I'll Write the Reflection Essay!!

"I'll write the reflection essay!! 'Bianca! A little higher~' At my command, Bianca precariously floated up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠higher.

'Yeah, right there! Hold still like that!'

Bianca shook her round orb body as if to say she understood.

Uh? Wait a sec!! If she does that!!

Crash!

The picket sign, precariously balanced on the tray, tumbled off.

"Argh, what if you move!! Now I have to set it up again!"

I retied the picket to the pole fixed on the tray.

"Again!"

Bianca dipped down briefly in protest but obediently rose into the air once I picked up Plutoid.

"Good. Stay put. I'm off to see Master—!"

"Miriel, perfect timing. I've been looking for you."

Huh?

I heard Master's voice. Turning toward the sound, there he was, looking somewhat angry...

"Master? What brings you here?"

Thwack!

"Ow!!"

I clutched my head from the sudden ambush.

"That's what I want to ask you. Anyway, what's that picket sign?"

"Well..."

I explained everything. Master listened silently, then...

Thwack!

"Ow!! Why do you keep hitting me!! I'll go bald at this rate!"

I yelled, cradling my head. But my opponent was Master. It didn't faze him at all.

"Heh heh... My disciple. Were you planning to head off to some remote, uninhabited spot for once?"

From Master's staff, Aludra, a brilliant five-colored light began to emanate.

Five-colored light? That's Master's 'serious mode'... What did I do to deserve this?! How could he hit his fragile disciple like this...

"It seems this open space isn't suitable for our talk. Follow me."

"Eek—"

I followed Master to his research lab. It was packed with monster corpses and magic stones suitable for mana cores.

"Master, what's all this?"

"Research I've been conducting for a long time."

Ah, I know that much. You were researching when you picked me up. What I'm curious about is what kind of research.

"It's nothing you need to know."

As always, Master sharply cut off my question and sat down.

"Well then, my disciple."

"Yes, Master."

"I believe you know your own sins. So, hands up."

"Huh?!"

Suddenly, Master demanded I confess my sins.

But even so... Honestly, there were too many to count. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I obediently raised my hands and racked my brain for my mistakes. Oversleeping and being late for the first class, and the lecture being at risk of cancellation came to mind.

Huh? Looking at it this way, didn't I just confess everything?

"Being late for the first class?"

"No."

Huh? Not that? Then...

"The lecture facing cancellation?"

"No."

Huh?! Not that either? Then what did I do wrong?

Master held up some kind of paper in front of me.

AHAHAHA... Right. There was that too, huh?

I slyly averted my eyes from the bill.

Thwack!

"Ugh!!!"

A heavier impact than usual shot through my head. Even so, I couldn't scream like normal.

He might really get angry if I did.

"Um... Master?"

"Yes. Do you know what you did wrong now?"

Hmm... So, like...

"Destroying property on a whim?"

Thwack!

"Eek!!!"

Not that?!

"Trying to slack off on class?"

Thwack!

"Ah... Guh!!!"

I nearly screamed.

But that's not it either? What is it then?

Master looked at my face for a moment and sighed.

"My disciple. Accidents happen. But when they do, shouldn't you confess them yourself? What am I supposed to do with this bill shoved at me?"

Ah... Master!!!! As expected of you!!!

You don't care about the amount at all!

Of course. As former leader of the Imperial Court Mage Corps, you must be loaded... Yeah. 1.6 billion nyang is pocket change...

"Indeed. It was quite the ordeal scraping together 1.6 billion nyang in such a hurry."

"Pardon?"

Master, aren't you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rich? Don't tell me you're broke? That'd be disappointing...

Thwack!

"Ow!!!"

"From that look on your face, it seems you haven't reflected at all. Shall I put mana restraint rings on your arms for once?"

"Ack!! Master!! I am reflecting, really!!!!"

I shot my hands up straight.

We cannot have mana restraint rings on my arms!! I was cheating with magic to hold them up, but if blocked, they'd add weight!!

Absolutely not!!!

"Fortunately, I had all sorts of high-grade materials for research, and now that we're at the academy, research funds are provided. I managed to scrape it together somehow..."

Master murmured bitterly. Well... Those were materials he'd collected over a lifetime of research, and I made him sell them.

Maybe I'm lucky Master is my master.

To let such a huge mishap slide with just this punishment...

"It's regrettable that my research will be delayed a bit, but what can be done. Don't worry."

See that...? What an angelic master.

"So, Miriel. How have your two weeks at the academy been?"

Hmm... Academy life? Aside from classes, it's been amazing!

Saying that would spell disaster, right?

"Not sure."

"I see. Well..."

Master pondered, stroking his chin with his right hand. After a moment...

"Then, can you adapt?"

Adapt... Honestly, it didn't seem easy. It clashed with my motto entirely.

And I was one step away from getting tangled with the protagonist's party.

Might even be the worst?

I shook my head side to side.

"I see... Sorry. I should have brought you here sooner..."

No? Master. The mountains were more comfortable... Hmm... The sleeping conditions here are overwhelmingly better, though...

As long as I don't run into the protagonist's party.

Huh? As long as I avoid the protagonist's party?

Isn't there a way to do that?

A great way!

Hehehe... Perfect, since I was planning it anyway. Two birds with one stone...

Thwack!

"Ow!!"

"I don't know what scheme you're plotting, but it's all over your face."

Hahaha... I see. Boo hoo.

But how could I not be thrilled when I've thought of a way to overcome this crisis, Master!!!

"Anyway... I can't tell you not to cause trouble. It'd be cruel to restrict a child like you."

"I'm not a child..."

"Of course. But to my eyes, you're still just a child."

Tch—

Quite some time passed.

My arms were starting to ache.

"Um... Master?"

"What is it?"

"I think I've reflected enough. Can I lower my arms?"

Master looked at me like he couldn't believe it.

"You thought 1.6 billion nyang's worth of reflection would end like that?"

"Eek..."

"Playing pitiful won't work."

"Tch..."

Suddenly, my arms felt heavier.

"Huh?"

I instantly knew what happened.

"Master!! My mistake!!!"

"You know your sins!!"

Sob...

Tearing up inwardly, I looked at my outstretched arms. Bluish mana rings encircled both wrists.

The restraint spell Master called mana restraint rings. It blocked all mana flow and added weight proportional to the mana used. So my situation was like having my magic cheat blocked and 200g sandbags strapped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to each arm. 200g might sound light, but I'd been holding them up for over an hour already. Even with subtle magic cheats, I couldn't risk irritating Master, so the burden was heavy.

Thus!

My arms started dropping rapidly.

"Uuu..."

"Hold them straight."

Master's too harsh! Well... I did cause a huge mess... No words for that...

I mustered my last strength to lift them.

After about five minutes...

"You can lower your arms now."

Forgiveness came from Master.

"Submit a reflection essay by tomorrow."

"Huh?"

Reflection essay? Did I hear that wrong, Master?

"Or do you want to stand like this tomorrow too?"

"No!! I'll write the reflection essay!!"

I shouted desperately.

As I was leaving Master's lab, I peeked back slyly.

Poke—

"Master."

"What is it."

His gaze turned to me immediately.

"Um... How do I get research funds?"

"Submit a research proposal to the administration office. So, you have a research idea?"

"Hmm... That's a secret~"

The reason it was a secret was simple.

I wanted funds for materials to complete Bianca, but Master had forbidden it before. Telling him "I want to finish Bianca!" would get shot down instantly. Worst case, he'd tip off President Jania and ensure rejection.

I don't know why, but...

"Planning to complete Bianca?"

Huh? How'd you know?

"What else would you want but that?"

Ah... True.

"Can't I?"

"No."

Rejected flat-out.

Master usually granted my requests... But after seeing Bianca, he'd never allowed anything automata-related.

Because it's future tech?

That automata tech barely gets made by Imir Ainber after three years. I just know the materials from the game...

Well... Master told me to hide my abilities. Maybe that's what he means?

Tch...

"You can't complete Bianca. But if it's making something new, give it a try... Provided you report the results to me."

Huh?

Making a new automata is okay?

Yay~

Hehe— Master! That's fine by me! I just wanted to finish the troublemaker Bianca, so a new one is perfect!

Master forever!