Monster Ecology Tradition: Newbie Hunt
"This is such a mess..."
The bandages I'd so carefully wrapped had burst open, so I ended up sewing my shirt right there on the spot to patch it up. I'd kept them in my pocket thinking they might come in handy, but I never imagined I'd need them this soon. The bandages were tough, just like Grand Duke said—but I was shocked in a whole different way at how vicious they could be.
He'd said they could be used as weapons, but swinging these around would've been like wielding a razor-sharp flexible sword, right?
"
"Please do."
As a Witch, I could use my powers to a certain extent. I inwardly vowed to only use them for venting frustration as I sent Grand Duke soaring off.
I'd camouflaged the two poor seniors with leaves to hide them from any more attacks. With Grand Duke's help turning into a bow and his fire-breathing ability, we'd luckily taken down about three of them. That was plenty.
"With four neckties, I can say I earned a good haul of points, right?"
I had no idea how many points they'd be worth, or how many the seniors would squeeze out of us later. I was a little worried they might hate or resent me for taking their points.
"Anyway, time for me to join up with my friends..."
Truth be told, I'd sent Grand Duke ahead first because I was worried my friends might be getting pummeled by the seniors. Freshmen didn't lose much by getting robbed, but getting beaten wasn't a great feeling.
No more seniors around, so I'd decided to head out—right then, a sharp gust of wind grazed past me, and all the neckties in my hand vanished.
"Wha...? Huh???"
"Hey, Chocolate."
A red-haired girl clutching what looked like over ten neckties in her hand peered up at me from a crouched position. The top student who arbitrarily gave me a nickname no one else in the academy had ever used and called me by it without a care—what the hell was she thinking?
"Ephemera Flash..?"
"Not bad, I guess—effort, grit... but Witch powers sure are convenient and nice, huh?"
"Is that a dig?!"
I sucked in a breath and spat flames from my mouth, but she dodged around it in an instant, slipping behind me. Her kick slammed into my knee.
"Guhk."
I naturally dropped to my knees, staggering, and a spinning back kick nailed the back of my head, making stars explode in my vision. She ground her dirt-caked shoe into my head, rubbing with her full weight.
"Getting all smug now that you can use your powers? What a ridiculous sight."
Boom—!!
That set me off again, but just as I bristled, an explosion rang out. I looked up in shock, but Ephemera was unscathed, standing far off with her hand in her skirt pocket, glaring at me. Her eyes held displeasure, irritation—and some inexplicable jealousy.
"What, I hear you just learned it? Guess you won't bother with swords anymore. Gonna play the good daughter for Mommy now?"
"You...!! Why do you always come at me like this every time we meet...!!"
"How much were those ten years of effort worth to you?"
A wooden sword was suddenly planted in front of me. I could tell it was the one I'd dropped, and she held an identical one.
I wanted to charge in swinging—but the calluses on her hands made me grimace. With no mana, my swordsmanship wouldn't stand a chance. To win, I'd have to use what I could.
I exhaled sharply, grabbed the wooden sword, and transformed it into a bow. It shot off instantly, shattering the bow and embedding into a tree.
"Ten years of hard work, and all it got you were those tits, huh, Chocolate?"
"Ephemera!! What the hell is your problem?!?!"
"Wiyu Witchcraft!! I can hear you fine from here without yelling!!"
I clenched my fist and charged; she did the same, rushing at me. Shockingly, she wasn't using mana—maybe to mock me?—and threw a punch. Our fists collided, revealing the calluses etched into both our hands.
Even after turning into a girl, the marks of my effort remained. My strength had waned, and swinging a sword properly was harder now, but...
"—Gotta stay No.1 to keep that top seat, y'know."
We pulled back, and she slicked back her hair with a sleazy grin. What followed was a brutal fistfight, no mana, until one of us dropped—more savage than anything I'd done even as a guy.
Of course, against her without mana, I couldn't land a single hit and went down.
"Doesn't it make you think your efforts were pointless?"
"....Nah. Next time, I'll smash my fist into that face of yours."
"Then invest in your talent instead."
I ground my teeth, staring at the back of her head as she walked off unscathed and pristine. Damn it, so frustrating.... If I'd just charged with the wooden sword, I might've won...!
'......'
But at the same time, it stung. Ten years—ten. I abandoned my familiar sword for a bow I was confident I could nail on the spot. I'd used it often, sure—but it meant I was trapped in a loser's mindset.
I was defeated before even fighting.
"...Next time, I'll win..."
I sniffled, covering my eyes with my hand to wipe away tears.
Then something snagged in my hair. Looking up, I saw a necktie tying up my bangs.
"Seriously?"
This was mine. She only gave back one?
"Gaaahhh!!"
"Waaah, it's cold!!"
"S-Senior, is this really okay???"
"Sorry, junior... I'm freezing too..."
"Get in here...!!"
"Senior...!!"
Meanwhile, elsewhere was a total hellscape of despair.
The seniors who'd signed up for Monster Ecology's traditional Newbie Hunt were unilaterally and brutally hunting juniors—but it was mostly just to scare, not truly threatening. Beating up precious juniors would just tarnish their image, and with all the future teamwork, who wanted a bad rep?
Of course, some ruthless ones were grinding teeth for third-year promotion by mercilessly hunting juniors. But right now, even they were handing out warm blankets to save the freezing freshmen.
"Senior, if you close your eyes here, you'll die!!"
"Ugh... so warm..."
Especially the beastkin seniors weak to winter were getting buried in snow and turning icy fast. Amid their tear-jerking sacrifices, juniors could only scream in pity.
"Ahahaha!!! Hahahahaha!!!"
"Senior!! Why's that one like that?!"
"She's a repeater, so she's desperate to promote."
"Ahh..."
I'd wondered why she was so savage—turns out it was a tearjerker reason, so the junior quietly buried themselves in the snow.
Tsarara Diamond, the academy's dime-a-dozen repeating second-year. Red muffler fluttering, blue hair spewing chill that froze everything—she was plundering ribbons and neckties from peers and juniors alike.
"S-Senior... mercy!"
"Such weak words... but my heart is frozen, knowing no warmth."
The horse beastkin freshman trembled, legs giving out under the approaching senior's intimidation. Then, something hurtled through the blizzard she'd whipped up at insane speed.
Tsarara flung icicles like daggers at the distant shadow.
"Approach me and freeze! What a foolish move, junior!!"
No peers dared close in. The nearer you got, the faster her cold froze you.
But this time, her opponent was way too bad a matchup.
Icicles pierced her, blood poured, but Beatus charged like a brute without stopping, grabbing Tsarara's face in an instant.
"Your dumb junior's here to say hi!!"
Kabooom!!!
A thunderous crash—like her nose and skull might shatter. Was it mana-infused full-power? The shockwave blasted surrounding snow.
The blizzard died instantly; seniors and juniors cautiously rose.
There, Tsarara Diamond dangled in the junior's hand, face buried inward. Body frosted, icicles stuck, but Beatus casually wiped her bloody nose and grinned at the collapsed peer.
"Yo, you good? Horse buddy."
"Y-Yes... yep!"
Grand Duke, arriving at the perfect time to watch, was impressed too.
Beatus scanned around like "Is that it?" while snatching a ribbon hidden in her muffler.
The boy stared at her with a face fully smitten.
"
"Hmm, should we be considerate?"
"
Best not to meddle in others' romance. Even strangers fall in love at first sight all the time.
First love at first sight, basically.
"Kali, how many seniors'd you get?"
"About six?"
As if nothing happened, as if they'd seen zilch, Grand Duke and Kali played it cool.
Thus, the chaotic, frenzied first-year tradition of Newbie Hunt drew to a close.
"Where'd the ice come from?"
"Senior gave it."
Beatus rubbed ice from who-knows-where on my swollen cheek. She stuffed some down my shirt too—"Kyaaah!!"—making me yowl and leap like a cat. But it felt good, so I added more.
"Repeater thing? Or low points—only snagged one."
"I got a bunch. Wanna pool points and use 'em together?"
Kali suggested using academy facilities, since students could combine points.
I sighed over my single necktie, pondering what facilities were worth it.
"—Oh yeah, rumor already spreading among freshmen?"
"Who? About me?"
"Yup! We're nobles, no money worries. But commoners struggle with tuition. They need points, right?"
Beatus explained the rumor: "Witchcraft" gave seniors' neckties, transferring points to poor commoners. Kids who'd feared and shunned the Witch name now misunderstood and loved my rep.
"
"Hmm, dubious."
Come to think, I had no clue about my reputation. Given Mom's notoriety, it could've been bad. Was that guy considerate of it, going out of his way like this? No idea what he's thinking.
"So what'd the top student do with her points?"
"Opened the library for freshmen."
Nice guy? Then why's he such a jerk only to me?
"Tomorrow's real free time, so let's hang then! Wiyu!"
"Huh?"
"Wash up proper? You're a wreck."
Ah.
This exhausting, bone-tired day wasn't over. Tonight, I'd see a woman's naked body for the first time in my life. And not just see—I had to wash it clean.
"I wanna cry."