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Emilia soon discovered that, in contrast to her expectations, the absence of the hero didn't cause many waves at school.
While part of it was due to the hero's reduced popularity due to all her efforts, most of the credit actually went to the hero himself.
After all, as someone who was often absent from school and never really interacted with most of his peers, it was no wonder that no one found his unannounced absence strange.
With the Black Tiger Corporation unlikely to make the matter public, especially during their investigation, Emilia was both glad and a little disappointed. She had intended to use this opportunity to further bring down the hero's image, but it would be a waste of effort if Amos wasn't already a hot topic of discussion.
Cynthia couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Isn't it a good thing that everything is going better than expected? Are you trying to pursue excitement now?"
Emilia coughed. 'W-Well, it's not that… I was thinking, now that I had already completed the mission with Amos and Crystal, wouldn't it be better to get started on bringing down the Black Tiger Corporation for the other mission?'
The raven-haired girl tilted her head in confusion. "Hmm? But what does the image of Amos have to do with that?"
Emilia smiled. 'See, once the hero's father collapses, won't everything naturally fall into the hands of Amos? At that time, even if every other heir here doesn't hate dealing with him… with his mentality, would he be able to look past all the insults in his youth? Especially if they have a better alternative for whatever they need from him, that is.'
Cynthia hummed in thought, still not quite convinced. "That's good, but how are you sure that the hero's father will collapse?"
The redhead smirked in her mind. 'Of course he will, haven't you seen how bad their relationship has become? And to make matters worse… Mr. Black clearly cares for his son, despite everything else. Do you understand what it means?'
The raven-haired girl only knew that the hero's father was violent, but she had no idea when her villainess had become familiar with their interpersonal relationship. "Eh? Have you met the hero's father?"
Emilia shook her head in denial. 'No, but I've looked into his dealings in detail. Anyway, no matter how much more capable he is compared to the hero, because Amos is the child he cares for the most… he's bound to fall.'
In this regard, the only question in her mind was whether the man will end up dead or just lose control of the Black Tiger Corporation, but either way it didn't really matter.
Cynthia nodded in understanding. "I see what you mean… Though it could go either way, I think, so you shouldn't be too confident yet. Amos doesn't seem capable enough of taking down his father on his own, no matter what."
Emilia just smiled grimly. 'You'll see.'
After all, even if the hero was incapable and didn't manage to make any friends… it didn't mean that Mr. Black didn't have any opponents within the corporation itself, right?
She was sure that, given the chance, they would surely jump at an opportunity to take the man down using his own son.
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While Emilia was talking to Cynthia in her mind, Crystal was lost in her own thoughts.
Even as a top student, she couldn't be blamed since the discussion in class was mundane, and they were only repeating their thoughts on a story they had already discussed.
The heroine was far more concerned about the fact that she was now able to almost directly feel how someone was feeling as long as she put her mind to it. And what she felt… wasn't always good.
Moreover, that wasn't all. She could also vaguely sense something else, something far more unreasonable, and Crystal didn't even dare think about it without being sure.
After some introspection, she realized that this wasn't a very sudden change, but something that had always been there, but only on a very small scale, so she never noticed it.
But after last night, it was as if a thin film that had been clouding her senses was completely shattered, opening her up to a whole new world.
Crystal didn't believe that Emilia wouldn't let her know about it if she knew, which meant that her gorgeous girlfriend probably had no idea this had happened to her.
Of course, she may be able to help her analyze the reasons why it did occur, and Crystal was currently debating with herself when would be the best time for that discussion.
Drag her with the excuse of being sick right away? No no, it would make her worry, even if it was only for a short moment.
After class? But Emilia would already be surrounded by Dixie, Koko, and others for sure, especially with the upcoming annual events.
Crystal couldn't help but bite her lip as she felt like she was caught in a dilemma. 'I-I guess I can only wait till we're done with school? I wish I had noticed this sooner.'
Meanwhile, the language teacher who was trying her best to ignore the fact that two of her top students were completely ignoring her finally couldn't help it anymore. "Emilia!"
The redhead instantly broke out of her daze. "Yes?"
'Quick, Cynthia, tell me what was going on in the class before?!'
Cynthia, who had been fully focused on the conversation with her partner, could only shrug helplessly. "I heard they were discussing some story about step-sisters in an ancient setting?"
The teacher cleared her throat. "We've read through the story of Celeste and her rough childhood, and have also seen how she aspired to free herself from these shackles, and rose to fame. However, the motivations and actions of the other characters aren't explicitly stated in the story, and we depend on the context to determine them, yes?"
Emilia nodded like a good little student.
The teacher smiled. "Then can you tell me what is your understanding of the character of Celeste's step-sister, Hestia? Why did she bully her step-sister, and also tried to destroy the relationship between her and the prince?"
Emilia had a sudden flash of inspiration, and looking at her shining eyes, Crystal suddenly had a strange feeling. 'She's going to make this teacher cry in regret for asking her the question, isn't she?'
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