why you teamed up with her, but you should stay away from that girl."

"What do you mean?"

"That girl lives for revenge against a certain man."

Here's what Hans told me:

Her father was a journalist.

He was investigating a certain federal congressman.

There were rumors that the congressman was sacrificing humans to demons in exchange for money to line his own pockets, but there was no proof.

It was thought to be a rumor, but her father relentlessly gathered information without giving up.

Then, one day, he was found dead in the water.

Elise was found weeping beside his body.

"Uwaaaah. Daddy..."

People in the town whispered that Elise was planning revenge.

Cursing her powerless civilian status, she aimed to become an elite by enrolling at the Miravenia School of Magic.

She intended to become a police bureaucrat, a position that would give her access to information not available to the general public.

"That girl is foolish. Even someone like me, who's just from the same hometown, knows about her plot. It's certain that she's marked by the congressman's associates. How could she become a police bureaucrat just by achieving good grades at this school, in such a state? Besides, the police is a male-dominated society where combat magic skills are crucial. A woman has no chance of rising to the top."

I felt overwhelmed by the sea of information, but I tried to process his words one by one.

"That's why I was interested in who Elise would partner with, but I never imagined it would be you from Kirin Class. I'm not saying you're a bad guy. I thought she would cling to a more straight-A student to form a pair. Being assigned to Kirin Class is like aiming for expulsion, right? Surely, that would keep her safe. But it takes her further away from her real goals."

The mystery only deepened.

"By the way..."

I decided to ask Hans a question.

"Can I directly ask her about this? Since we're partners, I want to know what she's thinking."

"Well, I guess that's fine. But don't tell her you heard it from me, okay?"

Hans left the room.

"Revenge, huh..."

I thought to myself.

I understand Elise's feelings, but I don't want her to think of music as a tool for revenge.

I hope she comes to understand the true beauty of music.