Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Entering Prynar Academy
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"Mayal..."
"Yeah!"
I recalled hearing her nickname somewhere in my head.
Where was it...?
I was certain I'd seen the name Maychi Yarte in the setting guide, but Mayal...?
A pet name, maybe?
...Ah. I remembered.
I'd heard it during a conversation with El and Gold.
When I said all the beauties in this world were total bitches, Gold tried to comfort me by naming some nice ones.
'It's just because of Blija's reputation that she gets a bad rap. Clarit keeps a good personality despite her position. And then there's... Mayal. She's definitely a sweetheart.'
'Ah. Yeah.'
That name, certified as genuinely kind by both of them.
I'd wondered who it was since it wasn't in the setting guide, but it was a nickname.
And now this gal girl in front of me had mentioned Clarit, so she had to be the Mayal they were talking about.
But Goldie... that shiny guy's Gold, right?
Anyway, this gal girl was Mayal.
...But was she really?
Someone this flashy, the type I wouldn't even make eye contact with back in my old world, was supposed to be that sweet...?
She did seem nice like they said, but after all the crap I've been through, I couldn't trust it.
Maybe I should check the setting guide again just to be sure?
The moment I tried to open the system window, a strong fragrance pierced my nose.
Mayal had suddenly leaned in close with her upper body.
"!"
"Are you touring the campus by any chance?"
"...Yeah. Pretty much."
As I answered, I couldn't help but glance at her outrageous chest.
What the hell, it's huge.
How huge? Like when you see some erotic illustration and think, Whoa, that's insanely big. The kind of thing that doesn't exist in real life—total boner bait! Yeah, about that size.
Busty. No, maybe even hyper-busty?
Maybe not quite hyper, but enough to fill you with dreams and hopes.
Even at that size, they had a perfect shape.
.....
No, wait. Am I seriously just staring at her tits?
Girls are sensitive to guys' pervy stares, and mine was probably already busted.
Source: manga.
But luckily, she was chattering away excitedly and hadn't noticed my gaze.
.....
She smells good, too.
Strawberry.
Mayal kept talking, but her intense, head-spinning perfume and her porcelain-white, delicately pretty features had me too distracted to listen.
"~~~"
She's gorgeous.
If we're just talking faces, El or Clarit might edge her out.
But this girl... her whole vibe was insanely sexy.
She wasn't even doing anything lewd, but she radiated sexiness.
Natural, innocent allure.
I swallowed hard without realizing.
"???"
Her face was close.
Now I could take in her outfit calmly... and it was a little intimidating.
Gal girls were basically delinquents, right?
The total opposite of a loser like me, and I hated delinquents.
El and Gold said she was sweet, but I couldn't buy it.
She was probably laughing inside, thinking I was such a country bumpkin.
After getting smacked by Yulis and nearly by Sor, and snubbed by all those other beauties, I wasn't falling for this fake niceness.
"Dre!"
"Huh, yeah."
Her voice finally registered.
As I reacted, Mayal puffed out her cheeks in mock offense.
Even that felt calculated, and it made me uneasy.
"Seriously. You gotta listen when someone's talking to you."
"Sorry. My bad."
"See? You weren't even listening!"
"......"
"Hehe. Okay, I'll say it again. Hey. We're the same age, right? Why the formal talk?"
"......Hmm."
I had nothing to say.
As I stayed silent, she huffed and pouted dramatically.
"Fine~ I was gonna offer to show you around the academy and all."
Hmph! First time seeing someone actually say that out loud.
And the first time it didn't feel cringy—in fact, it was stupidly cute and adorable...
Wait, show me around?
"I like wandering around alone at my own pace."
"Huh?"
"No need for a guide. Thanks for the offer, though."
Time to bail.
Sticking around any longer wasn't good for my mental health.
Gal high school girl? Yeah, better if I never cross paths again.
I resolved to cut ties in my head and started to leave, but I felt her reach out.
...Gonna hit me?
No malice or killing intent... then she grabbed my sleeve with a tug.
"Whoa. Why are you so cold?"
"Uh."
"We're classmates from now on, so let's get along, okay?"
Smiling like that, Mayal was... beautiful.
One wrong move, and I'd think, Does she like me...? and fall hard.
Why the hell was there a gyaru in this world, anyway?
Thinking about it, aside from cutting-edge science from my old world, this place had everything practical.
"Don't be so cold! Let's tour the academy together—bam, done in a flash!"
She loved sound effects.
Insanely cute.
Mayal grabbed my wrist and led me along, humming cheerfully.
I could only follow like an idiot, mumbling along.
"Hey, Dre. Any place you wanna see?"
"......"
"Huh? Oh! Not Dre, it's Dre-sam!"
"....."
"...Dre-sensei? No, Instructor Dre?"
Her anxious glance hit me right in the chest.
Couldn't stay quiet here, so I answered.
"Call me whatever you want."
"For real? Then... Dreleng?"
"?"
"...You tell me to call you whatever, then make that face?"
No, even then, Dreleng was a bit much.
Nickname or pet name?
Asita called me Dreng too—did pretty girls all have weird naming senses?
"What should I call you then... Ah, but I might take your class later, so maybe one for when we're alone? Teacher in front of others?"
"No need to add instructor or anything."
"Formal speech again! Big sis is mad~?"
Big sis...
"How old are you?"
"...No comment."
I'm 20 now.
Probably older than most students.
No plans to pull rank with age, so I answered her first question.
"Do you know where the instructor lounge is?"
"Yup, yup! But Dre, you don't know?"
"Nope."
I answered her playful question seriously, and Mayal glanced at me before speaking.
"Are you, like, directionally challenged? Or bad memory?"
"I think both are average."
"Ahahaha. Then why don't you know the way? Too many thoughts, so it slipped your mind whoosh?"
Second time, but she really loved sound effects.
Seemed like a verbal tic.
"The principal warped me straight to the office. Didn't memorize the way."
"Gotcha~ Penalty point: 1."
"...Penalty?"
"Every formal reply costs a point~ Hit 100, and punishment awaits~"
She made a humming pout sound with her mouth.
Punishment from a girl like this...?
...I'd love to get it.
Mayal still hadn't let go of my wrist, and honestly, I was thrilled.
Gal and delinquent vibes, but it felt like a page from the high school youth I dreamed of.
But I gently slipped my hand free.
Super carefully, using even mana so she wouldn't notice.
Why go that far?
My hand was starting to sweat.
She'd grabbed my wrist, not palm, but if she brushed my sweaty hand by accident and made a grossed-out face... massive mental damage.
She was still chattering nonstop, so she hadn't noticed. Good.
Maybe check the setting guide now...
The thought crossed my mind when Mayal spun around and started walking backward.
"But Dre, you're amazing! Instructor and student? Never dreamed that was possible!"
"Is that so."
"Yeah! El, Clarit, and Goldie were kinda distant lately... but thanks to you, they're friends again!"
"Friends?"
All I'd seen was fighting.
"Yup! Talking loud like old times? El roasting Goldie's hair, Goldie telling El and Clarit not to act all high and mighty, Clarit occasionally shushing them. Ahahaha, hilarious!"
That wasn't talking—that was arguing.
Was her head full of flowers?
"You just thought I was dumb, didn't you?"
I shook my head at her pouting stare.
"Hmph~ Anyway, my grades suck!"
She huffed, adding three more penalty points.
She was fully sulking now. Cold wind blowing.
Just as I sank into self-loathing—Can't even talk right, loser me...—Mayal sidled up and started chattering again.
No trace of sulkiness on her face.
Weird to say, but... she was easygoing.
Over it already.
Or maybe just super considerate.
"Hey, hey. Dret, seen El's boyfriend?"
"Seen... him."
My voice shook involuntarily at the close distance.
"Whoa! Hot?! El won't tell me anything about him!"
"Even a guy like me thinks he's handsome."
"Whoa! Whoa!"
Mayal spammed her exclamations like it was huge news.
"I want a boyfriend like that~"
"......"
"Hmm, like Kaiz? Nah, too good for me~ Hehehe."
Suddenly.
I didn't want that Kaiz bastard anywhere near the girl in front of me.
Rude thought, but Mayal seemed like a fangirl type—she'd fall for him fast.
.....
Am I seriously jealous right now?
I had to admit, Mayal's affinity was on another level.
I'd believe it if her academy enrollment was due to charisma alone.
Jealous of her after not even 10 minutes? Yeah.
No doubt she was mega popular.
Don't climb trees you can't reach.
But still, couldn't stand seeing her with that hero bastard.
I'd never introduce them. Ever.
"Oh yeah. Asita was raving about Dret. First time seeing her like that! Even Clarit praised you while pretending not to!"
"Huh? Who?"
"Asita..."
"After that."
"Clarit? Why?"
Her praising me?
"Clarit praised me? When?"
"Huh? Yesterday."
".....?"
A few days after I went off on her sister in front of her, and she praised me yesterday?
The Clarit who nagged me over nothing?
...Did she lose it?
"But what's Dret?"
"Temporary nickname?"
"Temporary?"
"Nothing's stuck yet~ Wanna brainstorm?"
"No thanks. I'm good."
Mayal cutely pursed her lips.
"For real! So cold! Penalty 10 points plus 5 demerits!"
"How many points total now?"
"Huh? Uh... huh? Twen...ty?"
She forgot.
Mayal kept talking nonstop after that.
Mostly about her friends—people I didn't know, but she described them so vividly I could picture them.
"Oh right! Did you do something to piss off Lirai?"
"Lirai...? Laiyet?"
"Huh? How'd you know Lirai is Laiyet?!"
She thought I wouldn't know but used the nickname anyway.
Easy guess—limited suspects with grudges against me.
"We had a little fight."
"Hmm~ Lirai knew you're an instructor and still did it?"
"Yeah."
"She's not the type..."
Mayal looked flustered, peeking at me.
It was so cute I chuckled.
"Ah! You just called me dumb! Penalty 30 points!"
"Isn't that too much?"
Before I knew it, I was chatting casually with Mayal.
Her ditzy act made it easy for a loser like me to open up.
Popular kids were something else.
Smart and thoughtful.
The airhead bit was probably a concept.
"Wait, how many points did I say?"
...
Maybe a little airheaded for real.
Still, sweet.
I felt good.
Since coming to this world, most women were bitches.
Sure, there was Queen Eniris recently, saintly like a true holy woman, but she was older and politically positioned—different case.
So my view stood: beauties in this world were bitches.
But Mayal made me think maybe there were pretty and kind girls here too.
She might have ulterior motives for being nice, but as long as it wasn't life-or-death, I'd play along.
"Dret, no class assignment yet?"
"Not yet. Soon."
"Hehe, hope we're in the same one."
Her innocent grin made my heart skip; I paused.
Answered gruffly.
"Yeah. Maybe."
"What. So vague."
"Well... I'd like that too."
"......"
She stared blankly, then whipped her head away.
"I'm not that easy a girl!"
"...?"
What...?
"Anyway, Mayal, you're from one of the Ten Great Houses too, right?"
"...!"
She flinched.
Just a moment, but she trembled.
It bugged me, so I shut up. Soon she spoke, voice a bit cowed.
"Uh... yeah."
"I see. I don't know much about this country or nobles yet. What's your house name?"
"Uh, well, you see..."
...?
Why's she fidgeting?
...Ah, I'm the idiot.
Maychi Yarte, so obviously House Yarte.
That's when.
"O-hotohohohoho!"
Walking along, suddenly from the bushes beside us came that grating laugh I hated.
Mayal jumped; I scowled.
This shitty laugh...
Her.
The blonde drill-haired girl with Laiyet.
"Hotohohohoho!"
Why from the landscaping, of all places?
Were you hiding there just to pop out dramatically?
As I glared in horror, the drill girl—Flaen Crisisian—laughed loudly.
Her shadow writhed at her feet as usual.
She approached close, finally stopping to snap her fan over her mouth.
"As if she could answer that."
"Huh?"
What bullshit was this out of nowhere.
Mayal stammered in panic.
"W-wait, Flan!!"
"Allow me. Love Yarte. That's Mayal's house."
"I see."
"Exactly!"
So she said Yarte without Love? Some reason, probably.
...What, though?
Drill girl's eyes sparkled; Mayal looked deflated.
Why?
"Did I do something weird?"
"N-no, not that..."
Mayal peeked at me, voice shrinking.
"Disappointed...?"
"Huh?"
"No, since I'm Love Yarte, if you expected something from that side... I can't help..."
"That side?"
Flaen answered.
"Politics, connections. Obvious, isn't it?"
"Shut your trap."
"...O-hotohohohoho!"
A rough word slipped out.
Mayal's eyes widened; Flaen seemed startled, then laughed haughtily.
"Indeed, Instructor Dre. You don't know this country or the Ten Great Houses well."
"Not interested. Just asked since she's from the same house as Gold."
"Same house."
Why'd everyone say shit so meaningfully.
Wanna flick their foreheads.
Then. The system window bloomed.
Bloomed, like a flame or flower—not the usual dry pop.
📜 NEW QUEST 📜 Restore the Dulled Power
📍 Target: Devote all your efforts to restoring the power Love Yarte has lost.
🎁 Reward: A special reward awaits upon completion.
.....
Ah, now I got it.
Why Mayal was shrinking.
Flaen, you bitch.
I glared at her; she tilted her head with a "Hm?" and smirked. Annoying.
Anyway, I knew what to do.
I looked at still-smirking Flaen and said pointedly.
"Mayal."
"Y-yeah?"
"Wanna be friends? If you're cool with it."
"......Huh?"
Long time using casual speech.
And I accepted the quest with my eyes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Huh? Master. What's wrong?"
Asita tilted her head in Emily's lab.
The witch's usually neat clothes were disheveled, and a strange heat hung in the air.
Her slightly flushed face bothered her too.
Mana overflowed.
Green currents swirled even now.
As Asita recalled, this was magic for expression control.
"...Nothing, dear."
Not a "nothing" face.
Maybe she'd just started dating? And been passionately doing lovey-dovey stuff with her lover until moments ago?
Imagining it made her head hot.
W-what's it feel like...?
Never imagined before.
If anything, didn't want to.
But why.
Why did Dre's face pop up first?
"Eit! Eit!"
"Asita?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Asita waved to dispel the floating image; the witch asked in a strangely excited voice.
"Um... about Dre. You're close?"
"Yes! Super close!"
Asita answered without hesitation; Emily looked a bit guilty.
Even so, she started asking about Dre...