Chapter 13 (2/2)

Isaac was sure that Mazelan dumped this work to him because it seemed bothersome and that his thesis was just an excuse. Non-humans were difficult enough to deal with, but if they have a screw loose in their head, there was no telling what disasters were awaiting him.

The Campus was quite the tyrant even during the holidays. They would forcefully kick out all students, even if they volunteered to stay to study. The College was of course, the exception. What was unexpected was that the Campus would provide insubstantial financial support in the name of a ‘travel allowance’, and just as its description, provided insubstantial amount of money for the students.

The only catch was that if they refused this support, they are given priority in riding the s.h.i.+p leaving the Campus. The students from rich families gave up the aid without a second thought in hopes of tasting the freedom that much faster. And the aid would then be delegated to the poorer, commoner students instead. This was a prime example of how well the Campus was run as an organisation, matching its fame.

With all the students leaving, there wasn’t any need for lecturers or professors either. The Campus would basically turn into a ghost town. A giant fleet was a.s.sembled to transport all the students out of the Campus. Isaac thought just how efficient this was when he saw this for the first time in the last holiday season.

The holidays of Campus were akin to a public holiday in the continent. The capital, Gabelin, will be met with a tidal wave of visitors. Not just the students, but all their families will gather to greet them at the harbor. The Empire used this event to train their Navy, performing a large military exercise. They partic.i.p.ate in maneuvering, transporting, and landing exercises. And the amount of money raised from the visiting students and families was astronomical.

Isaac was curious as to how the Capital could handle such a large influx of people in such a short time, but that was part of the training for the military as well. It was training in preparation for a large influx of refugees entering the city during a world crisis, which would increase the Capital’s defence force’s tasks of controlling the ma.s.s traffic to maintain public order. Isaac was astounded as to how efficiently the Empire used this event.

While the entire continent was fired up for the holidays, Isaac was left back in Campus alone. It suited him perfectly. There was no longer a need for him to leave the port to deal with the girls with a forced smile.

The only thing Isaac wasn’t happy about was that even the student cafeteria closes during this time, forcing him to buy food en ma.s.se to last the holidays. He had no problems keeping himself well-fed, but cooking and doing the dishes was a ha.s.sle.

“Yawn! I wonder how many I’ll catch today.”

Lately, he had been spending most of his time fis.h.i.+ng. He wasn’t particularly fond of the activity nor was it his hobby, but it was the best way for him to past time.

Watching the wide and open sea calmed him. It prevented him from remembering. The memories, the past… It’s why he liked fis.h.i.+ng.

“Hm?”

A small dot appeared out of the horizon, and as the dot came closer and closer Isaac began to wonder. There was no need for a supply s.h.i.+p to come to Campus when it’s empty. Yet what sailed in front of him was the supply s.h.i.+p he was very familiar with.

“Ah! Is she coming now?”

Realising he had a guest to receive, Isaac began to clean up his fis.h.i.+ng tools. By the time he was finished, the s.h.i.+p arrived at the port.

“Hey! Isaac, you’re still alive!”

As soon as the s.h.i.+p finished docking, Gonzales came out of the s.h.i.+p to give Isaac a big hug.

“Ow! It hurts!”

Trained by the rough seas, Gonzales was strong enough to beat most men when it came to strength. And all that strength was used to squeeze the life out of Isaac.

“Hahaha, I guess I got too excited.”

“Have you been getting more guests for your inn?”

“Of course! Thanks to you, the dining area is packed from top to bottom!”

Gonzales gave a heartfelt laugh and Isaac followed.

Isaac was Gonzales’ greatest treasure. Thanks to him, Gonzales managed to save his family and gain the respect from his children. Isaac had been constantly reminding him that this business was only lasting 5 years and that he shouldn’t waste his money in luxuries tempted by the sudden boost of income. At the same time, Isaac had been recommending Gonzales’ inn to the commoner students, saying that they’ll receive a warm welcome if they mention Isaac’s name.

“Anyway, I doubt you came here alone, so where is she?”

Gonzales’ face turned strangely at the mention of the guest, and quickly took a more formal stance.

“Ahem. I have to return immediately after dropping this guest. So um, take care.”

“Huh?”

As Gonzales quickly ran back to the s.h.i.+p, something began to come out from the s.h.i.+p.

‘… A teddy bear?’

It was a small bear. Other than the fact she was wearing clothes and walking on two feet, she was most definitely a bear. Not just a normal looking bear too but one that looked like a teddy bear doll. Her white and fluffy fur peaked out from the edges of her clothes, and her small hands and feet tempted Isaac’s petting instinct.

‘Man, this is in a way, incredible temptation.’

If there were any girls around, they would have reacted so fiercely to her cuteness that they would have fainted.

“h.e.l.lo, my *Hubae. My name is Isaac, and I have been tasked with showing you around until you enter the College.”

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TL Note: “Hubae” is the romanization of the Korean word for “undercla.s.sman,” and it has the j.a.panese equivalent of “kouhai.”

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“…”

As she looked up to Isaac with her large sparkling eyes without a word, Isaac stopped his urge to pet her head and continued his words.

“Not going to speak your name? Then out of convenience, I’ll call you Teddy Bear.”

“…Kunette.”

“Kunette? A pretty name.”

The bear nodded without a word. Isaac was starting to wonder if all North Bears were like this until he remembered Mazelan’s mention of how their personalities are special.

“It’ll be short, but let’s try to get along.”

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