Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Shina Under the Moonlight (4)
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Nade egged him on.
“Go on, try it. First, project an image of your body from a state of selflessness. Then…”
“I know what to do. Just wait a minute. Let me focus.”
As his friends fell silent, Shirone closed his eyes. The state of selflessness, just before entering the Spirit Zone. From there, he had to project a physical image and awaken all his senses through insight!
“Ugh… Aaaargh! N-No, it's not working. It's getting even harder.”
Iruki said, suppressing a laugh.
“You idiot, did you really think it would work? Being specialized in the Spirit Zone means you have absolutely no talent for Schema.”
“Pwahaha!”
Unable to hold it in any longer, Nade burst out laughing. Shirone shot them a glare.
“Damn it, I'm not doing it! Your turn!”
In the end, the three of them decided to take turns carrying Shina.
However, Nade gave out after covering half the distance Shirone had, and Iruki couldn't even manage ten steps.
Hoisting Shina onto his back again with trembling arms, Shirone was dumbfounded.
“Hey, don't we look incredibly pathetic right now?”
“It's rude to say out loud what we're all thinking, Shirone.”
After Nade’s comment, the three fell silent. It wasn't that they were wallowing in self-pity. They were simply too exhausted to bother talking.
As they neared the academy, Shirone suddenly spoke up.
“Hey, you guys… Let's not do that.”
“Do what? What are you talking about?”
“Negotiating with Miss Shina over what happened today.”
“Hmm.”
Nade’s conscience was pricked as well. But this was about the very survival of their club.
“But we don't exactly have a better option. Have you thought of a way to save the club?”
“No. But I think this should be a separate issue. Honestly… today must have been a very sad day for Miss Shina. I don't know the details, but I just have that feeling.”
It was something they all felt. She had said goodbye to someone she had cherished since childhood. The fact that she ended it with just one drink showed how strong she was.
“But isn't getting too sentimental a bit strange? What's our reason for living? We're nothing without our brains. This is when we need to be cold-headed. Is there really any need to push ourselves when we don't have an immediate solution to save the club?”
Iruki’s point was also persuasive. If they let their emotions cloud their judgment, the future would be a continuous series of hardships.
Nade slowly began to lean toward his side.
“Hmm. Honestly, Miss Shina is a difficult type to deal with. She has no weaknesses. Why else do you think we resorted to this? It’s true that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Iruki chimed in.
“She has a prickly personality, her plans are flawless, and she manages her students meticulously. And you heard her before. She had no qualms about saying she’d date Shirone to prevent an Overflow. What can we possibly do against an opponent who's so rigid and unyielding?”
*These little…!*
Shina, who had been listening with her eyes closed, felt a surge of anger. She had planned to let them carry her quietly, feeling down and weary, but she couldn't stand to listen any longer.
“But now we know.”
Shirone said.
“Why she chose to become a teacher, why she's so obsessed with Overflow. Miss Shina doesn't want us to walk the same path she did.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Regardless of what led her to become a teacher, what’s important is that she genuinely cares for us. But what about us? We're trying to use our teacher's painful past as a weakness to attack her. I'm sure our club seniors wouldn't want to see their juniors stoop so low.”
This time, even Iruki couldn't argue. A mage always pursues efficiency, but focusing too much on it can make you lose sight of what's truly important.
“…You always know how to hit the nail on the head at times like this.”
Having made his decision, Nade spoke with a sense of relief.
“Alright. Let's keep what happened with our teacher today a secret between us. What do you say, Iruki?”
“If we can't link it to the club, I have no complaints. To be honest, I think Miss Shina is the best when it comes to education.”
“True, we’re the villains here. It’s rare to find a teacher who looks after her students as meticulously as Miss Shina. Besides, she’s been really lenient with us, considering what we’ve done.”
Iruki said.
“I'll concede this time. As for the club, the three of us can probably come up with some solution if we put our heads together, right?”
Shirone said.
“Then it's settled. Even if we face disciplinary action tomorrow, we take what happened today to our graves. No one ever speaks of it!”
“Alright! Deal!”
Freed from the torment of false hope, they felt a sense of relief. The group walked on with lighter hearts than before. None of them knew that Shina, on Shirone’s back, had opened her eyes at some point.
The main gate of the magic academy came into view. Half-exhausted, Shirone spotted a guard standing with a torch and stopped. It wasn't past midnight yet, so the night shift hadn't left.
“What do we do? If we go back looking like this, who knows what kind of rumors will start. Besides, we snuck out without permission.”
“We have no choice. We’ll have to use magic from here. I'll levitate Miss Shina, and you support her.”
“Wait. Let's put her down first. Iruki, help me.”
As he bent his knees, the weight on his back suddenly vanished. Startled, Shirone looked back to see Shina standing perfectly straight. Her drunken appearance was gone, and her eyes were as clear as starlight.
“M-Miss Shina?”
Feeling utterly defeated, Shirone collapsed to the ground. If she could walk, then what had he been suffering for, carrying her all this way?
“Miss Shina, are you really okay?”
“Of course. Did you really think I'd get drunk?”
Shirone whimpered, breathing heavily.
“Then why have you been…?”
“You have to pay for an expensive meal. Did you think you could get away without this much trouble? Anyway, follow me. If you want to get inside without a fuss.”
As if bewitched, Shirone’s group followed Shina. The guard, recognizing her, opened his sleepy eyes wider and greeted her.
“Ah, good evening, Miss Shina.”
“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”
“By the way… were you out with the students?”
“Yes. I took them out for a field trip.”
“Ah, I see. Welcome back. Have a pleasant night.”
According to the rules, students were forbidden from entering or leaving at night, but there was no reason to doubt the word of a teacher as reputable as Shina.
Intimidated, Shirone’s group quickly passed through the gate, their hearts pounding in fear that the guard might call them back. When they safely reached the central park, Shina turned and glared at them.
“Hic!”
Shirone and his friends could finally feel it in their bones. They were back at Alpheas Magic Academy.
“I’ll let what happened today slide.”
Her words were completely unexpected. Shirone and his friends stared at Shina, blinking in surprise.
“I'll give you another month, starting today. That's the best deal I can offer.”
The group realized what she meant. Resetting the grace period was her way of telling them to have a real showdown.
“Find a way to convince the school within a month. Whether you hold a presentation or bring in a ghost, it’s up to you. If you're truly proud of your club, then fight the school head-on and win what you desire. That's my educational philosophy, and it's how I show my love for my students.”
Shirone's group was overcome with emotion. They couldn't believe that Shina, of all people, was saying this to them.
“Yes! You can count on us! We'll be sure to surprise the school!”
“That's right! Panicking isn't our style! This time, let's think it through properly and give it our all!”
Shina watched her students, their confidence restored, with a bittersweet smile. While it was true that their soaring motivation often made her anxious, she was also curious to see what incredible things they might accomplish.
*Heh. Give it your best shot. My exasperating students.*
The Unseen (1)
Shirone, who arrived at the club room later than usual, saw Nade and Iruki lying on the sofa and gave a weak wave.
“Hey.”
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“I don't know. I'm not even sure if I slept. What about you guys?”
“Same here. What do we do now? We had a meeting all night yesterday, but we couldn't come up with a single good idea.”
Shirone sat on the sofa and said.
“We have to decide today, no matter what. Let's come up with a plan.”
“How? Paranormal and psychic sciences are phenomena you can't see. But people don't believe in what they can't see.”
The same conversation from last night was repeating itself. Too tired to even speak, they stared blankly into space. Their minds felt empty, like a blank sheet of paper. After some time, focus returned to Shirone’s eyes.
“How about we change our way of thinking?”
Nade and Iruki shot up. They didn’t know what he was going to say, but it was clearly different from the patterns they’d been stuck in.
“How so?”
“So, the dilemma we're in is this, right? There's no way to show what can't be seen.”
“Yeah. That's the big problem.”
“So what I mean is, if it's something that can't be seen, then there's no need to show it. It’s like we've been clinging to the impossible. I think it would be fine to devise a method that doesn't involve showing anything.”
Saying it didn't need to be shown was akin to saying they didn't need to do a presentation. But his friends weren't disappointed. Instead, as if they'd realized something, they fell into thought.
“Something that can't be verified… means it doesn't need to be verified.”
“Exactly. The reason I joined the club wasn't because you guys showed me something. So wouldn't it be the same for other people?”
A faint smile appeared on Iruki’s lips.
“Why didn't I think of that? Right, verification was never necessary from the start. We didn't need to show what we don't even know. In fact, it's the opposite…”
“You mean we make them believe in what they can't see?”
Nade was convinced this was the answer he had been looking for. He immediately jumped up, grabbed Shirone, and rolled around with him.
“Shirone! Come here! You saved our club! You can have my first kiss!”
“Gross! Get off me!”
While Shirone and Nade wrestled on the sofa, Iruki was lost in thought. The truly difficult part was just beginning.
“So, what would be the best way to do it? Shirone's idea is the solution, but it still needs to have the characteristics of a presentation. In the end, we need a tangible result.”
Nade returned to his seat. Shirone also smoothed down his messy hair. This was no time for fooling around.
“Let's think. What are we going to show?”
The three put their heads together and discussed. Once they had a direction, countless methods came to mind. The gist was to create something that would make people believe in the unseen.
“How about something auditory? It would be easy to design.”
“It's efficient, but not effective. We also have to consider whether the school will accept it.”
“Then let's go with something visual. And auditory, if possible. Let's pour everything we've got into it.”
“So what do we visualize? The supernatural? The paranormal?”
“The supernatural isn't mainstream. I think the paranormal would be better.”
Nade raised his hand.
“I vote for paranormal too. There are things like souls, ghosts, and psychic phenomena. Which one should we pick?”
Shirone said.
“Wouldn't ghosts be better? They're more intense.”
“But wouldn't that be a bit cheesy?”
Nade looked skeptical. However, Iruki thought Shirone was right.
“I think ghosts are better too. The key is to strongly penetrate people's minds.”
“Ugh. No matter how I think about it, it sounds cheesy.”
Shirone said.
“The first thing we need to consider is the effect. Everything else is a secondary problem. I don't think we need to give up on it.”