An afternoon in spring, full of new encounters and births.
It was two nights after the day of a new encounter.
I was sitting in the student council room, savoring the leisure.
“Uhaaaam―☆”
Sitting in the student council room where coolness and warmth coexist, I find myself nodding off before I know it.
Although it’s the season when flowers that have been sleeping in the ground all winter bloom vividly in the sunlight, I rub my slowly closing eyes while yawning endlessly.
A drowsy spring day.
A drowsy afternoon.
I consider just leaning on the desk and falling asleep, but.
“Phew…”
After driving away the temptation of a sweet nap from my mind, I stretch to chase away the sleepiness clouding my head like clouds.
Then I get up from the chair.
Twisting the cool doorknob, I open the window to see the scenery of the academy city.
Whoosh―
Along with the wind blowing in the warm sunlight.
To the white waltz played by the academy city’s noise, the old, smelly curtains of the student council room flutter like a dancer’s skirt.
A scene of spring and the city dancing and singing peace.
“…”
The wind feels good.
I bring a chair over and sit by the window.
Creak―
As I sit by the dusty window like that, I hear the notification sound of a broadcast in my ears. It was the ether amplifier broadcast installed in each district.
Ding dong―
Ding dong―
[We inform you from the <United Student Council> Press Department. Today’s weather is clear. The temperature is 17 degrees, and it’s a somewhat windy day. The current time is 2 PM, and the broadcast will begin soon.]
A convenient broadcasting tool that delivers news from the <United Student Council> Press Department across tens or hundreds of kilometers. By listening to the cheerful high school girl’s voice coming from there, you can hear various news from the academy city.
[Hello everyone. Are you all enjoying a pleasant afternoon? It seems our newly enrolled juniors in the press department aren’t, but that can’t be helped!]
[It’s the afternoon news from the <United Student Council> Press Department, always returning with the hard work of our junior reporting team~]
[I’m Her, the 2nd-year mascot of the <United Student Council> Press Department, always urging my juniors to bring you the news!]
Sitting here listening to the press department’s radio broadcast, you can feel the subtly different tones of the press department students for each time.
Their own consideration according to the listener’s situation depending on the listening time.
Clearly in the sleepy morning.
Cheerfully in the tired afternoon.
Romantically in the drowsy evening.
Because this student named Her always cares and strives to make her voice not an unpleasant noise, but a strength in someone’s daily life, many students and residents like the <United Student Council> Press Department’s broadcast.
I too came to look forward to this broadcast while living in the academy city.
‘Actually, I started it to hear news from outside because I didn’t have money to subscribe to other school newspapers.’
When I hear news about the Union, fighting tournaments, and events held at each school through the press department’s broadcast, I lead Red Hare out, sweep up free food and event prizes being given away, and return triumphantly.
Like the image of Zhao Yun sweeping away numerous enemies while preciously holding Liu Bei’s young son in his arms. Fortunately, since there was no Liu Bei specializing in throwing sons at our school, I could safely bring the prizes back to school.
It was a routine I repeated every day I wasn’t training or exploring dungeons.
Actually, there were hardly any students who went to other schools tens or hundreds of kilometers away in such a crude way.
‘I don’t even have money to leisurely ride the ether train.’
Elite schools in Golden Street strict about other school students’ entry.
Schools from the slums where huge accidents happen just by going there.
Memories of my stormy days conquering <Academy City Yord> with Red Hare, using the ground as a bed and the sky as a blanket.
‘Well, actually I mostly just attended events held at technical high schools.’
Most schools in the academy city open their gates wide and welcome students from other schools for each event. Among them, the two technical high schools near <Central Prism Academy> were especially sincere.
<Mimir Technical High School> and <Svart Technical High School>.
The students attending these two schools with the most cutting-edge facilities even in <Academy City Yord> were sincere about showing off their technological prowess.
Moreover, because they were close enough to threaten each other’s research facilities and grounds, the two schools maintained a precarious emotional balance between competition and hostility.
[…Thus, the joint cultural festival between <Mimir Technical High School> and <Svart Technical High School> was canceled. Without revealing future plans, representatives from both schools returned to their respective schools.]
[…Next news. Amid frequent incidents of delinquent students coming over from the slums and kidnapping students, Sigrun, the head of the <Gjallarhorn> investigation unit, argued for expanding investigative powers at this morning’s regular <United Student Council> meeting…]
As these were somewhat serious news, Her restrained her voice that was full of joking tone, and delivered the news in a calm voice.
“…”
Hearing that news, I felt that the timing to meet the third junior wasn’t far off. But two conditions were needed to recruit that kid.
The first was having to go directly to <Mimir Technical High School> tens of kilometers away.
This can be solved if I just have Red Hare, so pass.
And the second was…
‘That kid… has somewhat impure thoughts at this point. Should I secretly turn them into mild-flavored duck rub and re-educate them?’
<Yggdrasil Gate>, a mobile collection RPG game.
If you had to pick one gag character among all the characters that exist there, I, Clara, would be chosen.
But narrowing the range, among the characters actually used by players… that is, ‘Alvit’s companions’, if you had to pick one gag character, that kid comes out.
Because.
The ideology that kid has―
Bang―!!
At that moment, the student council room door opened roughly, and two juniors strode in.
“Senior!!!”
“Senior!!!”
“We were all repairing the main hall, and you said you were going to the bathroom but disappeared!!! Were you slacking off here―?!”
“Really, what’s with dumping everything on someone who just came to school 2 days ago―!!”
Ah.
Caught.
Alvit and Rota.
They approached with their fine eyebrows deeply furrowed, making truly exemplary angry expressions and gestures that could only come out in webtoons or chat emoticons.
Since I really had nothing to say…
“Ah, ahaha―☆”
“There you go laughing again when you have nothing to say!”
“Don’t think you can laugh it off, come with us quickly! We’ve already run out of weapons to use because you broke all the practice weapons, and now you’re trying to skip out on repairing the main hall too!!”
“Ah… Ahaha―☆”
Alvit shouting angrily.
‘I have nothing to say to that either.’
On that day, after the intense chase, all the weapons used to overturn the delinquent students’ bikes turned into piles of scrap metal.
Since weapons made of cheap ether conductors full of impurities were basically irreparable, except for the one sword Alvit was holding that day, all of <Central Prism Academy>’s practice weapons were gone.
But it wasn’t that I had acted without any thought.
‘I was planning to have them farm appropriately once the last junior joined…!’
In the current situation where the school has no money and it’s difficult to custom order separately, that was the most efficient equipment acquisition route.
The dungeon of <Yggdrasil Gate> has a rule of 3-person queues.
Then, when I met all three characters of <Central Prism Academy>, I would have them run the best dungeon that can be encountered early on, under the guise of coincidence.
It was the early stage designed by a veteran player, and the golden schedule for March that I had set up.
Truly a plan that would make Sima Yi tap Cao Cao’s head.
But how could a sparrow understand the will of a peng bird?
The sparrow in front of me was unaware of this and was snorting with her eyes wide open.
‘No, come to think of it, isn’t it the rule for a strategist to sit still and command generals with hand gestures?’
That’s right.
I had already perfectly completed my duties as a strategist and was taking a well-deserved rest.
A very legitimate right.
Realizing this, I straightened my shoulders proudly and admonished Alvit.
“There’s a lesson to scold―☆ Rest is important for a girl―☆”
“You have to work to rest, senior!!”
“This senior has already finished her work―☆ Preparing for your future right here in this room―☆ The brilliant mind rotation of this cute girl is the supreme labor! A girl’s utmost dedication! Truly a grand☆stra☆te☆gy―♡”
“What on earth are you saying, senior…”
Me and Alvit facing off.
Between us, with her two cat ears drooping, Rota’s timid voice cuts in, unable to stay still.
“Sorry. For breaking all the weapons. It happened while going to rescue me, right? I’ll definitely pay it back, even if I have to work part-time.”
At Rota’s sudden declaration, we both look at her in surprise.
Her two cat ears were drooping so much that even their fluffy fur was hidden. Her orange twin tails fall limply over her small shoulders.
Alvit desperately argued against such a reaction from her.
“Huh…? Ah…! That’s not it! Rota, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you feel bad!”
“Okay.”
Alvit suddenly breaking out in cold sweat and flustering.
But Rota feeling sorry at that sight and becoming even more dejected.
Even after enrolling in <Central Prism Academy>, Rota was being cautious. Perhaps because she had lived hearing harsh words from others for a long time, she showed an attitude afraid of losing the person who finally understood her.
“I… I really didn’t mean to make you feel bad…! It’s… um…”
“…”
Because she truly didn’t think it was Rota’s fault, Alvit had unhesitatingly brought up that day’s events. Because of that, combined with Alvit’s straightforward and diligent attitude, Rota’s inner fears were stimulated even more.
‘It’s natural to become anxious when you can’t repay a great favor.’
Head deeply bowed. Hands tightly gripping her uniform skirt. Cat ears drooping.
Rota’s small figure was like…
‘…A stray cat worried about when it might be abandoned.’
Just as Wu Guo, who surrendered to Guan Yu, was forever treated warily compared to Fang De who fought to the death, she becomes cautious about ruining the property of the already poor <Central Prism Academy>, having come from a rich school.
‘There’s nothing to do but wait until she gets used to it.’
Since I wasn’t the legendary psychopath Cao Pi who teased about that day’s events until Wu Guo died of illness, I forcibly changed the subject to break the vicious cycle of emotions.
“By the way, Rota☆ The uniform really suits you―☆ Not as much as me, but. You look so cute it’s believable if someone said you were born to come to <Central Prism Academy>―☆”
“Huh…? Oh, right! That’s right! The uniform color matches Rota’s hair color!! It really seems like you came to our school for a good reason?”
“…”
Alvit instantly understands the intention and matches her words.
But because it was an obvious forced change of subject to anyone, Rota still remained silent with her head bowed.
“…”
“…”
“…”
An awkward silence fell.
But Rota soon raised her head.
Timidly holding her twin tails with both hands, appealing with teary eyes.
“…Really?”
“Rota is really cute! Rota is the best among first-years in the academy city―☆”
“That’s right! We’re glad such a cute Rota came to our school!”
“…Am I really… um… cute?”
Slyly, pulling one leg back, moving her shoulders this way and that.
Rota looking at us intently.
“Of course―♡ Naturally☆ You’re about the 3rd among the students I’ve seen while living in the academy city―☆”
“What’s with that ambiguous compliment… Ah! Anyway! Of course you’re cute!”
“…Which part is… um… cute… ? Hm?”
We desperately showered her with compliments for about 15 minutes.
Finally satisfied, Rota succeeded in returning to her original self.
‘…She must have been starved for praise after only receiving scolding for a long time.’
Praise heard after a long time.
It seemed to be a reward that even paralyzed Rota’s intellect.
It was then that I decided to occasionally perform praise clinics for Rota.
‘…Hm?’
My senses detected a presence.
I felt a presence entering <Central Prism Academy>’s grounds from far outside. After a few minutes passed like that, when Rota’s excitement had subsided, a sudden sound was heard.
-Honk honk―!
“Is anyone there from <Central Prism Academy>―!”
“…?”
“…?”
At the horn sound heard from afar, the three of us looked at each other’s faces simultaneously, falling into doubt.
* * *
Daily necessities, snacks, letters… etc.
Numerous items placed on the student council room table.
Gifts that students brought directly by car. A reward for good deeds. Sent from the schools of origin of the hostages we had rescued.
We happily opened the gifts one by one, having obtained our daily bread.
“Huhu☆ Live long enough and you even receive rewards like this―☆”
“Hehe, it wasn’t something we did expecting compensation though.”
Us grinning broadly.
“Hm?”
Rota suddenly noticed a paper in the corner of the box.
“What’s this?”
“Hm…?”
What Rota carefully picked up from the corner of the box, was an invitation ticket for the new student welcome event of <Mimir Technical High School>.
[If you bring this ticket to the ether train station, you can ride for free to <Mimir Technical High School>.]
“Ah―☆”
Red Hare.
Please enjoy your vacation.