The Unexpected Out-of-Pocket Expense

Time rewound slightly.

The location was the principal’s office of the Royal Pioneer Academy.

Since the academy’s founding, the room had always carried a dark, oppressive mood, but today alone, laughter echoed through it.

The floor was completely carpeted with Slave Tickets, which the seated principal and vice principal scattered around like flowers in a blooming field.

“Gwah-hah-hah-hah! The students used their tickets like water! Thanks to that, we made a huge profit!”

“Yes! With this, nearly all the students will dance in the palm of our hands!”

However, as reality suddenly caught up to him, the principal sagged his shoulders in disappointment.

“But… we never managed to get Monaka-kun’s or Kotone-kun’s tickets…”

“Yes, indeed… Even though our true goal was to separate those two from that filthy piece of trash…”

Whenever the opportunity arose, the principal and vice principal brought items they thought Monaka and Kotone would like and urged them to make purchases.

Yet their responses never changed.

“I’m very sorry, Professor. I already know exactly how I intend to use my ticket. It’s for Leo—”

Monaka stopped herself just short of saying “Leo-kun.”

She had learned that mentioning Leopin’s name caused the vice principal to go berserk.

While Monaka declined gently, Kotone responded firmly and without hesitation.

“I sincerely apologize. All of my tickets are designated as monthly tuition for my master. I offered to pay in full in advance, but my master declined, so I am merely holding onto them for the time being.”

Recalling that moment, the principal sprang to his feet, his guts boiling as though they might spill out.

As if venting his rage, he stomped mercilessly on the tickets at his feet.

“Damn it, damn it! No matter how many tickets from small-fry like these we collect, they’re completely useless!”

“N-No! Principal, please stop! Even so, thanks to the School Store, we were able to restore the residential district after the disaster!”

“And what of it!? All that did was turn a massive deficit into a mere deficit! To begin with, bringing in professional craftsmen is something no other development-type academy would ever do!”

Unlike other development-type academies, the Royal Pioneer Academy enrolled many sons and daughters of prestigious families.

In other words, it was filled with elites, and had opened with great fanfare amid enormous expectations.

Yet once the lid was opened, they couldn’t even properly build the residential district.

As a result, the principal’s and vice principal’s leadership abilities were being relentlessly questioned.

Still seething with anger, the principal turned his frustration on the vice principal as well.

“And what about the prize money distribution!? Supporters have finally started demanding that we return the prize money!”

“Y-Yes! A-About that, we’ve thought it through properly! We found a class that that piece of trash absolutely won’t be able to keep up with! We’ll award the first prize money in that class!”

“What!? We were beaten in both physical education and production classes! What kind of class could possibly leave that trash behind!?”

“Yes! That would be the Tamer class! If the opponents are animals, that trash won’t stand a chance!”

“Ohh, I see! There’s no way that trash, hated by all the students, would ever be liked by animals!”

Knock, knock—the sound of rapping interrupted them.

“Who goes there!?”

The principal barked, as the gold-ornamented door clicked open.

“Excuse me. Principal, Vice Principal.”

“Oh, it’s Weiss-kun! What business do you have here!?”

“Surely you’re not still holding a grudge over that last incident!?”

“No. I happened to pass by in the hallway and heard what sounded like a delightful conversation… Please allow me to assist as well. If you leave it to me, a Sage, I’ll drive that trash all the way to voluntary withdrawal.”

“What, voluntary withdrawal!? That’s exactly what we want! Do you have a good plan!?”

“Yes. I keep a Black Panther at my family estate. If I have it sent here and sic it on that trash during the Tamer class…!”

At development-type academies, parents were forbidden from providing support.

They were also prohibited from being listed as sponsors.

As such, Weiss’s proposal was a blatant violation of the rules.

Ordinarily, the principal and vice principal should have reprimanded him—but…

Instead, the two nodded vigorously.

““I-I see!””

Weiss adjusted his glasses, the lenses glinting sharply as if to say “Got them.”

“Then I’ll send word to my father and have the Black Panther arranged. If I tell him it’s for my restoration, he’ll surely cooperate. Would you two be willing to receive it discreetly and hide it somewhere?”

“Mm! There’s an absolutely foolproof secret route!”

“Yes! After receiving it, we’ll register it as a teaching pet and hide it in the Tamer classroom!”

“Ohh, hide a tree in the forest, indeed! This plan is flawless, without a single opening! Very well, Weiss-kun—if this succeeds, I’ll restore you to your original rank!”

“I look forward to it. With the wisdom of a Sage like myself combined with your authority…”

“This time, this time for sure…! This time, that trash is truly finished…! Ih-hih-hih-hih…!”

That this scheme ended in catastrophic failure goes without saying.

It was as inevitable as morning following night.

However, dawn would not come for them.

After the vice principal had been thoroughly stripped of prize money, he returned to the principal’s office with a sunken expression…

Only to find the principal writhing in a leather chair, clutching his head.

“Uwaaah!? I just received a notice from the Board of Education! I’ve been demoted by one rank!”

The vice principal exclaimed exaggeratedly, “W-What does that mean!?”

“The Board of Education sniffed out the smuggling of the Black Panther! It was supposed to be an absolutely secure route! Why!? Why was it discovered!?”

The principal, utterly panicked, repeatedly slammed his head against his desk.

“Oh, how unfortunate.”

The vice principal said, desperately pinching his own thigh to keep from smiling.

Yes—the vice principal had noticed.

During the previous incident where only the vice principal had been demoted, the principal had acted purely in self-preservation.

So this time, as retaliation, the vice principal had sent a letter to the Board of Education the moment the plan was devised.

‘The principal conspired with Weiss-kun to smuggle in a pet.
I objected, but he threatened that if I revealed it, he would make sure I could no longer remain at this academy.’

The vice principal smirked inwardly.

‘—This way, if the plan succeeded, the trash would be eliminated and I’d get revenge on the principal. Even if it failed, only the principal and Weiss-kun would bear the blame. No matter the outcome, that baldy would pay the price! Muh-ho-ho-ho-ho…!’

And thus, that wicked scheme erupted spectacularly.

Noticing the vice principal’s loosened expression, the principal shot him a sharp glare.

“Is my demotion really that amusing? But now is no time to laugh. The supporters are furious over the prize money given to that trash. They’re demanding that you personally shoulder the full cost as responsibility. Otherwise, they say they’ll cut off all future support…!”

“K-Kyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!?!?”