Grasping the Whole Story

A genius cannot beat one who works hard, and one who works hard cannot beat one who enjoys it.

But what if a genius both works hard and enjoys it? Ordinary people will only be able to watch the figure moving farther away, unable to even step on their shadow.

“This time I’ll go a bit faster.”

“Okay!”

Such was the difference between Erika and the other candidates.

Tap, thud!

It’s remarkable growth compared to the beginning of the semester. I twitched my eyebrows as I responded to her attack, grabbing her incoming arm and trying to connect it into a joint lock to throw her down.

“Ugh… how’s that?!”

Beyond admirably defending against her punches and kicks, I could see her struggle to turn the tables, looking for opportunities to counterattack.

Indeed, was she an undiscovered gem?

Erika did a backflip in place to free her twisted wrist, then immediately grabbed my collar and attempted to throw me.

Even while airborne, I wrapped my legs around her head and we rolled together on the ground.

Afterwards, we both enhanced our bodies with mana to further increase the intensity of the sparring, repeating the act of hitting each other back and forth as if reenacting hand-to-hand combat in a trench.

After about one or two hours had passed since starting the training, I finally straddled Erika’s panting lower abdomen, and she raised both arms.

“Keh, keh! I surrender!”

It was an intense match, but as always, there was no change in the outcome.

However, Erika had progressed from desperately trying to avoid getting hit to reaching a level of competence that was not at all lacking today.

Her stomach seems to have gotten a bit firmer too.

When I poked her abdomen, which used to be just soft, I found it was now filled with solid muscle.

“Ugh, urgh. Yena, that’s… enough…”

“Ah, sorry.”

She’s truly a child worth teaching. I sat down next to Erika, who was sprawled out panting like a dog just back from a walk, looking down at her with satisfaction.

Even though Wolf, who was secretly treated as a rival, had disappeared and she could have been content with the current situation, Erika steadily accepted my advice and education, consistently seeking progress. How could she not be lovable?

“Good job today too. Looks like you practiced a lot while I was gone.”

“Yeah! Hehe…”

I patted her generously, not minding her hair that had become damp with sweat.

At this rate, there was a possibility of achieving unexpected results.

[Additional Awakening]

The image of Erika, who would receive a fleeting blessing as an awakened one, flickered before my eyes – those who, with an extremely low probability, either increase their mana grade, which was said to be immutable, or acquire a new attribute, enabling them to use multi-attribute magic.

It’s entirely possible.

As a senior who had experienced growing from 7th grade to 6th grade mana, I sensed it.

Erika was not a talent to be satisfied with the ordinary 4th grade mana.

Although it’s known that only very lucky people occasionally experience it, additional awakening was, so to speak, a gift from the gods who admired those passionate individuals who pursued the extreme of perseverance.

“Shuuung…”

This girl, who showed no signs of getting up and was just playing in the dirt while sprawled out, had fulfilled the conditions to receive that grace.

An unexpected gain.

If even Erika grows into a greatly helpful comrade, it’s crystal clear that the process of planning for the future will become easier. The need to allocate more time to sparring with her has arisen.

“Erika.”

“Mmm?”

“Can you come to the square right after waking up from tomorrow?”

“Right after waking up?”

“I was thinking we could train together all day if you’re okay with it. Eating lunch and dinner together too. On weekdays as well, except for classes.”

“I can be with Yena… eating lunch and dinner together, sticking together 24 hours a day?”

“If you don’t like it, it can’t be helped.”

Erika was lost in thought with her mouth open for a moment, then shook her head vigorously and grabbed both my shoulders in less than a second.

“No, no, no! I’d love to! I’ve been feeling like my growth has stagnated lately anyway… Anyway Yena, we’re starting from tomorrow, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“Then how about we meet at the café tomorrow? No, if it’s okay with you, what do you think about meeting earlier and having breakfast together too?”

Erika came close enough that our noses almost touched, breathing irregularly, her pupil wrinkles almost visible. I pushed her chest to create distance, then tilted my head and gave her an eye smile.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

She’s quite enthusiastic.

Thanks to that, things will work out easily.

“Shall we start again then?”

“Alright!”

Having rested adequately, I helped Erika, who was sitting on the ground, to her feet and prepared to engage in sparring again.

“Come at me.”

“Okay, here I come!”

We repeated the training until the sun, which usually pointed at our crowns, set beyond the horizon.

The next day too, as promised, we spent days no different from usual, being together almost like one body.

The only task was when I was immersed in writing the assignment using the materials Serty had sent. The change in the repetitive daily life began on a weekday, as we were heading to the dormitory after finishing class and having lunch.

“It’s an eerily uneventful life.”

I chuckled while rubbing my stomach, which had become full from the pork shin dish served for lunch.

Compared to the past when I was anxiously racking my brains to deal with slander, it was an infinitely leisurely life. It seems like just yesterday that I was worrying about killing Wolf or not, and whether to get involved in the Reichstag fire or not.

For the time being, there were no big events, and those who used to resent me had disappeared, so I had time to spare. Maybe I should take up a hobby, geez.

It was even more so because Lina had been showing a increasingly friendly attitude lately.

“Yena Freud.”

“Hm?”

“Is it okay if we eat together today too?”

“As you like.”

“…And thank you.”

“For what?”

“Just… I’m always grateful.”

While engaging in these incomprehensible conversations and showing a generous attitude I had never seen before,

“Erika von Rosehild, was it?”

“Uh! Mmmph.”

“I’m still grateful for your efforts in defeating the monster during the joint training, and for trying to mediate the conflict. I look forward to working with you in the future.”

“Mmm… I’m glahd too?”

It was a series of surprises as Lina, who had never even glanced at Erika before, now sat next to her and talked to her, regardless of whether Erika’s mouth was full of pork or not, and even expressed her appreciation with a nod.

She’s changed.

She wasn’t the cold and fierce Lina from before. Her personality itself had softened, changing from a wildcat that indiscriminately rejected human touch to a cat that knew how to rub its cheek against the back of a hand, even if just a little.

Somehow… she no longer seemed to be suppressing herself, bound by the word ‘princess’.

“That’s good.”

It’s like she’s following the opposite track from the train Wolf boarded. For me, who had been wishing for the kind and smiling Lina I had encountered in my previous life, it was a sight that, although I didn’t know the reason, wasn’t all that unpleasant.

“How nice it would be if every day were like this.”

After walking for thirty minutes straight, we arrived at the dormitory. As soon as I reached my room, I undid my hair tie and changed out of the skirt that had been pressing on my lower abdomen into activewear for sparring.

I immediately prepared to go out again.

I need to help Erika.

There wasn’t much time left. I intended to guide her to experience additional awakening before the aptitude test, or to set a strict deadline, before presenting the research project, so I couldn’t waste even a day.

Intending to raise my own shameful 6th grade mana level as well, I changed from dress shoes to combat boots and moved towards the door.

However, a mysterious object blocked my hand as I was about to pull the doorknob.

“Hm?”

I had been too busy changing clothes to properly inspect the room, but when I looked around one last time before leaving, I finally noticed an unidentified envelope occupying a corner of the desk.

Is it something Serty sent?

That can’t be. I haven’t even fully utilized the first documents he sent. I hadn’t requested any new materials from him.

Rustle─

What could be inside? With a mixture of wariness and curiosity, I untied the rolled-up string and took out a sealed piece of paper.

“Ernst?”

As soon as I took out the document, what caught my eye was the familiar signature at the top right.

The owner who unexpectedly gifted this document was none other than Ernst von Stresemann, the man who would be busy running the newspaper company by now.

Why would he suddenly send documents when he should be exhausting himself managing the department after being appointed to public office?

Worried that there might be problems with company management, I moved my eyes downward.

“……”

Fortunately, it didn’t contain any ominous content. It wasn’t about the media or newspaper company, and although I quickly read through it in case there was any urgent important matter to convey, there was no mention of anything related.

However, it wasn’t a document to be ignored… I stared intently at the title summarizing the information contained in the paper, my lips quivering.

[Transmission regarding the footsteps of Lina Victoria Wilhelm Hohenzollern]

Why is this name appearing here?