That's a Good Thing!

After finishing afternoon tea, both of them felt they had benefited greatly.

Incidentally, the chocolate tarts at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop were genuinely delicious. The sweetness, bitterness, and aroma of the chocolate had been balanced surprisingly well, rather than being cloyingly sweet as was more common.

The filling in particular was silky without being overly rich, fragrant with a lingering aftertaste. Paired with the crisp tart shell, it offered an even richer texture.

"I could try making them myself later..."

Manus had previously eaten one of Aivina's chocolate tarts. Since he personally liked hot cocoa with marshmallows, Aivina's skill in making such desserts had inevitably resulted in something too sweet. As a result, Manus had never thought highly of chocolate tarts.

Now, having eaten one out of politeness, he had finally experienced the appeal of this dessert.

After leaving Staky's place, Manus thought it over and decided to go see Flitwick today after all, so he headed upstairs.

After entering the office and explaining his purpose, Flitwick looked surprised—overjoyed, even.

"Oh? You want to drop Arithmancy? That's a good thing!"

Manus: ...?

Manus's mental rehearsal of the conversation had fallen through once again. He truly had not expected such a response, nor did he understand what sort of logic had produced it.

Seeing Manus's expression, Flitwick realized that his reaction had been a little too obvious.

At the same time, though, after calming down and giving it some thought, Flitwick felt that Manus might not be doing what he had instinctively assumed—realizing that he ought to lighten his workload.

After all, he had seen students like Manus before. They simply had not been as gifted as Manus. And genius or not, unless they had truly experienced working themselves into the ground, students like them were usually impossible to pull back.