The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 51

Episode 51

Rose felt like she wanted to rush to the antique shop of magic engineering right away. It was a club activity day, a chance to explore the area near the train station, and it would be difficult to find time on another day.

‘It should be fun. There must be a lot of fascinating things, like those old engines they don’t use anymore…’

Rose blinked her eyes continuously, almost without realizing it. Her cheeks turned slightly pink. Just imagining it, the shop seemed like heaven itself.

Then Rose tightly closed her eyes and tried to regain her composure.

‘No, it would be awkward for me to come between Adela and Jasper. Adela would probably feel uncomfortable…’

But it was an antique shop, of all places. Shouldn’t she, as a magic engineering major, visit it?

Before Rose could resolve her inner dilemma, Briley spoke up.

“Oh, an antique shop? Sounds great! Especially for Rose, it seems like she’ll probably lose her mind there. You three go there then. We’ll go shopping, and don’t forget to mark the stores on the map!”

Afterward, Briley and Rebecca disappeared in the direction of the hat shop with excited steps.

“Ah.”

Rose only awkwardly muttered as she looked belatedly at the two who had disappeared into the crowd. She took a step back, casting a glance at Adela and Jasper.

Adela smiled gently and said softly.

“Shall we go too? Will Jasper guide us?”

Without responding, Jasper turned around and walked away briskly. Rose noticed a slight stiffness in Adela’s lips.

‘…Looks like she’s hurt.’

Adela is a human, but even though she is constantly ignored, she couldn’t care less. Rose got closer to Adela and gently held her arm.

“Let’s go, Adela.”

“…Yes. That person is really cold.”

Adela’s voice lacked its usual strength. Rose glanced at Jasper, who was already walking some distance away, and whispered.

“Jasper has always been… like that….” 

It’s uncertain if it’s comforting or not.

* * *

The Williams Antique Shop, opened by a retired former engineer, had only been in business for a short time. The owner, Mr. Williams, had a pathological hobby of collecting machinery related to magic engineering. 

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he opened the store because he no longer had space in his house’s storage for all the items. His passion for collecting was palpable in the antique shop.

When Rose entered the shop, her lips parted in amazement as she looked at the shelves filled with collectibles on both sides. Due to the sheer volume of items and the clutter, it was doubtful whether there was any intention to make a proper sale.

It seemed like the reason this place wasn’t very famous was apparent. There was not a single other customer in the shop, and the owner seemed to be absent, as the counter was empty. However, to Rose, it felt like heaven. Rose’s pupils moved restlessly as she scanned the shelves.

‘Wow… How did Jasper find this place?’ 

The shelves were mainly piled with whimsical toys. In the early days of magic engineering, the process of purifying magic stones was much less efficient, so even after purification, the energy yield was not very high. During that time, magic engineering was considered a fascinating and somewhat comical artisanal technology by the public. The most extensive application of magic stone engines was in the toy industry, used primarily to power children’s toys.

Rose muttered in amazement.

“There are so many incredible things here….” 

Even Adela mumbled in agreement.

“Indeed. Are these all items for sale?”

Even Adela, who was usually calm, had a slightly piqued expression on her face now. She had claimed to be interested in magic engineering, and she truly seemed fascinated.

Jasper stood right in front of the door with an inscrutable expression. Adela looked at Jasper and spoke. 

“Thank you for bringing me here. This is an amazing shop.” 

Jasper didn’t respond.

Rose had no interest in their conversation, so she approached the corner on the left where there were toy soldiers. 

On the turntable, the soldiers were constantly spinning around, drawing circles. It looked quite old at first glance, but it moved quite intricately. Its size was similar to Rose’s forearm. A magic stone engine for moving toy soldiers, not a train. From today’s perspective, it was a ridiculous luxury item.

Faintly in the background, Rose could hear Adela and Jasper talking, but she quickly became absorbed in the toy, unintentionally bending at the waist and peering closely.

From the room next to the counter, the owner, Williams, emerged, clearing his throat.

“Oh my.”

The shop owner seemed to have just woken up from a nap. His white hair was disheveled, and glasses perched precariously on his nose.

After clearing his throat a few times, Williams spoke.

“What can I help you find? It’s been two days since I’ve had a customer… This feels a bit awkward… You’ve come from a prestigious place.”

All three of them were wearing Academy uniforms. Adela walked toward the counter, perhaps with a question for Williams.

Rose decided to explore whatever caught her eye. Probably, in just one day, she wouldn’t be able to examine even half of the items in this place.

‘I should come back when I have more time.’

But she couldn’t predict when that would be. She had a busy schedule ahead, with midterms and the upcoming contest.

As she focused on the shelves, lost in thought, Jasper approached her quietly and stood next to Rose. She didn’t sense his presence until a large shadow fell next to her, causing her to turn her head and look at Jasper.

Jasper furrowed his eyebrows and whispered.

“What do you think?”

“Hmm?”

“Is this place okay?”

“Oh, yeah! There are so many amazing things here.”

“Really?”

“Jasper, do you have something you’re looking for too?”

“No, don’t worry about me. Just enjoy browsing.”

Jasper casually nodded towards the shelves. Rose nodded in response and turned her gaze back to the antiques.

As she looked around, Jasper’s gaze could be felt intermittently from the side. At first, Jasper’s presence bothered her, but before she knew it, Rose was fully immersed in exploring the antiques.

As Rose moved swiftly, her gaze unexpectedly came to a halt. 

“Oh…”

Rose made a small sound unconsciously. It was because she had come across something oddly familiar. It was a Pavilion-style lamp music box.

‘Hmm, where have I seen something similar before?’

Even though there was not a single lamp music box in Rose’s house, this product strangely felt familiar. As she tilted her head and gazed at the music box for a moment, a memory from the past suddenly surfaced in her mind.

“Have the music box ever experienced a strong impact? This is a mana engine issue. One of the rings in the engine is missing. Hmm, if we reattach it, it should work properly again.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Just wait a moment… Oh, it seems the lid opens. Can I try fixing it?”

“If you can.”

In her younger days, Rose had met Jasper Conway at Count Bluewood’s gathering.

“Look at this. I fixed it!”

Her excited voice echoed vividly in her mind for a moment.

‘It looks exactly like the music box I repaired back then.’

Now she could finally understand why this music box had captured her attention. Rose withdrew her hand that had hesitated to reach out towards the music box.

Her heart raced, and her mind felt uneasy. Rose cleared her throat and tried to control her expression quickly.

‘Jasper probably doesn’t remember.’

The girl she had met at that gathering was herself.

Rosalie Verden. She chewed on her name, a name she had buried in her memories and never wanted to bring up again.

‘Come to think of it… That event was probably Adela’s birthday celebration.’

Several years had passed, and now they found themselves in the same space, a truly strange coincidence.

‘I wonder if he still has that music box?’

At the time, it seemed to be a very precious item to Jasper. However, it had been a long time, and even if Jasper had such a music box, Rose was not bothered if he had forgotten about it.

While trying to maintain a casual expression, Rose shifted her gaze to other items. But suddenly, Jasper, who had been silently watching, approached and spoke.

“It looks like you like this.”

Rose was startled and turned to Jasper. Jasper gestured toward the music box.

“Oh, um, yes. It’s lovely.”

Rose forced a smile, lifting the corners of her lips. Jasper casually picked up the music box.

“Do you want it?”

Rose quickly shook her head. 

“No, there’s no need. I just found it interesting. It’s… pretty.”

Jasper gazed at Rose with quiet, contemplative eyes. Rose, avoiding his gaze, clutched her skirt tightly. From Jasper’s nonchalant question, it seemed like he had no particular attachment to this music box.

‘He probably won’t.’

Rose thought. It had to be that way.

As Rose tried to calm her rapidly beating heart, Adela, who had been chatting with the shop owner for a while, approached them. In Adela’s hand was a well-wrapped gift box exuding an elegant atmosphere.

Adela handed the box directly to Jasper. 

“It’s a gift.”

Jasper’s gaze, which had been fixed on Rose, shifted slowly. He frowned slightly as he looked at Adela. Although Jasper’s expression was cold, Adela spoke calmly.

“Will you accept it?”