Something Good
"...You devious brat."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing."
What was that random nonsense? I didn't quite get why, but Orca seemed displeased about something. But that wasn't important right now. I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her back and forth.
"Stop talking nonsense and look at that! Isn't it absolutely incredible?!"
"...Uh, yeah. Amazing."
"What's with that lukewarm reaction?! He literally sliced right through that thick wall!"
I couldn't understand Orca's reaction at all. How could anyone look at that and remain so indifferent? He just pulled off a ranged attack with a sword—something that should normally be impossible—and she didn't care? Even the other students were gaping in awe. Marvel at it, damn it! It's so cool!
"If you want a ranged attack, why go through all that trouble instead of just using a gun or magic? I don't get why you're so worked up."
"...I cannot let that slide."
"Huh?"
Yes, as Orca said, using a sword for ranged attacks was highly inefficient. While it was true that someone who could wield Sword Qi was vastly stronger than a gunslinger, it wasn't because of the advantage of distance. A swordsman and a gunslinger—an unbridgeable chasm lay between them. It took years, at the very least, to manifest Sword Qi. But a gun? While a novice might not aim perfectly, even a middle schooler could pull a trigger. Orca wasn't wrong at all.
If you wanted a ranged attack, it was far easier to buy a gun or learn magic, rather than painstakingly manipulating mana to project Sword Qi. ...But that was precisely why everyone went wild for it.
"It's true that Sword Qi is a garbage skill that throws accessibility completely out the window... I'll admit that much."
"...I didn't go that far."
"But listen to me! Inefficiency is exactly what makes it romantic!"
Orca didn't understand. She didn't know what truly defined coolness.
"Whip-swords, scythes, bare fists... No matter how you look at them, they're completely inefficient garbage!"
"..."
"But those weapons are pure romance! True coolness is born from things that seem utterly impractical in real combat!"
Take Orca, for example. In a world overflowing with guns, swords, and magic, she beat down her enemies with nothing but a single devil's arm. How cool was that? Of course, efficient weapons could be cool too. But the things that truly drove people wild, the things that left a deep, lingering resonance in the heart, were always the things that others wouldn't even dare to try.
I opened my mouth to explain to Orca just how magnificent of a technique Sword Qi was. And I would have kept lecturing her for quite some time, if not for a sudden hand tapping on my shoulder.
"Hello there, Counselor Ophelia."
"...Oh. Instructor Ian? Hello."
A familiar face. Instructor Ian. We had met when preparing for the goodwill match. ...And I hadn't just met him in reality; I had encountered him frequently in the game as well. The Academy's swordsmanship instructor. An NPC you ran into constantly when playing as Leo or Aileen.
"While your philosophy is quite intriguing, Counselor Ophelia... perhaps it would be best to restrain yourself just a bit for now?"
"Pardon?"
He gestured for me to look over my shoulder, so I glanced behind me. ...And immediately regretted it. I shouldn't have looked.
"So that's what the counselor is really like..."
"How unexpected. I didn't think she'd be interested in this kind of stuff."
"..."
The students were whispering among themselves while looking at me. Had they heard everything I just said to Orca? My face flushed bright red under their gazes, which felt as though they were looking at some bizarre specimen.
"We are educators, after all. It sets a poor example to get too carried away."
"Ah, ah, ah, ah..."
"...Counselor Ophelia?"
My mind went completely blank. I screwed up. I totally screwed up. What on earth did I just do? Of course everyone would hear me if I shouted like that in a crowded place. I had absolutely no idea how to clean up this mess. The only thought circulating in my short-circuiting brain was that I had to resolve this situation immediately, by any means necessary.
I quickly turned my head and made eye contact with the students. I felt as if my crimson, embarrassed face was reflected in their pupils. ...Though that was probably just my imagination.
"There is no need to be ashamed, Counselor. Now, calm down and let's head back—"
"Forget it all! Forget everything! Do you understand?!"
"Yes... We will forget everything..."
"All of you were simply marveling at Leo's victory! Nothing else happened just now!"
Pant, pant. I breathed heavily, glaring around with fiery eyes to see if anyone had somehow resisted the hypnosis.
...None. Now, when you open your eyes, you will all feel incredibly tired!
Fortunately, everyone had the characteristically vacant, glassy eyes of the hypnotized. ...I got a bit too worked up there. Deciding to act as if nothing had happened, I clapped my hands loudly to wake them up.
"Ugh, mm..."
"*Yawn*... So sleepy. I should probably head to bed..."
Attributing their brief lapse of consciousness to sheer exhaustion, the students began to disperse to turn in early. Orca was no exception. Feeling drowsy under the influence of the hypnosis, she began to nudge me.
"...Counselor. I'm sleepy."
"Alright. Shall we head back to the Counseling Room once Leo gets here?"
...Just as planned. Perfect. I had cleanly erased the embarrassing incident from everyone's memories. It was a bit of a shame that Orca still thought Sword Qi was useless, but I couldn't just leave my dark history out in the open. Sorry, Orca. Let's talk about what's cool next time...
"Counselor, did you see?!"
"Of course. You were absolutely magnificent. Well done."
"Hehe..."
After our little episode concluded, Leo came running toward us. He looked eager to show off his achievement, so I showered him with praise, and seeing him beam with joy warmed my heart.
"U-Um... Counselor."
"Yes?"
"You said... you would give me something good..."
"Ah, right. I almost forgot."
"..."
"Orca? What's wrong?"
"...Nothing."
What was up with Orca? She was sulking as if something displeased her, but I couldn't fathom why. Had I done something to upset her?
"Ahem, well then, close your eyes!"
"M-My eyes?"
"Yes! Think of it as a surprise!"
"..."
Leo swallowed hard. He looked incredibly curious about what he was going to receive. But giving it to him right away would spoil the fun, so I waited for him to close his eyes. When he finally did, I gently took his hand.
"?!"
"Oh, your hands are quite sweaty. Do you have hyperhidrosis?"
But Leo's hand was drenched in sweat. ...It seemed he suffered from hyperhidrosis. I hadn't known that. Even though sweaty hands would make it difficult to grip a sword, he still aspired to be a knight. I found him quite admirable.
"Why are you so tense?"
"W-Well..."
"Relax. It's a good thing."
The moment I finished speaking, Leo's body stiffened even further. What was wrong with him? Though puzzled by his reaction, I placed the "good thing" into his hand since I didn't know the reason.
"Alright, open your eyes."
"...?"
Perhaps feeling the texture of the object in his palm, Leo looked up at me with curiosity.
"Counselor, what is this envelope...?"
"It's something good. Why don't you open it?"
"Ah, yes..."
...Why did he look disappointed before even opening the envelope? Leo was acting a bit strange today. He had looked so cool just a moment ago. Opening the envelope with a slightly dejected expression, Leo suddenly froze and stared at me in shock.
"C-Counselor. This is..."
"...What are you so surprised about? Let me see."
Her curiosity piqued by Leo's reaction, Orca peeked inside the envelope in his hand and gasped. Hehe, of course they'd be shocked. I had to go out of my way to ask the Headmaster just to acquire this.
"Meal tickets? Holy crap, that's a ridiculous amount. How many are in here?"
"Hmm... It should be enough to last you over three years."
"These must have been incredibly expensive."
"Not necessarily. They aren't particularly high-grade tickets."
Whether it was because the Academy accommodated both commoners and nobles, or simply because this was a game world, meal tickets in this world were divided into tiers. You know how games usually have systems where eating food grants you buffs? The game I used to play was exactly like that. The expensive ones were for food primarily consumed by nobles, while the cheap ones were for commoners' meals. They were categorized roughly like that.
In my heart, I wanted to give him three years' worth of the highest-grade tickets, but the Headmaster flatly refused. He said they didn't issue many of those because not many students bought them. And because the students here were exceptionally talented, the highest-grade tickets were crafted with complex anti-counterfeiting measures, meaning they couldn't just hand them out in bulk. Honestly, I wondered who would bother counterfeiting mere meal tickets, but the moment the Headmaster showed me a video demonstrating the process, I understood. A single meal from that tier easily cost hundreds of gold coins. Of course they had to prevent counterfeiting, yeah...
"So? Do you like it?"
"...Yes, thank you."
Of course, given Leo's astronomical appetite, three years' worth of standard meal tickets wouldn't actually last him three years. Probably... Assuming he ate every single meal using them, lasting half a year would be a miracle. Still, considering it would plug the massive drain on his finances for about six months, it was an exceptionally practical reward for him. ...But why did he look subtly disappointed? Was it just my imagination?