Freshman Assault Investigation Committee 2
"Um, excuse me, senpai... I'm sorry."
Luna, the freshman with a neat and tidy appearance. From her very first day, she'd been showered with praise as a promising student even before enrollment. She drew the professors' attention and shone as the epitome of a model student, but paradoxically, every accolade made her insides twist in knots. You're just second place, after all. It felt like everyone was pointing fingers at her. That's why her chance meeting with Gail—another victim in the same boat—felt like pure coincidence.
Luna's family had a knack for bribery and backroom dealings. As the heir poised to inherit the Magician Ilbo, she'd even wielded that influence herself. But Sera was a child you couldn't beat with those tactics. There were people in the world whose egos were sky-high, unmoved by any media tricks or schemes—people whose pride you had to shatter with sheer skill. That's why she'd hauled a stack of magic books to the library to hone her abilities...
But as she stacked them high and walked, they nearly toppled—only for Gail to catch them.
"Where's the librarian?"
"Oh, well... I said I didn't need help and wanted to browse alone."
"Even on the upper floors of the library, it's dangerous for a freshman to wander solo."
Gail lightened the load by taking some books. Luna had seen plenty of him through the newspapers—the very guy whose existence had cost her the top spot to Sera. But...
His profile as he held the books was way too pretty.
It was exactly her type, right in the thick of puberty. Whoosh—
"Where are you going?"
"Ah... um... I..."
Luna's face flushed beet red in an instant. Where should she even start? Huh? He'd been a sponsor for the Magician Ilbo, and she'd seen him so much in the papers... Why was the real thing like a sculpted statue, so gorgeously handsome? Why was her mind going completely blank?
Luna knew the Imperial Academy had fan clubs for a few standout students. She even knew members named themselves after their idols. She knew about Gail's fan club, 'Egaila,' too—but she couldn't fathom why anyone would join something like that.
She'd thought fan clubs would never have anything to do with her—
"No need to be nervous. Just tell me."
"Y-You're... pretty."
"Haha, I get that a lot."
Fortunately, calling him pretty didn't set him off. He'd heard it too many times.
"Besides that—are you here to study? Understanding Coordinate Magic, Applications of Coordinate Magic, Intro to Teleportation Studies, Theory and Practice of Telegraph Magic... Prepping for class, huh."
It was a first for Luna—going speechless in front of a guy. She turned slightly away from Gail before managing to continue.
"Th-That... I heard you're in the ranking matches, senpai."
"Ah... Yeah, it just kinda happened."
In front of Gail, Luna fidgeted and stomped her feet. This wasn't like her—the runner-up of the 1000th class at the Imperial Academy, a prodigy mage-in-training.
Stammering, she made her request to Gail.
"Ah... um... Y-Yeah! You can give me the books back. I can carry them myself!"
Gail reluctantly handed the books back to her. Once they were all stacked, Luna scurried away like a rabbit.
Watching her retreating figure, Gail thought...
—This incoming class is a bit quirky.
**
The next afternoon around 3 PM, Gail entered the academy's main building to testify at the incident investigation committee. Passing the main hall—where dozens of colorful stained-glass windows formed dazzling magic circles—he headed to Room 302, where the committee was assembled. There, he ran into a seventh-year in academy uniform.
"Gail, come on in."
"Yes... Senpai. Long time no see."
She was Yerina, his lab partner from way back and the senior who'd invited him to the student council. No noble house to her name, but she'd been trusted enough last year to hand off the presidency. Oscillating between White and Red badges, she was already interning at the Imperial Magic Bureau.
"You're a witness for the committee too, senpai?"
"No, I'm on the committee itself."
"Ah... You're a graduating senior, right."
Now shorter than Gail—he had to look down to meet her eyes—but Yerina had always been like an older sister, his emotional anchor. Even now in his fifth year, he had countless memories with her.
"Not thinking of rejoining student council? I haven't gone much lately, but... they say they're worried."
"Yeah, at least this semester, I'm taking a break."
Seventh-years were graduation-track, swamped with final activities. So the presidency effectively went to a sixth-year. Cut off from direct intel, Yerina could only hear updates from underclassmen—and she worried about Gail.
"Heard the freshmen have been a handful... Sorry you're testifying too. Must be tough."
"It's not your fault, senpai."
"No, I'm always sorry about it."
Gail had confessed to Yerina once. Got rejected.
'Graduating the academy comes first, don't you think?'
Maybe that's why she always fretted over him.
"It's fine. Shall we go in?"
"Yeah... Let's."
Yerina and Gail entered the investigation room together. Seeing the lineup of professors in charge, Gail swallowed hard.
There was Asterion Le Sorden Jekarimorium, the notoriously strict discipline professor. And all four professors beside him were heavyweights who'd battled Chaos—names that carried massive weight.
"Gail, sit over there."
"Yes, Professor."
Gail finished greeting the faculty and took the witness stand. The desk had handrails on both sides and a crystal orb sitting plainly in the center.
The moment he saw that orb, cold sweat slicked his palms, his teeth chattering involuntarily. The day Chaos murdered his grandparents. He'd poured those agonizing memories into a similar orb—the pain of reliving and expelling them lingered as trauma even now.
"Witness Gail, may we access your memories from that time?"
"...Yes."
"Do you know the method?"
"I do, Professor."
"If it's too much, just say so. We can investigate another way."
Asterion, noticing Gail's unease, spoke gently.
"I'm fine."
"Then we'll proceed."
Asterion stepped up to the seated Gail, pressing his staff to the boy's forehead. Memory magic extracted recollections and sensations from the incident, projecting them into the crystal orb. Gail recalled that moment; a magic circle formed, and skull-splitting agony began.
"Argh!"
"If it hurts, say the word!"
"It's... fiiiine—aaagh!"
Gail gripped the desk rails, screaming. Memories crumbled to powder in his mind, gathering and solidifying in the orb. It was a short memory, but past trauma amplified his migraine. Still, he endured.
Because... the woman he'd once loved was watching from nearby.
The pain faded. The orb now held Gail's memory intact.
"Hoo... haa..."
"Good work, Gail."
"No... problem."
Gail caught his breath, relieved he'd held out. That memory magic split your skull open regardless—good memories or bad—and yanked them out.
He wiped the cold sweat with a handkerchief and took a deep breath. The real questioning was just beginning.
The professors approached Gail's orb, reviewing his memory. One drew magic circles in the air, jotting notes and calculating mana flows from the recollection.
"Alright, we've all confirmed what you saw, Gail. Now, questions."
"Yes...!"
"You arrived after the two freshmen had already fought."
"Yes... Professor."
"And en route, you sensed mana fluctuations."
"Yes..."
Asterion glanced at the calculating professor's circles. From the initial site survey, they knew the explosion's scale—the sheer power at the epicenter.
"As top student yourself, you get it. That fluctuation's intensity. Even the Chaos infiltrating as a freshman is one thing, but Kesera's mana output? No way that's purely from a first-year."
Gail eyed the nearby professor's notes. He couldn't parse the imaginary coordinate diffraction formula with its cyclic structure, but the results were dimly visible to him.
"...I see."
"Your testimony's done. Rest up, or... hm. Like Yerina, you could join the site investigation."
Those results only piqued his curiosity more. How did that arrogant brat unleash that mana? Something I don't know?
Asterion headed discipline not just for his combat prowess and strict fairness, but mastery of projection magic—showing anyone's past to all.
"Then I'll join the survey too."
"Gail, don't push yourself."
Yerina stepped in, concerned. That extraction magic was brutal. As student council president and Magic Bureau hopeful, she'd endured it dozens of times and knew the aftereffects.
But Gail was hooked. What had that freshman done to trigger such waves—right before their ranking match in a week?
In the end, as a mage himself, he wanted to witness the mana fluctuation probe firsthand.