Chapter 12: Pokémon Master (Part 2) (Patreon)

As this solemn string of nonsense settled over the corridor, Yuzo could plainly see the expressions on the three girls' faces turn spectacularly colorful in an instant.

Ron and Harriet blinked at each other, their little faces plainly reading, "I didn't read much, but don't you lie to me."

Hermione, beside them, knitted her delicate brows hard together, and a scrutinizing glint came into her deep brown eyes that said, "I've read plenty, and you can't fool me."

"…A Pokémon Master family?"

Hermione folded her arms, her frown deepening. "I've gone through Notable Pure-Blood Surnames of the Modern Wizarding World and Studies of Mysterious Eastern Wizards, and I've never come across that ridiculous family name. I've never heard of any bloodline magic for taming female trolls, either."

"And besides…" The brown-haired girl hesitated, studying Yuzo's rather pleasant baby face for a moment before she went on thoughtfully. "Rather than some unheard-of Eastern bloodline modification, I was watching that troll from the side, staring glassy-eyed and bright red as she lunged at you. That silent, bewitching effect… it looks far more like the allure of a Veela, the kind from European legends."

The instant Hermione's deduction hit the bullseye, Ron and Harriet, who had been standing less than half a meter from Yuzo, reacted as if they'd heard a warning siren. They both leaped a big step back in perfect unison!

Once they'd put a safe distance between them, they promptly crossed their arms over their chests and looked Yuzo up and down with wary, deeply suspicious eyes.

Ron's cheeks were even a little hot.

She was clearly racing back through the past month or so: the times she'd been around Yuzo, the time he'd wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, and the racing heartbeat she'd felt when he saved her just now. Had she fallen victim to some "evil charm magic" on this guy the whole time?!

Seeing his reputation about to be thoroughly ruined within the main group, a sweating Yuzo hurriedly raised both hands and spread them out in front of him, the very picture of innocent full disclosure.

"Hey! Don't back away yet. Let me finish!"

Yuzo gave a wry smile and pointed at his own nose. "First of all, this ability is a passive effect carved into my bloodline from birth. I can't turn it off even when I want to."

"Second, and most important, it only works on 'magical creatures'! It has absolutely no effect on normal humans!"

Seeing the three of them relax a little, he laid out his case, calm and orderly. "Think about it for a second. If my charm were strong enough to catch humans indiscriminately, then after more than a month in the same compartment and at the same dinner table, wouldn't all three of you have long since been drooling like that troll, stars in your eyes, lunging at me for a kiss?"

"And even setting that aside, if I really meant you any harm, I could've just made up some excuse a minute ago and fobbed you off. Why would I go and honestly spill my family's secrets to you?"

This airtight bit of logic, backed by those black eyes of his, so innocent they'd put the famous "pure-eyed" Tibetan herder boy to shame, had a decisive persuasive effect on the minds of three eleven-year-old girls in an instant.

Ron and Harriet stood there and thought it over, and found it did make sense. Their heads were perfectly clear now, and neither felt the slightest urge to pounce on Yuzo and kiss him by force like that silly troll.

Hermione, who had been about to press further on the compatibility of Veela blood with human genes, had barely opened her mouth, "So…", when Harriet reached over and tugged her sleeve.

"Okay, Hermione, stop badgering him like you're interrogating a criminal."

Harriet stepped forward to stand beside Yuzo again and flashed him a radiant, genuine smile. "Yuzo risked getting squashed flat by a troll to save us just now. If he's trusted us with a family secret this important, then I'm willing to trust him."

Seeing this, Ron scratched her messy red hair, a little sheepishly, and mumbled, "Fine… since you threw your wand and saved my life back there, I'll believe you this once."

Seeing her two friends already standing on the same side, Hermione in the end only gave a soft huff, tacitly accepting the whole "Pokémon Master only has Special Attack against magical creatures" explanation.

"Since you all trust me, I've got a favor to ask, too."

Striking while the iron was hot, Yuzo made his request for secrecy. "Please don't tell anyone I have this special bloodline. As the only boy in the entire school, I already draw more than enough attention just walking down the corridor… I really don't want to put up with people staring at me like I'm some rare protected animal because of this weird constitution on top of it."

After exchanging a look, the three girls all nodded solemnly. Right there in the corridor, by the light of the flames, they sealed a verbal pact with Yuzo to keep the secret together.