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Lichten Academy was divided into five major faculties.
Magic, Knight Studies, Priesthood, and Reconnaissance.
In addition to these, there was the class 'Aether,' composed of the top-performing students from each faculty.
These 'faculties' were merely broad classifications of the academy's disciplines. Delving deeper, a multitude of scholarly fields were taught within Lichten Academy.
In other words, the academy campus was immense.
Naturally, Ian was lost.
"He shaved."
"Still looks utterly repulsive, though."
"Who's he trying to impress this time?"
"Wretched bastard."
What was remarkable was that no matter where he went on this vast campus, he could hear insults about himself.
'Just how openly were you hitting on them, Pongpongi?'
In a way, it was an achievement only possible for Pongpongi, who had flirted with heroines across completely different fields.
This made Ian wonder if he had been too cold in completely ignoring Rina.
"...Maybe I should have at least asked for directions."
But he immediately shook his head.
These thoughts still arose because he was using his memories of [Rina Rosewell] from his time playing 'Fanta X Aca' as a baseline.
A kind social butterfly.
That was Rina's official personality, summarized simply.
The type who is caring and kind to everyone, naturally drawing friends around her constantly.
The Rina he saw on screen had always been like that.
'Which makes her even more suspicious, actually.'
Now that he had possessed this body,
he knew the Rina confirmed through Pongpongi's 'Romance Journal' was different.
— You had leftover food and packed an extra lunch? But why give it to me? Why is it always me, every single day?
Rina, whose smile crumbled the moment she saw Pongpongi.
That might just be her true nature.
"Ignoring her was the right call. I can wander a bit more to find my way."
Not being able to find the way could just be considered sightseeing around the academy.
Come to think of it, wasn't it stranger not to get lost on the first day?
Ian didn't realize it, but outwardly, he appeared completely at ease and brimming with confidence.
'No need to be impatient. If I focus on myself rather than others, the reactions will change someday.'
Ian was concentrating on growth rather than the reactions around him, but to others, he already looked different enough.
◆
Magic Faculty, Year 1, Mezai Class classroom.
"Ah..."
Rina sat down at her desk, her eyes half-glazed over.
"Morning, Rina-!"
"Uh. Yeah."
Normally, Rina would have greeted the kids around her warmly, but her condition was so odd that it made them tilt their heads in confusion.
She had reason to be.
'...What on earth is going on?'
Rina's thoughts were a tangled mess.
It was because of Ian.
'Didn't he collapse so badly that he couldn't get back up?'
Rina glanced blankly at Ian's seat.
Despite his early departure that morning, the seat remained empty.
That seat had been vacant for the past week.
Because of 'an incident' that occurred on the Magic Faculty rooftop.
An emergency committee had been convened to handle the situation.
Only the people named in Ian's will knew the truth.
Recalling that moment, Rina's eyebrow twitched.
'Even if he recovered, I never thought he'd come back to the academy.'
...So, had she seen a ghost that morning?
Ian Blackangus had certainly seemed far from his usual self.
Originally, Ian would have awkwardly approached her and made a fuss the moment he saw her.
- Y-You look pretty today, too.
- D-Did you change your shampoo? It smells different.
That sort of thing.
But earlier, he had simply averted his gaze despite seeing her.
'His appearance had become neat, too.'
His usually messy hair looked calm, as if washed that morning, and his shaggy beard was shaved clean.
But more than anything, it was his attitude that had changed.
— Don't worry. I won't misunderstand things anymore. Goodbye.
It was a clear change.
An infinitely cold tone.
An attitude that said, 'I won't care about you anymore.'
When Ian walked away first like that, Rina was so flustered that she stood there, frozen in place for a while.
A shockingly dramatic change.
'...Did he really change?'
Rina shook her head vigorously.
People can't change that fast.
He could have hit his head when he fell from the rooftop.
Rina didn't believe in Ian's change.
Just as she was having those thoughts.
— Growl.
A rumbling sound came from her empty stomach.
'...Ah.'
Thinking about Ian naturally brought to mind the lunchboxes he used to give her.
The supplies he would secretly tuck into her desk.
— I h-had leftovers from making it at home...
And the lunchbox that clearly looked painstakingly made, to anyone's eyes.
Supplies, lunchboxes.
Having experienced Ian's advances, she couldn't help but know what they were.
The supplies were a little helpful, but the lunchbox was too much of a burden, and she'd hated it.
'...I really hated it.'
But there was nothing else to eat.
And now, a week since Ian stopped showing up,
Rina's nutritional state was quite precarious.
— Grumble, grumble.
'Ugh... so embarrassing...'
It was so embarrassing she felt like she was going crazy.
Oddly, her health seemed to be deteriorating too.
It felt like ages since she'd had quality ingredients and proper nutrients.
Just yesterday, she had been walking through the garden and suddenly felt a craving to tear up and eat the grass.
'...Ah! No! It wasn't that bad!'
Anyway, she had heard it before.
People crave foods containing the nutrients they lack.
That had to be the reason.
Just as she was about to lean weakly against her desk.
— Bang!
The classroom door suddenly swung open.
"Huh!"
Rina let out an involuntary gasp.
Because Ian was standing there.
'...Did he not bring a lunchbox today?'
Suddenly, a noise came from her stomach.
— Growl.
This time, a little louder.
"What was that noise?"
"Didn't you hear something just now?"
The kids nearby looked around.
Rina, her face flushed red, clutched her stomach.
'What is wrong with me, seriously. I must be crazy.'
To have her stomach growl the moment she saw Ian.
She wanted a lunchbox.
◆
Ian had found the Magic Faculty building with some difficulty.
Since he had experienced the building's interior once right after his possession, he had no trouble finding his class and seat.
Sitting down at his desk, Ian was startled by Rina's gaze.
'Why is she glaring at me like that?'
Wait a moment.
Looking closer, that was no ordinary look in her eyes.
Yes.
It felt like she was eyeing prey.
Not quite a tiger... but like a leopard cat or a dhole, eyeing its prey with drool dripping from its mouth. That was the feeling he got from her stare.
'...No way.'
Was Rina really the culprit?
"!"
Ian lowered his gaze to his book.
On the surface, it was an endlessly calm and indifferent dismissal.
'Fuck.'
His heart began to pound.
To be honest, Rina wasn't a monstrously strong kid or anything. She handled spirits quite well, but she was a kid with more potential than immediate power.
But you know how it is.
Even if they are the same attempted murderer,
there's a different feeling between one lurking with a knife in some harem apartment,
and an attempted murderer sitting diagonally across from you in the same class.
'I guess my sensibilities are still too modern.'
The truth was, the world of Fanta X Aca was one where monsters and demons ran rampant.
People dying was a more frequent occurrence than one might think.
Ultimately, the fear he felt stemmed from viewing it through the sensibilities of a modern person.
Above all, her gaze wasn't proof that Rina was the culprit.
'...Hoo.'
Ian's mind began to recover quickly.
His mental fortitude was never bad to begin with.
He was simply startled by a momentary surprise.
'I'm just not fully adapted to this world yet.'
He needed to integrate into this world more actively.
While he was accepting this newly assigned task in his mind,
class seemed to already be underway.
[Application and Interpretation of Magic Circles I]
"Student Ian, come up and solve it."
Walking to the blackboard at the teacher's summons, Ian continued his train of thought.
Even when he played the game, hadn't he always done so from a modern perspective?
What did a modern person need to do to synchronize with the flow of this era?
He scanned the blackboard along with his contemplation.
[A magic circle ABC with three vertices has the following dimensions and angles. The auxiliary magic circle inscribed within this magic circle ABC must be perfectly circular. What exactly must the radius of this auxiliary magic circle be?]
Compared to the problem preoccupying Ian, it was a ridiculously simple math question.
"Student Ian. You must also write out your solution."
— Let the center of the inscribed circle of triangle ABC be O. If the length of the perpendicular lines from O to each side is r, then triangles AOB, BOC, and COA are all right triangles. Therefore, we can establish the following equations: r / sin 60 = AB / 2, r / sin 30 = BC / 2, r / sin 90 = AC / 2.
So, Ian scribbled down the solution while continuing his original thought.
'How to adapt to this world, huh.'
Tap. Tap.
He filled the blackboard with white letters, his movements mechanical.
— Simplifying the above equations... Since all three equations have the same value, they can be arranged as follows: AB * sin 30 / sin 60 = BC * sin 90 / sin 30...
Going to the market or an auction would be good. He could feel the lives of ordinary people.
— Solving this equation for r,
r = AB * BC * AC / (4 * AB * BC * sin 60)
Here, AB = 12, AC = 15, BC = 9, and...
Or making a friend would be good too. Though, considering Ian's reputation, that wouldn't be easy.
— Therefore, the radius of the inscribed circle of the triangular magic circle ABC is 15/8.
Clack.
With a crisp sound, Ian put the chalk down on the tray.
"...No way. He solved it that easily?"
"That's one of the most complex advanced magic circles!"
"That Ian Blackangus did?"
Everyone, including the professor, was astonished.
But Ian's expression remained unchanged as he returned to his seat. It was because the muttering around him didn't even register.
A modern person adapting to fantasy.
He had just come to a conclusion regarding that worry.
'Right. Let's try the library.'
There is no better indirect experience than books.
He would be able to quickly grasp the countless settings he hadn't encountered in the game, in a short amount of time.
Having finished that thought, Ian suddenly sensed something was off.
The classroom was silent as a grave.
'What's with this atmosphere?'
Ian raised his head.
"......?"
The teacher and students were all staring at Ian blankly.