Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: A Girl's Bonds and Sprint Never Stop☆ (2)
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We finished our simple breakfast and returned to the grand hall.
"Phew~☆ So touching☆ That was a delicious sandwich~☆"
"It was mostly bread crusts and shredded cabbage peels, though."
"Kyahat☆ A girl's ele~gant meal is supposed to be fresh, you know♡"
"Even if it was made from discarded ingredients you begged for."
"..."
I shot Alvitt a look of discontent.
My inner Pretty Filter must have been angry too, as it ordered me to puff up my cheeks.
For the first time in a while, my Pretty Filter and I joined forces to make a gesture of displeasure.
A Girl's Ultimate Art of Displeasure
[Puffing Cheeks]
The key is to emphasize the fully puffed-up cheeks with two fingers~☆
"Pout pout~☆"
But Alvitt, ever so indifferent, showed no reaction at all.
"..."
How boring~☆
With a grunt, Alvitt carried a bucket full of water with both hands. After she made a few trips between the water tap and the grand hall, the area was filled with buckets of water.
Dozens of water buckets were placed all over the stone floor.
It was a scene similar to the one I'd set up for my persona on the first day.
Alvitt scanned every nook and cranny of the grand hall with a dissatisfied look. Compared to the first day, it was surprisingly clean, but it still seemed to fall short for her.
"I only swept up the sand this morning because I had to train, but 'those things' on the stone floor were so distracting I couldn't focus. I'll have to wash the floor again after we finish training."
"Eh☆ What are 'those things'~☆ Tell me, too~ What is it, what is it? Has Alvitt finally got a romantic, girly secret? Wow~☆"
"..."
Alvitt pouted and glared at me.
What are you gonna do, glaring at me like that, you punk~☆
Given Alvitt's somewhat mysophobic personality, she was probably talking about bird droppings.
I just didn't realize she hated them so much that she wouldn't even say the word out loud.
In the main story, she endured all sorts of hardships without complaint, so I thought she'd be fine.
'That's unexpected. Did she just grit her teeth and bear it in the story?'
Her true feelings, only seen in daily life.
It seemed Alvitt genuinely, truly hated filth.
As she prepared to clean, Alvitt suddenly said to me,
"By the way, maybe it's because it's still the freshman placement period? We haven't received any class materials from the United Student Council."
In Academy City Yggd, the required curriculum was primarily based on textbooks distributed by the United Student Council.
Though whether it was taught properly depended on the capabilities of each school's student council or self-governing body.
'In reality, aside from the three elite schools, most students just ditch their studies and do whatever they want.'
To the high school girls of the Academy City, textbooks were just boring.
Only diligent students like Alvitt cared about them.
For the record, I'd also given up on liberal arts and required courses.
I subtly twisted Alvitt's words, opening my mouth to set up a tease.
"On a warm and beautiful day like this! It would be a disaster to become a bookworm by just reading in a classroom~☆ We should be enjoying a tea party chat, like proper girls☆ with lots of delicious desserts and cookies! Kya♡ A true girls' tea party! Wow~☆"
"As if we have the money for that."
"..."
She just had to drop a truth bomb there.
I understood how Sun Quan must have felt looking at Zhang Zhao, who argued for surrendering to Cao Cao before the Battle of Red Cliffs.
Such an unpleasant dose of reality can really mess with a person's head.
Sun Quan, pissed by Zhang Zhao's words, stormed out. Then there was Lu Su, who silently followed and backed him up, essentially saying, *'We've totally got this, you scaredy-cats. You don't know what you're talking about.'*
I understood how they felt.
Didn't they win the Battle of Red Cliffs in the end?
Life is all about seeing what others don't.
'I could probably pull off a tea party if I just got some snacks from the baker.'
But I am a person of virtue.
I'd rather be a pink tiger than a pink rat, so I swallowed my words and grumbled inwardly.
Unaware of my inner turmoil, Alvitt brought the rest of the cleaning supplies from the utility closet.
Then she set them up, ready to start cleaning the moment training was over.
"We'll just make a mess during training anyway, so let's clean everything at once later."
"Because smart girls like us have movements as elegant and delicate as a dancer's steps~☆ Kyaha☆"
"Us?"
And so we settled down in the grand hall.
Since we were both already in training clothes, we decided to begin our training in earnest just as we were.
She must have recovered from the initial shock of the first day, because Alvitt offered to teach me about the basic Ether manipulation I had mentioned.
I found that secretly admirable.
'I wonder what it feels like to be a high school freshman teaching multiplication tables and basic arithmetic to a third-year senior?'
To be honest, I had started this persona as a joke based on the game's lore, but it was becoming interesting.
Aside from The Pink Spiral, which I'd created through shortcuts using my knowledge of the world, I'd never had the chance to learn proper Ether manipulation from someone so thoroughly.
I decided to accept Alvitt's teachings with genuine sincerity.
'Hilde was too talented to ever patiently teach anyone, and the others I fought around the same time were all too individualistic...'
In the main story, Alvitt becomes a key figure and instructor in a massive military organization.
Her by-the-book teaching style might offer me a new perspective, different from what I've seen so far.
After a light warm-up, we stood on the clean sand of the grand hall, swords in hand.
Alvitt opened her mouth, her tone feigning solemnity.
"I won't go easy on you until you get it right, so be prepared."
"Yay~☆ Don't you go falling kyun♡ for my strong, cute, and strong sword-wielding self, Alvitt☆ Ah☆ What if my hidden, immense talent gets exposed~☆"
"Sigh... First, let's start by spreading your feet shoulder-width apart. I'll help you with your posture from the side."
My junior doesn't even bother to reply anymore.
Following Alvitt's instructions, I went through the most basic sword grip and ready stance.
"...!"
As Alvitt corrected my posture, physically guiding my limbs, she flinched upon feeling my surprisingly toned body, but quickly refocused on the training. She seemed to attribute it to my early morning bike rides.
The sword, awkwardly gripped with all my might.
I hadn't even started to attack, yet I was already trembling.
Just holding the sword was wasting muscle movement.
Alvitt said with a look of disgust.
"Th-this is serious..."
"..."
Ether swordplay, which requires a seamless flow of offense and defense in tune with the battlefield. And my fundamentals, the basic grip and stance, were a complete mess. Power was leaking from my fingertips, forcing all my focus into my arms.
*Tremble, tremble*
The tip of my sword shook ceaselessly even when I was standing still.
It was like a novice driver's mistake of focusing 'only' on the steering wheel and the road ahead, missing everything else.
'This really is serious.'
As a gamer, I already knew this, but Clara's [Weapon Aptitude] was the lowest rank in every category, practically non-existent.
That's why I use 'unarmed combat', which doesn't appear as a game mechanic.
I abandoned weapon skills and relied solely on my two fists.
I learned the art of fighting empty-handed by clashing with dungeon gates and competitors.
'I guess since I've never really done it, I just can't get used to using Ether with a weapon.'
It wasn't just part of my persona; I was genuinely terrible at swordsmanship.
Alvitt looked pitifully at my trembling sword tip and began to explain Ether combat in a soft, calm voice.
"As you may know, senior... or maybe you don't? Anyway. The stages of Ether combat are divided into three levels."
[Basic Ether]
[Vibrating Ether]
[Pulsating Ether]
The three stages of manipulating the naturally red Ether.
These Ether stages correspond to the [Beginner], [Intermediate], and [Advanced] skills that users learn through the required curriculum.
In Academy City Yggd, high school students capable of using the [Beginner] level were considered average.
Alvitt paused her explanation and imbued her practice sword with red Ether.
*Tssssst—!*
In an instant, Alvitt's practice sword was coated in red Ether.
Like a lightsaber from an old space war movie, the sword was imbued with a subtle yet ominous destructive power.
A surprisingly sharp edge could be felt emanating from the light.
[Basic Ether].
The number of students who could use it skillfully was below average.
But basically, even elementary school graduates knew how to use it.
'The difference in proficiency is as vast as that between someone who only knows their multiplication tables and someone who can mentally calculate ten-digit multiplications.'
Still, in the Academy City, where high school students gathered, being able to use it was the norm.
"Basically, the moment you can skillfully handle [Basic Ether], you unlock 'skills' with your own unique characteristics."
Alvitt focused, preparing to use a skill.
'As expected, her use of [Basic Ether] is more skilled than others.'
While focusing on my grip and stance, I watched Alvitt's demonstration out of the corner of my eye.
"[Flash Sword]!!"
A short cry.
Her eyes flashing sharply.
As Alvitt swung the reddened sword,
its red light spread through the air, leaving an afterimage.
*Swish—!!*
A red scar formed, following the tip of her sword.
The afterimage, which lingered in the air for a moment, slowly swelled before exploding with the sound of a firecracker.
*Ba—ng!!*
*Flutter—*
The sound of the skill echoed inside the grand hall.
The sound of birds, startled by the noise, taking flight.
And then silence fell once more.
"..."
"..."
Alvitt relaxed her focus and withdrew the Ether from her sword, saying,
"...Phew. In my case, my skill can create an afterimage in the air like this to momentarily generate more power than the Ether it originally held."
"..."
"In that sense, you could say that [Basic Ether] is a method of operation that draws out one's potential from a proficient stance."
Alvitt's sword energy, exploding with a time delay.
In truth, a greater secret was hidden within her skill.
But it wasn't time to reveal it yet, so I kept my mouth shut.
'Alvitt will realize it on her own later.'
Alvitt continued speaking.
"To be honest, I can only properly demonstrate up to [Basic Ether]. I'm not there yet with [Vibrating Ether] and [Pulsating Ether]..."
"Ehh~☆ That's not fair~ You're teasing me!! Show me more~☆"
"In the entire Academy City, only the top 10%, a small minority of powerful individuals, can skillfully use both [Vibrating Ether] and [Pulsating Ether]..."
"Booo~☆ Loser☆ Alvitt's a loser☆"
"I'd rather not hear that from a senior who can't even use [Basic Ether]..."
Alvitt let out a deep sigh.
Then, as if remembering something, she began to explain.
"Come to think of it, besides the basic three stages, there's another level called [Unique Ether] that a few powerful individuals can use."
"..."
[Unique Ether]
Instead of the natural red Ether, one imbues it with their own unique color, making the Ether their own.
Alvitt scratched her cheek with an awkward expression and continued.
"...Well. It's a pipe dream for anyone other than The Five Colors, the five strongest in the Academy City, so let's just focus on [Basic Ether]."
"...Right☆"
"First, could you try imbuing your sword with Ether? It might be difficult, but let's try to focus until the end."
"Okay~☆"
It was the moment I tried to imbue the sword not with [Unique Ether], but with [Basic Ether].
*R-r-r-rumble—*
*Vwooom...!*
For some reason, the tip of the sword began to shake even more violently than before.
The sword, filled with an uncontrollable power, began to glow red hot.
Then it started to swell like a balloon about to burst.
Seeing that, both Alvitt and I panicked.
"Eek—?!"
"W-wow~☆"
"W-wait a minute!!! You put in too much Ether!! Get it out!! Senior!! It's going to explode!! Just throw it!!"
"Eh, eigh—☆"
Like a batter hitting a home run, I threw the sword far away.
*Swoosh—*
The carelessly thrown sword fell towards the spot where the water buckets were gathered.
And then—explosion☆
*KABOOOOOOOM!!!!*
The water buckets caught in the blast were sent flying, scattering water everywhere.
A downpour erupted inside the grand hall, as if a sudden shower had started.
Alvitt and I were soaked to the bone.
"..."
"..."
"Tehee~☆"
"This damn school... I should have known..."
***
"Then just quit this stupid school!!"
"...Hmph. Lotha, without your family's influence, what school would ever accept an incompetent brat like you?"
"Eeeek...!"
One of the three most prestigious schools in the Academy City.
A club room at Public Vana Boarding School.
There, a sharp confrontation between a senior and a junior was unfolding.
Finally, the junior, her cat ears twitching in fury, threw down the school's symbolic hat and declared,
"I'm quitting!! This goddamn school!! I'm quitting—!!"