From the Very Back Seat, I Saw Everything About Her.
From the Very Back Seat, I Saw Everything About Her.
Faculty Office.
Professor Bertina was drinking tea.
Silver hair.
Glasses.
Three bundles of documents lay there.
The first.
[Spring Cherry Blossom Festival — Booth Registration List]
She unfolded it.
[Swordsmanship Department — Mock Duel Experience Booth]
[Magic Department — Mana Attribute Diagnosis Booth]
[Chivalry Department — Armor Try-On Experience]
[Medicinal Herb Research Club — Herbal Tea Tasting & Sale]
'Everyone's working hard this year too.'
The corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
[Cooking Club — Cherry Blossom Desserts]
[Literature Club — Poetry Recital]
[Aurelia — Liberal Arts Debate Salon]
'Aurelia applied too, huh.'
She scrolled further.
[Camilla von Edelweiss — Individual Booth Registration: Cherry Blossom Beverage Sale]
[Affiliation: Spring Light Tea Party (Club name borrowed)]
'A first-year doing a solo booth?'
'Borrowing a club name.'
'Clever.'
She took a sip of tea.
'It's pleasant to see fresh youth.'
'Everyone preparing diligently.'
'Buzzing with age-appropriate excitement.'
She set the documents down.
Picked up the second bundle.
[Group Practice — Final Grade Compilation]
It was organized by rank.
[1st Place: Group 3 — 67 kills / 1 boss-grade / Bonus +30]
'Well, this group is to be expected.'
'With Siegfried and Leon.'
She flipped past.
[2nd Place: Group 5 — 52 kills / Bonus +25]
[3rd Place: Group 1 — 48 kills / Bonus +20]
[4th Place: Group 8 — 41 kills / Bonus +15]
'By and large, they came out similar.'
She flipped past.
[5th Place: Group 7 — 31 kills / Hobgoblin Adjustment +15 / Bonus +15]
She stopped.
'.............'
'Group 7.'
31 kills.
Just looking at the kill count, they were in the lower tier.
But with the hobgoblin adjustment, they were 5th.
'Group 7 was the only group that caught this many hobgoblins.'
She picked up the third bundle.
[Group Practice — Individual Reports]
Group 7.
There were four reports.
The first.
Derek von Grausen.
[Combat Summary: Engaged goblins and hobgoblins at the front. Mid-to-late stage, a horde of hobgoblins appeared. From the rear, 3 hobgoblins were neutralized by poisonous plant manifestation. Cause unknown. Estimated to be a plant reaction near an underground water vein.]
'Cause unknown. Estimated to be a plant reaction near an underground water vein.'
The second.
Marion von Herpelt.
[Combat Summary: Responsible for mid-range fire. Late-stage engagement with hobgoblin horde. From the rear, poisonous plants coincidentally manifested and poisoned 3. Believed to be an accidental phenomenon caused by terrain characteristics.]
'Coincidence. Accidental phenomenon.'
The third.
Camilla von Edelweiss.
[Combat Summary: Wind-type support. Maintained formation and handled left flank containment. During hobgoblin engagement, Derek-sunbae's frontline breakthrough and Marion-sunbae's wide-area fire were highly effective.]
[Remarks: None]
'.............'
The remarks were blank.
There was no description of the 3 hobgoblins being neutralized.
Derek had written "Cause unknown."
Marion had written "Coincidence."
Camilla had not written it at all.
'Hmm.'
The fourth.
Ian Valentine.
[Combat Summary: Reconnaissance and threat assessment of the rear terrain. Reported one hidden goblin on the right. Fell over during hobgoblin engagement. After that, memory is unclear.]
[Remarks: None]
'Fell over.'
'Memory is unclear.'
She laid the four reports side by side.
Derek — Cause unknown. Suspect underground water vein.
Marion — Coincidence. Accidental phenomenon.
Camilla — No mention.
Ian — Fell over. Memory unclear.
They had all witnessed the same event.
The four records were all different.
'.............'
'Interesting.'
She drank her tea.
'Each of them wrote it differently.'
'Though they must have seen the same thing.'
'Especially.'
She looked at Camilla's report again.
[Remarks: None]
'This student didn't write it at all.'
'There's no way someone from the Belcruz family would leave a blank on a report.'
'She didn't not write it, she chose not to write it.'
'And Ian Valentine.'
She looked at Ian's report.
[Fell over. Memory unclear.]
'Mana output 63.'
'Druid Department.'
'The first applicant in 2 years.'
'That student rapidly grew poisonous plants and poisoned three hobgoblins?'
'.............'
The teaching assistant sitting beside her spoke.
The associate professor in charge of combat studies.
"Professor. Isn't Group 7's report a bit strange?"
"Rather than strange."
Professor Bertina put down the reports.
"It's interesting."
"Shall we look into it? That student Ian Valentine. If we ask the Druid Department side—"
"No."
Professor Bertina drank her tea.
"Not yet."
The assistant tilted his head.
Professor Bertina looked out the window.
A cherry tree was visible.
Flowers were blooming.
Petals were scattering in the wind.
"You shouldn't dig up something when you don't even know if it has sprouted or not."
"............."
"Let's wait."
She took another sip of tea.
"For a druid, time is a necessity."
Afternoon.
In front of the library.
Group meeting.
Four people sat at the table.
Camilla.
Derek.
Marion.
Me.
Camilla spread out a piece of parchment.
Something she had prepared in advance.
"I have something to briefly discuss regarding the next practice."
Brightly.
Switch ON.
"Since the result this time was 5th place, there's a high chance this combination will be maintained for the next one as well."
Derek nodded.
"The hobgoblin adjustment was significant, so next time we'll need to increase the pure kill count."
Marion adjusted her glasses.
"I'll try to widen the range of my area-of-effect magic. It got narrower toward the end this time."
Camilla wrote it down.
Quickly.
"Derek-sunbae cuts down two at the front, Marion-sunbae widens the area, and I push the sides with wind—"
The three of them were working together smoothly.
I was listening.
"I'll try to be a bit more proactive this time too."
Camilla looked at me.
"Ah. Yes."
I nodded.
0.3 seconds.
"And there's talk that the next practice area will be the eastern forest."
She moved on.
Naturally.
Perfectly.
'.............'
'Did she hear me or not.'
'Well, she did nod, so she must have heard.'
'But why was her response "Ah. Yes."?'
'It went in one ear and out the other.'
'.............'
'Fuck. This woman.'
I looked.
At Camilla.
I was dumbfounded.
I should be angry.
But I wasn't.
Because it was so natural.
Camilla continued talking while looking at Derek.
"If it's the eastern forest, the terrain is different, so I think we'll need to change the frontline operation method a bit."
Derek nodded.
Marion offered an opinion.
Camilla wrote it down.
I just watched.
Just.
Then Derek spoke.
"Oh right. Yesterday Siegfried said something about the eastern forest terrain—"
Camilla's pen stopped.
'............?'
It was minute.
0.3 seconds.
But I saw it.
A loser's intuition is hypersensitive to these things.
It seemed like Camilla's ear twitched slightly.
Or maybe it didn't.
But the pen had definitely stopped.
Derek continued.
"In densely wooded areas, you should grip the sword short and go thrust-focused, he said. Because charging is difficult."
Camilla was writing.
But her writing speed was slower than before.
'.............'
'Her ears perked up the moment Zeke's name came up.'
Derek finished speaking.
Camilla hesitated.
She looked at the parchment.
"............."
"Whoops."
She lifted her head.
Smiled.
"Where were we in the discussion?"
Brightly.
She came right back.
"It was the eastern forest frontline operation, right? If Derek-sunbae grips short and goes thrust-focused—"
She continued.
Smoothly.
'.............'
'She paused for 0.3 seconds and came back.'
'Just from one mention of Zeke's name.'
'.............'
Camilla finished summarizing.
"Alright, let's gather once more before the next practice!"
Brightly.
She was about to stand up.
Two women approached.
Camilla's seniors.
"Camilla~ Done?"
"Yes!"
"Hey, I heard you made a club by yourself and are doing a festival booth this time?"
Camilla blinked her eyes.
"Oh my. Who said that?"
"Rumors are all over, you know?"
"No~ I'm just doing something small~ "
With modesty.
Slightly bowing her head.
"Small? I heard you already wrote the entire booth proposal."
"That's just... I just prepared a little early, that's all~"
"Amazing, seriously. A first-year making a club herself and doing a booth."
"No~"
Camilla smiled.
A perfect smile.
'.............'
Just five seconds ago she'd sliced me with a clean "Ah. Yes."
'Look at that switch transition speed.'
Camilla left, laughing with her friends.
Derek left with a "See you next time."
Marion left with a "Good work."
I was left alone.
At the table.
'.............'
'Well.'
'That's how it is.'
I slung my bag over my shoulder and stood up.
Greenhouse Annex.
Druid Department Club Room.
I opened the door.
Creak—
"Ian!!"
Thor shouted.
The moment I opened the door.
"Hey!! Your group got 5th!! I heard!!"
'.............'
'Why is he so loud.'
Sera came running over.
"Junior!! Amazing!!"
Hana stood with her arms crossed, smiling.
"I heard you caught hobgoblins? Our junior did?"
The teaching assistant waved from the back.
Four leaves on his head.
"Ian-haksaeng!! We're proud of you!!"
'.............'
'I just came from a group meeting where I got "Ah. Yes."-ed.'
'And I get here and I'm a VIP.'
Thor grabbed my shoulder.
"Hey, be honest. How did you catch the hobgoblins?"
'I fell over.'
"............I was just lucky."
"He's even modest!!"
Sera interjected.
"Junior, I gave you that practical sense training. Didn't that pay off?"
"I couldn't do what Sera-sunbae taught me and fell over."
"Falling over is also practical sense!! It's situational response!!"
'That's not situational response, I tripped over a root.'
Hana nodded.
"Catching them while falling is something even final-year seniors can't do."
'Not being able to do that is normal.'
The teaching assistant had brewed tea.
"Here, let's talk over some tea first."
I sat down.
I received the tea.
Slurp.
It was warm.
'.............'
'Just a moment ago I was met with cold air at the group meeting.'
'It's warm here.'
The teaching assistant took out some parchment.
"And there's one agenda item."
Tap.
"Spring Cherry Blossom Festival. You all know about it?"
Thor's eyes sparkled.
"Doing a booth?"
"Yes. This year too, the Druid Department will be putting up a booth."
Sera clapped.
"Oh! That's great!"
Hana uncrossed her arms.
"The last festival, huh. What's the plan?"
The teaching assistant smiled.
"This year, we're planning to go a bit special."
She spread out the parchment.
[Druid Department Spring Festival Plan]
[Goal: Recruit First-Year New Students]
'.............'
'Recruit new students?'
'This year's first-years?'
Thor looked at the parchment.
His eyes widened.
"Recruit new students?!"
"By properly showing off at this year's festival, we aim to get first-year applicants."
"Great!! We have to show our department!!"
Sera clenched her fist.
"I just want to see one more junior before I graduate."
Her voice was serious.
Not joking around.
Thor stood up.
"This time we're seriously going to bring in 3 of them!!"
Sera looked at him.
"Sunbae. Realistically, even if it's just 1."
"Why! Why just 1! We can get 3!"
"Sunbae. Our department had zero applicants for two whole years."
"This year we got some!"
"It's only Ian and Riel."
"So what if it's 2! Going from 2 to 6 is 3 times growth!!"
"That calculation is a bit."
Hana interjected.
"First, what we do at the booth is important. So what are we going to do?"
The teaching assistant turned the parchment.
"How about a sprout-growing experience? Putting your mana in directly and making a sprout grow."
Thor shook his head.
"What's so appealing about sprouts. We need something with more impact."
Sera looked at him.
"Sunbae. Then what do you suggest?"
"A medicinal herb identification quiz! Give out prizes for correct answers!"
"Isn't that what the Medicinal Herb Research Club does?"
"Oh."
Hana spoke.
"Rather, how about we show a plant manipulation demonstration. Making flowers bloom in pots."
Sera tilted her head.
"Flowers? It takes quite a bit of mana to make flowers bloom."
"Thor can do it. He's top of the exams."
Thor puffed up his chest.
"Oh. Me?"
"Yes. Sunbae, you do the demonstration."
"Alright! I'll do it!"
Sera interjected.
"But sunbae. Exam top and practical skills are different. Don't you remember the last time you tried to bloom flowers and they wilted?"
"That was because my condition that day was—"
"You're blaming your condition for the third time now."
"Hey."
"It's the truth, though."
Hana sighed.
"Here we go again."
The teaching assistant smiled and poured more tea.
"First, we'll decide on the booth content next time. The important thing is—"
The teaching assistant looked at me.
"Ian-haksaeng."
"............Yes."
"You're our department's new student, Ian-haksaeng."
'That is true.'
"I think it would be good if you could speak directly at the festival. In front of the booth. Why you chose druid. What's good about it."
'............Excuse me?'
I looked around.
It didn't seem to be anyone else.
I pointed at myself.
'Me?'
The teaching assistant nodded.
While smiling.
'.............'
To a guy who trembles in front of 30 people during roll call.
She's telling him to give a speech in front of the booth.
"............I'll think about it."
The teaching assistant smiled.
"Great! Take your time thinking about it!"
Thor grabbed my shoulder.
"Ian! You're the face of our department!"
"The only new student has to do the promotion!"
Sera interjected.
"Junior. Be honest with me. Druid is good, isn't it?"
'It's good because there's no people.'
"............It's not bad."
"See!! He said it's not bad!! That's basically high praise at this point!!"
"I don't think that qualifies as high praise."
Hana folded her arms.
"But honestly. Will first-years even come?"
Silence.
"Kids who are eagerly anticipating that bright future. Will they choose druid?"
Thor shot up from his seat.
"Hey, what's wrong with druid?!"
"What's wrong... We had zero applicants for two years."
"That's because we didn't promote it!!"
Sera interjected.
"Sunbae. It's not because we didn't promote it, it's because it's not attractive—"
"Not attractive?! What's unattractive about growing plants?!"
"Sunbae. Between the Swordsmanship Department kids swinging swords and us sprouting seeds, which looks cooler?"
"Sprouts are cool too, you know?!"
Hana sighed.
"Thor. I like druid too, but objectively speaking—"
"Even you, sunbae?!"
"Think from a first-year's perspective. If you go to the Swordsmanship Department, you can swagger around swinging a sword. If you go to the Magic Department, you can shoot fire and be flashy. If you go druid?"
"You grow plants peacefully!!"
"............."
"What's wrong with peace!!"
The teaching assistant smiled as she poured tea.
"Let's think about it while we prepare for the festival. Since there's time."
I drank my tea.
Slurp.
It was warm.
The three seniors were still making a racket.
"This time we recruit 5 new students!!"
"We should be grateful for even 1."
"Why just 1!"
"Look at reality, sunbae."
"What's wrong with reality! You have to dream!"
"Dreams and delusions are different things."
"Hey Sera!!"
Slurp.
I took another sip.
It was warm.