chapter_0224

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
224

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
224

The work itself was simple.

The paper I had submitted was
missing.

Under normal circumstances,
one might assume it was just lost during processing.

Since the course registration
period hadn’t ended yet, it would be easy enough to resubmit. But
after hearing from Luca that the commoners disliked me, this small
issue nagged at me.

As days passed, my mild
suspicion started to grow. Multiple trivial incidents began
happening.

For instance, the food I
intended to eat for lunch came out burnt. I was called to places for
no reason. The chair I regularly used broke as soon as I sat on it.

With more and more of these
incidents piling up, by evening I couldn’t help but recall the
commoner storyline from the game, which should be unrelated to my
current situation.

So, I decided to go back to
the beginning.

Starting with the missing
course registration form.

At Soul Academy, there are job
opportunities provided for the commoner students.

This isn’t because of a lack
of staff, but to aid commoners with financial difficulties attending
the academy.

The cost of living in the
academy and its nearby area, mostly populated by the noble students,
is beyond what the average commoner can afford.

Scholarships are given, but
even with that, just managing three meals a day is a challenge.

If a student wants to buy even
a single piece of equipment, they have to be prepared to go a week
without food. Without additional support, commoner students living
solely on scholarships always struggle with poverty.

The academy had prepared jobs
to support such students, and these jobs had much better conditions
than typical ones.

Compared to other places, the
work is easier and the pay is better, plus there are various elements
that help with academy life. Because of this, commoner students
prefer to work inside the academy instead of going outside.

Naturally, the academy doesn’t
assign them highly specialised tasks. Most of the work they do is
simple and tedious, like handling paperwork.

For example, sorting out
course registration forms.

‘I know. But I want to check
with my own eyes.’

I also think like Grandpa.
Normally, I would just brush it off and think today was an unlucky
day.

But the reason I’m
overreacting is because there was a similar quest in the game.

When playing as a commoner
character in Soul Academy, you encounter bullying from older
students.

From petty things to quite
serious matters. The initial stage of the commoner character’s story
includes resisting and fighting against this bullying.

The beginning of it all is the
omission of the course registration form.

Doesn’t it seem similar? Since
I found out about the missing course registration form, a series of
misfortunes have followed.

I hope this is just
unnecessary worry, but if my guess is right and some lunatic is
messing with me without knowing their place, then…

Shouldn’t they be made to
realise exactly who they’ve picked a fight with?

The professor in charge of
administrative tasks immediately recognized the purpose of my visit
and spoke up as soon as he saw my face.

“Lady Allen, did you come
because of the course registration form?”

While the professor, who
seemed well aware of my notorious reputation, was bowing and
scraping, I took a look at the students behind him.

One guy was focused on his
paperwork with his head down behind a partition. One girl was
fidgeting nervously because I was in front of them.

I recognized both their faces.
Since I frequently visit the administrative office while working on
various quests around the academy.

The girl even has a name
because she has a significant role.

“I was surprised while
checking the records for sorting out the forms. I never expected that
Lady Allen wouldn’t submit her course registration form.”

‘I definitely submitted it.’

“Dumb professor. I did
submit it, okay? Don’t think of me as an idiot like you.”

“…Is that so? I’m sorry.
It seems there was an omission somewhere along the way.”

The professor wasn’t present
when I submitted the paperwork. I pointed out the administrative
professor first to smoothly move on to the next step.

‘I gave it to this girl.
Right?’

“I gave it to this silly
kid. Hey, kid, do you remember?”

Velma, called a kid by someone
smaller than herself, was flustered and didn’t know how to respond.

I knew her timid personality,
so I kept my mouth shut and waited for her response, but she just
turned pale and broke out in a cold sweat.

“I remember it.”

The answer that came at the
end of that wait came from behind the girl. The guy, who had been
doing paperwork, stood up and spoke.

“Lady Allen visited on the
day course registration started.”

“Bert. Is that really true?”

“Yes. I’m sure of it. Lady
Allen naturally draws attention. There’s no way I could forget.”

As the man continued speaking,
Velma’s face, which had turned blue, now turned black.

Even though I should have been
angry, I couldn’t help but almost laugh.

Wait. Is this for real? I
thought the descriptions in game CGs were exaggerated, but does her
face really change colour like that? This reaction is hilarious.
She’s perfect for teasing.

“Velma. You remember too,
don’t you?”

“Uh… I. Well. That is.
Um.”

As I barely managed to regain
my composure and listened to their conversation, I felt a sense of
déjà vu.

“Did you lose it, by any
chance?”

It’s almost exactly like the
dialogue in the game. It’s enough to make you think they’re
reciting a script.

So that means my assumption
was correct.

Wow. Starting as a noble but
getting involved in the commoner storyline—never saw that coming.

“Velma, is what Bert said
true?”

The administrative professor
quickly picked up the conversation as Bert finished his questioning.

The implication was clear.

This incident was Velma’s
personal mistake.

The timid girl had lost the
documents and was too scared of being scolded to come forward.

“…Uh. That. Um.”

“This is not a trivial
matter, Velma.”

“I’m really sorry, Lady
Allen. It seems I made a mistake somewhere along the way.”

An average noble might have
fallen for their ploy, thinking it was just a simple mistake by a
clumsy commoner.

A kind person might have told
her not to let it happen again, and an angry one might have raised
their voice, but Velma would have remained the centre of it all.

The administrative professor
and the boy beside her would have just been told to manage things
better.

This is Soul Academy after
all. Even if just on the surface, it’s a place where the rules say
everyone is equal.

Since it’s impossible for a
noble to execute commoners.

However, I’m not your average
noble. I’m well-versed in the Soul Academy storyline, having played
through it extensively in every role.

Naturally, I’m also well aware
of their inner workings.

Even within commoner groups,
not everyone is the same.

After all, how could a
prosperous merchant, whom even nobles find difficult to deal with, be
the same as a farmer who has to worry about daily survival?

These distinctions are also
evident among the commoner groups at the Academy.

Those born into relatively
good families, the cultured ones, and those who excel in some
way—these people are treated favourably within the commoner group
and try to form good relationships with everyone.

But the opposite is true for
others. They face even harsher discrimination, more severe than the
contempt nobles show toward commoners.

They hear things like; It’s
because of the likes of you that commoners are looked down upon.

As they are subjected to
bullying.

Such was the case for Velma.
Born a farmer’s daughter, she was lucky to get into Soul Academy,
yet she became a target of disdain and harassment.

In the game, the lost
documents weren’t Velma’s fault.

The male commoner she worked
with ordered her to do it, and Velma had no choice but to comply. And
so, she ended up becoming the villain who betrayed her friends.

What was the administration
professor doing during all this time?

Among the commoner students
who work at the Academy, some continue to stay employed at Soul
Academy.

The administration professor
before me is one of those people.

Having worked here as a
student and subsequently becoming a staff member and administration
professor, he was well-versed in the internal dynamics of the
commoner groups at the Academy and often provided various kinds of
assistance.

It was the same during the
incident with the missing documents in the game.

The man had previously
obtained the professor’s understanding and permission, which allowed
such an event to occur.

Will it be the same this time?

I don’t know yet.

I’ve already made a
half-hearted conclusion in my mind, but there isn’t any concrete
evidence yet.

Having seen countless
deviations from the game’s storyline, I refrained from prematurely
concluding and didn’t slap the administration professor in the face.

On the off chance that this
person is innocent, my reputation, which had slightly improved, would
plummet back down to the ground.

Moreover, even if other people
accept excuses, there should be justifiable reasons for the use of
violence, especially with those close to me, right?

I don’t want Joy to despise
me!

“I am truly sorry, my
Lady. How can I even begin to apologise for this…”

“Do you think your voice
sounds pleasant?♡ Listening to it feels like a curse to my ears.♡”

“…What?”

“You’re so noisy, so shut
up.♡ How can you not understand that? Are you perhaps less
intelligent than a Goblin?♡ You certainly look worse than one.♡”

Their lips trembled at my
straightforward insult, but they couldn’t show their anger.

There was a clear difference
in status between us.

After silencing the noise, I
grabbed Velma’s chin while she was painting* on my thigh and forced
her to look up. (To look below others’ face as if they’re painting
their thighs)

“A kid who looks foolish
right from their appearance♡ Puhut♡”

The provocation of the
[Mesugaki] skill is absolute. This provocation works even on
opponents far stronger than me, making even inanimate objects feel
the heat and unable to ignore me.

“How did something like this
even get into the Academy?♡ Even if the academy standards are
sloppy, this is a bit much♡”

So, what happens if you
provoke a timid girl?

“Apologise to the others who
passed the Academy♡ Say you’re sorry for being in the same place as
them♡”

Scared and unable to say
anything, this girl only burst into tears. What would happen if I
provoked her?

“Apologise for attending the
Academy even though you can’t even keep track of a single piece of
paper properly.♡ Quit as your way of saying sorry♡”

“I… I didn’t make any
mistakes! I…”

Velma’s voice, hoarse from
crying, burst out.

Even though she seemed
surprised at her own outburst, that much was enough.

Apparently, this place isn’t
very different from the game story.

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