Chapter 28
Chapter 28
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Something Money Can't Buy (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
That part, Amy was satisfied with. The rumor was that they hadn't just started dating, but had even sealed it with a kiss, so the shock among the male students must have been immense.
“What are you going to do today? When are you going to see Shirone? Huh? Huh?”
“I don’t know. We decided to focus on our studies for a while.”
A hint of disappointment colored Amy's tone.
‘Even if it’s a fake relationship, how can he be so nonchalant when rumors like this are spreading?’
Shirone's stoic attitude bruised her pride. She didn't have a princess complex, but every time she looked in the mirror, she thought her looks were nothing to scoff at. Yet Shirone seemed genuinely uninterested, focusing only on his studies. Even if it was a fake relationship, they were officially a couple. She could understand her own perspective as a woman, but shouldn't a man be at least a little conscious of it?
“I don't know! I’m not going to care either. Why am I letting my mind wander when I have a mountain of work to do?”
“See, you are disappointed, aren't you? I mean, Shirone is being a bit much. Neglecting such a pretty girlfriend. If it were me, I’d be stuck to you all day. Oho! Perhaps that’s the part that moved Amy’s iron-clad heart?”
“Seriel…”
Seeing Amy’s eyes turn red, Seriel broke into a cold sweat and waved her hands.
“Haha. Alright. I’ll stop!”
Amy huffed, venting her frustration. In a way, Shirone was assessing the situation correctly. If his mind wandered to the wrong places, there would have been no point in chasing away all the guys by faking a relationship.
“Oh! Amy, isn’t that Jake over there?”
Jake was walking down the hill. His face was covered in bandages, and a large backpack was slung over his shoulder.
By the decision of the disciplinary committee, the Black Magician was suspended for two years. A condition was that he had to apologize to the students who had withdrawn, but it was clear that this was an unusually lenient punishment.
“Yo! Long time no see, Amy.”
For someone being kicked out of school, Jake’s expression was bright.
“You haven’t left yet? So pathetic.”
“Hehehe! I guess I did so many bad things that I have a lot of places to say goodbye.”
“Have you turned over a new leaf or something? Give me a break. A person’s character doesn't change that easily.”
“Well, that’s true. But it turns out there are people who believe in a guy like me. So now I can’t even do bad things anymore.”
The story of how Shina had fought hard in the committee to reduce Jake’s punishment was famous among the students. If not for her, the Black Magician would not have escaped expulsion.
“Anyway, what are you going to do now? Your class rank will drop if you take two years off.”
“I have to apologize to the kids who left. They probably won’t forgive me, but I’m prepared for that. Once I’ve set everything right, won’t I figure out what to do next?”
Amy thought it wouldn’t be easy. Most of the kids Jake had tormented were first-class nobles, and they had suffered incurable emotional wounds.
The possibility of being beaten to death couldn't be entirely ruled out.
Jake would have known that better than anyone. But far from being afraid, he seemed rather relieved.
“I should get going. By the time I get back, you’ll have graduated. I don’t know when I’ll get the chance, but when I do, I’ll do my best. Take care. And have a good love life.”
As Jake waved and turned away, Amy responded with a bitter smile. It was absurd that even Jake, the person at the center of the incident, thought she was dating Shirone.
In any case, watching him make such a shabby exit was disheartening for a fellow student. After a moment of thought, she remembered something and called out to him.
“Hey, Jake.”
Jake turned around.
“Two years will fly by. Don’t give up.”
“Haha! Call me if you run into any trouble. I’ll lend you as much money as you want.”
A jerk, bragging about money to the very end. But in a way, she thought, that was just like Jake. Honestly, if he had been bawling, she might have thrown a punch.
“Two years… Yeah, it’s really nothing.”
Amy thought as she watched Jake walk away. He couldn't attend school for at least two years. But what did that even mean? In the world of magic, if you lacked skill, you’d just rot in the same place for the rest of your life anyway.
“Seriel, I’ve made up my mind.”
“Huh? Are you going to see Shirone?”
“I’m going to apply for the graduating class.”
“What? Already? Isn’t that too fast?”
Once in Class Four, students automatically gained the right to apply for the graduating class. However, if they failed the advancement exam, they couldn't apply again that year, so the competition was fierce from the very beginning of the semester.
Even passing the exam didn't mean graduation was close. The graduating class was a place only the most outstanding talents from a magic academy already filled with geniuses could enter.
Graduates of the magic academy often recalled the graduating class as a battlefield more intense than society itself. It was a place where the friendships of school days were set aside, and only thirty prospective mages engaged in a battle for survival.
Some criticized this system of infinite competition, but considering the special nature of the profession, it was unavoidable.
Alpheas Magic Academy was a state-designated institution, so graduates received an unofficial license, granting them recognition as official mages. In short, they were ‘immediately deployable assets’ who could be thrown right onto the front lines of society.
In the worst-case scenario, they would have to navigate life and death on a battlefield, so the teachers shared the common opinion that strict standards had to be applied to the graduating class.
“Why don’t you wait a little? The class isn't full yet, and it’s not too late to apply after analyzing the level and trends of the graduating class, right?”
“No, I don’t want to hesitate. Right now, I just want to run forward.”
Knowing Amy’s stubbornness, Seriel couldn't dissuade her any further. On the other hand, she was also excited to see how far Amy's genius would take her in the graduating class.
“Okay, I’ll cheer you on. I know you can do it.”
“Thanks. I’ll go up first and check out the atmosphere.”
“Hehe, actually, I’m a little nervous, so I’m going to gather some information first. Anyway, let’s work hard.”
“Yeah. I’ll help you too.”
Amy looked up at the blue sky with a sense of relief.
Her dream was as distant as the sun. But like the sun, it shone with a brilliant light, illuminating her and guiding all who looked up.
‘I will definitely become the greatest mage.’
A Thorn in the Side (1)
It was time for the combined advanced class.
While upperclassmen and underclassmen mingled, no one approached Shirone.
Sometimes, standing out too much was a problem.
He had surprised the teachers in the entrance exam and succeeded with the Four-Directional Method in his first class. He had crushed the Black Magician and became the official boyfriend of Amy, an object of admiration.
The footprints Shirone had left in such a short time were significant. Yet, he belonged to Class Seven, the lowest of the advanced classes, so his classmates' feelings were bound to be complicated.
“Oh! There he is, Amy. Your boyfriend. Shirone!”
Seriel waved from a distance. Shirone made his way through the crowd. Amy stood with her arms crossed, looking sulky.
“Hello, seniors.”
“Hohoho! Goodness. Still calling us seniors? We’re not strangers, and we’re the same age anyway. Just speak comfortably.”
Even as Seriel’s matchmaking tendencies kicked in, Amy remained pouty. For some time now, she felt that Shirone was not just being indifferent, but was actively avoiding her.
It was nothing to brag about, but there wasn't a guy at school who would turn down Carmis Amy. On the other hand, she had agonized countless times over how to react if Shirone were to approach her sincerely.
But what about Shirone? He drew a line, treating her worse than a friend, and never even looked her way outside of perfunctory conversations.
“Haha! I couldn't do that. You are my seniors, after all.”
At Shirone's nonchalant reply, Amy nearly threw a punch. But she held back. Getting angry here would be admitting she had no charm.
“Just call me by my name when it’s just us. It’s weird to call me senior when we’re dating.”
Hearing the tremble in Amy’s voice, Seriel was once again reminded of the power of love. The girl whose pride was her entire world was swallowing her anger to win Shirone's favor. Normally, this would be impossible.
“No, it’s alright. Well, I’ll be heading to class then.”
As Shirone returned to his seat, Amy felt so humiliated and ashamed that she was on the verge of tears.
“Fine! Do whatever you want! If you hate it that much, then don’t!”
Seriel chased after the departing Amy. From her perspective too, Shirone’s recent behavior had been strange.
“Amy, did you fight with Shirone?”
“I don’t know! I don’t care anymore! He thinks he’s so great!”
Shirone suppressed his apologetic feelings and returned to Class Seven. Amy was a good person. But there were too many obstacles to being close with the top student of Class Four.
As Shirone sat down, his classmates started whispering.
“Look at him, so high and mighty. Does he want to show off that much?”
“Flirting during class time? Did he get into school on his looks without a shred of skill?”
Their jealousy was far more intense than Shirone had anticipated.
The average age in Class Seven was fifteen. They were young compared to Shirone. Especially at this age, a one-year gap could make a big difference, making it a group where immature incidents often occurred.
The kids didn't like that a newcomer who had just enrolled had been chosen by Amy, the top student of the advanced classes. As mob mentality took hold, even the female students were now bad-mouthing Shirone.
“I must be blind. Isn't he a total player? He can’t even use a single spell because all he does is date instead of study.”
Shirone decided to keep his distance from Amy. A misstep could deal a fatal blow to her image as well.
It would be a lie to say the numerous accusations didn't bother him. Lately, it had gotten so bad that he was starting to get annoyed.
But whenever that happened, he remembered Temuran’s advice and endured. The only thing he could do now was to move up to a higher class as quickly as possible.
“Starting today, we’ll reduce theory lessons and focus on practical training. You’ll practice your specialized Four-Directional Method for an hour, and use the remaining time to practice pattern variations.”
At Etella’s instruction, the students gathered to practice the Four-Directional Method. But Shirone couldn't join them.
He had learned his lesson after carelessly opening his Spirit Zone in the early days. The other kids, feeling his Spirit Zone through their synesthesia, had recoiled from it as if it were filth and moved away.
Shirone moved to a secluded spot. Possessing the largest Spirit Zone in Class Seven, this was the only way he could practice comfortably.
After an hour of practicing the defensive-type, Shirone moved on to the other three patterns. The offensive-type wasn't as good as the defensive, but it was decent. The target-type was difficult.
The biggest problem was the detachment-type. Regardless of its difficulty, he couldn't even begin to imitate it.
‘This is really tricky. How in the world do I detach it?’
He tried to detach his Spirit Zone to the right, but all it did was distort its shape. It was no exaggeration that even in the upper classes, only a handful of students could use the detachment-type.
‘The center. Shifting the center is the key.’
Shirone corrected his error and tried again. Keeping the shape of the Spirit Zone fixed, he slowly shifted its center.
A dizzying sensation washed over him with a hum. Was this what it felt like for the soul to leave the body? His consciousness grew faint and his senses distant. Then, just before detaching, the Spirit Zone popped like a soap bubble.
“Phew!”
All he could think was that it was too difficult. The feeling of one's spirit slipping away wasn't a natural phenomenon. Therefore, a very technical approach was required.
‘Should I try shifting the center first? No, the first method was right. If the form isn't perfect, the center won't move.’
As Shirone struggled, Etella personally approached him.
“Shirone, how is it going?”
“The detachment-type is difficult. Shifting the center isn't easy.”
“I imagine so. For you, being a convergent-type, it’s practically your opposite. The Four-Directional Method is a natural phenomenon, but the detachment-type is an unnatural one. By the way, how are the other forms?”
Etella didn't expect Shirone to master the detachment-type. What she anticipated from him was his naturalistic insight, not his artificial calculation abilities.
“Um. The rest… don't seem to have any particular problems.”
Shirone answered honestly. In his opinion, his proficiency in changing the patterns of the Four-Directional Method was becoming satisfactory.