56
Many students attend the academy.
Even among peers, relations were often frosty.
Naturally, the relationships between adults and children were not particularly close.
Take, for example, Anastasia.
She was also an academy graduate like Namiya, but their relationship was limited to professional interactions only.
However, the friendly word “Senior” came out of Namiya’s mouth!
“He seems friendly and nice.”
friendly?
Nice?
Kiaros narrowed his eyes involuntarily.
“It seems like you two are very close, given the way you talk about him.”
The idea of Namiia being close to someone was unbelievable.
Didn't she say herself that she didn't have someone to go to restaurants with?
Therefore, it never occurred to Kiaros to have a close male friend.
She always seemed uninterested, and replied coldly: “Oh, yes.”
“I thought the minister didn’t have close male friends.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Doesn't one usually ask why it seems like that?”
Then, Namiya looked at him silently.
Kiaros felt confused and added:
“…isn’t it?”
Namiya sighed deeply before answering.
“I'm just being patient because you're a foreigner.
Normally, you shouldn't talk like this to your boss.
Even having such spontaneous conversations between us isn't common in imperial culture.”
Kiaros did not feel particularly comfortable.
In fact, he felt completely uncomfortable at that moment.
At that moment…
“Naaaaaaaaaa!”
A young man's voice came from outside the office.
Namibia furrowed her eyebrows and mumbled:
“Luca?”
“Sleep!”
With a loud crash, the door opened violently, and a brown-haired young man rushed inside.
Looking at his medical gown, he seemed to be from the Ministry of Health.
"I'm here!
Luca Klass, with whom you have a very special bond, has arrived!"
With unrestrained joy, he shouted Namiya's name, his face filled with happiness.
'I know this face.'
Isn't this the employee from the medical department who took care of Namia the day he was subjected to an assassination attempt?
'But… a special relationship?'
Kiaros blinked in disbelief, feeling dizzy.
'What is this again?'
✧✧✧✧✧✧
After lunch, exactly 20 minutes later.
'You have finally arrived.'
I expected him to arrive at this time, and indeed, Luca Klass did.
But before I could receive him myself...
“Um, why did you come?”
Anastasia, who I was sure had never met Luca before, blocked his way before he could reach the secretary's office.
“Are you looking for the minister?”
Luka's eyes widened in surprise at Anastasia's words, and he opened his mouth.
“Wow.
So, Namiya really is a minister.”
Anastasia looked at Luca with obvious suspicion.
“A-You are an employee at the Ministry of Health, what kind of relationship do you have with our Minister?
And given your relaxed way of talking, are you two… close colleagues?”
Luka laughed lightly and patted his chin.
“We were colleagues in the academy, but it is not just an ordinary colleague.”
His green eyes sparkled with pride as he continued:
"It's a… special relationship.
I'm the one who had the biggest influence on Namiya's life.
We started out as best friends, but in the end, we became each other's everything."
Kibune looked up from the documents he was reviewing, while Luka continued speaking.
“Others didn’t really understand Namiya’s value.
I was the only one who recognized her genius a long time ago, and I kept getting closer to her.”
I couldn't help but laugh lightly at the enthusiasm with which Luca spoke.
“With determination, with real determination, I broke through her indifference, and in the end, she opened her heart to me when we were alone in the imperial clinic.”
That was the day I had an IV.
Well, technically, he wasn't entirely wrong.
That day, I finally gave him a proper answer.
“In the end, I succeeded in breaking the barrier that surrounded her heart and became by her side!
She even announced in front of everyone that we have a special relationship.”
In fact, I was just looking for my “rival” to keep the knight away and be able to talk to the Empress alone...
But from Luca's point of view, it might seem that way.
After we talked about living right from now on, he was referred to as “my competitor” by someone else, and soon I became a minister.
"Is this correct?"
Kibun asked, his eyes wide in surprise.
“Well, it's not entirely a lie...”
Anastasia incidentally answered with a serious expression:
“I-so...”
She blinked nervously.
“Would you like some...coffee?”
“Coffee sounds like a good idea.”
Luca responded enthusiastically, continuing the conversation:
“Very strong coffee, no milk, just a strong smell, please.
But by the way, who are you?”
“Good question.
I'm Anastasia Cayenne, head of the management team.”
"What?
Team leader offering me... coffee?
Oh, um, it's okay!
I'm just a fourth-year employee..."
'I don't think that suits your expectations either, does it?
Well, let's accept what is offered to us.'
I sighed and left my office, while Kibune quickly followed me.
“Luca.”
I scratched my cheek and greeted him.
"It seems so.
But since we're in a formal environment, can you address me by my title?
It seems a little strange to me."
“Hey, even though we are in front of others, how could I suddenly start calling you that… I will address you as ‘Minister’.”
Luca said, taking a serious pose.
Although he did not look particularly serious, his height and elegant appearance were not bad to look at.
He became more self-absorbed as he continued talking.
“Wow, my insight, my persuasion skills.
Aren’t they amazing?
How can I grasp the situation and speak so quickly?”
“Well, um...”
“I told you to value yourself and then, boom, now you're the minister...”
“Well, um...”
“When I suggested competing for the promotion, you accepted it immediately, didn’t you?
Haha, it’s just like you passed the entrance exam...”
That was when I was giving short answers.
“Hmm?”
Kibun narrowed his eyes angrily after hearing the word “rivalry.”
Luca continued, raising his chin.
“Everyone in the Ministry of Health heard about the fact that the minister referred to me as a competitor.”
Kibun interrupted him at that moment.
"Rivals?
You two?"
Luka looked at Kibun, looking confused.
It's like he's thinking: "What's wrong with this person again?"
“Oh, sorry,”
Finally, I intervened.
“This apprentice is still a little fluent in the imperial language.
Perhaps he misunderstood the term ‘rival’.”
“Trainee?
Is that so...”
I was taken back by memories of a previous conversation with Luca about a clueless intern.
Luca's words were cut off hurriedly and she explained,
“Yes, he is back.
There was some misunderstanding between us.”
“But… he dares to interrupt the conversation between the minister and her ‘rival’?
With such casual words?”
"He's from another country, so our culture is a little different.
I'll make sure he's taught properly from now on."
Kibbon then made an apparently apologetic excuse.
“Sorry.
I mean… it just seemed a little weird to me.”
"What do you mean?"
“To call it a special relationship, and say that you opened your hearts to each other, and supported each other...it seemed like a romantic relationship.”
Immediately, Luca's face and mine looked like an expression of disgust.
“Apprentice, your thoughts are completely impure.”
Luca said, frowning as if he had been deeply insulted.
"How can you imagine such things when you look at this beautiful display of fair competition?
Is there a law that says a man and a woman cannot be real competitors?
Can't standing by someone's side be explained any other way?
Do you go home and drown yourself in substandard romance novels?"
Anastasia quickly shrank and pulled out a book titled <After I Stopped Being the Hero's Rival, We Started Dating>.
She looked at Luka and Kibun worriedly.
'Is he so bossy even though he's not a direct boss?'
It seems that Kibun had a sharp temper as well.
I wondered if he would get angry...
But, surprisingly, his reaction was very calm.
“Oh, just...”
For some reason, the corners of his mouth that were slowly rising seemed to be being forced down?
He shrugged his shoulders and continued vaguely,
“You two have been close since the academy, and, well, it just seemed to me like...”
“Are you trying to insinuate something between her and me?
We're definitely not like that.”
Luca shouted, raising his hands in defense.
After a moment of contemplation, he surprised everyone by saying,
“…I don’t know about Señor Victor though.”
Kibon dropped his pen.