Chapter 13

“After my morning jog, training with Aisha.”

Morning martial arts class, just a little scratch for Isabel.

After lunch, paperwork with Nikita for the Student Council.

Afternoon joint class, ignoring Card and focusing on the lesson.

Before dinner, prepping and gathering information for the mock battle.

Occasionally following Nikita for extra Student Council work.

After dinner, reviewing lessons, doing assignments, and training.

Nighttime sleep.

This has been my recent daily routine.

If it were the old me, I’d be so exhausted that the next day I’d probably just crash and sleep.

Bickamon’s stamina is beyond my imagination.

Honestly, I think this body could pull through three days and nights without a hitch the next day.

His stamina and recovery rate were just that ridiculous.

‘Bickamon, instead of messing around with magic, you should have trained your body.’

I still don’t get why he insisted on learning magic.

Of course, I know a bit about Bickamon’s backstory.

The Niflheim clan, Bickamon’s family, is originally a family of sorcerers.

He learned magic somewhat desperately, overshadowed by his talented older brother.

But Bickamon was tragically lacking in magical talent.

Even his younger sister became a big deal in magic, showcasing a reincarnation of a great wizard.

Feeling miserable, he became even more obsessed with magic.

‘Envy and jealousy got in the way of honing his strengths.’

In the end, what’s lacking is still lacking.

But now, his strengths are really coming in handy.

Stamina is national power.

I was beginning to realize what that meant as my stamina rapidly increased.

“Senpai, I’ve added a routine to train arms and chest together today!”

Maybe that’s why.

Aisha’s training regimen has been getting weirder and weirder lately.

Aisha, with her ironclad stamina, seemed really happy to have a training partner.

Every morning, she would come out even earlier than I did, setting up training tools with a bright smile.

It looked like training alone had been really lonely for her.

“Senpai, today is leg training. Let’s wear this and run together before the jog!”

Despite Aisha’s cheerful face, the tools she brought were getting more and more outlandish.

But seeing her so happy, I didn’t feel too bad about it.

Most importantly, Aisha’s training definitely helped me.

“Training together is fun!”

After finishing today’s training, Aisha looked at me sprawled out and flashed a refreshing, healthy smile like from an electrolyte drink commercial.

Seriously, what was up with Aisha? Her stamina never seemed to decrease.

She must have so much energy left over, swinging around heavy swords just for fun.

She used to have a somewhat cold image, but now it was clear how innocent and reckless she really was.

Still, thanks to her, I was able to push myself up, albeit wobbly.

Watching Aisha, with even more stamina than I had, ignited a competitive spirit in me.

One day, I would build up enough stamina to swing around a heavy sword like her.

“Senpai, it looks like our training is paying off! You’ve been getting better lately!”

“…You could see that?”

“Nope. It’s just that your muscles are talking.”

Whoa, what a terrifying thing to say!

But Aisha was right.

I could feel myself getting better, probably due to the consistency of the training, even beyond the bandage I was wrapped in.

At this rate, it must mean my natural constitution is pretty different.

Looks like Bickamon was meant to head towards martial arts.

“It’s all thanks to you.”

“Ah, heehee, no way! It’s mostly thanks to your hard work!”

Aisha swung her heavy sword harder, trying to shake off her embarrassment with a shy smile.

Honestly, at this rate, I’m worried she might fling it away!

“By the way, Aisha, I’d like to do a mock battle to prepare for the upcoming mock battle.”

I mentioned this before Aisha could really send me flying.

“Can we really do that?”

“With me?”

Aisha’s eyes went wide.

Then she slowly put down her heavy sword and smiled.

“I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a Senpai. You okay with that?”

“Of course, that’s exactly what I want! Just go all out!”

“I’m looking forward to seeing you the next day, trembling and unable to get out of bed.”

“Aren’t you the one who will be crying and crawling out of bed?”

“W-What are you two even talking about?!”

At that moment, an unexpected voice interrupted our conversation.

When Aisha and I turned around, we saw a girl with bright red hair shining in the sunlight.

Isabel Luna.

The main heroine of the Firefly Butterfly series and the one I’m struggling to save from the suicide route.

Isabel looked at us with her face flushed bright red, starting from her ears.

Looks like she’s got heated just from seeing my face this morning.

We’re slowly becoming each other’s nemeses.

How delightful.

“Isabel Luna, what brings you here so early?”

As I called her full name and asked, Isabel took a deep breath and shot me a glare.

“…You know that you and I are on duty this morning.”

Ah, right, I forgot about that.

I was so caught up in my training with Aisha that I momentarily spaced out.

“Aisha, we’ll finish our talk later.”

“Yes, Senpai, you worked hard today too.”

Receiving Aisha’s polite greeting, I walked over to Isabel.

“I have to stop by the dorm looking like this.”

No way I could go there looking like a sweat-and-dirt-covered mess.

Just then, Isabel sighed dramatically and threw my bag at me.

I realized late that it was my bag.

When did she even bring that?

“…Card gave it to you on his way. He told me you were here and that your uniform is in there.”

So that’s why she came here.

Still, that didn’t fix the main issue.

I looked at Aisha with a blank expression.

“I just said it, but I can’t go like this, you know?”

Just because I have a uniform doesn’t mean I can wear it over this dirt and sweat.

“I’ll sort that out for you.”

Suddenly, another figure emerged from behind the bushes.

With star-shaped tattoos around her eyes and dangling earrings, she looked at me with sleepy, droopy eyes.

Ah, so she came with Isabel.

One of Isabel’s close friends.

From the Magic Arts department, Sharine Sazarith.

A second-year student and the top of the Magic Arts.

Struggling with her morning sleepiness, she lazily yawned and waved her wand.

Then the droplets of water rising from my body absorbed the sweat and dirt and disappeared.

This girl has some real magic skills with water.

“All clean? Come on, Bell, let’s go. I want to sleep in class!”

As Sharine affectionately called Isabel by her nickname, Isabel nodded.

Then, she gave me a side-eye that said she wasn’t thrilled about all this.

I guess that means I should follow them since my mess has been taken care of.

Even though the rebellious side of me wanted to protest, I held back.

I really don’t want to catch points for being late yet again.

It’s important to maintain a good image, especially in front of the professors.

So I slung my bag over my shoulder and turned around.

But then Isabel furrowed her brows and grabbed my clothes.

“Where do you think you’re going?! It’s still morning duty!”

“I’m just changing over there. What? Following me to watch? That’s quite the peculiar hobby you’ve got.”

“A-ah, no, I’m sorry for grabbing you! Just… please come back.”

What the heck is she apologizing for, of all things?

Seeing her act even a little sheepish shows a glimpse of her true character.

Leaving the fumbling Isabel behind, I headed toward the trees.

But somehow, I felt Sharine’s watchful gaze on me from afar.

That sleepy girl has an unreadable expression on her face.

Sharine is a wild card, anyway.

Her character traits are already unpredictable.

She can suddenly quit mid-battle and say, ‘I’m out.’

Her impulsiveness is as serious as a debuff.

But her skills and stats are unrivaled, so sometimes I use her as a backup when things get tight and really hope for the best.

Please let her mood remain stable today.

As this game has become reality, I really can’t predict Sharine’s temperament.

‘It’d be better not to get entangled unnecessarily.’

So I hurried to change my clothes and stepped outside.

Just then, Isabel, as if she’d been waiting for that moment, spun around and marched ahead.

Waving at Aisha, I followed right behind.

As the three of us walked, there was almost no conversation.

There were no words needed between Isabel and me.

Sharine, who struggles to wake up in the morning, let out yawns and slumped the entire way.

“Sharine, stand up straight.”

“Ugh, I’m so sleepy.”

Because Sharine is a heavy sleeper, Isabel often has to drag her out of bed, which creates many events just like this.

In a way, Lucas should have been involved here.

If Lucas were present, the atmosphere would surely be brighter.

We would have enjoyed various chats about today’s classes or the latest rumors circulating the academy.

‘But now I’m stuck with duty, it just happened to be me.’

We’re left with just a bleak atmosphere.

It was Sharine who first broke the awkward silence.

As we reached the entrance to the Magic Arts department, she was the first to separate from the group.

“Do well in today’s class, and don’t fall asleep in the morning.”

“Mom, I just want to sleep for five more minutes!”

“Sharine, there’s no mom here.”

As she clung to her, Isabel rubbed Sharine’s head comfortingly.

Isabel seemed to brighten up a bit while with Sharine.

But even Sharine couldn’t fill the void left by Lucas in Isabel’s heart.

Without Lucas, Isabel’s extreme choices are inevitable.

While I watched that scene, Isabel turned to me.

Ah, now’s the perfect time to poke the bear.

“We’re going to be late for morning duty.”

“…Who do you think you are to say that?”

Touché.

But I boldly pressed forward.

After all, I’m destined to be the one hated, so I might as well embrace it wholeheartedly.

“I bet your friend Lucas would be as relaxed as you are.”

In an instant, Isabel’s expression turned icy.

She bit her lip and then let go of Sharine’s arm.

“You won’t be able to say that again very soon.”

With that, she gave me a furious glare and swiftly turned away to walk off.

The hatred stacks are definitely piling up now.

Let’s keep it going.

Today’s shift is bound to be filled with a chilly atmosphere.

‘Let’s just get going.’

Now quite used to it, I trailed behind Isabel.

Thud!

But that was immediately stopped.

By none other than an unexpected person.

“…Sharine Sazarith?”

“Hey, hey, I need to ask you something!”

She grabbed my wrist tightly and dragged out her words.

Then her hair, shimmering like a galaxy, swayed to the side.

“Why are you disguising yourself like that?”

Oh my, what now?