Ch.183That NPC Oppa’s Little Sister (4)

# I, Latina, am a very ordinary commoner.

How ordinary? Well, I was considered a prodigy in my village and got admitted to the academy, but once I came to the city, I struggled to even maintain a position in the upper ranks of D among ABCD.

“This is terrible.”

“Ha, hahaha.”

“I’m sorry… it’s because of me…”

“*It’s not something Ira needs to apologize for(!)*”

Originally, I wasn’t even smart enough to get into Class A. I have absolutely no talent for spirit arts, which the academy considers mainstream, and my magical aptitude is just slightly better than someone with none at all. I thought my physical strength was good in the village, but in reality, it’s weaker than average.

However, there was one area where I was slightly ahead of others, which allowed me to enter Class A, the high-achieving class. Actually, calling it “ahead” might be wrong.

“Well, Ira and I have to go clean after lunch, so what are you going to do, Latina?”

“Ah, I’ll gather some information for a bit. Maybe there’s someone who could join our group.”

“Ugh… sorry, Latina.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m happy I could become friends with Ira. I’m sure there are others who want to be friends with you too.”

“Oh? What about me?”

“Ah, ahaha. It’s an honor to be friends with you too, Grace.”

“Hehe! Of course!”

Being friends with these cute, pretty, and exceptional girls before anyone else is certainly something I take pride in. But that’s not really related to what I’m trying to say.

“Well then, Latina! See you back in class later.”

“We’ll finish cleaning quickly and come right back with Grace!!”

“Okay. Both of you be careful and take your time.”

After finishing lunch in the cafeteria with those two adorable girls, I walk through the academy alone.

As I walk slowly, I start seeing students who are much taller than me or wearing different colored brooches on their uniforms. I bow politely to everyone I see as I continue forward.

This is not a path that a student who’s been enrolled for just one week would take—the interior of the academy where upperclassmen would be. I slowly make my way there…

*Knock knock.*

[Who is it.]

“Elementary division, navy blue.”

*Creeeeak.*

“Come in quickly.”

“Ahaha…”

When I knock on the door of a classroom with no sign, a boy comes out and lets me in.

Inside, I see students wearing various badges from elementary to middle school divisions.

“Oh, Latina.”

“You’re here.”

“What happened today? Tell us quickly!”

“Ahaha, hello everyone.”

I wave and greet these students, but normally I shouldn’t have had any connection with them at all. No, forget connections—originally, I wouldn’t have even been able to talk to them peacefully like this; I would have died. Yes, the thing I’m ahead of others in is…

“Well then, let’s begin today’s meeting of the [Satan Unemployment Research Society], where we’ve returned to repay our debt. Please tell us how cute Miss Ira was today, how impressive Lord Gor, the slime golem spirit, was, and what kind of help we need to provide, Miss Latina.”

[-Occupation: Academy Student- Name: Latina. Level: 6 Age: 14]

“Yes.”

…being the only human attending the first year of elementary division twice.

*

I can never forget that day. After failing the exam to advance to the second year of elementary division, I thoughtlessly grabbed the hand of a spirit department assistant who offered it as a helping hand.

“…Mom, D-Dad… help me…”

I was dying in the spirit department’s secret laboratory, being treated as a battery for forced spirit contracts.

Other children apparently lasted at least six months, but with my inherently low mana and physical strength, I had become so weak that I could barely see after just two months. My limbs, which were losing sensation, moved on their own from the pain of the collar around my neck that whipped me relentlessly.

Like that, with no dreams, no hope, and no physical freedom, I was just waiting to die when…

“It’s okay. I’m sorry, but I’m here now. Don’t worry.”

I was saved by a gray-haired man who forced a smile while directing his orange eyes, which looked like they might tear up at any moment, toward me.

He was strong. He twisted and killed all the assistants who were no match for us with his bare hands, and whenever someone summoned a spirit, he would grab it and blow it up along with the opponent. After leaving us in the care of the man who came with him for treatment, he quickly went somewhere and returned with food and potions to heal our hunger and wounds.

I was so grateful to the person who saved me that I asked his name with my distorted, cracked voice.

“Haha. I’m just a passing adventurer.”

Without telling me his name, he just patted my head and left. That person would occasionally show his face or send his companions to gather children who had suffered the same fate as me, left an adult to protect us, and then went out saying he would end the incident, never to return.

I learned that he had caught the main culprit when we came under the protection of the headmaster.

“Huh? That person’s name? Wasn’t it Jack? Satan? Some Unemployment Research Society? I heard he was a department head.”

“Oh, how did you know? He didn’t tell me…”

“Ah. He didn’t tell the other kids either, but I heard it when he killed Department Head Lo Jack.”

Thanks to a child in the same situation who told me “It was so satisfying!” I was able to learn his name.

Afterward, the headmaster deeply bowed to us in apology and said that he would take responsibility for sending any child who wanted to return to their family back home, and if there were any who would trust the academy once more and wanted to study, he would provide full support.

Moreover, the headmaster, who looked truly distressed, promised us an enormous amount of compensation that we would never be able to touch in our lifetime, as well as clerics to heal the mental wounds that the families and children had suffered.

Of course, regardless of the headmaster’s appearance, the children did not want to return to the academy.

There was no reason to go back unless you were crazy. After suffering like this, what would happen next time? Even if we commoners talked about this incident outside, we would surely be crushed by the power of the nobility and disappear.

That’s what I thought, but…

“I, I want to attend the academy again.”

“…M-Me too.”

Some children wanted to return to the academy. Why? I didn’t want to go, so why did they…

“I heard what that Jack person said.”

“Yeah. About how he didn’t want his sister to be friends with us.”

“Heh, we were becoming too violent, I guess…”

“W-We had our reasons! We just wanted to vent when we could!!”

“Me, me! I talked to the golden adventurer sister! She said her friend’s child was enrolling in the elementary division and asked us to be nice to them!!”

The gray man’s sister was enrolling in the academy. The academy was still scary, and it was hard to believe the headmaster’s apology, but I trusted the man who saved me. And…

‘I want to repay the debt.’

“…What? You don’t want to advance to the second year?”

“Yes. I… want to do the first year again.”

“If you’re worried about keeping up with the lessons, don’t worry. We’ve prepared professors and assistants who will provide proper support for all of you. And if you find it doesn’t suit you or you can’t keep up, we have other curricula…”

“N-No! I failed the second-year advancement exam too! I want to start over from the beginning!! I only want to be in the first year!!”

It was a gamble whether that man’s sister would enroll in the first year of elementary division or the first year of middle school division.

In fact, some children who failed the advancement exam in the third year of elementary division thought they might enter the middle school division and went up to the first year of middle school.

And then.

‘Ah. A female golem? Could that be the spirit-like golem the kids were talking about…?’

“Hello! My name is Ira!”

I thought a rose spirit from a fairy tale had appeared before my eyes. Her violet eyes like the Milky Way held a strong charm, and her smile, which seemed genuinely happy without a trace of falsehood, sparkled. With her hands behind her back and leaning forward, she looked incredibly cute as she was about a fist shorter than me. And above all…

“Hey! I only have one friend so far, so would you like to be my friend?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. My name is Latina. Ira, is that golem…”

“Hmm? Oh! That’s Gor! Our maid!”

“Our, meaning, d-do you have a b-brother…”

“Yes!! I have a big brother!! Does Latina have a big brother too?!”

A commoner admitted to Class A, a female golem maid, a girl with an adventurer brother. I never imagined it would be this easy to find her, let alone have her approach me first and become friends immediately. Moreover…

“Hey~! My name is Ira! You’re talking to Grace, who I just became friends with, and she says she’s not feeling well, so would you let her go?”

As cute as a flower fairy, but unlike her cuteness, she had the strength to act like her brother when it came to protecting her friends.

That day, the confusion I felt when she suddenly stood up during our conversation and swung her fists at the boys who were hassling Grace.

Honestly, not knowing the circumstances, I even imagined that she might not be his sister, but after hearing the whole story, I had to admit that she was perfectly the sister of that gray adventurer, Jack.

“…So now they need one more person for the skill assessment team for the first years.”

“Damn, do we know anyone in the first year of elementary division?”

“How could we? Everyone here is a commoner.”

“Sigh, I want to help cute Miss Ira, but I’m in the third year…”

“Middle school division has no dreams or hopes!! The classes are too hard!!! Aah!! I want to see Lady Ira!!”

And so, after finding Lady Ira, I returned to the academy with students who wanted to repay the debt of that day, saying they would repay the debt to his sister. We looked for “a certain department” and, upon finding it didn’t exist, created a small secret club with the same name.

Of course, it’s a club that’s been reported to the academy, so I’m not sure if it’s really a secret. Moreover, since we’re all commoners, there’s not much we can do to help.

After all, none of us were particularly smart, which is why we were targets for kidnapping in the first place…

Anyway! Hoping that Ira, the sister of my benefactor, would have a comfortable academy life, I asked them for support, but no suitable method came up.

Sigh. I guess I, who wasn’t directly involved in the incident, have no choice but to meet the Class A students directly…

“Hey, Latina. You know that for the first-year team formation, it’s a grade-level assessment, so you can team up with students from other classes, right?”

“…Eh?”

“Oh, right! I think the first skill assessment score included cooperation points for working with students from other classes!”

“Ah!! I remember! That’s right, that’s right!! There were kids who complained because they didn’t know they could form teams with students from other classes because the professor deliberately didn’t mention that condition!!”

“If I remember correctly, the professors said it was a ‘grade-level’ outdoor team skill assessment, so why were students only trying to form teams within the same class? They said we couldn’t even form one team properly and deducted cooperation points.”

“Ah, ahah!! That’s right! I remember now!!”

A blind spot that I had completely forgotten, even though I attended the first year last year too! Indeed, I’m not very smart!

“Thank you, seniors!! I’ll go to Ira and Grace and suggest forming a team with students from other classes!”

“Great! Don’t forget that we helped you~!”

“No, I was the one who said it.”

“Bring more stories about Ira next time~ We always gather here after the academy ends!”

“No, you can even bring Lady Ira herself! Introduce her to us!! I’ve heard rumors about how cute she i… Aaack?!!”

“What are you thinking about our benefactor’s sister?”

“Heretic! Heretic!!”

“Kill him! Kill him!!”

“S-Sorry!! P-Please spare my li…!!!”

After bowing deeply to thank those who were enjoying the everyday, peaceful academy life they thought they would never return to after being kidnapped, I slowly started to run.

By now, they should have finished cleaning the professor’s office. It would be better to go to the professor’s office rather than waiting in the classroom.

“Hehe. I wonder if Ira and Grace will be happy?”

Thinking that I’m quite fortunate to have become friends with these two girls who are two years younger than me, I quickened my pace a bit.