That evening, Enid invited Eleanor, Esme, Nino, Selena, and Rosalie to her office.

  Still salty about Antonio swiping her precious tea last time, Enid decided on a little payback. She slipped into Antonio’s headmaster office under a light-element visual interference spell and cleaned out his best tea like she owned the place.

  Before she left, she thoughtfully set down a note saying the tea had been “requisitioned” for an academy event. If Antonio panicked and triggered the academy’s emergency security, things would get annoying fast.

  That wasn’t all.

  Enid also “sourced” a mountain of homemade pastries and cookies from Nino. His mother was a pastry chef, and his skills clearly came straight from her.

  Excellent floral tea, great sweets, and in a perfect world, guests who could get along.

  If the group stayed civil, this little night tea would have been a total win.

  Reality had other plans.

  Enid genuinely hadn’t expected the assistants to clash this badly.

  Eleanor was furious at Rosalie’s flippant attitude. She said Rosalie acted like someone who had no idea what it meant to be a student, and as a “lady,” had none of the poise a lady was supposed to have.

  Rosalie fired back by mocking Eleanor’s rigid, by-the-book lifestyle, then said her personality didn’t match her pretty face.

  When it became clear she couldn’t out-argue Rosalie, Eleanor snapped and turned to Enid.

  "Professor, I object to Rosalie becoming a TA. Rosalie has zero self-awareness for the role."

  Rosalie refused to lose.

  Rosalie gave Eleanor a sarcastic look, then changed expressions in a heartbeat and turned toward Enid with big, watery, wronged eyes.

  "Eleanor is so scary. If I have to work with someone like that, just thinking about it is terrifying. Professor, look at me for a second, please."

  So punchable.

  That was the only thought in Enid’s head as she watched Rosalie’s performance.

  Compared to that chaos, Selena looked calm and dependable.

  Selena simply kept refilling cup after cup of hot tea so the two of them wouldn’t wreck their throats while arguing.

  Whenever Eleanor and Rosalie started getting out of hand, Selena stepped in at the right moment and smoothed things over before it escalated.

  A reliable third-year from the officer track really was built different.

  Esme, meanwhile, stayed glued to Professor Innis’s side, like a silent announcement that her relationship with the professor was special enough for her to sit right there.

  Every so often, Esme would glance at Selena, clearly thinking hard about something.

  Enid occasionally caught Esme murmuring under her breath, things like "That’s a strong opponent," "Does the professor like girls like that," and "She’s really pretty."

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  So Esme had decided Selena was competition, and was worried Selena would steal the professor’s attention.

  Enid didn’t think that was a bad thing.

  Esme was still rebuilding her social confidence, and a little pressure could help. If Selena sparked Esme’s competitive streak, it might actually push her forward.

  Enid also planned to guide them a bit. Who knew, they might end up close friends later.

  Enid wasn’t worried about Selena anyway. Honest, capable, and reliable, Selena could get along with just about anyone.

  Selena, of course, had no idea she’d been labeled a rival by a younger student, or that Enid was quietly using her as a harmless source of motivation.

  Selena didn’t say a word.

  Selena just kept pouring tea.

  And what about the only guy in the room.

  Nino was suffering.

  He sat there stiff as a board, completely at a loss.

  Nino was also a third-year like Selena, usually dependable, and he really had been changing for the better.

  So why did he fall apart in a situation like this.

  It wasn’t hard to imagine why.

  Picture a tea night where you’re surrounded by the girl you secretly like, a fragile and adorable girl, a high-energy girl, a composed and reliable girl, and on top of that, the beautiful professor you admire most.

  Now make yourself the only man in the room.

  Nino didn’t stand a chance.

  Should he step in and stop Eleanor and Rosalie from fighting.

  He was afraid he couldn’t stay impartial.

  Should he chat with Esme.

  Esme was pressed right up against the professor, and he had no idea how to even start.

  Then maybe talk to Professor Innis.

  He could feel Esme’s intense stare from the side and it made him nervous.

  As for Selena, they weren’t close, and Selena looked busy keeping the peace. There was no opening at all.

  He wanted to call out for his mom.

  This was painfully awkward.

  Rosalie, who was mid-argument with Eleanor, finally noticed Nino’s lost, miserable expression and immediately got playful.

  Rosalie leaned in, clearly deciding to mess with the timid upperclassman.

  "Oh, Nino. What’s going on in that head of yours. Why the long face. Come on, perk up."

  Nino had been trapped in his own thoughts.

  Then a beautiful girl’s face suddenly appeared right in front of him, close enough to steal his air, and he visibly flinched.

  Still, his noble etiquette training saved him from completely falling apart. He forced his posture straight and answered in a stiff but serious tone.

  "Rosalie, I think Eleanor is right. We’re different genders. There should be proper distance between men and women. You shouldn’t get that close to a man so casually. It isn’t proper."

  Enid suddenly realized something.

  She hadn’t actually told them Rosalie was male.

  Rosalie looked at Nino’s serious expression, like he’d made up his mind about something, and decided to push even harder.

  "Oh. So if I were a guy too, you wouldn’t mind me getting close, right."

  Nino’s brain lagged.

  He was still trying to process the sentence.

  "…Huh. What."

  Rosalie smiled sweetly.

  "Actually, I’m a boy. You didn’t think I was a girl, did you. You really shouldn’t judge someone’s gender just by looks."

  Nino’s mind went completely blank.

  When people get hit with a reality check that big, they often try to lie to themselves just to survive it.

  In other words, denial.

  "Ha ha. Rosalie, you’re hilarious. You’re so cute and your voice sounds like that. There’s no way you’re a guy. Ha ha… ha…"

  Rosalie said nothing.

  Rosalie just sat on the couch and smiled.

  Nino started to panic.

  He turned toward Professor Innis with a desperate, pleading look.

  Professor Innis answered with a helpless nod.

  "Ha… ha… ha… wait, what…"

  Nino stared at Rosalie in horror.

  "N no no, don’t tell me. You’re really a guy."

  Rosalie still didn’t speak.

  Rosalie simply nodded with that same calm smile.

  And just like that, something inside Nino gave up.

  He felt like his life had reached a strange dead end.

  There was one thing he absolutely refused to admit.

  When Rosalie had leaned over the table earlier, using that pretty face and getting close enough that Nino could almost feel Rosalie’s breath, Nino’s body had reacted in a way he didn’t want to acknowledge.

  In the same room as the person he had a crush on, and the professor he respected most, he’d reacted to someone he’d assumed was a girl, and who wasn’t.

  Nino collapsed back onto the couch, staring at the ceiling like his soul had left his body.

  "Mom. Dad. I’m sorry. I don’t think I can keep going."

  He kept muttering nonsense to himself, things like "I’m guilty," and "I’m not into guys," like he was trying to talk his way back to sanity.

  And that was how the first TA tea night ended.

  Total chaos, start to finish.

  Enid rubbed her forehead and wondered what she’d gotten herself into.

  All she wanted was a few capable helpers to share the workload, and a few apprentices to pass on what she knew.