The Sound of Peace Shattering
Sylvia Astra lay on her bed, eyes squeezed shut. Despite the exhaustion from her training, sleep remained elusive; she tossed and turned, unable to quiet her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, the words she’d heard at the academy today echoed in her thoughts: "Because I like you, Sylvia..."
"Ugh..." Sylvia clutched her pillow, her face flushing a deep crimson. A small, involuntary smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she whispered to herself, "I'm so happy..."
It was a sentiment that brought her immense joy. She had never realized how blissful it could be to hear such unadorned, sincere affection from someone else. It meant all the more because it was Scarlet who had said it. To Scarlet, the Astra family was like an enemy. When her initial request to be friends had been rejected, Sylvia had been genuinely worried. What if I, the heir to Astra, become the target of her resentment? What if we can never be friends again?
But those fears had been groundless. She had thought Scarlet hadn't opened her heart to her, and that it would take a long time to become friends, but her expectations had been pleasantly shattered. Sylvia gently stroked the friendship ring she wore faithfully even while sleeping, then looked at its matching pair resting on her nightstand. She wasn't worried anymore. It felt like the day that ring would find its rightful place wasn't far off.
"Hehehe..." Sylvia rolled around on her bed, hugging her pillow and letting out soft giggles. Soon, she buried her face into the pillow and whispered in a voice so small only she could hear, "I like you too... Scarlet."
Immediately after, she shrieked into the pillow, kicking her legs in embarrassment, before the fatigue of the day’s training finally caught up with her and she went limp. They had both decided to rest early because classes had been so grueling, but perhaps she should suggest a sleepover tomorrow. A pajama party sounded nice, too. Talking all night and falling asleep in the same bed together—that would be wonderful. She had specifically asked for a large bed in her room for that very reason.
Sylvia was smiling as she imagined it, but her expression slowly stiffened. Thinking about sleeping in the same bed reminded her of Scarlet handing a macaron to Yoon Siwoo. It seemed clear that Scarlet harbored feelings for him. But Yoon Siwoo was a bad guy. She had thought he liked Scarlet, but to think he was such an irresponsible man who would do that with her and then pretend not to know... She had even supported their relationship for the sake of Scarlet's happiness.
At this rate, Scarlet might become the tragic heroine from a book a classmate had secretly brought in during middle school—the one who gave her body and heart away, only to be abandoned in the end. But if she bluntly told Scarlet to stay away from Yoon Siwoo, Scarlet would surely refuse. And if she revealed, "That man is just trash looking to take advantage of your body!" it might hurt her friend, who clearly liked him. What should she do?
After agonizing over it for a long time, Sylvia finally drifted off, exhausted.
"Scarlet, good morning."
"Scarlet, good morning! I feel like I'm dying from muscle pain!"
As I walked to school with Sylvia today, Mei and Jessie greeted me. Jessie had a strange expression on her face—I couldn't tell if she was smiling or grimacing, likely due to the muscle soreness from yesterday's training. Sorry, that's probably my fault. I heard that the instructors had increased the intensity of the class, thinking they’d see what everyone’s limits were while they were at it, after working me to death in a one-on-one session. I’d learned this when I returned the jewelry embedded with illusion magic to Eve-sensei yesterday before heading home, now that I had my prosthetic arm.
I apologized to Jessie in my heart, sat down, and exchanged greetings with Yoon Siwoo, who gave a subtle nod from the front. At that moment, Sylvia, who was about to sit down, hesitated and suddenly called out to me.
"...Um, Scarlet? Before the teacher arrives, could we talk for a moment? Is that okay?"
I nodded and followed her out quietly. We stepped out of the classroom into the quiet hallway, empty perhaps because it was just before the morning assembly, and stood facing each other. Feeling strangely nervous, I swallowed hard, and Sylvia leaned in close, whispering, "Scarlet, what do you think about Yoon Siwoo?"
Hearing that question, I felt a sense of déjà vu, as if I’d seen this situation somewhere before. A moment later, I realized what it was and was shocked. Is this one of those situations that happens all the time in novels? Like, 'Stay away from him! You thief!'? I had thought it was strange that Sylvia didn't seem to like Yoon Siwoo, unlike in the original story, but I guess I was wrong. Come to think of it, she had looked annoyed yesterday when I gave him that macaron.
It was funny to suddenly be the target of Sylvia's jealousy, so I said, "Are you asking because you like him?"
I was someone who believed the heroine and the protagonist should end up together. That’s why I was a 'Team Sylvia' fan when I read the original. Even if it was a situation where I couldn't really support the other heroines. So, I intended to tell her not to worry because I had no such intentions. But Sylvia's reaction was different from what I expected.
"...No, if anything, I dislike him. Regardless, all I'm curious about is what you think of him, Scarlet."
I looked at Sylvia's face, thinking she was just at the stage where she was too shy to admit she liked him, but her expression was genuinely serious. No, why? As someone who wanted the two of them to end up together, this was a bit of a confusing situation. It might sting a little, but I actually wanted to see them being lovey-dovey... At this rate, it felt like I wouldn't get to see that, so I desperately shouted at Sylvia.
"Sylvia, Yoon Siwoo has a lot of good points!"
I blurted it out, and since Sylvia's expression was subtle, I spat out whatever came to mind to add to it. "Yoon Siwoo, well... first of all, he's capable." He was a damn munchkin who had both money and overpowered combat abilities. "And... he's kind, has a good personality, and is responsible." He was the kind of guy who would sacrifice himself in the original story to take care of those around him. "...And he's handsome, too."
I was working hard to think of his good points to cover for him, but as I was doing this just to watch someone else's romance, a sense of self-loathing and embarrassment washed over me, and my face burned. ...What kind of wealth and glory am I trying to enjoy by doing this? Be grateful, you damn Yoon Siwoo... I'm going this far for your love life...
"...Anyway, I just hope you two don't hate each other and get along well..."
When I said that, Sylvia looked at me with a complicated expression, perhaps feeling sorry for me, and nodded. After finishing our conversation, I went back inside and sat down. Yoon Siwoo was slumped over his desk. He had looked fine until a moment ago, but Yoon Siwoo was human too; the training must have been tough. I sat quietly and watched the heroine and the protagonist sitting side-by-side in front of me, thinking: I hope a world comes where those two can live happily.
"Yesterday must have been tough, so I'll make today's class end early!"
At Eve-sensei's words that class would end early, the students from Classes A and B gathered in the gymnasium cheered. Watching them, Eve laughed loudly and shouted, "Ahaha, aren't you guys a little too happy? Anyway, today, regardless of Class A or B, we're going to draw lots to divide into four teams and compete! The goal is to eliminate 100 monsters in urban combat. I'll let the team that finishes first go eat lunch, so do your best!"
Seriousness filled everyone's eyes. Since ancient times, students were beings who would even jump from the second or third floor just to eat a little faster. If food was on the line for kids who were already competitive, it was a reason not to be surprised even if they gave it their all. However, ironically, there were things in the world that didn't work out even if you gave it your all.
"...I'm not confident about this," Mei, who was next to me, muttered.
"Yeah, me neither. I'm not confident... that I'll lose," I muttered back.
Ironically, Mei and I had ended up on the same team as Yoon Siwoo and Sylvia. It was a crazy bus where I couldn't even guess how fast it would go. I'll win just by holding onto my seatbelt tight.
"That's cheating!"
"This isn't right, teacher!"
I heard Daniel and Jessie shouting from somewhere, but I ignored them.
"It's a lottery today, so it's pure luck, so it can't be helped! Things in the world don't always go the way you want!"
At Eve's bright shout, the students were frustrated. I was sorry, but I agreed. Things in the world don't always go the way you want.
Since the bus driver was who he was, we naturally got to eat first. I hadn't said I would ride the bus, but it wasn't like I hadn't tried hard.
"Scarlet! That was cool!"
"That came out of your prosthetic arm, right? The power was considerable, too!"
On the way to the cafeteria, Sylvia and Mei shared their impressions of the new technique I'd shown them: the flamethrower. Jessie had strongly insisted, "Let's make the official name 'Scarlet Buster'!", but I was worried it would be embarrassing to shout the technique name if it had a name, so I was just calling it a flamethrower for now. Regardless, I was in a pretty good mood because I'd performed well, burning over 10 monsters that were bunched together with a single flamethrower blast. I would attribute all the credit for this to Jessie, who made the prosthetic arm. Jessie, who had been tearing up because she thought we'd eat last, would surely be happy too.
After using something like a finishing move in a real battle, my heart felt like it was pounding. Wouldn't it be cooler if I staged it more like a finishing move? For example, taking off my gloves before firing. Leather gloves, if possible. It felt like the childhood innocence from when my left arm was possessed by a Black Flame Dragon was coming back to life. Heh, if it's now, I feel like I could fire a Black Flame Dragon Killing Wave, not just a flamethrower...
I was having such silly thoughts when we arrived at the cafeteria. Actually, if the food isn't good, you don't want to eat it quickly. In that sense, the academy's meals were amazing. With meals like this, there would never be anyone skipping meals like in the military. I heard the cook who was here now had been in charge of meals for over 20 years. I thanked the cook who always made delicious food and thought while eating: Time is passing so peacefully compared to the original story. How good would it be if we could just stay like this?
As I was continuing my meal while thinking that, Mei, who was sitting at a window seat eating with me, looked out the window and muttered, "Oh, come to think of it, they said it would rain today."
Looking out the window, it was indeed raining. It felt like my good mood suddenly sank. Perhaps because of that, the voice that had been muttering continuously grew louder.
[Burn it.]
Shut up. I didn't like the thing that was dwelling in my body. If possible, I wanted it to be replaced by a Black Flame Dragon. I was complaining like that and pulling myself together when it happened.
Thud. A sound rang out. What was going on? A student who had been eating at a table over there had collapsed onto the table.
"What, what's going on?"
"I don't know. They suddenly collapsed?"
The sound of students murmuring. Amidst that, I heard a coughing sound from next to me. Mei, who had covered her mouth with her hand as if she had coughed. As she slowly took her hand away, a red liquid dripped down. I saw Mei's bewildered eyes. And then, with a thud, she collapsed onto the table.
"...What is, this..."
Thud. A sound rang out from somewhere else. Looking over there, another student had collapsed. Sylvia, who had been making a painful expression, emitted light from her hand, brought it to her body, and then shouted, "It's mana poisoning!!! Everyone, take your hands off the food!!!"
Things in the world don't always go the way you want. If anything, it was the opposite. Thud. With the sound, another student collapsed. I heard the sound. The sound of rain falling outside. The voice in my head constantly whispering to burn it. And the sound of thud, thud, one after another, the sound of peace being shattered rang out in the cafeteria.