Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Color of the Star in Your Heart☆ (5)
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Maya, who had choked and was coughing for a while, wiped her nose with a handkerchief and began glaring at me with incredible intensity.
“Ahem… Stop spouting such utter nonsense. What do you mean, you're taking a freshman?”
“Aww! I just want to welcome a new student to our school☆ Pfft! You have plenty of students!! Why can't I have one?!☆”
“My standing has already taken a hit. If you cause trouble during this event, not even 'The Pink Spiral' can cover for you. I'm serious, so listen carefully.”
“Ahaha!☆ Tell me what's going on!☆”
“…”
In truth, I already knew what was happening.
Hearing my words, Maya scowled, her expression fearsome.
She silently sipped the energy drink from her flask for a while before warning me in a very low voice.
“Just quietly eat your ice cream and go back to Central Prism Academy when the event ends the morning after tomorrow. Among the current third-years in the Academy City, your title is practically nonexistent anyway.”
“Ehh?! That's so mean!☆”
“Who would believe that some girl who appeared for a flash in her first year and then vanished was actually hiding her power in seclusion? Most think it was just a rumor or a fluke. Besides, after you went into hiding, the other members of 'The Five Colors' have accomplished far more.”
“Aww...☆”
“If you thought I was joking, you'd better think again.”
As Maya spoke those last words, her eyes were more serious than I had ever seen them since our first year.
‘Wow, just from her gaze, she looks like a rebel general. Minus the betrayal, of course.’
Just as expected from a veteran of the Department of Facilities Engineering, the roughest division in Mimir Industrial High School, aside from the disciplinary committee.
The pressure pouring from her gaze was not that of an ordinary person.
The Five Colors.
Five different shades.
It was the title for the five strongest students of the current generation, who had awakened ‘Unique Ether’—the power considered to be the final stage in the Academy City.
[Lightning Spear], [Spindle], [Greatbow], [Trajectory], and [Mist].
Except for Hilde, who held out until the very end, the memories of those who fell before my challenge are still vivid.
‘In the game, Hilde was the one constantly being challenged, but here, I was the one who usually played that role.’
Our generation received an unusual amount of attention from our upperclassmen.
An unprecedented anomaly in the history of Academy City Yggd.
Six first-year students awakened the final stage, ‘Unique Ether.’
Our year came to be called the ‘Golden Generation’ by many.
Six users of ‘Unique Ether’ had appeared, a power so rare that the emergence of even one in a year would draw immense attention.
‘Well, for game balance, the third-year characters had to be released as powerful units. I guess that's why they crammed in all the world's strongest geniuses.’
But just as tall pines cast shadows that wither the sprouts below, no student who entered after us ever reached the stage of ‘Unique Ether’.
And one of the six from the ‘Golden Generation’ gave up fighting, eventually fading from the memories of those who had witnessed her battles.
‘Though the only current second-year ‘Unique Ether’ user is simply in hiding.’
“…”
Even though I had wanted to be forgotten,
I felt a contradictory pang of regret that the name of ‘The Spiral’ had become just a faded page in memory.
To me, an adult, a year felt like a fleeting moment, like yesterday.
But for the girls living in the Academy City, it was an entire generation.
In a place where incidents occurred endlessly every day, a year was a long time.
‘Hilde, too… has probably forgotten me.’
If even she, whom I still considered my rival, had completely forgotten my name… for some reason, that seemed like it would be sad.
“…”
Maya, her curiosity finally piqued, casually asked me a question.
“So, who's this freshman you're making such a fuss about taking?”
“The revolutionary warrior who's all the talk among the first-years!☆”
“Ah, that blockhead? The rumors have spread that far, huh? Well, she's been quite the handful. Ranting about revolution, picking fights over strange things, causing riots in the factories…”
The last first-year kouhai from Central Prism Academy.
The revolutionary warrior, Kara.
The kouhai I wanted to take with me was an odd one.
-The school lunch is inadequate! This is the tyranny of the bourgeoisie! Revolution!
-You just hate bell peppers!
-To force us to learn such wicked academics…! Revolution!
-It's common knowledge, you dunce!
-Respect the labor rights of the dwarves!! They are our revolutionary comrades!!
-That's their life's joy, you idiot!!
-Aaargh!! Let me go!! I just want to go to the factory and work in peace!!
The commotions Kara caused.
Simple tantrums disguised as revolution.
She loved revolution far too much.
Within a week of enrolling, Kara was already on the school administration's blacklist. Thanks to dozens of factory occupations and classroom riots over that week—revolutionary activities carried out under numerous pretexts—she was already on the verge of expulsion.
Maya muttered to herself, recalling the disturbances Kara had caused.
“Hmm… Taking that blockhead… That's quite… Hmmm… If it's to Central Prism Academy, even if she causes a ruckus… Hmmm.”
Considering Kara's precarious position,
she seemed to be thinking that me taking her wouldn't be such a bad idea.
Maya scratched her chin, a mix of surprise that I wanted such an unexpected person and curiosity as to why I'd want such a strange kid.
“I heard she's been sneaking materials from the factory to set off some fireworks or something. Skadi was waiting to expel her soon, too. Said she'd let her be until she caused one last incident.”
“…!”
I flinched at those words.
I remembered a line the revolutionary warrior had shouted in the game.
『Bwahahaha!! When I prepared the grand final flame of revolution at Mimir Industrial High School, I deceived even the eyes of Student Council President Skadi and Department Head Maya of Facilities Engineering... or so I say!!』
『My revolution against Mimir Industrial High School was perfected in that very moment!!』
‘No, you were completely found out.’
I pretended not to know and questioned Maya's words.
“Fireworks?”
“She claims Skadi trampled on the labor rights of the dwarves and students by pushing this event so hard. So she plans to draw everyone's attention with fireworks when all the outside guests have gathered and expose it to the public…”
“…”
The cause itself was moving.
But seeing the happy faces of the Mimir Industrial High School students and dwarven workers on the streets today… it didn't seem likely the students would sympathize with her revolution.
“…”
“…”
As we both fell silent, lost in thought.
*Thud!*
Maya finished the energy drink in her flask and took her legs off the steel table. And then she spoke in a much more deliberate tone.
“[Spiral].”
“What is it?☆”
“Let's check something.”
“What…”
*Clatter!*
Maya suddenly pulled a large hammer from under a drawer. And she swung it at me without hesitation.
*Whoosh—!*
The head of the industrial hammer approached, tracing a semicircle.
The trajectory of the hammer swung by the head of the Department of Facilities Engineering.
It was swung with enough force to easily shatter ordinary rebar or concrete walls.
But to me, the movements of Maya, an ordinary Ether user in the Academy City, looked slow.
I couldn't even feel any killing intent from it.
‘Is she trying to confirm something again?’
Just as I am fickle, so is Maya. But she never acts without reason.
In that case, I would simply reach out a hand and stop her.
*Thwack—!*
In the ‘world of an instant,’ I caught the handle of the slowly approaching hammer, deflecting the impact with the recoil of my shoulder. Then, holding it firmly, I took the spot beside Maya before she could even register it.
*Zip—!*
Everything happened in a flash.
If someone had been watching from the side, it would have looked as if Maya had suddenly stood up and was holding the hammer together with me.
“…”
“…”
The moment passed.
Maya stared at me, still holding the hammer.
She confirmed the red Ether flickering on my hand.
“…Just as I thought.”
Then, she plopped back down into her chair.
“So 'that rumor' was a lie someone spread intentionally.”
“Hey!☆ What are you talking about after suddenly getting up and attacking a cute girl's heart♡?!☆”
“No, it's nothing. There's just a ridiculous rumor going around among some of the third-years.”
“Huh?”
“…”
Maya hesitated for a moment, then said to me.
“[Spiral], if your power is still intact, and you have no intention of rampaging through the Academy City anytime soon, I have a favor to ask.”
“Hmm? When asking a girl for a favor, you must first—”
“This is a request from me as the head of the Department of Facilities Engineering. And as an executive of the Mimir Industrial High School student council.”
“Wow!☆”
“If you do this one thing for me, I'll grant you any two favors you ask.”
“Why only two?!☆ You're so stingy, Maya!☆”
“Shut up.”
I stopped joking and looked into Maya's eyes, listening intently.
“Kara. I want you to take that blockhead kouhai, make sure she's safe, and cause enough of a ruckus to completely ruin President Skadi's statement announcement this evening. And when it's over, I want you to quietly take her back to Central Prism Academy.”
“…!”
Maya calmly recited the facts she had hesitated to reveal until now.
“If that announcement goes through, Mimir Industrial High School will enter an all-out war with Svart Industrial High School. It'll be uncontrollable.”
Maya muttered with a bitter expression.
“Skadi and the hard-liners are arrogant, trusting in this city's strength, but Mimir Industrial High School can't possibly stand alone after leaving the United Student Council. Now is the time to bow our heads to them.”
When it came to this city, Maya, as the head of the Department of Facilities Engineering, knew it better than anyone.
In her mind, simulations of an alliance between Public Vana Boarding School and Svart Industrial High School invading the city replayed several times a day.
The result was a crushing defeat.
The slum dwellers would obviously be of no help.
Maya spoke in a sorrowful voice.
“…I'm being watched by Skadi, so my movements are restricted.”
Maya had tried to personally persuade the hard-line President Skadi until the very end, but she failed.
So, she passed on information detailing the situation to the United Student Council, hoping they would head to Mimir Industrial High School to mediate.
However, the United Student Council was delayed in assessing the information due to cleaning up the aftermath of the recent kidnapping incidents.
There was no time before the statement announcement this evening.
Maya said in a regretful voice.
“The girls here aren't cut out for war. They're just grease monkeys… Skadi is gravely mistaken. Joining hands with those crazy slum dwellers is not normal.”
To stop her kouhai and fellow students from marching to war, Maya passed information to the United Student Council to get them to move.
But President Skadi's statement will be announced this evening.
“They said a mediator from the United Student Council has departed, but they won't arrive until tonight at the earliest.”
There was no time.
“Until the United Student Council's mediator arrives, create enough chaos to make announcing the statement impossible. Help that blockhead kouhai's foolish plan succeed safely. I'm counting on you, The Pink Spiral.”
“…”
I think I finally understood why the Maya in the game only appeared as an ordinary quest NPC, despite being a high-ranking executive at Mimir Industrial High School.
‘So she failed in the game.’
For the future story, if the neighboring Mimir Industrial High School's situation is as miserable as it was in the original plot, the difficulty of the story my kouhai will have to face will skyrocket.
‘In the end, the independent Mimir Industrial High School was defeated and was being completely absorbed by the Eastern Federation.’
To create a slightly better future, I accepted Maya's first quest in this world.
“Okay!☆ Then shall we hear the details?☆”
***
Back in front of the guest dormitory, holding my ice cream, I could only stand there dumbfounded.
“Wow!☆ What a mess!☆”
Alvitt and Lotha, having tied up a suspicious person, spoke to me.
“Sunbae! You're safe!”
“Clara-sunbae! You were outside? That's a relief. I was just about to report a suspicious person who was sneaking around the dormitory carrying gunpowder.”
“Hwaaang!! It hurts!! I said it hurts!! This is reactionary!! This is not revolutionary!!”
“Be quiet!! You suspicious person!!”
*Thwack—*
Alvitt gave the ultramarine-haired girl tied up in ropes a flick on the forehead.