Chapter 238: First Meeting? A Reunion Once Again!
"Milly!!!"
The furious echo reverberating through the air instantly startled everyone.
Old Ashford was extremely angry, like an enraged lion, and equally panicked.
Though he knew his granddaughter was somewhat eccentric, always careless and prone to coming up with peculiar ideas...
He never expected her to choose this moment of all times!
"My apologies, Lord Yotsuba, this is entirely due to my failure in proper education, startling you like this..."
"No need, no need. This is quite interesting actually."
A surprise party.
No need to guess—this was undoubtedly the work of that mischief-loving student council president.
Mahiro's gaze slowly swept across the people before him.
Most people here were wearing beige uniform blazers with dark women's ties, belts of the same color around their waists, black miniskirts and uniform shoes,
with blue cotton socks covering their legs.
This should be the female uniform of Ashford Academy.
The short skirt with cotton socks and uniform shoes maintained the style of original Japanese sailor uniforms, while the blazer followed standard Britannian aristocratic design, fully showcasing feminine beauty.
But the most striking among them was a relatively tall girl.
Her golden wavy hair spoke of her aristocratic lineage, her delicate features showed a maturity rare among high school students, and her prominent bust couldn't be concealed even by the academy uniform—those towering peaks naturally drew people's gaze.
Her soft, slender waist, the snow-white, long beautiful legs beneath the skirt...
Among high school students, this level of beauty could be said to be unparalleled.
However, the girl's face still showed the flustered expression left by Old Ashford's scolding, holding the used party popper shell as if she didn't know what to do with it.
Originally, she had heard from her grandfather that a young VIP was coming to teach at Ashford Academy, so she wanted to welcome him in her own way with a welcome party.
When they met, she found he was indeed very young—if not told, one might mistake him for a transfer student.
But seeing her grandfather's intense reaction, she already understood—
She had caused trouble...
"No need to be nervous, I quite like your welcome ceremony."
Mahiro broke the awkward silence, speaking to the girl before him:
"You must be Miss Milly Ashford, I presume? I'm Yotsuba Mahiro. Nice to meet you, I look forward to your guidance."
"Hello, Mr. Yotsuba. Nice to meet you."
Seeing how gentle and kind he was, Milly showed a faint smile and lightly shook Mahiro's hand.
Did grandfather seem overly nervous?
This important figure didn't appear to be that difficult to get along with.
Moreover, what kind of person was this VIP who could command such respect from her grandfather?
Intense curiosity sprouted in Milly's heart, like a mischievous little kitten.
That said, Milly still maintained proper upbringing and aristocratic etiquette.
"Hey, who is that person? Could he be a new transfer student?"
A blue-haired boy quietly asked the person beside him.
For Old Ashford to show such respect, and for him to be an Eleven at that...
In fact, it wasn't just this one person.
Others were equally puzzled, cautiously observing Mahiro with curious glances.
In their eyes, the blonde woman wearing sunglasses nearby seemed more like the new teacher.
But why was there a silver-haired little girl accompanying that transfer student?
"Rivalz, that's enough."
At that moment, a voice rang out, stopping the blue-haired young man as a figure emerged from the crowd.
It was a tall, black-haired youth with magnificent and mysterious purple eyes.
His features were handsome yet somewhat delicate, almost feminine in appearance.
His slender frame looked as if it might topple over with a gust of wind.
His emergence from the crowd surprised those around them.
"..."
A girl tried to stop him, but before she could even touch the boy's sleeve, another voice halted her action.
"Well, Lelouch, it's been a long time."
"Huh?"
The girl froze momentarily before hearing Lelouch speak:
"Indeed, it must have been over ten years since we parted in Britannia, Mahiro-sensei."
Mahiro... sensei?
They knew each other?
Watching Lelouch and the young man who called himself Yotsuba Mahiro firmly clasp hands, with Lelouch showing clear respect, everyone fell into confusion.
But the most shocked had to be Milly.
As a daughter of the Ashford family, she naturally knew about Lelouch's background. All these years, they had specifically changed his surname to Lamperouge to conceal his identity.
Yet now, this young man who had just arrived here recognized Lelouch.
Moreover, Lelouch addressed him as teacher, which meant...
Yes, just as Milly suspected.
As the royal tutor of Britannia, Mahiro had naturally taught Lelouch vi Britannia, the thirteenth prince of the Holy Britannian Empire.
Though the teaching period hadn't been long—merely two years.
"Quite unexpected. That frail, mischievous child from back then has grown so much..." Mahiro murmured nostalgically.
"You haven't changed either, Sensei. Your tongue remains as sharp as ever," Lelouch immediately retorted.
Though nominally teacher and student, they appeared more like long-separated friends.
Because Mahiro had never truly regarded this Black Prince as a student.
Lelouch could be said to have fully inherited Charles' bloodline—that arrogance and intelligence engraved in his bones couldn't be faked.
The wild ambition within was exactly the same.
Having lived closely with Lelouch for two years, Mahiro could affirm:
Even without knowing the original circumstances, one could tell that if this dormant beast ever got a chance to counterattack, it would definitely sink its teeth into Britannia's throat.
Even if it couldn't deliver a fatal bite, it would surely tear off a massive chunk of flesh!
However...
"You're still as fragile as ever, Lelouch."
"?!"
Before Lelouch could react, Mahiro immediately executed a shoulder throw, slamming him hard onto the ground.
"Cough—!"
The intense pain and impact of his back hitting the ground forced all air from his lungs.
!!!
"Lulu!"
This sudden action thoroughly frightened the students present.
Among them, an orange-haired girl in uniform immediately rushed forward, helping Lelouch, who was lying on the ground unable to move, to sit up.
She asked with concern: "Lulu, are you okay?"
"Cough, cough... I-I'm fine..."
Seeing Lelouch gasping for breath as if he might die at any moment, the orange-haired girl turned and glared at Mahiro, demanding: "Even if you're Lulu's teacher, you can't just casually bully him like this!"
In response, Mahiro simply shrugged innocently.
"Miss, your statement is somewhat mistaken. As a teacher, I was merely checking Lelouch's homework after all these years. The facts prove he hasn't completed it properly."
"..."
"Stop it, Shirley..."
Lelouch finally caught his breath, gasping for fresh air while stopping Shirley.
Slowly getting up from the ground, he couldn't help but say to Mahiro:
"Damn teacher, you know my situation! How could I possibly complete the absurd assignments you gave me!"
In truth, Lelouch couldn't be blamed—Mahiro's assigned homework and curriculum were indeed outrageous.
Because Mahiro wasn't teaching flashy subjects like royal etiquette, but practical combat and strategy.
The strategy part was naturally no problem for Lelouch.
The issue was the practical combat training.
Ten kilometers of cross-country running daily, plus sword practice, and life-or-death battles with wild wolves—Spartan-style training.
Not just Lelouch, but even other princes struggled with this curriculum.
Only Princess Cornelia could complete it all.
But in reality, these courses were designed specifically for Lelouch alone, aiming to mold him into a modern-day Lu Zhishen, transforming the Black Prince into someone with both strength and intellect rated A.
If not to surpass that muscle freak Suzaku Kururugi, at least to match Cornelia in combat.
Unfortunately, it failed.
Lelouch's physical weakness wasn't due to pampering but was etched into his DNA.
This was because of how Lelouch came into existence.
While he was indeed the biological son of Holy Britannian Emperor Charles and the Fifth Imperial Consort Marianne, his birth wasn't through natural conception and delivery.
He came from a laboratory.
To cultivate Lelouch's adaptability to GEASS, Charles and Marianne modified him starting from the fertilized egg stage.
This gave Lelouch tremendous compatibility with GEASS, but the cost was deficiencies and inadequacies in physical stamina.
He was destined to be a lone, proud king strategizing from a thousand miles away, enthroned in command—not a general charging across battlefields.
However, Shirley knew nothing of this, believing Mahiro was simply bullying Lelouch.
"Lulu, is this person really your teacher? How could he treat you like this..."
"Miss, there are two things I'd like to clarify—"
"First, what I'm doing isn't targeted at Lelouch. I simply want to help him compensate for his weaknesses."
"Second, there's no need to question my identity. I am indeed his teacher, though I'm just a rural instructor."
Mahiro held up two fingers and explained in a measured tone.
However, those who heard his words displayed varied expressions.
After all, it was now confirmed that this person named Yotsuba Mahiro was a teacher about to take up a position at the academy, not that blonde woman.
Thus, they were quite concerned—could Mahiro truly serve as a teacher at Ashford Academy?
But old Mr. Ashford, who also overheard their conversation, felt deeply embarrassed.
Old Ashford muttered to himself inwardly.
Though he was actually a royal tutor for the Britannian imperial family and had even been granted the supreme honor of a surname by the emperor, he called himself a rural teacher...
While he understood this was Lord Yotsuba's way of concealing Lelouch's identity, speaking like this essentially insulted all the imperial princes and princesses, didn't it?
Moreover, as a supporter of Marianne's faction, he had learned that the late Lady Marianne's swordsmanship seemed to have been taught by Mahiro.
To some extent, Mahiro was also Lady Marianne's teacher.
As for his explanation, it was somewhat accepted by the students gathered there.
But these students didn't have a favorable impression of Mahiro—a newly arrived teacher who had roughly injured Lelouch.
This made what should have been a joyful celebration party become quite awkward.
Fortunately, Milly, the quirky student council president, managed to liven up the party atmosphere again.
Seeing the gradually bustling scene, Est, who had been silent all along, gently tugged at Mahiro's sleeve.
"Mahiro, I want to eat tofu dishes. Are there any here?"
"Oh, sorry, I almost forgot. Wait a moment."
Mahiro first patted Est's head to reassure her, then found Milly to make the request.
"Tofu dishes? Hmmm, I believe we should have some."
All the food at this party was prepared by the Ashford family's private chefs.
Though they were Britannians, they were skilled in various cuisines from around the world.
Simple tofu dishes were naturally no challenge.
Soon after, Milly came over carrying two plates of fried tofu and handed them to Mahiro.
"Thank you for your trouble, Miss Ashford."
"You're welcome, Yotsuba-sensei. And if you don't mind, please call me Milly."
Milly, who naturally possessed a mischievous imp-like quality, playfully winked at him.
She noticed that this important person whom her grandfather valued didn't carry an air of superiority—his demeanor was quite amiable and kind—so she began acting familiar with him.
Mahiro didn't dislike this and responded with "Milly-san" before handing the plate to Est.
Faced with the steaming, freshly fried tofu, Est didn't care about the heat and immediately began taking small bites.
Her cheeks were stuffed full, making her look like a hamster—utterly adorable.
That cute appearance made Milly unable to resist crouching down to get closer.
"Little girl, what's your name?"
"Est."
"Oh, so it's little Est. I'm Milly, Milly Ashford."
Est paid no attention to her, wholly focused on eating as she carefully savored the freshness and tenderness of the tofu.
Seeing this, Milly didn't feel embarrassed at all. Instead, noticing Est's enthusiasm for tofu, her crystal blue eyes sparkled mischievously as if she had thought of something.
"Little Est, do you like tofu very much?"
"Yes, very much."
"Then how about big sister takes you to eat more tofu?"
Est finally reacted differently, stopping her eating motions and raising her head to gaze deeply at the golden-haired girl before her.
She slightly parted her small mouth and said:
"...Really?"
"It's true."
"I understand."
Est immediately quickened her eating pace, clearing the remaining fried tofu from her plate in the blink of an eye. She then looked up at Milly again and said:
"Take me."
"Okay, come with me."
Milly took Est around the party on a quest to find tofu dishes.
Regarding this, Mahiro didn't say anything, merely watching quietly while holding a glass of red wine.
Perhaps life had been too comfortable lately, awakening some special traits in him—maybe he had raised Est wrong.
He couldn't help but feel that Est had turned into a little foodie. Whenever she went out, she was either eating tofu or on her way to eat tofu.
Otherwise, she would return to the engraving to rest.
She had completely taken on the appearance of a little glutton.
However, when Lelouch approached and saw the silver-haired girl Est being led away by President Milly like that, he couldn't help but feel alarmed, his eyelids twitching involuntarily.
That girl wasn't as harmless as she appeared on the surface—one needed to be careful when interacting with her...
Lelouch really wanted to warn his president like this.
But clearly, it was already too late.
He still clearly remembered at the Aries Palace, having witnessed with his own eyes how terrifying that girl could be.
With just a casual move, she could defeat his mother, the imperial consort known as the Flash, Marianne—an opponent he couldn't overcome even with all his wisdom and courage.
But whenever he thought about his mother, Lelouch's eyes would dim.
To this day, he still didn't know who killed his mother, or why she died!
Until a voice brought Lelouch back to reality.
"Lelouch, you suddenly came over looking like you wanted to talk, then started spacing out on your own. What are you planning to do? Reminiscing about the good old days?"
Snapping back to attention, Lelouch saw Mahiro's teasing, mocking expression and couldn't help but sigh deeply.
"Don't joke about that, teacher. I just wanted to trouble you to come with me. I'd like to take you to meet Nunnally."
"Nunnally?"
Mahiro was momentarily stunned.
His mind immediately conjured an image of a cute girl with beautiful wavy brown hair sitting in a garden.
Nunnally was Lelouch's sister, a princess of Britannia.
But unfortunately, she had been sent to Japan along with Lelouch as a political hostage and had been largely ignored since.
He had been wondering why he hadn't seen Nunnally earlier.
So it turned out that upon hearing someone from Britannia had come, Nunnally hadn't made an appearance...
"Alright then, take me to see her."
Mahiro agreed, then told Alpha to follow along as well.
He left Nu behind to handle simple handover work with old Ashford.
Following Lelouch's lead, they arrived at the second floor of the student council activity room, which now served as the living quarters for Lelouch and Nunnally.
In the innermost room, Mahiro saw Nunnally.
Her appearance hadn't changed much, remaining almost identical to his memory—still youthful, with that beautiful head of fluffy wavy hair.
Dressed in a long dress, she exuded an elegant and gentle aura.
But if he had to point out differences...
That would be Nunnally sitting in a wheelchair, her beautiful eyes tightly closed.
Nunnally had been caught in the conspiracy to assassinate Marianne, losing both her sight and the use of her legs.
Though her superficial wounds had healed, she ultimately lost her mobility and could no longer open her eyes.
Now, she could only move around relying on the wheelchair.
Knowing the full story behind this, Mahiro could feel nothing but pity upon seeing Nunnally in such a state.