episode_0014

It was while walking down the hallway to head to the second-floor training room after finishing my meal.

Lloyd, Bobby, and Louis, who seemed to be acquaintances of the previous Si-an, kept following me from the cafeteria, constantly striking up conversations.

“Si-an, seriously, what did you do during the break? Did you get stranded in the demon realm or something?”

“Uh… I just, um, went on a diet.”

I replied to Lloyd, who was about the same height as me and looked mischievous.

I thought it would raise suspicions if I suddenly distanced myself from them and walked alone.

So, for now, I decided to just go along with them.

“Now that you’re using Si-an well, it should be easier to charm girls than before, right? You might even have some fun without going to the main building, hehe…”

Louis, who was short and squinted, said.

I felt like he was being too obvious.

Having gotten used to looking at my face every day for motivation during my chubby days, it always seemed overly delicate. After all, men should look ruggedly handsome.

Maybe my eyes were a bit bigger than others’…

“Damn! The world is truly unfair! I thought we were in the same department, but is it fair that behind that dull fat there’s such a face?!”

“….”

Bobby of the group said.

Upon hearing this, Louis retorted at Bobby.

“Hey, Bobby! Do you happen to know? If you lose weight through dieting, will you end up like Si-an?”

“I-Is that so…? Should I try dieting from today too?”

“Hmph, idiot. Do you believe that? Even if you diet, you’ll stay the same. Fix that flat nose of yours instead of worrying about it! Haha!”

“What did you say?! You…! You bastard!!”

An angry Bobby stormed off after Louis.

Quick on his feet, Louis managed to evade Bobby and continued taunting him.

…They really banter without holding back.

They must be Si-an’s friends from before the possession. Or maybe boys of this age group naturally acted this way.

Still, perhaps because they were Si-an’s friends, they all seemed to default to harsh language and talking about girls a lot.

“Si-an, where are you going now?”

While walking down the hallway lost in thought, Lloyd asked.

“…To exercise.”

“Exercise? Hey hey, why not come with me to the library to meet some pretty girls? It looked promising today, and with you, it’ll be a blast, man!”

“….”

I’m not going. Going there will mess up my workout routine.

Already, I had to postpone my evening workout to lunchtime due to Aria, and if I delay further, my body won’t have enough time to recover by the next day’s lunch.

And if they are girls of my age, I feel like meeting them will make me feel guilty, as they all seem like little sisters to me.

So, for now, building strength is a priority.

“I can’t skip a day; it makes me anxious.”

“You… What happened during the break? That Si-an chooses girls over exercise…?”

By the time we reached the end of the second-floor corridor leading to the training room, it happened.

“Hey! Look over there! Look!”

“Ohh…!”

Pointing far ahead, Louis exclaimed.

Even Bobby, who was chasing after Louis, immediately calmed down and stared ahead absentmindedly.

What’s going on?

I, too, looked ahead.

…A woman?

A rather beautiful woman. These guys really highlight women a lot.

She had a cold beauty about her. So lovely that she reminded me of someone I knew….

With black, long ponytail. A haughty feline demeanor, almost like Aria….

Aria… like….

Wait, isn’t that really Aria walking towards us…?!

I quickly hid behind Lloyd.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“Oh, uh… Just give me a moment.”

“….?”

I shouldn’t get caught. If she recognizes me, it’s obvious what will happen!

But does Aria work out twice a day? I thought she was just obsessed with swordsmanship, but now it seems she’s just obsessed with strength….

“Hey, is that a human appearance? She’s reaaally pretty… Seriously….”

“Hehe, has she ever had a boyfriend? If not, I can treat her well.”

Bobbi watches Arya approach, dripping with sarcasm.

“Is she a new breed of suicide enthusiast?”

Living and dying by strength, she marks Cain, awakening his talents. Naturally, she falls in love and pursues him as a heroine, entangled in numerous incidents along the way.

Wanting to be involved with her is like saying, “I don’t value my life.” They say the prettier the flower, the more thorns it has—a fitting analogy.

Judging by the reactions of the guys around, Arya must be exceptionally beautiful.

…Is it expected to hear whispers like “one of the top three beauties of the academy” in the story?

“Hey, how long are you going to keep this up?”

“It’s over now.”

After Arya passes without noticing me, I emerge from behind Lloyd.

“Was your back that cozy? Why suddenly stick to mine?”

“…Work on your back muscles. It’s too narrow to stay comfortable.”

“What did you say, you little-?!”

The shrimp tries to grab me.

Lloyd, Bobbi, and Louis escort me to the training ground, where I ask if they want to work out together, but they opt for hunting at the library and then sleeping instead.

Alone in the training ground, I find it empty.

It’s late at night, and with school starting tomorrow, everyone must have a lot to prepare.

I guess I’ll start attending academy classes tomorrow.

Although it’s far off, once I’m in 2nd year, I must take magic classes. I feel regretful for only taking a bit of swordsmanship before. I want to learn magic and alchemy too…

…So, I spend four hours swinging swords and doing back exercises on the gym equipment in the training ground.

The facilities are so clean and nice that I enjoy working out and can return to the dorm feeling good.

***

Waking up early, grabbing breakfast at the cafeteria, changing into the white shirt uniform, I head towards the classroom.

For some reason, a few girls seem to whisper and glance at me.

Maybe they sense something about me being a troublemaker Confucius disciple?

Even when I sit at the top of the pyramid-like structure in the classroom, some girls’ gazes remain the same.

“Is he… a new student?”

“Haven’t seen him before. Go talk to him!”

“I feel like he might be difficult to approach… You, go talk to him!”

Why do they keep glancing over?

“……”

“……”

Ah.

Feeling uneasy, I inadvertently lock eyes with a girl and she blushes before turning away.

Something seems odd.

Why is she blushing…?

I couldn’t understand. Was she angry? She was the one who looked first…

The furtive glances continue until a female professor enters the classroom.

Trying to avoid the discomfort, I pretend not to notice and gaze out the window.

“Did you all have a good vacation~? I’m happy to spend the first day of school with you all!”

Entering the classroom with a cheerful smile, the female professor addresses the students.

She vaguely overlaps with memories from my previous body and gaming experiences.

Laura, the sword master from the Liana Empire.

Already an elite swordsman beyond the 6th level of mastery.

Known for vanquishing numerous demons as an adventurer since childhood, she earned fame as an ‘S’-rank adventurer, a rarity across nations.

She’s here to teach for a fee.

While many master-level experts are unsuitable for teaching due to their eccentricities, I wonder how Laura will fare.

“Since today is the first day, let’s swing our swords lightly! Everyone, move to the practice room!”

She cheerfully spoke, her blue hair swaying.

However, some students’ reactions were peculiar.

“Oh~! It’s the first day, can’t we skip theory and go straight to practice?!”

“It’s hot… so hot….”

“Woo woo woo woo woo~!”

Are they insane?

Paying hefty tuition fees to come here and getting these kinds of reactions?

And on top of that, refusing to eat what a national treasure-level talent offers….

It irked me a bit. Kids will be kids, after all.

The academy’s facilities and interior resembled a university, but the class atmosphere felt more like a high school.

Half the students seemed displeased, mirroring my feelings about the students’ reactions. Half the class didn’t want to participate due to the students’ instigation.

“Hey~! Stop complaining and get up, everyone. Even the teacher doesn’t want to go outside in this heat…. But what can we do! We have to keep up with the curriculum to pass the exams!”

“We could just not take the exams!”

“That’s right!”

“Is that even an option…? Exams must be taken.”

The more I observed, the more absurd it seemed.

A national treasure-level sword master was not only teaching but also managing the unruly students like a childcare master.

Just as I was contemplating this,

From somewhere around the center of the pyramid-shaped desks, a cold voice pierced through.

The words disrupted the current relaxed atmosphere like a rock thrown into a pond.

The noisy gazes shifted towards the center spot.

Intrigued, I couldn’t help but look in that direction as well.

“Wasting time like this is quite unpleasant. You don’t know when to stop.”

Quite a blunt statement, suggesting to throw away things like camaraderie.

The fact that the owner of that statement was a girl made it even more intriguing.