Midterm Prep
Monday's first period.
“Anyway, I forgot to mention the notice. You know it already, but the midterm period is right around the corner. I’d love it if we could just mix it up with the Martial Arts and Magic Engineering departments and call it a day… but unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. But don’t go spreading it like a certain someone who rolls a pen around. We’re practical users after all, right?”
The exam would take place next week at this time in the underground 126th to 130th classrooms of Thunder Hall, centered on artifact crafting. Check the notice for details, and class starts after that.
Before Magic Engineering began, the midterm notice arrived.
“Where’s the notice?”
“On your phone.”
“…”
“After class, I’ll show it to you.”
“Thanks.”
Jeden wrapped up the previous lesson and finished an hour early.
“Let’s see. Two hours for the test. Topic: combat support equipment.”
“Martial arts or magic?”
“Don’t know, maybe both. Materials: 1st Realm mana stones, monster leather, bones, low-grade gems… plenty of them. Want me to show the list?”
“No need. I’ve got something in mind. Others are free, right?”
“Yeah. There are sample photos attached.”
The photos showed both the finished product and the design side by side.
Boots that absorbed impact and released part of it. A design meant to reduce fatigue and allow longer runs.
“A week is enough for me to start thinking about it now.”
“Good idea.”
Popular materials were probably waste products like leather and bones. Or gems. Easy to process, and the mana they contain is a huge plus for us beginners.
“…I’m torn.”
“Take your time. Or should I ask someone?”
“Who?”
“The magic and martial arts kids.”
“Ah.”
We all knew what made good materials, but the ones who actually use them in combat would know best. Of course I was in both categories, but this was my own twist.
Cecil would do better asking her directly.
***
Ding-dong. Hey, fox. Can you hear me, snake?
“…That was supposed to be off the table, wasn’t it?”
“Cool. Anyway, Cecil texted me.”
“What?”
“Let’s meet up. Come to the library front. Time work for you?”
“I’ve got free periods. Let’s go right now.”
***
“Thanks for coming out of nowhere.”
“Huhuhu, that’s our thing, isn’t it?”
“What kind of friends are we?”
“Having seen each other’s naked bodies under the same roof… kyaa.”
“…….”
Jeden was instantly silenced by Cecil’s sudden white fist.
We immediately explained the goal.
“Artifacts for battle? Hmm, not sure. Artifacts are generally expensive, so I’ve never tried one.”
“Me neither. Never relied on tools much.”
Unexpectedly, no solid suggestions came up.
Of course. You only know if something’s good or bad after using it.
I’d only ever used life-support artifacts.
“Still, is there nothing like this? I wish something like this existed.”
“Hmm… well, either way, unexpected is better.”
“I agree. I had a battle mage opponent in sparring recently. My first time facing one, so it was tough. I would’ve been much smoother if I’d faced a battle mage before.”
“Yeah?”
Interesting.
Cecil opened up after hearing that far.
“I… might get a feel for it.”
“Yeah?”
I still wasn’t sure, but I’d already decided.
We’d share a meal later and head back to the dorms separately.
“Jeden. I’m going to draw the design in the dorm first. I’ll go in ahead.”
“I’ll walk you.”
The girls’ dorm was a bit far from the library.
A ten-minute walk? Not impossible alone, but no need to send her alone.
“…That’d be great? The boys’ dorm is a little far, so I feel bad….”
Cecil said that, but her slightly raised mouth corners were strange.
“The one who feels bad is me for making you come pick me up every day.”
“I come because I want to.”
“So I’ll walk you because I want to too.”
“…Sigh. That’s fine?”
Up until now we’d kept a comfortable distance.
We’d eat and study together… and if there was nothing special, we were always together. But the gap between us had always felt like friends.
Because of that, I blurted it out without thinking.
The strange gap felt off and slipped out suddenly.
I didn’t know why.
If I had to explain, I’d just say “just because.”
On the surface it wasn’t that way, but inside I’d always lived by analyzing something. My innate observation ability kept decomposing and understanding things whether I wanted to or not, so results came out even if I didn’t want them.
No, that’s how it should be.
That arrogant observation ability. Even now, when I turned my head, it spotted every little thing about the passersby.
I still couldn’t find why I couldn’t look straight at Cecil while walking side by side.
***
That night.
“Huhuhu.”
“Eh. Back already?”
Jeden returned to the dorm with his usual suspicious smile.
“Since the martial arts midterm is a sparring session, I loosened up with Bail.”
“Even though you two are both physical types, why bring up the magic user?”
“Ah. You’ve been obsessed with battle mages lately. Unexpected strategy looks pretty good.”
“…Her?”
I pictured Bail frantically raising her fists in panic.
“……Really?”
“Women are scary. Even you can’t fool me.”
I wondered why, but it wasn’t the first or second time he was strange.
If strange was the default, then strange wasn’t strange at all. If normal was strange, then strange was normal…
“Yawn. What time is it?”
“Midnight.”
“Time to sleep.”
He acted like he did all kinds of weird things, so it made sense.
No, only late at night did he think weird thoughts. So thinking weird now wasn’t weird at all, and instead the weird one was normal thoughts… zzz.
***
“Wha! You’re here again today?”
“I drop by sometimes.”
I waited for Cecil in front of the girls’ dorm again this time.
Even though she’d said she wouldn’t, she always came first. It bothered me, so I’d try to come earlier from now on.
A week until the midterm.
Because of that, most lectures had been canceled.
“Property and structure analysis excepted, everything’s canceled.”
“That makes sense.”
The class itself leaned more toward theory, and the pace was naturally slow.
The midterm topic was already prepared, so it wasn’t that important a subject anyway.
Everyone knew bones were hard and leather tough, and that was enough for now.
Anyway.
No class, so why meet?
“Lab reserved?”
“Wah, I booked it yesterday at 8 p.m. sharp, but it was brutal. Barely pulled it off, honestly.”
“Good. I should buy a phone and do the same.”
Some labs in the Magic Engineering department could be rented by students.
Reservations opened at 8 p.m., and by now they were overflowing with midterm prep.
The important part was that reservations were done strictly online.
“If I wasn’t here, what would you have done?”
“…Exactly.”
I probably wouldn’t have been able to reserve without a phone.
“Want to eat dinner?”
“There’s a West House nearby.”
“…….”
We’d talked about it before.
West House had the capital’s top chef as head chef…
“Jeden.”
“…….”
“Come on, don’t sulk. It’s a joke.”
***
The lab was smaller than expected.
“Six desks fit, about right.”
As Cecil said, it was the size of a normal classroom with six desks.
The main items were all in the wall cabinets, so it didn’t feel too cramped.
“Then shall we begin?”
“Yeah.”
We quickly checked the positions of the items and started the experiment.
Cecil changed into a lab coat over her clothes and put on the provided goggles and gloves.
“…? What are you doing?”
“…No.”
The sight of her in the research outfit was strangely intriguing compared to her usual Cecil in uniform.
Seeing her in civilian clothes was even stranger, as it had been a while.
I finished preparations and immediately began my own experiment.
In my head it was clear, but doing it was completely different.
What I wanted to make was a hairpin that granted cooling effects.
To cool overheated heads during combat and calm excitement… for now.
For that, I needed to mix mana with the cold attribute.
Stir two parts cold extraction liquid to one part mana diluent.
Only a small amount was needed, so ten milliliters and five milliliters.
While stirring, prepare the base material.
The material to use was ice rock.
The most common and versatile low-cost material among cold-attribute materials.
Perfect for students.
Ice rock normally had the hardness of a solid stone, but when mana was injected,
Sllooosh.
It melted like butter.
Put the melted ice rock into a silicone mold and let it cool.
The cooled ice rock gained the right elasticity and hardness, becoming like metal.
While the ice rock cooled, transfer the stirred cold mana liquid to a container.
Wait three minutes.
“Done.”
The ice rock was fully set.
The ice rock torn from the mold resembled a basic hairpin, similar to a clip.
Now came the real part.
Dip a circuit pen into the cold mana liquid and draw the circuit.
Since it was a hairpin, I had to carve a low-grade mana stone myself and insert it. I widened the groove accordingly.
The next runes were cold conversion.
The most basic magic to turn mana into cold.
Simple construction, so it was quick.
But cold conversion alone would make the head too cold.
Pull the circuit leading to cold conversion and connect it in parallel with wind.
Here, the wind had to be weak enough to blow gently, so raise the mana pressure to control the amount of mana flowing in.
Connect cold conversion and wind again, then link to the final rune, signal control.
This would decide whether the artifact activated or not by touching specific parts of the hairpin.
Finally, link signal control to the tip of the hairpin.
“Hoo… done.”
One click and I had my personal mini air conditioner away from the heat.
“Huh? It’s done?”
“Yeah.”
Looking at the time, it was eleven.
I arrived a little after ten, so it took about an hour and a bit.
“You?”
“I’m still working on it. Once the dark wind condensation liquid is fully refined, it’ll be complete.”
As she said, Cecil placed something dark inside the bracelet ten minutes later and declared it done.
“But can I take this?”
“You can, but because I used the materials, a receipt will come if you submit it. You’ll have to pay that too.”
“Figures.”
If I sold it for free, it would be money for nothing.
Maybe I used too much concentration.
Even though it was only about an hour, my energy had drained fast.
We ate lunch at the academy cafe.
I didn’t really like sweets, but Cecil did.
And one week later.
The day of the midterm finally arrived.