I had more or less finished my conversation with Alice, but the real problem was that there were plenty of other people around who could make me just as uneasy.

Even if they didn’t remember every detail of the timeline I had rewound—or rather, even if they didn’t consciously recall it—this situation alone was enough to make things unbearably awkward.

That’s right. I had been so focused on dealing with the immediate crisis that I hadn’t thought about what would come next.

But really, who in that situation would have had the time to think ahead? Even the Emperor had charged in without a second thought, and I had been the one forced to confront him—completely unprepared. How could I have afforded to consider the consequences?

With the fake Alice lying before us, Alice herself had entered a somber mood. I took a few steps back and scanned my surroundings.

That alone was enough to realize that nearly everyone around me had their eyes on me.

Not that I was literally surrounded. It was more of a psychological sensation. Physically, everyone kept a bit of distance—it wasn’t a solid wall, at least not in the literal sense.

I quickly started calculating.

First, I narrowed down the people who had followed me here but wouldn’t make for uncomfortable conversation partners. The Sword Saint, Jennifer, and Carolyn seemed like safe options. Both Jennifer and Carolyn were on fairly good terms with me, and neither had ever suffered because of my abilities. The Sword Saint, in particular, seemed to be enjoying the situation, while Jennifer looked deeply lost in thought.

And then there was Carolyn—my homeroom teacher. Normally, a student-teacher relationship would feel somewhat restrictive, but in this case, it was perfect. At least it gave me a plausible excuse to check in with her later.@@novelbin@@

If I started a conversation with her, I might be able to keep it going for quite a while. And who would bother interrupting a student talking to their teacher?

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