The Academy’s Crude Pink-Haired Martial Artist

“Vice Headmaster.”

“Hmm…! Eliaernes! It’s been a while! Pina, Stella, and Yurasia, it’s been a while too! Hello, hello!”

Leona, avoiding my gaze, waved at her stunned companions in the back.

Seems like she was still dazed from hearing the Flame Sovereign’s words earlier.

“Everything okay? That old man didn’t do anything strange to you, did he? Hmm! You all look neat and haven’t cried, so I guess he didn’t do anything! That’s a relief! Eliaernes, did the old man say anything weird to you?”

“He did say something weird.”

Demon Fist. The First Pillar.

Four hundred years ago, he was the one who killed the most humans and the most demons, aside from us.

And the only one who lived in the same era as us.

I approached Leona.

“The Flame Sovereign calls the Vice Headmaster Demon Fist, is that true?”

At my blunt question, Leona’s ears perked up and her tail trembled.

“Nya ha ha… Yeah, that was true back in the day, but now… I’ve discarded that name. Not a fan of it.”

“What the…”

“The First Pillar…”

Yurasia gasped, and Stella muttered absentmindedly. Pina… judging by her expression, she seemed to know already.

“Nah, I’ve discarded that embarrassing name. I’m just the Vice Headmaster of Karela Academy now.”

Leona shook her head.

Her tone carried an undertone suggesting she wanted to change the subject.

I quietly watched Leona.

Demon Fist. I had many questions for the Demon Fist.

The whereabouts of my comrades. The Holy Kingdom. The silent Gebihenum. The encroaching Demon Race. The resurrection of the Legion Commander. The Seal of the Demon King.

The whereabouts of my comrades. I had a vague idea about the remaining three aside from Arisa’s situation.

As for the Holy Kingdom, I was still completely in the dark.

However, I would learn a lot more if I went there myself.

On the other hand, I knew nothing about the Demon Realm.

I didn’t know why the Legion Commander had resurrected, and why he wasn’t attacking the Empire. If the demons started moving in this era, humans would be wiped out.

The demon race must know that as well. They can’t not know. In this system, Dark Mages can walk around on their own two legs, so there must be decaying corpses everywhere waiting to be their eyes.

But the demons are quiet. Why? I don’t know.

I wanted to ask about that.

However, now isn’t the time.

There were too many ears listening, and there was a sword I had used at Yurasia’s waist.

I quickly turned and approached Yurasia.

I stealthily took the short sword from her right waist and hid it in my A-Space Pocket as fast as I could.

Yurasia didn’t question my actions. She realized it would be troublesome if she showed it overtly.

I patted Yurasia’s shoulder and turned around again. Leona… still hadn’t noticed.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I spoke.

“I heard you’re over 400 years old, is that true?”

At that, Leona’s eyebrows twitched.

“…Nya ha ha! Isn’t it much cooler to be a straightforward over three digits rather than ambiguously saying ninety-seven? Ninety-seven is really a grandmother, but four hundred sounds like a different kind of existence. Plus, I look younger and prettier, right?”

“Ugh… totally ridiculous.”

“What?! Ridiculous?! It’s not ridiculous! If you’re counting age, then you should count it as Beastman age!”

“Come on. Even counting it as Beastman age, it’s almost a hundred, right? Totally a grandmother.”

I chuckled as mockingly as possible.

And before Leona could flare up and throw a punch, I continued.

“Still, you don’t seem to love it too much, so I won’t ask any further. Instead, please postpone today’s supplementary class.”

Leona, with her face flushed red and grinding her teeth at my words, tilted her head.

“Hmm? Since when? You always complained about not having enough time and wanted to keep going a little longer.”

“Hmm… well, I guess so.”

In fact, I still wanted to run to the training grounds with Leona and experiment with various things.

However, I couldn’t do that today.

I sneaked a look back.

Stella and Pina were dressed up beautifully.

They even did their makeup!

Yurasia, after taking a long detour, came out to play without unpacking her stuff.

How could I ditch them after seeing those two?

I felt greedy, but today was a day to have fun.

“However, it’s not possible today. I made a promise a week ago.”

“Hmm, I got it. Anyway, I had many places to go, so it worked out well.”

Leona nodded, licking her lips and rummaging through her pockets.

Then she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

“Eliaernes. This is a letter addressed to you.”

Leona’s expression while handing me the letter was as crumpled as the paper.

“A letter? Ah ha.”

Even though I didn’t know who it was from or why Leona had it, I could instantly figure it out.

It’s a letter from my mother.

I rushed over to take the letter.

A smile involuntarily crept onto my face.

In a way, isn’t this my mother’s first letter?

And judging by how it arrived like this… it seems to have made it to Gebihenum as well.

Thank goodness.

But…

“Isn’t it too crumpled?”

I didn’t notice it from a distance, but up close, it was crumpled enough that I was relieved it wasn’t torn.

“Hmm. I couldn’t help it since I rushed over!”

“You didn’t crumple it on purpose, did you?”

“Ugh… do you think I’m that mean?”

“Vice Headmaster, are you on bad terms with the person who wrote it? Did you crumple it and then unfolded it again after seeing the recipient’s name?”

“…Not at all?”

Leona’s tail quivered nervously, tapping nervously against the ground.

Even if she was a Beastman of the caliber of Demon Fist, it seemed she couldn’t control her ears and tail.

Well, that’s that.

I clicked my tongue as sweetly as I could.

I had something to learn through Leona.

“Alright. I’m disappointed.”

“Disappointed…? Ha! Eliaernes. What can you do about me being disappointed? Hmm? I’m the Vice—”

“I won’t tell you what the Flame Sovereign and I talked about today.”

Leona flinched.

“I-I don’t mind. I can just go find that old man and ask him.”

“Lying. You can’t find him.”

Leona wouldn’t be able to find the Flame Sovereign.

It was just a simple guess based on observing the Flame Sovereign’s actions and Leona’s reactions, but I said it firmly.

If I was right, it would broaden the range of what I could ask the Flame Sovereign.

“Huh? No way? I can find him! Don’t you know how great I am?”

Yep. Leona cannot find the Flame Sovereign.

If even a Beastman of her caliber can’t find him, that means he hides very well.

I could tell that the Wish Right I had could be useful in many ways. A delightful smile spread across my face.

“Hmm… alright then. I won’t tell you, so go ask the Flame Sovereign.”

With that, she turned away briskly.

“Eliaernes!”

“What?”

“Still, I… delivered it properly, right?”

Chuckling, I stuck my tongue out and walked away.

“Well, make sure to have a proper supplementary class later.”

*

Stella, who successfully booked the tickets, found the play to be truly awful.

No, it was utterly trash that shouldn’t even be touched.

“Hey. Who the hell made this garbage?”

“Guh… ugh, heh…”

It was that trashy, yet all three of us watching it were crying buckets. Other audience members were also sobbing as they exited.

“Seriously, you guys are crying over this? Huh?”

“Boo hoo… s-so then, this… it’s not sad?”

Stella, sniffling, glared at me.

“Damn it. Hey. This… this is sad? That… that protagonist, Ronan, damn it. He’s exactly like Ronan! That damn Rozan, getting to confess from Ilisa before he dies. That stupid dramatic crap is sad? Come on, would Ronan have done that!”

“Why are you shouting?! And that’s not Ronan, that’s a fictional character. And… ugh, thinking back makes me cry again…”

Stella sniffed and wiped her nose with a tissue as she continued.

“Not only did Ilisa confess to Rozan just before he died, but Lena also liked Rozan. But… since she’s already ruined, she wished for Ilisa to be with him… ugh, boo hoo… but… but Rozan ended up dying…”

“Ugh. Just stop it with that nonsense.”

Ari and Luna…

Just thinking about them sent chills down my spine. It made me want to vomit.

Come on, at least use completely different names or something. Seriously, it was a complete copy!

Rozan, Ilisa, Lena, Pauli, what a ridiculous naming choice.

What’s more,

Rozan isn’t even a martial artist. He’s a warrior who uses various weapons. Ilisa is the martial artist.

That just makes it worse.

If you’re going to copy, then copy it completely!

Or just… don’t copy it at all.

By half-heartedly imitating it, it turned into this bizarre yet strangely realistic story.

My teeth were grinding.

Anger boiled inside me.

Amidst this, my eyes met Pina’s.

She was crying buckets.

“Hey. Why are you crying?”

Why on earth is Pina crying?

How many stories has she shared about me?

Is she crying after seeing this?

I stared at Pina, my eyes wide open.

“Eep?!”

“Why are you crying? Sad? Huh? Is this sad?”

Pina, breathless, hid behind Yurasia, shedding tears again.

And Yurasia, with eyes all swollen, looked at me.

“Ugh… so, did you want Rozan to end up with Pauli more than Ilisa?”

“Would I want that?”

“Then…? What about Ilisa and Lena… both of them?”

“U-uh…?”

“Eep… eep…”

Yurasia’s face turned beet red.

Stella’s face turned beet red.

Pina just seemed frightened of me.

I froze for a moment.

Ilisa and Lena are both… of the same gender.

“…what the hell are you talking about?”

“Your response was slow…”

“And your reactions are… different.”

“Eep… eep…?”

“Seriously, what the hell are you all babbling about? Keep quiet and let’s get moving to dinner.”

As I said that and turned away, Stella stepped closer.

“Hey, Eliaernes.”

“What? What now?”

“Are you… serious? Did you really want Ilisa and Rozan together?”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“You, you! Are you not… you know… prejudiced? Isn’t it weird? The same gender… isn’t that strange to you?”

“Stop talking nonsense—”

“Answer my question.”

Stella’s voice turned stiff.

“…It’s not weird?”

“Geez, you little brat.”

Thwack!

I slapped Stella on the forehead and turned away.

“Stop with that nonsense and hurry out.”

I thought I hit her a bit hard, but Stella didn’t scream.

“…You’re not answering…? Is it… okay…?”

She just mumbled softly.

So what’s okay?

I didn’t have time to ask that.

Just as I turned around, I locked eyes with a girl with sky-blue hair.

Ophelia Bloomin.

She was wearing the Karela Academy uniform.

Why is she here? I didn’t care.

It worked out. I was planning to visit her anyway.

As I thought this, Ophelia’s sky-blue eyes moved busily.

She scanned me, Yurasia, Stella, and Pina, and then her stiff expression softened as she approached us.

“Oh, hello, junior! So nice to see you!”

I blinked at Ophelia’s warm welcome.

Is she revealing that she attends the Academy?

But why is she acting familiar with me?

…Is she about to drop a honorific before I start ranting?

Or does she want to hear me call her senior?

Both?

Regardless, it felt unsettling.

I nodded reluctantly with a puzzled face.

“…Hello, senior.”

“Hmm. Junior, you’re here to see the play too? It’s even more exciting to see you here.”

Ophelia, speaking like a sweet and gentle noble lady, wasn’t anything like the person I remembered, and she covered her mouth with an odd fan.

“This is a complete secret, but… I wrote the script for this play. Did you like it? Was it fun?”

“Ah.”

Ophelia’s revelation caused my thoughts to momentarily stall.

It didn’t take long. A bright smile instantly spread across my face.

“Wait, you’re the one who made this garbage?”

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