From far away, the morning broadcast of the United Student Council 's news department echoed through the air.
"[It's been a week since the Combat Festival ended, and many schools are returning to their usual routines. However, the festival, which saw an unprecedented gathering of seven [Unique Ether] users in its history...]"
Albit was learning what she needed to know as the next student council president at the United Student Council . But since it was still the first week, she had a period of adaptation and then returned home.
'Bell and Sieglinde seem to like Albit because they’re close to her...'
My sweet honey and the strict treasurer Erda just treated me as their junior, nothing more.
Anyway, after completing her training, Albit returned home. I had a view I wanted to show her, so I was riding up a hill with Albit sitting behind me.
Ring ring Ring ring
Of course, it wasn’t the hill where Central Prism Academy was located, but the large hill on the opposite side... the place where Frida-senpai had disappeared.
That’s where Red Hare was climbing.
After awakening the overpowered movement skill [Bifrost], I hadn’t ridden a bicycle in a long time, but I rang the bell out of habit.
Ring ring Ring ring
As always, the clear sound of the bicycle bell rang out, but there was a faint noise in between.
Creak...
As I rode up the hill, the body of the bicycle shook. Still, I could distinctly feel the frame trembling.
It wasn’t the natural sway of a moving vehicle.
This was the precarious movement of something just before it broke. I could sense something was wrong instinctively.
"...Oh no☆"
So, I pressed the brake lever and came to a stop.
Screech—
Albit, who had been sitting behind me, wobbled from the inertia and looked startled. She leaned forward and peeked at me.
“Whoa?! What’s going on?” “...”
The frame was shaking. All sorts of parts were screaming. This bicycle wouldn’t last much longer.
It wasn’t some foresight ability or superhuman vision that told me this... it was just the instinct that comes with using something for a long time.
‘So, this is the end, huh.’
I could repair it if I wanted to, but it would basically require getting a new frame and attaching it.
Even without bringing up something like 'The Ship of Theseus,' the entirety of this bicycle was Red Hare .
It could be said that Red Hare had reached its end here.
“...”
The day I collapsed from a heart attack due to overwork and fell onto the road. The day I woke up as a girl in a rainy hill town. The day I kept my mouth shut because I was disgusted by the pretty filter.
The day I arrived in the academy city... a day that was more horrible than I had expected, wandering from school to school because none would accept me.
That red bicycle was with me on that day too.
"Hey! Are you the graduate who just arrived at the academy city? The entrance ceremony is still a while away... Anyway! Since it’s raining a lot, why don’t you come to our school and take shelter?” “...” “You’re so quiet. My name’s Frida. What’s yours?” “...Clara.” “Nice to meet you, Clara! I’m glad to have met you!” “...”
The bicycle was a conduit for those memories since that day. The name I had nervously given, taken from a game character, had become my real name, and the bicycle’s name became Red Hare .
“...”
For a moment, my heart sank.
Red Hare wasn’t just a bicycle to me. It was the means by which I could freely move in this game world, a symbol of my memories.
‘To be honest, I used it roughly...’
It was a strangely durable bike. To think it endured the BPM of a [Unique Ether] user for three years.
Still, when I eventually leave Academy City Yord , this was something I definitely wanted to take with me. I believed it wouldn’t break until then.
“...”
Acceptance came quickly. Goodbyes always come unexpectedly.
“Hoo...”
I stood up and turned around with a smile. Albit was there, looking puzzled.
“ Red Hare is broken~☆” “Oh, is that so? Should we take it to Cara? Or maybe Maya-senpai or the mechanical engineering club...” “Hmm... It might be tough?”
I said as I lightly pressed on the part where I had heard the sound. It was the thickest and sturdiest part of the frame.
Creaaaak...
Cracks had formed all over, and it wobbled as if it were made of sponge. The old parts twisted in a chain reaction with the damage.
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed impossible to revive.
It would be faster to just buy a new bike.
“Ah...”
Albit got off the bike and stood on the grass. She touched the bike with a nostalgic look.
The sleek red body. The scars that had been carved into it from traveling all over the academy city.
Looking at it closely, it was clear I had treated it roughly.
Albit muttered quietly.
“Lotta would be sad if she knew. It seems like Lotta can’t separate you from the image of your bike, senpai.” “Huh? Lotta? ...Oh, right~☆ The kidnapping incident. That did happen...”
I was already starting to forget about it. I had treated Red Hare particularly roughly that night.
“That was also Ratatosk ’s doing, right?” “Yup—♪ But I didn’t expect a priest to show up after that...”
Albit and I chatted about an event that had happened only half a year ago as if it were a distant memory.
Each day was so intense that it felt like the stories were from ten years ago.
‘It really feels like I’ve spent over ten years in this academy city.’
It was surprising to realize that there were only a few months left until graduation. Of course, the fight with the Prophet would happen even sooner.
Albit suddenly looked at me and spoke.
“By the way, senpai. I’ve been curious about something.” “Hmm~?” “The name of this bike, Red Hare ... what does it mean?”
Oh dear. I had avoided mentioning the Romance of the Three Kingdoms because of Prophet Jinsoo-kun, but since she asked directly, I had no choice.
“Well, it’s from a novel I enjoyed reading...”
Ah, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms . I could talk about it all day.
I confidently placed my hands on my hips and was about to start explaining.
... ... ...
But I couldn’t.
‘What was Red Hare again?’
Suddenly, I couldn’t remember. I think it was the name of a horse in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms .
‘Wow, I forgot about The Romance of the Three Kingdoms .'
The truth was, I hadn’t reread The Romance of the Three Kingdoms since coming to this world, and it had been over three years. I was slowly forgetting the minor extras and unimportant details.
‘I thought that if I graduated safely, I might write a novel copying The Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the outside world. But that seems difficult now.’
I had imagined Clara’s life path to be like a “female writer writing war novels in another world”... something like a light-hearted author story.
When I looked at the novels that Selma-senpai always conceptualized, they seemed to be mostly light, popular fiction.
But it seemed that becoming an author and excelling in that genre was too much for a silly character like Pingcheng.
“...”
Anyway, what was Red Hare again?
Red Hare ... Red Hare ...
Hmm...
Uh...
Some obscure horse. Ridden by some obscure general...
‘I guess it wasn’t that important.’
I eventually failed to recall it and shrugged my shoulders.
“...It’s the name of a horse in a novel, but I forgot what kind of horse it was—☆” “Heh... A horse’s name from a novel. Senpai, you’re surprisingly romantic.” “Hahaha, I may look like this, but I’m a literature girl—☆”
Even though the only things I read were The Romance of the Three Kingdoms , wuxia novels, and comic books.
We walked the rest of the hill while pushing the bike, chatting about trivial matters we both knew.
The scenery we finally arrived at was the same idyllic view from that day.
The Central Prism Academy was visible beyond the green hill.
“There’s our school... It’s so quiet here, it’s kind of a healing place. How did you find this spot?” “...My senpai showed it to me.” “Your senpai? Ah~ The third-year seniors you told me about when you were a first-year?” “...Yeah. Frida, Selma, and Nina-senpai.” “Aha...”
Albit remembered.
Everyone in the academy city had forgotten them, and even the classrooms of Central Prism Academy couldn’t hold their memories.
But Albit remembered them because of me. She remembered the ones who had disappeared because of me.
This was my small rebellion against fate.
“Before my seniors graduated, Frida-senpai brought me here. She cheered me on so I could participate in the Combat Festival.” “With Hilde-senpai and that?”
Albit scratched her cheek awkwardly as if the term was unfamiliar to her.
It wasn’t so much that she was calling it that because they were close, but rather that she hoped they would become close by using it. It seemed like she had talked with Hilde during the succession process.
‘She’s probably slowly opening up to others too.’
Although it was a bit late and she was approaching it in a somewhat strange way, I chuckled at the sight.
“Yeah.”
A peaceful breeze. The sprawling academy city. The scenery before us was the same as back then.
This was where my real story began.
“That’s why I wanted to congratulate you on your victory in the Combat Festival here—☆ And I’m also preemptively congratulating you on becoming the United Student Council president next year—♪” “Haha... That was only possible because Eir-senpai was exhausted. It still feels surreal.”
Albit scratched her cheek shyly.
“But still. I’m going to take the lead to make sure no one underestimates Central Prism Academy anymore.” “Yeah♪”
I hope your ‘real’ story also begins here.
Three Heroes The Dragon Crouched in the Abyss The main story of the Yggdrasil Gate .
And not a fate created by the Prophet...
I hope your real story unfolds next year.
With that wish in mind, I asked Albit the final question I wanted to ask her.
“Albit, were you happy with your school life?” “Hmm, well. The first impression was really the worst. Even though you, senpai, are a shrine maiden who follows a goddess and received a revelation... the school was old, the location was the worst, and there was so much chaos...” “...”
Surprisingly, she didn’t immediately say she was happy.
This brat. I treated you so well.
Ugh, Clara’s upset now. Hand back the special sword I made for you~
Without noticing my gradually narrowing gaze, Albit quietly reminisced as she continued to speak.
“With things like Ratatosk and ancient dragon clans suddenly showing up to cause trouble. Wherever I went, there was always some commotion or incident... And why were there so many delinquent students...” “Hmph...” “...But.”
Albit furrowed her thick eyebrows and smiled slyly.
“It was honestly a ridiculously fun school life. To the point where I wondered if it was okay to have this much fun.” “...”
I took Albit’s hand.
“Senpai?” “I’m glad. If you, if all of you, were happy... I’m really glad. It was a mess, just as you said, but I hope they were good memories.” “They were good memories.” “Yeah, that’s good.”
I drew a small spiral in the calloused palm of Albit’s hand. My own fingers, also calloused, lightly bumped against hers.
I couldn’t express it as elegantly as Frida-senpai with words or drawings. I just wanted to convey the meaning as my heart dictated.
“Even if it’s messy and spiraling out of control like a spiral.” “...A spiral.” “The memories we made, the spiral-like memories that you and I created, were pretty great... don’t you think?” “Yes.”
I drew a spiral on her palm and then closed my fist. Another spiral was formed, and it became etched in my heart.
“If you cherish these memories, then to the juniors who follow... give them the same. Help them make wonderful memories too.” “...” “Can you do that?”
Albit nodded.
“Yes.”
I returned that fist to Albit.
“Thank you.”
And then we descended the hill. No one disappeared suddenly.
Cara lifted an old stick and shouted.
"This is it!! There’s no doubt—!!"
Then, Unnamed Falcon and Lotta rushed across the field.
“Beep! Finally, the fate of the [Rebellious Rider] has reached this land...!” “Where? Let me see!!”
Lotta perked up her ears and inspected the old stick. She had done this hundreds of times before, so she had memorized all the patterns.
“...” “...” “...”
Please, let this be the one. Please let this be the end of wandering the plain, searching for sticks that suddenly appear out of the mist.
Please...
A sigh escaped Lotta's small lips.
"...Oh." "...No way." "...The end pattern is a bit different." “Aaaargh—!! Why are these similar objects scattered all over the mist, whether it’s a rider or a singer—!!”
Cara’s cry echoed across the misty plain.
“Ugh...”
Cara slumped her shoulders. Then she reluctantly got up again and began to trudge off to search for a new stick.
“Hmm?”
In the distance, she noticed a girl passing by in a corner of the field. The girl was holding a sketchbook in one hand and had blonde hair with glasses.
“...”
She would have thought nothing of it if it had been a student from another school.
But she couldn’t help but feel something was off.
The girl was wearing the uniform of Central Prism Academy .
“What the...”
When Cara looked closely again, the girl had already disappeared, leaving only a faint silhouette behind.