chapter_0155

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
155

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
155

Frey? What’s she doing here?

She’s always swinging her
sword in the training ground, only sluggishly coming around when
lunchtime is nearly over.

Surely she isn’t here to spar
right now, right?

I can’t today. I just had a
sparring session with Karl and used up all my strength. I need to
rest.

Although, truth be told, I’ll
be going back into Practice Mode soon and training with Grandpa
again, so my real body needs a break.

You can tell by looking, but
I’m still in my growth phase!

And speaking of growth, my
height won’t stop here, right? Correct?

Both Lucy’s Mother and Father
are above average in height.

Benedict is so tall that I
even doubt he’s truly human, and I remember Lucy’s Mother was also
tall for a woman in that vision.

It’d be weird if my height
stopped here. There’s such a thing as genetics. If my parents are
tall, it’s only natural for me to be tall too!

So, someday, I’ll grow taller
too, right? I won’t have to look up at everyone forever, will I?

Even though I daydreamed about
that in my mind, I knew reality wouldn’t be so kind.

First of all, the problem is
this [Mesugaki] Skill.

I’m talking about the way I
speak, act, even write. This [Mesugaki] Skill doesn’t allow me to
be anything but what fits its mould. Will it ever allow me to grow?

Typically, Mesugaki characters
are small and cute but act arrogantly. It seems unlikely that it
would permit me to grow taller and lose that image.

And there’s another problem.
Perverted Armadi, the so-called god of sloppiness, do you think he’ll
just watch me grow taller?

If there was a community, that
pervert would be saying things like LMAO and LOL, sure.

“Lucy.”

While I was lamenting the
reality that growing even one centimetre during my time at the
Academy would be fortunate, Frey called out to me.

‘What is it?’

“What is it, Sloppy
Swordsman?”

“Did you go easy on me
during our sparring?”

Huh? Why ask that all of a
sudden?

Oh. Did she just watch the
sparring I had with Karl? Then she must have noticed something odd.

Facing Karl and facing Frey
require different mindsets.

If I were to hit Frey as hard
as I hit Karl, she could end up seriously injured.

I want to grow together with
Frey, not destroy her.

Recognizing that she had
figured this out, I nodded, feeling that denying it now would only be
dishonest.

‘Yes, I held back.’

“Isn’t that obvious? Why
would I go all out against someone as worthless as you? Even without
trying, I could wipe the floor with a piece of trash like you.”

Wait, hold on. [Mesugaki]
Skill?

I didn’t intend to say things
to that extent!

I just wanted to say that I
didn’t use my full strength!

I didn’t mean to hurt Frey’s
pride with a mace!

Look at her! Frey, who usually
has a slightly dazed expression, is now staring at me seriously!

“Did you just call me
trash?”

How am I supposed to fix
this?!

It’s true that I no longer
care about raising other people’s affection levels.

But I still don’t want to be
hated by someone I’ve gotten close to!

Just a while ago, we were on
good terms, but if she turns her back on me now, it’ll hurt me twice
as much!

Realising that anything I say
would only make things worse, I kept my mouth shut.

However, despite my silence,
the [Mesugaki] Skill didn’t stop its activity.

It forced my lips into a
slight smirk, made me chuckle, and gave me a condescending look.

Now it looks like I don’t
even want to respond!

Frey glared at me with a
slightly furrowed brow before turning her back and walking away.

‘Grandpa. What should I do
now?’

‘That’s not the point!’

I’m being serious!

It’s true that I didn’t
like Frey much before I entered the Soul Academy. There were issues
with her performance!

But things are different now!
Since enrolling at Soul Academy, Frey is the person I’ve spent the
most time with!

Because she’s always been by
my side during physical activities, I’ve grown attached to her!

And now, I might lose her
favour, and you’re making jokes?

Grandpa! Aren’t you feeling
too triumphant just because you’ve found a way to bother me?!

Do you want me to show you
what mutual assured destruction really means?!

Reflecting on Grandpa’s
words, I thought over the things I’ve said in the past.

Grandpa’s point was
undeniably accurate.

‘…Right?’

Even though his words were
convincing, I still couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.

After Frey left, meat and
dessert were placed in front of me, but I couldn’t enjoy them at
all.

This morning. As usual, on her
way to training, Frey happened to catch sight of Lucy and Professor
Karl sparring.

It wasn’t unusual to see the
two of them sparring. They were often together anyway.

What made it impossible for
Frey to take her eyes off their match was the incredibly high level
of the duel.

With swift sword movements
that never allowed an opponent to approach.

A shield that absorbed all
attacks while steadily seeking opportunities.

Each move between the two was
so intricate that missing just a moment would mean losing the flow of
the match.

Thus, Frey forgot all about
her plans and got swept up in their sparring, watching intently.

The overall flow was
controlled by the swordsman.

After all, he had a higher
skill level and was teaching, so it was to be expected.

However, wielding a shield
didn’t mean simply enduring attacks.

Even under constant pressure,
Lucy kept trying to find openings. She tried to approach her
opponent.

As she observed Lucy’s
movements, the thought struck Frey suddenly.

‘Was Lucy like that when she
sparred with me?

No.

Lucy wasn’t this desperate.’

Frey had sparred with Lucy
countless times.

Since there were only two
people at their level in the first grade, it naturally ended up that
way.

Of course, this didn’t mean
the two were at the same level. Lucy was someone who stood higher
than Frey. The stark difference in their win rates evidenced that.

However, Frey didn’t see it as
an insurmountable gap.

Frey, confident in her own
talent, believed she could eventually catch up to Lucy.

But that belief shattered in
that moment.

She realised that the person
she thought was just ahead of her was actually far ahead.

The sparring session that
seemed almost miraculous to Frey was decided by Lucy’s bold decision.

Lucy created an opportunity
for attack, even at the risk of taking a fatal blow, and her
judgement was spot on.

Watching the seemingly
indomitable wall crumble under Lucy’s mace, Frey clenched her fist
without realising it.

It was an odd feeling.

Lucy had not mocked her, yet
something red had settled in her heart.

Was she angry?

No. It was something
different.

What kind of emotion was this?

Was she simply mistaken?

Yes, that must be it.

Thinking it was just a
misunderstanding, Frey headed to training, but the red feeling didn’t
disappear.

That emotion stuck tenaciously
in her heart and wouldn’t let go. Even now, after receiving a clear
answer from Lucy, nothing had changed.

‘Is that so? Lucy didn’t
even see me as an equal opponent.’

Maybe because Lucy had
provoked her, Frey felt something red growing even larger within her
heart.

Unskilled in dealing with
emotions, she didn’t understand why she was feeling so unsettled now.

‘Someone. Isn’t there
someone who can explain this to me?’

As she wandered around the
Academy aimlessly, lost in her thoughts, Frey stopped when she heard
voices coming from the infirmary.

“I don’t know how the Allen
Family trains, but doctors don’t call this a bruise. It’s a
fracture.”

“So what? It’s just a small
crack in the bone. It’ll heal with a potion and a day’s rest.”

“I think I should mention
that this is exactly why I dislike knights.”

The two voices she heard were
familiar to Frey.

‘One was Professor Yangho.
The other, could it be Professor Karl?

…Yes, if it’s Professor
Karl. Considering he’s close to Lucy, he might understand the red
emotion that Lucy had stirred within me.’

With that thought, Frey opened
the door to the infirmary without hesitation.

Then, walking up to Karl who
was looking at her curiously, she began to speak.

“Professor Karl, I have a
question.”

“Is it urgent, Lady
Kent?”

“Yes, very urgent.”

“Understood.”

Karl quickly stood up and led
Frey out of the infirmary, using this as an excuse to escape
Professor Yangho’s nagging.

Even though Professor Yangho
was shouting something behind him, Karl paid no mind. After all, he
had managed to pocket the potion he was aiming for.

“Thank you, Lady Kent.
So, what’s the issue? Is it about the sword?”

“No, it’s something
else.”

As they walked through the
garden of the Academy, Frey explained her dilemma.

She had realised that Lucy had
been looking down on her all this time.

Now that she understood this,
there was a red emotion lingering in her heart that wouldn’t
disappear.

How could she get rid of it?

The explanation, constructed
with Frey’s typically terse words, ended quickly.

Karl listened attentively and
then smiled gently before responding to Frey’s question.

“You felt hurt, didn’t
you? Because she had advanced so far ahead of you?”

“Hurt?”

Frey, who didn’t know such
emotions, tilted her head in confusion.

How should he explain this?

No, there was no nothing
further he could explain.

Anyway, the important thing is
to get rid of that feeling of disappointment.

“Right now, Lady Kent, the
reason you’re feeling upset with Miss Lucy is because you realised
how far ahead she is of you.”

‘If I can help Lady Kent to
move forward…’

Karl thought it wouldn’t be
a bad idea, having someone to pace with Lucy would be beneficial.

“Lady Kent, I have a
suggestion. It’s a way to get rid of that lingering red emotion.”

“What is it?”

“May I teach you the
sword?”

With that question, Frey
tilted her head in curiosity.

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