Academism (4)
The morning air is still a touch chilly. Dim light slowly seeps into the classroom from the window. In the half-empty room, someone sketches on a tablet with earbuds in, while another student meticulously molds sculpture clay with their fingertips. On the teacher's desk, only a few unopened textbooks sit neatly arranged.
What a truly free atmosphere.
I walk slowly to my seat, set down my bag, and flop right onto the desk.
...I'm sleepy.
I've been practically living in the workshop for days. Refining the forms, assembling the structures, smoothing the surfaces—it all takes far longer than you'd think.
"Yura."
A quiet voice comes from the seat beside me. A student with long silver hair drapes over their shoulder, chin resting on their hand as they gaze over.
"You okay?"
I lift my head slowly.
"...Hoo."
A small yawn slips out.
"I'm a bit tired."
"Pulled another all-nighter, huh."
"Yes. Processing the materials took longer than expected."
A few students nearby react naturally to my words.
"Ah... can't be helped."
"Material prices have skyrocketed lately."
"Heard the Special Trade Department got raided by the dorm supervisors."
"Everyone starts hoarding supplies at this time of year."
They all start grumbling in that familiar way.
I watch them quietly.
Good. Seems like everyone here shares these worries.
"...But this time, I found something quite satisfying."
The corner of my mouth lifts just a fraction.
"These materials... their forms were truly beautiful."
"You always say it like that, Yura."
The silver-haired student chuckles softly.
At that moment, a voice lowers from the back.
"...But isn't the vibe kinda scary lately?"
"Huh? Why?"
One student glances around before continuing quietly.
"Heard about the graveyard nearby getting dug up?"
The classroom air stills for a brief instant.
"Oh, that?"
"Dozens of bodies vanished overnight..."
"Shh. Don't talk about it."
"Valkyrie Police even got involved."
A few students grimace in unison.
"Ugh... gives me the creeps."
"Grave robbing or something?"
"And right before the big exchange event..."
I listen quietly, then slowly turn my gaze to the window. Under the overcast sky, Wild Hunt Art Academy's spires stand stark and black.
"...It's frightening. Disturbing those at rest is rather rude, isn't it?"
A few students nod faintly.
"Right? Super unsettling."
Then, the silver-haired student wrinkles their nose.
"...But Yura."
"Yes?"
"Did you switch the chemicals you use in the workshop?"
"...Chemicals?"
"Yeah. The smell's a bit different from before."
A few nearby students chime in naturally.
"Oh, I noticed it too."
"Kinda like a hospital smell?"
I lift the cuff of my sleeve and sniff.
Ah... it hasn't completely faded yet.
But I smile as if it's nothing.
"I used a bit of formalin for this piece."
A few faces shift subtly.
"Eww... isn't that super toxic?"
"Stuff they use in dissection rooms, right?"
I nod lightly.
"It's a common preservative for specimens."
I glance down at my uniform cuff.
"Must've spilled a little, leaving the scent behind."
At that moment, the classroom door opens.
The Automata Teacher steps in slowly, black coat draped over one arm, a binder of documents in hand.
The room quiets naturally, eyes turning toward them.
...Ah.
A spark of curiosity blooms below my chest.
That movement. The way the joints connect—it's so fluid. Less like a human, more like a meticulously engineered machine.
These beings called Automata are treated as full lifeforms with rights. Fascinating.
In the city, something like that would be a direct challenge to the craft of heads.
Machine life... akin to full-body prosthetics, perhaps?
My gaze traces the teacher's neck and wrist joints slowly. They look almost identical to human ones on the surface.
...Intriguing.
Catching one later and peering inside its structure would be quite entertaining. How does it move? How human is it, really? I'm dying to know.
"...Yumesakai."
The teacher's voice pulls my eyes back up. They're holding my sketchbook. Pages turn slowly, drawing the class's attention.
"...Your assignment results are impressive."
The teacher's fingertip pauses on one sketch.
"This isn't mere figure drawing. Bone and muscle connections, joint motion, weight distribution—all calculated precisely."
"You understand the human body accurately."
"Thank you."
I bow my head quietly, meeting the teacher's gaze.
They regard me for a moment before speaking again.
"...I'll look forward to your exchange event piece."
Ah. My lips curve slowly upward.
Just as I thought. This academy is a place that can appreciate my work.
"...Yes."
I smile softly.
"I won't disappoint your expectations."
A soft chuckle leaks from the back of the room. One student raises a tentative hand.
"...But Yura."
"Yes?"
"Could you maybe show us a bit of this piece?"
A few others perk up with interest.
"Your last sketches were insane."
"Just a peek before the exchange event?"
I pause in silence.
The workshop. And deeper inside.
If I showed them the materials slumbering beneath that single layer of cloth...
"...Sorry, but not yet."
I shake my head ever so slightly.
"I don't like showing unfinished works."
"Aw, too bad..."
"Makes me even more curious."
As the moment eases softly, a snicker rises from the back.
Eyes turn naturally that way. The crest and surname on their uniform catch my notice.
Misono family... I've seen that name before. A prominent house with deep ties to Trinity's Tea Party.
"Don't like it, huh... so you could show it?"
The classroom air sinks ever so slightly.
One student glances away awkwardly.
"Hey... don't say it like that."
But the noble student just shrugs lightly.
"No, it's just—you're hiding it so much."
They lean on their chin, smirking lazily.
"Makes you wonder if it's all talk~"
Two seats over, their friends titter along.
"Usually, real masterpieces aren't hidden like that~"
"And getting 'genius' hype off a few good sketches? Kinda funny, right?"
The air in the room dips subtly once more. The earlier laughter fades naturally.
"Hmm..."
That kind of gaze. Envy. Inferiority. And that itch to confirm it all.
...I know it well. I used to look up at others from the depths of those very feelings.
The student presses on, face still relaxed.
"...Well, if you're really confident, just show it, no big deal?"
The other students' expressions harden subtly. They sense the mood souring.
"...No helping it, then."
A few heads snap up in surprise.
"Yura?"
I rise slowly from my seat.
"If you're asking so insistently, it would be rude not to show something."
The noble student's lips curl. A victor's smile.
What a lovely expression.
"But."
I raise one finger slowly.
"I'll curate it myself... so please, don't touch anything carelessly?"
"...You're really showing it?"
"Suddenly tense."
Excited murmurs ripple through the students.
The pink-haired noble, meanwhile, stands with arms crossed, smirk intact.
"...Hope it's not a letdown."
I smile faintly at that.
Body School art is hard to reveal to the masses just yet... but I have plenty else worth showing.
As the sun dips fully, red sunset light stretches long beneath the hallway windows.
I walk slowly toward the workshop with a few students.
"But you're really okay showing us?"
"Of course. No need to worry."
A quiet anticipation fills the hallway air.
From behind, a low snicker mixes in.
"...Not just hyping it up for nothing, right."
One noble student mutters with a smirk.
I walk on, listening quietly.
And then.
We stop at the workshop door at the hall's end.
Gripping the iron handle, I turn back.
"One request before we begin the curation."
All eyes turn to me naturally.
"The workshop still has unfinished pieces and unprepared materials inside."
"Please stay on the path I set and refrain from touching the display setup."
They nod with light laughs.
But one in the back, arms still crossed, snorts softly.
"So sensitive~"
Pretending not to hear, I open the door quietly.
Clunk.
Under faint lighting, the workshop interior slowly reveals itself. Walls plastered with figure sketches and anatomical drawings. Plaster casts and structural blueprints. Faint sunset light filters long through stacked canvases.
Gasps escape the students in unison.
"...Whoa."
"Not a studio—a lab..."
I step deeper inside.
At that instant, a faint metallic tang brushes the air.
One student wrinkles their nose.
"...Weird smell, right?"
"Yeah, kinda... fishy."
Eyes flicker for a moment.
But I smile softly.
"...I've been experimenting with metalwork lately."
I gesture lightly to the workshop depths.
"Even with ventilation, some residue lingers."
"Metalwork... got it..."
Good. They're buying it naturally.
I move slowly to the wall sketches.
"The theme of the piece I'm showing... is academism."
My fingertip traces over a drawing.
"Proportion and balance. Motion and form."
"The movement that sought to capture humanity most beautifully."
Eyes draw naturally to the art.
"...Look at those muscles. Like an anatomy textbook."
I smile faintly.
"...But I felt academism fell short with just the surface it revealed."
My finger pauses where neck meets shoulder in the drawing.
"Humans aren't complete with skin alone."
"You have to show what's beneath... only then does it become a living form."
A hush falls.
A few unconsciously study the drawing again—longer, deeper than before.
Then.
Drip.
A small sound like a water drop echoes from the workshop depths. The air freezes.
One student turns.
"...Huh?"
Gazes shift to the inner curtain. Beneath the thick cloth, a faint shadow seems to quiver ever so slightly.
They seem to dismiss it as a swaying piece.
But.
The one from the Misono family stares fixedly at the curtain.
And slowly, very slowly, lifts the corner of her mouth.
"...But."
Quiet footsteps.
She approaches the curtain.
"What's behind this that you're hiding so much?"
Her hand reaches for the curtain's edge.
Thud.
A chair shoves back roughly.
Thump.
Almost reflexively, I lunge and grab her wrist.
The workshop air turns icy in an instant.
Her eyes waver briefly.
I pause, still gripping her wrist.
Ah. I startled her a bit.
I smile softly once more.
"...You can't touch this part yet."
"My materials are quite delicate."
Silence descends.
The other students glance around awkwardly.
"Hey... don't..."
"Maybe just leave it..."
But she laughs awkwardly, not backing down easily.
"Just wanted a peek... you're more sensitive than I thought~?"
My lips curve.
"...Curiosity you can't handle often leads to irreversible results."
And I smile very softly.
"I sincerely hope... nothing unfortunate happens."
The laughter vanishes from the workshop.
But soon, someone chuckles awkwardly to lighten the mood.
"Haha... must be tricky materials."
I scan the mood quietly, then look around at the students.
And clap my hands once.
Clap.
Eyes return to me.
"Then... shall we end it here for today."
I smile softly, continuing.
"Showing an unfinished piece too long isn't ideal."
"Already?"
"Still, it was cool. Learned a lot."
They nod, regretful but agreeable.
I step toward the door.
"At the exchange event... I'll show you a far more complete form, for much longer."
Soft laughter follows.
But.
The Misono student whose wrist I held lingers, glancing sidelong at the curtain, reluctant to leave.
...Perhaps tonight, an unscheduled visitor will appear.