Chapter 7
The quiet grounds of the Academy.
The protagonist, who had dragged me here, shooed away the spirits clinging to me and spoke.
“About the exchange duel.”
“That’s what I said! How could I win after preparing in such a short time?”
“What? Haha, I see. Don’t worry, I won’t take your life.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“…”
“I’m joking. You won.”
When the protagonist casually revealed the result, I rubbed my ears, thinking I must have misheard.
I won?
“You don’t seem convinced. Anyway, you’re not an idiot, so you should understand.”
“Understand what?”
“Haha, having defeated a daughter of House Hainder, do you think more challenges will come your way or not?”
“Ah.”
“Hahaha, risking your life for a mere 100,000 gold.”
“Aaaaah!”
Why does everything revolve around money?
But I was barely scraping by because I spent so much on snacks for Elenien!
What could I do when my Academy life hinged on money?
“But how did I win? I can’t remember anything.”
“Whatever. You probably fought well enough. Anyway, here’s a swordsmanship manual. Learn it.”
“…What’s this for?”
“Do I really have to explain? If you want to live, learn it. Tsk.”
“You demon…”
“I’m actually being nice to you. Why are you so scared of me?”
“Ack, okay, okay, I get it! Just take your hand off my neck!”
Do you really not know why? You’re truly despicable.
“Well, I should head back to my hometown. If anything comes up, get in touch.”
The protagonist tossed me a communicator.
Oh, this was expensive.
“Tsk. Such a money-grubber at your age.”
“Most problems in the world are solved with money.”
“You’re not wrong. But once you reach a certain level, it won’t just be most problems—you’ll solve everything.”
“How could I ever reach that level?”
“Anyway, I’m off. If Deruna comes looking for me, just tell her I’m not around.”
What kind of nonsense is that?
“Why? She’s your childhood friend.”
“I can’t take care of her forever. She needs to learn to handle herself.”
“Wow, sometimes I really wonder… Are you even the same age as me?”
“Ah… Grandpa’s influence, I guess. By the way, Deruna seems to like you. It’s the first time she’s talked about a guy.”
“…What nonsense are you spouting now?”
“Hey, nonsense? That’s rude.”
It’s because what you’re saying is absurd.
Deruna would throw her life on the line for the protagonist—she’s one of the main heroines.
The protagonist even deeply regrets losing her later, cherishing her immensely.
Though that’s a tale for the future.
“Wait, doesn’t Deruna like you? Aren’t you the one she’s interested in?”
“…Huh? Well, I mean, who wouldn’t? I am incredibly handsome. Ohoho.”
“Wow… how obnoxious.”
“But I suppose… it’s not that I think Deruna isn’t enough for me—it’s more like she’s too much. Anyway, you know what’ll happen if you bring this up again, right?”
“Aaah! I won’t tell anyone, I promise!”
“Good, good. It’s fine to think what you want, but you better keep your mouth shut.”
Ugh, I swear this is shaving years off my life.
Now that I think about it, the novel didn’t describe it in much detail, but the protagonist really doesn’t seem interested in Deruna.
Why?
She’s not lacking in charm…
Ah, I think I get it.
Considering his past life experience, the protagonist probably sees a significant age gap as inappropriate or even unethical.
Poor Deruna…
“I won’t say anything!”
“Won’t say what?”
Suddenly, Karon’s voice turned into a woman’s voice.
What?
Karon had vanished, and standing before me was Deruna.
“What’s this? Why don’t you tell me?”
“Uh… well…”
“Should I make you talk?”
Why do they both resort to violence?
“Karon said he’s going to his hometown and told me not to tell you.”
“What? That guy again…! Ugh, forget it. I’m not going. Let the retainers handle the estate themselves.”
“Hmm, understood. Then I’ll be on my way.”
“Where do you think you’re going? You need to keep me company.”
“Don’t you have other friends?”
“…!”
Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.
Feeling a pang of guilt, I flinched as Deruna’s fist came flying at me.
“Ugh.”
“You dodged that?”
“I-it hit me! It hurt!”
“Didn’t even land properly. Ugh, why do I bother putting up with these high-nosed nobles at the Academy?”
Ah, I see.
So you’re just like me—a fellow extra.
“Forget it. I’m busy. Go on, get out of here.”
Once Deruna walked off somewhere, I bent down to pick up the earth spirit I had hidden earlier.
I should look for Elenien, but maybe it’s better to stay out of sight.
As expected, Elenien appeared from the garden, walking gracefully as the flowers and grass seemed to part for her.
“Seri, Seri, Serupe?”
“Huh?”
“Sometimes you’re so spaced out, you seem like a fool.”
Wait… Did Elenien just call me a fool?
Feeling annoyed, I got up from where I had been sitting and walked ahead of her.
“Are you mad?”
Elenien followed after me, asking if I was upset. I just shook my head.
Her heroine powers are something else…
“Anyway, I feel a bit off, so I’ll head back first!”
“Serupe.”
Elenien called after me, but I ignored her and returned to my dorm room.
Karon, apparently too lazy to pack, had left most of his stuff behind in our shared room for the next semester.
“Oh, she ran off. Elenien’s probably sulking, huh? Maybe 500 Eldershoes will cheer her up…”
The spirits would probably throw a feast carrying around all those Eldershoes.
With a light sigh, I sat down at my desk and began tidying up.
Unlike Karon, I did need to visit my hometown at least once.
“Hey, Dirtling, you’re cleaning up all the dirt you spilled in the room.”
——“Squeak, squeak.”
Was this thing a dog or what?
Still, it was my spirit, so I couldn’t help but find it cute.
It picked up the dirt it scattered, only to drop more dirt somewhere else.
Maybe I should give it some fertilizer.
When I activated the magical circle to generate fertilizer, Dirtling leaped around to eat it up.
Ah, this is healing.
Life isn’t all storm clouds—sometimes the sun breaks through.
“The sprout seems to have grown a bit more.”
Having eaten its fill, Dirtling flopped over, clearly full.
Maybe I should give it some water? But then it’d wake up.
I decided to leave it be and continued organizing my belongings.
I gathered up the books to return to the library in one place.
Since I didn’t own anything particularly special, it didn’t take long.
Lying down on the bed for a break, I felt alive for the first time without Karon around.
Ugh, his nagging…
Just thinking about it was enough to give me another complex.
Ever since meeting Elenien, I’d been swept up in one incident after another.
Hopefully, I wouldn’t get tangled up in whatever the protagonist faced in the future…
But that wouldn’t happen.
Even though I was reincarnated into this world, I was just an extra.
***
“Serupe… why did you leave like that yesterday?”
“Uh, well… good question?”
“Are you mad?”
Elenien rested her hand on my thigh and looked up at me.
She was almost leaning into me.
“W-whoa!”
Startled, I pulled back, and Elenien pouted slightly before raising both hands over her head.
…What was she doing?
“Hmph…”
When I didn’t respond, she turned her head sharply and crossed her arms.
What was that?
As I pondered seriously, I noticed Dirtling beneath me, fluttering its little sprout.
Ah, could it be?
“Is that… a sprout?”
Elenien’s expression brightened slightly as she nodded.
“Why…?”
“To cheer you up…”
Blushing, Elenien looked down at the floor diagonally, lightly kicking at it with her toe.
Seriously… what’s with her?
Snapping out of it, I spoke up.
“I wasn’t mad.”
“Then why did you leave like that?”
“Well, don’t you sometimes ignore me even when I talk to you?”
“T-that’s because… you’re so indifferent sometimes!”
“It just hit me suddenly that I had something urgent to do. With the break and all, I figured I should visit my hometown. Plus, I can’t keep relying on other merchants to handle everything—I need to hire people. Sorry about that.”
“It’s o-okay.”
Elenien lowered her head, glancing at me nervously.
She seemed to be thinking deeply, and I let her be until she finally raised her head again.
“Does that mean you won’t be at the Academy during the break?”
“Probably not.”
“The… the warehouse will take forever to sort out without the spirits…”
“I guess I’ll have to hire someone.”
“Even in your hometown… are there people who bully you, Serupe?”
“Hmm… In my hometown, my village friends usually left me out of their games, but they didn’t really bully me…”
“…”
As I answered Elenien’s questions one by one, she clenched her fists tightly, her expression showing frustration.
“Serupe… do you not need me anymore?”
Ah.
Now I understood.
I thought she was just following me around to boost her self-esteem by helping me.
But for some reason, I had become an important person to Elenien.
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Of course not.”
Elenien broke into a radiant smile.
—
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