Studying, Scarier Than Demons
Studying was truly beyond me. Nothing terrified me more than studying—not the demon worshippers, not the demons themselves, not even the fear of death.
Okay, to be brutally honest, it wasn't that bad. Compared to studying, those things were nothing.
During the week leading up to midterms, I genuinely wished some demon worshipper would charge in to kidnap me.
At first, everyone took it lightly. Even if my brain was as pure and innocent as fresh snow, they figured a week of cramming would at least make me somewhat human.
That illusion shattered on the second day.
Reinhardt saw zero progress and put on a grave expression. Then he declared it: from now on, it'd be an Ilisha-exclusive management system.
After that, it was pure torture.
Low-quality, repetitive, utterly tedious torture devoid of any thrill or novelty.
Mornings meant tackling mock exams crafted by Reinhardt. He made them and graded them.
"...What a spectacle."
Every wrong answer earned me a flick on the forehead, and eventually, he started flicking before I even attempted anything.
But I had no room to complain. My scores were that abysmal.
Lunchtime brought Ern and Lucia for wrong-answer breakdowns. They approached it diligently, but if I showed no improvement or just blindly guessed right, they'd snap or sigh.
"No, seriously. How the hell did you get that right?"
"...Gut feeling?"
"Gut feeling my ass—you just guessed and got lucky, you idiot!"
"Doesn't that count as skill too?"
"Argh, I can't even...!"
Lucia mostly fumed over my lucky guesses.
"Don't just memorize. Think of it like swordsmanship. Your foot moves first, then your waist twists, shoulders and arms follow—that's how it connects. Same here."
"Ooh..."
"Got it?"
"Kinda?"
"How much?"
"...This much?"
I proudly held up my pinky. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back a sigh.
"......"
He didn't press further. Instead, with an utterly exhausted look, he moved on to the next explanation.
And Dorothea?
Well...
She lost it.
Evenings were her slot, but the routine changed daily.
First, verbal explanations.
"Listen closely, disciple. When ether attributes shift..."
Next, diagrams.
"Look here, disciple. See? This is the body. This is the path. This is ether. Magic means channeling it from here like so and releasing. Got it?"
"...I get the ether-moving part!"
"Ha... Can't exactly hammer it into your skull... or can I?"
After that, she started injecting knowledge directly into my brain.
"Alright, now I'll use a memorize-adapted spell to etch knowledge straight into your head. A bit old-school, but perfect for you right now."
"Sounds risky. Isn't that cheating?"
"Not if it's not the day before the exam, disciple. Memories fade anyway. What we need is to cram something into that head of yours!"
"...It won't hurt, right?"
"It'll hurt, obviously? You're not memorizing it yourself—I'm forcing it in. Sorry, disciple. But we have to...!"
The problem? It hurt like hell.
"W-Wait, stop! It hurts! My head, my head!"
"Hurts? Good—that means the spell's working!"
No joke; it felt like my brain was swelling, a dizzying agony I endured for four straight days. Even I, who could tough out most pains, had tears pricking my eyes.
When I looked ready to collapse, we'd hit the temple for a quick heal.
So my days were: problems in the morning, lectures by day, torture at night, and blindly guessing at unknowns till bedtime.
A few times, I seriously considered bolting. I even faked illness once or twice as a cheat code.
"Cough, hack, kehk... Hngh."
No matter how determined they were to humanize me, they wouldn't chain a sick girl to her desk.
"I see. That must've been rough."
"Yeah, Cecil! I told them I was suffering, but they wouldn't stop?! My head felt like it was gonna explode..."
"But it's all for your sake, Ilisha. Rest up, then we'll start again."
Of course, Cecilia shot me down immediately. My favorite, but that smile was infuriating.
And so a week passed.
A week harsher than battling demons.
Finally, midterm results were out.
"..."
"..."
Reinhardt stared at my report card in silence for a while. Dorothea peeked over, eyes widening gradually.
Lucia craned her neck suspiciously, while Ern crossed his arms and glanced down casually.
What's with them? Did I tank it? Or secretly take first place?
Tensing a bit, I asked how I did. Reinhardt replied very slowly.
"...Mid-tier."
Dorothea practically bounced, beaming uncontrollably.
"We did it! We really did it! Actual mid-tier—our efforts weren't wasted!!!"
Lucia stood on tiptoe, staring at the card, then let out a disbelieving chuckle.
"After royal-level tutoring, should I be shocked it's only this good... or shocked we dragged your scores up to this?"
"You mocking me?"
"Nah, just... wild. Never seen anything like it."
Ern muttered at the card, incredulous.
"Feels like fighting demon worshippers was easier..."
He wasn't wrong. Swinging a sword beat brainwork any day.
Normally, I'd bask in their reactions, soak up the attention... but not now.
I felt like death.
I flopped face-first onto the desk, breathing shallowly, and barely whispered.
"It's overrr..."
Exhausted.
Drained.
I wanted rest.
I'm hungry.
I'm dying, for real.
No magic, no swordplay, no attention-grabs—just studying. The hardest week of my life.
Knowing it was done sapped all strength from my body.
Murmurs rose around me—had she passed out?—but I didn't care.
I just wanted to lie there, doing nothing.
"Nyaaah."
But no, someone wedged hands under my arms and hoisted me up like a cat.
My body stretched limply, but I tail-probed to check who. Lucia.
"H-Hey, where you grabbing?!"
"I knew it was you—no mistaking that squeak."
"Whatever, let's go have fun!"
"Where to?"
Normally I'd bite, but I was wrecked. I'd decide based on the spot.
"Dunno. Shopping? It's getting warmer—shorten the uniform, buy summer stuff anyway."
"Yeah, fair. Need new clothes soon. Summer's brutally hot, from what I hear."
Still mild now, but who knew? This body might not handle the heat.
"Cool, then... bring Cecil too?"
"I'll pass. Got stuff piling up. No reason for me anyway."
"Sorry, count me out. Places to be."
Reinhardt made no secret of his reluctance; Ern claimed duties, probably off chasing power-ups.
Fine by me. Ern getting stronger was a win—just not so much I became obsolete.
Plus, guys tagging along for girls' shopping felt off anyway.
Cecilia could spare time, so off we went—girls only. Lucia's crew naturally tagged along.
The store erupted in squeals and chatter the moment we entered, Lucia included.
"Ilisha! Check this out—suits you, right?"
"Dunno...?"
"Sigh, what was I expecting. Anyway, try it on?"
No reason not to; I was curious too. Mostly about their reactions.
Grabbing the clothes, I hit the fitting room.
Emerging, Lucia clapped wildly, eyes sparkling.
"Perfect! The original's cute, huh? Hehe, try this next?"
Thus, I became their dress-up doll, trying every recommendation from Lucia and the crew.
Lucia got hyped, grabbing more; Dorothea occasionally slammed the brakes cluelessly.
Cecilia mediated gently when they overheated.
Lucia's sidelined crew amused themselves, but the one who'd glared before kept sneaking glances.
Still at it, huh?
Did she know I'd saved her life?
...Probably.
Even with demons descending, a few might've survived anyway—no guarantees.
Whatever; her glaring was all she could muster now. Ignore.
This was ideal. Me standing there sparked their chaos naturally.
Mid-try-ons, a pretty sleeveless dress caught my eye.
Hm.
Time for fun?
I stared at it deliberately, long enough for notice.
"What? Something catch your eye...?"
"Fabric looks soft, innocent vibe... no issues there?"
"Ah..."
Perfect. They're hooked.
I eyed the dress, then glanced at my right arm.
And smiled lightly.
"Guess this one's a no-go, huh?"