One Day Before the Semester

Before I knew it, only one day remained until the semester began.

Today, I set aside my usual routine. Instead of the running and weight training I'd been grinding to raise my strength, stamina, and agility, I had something else to take care of.

"…An application form for the Inter-Year Exchange Tournament?"

The lecture halls of Olympia Academy housed an administrative office. Even in Song of Sword and Sorcery, it was a place you had to visit if you wanted to join any academic events. You submitted your entry form there, and only then could you actually participate. I'd come for the exact same reason.

"Yes."

"Hmm. Your name was Heracle, wasn't it, student?"

Flip, flip—

The staff member leafed through a register labeled [Mage Department, 2nd Year Cadets]. His hand skimmed the pages and stopped on my name. The single word written beside it hit hard: Reserve.

"Heracle. Hmm… I hate to say this, but maybe you should reconsider? It seems dangerous for someone in your position."

"Doesn't matter. Please take it."

"Well…"

The staffer wore a troubled look. He discreetly covered a note so I couldn't see it, but I already had a pretty good idea what it said.

Probably something like "scheduled for expulsion."

The academy wanted to send me packing without incident and was fretting that something might go wrong if I stuck around.

"I'll take full responsibility. I'm entering. I already know I'm on the verge of getting expelled anyway."

"Ah—ahaha. You already heard?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll handle myself. Just take the form."

"Haa. If you insist…"

I watched the application in my hand disappear into a file folder. With that, step one of surviving my expulsion crisis was complete. A satisfied smile tugged at my lips as I turned on my heel. My next stop wasn't somewhere to work my body—it was somewhere to work my head.

The lecture building held more than just the administrative office. Among its facilities was a space dedicated to students' academic growth—namely, the library. Well, it was mostly Mage Department cadets who frequented the place.

—Hey, look. It's the reserve.

—You're right. What's he doing here? It's not like he can do anything anyway.

—Maybe he just wants to try something? I heard he's headed for expulsion if things keep going like this.

The usual noise still buzzed around me. The distaste directed my way hadn't changed one bit.

"Tsk, tsk."

You weren't supposed to discriminate against people like that. Uneducated brats. Still, thanks to them, reading got a whole lot easier. The moment I approached a table, everyone slipped away. It almost felt like I'd been given a private seat.

Thud!

The books in my arms slammed onto the table with a heavy crash. It was a mountain of volumes no ordinary mage would have even dreamed of carrying around.

"Whew."

This should be enough. I sat down and picked up a book. The title read Introduction to Elementology.

Best to start with whatever's on the second-year lecture list.

It wasn't just the courses I planned to take. The reason I'd hauled this many books was simple: I needed to sort out exactly what I knew and what I didn't.

I can't rest easy relying only on what I learned from Song of Sword and Sorcery.

The logic was straightforward. The original work mentioned all kinds of worldbuilding—history, nations, regions, culture, even magic. But a setting bible alone couldn't replace every scrap of information.

Your practical scores were left unevaluated out of consideration for the Chairman's wishes. But even generously, your written scores are only mid-to-upper tier, and you haven't produced any other noteworthy results, have you?

The Vice Chairman had specifically called out my written scores. In other words, those needed raising too. And since there was no telling how useful the information from Song of Sword and Sorcery would actually prove, I had to plow through the books myself and separate the known from the unknown.

Take something like this, for example.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

This spell wasn't in the setting bible.

It had shown up now and then, but there was never any concrete information on how to cast it. If it was part of a lecture I'd be taking, though, I needed to learn it. That was how I'd raise my written scores.

The magic I was actually confident in tended to be the special, high-powered stuff—things like the Eye of the Storm Irina had used in the original. I was strong with that kind of distinctive information.

I was sorting through the books, classifying what I found, when—

"Hi, Heracle!"

Someone plopped down in the seat right across from me. Compared to the people who wouldn't even come near me, the attitude was almost aggressively friendly. Curious who would do something so unusual, I lifted my head.

Long cherry-blossom hair cascading all the way to her waist. She'd deliberately styled the side strands to lift a little, and the accent suited her perfectly. Between her neat, delicate features, a pair of pink eyes looked straight at me.

Why is she talking to me?

I remembered who she was. A character you ran into often if you took the mage route. Top of the Mage Department's second year—Penelope.

"Have you been well? I'm glad—your face looks a little brighter."

"You need something from me?"

"Hehe. Still playing hard to get, I see?"

Her bright, smiling face felt oddly familiar. There was nothing awkward about the way she treated me, as if she'd been through this exact situation plenty of times before.

Did the original Heracle know this girl?

He was such a minor extra that even his relationships were unclear. It wouldn't have shocked me if he and Penelope had known each other. Still, they didn't exactly seem like friends.

"I've heard the rumors. You've been running all over the academy lately, right?"

"…Who keeps spreading that stuff?"

"Ohoho. A mage training that hard? Of course you're the talk of the whole school. You're incredibly famous, you know."

"Not exactly thrilled about it."

Standing out and getting marked was the last thing I wanted.

"Yeah. But for me, it's kind of a relief? How do I put it—the way you usually looked, it felt like you might just dig a hole and disappear into it. I worried a lot."

"…"

"Plus, you barely ever responded when I talked to you before, but now the conversation flows so well. Ohoho."

Something about this feels off.

It didn't seem like she was doing this because we were close. At the same time, it was obvious she held more than a little goodwill toward me.

…Don't tell me she has a crush on me?

No. No way. Time to shut down the adolescent daydreams.

"You know, Heracle, I've always thought that someday you'd—whoa!"

"Penelope! I told you not to talk to him…!"

A hand clamped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠onto Penelope's shoulder just as she was about to keep going. Plain clothes, thick glasses, twin braids done without much care. Who was she again…? The name wouldn't come. One of Penelope's friends, I was pretty sure. In terms of screen time, she'd been about as much of an extra as Heracle.

"Ah, wait, I wasn't finished talking…"

"I said it's better not to get involved! We'll catch flak for nothing. Come on, let's go."

Penelope's friend kept hold of her shoulder and dragged her bodily away. Even as she was hauled off, Penelope kept glancing back at me with lingering regret. Then she caught my eye, scrunched her face, and threw me a wink. She definitely liked me—that much was certain. I still had no idea why.

Nice work getting her out of here. Appreciate it.

Penelope was a character who got tangled up with Irina a lot. Even if she wasn't the protagonist, that much excessive interest pointed my way was bad news. I was genuinely grateful her friend had hauled her off so promptly.

"Alright. Back to reading…"

The sudden interruption ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was over. I squared my posture and returned to the book in my hands. I had a feeling I could finish the entire job with just a single day's investment.

My head feels like it's been upgraded somehow.

Spec-wise, my intelligence seemed better than it had been in my previous life. That was probably thanks to the Ultimate Physique, not anything Heracle originally had. Literally: a better body had improved my IQ too. Studying felt that much easier.

Once I'd finished everything and returned to my room in the dormitory, I lay on the bed and stared up at the empty air.

"How much further until these hit 2…"

I needed them raised before the Inter-Year Exchange Tournament started, at the very least. I didn't know who my opponent would be, but beating a Knight Department cadet on physical cheats alone wouldn't cut it. The base weight class itself had to be there to make it possible.

"And now I've got another reason I need to win the Inter-Year Exchange Tournament."

The NEW! stamped on the Unique entry made that clear enough.

"I'm not even the protagonist. Why am I being told to push the story forward?"

I couldn't deny a twinge of dissatisfaction, but it was an event I would have had to enter anyway, reward or no reward. And if they were throwing in an extra cheat selection on top of that, there was no reason to turn it down.

"I don't know who my opponent will be."

But I very much wanted to hang the dishonorable title of knight who lost a strength contest to a mage on someone. Someone like that Jackson kid, or whatever his name was. Maybe I'd even run into him again at the Inter-Year Exchange Tournament.