I Just Want to Be a Normal Student, But Everyone's Way Too Serious
My mind had gone quiet, and cold, clear judgment returned. I felt a flicker of genuine gratitude toward Lucia.
"Thanks, Lucia."
"It's my job as class president. I should help where I can."
Really, though… unlike the kings, she was oddly reassuring to be around. And at the same time, I found myself missing the 'friends' from the orphanage.
Were they even still alive…?
Please… I hoped they were. If they were, we could have attended the Academy together…….
"All right, Shiota. You seem to be feeling better now, so shall we head back to the classroom?"
At her words, I nodded.
Back in the classroom, I'd expected a chill in the air, but it was actually rather lively. Apparently everyone had a lot of questions for Peace and Flügel.
"So… what's your relationship with Shiota Otonashi?"
"And what about Teacher Yuzuru?"
"Could you be some distant relative of the Head of House?"
And so on. It seemed that since both of them had introduced themselves with my family name, Shiota, the class had drawn its own conclusions. Unlike my expressionless self, the two of them had far more animated faces, and the questions kept coming.
"Wait… are you two… in a relationship with Shiota Otonashi……?"
?!
At that, the two of them actually blushed. I'm sorry—you're the same pair who fought each other through telepathy?
"We can't tell you? As you can see, thanks to our system respecting the cultures of all the different races, humans these days can practice polygamy too~"
Good grief… so the polygamy that was pure fantasy before the Age of Chaos is now commonplace in the modern era……?
Then, as if to firmly confirm that they were really just friends—
"That's a secret~"
the two of them declared in unison, neatly deflecting everyone's questions.
Our next class was the practical training from yesterday—except this time it was about testing our own combat styles. In a word: live sparring.
Since Peace and Flügel absolutely could not let it be known that they were both Sovereigns, it was obvious they were suppressing their power.
Flügel manifested only a single pair of pure white wings, like an ordinary angel, while Peace wore just the animal ears and tail of a common beastkin.
And yet the two of them were actually smiling… Don't tell me they were genuinely happy because this meant they could finally settle things in a Mak'gora?
For those who don't know what a Mak'gora is, let me explain: when demon clans clash in opinion, instead of literary, intellectual debate, they simply beat each other up and go with whatever the winner says. It is the demon race's simple—and profoundly stupid—method of conflict resolution.
That said, these two weren't really fighting over whose opinion to adopt; it felt more like they were just deliberately provoking each other into a brawl.
Lucia and I quietly slipped away to avoid getting caught up in it.
Sister Yuzuru was supervising the class, which meant she had no choice but to stand there and watch their Mak'gora unfold.
"Flügel! This time, I'm going to win!"
"Ha! You couldn't beat me even using the power of spirits, and you think raw physical strength will do it?"
KA-BOOM! Crack—KA-BOOM!
Some rather ominous sounds were echoing from the back of the room, but Lucia and I resolved to do our very best to ignore them. Hang in there, Sister Yuzuru…….
"Rather than sparring, Shiota, why don't we work on mana circulation together instead?"
"Like the time I punched a wooden puppet?"
"No, that blow had that much destructive power because you focused your mana into a single point."
That made sense. Back then, I had concentrated everything into my right hand alone.
"Now, concentrate like you did during meditation…"
And so I sank back down into that pitch-black lake. In the space where the galaxy had once spread before me, a beautiful rainbow was now blooming.
"What do you see?"
"A rainbow… I can see seven colors gathering into white."
"Then try sending that mana through your entire body—with the feeling of 'letting it flow.'"
Following Lucia's guidance, I let the mana circulate through my whole body the way a heart beats to move blood through a human frame.
"You did it… Managing this on your first try means your talent is exceptional……"
"Well… it was easy once I thought of it like the circulation inside a human body…"
"You've truly learned to use mana in the most efficient way possible."
"Something feels different from before…"
"Normally, that's the state from which you begin handling your ability."
"You control and channel your own mana, and from it, you manifest something! That's how abilities are usually expressed."
"Now then, let's move on to the lecture on attributes~ Most of the abilities people carry are attribute-based. What we usually call elements."
"Even the beastkin can use elements. It's just that they mostly channel them into reinforcing their own bodies, so most people never realize it……"
Lucia's explanation was crystal clear. But when I pictured the rainbow-colored mana spreading across the lake in my mind, it didn't seem to fit neatly into the framework of 'elements' she was describing.
"First, to find the element that suits you, try forming an orb."
Lucia conjured a warm, luminous sphere of light above her palm.
"Most angels have a light attribute like this. It's advantageous if you want to pursue a path like saintess or holy knight."
I followed her example and condensed mana into my palm. A moment later—
what blossomed from my fingertips was not the pristine light Lucia had made, but a brilliant, chaotic orb of rainbow color, orbiting along an entirely different track.
Lucia's eyes went wide.
"This is… an extremely rare null attribute."
"Null? So… I have no talent at all?"
"No, quite the opposite. Your null attribute isn't an absence—it's an expansion. It's the very potential to do everything."
Lucia added, her expression grave:
"For example, you could generate ice to trap an opponent… or, taken to the extreme, even directly manipulate bioenergetic fields."
I couldn't help but force a laugh.
"Ice manipulation, blood control… that's a long, long way from being an ordinary student, isn't it?"
Just then, Lucia's eyes sparkled and she urged me on.
"Now that we've confirmed your attribute, let's actually manifest your ability! Try to create whatever you can imagine, Shiota!"
Meeting her expectant gaze, I broke into a cold sweat. Whatever I imagine, she says. If I manifested something weird here, my ordinary student life would truly be over.
So I imagined something very simple: wind. No particular form—my only intent was to wipe away my cold sweat.
But contrary to my wishes, the wind came howling down on me.
"You can already handle the wind this freely… You'd make a wonderful knight someday, you know? Or maybe… a hero?"
Lucia looked at me with genuine admiration. I just tidied my wind-tousled hair. Why was she so impressed?
Meanwhile, the thunderous rumbling from the back of the room had stopped.
"Ugh… Flügel, you really…!"
"Peace, you're one to talk…!"
Apparently the Mak'gora was over. Peace and Flügel, their clothes an absolute wreck, came trudging toward us.
And the expression on Sister Yuzuru's face as she followed behind them was… quite literally, the face of a dead woman.
"Uh… Sister Yuzuru, are you okay……?"
"…L-love and peace……"
Thud.
Sister Yuzuru collapsed to the floor. Lucia and I scrambled to catch her in a panic.
"Teacher! Stay with us!"
Drenched in sweat, we rushed her to the nurse's office as fast as our legs would carry us.
With our teacher out of commission, the rest of the class quite literally fell apart at the seams.
And then lunchtime arrived.
Lucia and Peace were keeping close watch on where I went. The surveillance around the water fountain was especially intense.
At first, Lucia had questioned Peace's odd reaction, but once she got an explanation, she accepted it immediately.
Flügel had also wondered what the fuss was about and asked Peace—and reacted in exactly the same way as those two.
"Whaaat?! Humans' Five Major Nutrients are carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals… and you're telling me what Otonashi eats is sugar, salt, tap water, rainwater, and spring water?"
Flügel stared at my diet as though questioning my sanity.
"Mast— ah, um, Shiota just refuses to follow it, you see… So this time, for once—Flügel, please! Have lunch with me!"
With a look of grim resolve, Flügel moved to my left side, hooked her arm through mine, and—
"Let's go have lunch together~"
flashing a beaming smile, she hauled me off toward the cafeteria.
This time, I'd decided to drink milk for my calcium intake. With cereal on the side.
Munch munch.
Not bad, actually. The square chocolate cereal was especially to my taste. Believe it or not, I have a kid's palate.
Peace and Lucia had somehow followed us and were eating lunch with us too, though they seemed to find the fact that I ate my cereal so well deeply concerning.
Come to think of it, Peace and Lucia were in uniform, but Flügel was still in civilian clothes. And when she was pressed this close to me, even I couldn't stop my heart from pounding. Eating something sweet was partly to take my mind off it.
For once, Lucia said she'd head on ahead. With Peace and Flügel around, she probably figured I was in safe hands.
Now, I thought, was my chance to talk with Teacher Yuzuru one-on-one, so I headed for the nurse's office.
Knock knock.
"Teacher Yuzuru~ May I come in~?"
"Lucia? Come on in~"
"Teacher Yuzuru……."
"Lucia? What is it, looking so serious…?"
"What exactly is Shiota Otonashi?"
"What?"
"For someone you call an ordinary human—the Spirit King and the Heavenly King both recognize him as their master."
"Lucia… how do you know that— no, wait, more importantly, Flügel is the Heavenly King?! I knew she was no ordinary angel, but…"
"As someone of the Heavenly King's bloodline, I knew she was the Heavenly King before anyone—except for Shiota."
"The Heavenly King's bloodline? That actually existed……?"
"Never mind that! That's not the point. Teacher Yuzuru… sometimes, whenever I look into Shiota's eyes, I worry so much I can't just leave him be. I've only known him for a single day, but those eyes looked so terribly lonely and sad……"
"……"
"You're his family, so… is there anything you know? Like the secret behind his scars…"
"?! You know about Otonashi's scars?"
"Yes. I found out by accident on his first day at school."
"…I didn't think you'd know even that much. Well, to give you the conclusion first—I don't know why they exist either. But there is a way to find out."
"Really? What should I do?"
"I'll only say this once, so listen carefully. As a daughter of the Shiota family, I'm under surveillance by the Head of House. Otonashi isn't being watched, but he has no intention of ever telling anyone himself.
But you—you became his friend in just one day. If it's you, Lucia, you could slip past the Shiota family's guard without raising any real suspicion. And once you're in, you have to dig up something—anything. Otonashi's orphanage photographs, records from the orphanage. Whatever you can get your hands on."
"Shiota isn't a son of the family…? Then why an orphanage…"
"Otonashi was adopted. In any case, thanks to the Spirit King, even the Head of House currently can't bring outside forces into this. So you can ask the Heavenly King for help, or handle it alone if you prefer. But you must get those records."
"Will the Heavenly King really help…?"
"When I processed Flügel's transfer, I told the chairman I'd hand in my resignation if they caused any trouble. So they won't do anything reckless. But if you tell them you want to help Otonashi, they'll help you without question.
Still, Lucia—if you get scared, you can walk away. I'll erase this memory for you myself."
As she said this, Yuzuru's eyes slowly began to glow.
Lucia shook her head.
"No. I want to fill that boy's hollow eyes with ordinary eyes like mine. Because I am his teacher!"
"…I didn't expect such a passionate declaration. But you want Otonashi to be ordinary too? On that point, I feel exactly the same."
With that, Yuzuru held out her hand.
"I'm counting on you, Lucia."
"Yes, Teacher Yuzuru… would it be all right if I called you big sister?"
"Hahaha! In private, I don't mind—but never in public places like school."
And so the two of them shook hands, sharing their purposes and their information alike.
◇ Cookie ◇
Someone was watching the scene of Lucia and Yuzuru shaking hands as they sealed their alliance. But our Otonashi, meanwhile, was having lunch forcibly spoon-fed to him between Peace and Flügel.
"Aaaah~"