The Storm's Troublemaker
"Gah!! You scared me!!"
""
"Huh? Faint?"
Realizing I was lying on my dorm bed, I shoved aside the Grand Duke who was peering into my face. He naturally slipped right between my breasts like it was the most obvious thing. I pulled out the fluttering-winged crow and shoved him aside again, then tried to recall what had happened yesterday.
"After my imaginary friend said it stole women's underwear because of your influence, that's where my memory..."
""
"...Yeah, I guess so?"
Whew, but then why did the back of my head hurt so much? It felt exactly like someone yelling, "Fly away, memories! Yap!" and whacking me with a bat to destroy evidence. My mom used to do stuff like that sometimes... Ack, my head? Whenever I tried to remember more, a headache hit, so I decided to just forget it. Yesterday was exhausting anyway.
I finally pulled out the treasure I hadn't handed over to anyone and examined it with a sigh. With this, acing math would be a breeze. Sure, it'd be unfair to the kids who actually studied, but it could boost my group members' grades too. In that sense, at least within the academy, it rivaled an "Elixir."
It was truly the "Absolute Math Notebook." Magic was even cast on it, so even after graduation, a first-year could use its functions if they bought it. Did the academy not care if I arbitrarily boosted math scores?
""
"Urk, it hurts my heart thinking I might give in to this sweet temptation!"
""
I couldn't even argue against the Grand Duke's words that Beatus, who was teaching me, was getting fed up from my poor study habits. I just pouted my lips.
"Today's a rest day, so I'll do homework, exercise, and study!!"
""
"...Did she really?"
""
The Grand Duke shuddered, saying all Witches had childish sides that made them subtly psychopathic. He trembled so cutely that I quietly hugged him and stroked his feathers, making him shiver even more.
"Alright, time to get out of bed... Pink dumbbells aren't enough! Push-ups too! Let's warm up lightly!!"
No more spacing out. Hadn't I even cried yesterday from Beatus's one comment because I felt so pathetic? It's power! What a man needs is cool, badass muscles!! Vowing to reclaim my masculinity starting with muscles, I flopped to the floor.
Thud. Without even bending my arms, the tips of my breasts hit the floor and dragged coolly. Ignoring it, I tried one push-up, but... it wasn't hard at all. The cushioning in between was too thick.
I stood up, flipped over, stuck my feet under the bed, and tried sit-ups. But...
Squish. The terrifying pressure pushing back against my thighs.
"Grahhh!!"
I tried elbowing my knees, but they were way too far. This is a lie!! They couldn't be this far!!
"Planks and squats as a compromise?"
"Won't squats just make my butt bigger?"
Meru Lume, sitting on the bed as always watching me, suggested we head to the gym since it had opened. Who opened it was a mystery—but it was the top student who'd been judged to have defeated my imaginary friend. Damn, you again, Ephemera.
★★★
To upperclassmen, first-years at Pluwitch Academy were fresh, juicy prey. Now-second-years saw them as targets to pay back what they'd suffered. They wanted admiration, respect, and to boss around underclassmen with errands. Students barely scraping into second year just wanted to stomp them before they caught on and squeeze out points.
Plus, the repeaters stuck in first-year building—weren't they there too? As I said before, first-years use the same building until graduation. Repeat, and you stay there—how horrifying? Imagine: your classmates graduate as third-years, new first-years enroll, and you're alone in an empty classroom!
So they waited for the moment they could mingle with first-years. To promoted students, they were prey; to repeaters, hunting game. Having faced desperation where failing to grab points meant death, their eyes were different—harsh, ruthless, cold, brutal, merciless.
Compared to that brutal society, the academy was so warm it could melt you. Fail to graduate even here, and you couldn't survive the real world! Right now, students about to meet first-years gathered for a meeting.
"Heard? A legendary Absolute Answer Key called the Math Past Exam Collection showed up in first-year."
"Kuhuhu...!! Haven't heard of it in 20 years...!! Full marks in math this time!!"
"What a ridiculous treasure! Kukuku."
"...So, enough posing. Who's got it in first-year?"
Great to hype the mood, but reality hit quick. The first-year they met wouldn't be weak, and second-years weren't exactly strong.
"Lemme see... Beat four professors, turned a classmate into an outer god mutation, ripped off another's dick and made 'em female."
Murmurs.
"And via familiar, stole underwear from all pretty cute kids regardless of gender across the academy, then picked fights with every first-year?"
"Why skip the part where they 'convinced' a professor for a bribe and snagged the treasure?"
"Too unrealistic. Beat a prof? As a first-year?"
"No, fuck—!!!!"
Everyone started feeling uneasy at how this wasn't your average crazy bitch. Not even a month since enrollment, and the record was beyond flashy—exaggerated? But then a repeater senior freaked out with a shrill scream.
"No, senior who's been repeating for over 50 years into second-year! What's wrong?!"
"Look at the name!! Witchcraft!!"
"Isn't that the hero party's sole girl?"
"I got a poster."
Ah—the flow of time is cruel. The long-lived repeater senior clicked her tongue at the short-lived ones. The senior who'd spawned every academy ghost story sweated coldly.
"I saw her turn a dragon into ground meat live! Black mages terrorizing the kingdom summoned a black dragon!! Aaa...!! Gyaaa!!"
Clutching her head in agony, the repeater senior trembled in terror.
"But if we all rush her, we can take it, right?"
"I'd rather drop out than mess with her."
Ah, this is real. If a senior who'd endured 50 years for graduation said that, touching her spelled big trouble. But 50 years! Not a day wasted... even if she was kinda dumb.
"Kuku, but grades matter for graduation..."
"You got a plan!"
"Let's crawl under her. Self-respect over repeating?"
"Makes sense...!"
Messing with her might make her bawl for mommy and doom the academy that day. Everyone nodded at the senior's words, some disappointed but eyes sparkling with alternatives. After 50 years, she had hoarded treasures.
"Let's trade for it."
The perfect peaceful method!! Of course, no one considered protecting it after snagging. That's why they were eternal repeaters.
★★★
In the gym Ephemera opened for free again, I worked out with friends all day. Matching my male days led to a hilarious disaster like a newborn fawn shaking, but laughing with friends made it feel like youth.
This time, an extra special friend joined: Norris the goblin, subbing for busy Kali.
"Hey, I turned you into a girl, but doesn't it feel weird being with us girls?"
"Goblins live in packs anyway, so nah? Real countryside, females go top-less too."
I nodded awkwardly at my once-male classmate's cool nonchalance. Male goblins had no rights, but cute female ones exploded in popularity. Seeing him love his SNS followers doubling daily made me gloomy.
"Why not say you're a guy..."
"Then shouldn't you leave the girls' locker room?"
"Got kicked out with Norris."
We'd held hands and entered the guys' shower, only for screams and chase-out. We weren't even naked, but the reaction scarred me.
"Then all together at the bathhou—"
"Whoa, fuck."
Norris, thinking she'd grown big as a girl too, but faced a whole other league of overwhelming presence. Meru Lume clamped her mouth shut. They seemed bigger every day. Beatus wiped sweat indifferently and spoke flatly.
"Oh yeah. We can mingle starting tomorrow, right? Meet seniors—or go to central academy."
"Why?"
"Lots of seniors coming to see the academy's most famous witch girl."
Beatus grinned mischievously, suggesting I suffer a bit. Of course, I ignored it and said seriously to Beatus,
"Can I touch your abs?"
"Sexual harassment, perv."
"Hing."