Even Orphans Want a Breakthrough!

After Maestro joined the party, we made our way to the counseling office at Professor Vagina's summons.

"How do you think the professor's going to greet us the second she sees us?"

"Freshly enrolled students just captured three executives from the worst crime syndicate in existence. Shouldn't they be giving us an early graduation?"

"Ugh... I heard that in other academy web novels, every last student is basically a walking nation-state."

"High school girls are about as dangerous as tanks, yeah..."

We were chatting lightly about everything we'd been through when we opened the door and stepped inside.

Creak.

"Shall I tell you all about the exploits of our class aces?"

"...We were the ones who did all the work, not you."

Professor Vagina welcomed us with a wide, beaming smile, just as expected. Her half-mask made her eyes hard to see, but the way she spread both arms in greeting made it abundantly clear how proud she was.

"Those bastards were powerhouses even the kingdom's special forces couldn't catch. I won't be stingy with praise for students who took down not one or two of them, but Maestro herself."

"Hmm. Skip the flattery. What's the reward?"

"...How mercenary of you."

A faint shadow crossed her face the moment I demanded compensation before she'd even finished speaking. Well, sitting through the usual scripted lines wouldn't mean much anyway. Beat a boss, get the loot — that's what actually matters. They ought to be throwing us at least a few dozen ten-pulls' worth of diamonds plus some Breakthrough materials, right?

"Well... extra credit and a choice of materials, I suppose. I've already submitted a request to the higher-ups for diamonds, so you won't be disappointed."

"That sounds about right."

After such a brutal fight, receiving a fair reward made the heavy fatigue pressing down on us start to melt away, little by little.

"And this is personal, but... you all fought magnificently. I never expected you to take down Maestro. I just hoped you'd come back alive. I may act like you're a hassle most of the time, but... you're still my precious students."

"..."

The professor's relieved expression caught me off guard. How should I put it. Hearing that she'd been genuinely worried about us first made things a little awkward. It was an adult's remorse that you could never pick up from a simple dialogue script.

"I'm so glad you weren't hurt. Truly."

"Yes..."

Squeeze.

The professor quietly spread her arms and pulled us into a hug as we stood there in silence.

"Ryushia, I know you're pushing yourself the hardest. That's why I worry. I'm afraid the day will come when you collapse from exhaustion."

"Oh, come on... what are you even saying..."

When she took my hand last and said those words, my cheeks burned hot. Maybe I just wasn't used to apologies ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and gratitude that actually came from the heart.

"Redanis's Fingers get dramatically stronger starting from the seventh. You could get hurt. You could die. You're still students, and I'm terrified you'll hit a wall too big and fall into despair."

Professor Vagina spoke with a mix of lingering guilt for having neglected us, and genuine concern.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to lose to something like that."

"...That's a relief."

But I'm a Genesis veteran. As a hardcore player who's been at this game for a long, long time, I wasn't about to crumble that easily.

"Anyway, that's enough of the emotional stuff... come to the materials room later. You'll need to get ready to grow stronger."

"I've been waiting for this!"

"Ah, and there's a performance evaluation tomorrow, so get ready quickly."

"...Excuse me?"

Hold on. What did she just say. An evaluation the second the mission ends?!

"You came back late because you were camping out there. It'll be over soon anyway, so just knock it out and rest."

"Yes..."

Ah, I barely graduated college and now I have to take evaluations again...!! I really don't want to, but I have to do what I have to do...

"Ah, you there — Mae, was it? You stay behind."

Professor Vagina called out to the black-haired girl who had naturally blended in among us. Nothing special — probably just a counseling session for the new student.

"Hmph..."

"We'll go on ahead, so take your time."

Click.

The rest of us left the room without thinking much of it.

"So? What did you want to say. Cadets summoned to the altar skip the enrollment process, don't they?"

Maestro faced the professor with a look of genuine surprise.

The moment the students' backs disappeared beyond the door, Professor Vagina leveled a gaze of ice-cold hostility at her.

"Ryushia and the others may have let it slide. But know that I am always watching you."

"Hmph... so you figured it out."

The professor had already known the girl's true identity. A mysterious girl who transferred in right as news of the wooden marionette's defeat reached the school. That distinctive appearance with the exposed joints was more than enough to connect the two. She may have joined the party for some reason now, but she was a born-evil criminal — they could never afford to let their guard down.

"...Heh. Did you know? That Ryushia you're so worried about has killed a tremendous number of people too. At least twenty."

Even so, the girl replied with a faint smile.

"I trust my student. The only data a teacher uses to judge a student is counseling, class attitude, and scores. Whatever Ryushia did in the past... she wouldn't have done it for no reason."

Vagina had a cold side at times, but in the end she decided to believe in the girl who cared for those around her.

"Hmph... how boring."

Thud, thud.

Maestro didn't even feel it was worth arguing further. She hid her irritation and silently left.

"..."

The professor's gaze lingered on her retreating figure, sealed as tightly as her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠own pressed lips.

"Oh my, all done?"

"Yeah. It wasn't anything special."

I'd been waiting for Maestro to finish her interview, and the moment she appeared I stood up as if I'd been waiting the whole time and greeted her.

"Here! Breakthrough materials all the way to level 60!"

"...What's this?"

"What do you think. You need to get stronger so you can carry."

But the moment she saw the wooden dolls and tokens filling my arms, a wave of bewilderment washed over her.

"Even my exclusive item, the Marionette, and Redanis Tokens...? Why are you trying to make me stronger?"

Just a few days ago we'd been trying to kill each other. Now she was suddenly being told to get stronger, and Maestro was simply baffled.

"You're the main DPS. I need you to work hard."

"...Fine."

Maestro looked at my sly smile and answered reluctantly.

"What if I turn on you and attack?"

"That's fine. Even if you hit level 80, I'm confident I could slaughter you."

Shing.

I whispered it like a provocation, my eyes radiating absolute confidence — go ahead and try.

"..."

Maestro shot me a sour look, then turned her head, sighed, and started using the materials.

"Raby, pull up the interface, please."

"Okay!"

Ding!

She moved her hands and instructed the white-haired angel to bring up the status window...

"...Breakthrough."

WOOOOOONG!!!!

Dark energy swirled and wrapped around the girl. Hmm. So that's the kind of visual effect other people get. Not me.

"Here! EXP materials too!"

And after the Breakthrough, I handed her another pile of books.

"...How long do I have to do this?"

"Haaah. Just tell me when you hit 60. The materials are stacked right next to you."

Maestro stared at me with a dazed expression, but I just yawned and answered like it was a chore.

"Ryushia! Why aren't we getting any?!"

"That's right! We want to hit level 60 too!"

Meanwhile, Arkis and Iflata, who'd been sitting quietly to the side, poured out their complaints with sulky faces — why weren't they getting anything.

"Quiet down, you 4-Star Elite nobodies. Resources are so tight I haven't even Breakthrough myself, so you think I have extras lying around?"

"Ugh..."

I was actually sacrificing my own growth for someone else. Once they realized that, they couldn't complain anymore.

"Sob... I guess I'll just stay stupid forever..."

"That's so mean! I always blow my allowance from home on enhancement materials..."

Then Elia quietly muttered toward the two of them as they grumbled.

"You two have mothers you can bleed dry. Iflata can get stuff from Professor Lamia, and Arkis just has to act cute with her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sister and she'll Breakthrough in no time."

"Uh."

Everyone froze at the Saintess's sudden remark.

"That girl has no mother, no father, no breasts, and no heart. You're going to steal materials from a wooden doll with nothing to her name? Don't you feel sorry for that poor little lamb?"

"Um..."

She wasn't wrong, but it was a spicy take that felt like getting smacked in the back of the head.

"Yes... solitude and destitution are the wellsprings of an artist's inspiration..."

Maestro hung her head and muttered, trying to act like she was fine.

"It's okay! I'm an orphan too! Those bastards who sold their own kid to a villain organization were better off never existing in the first place! Right? Fellow orphan comrade!"

I slung an arm around her shoulder and offered what could generously be called comfort.

"..."

Maestro's face looked like it was rotting off, and the rest of the party clamped their mouths shut in silence.

"Uh... Ryushia, that comment just now..."

"Oh, you didn't know? It's just a background story about an orphan abandoned by her parents who went through human experimentation, modification surgery, and assassination training until she became an ordinary living weapon. I don't really care since I didn't personally experience it."

"Th-that's a relief then..."

"Well, the crying of a little girl ringing out every night and the nightmares that keep me from sleeping are a bit inconvenient, though?"

"THAT IS NOT A RELIEF AT ALL!!!!!"

Jinwoo exploded at my words.

...Hmm. Is it that bad?

"Anyway... let's just skip this topic. I should get goi—"

"Breakthrough."

WOOOOOONG!!!

Just as I was trying to escape the awkward atmosphere, a low male voice from behind froze me in my tracks.

"?!"

Moonlight coiled around my body, and lunar radiance began to shine. Don't tell me... he forced a Breakthrough on me?

"Wh-what are you doing?! I'm just a DPS on the verge of becoming obsolete... wasting resources on me is a huge mistake!"

"Then you just have to work that much harder."

Jinwoo approached me with a serious expression.

"If you get stronger... you'll be able to deal with those nightmares yourself someday, right? Insomnia is the enemy of a woman's skin."

"I can't live like this, seriously... that much won't be enough."

His confident smile made it hard to even respond. Whatever the case, he'd done it for my sake.

"If that's not enough to suppress the nightmares, what else do you need?"

"Well... about that."

"Nngh... hah..."

"..."

It was two in the morning and Jinwoo still couldn't sleep.

"Haaah... nngh... this bra is so uncomfortable..."

Because of Ryushia talking in her sleep next to him.

"Men really should sleep completely naked..."

"I'm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠going insane."