An Angry Klein

Lynch was so angry he laughed. No wonder Rozanne hadn't been at the door that morning—she'd gone and caused trouble again.

"I didn't, Captain. I don't like her!"

He answered through gritted teeth.

Dunn nodded thoughtfully, then glanced at the breakfast Lynch was carrying. "Who's that for?"

"Rozanne. No, Captain, listen to me. She..."

Dunn waved a hand, clearly already sure of the answer.

"Rozanne said yesterday that you were going to confess your feelings to her and bring her breakfast today. Don't worry, I'm not forbidding it. I just mean that if you want to get married, you'll have to work hard and save up some more money!"

Lynch: ...

He gritted his teeth as he said goodbye to Dunn, then went looking for Rozanne to settle the score.

Unfortunately, Rozanne had hidden herself so well that he couldn't find her, even after searching upstairs and down. Old Neil was also hurrying him along.

Lynch could only leave the breakfast on Rozanne's desk and follow Old Neil to the weapons room for class.

When he arrived, Klein was already waiting there.

"Have you seen Rozanne?"

Lynch immediately asked. Klein looked at him in surprise.

"Why are you so angry? You should be a gentleman with a lady, or else..."

"She told you that you and I are a couple, sneaking around behind everyone's backs!"

After Lynch explained, he saw Klein—who had just been talking about being a gentleman—roll up his sleeves, ready to go after Rozanne.

"Forget it, we've all got it rough. Be a gentleman!"

Lynch said with mock sincerity.

Klein was so furious he wanted to fight him.

"What gentleman? Right now, I'm a thug and a scoundrel!"

"Who's a thug and a scoundrel?"

Old Neil had gone to the washroom and returned a little late. He happened to hear Klein's shout and asked in astonishment.

"He said Rozanne's a scoundrel!" Lynch said with a mischievous grin.

Before Klein could explain, Old Neil laughed.

"So he's found out. Poor Rozanne. I hope she can evade the two gentlemen searching for her. May the Goddess protect her."

Lynch wondered if the Goddess really was protecting Rozanne. Otherwise, why hadn't he seen hide nor hair of her all morning?

Still, after that little scene, he felt less angry with Rozanne.

He was partly to blame. He shouldn't have badmouthed Klein like that in the first place. Now he was getting what he deserved, while Klein had been dragged into it for no reason.

Lynch decided he wouldn't ask Klein to pay for lunch today.

"All right, lads. Let's get to class!"

Old Neil clapped his hands to get their attention and began teaching them the mystical uses of divination.

Since Lynch hadn't chosen a Pathway yet, he could only listen for now. Once he chose one, Old Neil would be able to teach him the precautions specific to that Pathway.

Old Neil also said that learning about the abilities of other Pathways counted as study, and at the very least, it would help them understand their opponents if they ever faced one.

He explained how to use a pendulum and went over the rules of divination, then had Klein give it a try.

Curious, Lynch tried it too.

He thought to himself, Two days from now, I'll succeed in earning merit by going after the cult.

The pendulum swung clockwise.

"Impressive. I rarely see an ordinary person succeed on their first try. By the way, what were you thinking about?"

Old Neil asked curiously.

Lynch thought for a moment, then answered offhandedly, "I was thinking that I'd find Rozanne!"

Old Neil laughed again and offered his sympathies to Rozanne.

About two hours later, their lesson in mysticism finally ended.

Lynch took his notebook upstairs to the office and went over the material again. Then he got up and searched around for Rozanne.

Ah, there she was, at the front desk in the reception room, drinking his iced lemonade.

"Is it good?" Lynch asked ominously.

Rozanne nodded instinctively, then realized who was there and tried to run. Lynch caught her by the shoulder.

"I warned you yesterday not to go spreading things around, and you still..."

Before he could finish, Rozanne cut him off.

"I really wasn't making anything up. Yesterday, you'd spanked me so hard my butt hurt, and I couldn't sit on a chair. Then I muttered that you'd been too rough, and the captain came over. He asked why I kept calling your name. I couldn't very well tell him about what happened between you and Klein, could I? So I just blurted out that you'd confessed to me and I was so excited."

Rozanne explained with a perfectly candid expression.

Lynch still felt something was off. Had she really just blurted it out that easily?

He asked, "Then why did you say I was bringing you breakfast?"

"Isn't that true?" Rozanne muttered.

"Enough, stop going on about it. I already said I wouldn't tell anyone about you and Klein, so quit holding it over me. The other person involved doesn't even care..."

Rozanne stopped when she saw Klein.

Lynch stepped aside, grinning with schadenfreude.

Rozanne immediately took off running again.

Still, she had kept her word and hadn't told Klein that Lynch was involved.

Even if she had, Lynch wouldn't have admitted it.

After all, he'd only said it to Rozanne in private, and she had no proof.

But since Rozanne hadn't told him, Lynch was no longer as angry with her as before. Instead, he cheerfully broke the bread he'd brought her in half and started eating one half.

For some reason, when Rozanne came back after messing around with Klein, she saw that half the bread was gone and her face instantly turned red.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're mad?" Lynch smugly winked at her.

Rozanne really wanted to beat some sense into the clueless idiot.

She hadn't lied. Yesterday, Dunn had seen her looking so awkward that she'd spoken out of spite when she claimed Lynch had confessed to her.

But she didn't know if she was coming down with something. After saying it, she'd actually started to feel as though something about the way she saw Lynch had changed.

He was the first person besides her father to spank her. He'd even tickled her. No one else had ever done anything like that to her.

Growing up the way she had, Rozanne had never acted this way even with other girls.

In the Nighthawks, everyone treated her like a little sister. They didn't mind when she spread gossip, because it was always true.

She'd believed what Lynch had said about Klein too, which was why she'd passed it on. And after Old Neil's suggestive reminder, she'd thought Lynch and Klein had something going on, which was why she'd been so concerned about Klein.

Then Lynch had overheard her.

She'd been a little scared at the time, but she hadn't thought there was much to worry about. At worst, Lynch would get Dunn to dock her pay. She hadn't expected him to spank her!

It had really hurt, and it still sort of hurt now!

And on top of that, Lynch had eaten the bread she'd already taken a bite out of. For a shy lady, that was far too exciting.

She hadn't even gotten angry. Lynch should be thanking her.

But what was he saying now?

Every word cut her to the heart!

The more Rozanne thought about it, the angrier she became, until tears spilled from her eyes despite herself.

Lynch: ...