Chapter 125: Special Training 15
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 125: Special Training 15
Sepia’s bedroom.
Crack. Cr-crack.
The sound of an eggshell fracturing echoed through the room.
It wasn't a quiet sound, but Sepia didn't hear it.
The reason was simple.
"Will this be enough? Just in case, should I put a smaller safe inside this one and then put the mask in that? Argh! This is so annoying! I’m grateful, but he could have at least warned me beforehand!"
She was agonizing over the mask Loki had lent her—an artifact possessed of terrifying, unbelievable power.
She intended to return it tomorrow, of course, but she was a nervous wreck. Even after locking it inside a mithril safe, the fear that someone might steal it kept her on edge.
Sepia felt a flicker of resentment toward Loki for handing her a mask with such ridiculous abilities without a single word of explanation.
"I don't care anymore! Whatever happens, happens... Actually, just in case, I’ll install a location-tracking magic tool on it..."
Sepia was so preoccupied with the mask that she failed to notice the sound of the egg breaking.
The spirits, however, were more observant.
The spirits, who had been blankly watching Sepia talk to herself, turned toward the source of the noise and jumped in surprise.
"!!!!"
The yellow egg, etched with strange patterns, was beginning to splinter.
Through a gap in the cracks, a tiny wing poked out.
The spirits quickly looked at each other.
What do we do?
We should tell her, right?
Obviously.
Having reached a silent agreement through their gazes, one of the spirits poked Sepia, who was still clutching her head and muttering.
"I'm busy right now. I'll play with you later."
But Sepia ignored them, her eyes fixed on the safe.
Is this enough? No, you never know.
It was only after the spirits started tugging on her hair that Sepia finally turned around.
"What is it this time...?"
Sepia’s voice, which had been rising in irritation, gradually trailed off.
On her desk, amidst a clutter of cosmetics, the yellow egg that had previously boasted a commanding presence was gone.
Finding the egg hadn't been a coincidence... well, not exactly.
The spirits had kept pestering her, claiming they felt something strange, so she had followed their lead. In a secluded corner of the Academy, she had discovered the yellow egg.
‘A pretty egg with unique patterns.’
That had been Sepia’s first impression.
Naturally, she hadn't intended to bring a suspicious egg home. But the spirits had been so insistent that she take it, and thinking there must be a reason, she had brought it back to her room.
And now, that egg was completely shattered. A bird glowing with a brilliant yellow hue had appeared out of nowhere and was currently pecking at the broken shell fragments.
"What on earth is going on?"
Sepia looked at the spirits.
The spirits explained what they had seen.
"So, you're saying this bird came out of that egg?"
Nod.
Fine. Honestly, she had expected that much. If it were just a normal bird, she might have considered raising it.
"Sigh... Then I suppose you also know why that bird is emitting electricity?"
With a heavy sigh, Sepia looked at the spirits with weary eyes.
".........."
The spirits turned their heads, avoiding her gaze. One even started whistling, though where it had learned to do that was a mystery.
"You guys were the ones who told me to take it, so you must at least have a vague idea of what it is."
".............."
"Don't tell me you really had no idea and just told me to take it because it 'felt good'?"
"............"
Sepia looked at the bird, which had already finished eating the shell and fallen asleep, then looked at the safe-within-a-safe containing the mask.
Her head was already throbbing, and now another headache had been added to the pile.
Sepia trembled.
Just as the spirits were about to try some aegyo to soothe her anger—
"Aaaaagh! I don't care anymore! I'm going to sleep! I'm sleeping!"
Finally exploding, Sepia left everything to her future self and threw herself onto the bed.
Already exhausted from training and now mentally drained by the mask and the bird, Sepia fell into a deep sleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
* * *
Morning at the Academy.
As students headed to their classrooms in groups, Sepia was hiding near the entrance of a certain dormitory.
Checking her reflection in a mirror to ensure her hair wasn't messy and her uniform wasn't wrinkled, she checked the time.
‘He should be coming out soon.’
The person Sepia was waiting for was, of course, Loki.
Loki’s schedule was fairly consistent, so she could run into him if she waited near the dormitory entrance for a bit.
Last time, she had used this method to pretend they met by chance...
‘No, that’s not the important thing right now.’
A short while later, someone emerged from the dormitory dressed in a peculiar yet now-familiar outfit.
The standard Academy uniform everyone wore, paired with a black mask and a red cloak that no other student would ever dream of wearing.
‘I couldn't even sleep properly last night because of someone...’
And that "someone" was currently strolling along, looking as carefree as could be. No, he wasn't even walking normally.
‘Why on earth is he tightrope walking to class?!’
Having somehow connected a thin wire—heaven knows when or where—he was skipping along the line with his hands in his pockets, traversing the Academy grounds.
Sepia’s mouth twitched at the ridiculous sight.
No, I can't do this! I have a reason to be angry!
Naturally, Loki’s appearance drew attention. Surprisingly, there were even girls whispering as they watched the elusive Loki.
"Hey, let's try talking to him."
"No one’s ever managed to get an appointment with him by talking to him."
"Still, he doesn't ignore people, so it's worth a shot."
"I guess? Then let me just fix my makeup for a second..."
"Pushover!"
Sepia called out loudly on purpose. Hearing the now-familiar nickname, Loki turned around and looked at her.
Then, he hopped down from the wire about three meters in the air and offered a morning greeting.
"Good morning, Sepia! Come to think of it, I seem to run into you quite often on the way to school. It’s almost as if it’s not a coincidence."
Normally, she would have insisted it was a coincidence, but she didn't have time for that now.
"Follow me for a second."
* * *
Sepia dragged Loki to a deserted corner.
She even ordered her spirits to keep watch and alert her immediately if anyone approached.
"Gasp! Sepia, kidnapping me to such a secluded spot... are you planning to do this and that to me? My body may be yours to defile, but my heart—!"
"What kind of bullshit is... Sigh..."
She had to endure. It was empty now, but people might pass by later.
"Whew... Whew..."
After taking several deep breaths, Sepia pulled a safe out of her Pocket Dimension ring.
Thud!
The large safe landed between Loki and Sepia.
"Sepia, what is this?"
"You're not seriously asking because you're curious, are you?"
Feeling a deep sense of irritation at Loki’s tilted head, Sepia entered the password and opened the safe.
"......Another safe?"
Loki was genuinely taken aback now. First, being dragged to a secluded spot, and now seeing a safe inside a safe.
‘Honestly, I’m a little excited.’
He was curious about what was inside...
Inside the inner safe, which looked exceptionally sturdy, was the mask.
"................."
"Here, I'm returning the mask."
".......Sepia, I'm disappointed."
"What? Disappointed? Is that something you should be saying?! Do you have any idea how much I agonized over how to bring this back! I couldn't even sleep..."
Loki was genuinely flustered as he watched Sepia vent her pent-up frustrations in a rapid-fire burst.
"Sepia? First, calm down..."
"Do I look like I can calm down?! If you had told me even a little bit about the mask beforehand, I could have prepared myself mentally! Now that I think about it, I'm getting angry again. Why didn't you tell me?"
After pouring out her words, Sepia caught her breath and glared at Loki.
Surely, there was a reason he hadn't told her.
"Uh...... Surprise?"
".......Huh?"
"Joke! It’s a joke! I thought you’d believe it more if you experienced it yourself rather than me just telling you."
Sepia almost lost her mind for a moment at the word "surprise," but she felt somewhat mollified after hearing his explanation.
‘True, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't experienced it.’
The mask’s ability was that far beyond common sense.
That was why there was something else she had to say.
"........Pushover."
"Um... is there more scolding left for me?"
"It's not that! ...........anks."
"Huh? It was too quiet, I couldn't hear you. Could you say that one more time?"
Loki leaned his ear close to Sepia’s mouth.
Of course, the claim that he couldn't hear was a lie. Even though her voice was small, he wasn't some dense rom-com protagonist; he could hear everything at this distance.
So why was he asking again?
Because he wanted to see more of Sepia speaking with a flushed face, obviously.
And he wasn't quite ready to receive her gratitude yet.
Sepia, trembling, gritted her teeth and shouted.
"I said thank you! Thank you for helping with the special training! Thank you for lending me the mask! Just, thank you for everything! Happy now?"
Though her thanks sounded like a shout of anger, Sepia was sincerely grateful to Loki.
The Pushover wasn't an idiot; he must know better than anyone how terrifying the power of that mask was.
"I didn't catch that, could you say it one more time?"
"You...! You heard me just now, didn't you?"
"I wonder. I have no idea what you're talking about, Sepia. More importantly, what did you say? One more time..."
"I'm never saying it again!"
"Is that so? Well, I guess it can't be helped then."
Sepia was momentarily taken aback by how easily Loki backed down. There was no way he’d give up this easily.
‘No, I’m just being too suspicious.’
Or so she thought. Until a small device appeared from Loki’s pocket.
"O-o-p-s, w-h-a-t-'s a r-e-c-o-r-d-i-n-g m-a-g-i-c t-o-o-l d-o-i-n-g h-e-r-e?"
Before Sepia could stop him, Loki pressed the button.
A familiar voice and dialogue played back.
[ I said thank you! Thank you for helping with the special training! Thank you for lending me the mask! Just, thank you for everything! Happy now? ]
"I accidentally recorded it, hahahaha!"