"You damn cowboy! This is all your fault for having them spring that announcement on us! I might have missed the most envy-inducing moment of my life! How are you going to compensate me?!"
In the Academy Head's office, where the expensive liquor bottles seemed to have quietly multiplied again, Greg planted both hands on the broad Mahogany Desk and leaned forward, growling at the figure sitting with her back to him in a tall chair.
Academy Head Olivia, wearing her signature wide-brimmed cowboy hat over her long, wine-red waves, slowly swiveled her chair around while casually slipping the surveillance Magic Crystal into a drawer.
She looked up, her eyes beneath the brim sparkling with undisguised amusement and mischief:
"You mean... that tantalizing moment in the classroom just now, when our esteemed Princess looked like she had something to say?"
She snickered, lifting one combat-booted foot to rest on her opposite knee:
"Heh, don't make your respected Academy Head laugh, kid."
Greg said, "...I honestly have no idea where you got the impression that I respect you. I'd probably show more respect to some drunk throwing a fit on the roadside."
Olivia's expression stiffened for a moment, but her smile remained:
"All right, in light of your achievements, I'll let that slide. Let's get straight to the point."
She sat a little straighter. Though her posture remained casual, her tone took on a hint of formality:
"Greg Sass, I have some good news for you."
Greg's face remained impassive. He merely raised an eyebrow and bluntly asked, "Oh? What's the price?"
"The price?"
Olivia blinked her beautiful eyes, putting on an innocent expression:
"What price? Greg, have you somehow misunderstood your beloved Academy Head?"
Greg said, "Don't think I don't know what kind of person you are, you damn cowboy!