Chapter 95
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Rainbow and Flash☆ (1)
Before long, the sweltering weather cooled,
and I made my first autumn memories in the Academy City.
Countless things had happened in that time.
From getting beaten up by delinquents in her first fight, the pink-haired punk had clawed her way to victory in a scrappy dogfight. Eventually, she became The Pink Spiral, a wielder of immense Unique Aether.
Though the rules of this world made it difficult to ascend to any higher realm, for a time, she could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those who were called the strongest in the game.
‘All that’s left now… is to beat Hilde.’
She had become strong enough to defeat all the others.
…
To think that the goal I’d spouted off like a mad boast was now within reach left me feeling dazed.
The strongest.
My goal.
A star, shining faintly in the distance.
‘I’ve really become strong enough to challenge Hilde.’
Even if it was thanks to loopholes and my knowledge of the original story…
I had achieved something on my own.
As the weakest character, Clara, I had grown as strong as I possibly could.
I was proud of myself.
And I was grateful to this world for giving me a new chance.
I had also made many memories living with my seniors.
Eating meals together, going for walks, taking trips to places a little farther away—it all sounds trivial and insignificant when put into words. But the hundreds of emotions exchanged in those moments were enough to change a person.
‘I used to think that just commuting between home and work, turning on my computer or phone to play games, and shopping online was enough…’
The emotions that existed in this world were more colorful than I had imagined.
It was cumbersome, difficult, and sometimes a hassle…
But even those moments became fond memories when I looked back on them.
‘I never thought I’d be the one defending that kind of old-timer’s saying.’
The bashfulness of someone letting you have the last tasty bite.
The romance of embarking on a foolish adventure with shoddy camping gear.
The freshness of taking a walk down a path you’d never taken before.
It wasn't as crisp and clean as a black-and-white photograph,
but it tugged at my heartstrings like a picture drawn with colorful crayons.
At some point, I had stopped being ‘Kang Jin-soo’ and had become ‘Clara.’
I had changed.
I was happy.
I looked forward to tomorrow.
I wanted to make more memories.
And today, too… I was racing along on Red Hare with Frida, ready to make a new memory. For the record, Nina and Selma were back at the school, packing up their things.
Now that we were past the midpoint of the second semester, it was time for the third-year seniors to start organizing the belongings they’d accumulated over three years. This was, after all, just a school they were passing through.
‘The seniors are graduating soon. The game never mentioned graduation, so I thought it was something profound. But it’s just them packing their things, getting on a train, and going home.’
The schools in Academy City Yggd weren't normal schools to begin with. So I thought watching the third-years’ lives would reveal some secret about the world, but…
It was so ordinary that I was disappointed.
They took their graduation photos in advance,
reminisced about their time here,
and thought about what they would do in the ‘outside world.’
Of course, the third-years at the major schools had to consider the standing of the student council and their juniors, so they had to be at the forefront of disputes over the Academy City’s resources. Sometimes, they even had to act as ‘teachers,’ who didn't otherwise exist in this city.
But even considering all that—
‘It was just… a normal school, wasn't it?’
A school where you don't have to study.
Which goddess could have possibly designed such a paradise?
It made me feel foolish for having worried about the world ending according to the game’s plot. Just living comfortably was the right answer all along.
Of course, even if the story unfolded as it did in the game,
it felt like it would be resolved somehow… even without me.
“…”
Right?
“…”
My conscience was starting to prickle.
Who knew I could become this sentimental?
Thinking that, I rang the bicycle’s bell.
*Chime—☆*
*Chime—☆*
Our destination.
Frida had said she wanted to paint from the hill on the opposite side of town, the one that overlooked Central Prism Academy. It was about a ten-minute ride from school on Red Hare.
The scenery of the Academy City whizzed by.
Frida, terrified by Red Hare’s speed, was clinging to my back with her eyes squeezed shut.
“Hiiiieee…! Clara, slow down! I’m scared…!”
“Ahaha—☆ It’s okay☆ Even if you fall, I’ll catch you in a flash! Whoosh!—♪”
“Hiiieek?!”
Oops.
I think I just scared her more.
‘When she’s like this, apart from the extraordinary, sage-like wisdom she sometimes shows… she really seems like a normal girl.’
She hated scary stories and was surprisingly timid.
That was one of the reasons I’d grown to like her as a person.
*Chime—☆*
*Chime—☆*
In no time, we arrived at the hill with the large tree.
Frida smiled brightly and took her art supplies from the bag she’d been holding. Then, she began to meticulously sketch the landscape of the Academy City.
“You’ve been drawing the city a lot lately, Frida. It’s a shame, when you have the cutest model in the world right here—☆”
“Ahaha, you’re right. I should paint a magnificent portrait of my dear Clara one of these days… Let’s see… Should I paint you in the nude? Hmm? How about *The Pink Goddess’s Bold Outing* for the title?”
“Ooh~☆”
“How about you stand over there, naked under the rainbow? It’ll surely be a masterpiece!”
“Ooooh~☆”
“Well, model! What are you doing with your clothes still on! Time is ticking away~!”
Frida playfully grabbed at my clothes, pretending to pull them off. Her bright yellow eyes were brimming with mischief.
I leaned into her grasp and let out a theatrical scream.
“Kyaaa☆ Frida, you pervert—☆ You’re going to show everyone my naked body—☆”
“Pfft…! What’s this, you don’t get flustered by these jokes anymore? You were so cute at the beginning of the semester when your face would turn completely red.”
“Tsk☆ Tsk☆ Tsk—! A maiden must grow, you know—♪”
We laughed for a long time.
We chatted away, letting the time pass aimlessly.
“…”
“…”
When we eventually ran out of things to say,
we each watched over the Academy City in our own way.
One by painting.
The other by reminiscing.
Then, out of the blue, Frida spoke to me.
“…Clara.”
“Yes?”
“Were the days you spent with us happy?”
“Yes!”
I answered reflexively.
Truly… meeting them had made me genuinely happy.
“Then… can you promise me one thing?”
“What kind of promise?”
Frida took a document from her pocket. It was a form that could only be filled out by the student council president of each school.
A document that had already been approved by the United Student Council.
And a ticket to the most special stage of all…
where I could challenge Hilde.
【Academy City Fighting Festival Participation Form】
[Participant: Clara, Central Prism Academy.]
[Recommenders: Student Council Presidents Frida, Nina, Selma.]
[This application is submitted with the consent of the entire student body.]
She placed the document in my hands and said.
“…This is.”
“The three of us have always watched you move forward. We were so… proud. That’s why we wanted to give you the chance to go to the most special stage.”
“…Because of me.”
To fill this out, they would have needed a participation fee large enough to build a new classroom.
Frida shook her head gently.
“It’s not your fault, Clara. The strength you’ve built up over this time is truly admirable. It’s a special quality that ordinary people like us could never imagine. That’s why we were so determined to send you.”
“…”
The hardships they must have endured to secure my entry while I was out flashed before my eyes. It might have been an even more difficult task for my ordinary seniors.
Frida continued speaking.
“And… I wanted to ask a favor of someone as special as you. Perhaps this request is a wicked curse, taking advantage of your ‘specialness’… but even so, can you promise me?”
“What… kind of promise?”
She looked at me with serious eyes and said.
“If you truly consider your memories with us to be happy. If you’ve grown to love this Academy City. For the sake of the happiness of the juniors who will one day come, for the sake of the Academy City… as their senior, will you fight for them? Will you do… what we could not?”
“…”
The painting must have been an excuse to get me here alone.
A breeze swept across the vast plains.
Under the clear sky where a rainbow hung,
the trees and fields swayed, and the clouds drifted.
A secret pact made between just the two of us on a hill overlooking the Academy City.
“…”
A shiver ran down my spine. It was as if this ordinary girl… knew the overarching plot of the original story.
‘There’s no way, but…’
Was she asking me to protect the original story?
No, what Frida was talking about was something more fundamental…
As a senior, or as someone strong.
It sounded like she was asking if I could ‘sacrifice’ myself for others.
A request to see if I could show responsibility befitting the power I possessed.
The gentle Frida would never say something like this lightly. It must have been something the three of them had agonized over.
“…”
My mind was actually blank. A dozen counterarguments to this sudden heart-to-heart talk popped into my head.
It was almost funny.
Why would I use my power for someone else?
‘But…’
My heart began to burn at Frida’s words. Because, as she said, I had grown to… love this city.
‘Because you all… taught me what happiness is.’
If that’s the case…
If it’s a request from you.
‘Willingly.’
You fight fire with fire, and sentiment with sentiment.
I assumed the posture for an oath that Hilde had once shown me.
One knee on the ground, back straight, eyes slightly downcast.
Like a knight swearing fealty to their lord.
“Yes, I swear it.”
I will help the nine schools of this city.
I will not ignore the suffering of my juniors.
With the power I possess, I will do my best.
When the time comes…
I will protect everyone with my strength.
Words I would never have uttered otherwise.
In the end, I swore an oath to Frida.
‘Now, because of my conscience, I can’t just pretend I didn’t see.’
Well… it was something I could think about gradually after the Fighting Festival.
‘I wonder if she knows how big a favor she just asked, and how foolishly I just accepted.’
I spoke with a wry smile.
“May I receive it now—☆”
“Yes~ Very good.”
*Rustle—*
The light sheet of paper came into my possession.
As I tucked it away, I glanced around.
‘I hope no one saw that.’
Fortunately, only the rainbow floating in the distance was watching us. It was so vivid it looked like a bridge made of glass.
I’ll just have to file this away as my own secret, embarrassing history.
“…That rainbow is really clear, isn’t it.”
“Yeah, I’ve never seen a rainbow so vivid—”
A sudden silence.
“…Frida?”
I turned around.
“…”
Only the rainbow, floating in the distance, was watching me.
“…Frida?”
The farewell came so absurdly.
That was my last memory with my seniors.
A phenomenon that appeared in the latter half of the original story.
A phenomenon that could only be resolved by defeating the final boss.
A punishment handed down to those who defy the world’s destiny.
And the only reason my seniors would receive it… was me.
‘Because I… wasn't the ‘stupid Clara from the original story.’’
That’s what I thought at the time.
***
[Grrrrr…!]
“…”
Before Brynhildr stood a giant, dragonfly-shaped dragon. It was a massive creature, estimated to be over ten meters long.
She had rushed over after hearing that a Chaos Bug had suddenly appeared near the Golden Street. But what she found there was a single dragon and a man in a robe.
He was perched atop the giant dragonfly.
“Found you. Reincarnator.”
“…?”
Brynhildr tilted her head in confusion.