A little snowy outside. So, Aisha wore a thick fluffy jacket. Each breath created some fog, and she occasionally did it excessively just for fun.
She reached the academy soon enough. There were plenty of students around and they hardly paid her any attention. Of course, being beautiful and a maid, some did look her way, but instantly drove their eyes elsewhere. Almost all the current students recognized just which house this maid belonged to and whose family she was. Regardless, some first-year students still tried to get close, only to be shoved around by the older students who repeatedly paved the way for her.
Rudeus had forgotten his lunch and Sylphie had insisted Aisha bring him some. Under no circumstances was Aisha to let Rudeus have lunch with Nanahoshi. Of course, they were still friends but Aisha could tell, there was a certain tension among the two, and Sylphie might have even been a little jealous of the black-haired woman. But Aisha was a good maid and a good maid paid no heed to such things. So, she kept walking, but after a certain point had to stop before a moderate commotion. Some shouting and a crowd of sorts. Aisha recognized some of them. Norn fanclub, or whatever it was called.
"What's going on?" She asked one of them.
The boy almost rolled his eyes before realizing who he was in the presence of. "Ah, mistress Aisha…" he murmured. Some of the other students visibly jerked and made way for her. "We were just…"
There was a student on the ground, covered in grime and shoe prints.
"You were just bullying him?"
"No! He… he was with Mistress Norn!" one student whispered vigorously.
Oh… Was this the student Norn had been messing around with? Smirking, Aisha grabbed the student's arm and pulled him up. Upon closer inspection, he seemed a bit larger than the scrawny kids around them but not that big. Just tall. "I'll take care of him. Why don't you guys deliver this to Rudeus?" she said.
The students dispersed, albeit reluctantly. Meanwhile, Aisha took the bullied student to the other side of campus, and sat down on a bench. "Well?" She started.
"Thank you so much!" His face brightened.
"Your name, and then your why."
"Daniel… my why?"
"Yes, why were they beating you?"
"I… I've been with Norn."
"Been with? You had sex?"
"No!" the student flushed red. "Just… kissed and… held hands."
"Just that?" Aisha spoke suggestively, giggling all the while.
"And maybe I'd… touched her breasts while hugging. One of them saw it and…"
Aisha sighed. "If Rudeus hears this, he'll chop your arms, you know."
Daniel's face paled. "He would?"
"Yes," Aisha said. "Now imagine what he'll do to you if you were to get in bed with Norn."
"He'll cut my…" he didn't finish.
"Exactly," Aisha said.
The student frantically ran away. Aisha went into the academic building anyway, making sure to bow and all that whenever she saw a teacher or anything worth bowing to. Once she'd made sure Rudeus had gotten the lunch packet (albeit from the shadows) she decided to head back, only to be stopped at the gates. Someone was waiting for her.
"What did you do!" Norn hissed. This side of the campus was almost empty. Most of the students were in class.
"What do you mean?" Aisha said.
"Daniel just dumped me!"
"I saved his life," Aisha said. "Your fan club would have murdered him," she said.
"Lies!" Tears welled but Norn refused to cry. Instead, her eyes and face turned redder and redder.
"Go and ask them. Being publicly beaten cause he touched you? Imagine what would happen if he were to-"
"We wouldn't have!" she kept screaming.
"Sorry, but deal with it," Aisha hmped.
Norn kept glaring but moved aside.
Meanwhile, Aisha walked back to the house. At some point she did consider whether what she did was the right thing but, Norn was still young, and there was a very real chance they could have done something stupid.
It was fine to experiment. But stupid actions, often led to stupid consequences.
But was it the right thing to do? It's her life…. With one final sigh, Aisha made up her mind to share her unused third sucker with Norn… albeit reluctantly.