Arifureta: Similar Story, Different World

Chapter 4: Similar Class, Different Lesson

"Uuuggghh…" I groaned with disdain with a hand on my forehead as I sat upright on the edge of my bed.

It was morning, a day or so since I first looked at my Status Plate. I had spent the good time of yesterday swamped with books, trying to find something to explain my situation, something to give me a slight amount of hope.

"Status Open."

Bringing up the small 'artifact' before my tired eyes to recheck if I had awoken from the nightmare.

"Fuck me."

I hadn't and ended up accidentally tapping the small, aggravating thing on my glasses which I wished wasn't there so I couldn't read the damn thing.

"Fucking hell. This god's really starting to piss me off."

I rescanned the plate's contents. Lo and behold, it looked worse every time I looked at it.

Name - Yamamoto Eichirou | Age - 18 Years Old

Gender - Male | Level 1

Class -

Strength - 10 | Vitality - 10

Resistance - 200 | Agility - 10

Magic - 200 | Magic Resistance - 200

Skills

· Language Comprehension

· Living Encyclopedia of Another World

· Appraisal

Classless. Fucking classless.

This was fine.

No, it was not.

This should be fine!

And if they ask?!

… It was not fine.

OF COURSE IT'S FUCKING NOT!

Going over it, I did get some skills. Now that I think about it, language should have never been the same between worlds unless they were among the ones with a 99.999999…% similarity rate. This isn't the same as that Time Leap anime with the microwave and cellphone that my little sister adores. It shouldn't be possible, and yet Language Comprehension explained how I could communicate with everyone in Tortus perfectly.

But what were the other two?

According to Kousuke, people get skills according to their talents and aptitudes. If I guess correctly, someone who is sturdy would get something akin to a defensive skill. In Kousuke-kun's case, he was given one that matched his body's natural imperceptiveness. Somehow, I doubt it was a talent he honed on his own, or even wanted to improve at all. But it was something that defined him.

So what the hell would 'Living Encyclopedia of Another World' be used for? Is it base knowledge of Earth? Tortus? Goddamn plate's so damn accurate, I wonder what the fuck could it mean?!

After closing myself off in the library yesterday, I found 'Appraisal' quick and simple. As the word implied, I could appraise things. That's it.

That's it?! That's fucking it?!

Maybe it was because of my analytical nature, but that didn't explain what the skill did. At least, not at first. Apparently, being an oh-so ultra-rare skill, very few information has been published about it. Mostly because there were multiple variations like Ore Appraisal for Synergists or Plant Appraisal for Farmers. But then, there were very few references to the 'Appraisal' variant.

Probably, because of its generalized nature, it had the potential to root out classified information from all things. Not just simple things as rocks and crops.

Take a chef's secret recipe, for example. He makes a soup with recipe. Serves it to someone with the skill. They use the skill. A few days later, someone's made a soup recipe better than the original. Tada, profit.

And that's the almost harmless version.

Thinking more about it, this could potentially be used to scam people of their hard work. If a farmer needed grain to be checked for defects and he had to pay an appraiser to do it, they could just lie and say the stock was infected and would offer a cheap price to buy it off them. Once he has the stuff, he could sell it off at higher prices with just the mention of his skill guaranteeing the quality.

Forget about stealing soup, this could cause a break down the economy. There's no way any civil official in their right mind would allow this skill to just roam free, unchecked or unregulated. What's more, I bet my ass they'd actually abuse it. No way any corrupt politician wouldn't use this to their advantage in my world. Hell, if you could appraise someone's tax returns by just lookin' at 'em, Rump would probably get kicked out the White House before Christmas.

And if government officials would tie me down because of this skill, you can bet Ishtar would use it against me as well. Not good for me who just wants to get the fuck out of here.

Just how the hell was my 'being analytical' so much of a problem?!

Maybe this was why Kousuke hated his own skill. No wait, that's actually helpful in this case. I wonder if he would agree to trade with me.

Contemplating on what to do, I had gotten up and already began pacing once again in the middle of the room. No doubt someone would one day come in and wonder why the central section of the floor was more worn out than the rest. But I didn't care what they had to say about it.

I needed a plan.

Not telling them is the best way. But I don't see how I could convince them to drop it or keep it secret if anyone asked me to show it.

Kousuke and Hajime would probably stay quiet. They didn't really seem to have anything against me. But if threatened by the Church, then maybe, he would give. It's only natural. It's a human being's self-preservation instincts. The one who would be at fault then would be me for bringing him deeper into my mess.

Then, should I give it up as public knowledge? No, no, that won't help either. I could probably choose to share it with those close with me, provided they could keep their mouth shut. Just that the bad thing is everyone going nuts about how I have deplorable survival stats.

Glancing back at the plate, I noted Strength, Vitality, and Agility were all low. They would be physical prowess, endurance, and speed respectively. Why there was no DEX, or Dexterity Stat, was beyond me. Was there no measure of how good a person was using their martial art, motor, or weapon skills? Did that mean there are those with high damage powers but with low accuracy if they've never touched the weapon before?

No, wait! Stop. You're rambling about unnecessary things again. Back to the stats. They were unbalanced. Terribly at that. With the given three as the lowest, 10 each. Compared to the others, I had no specialization or a proper role to play with such stats.

But then there were the higher ones.

Magic and both Resistances. At 200. Kousuke said Amanogawa was 100 for all stats. Given that the average for Tortus denizens were 10 across the board and around 100 to 50 for the classmates from Earth, would it be right to say mine were worse than abnormal? If I had double Amanogawa's Resistance, does that mean he and the others can't do much against me? But then my strength and endurance ones were low. I could be hit once and most likely die if their Strength trumped my Resistance.

Does this mean I had to play it smart and depend on magic? But I wasn't something akin to a Magician or Sorcerer or Warlock. Will I have to depend on magic anyway?

I shivered at the thought. Using magic was cool and all but having to depend on it while a creepy chill ran down my spine every time I cast something was a big 'No'. It would distract me to no end. Sure, I could get used to it, probably with practice. But I didn't feel like it. I'm not trying to be lazy about it. I just don't like that eerie feeling.

Then again, if I have so much magic, they could consider it abnormal. Like a man who was born with an EMP ability he couldn't control. That shit goes straight to Area 51 or the Gulag or some underground facility to keep it from damaging their surroundings. I could be restrained all the same for being an unstable magic battery, relatively speaking.

At least it explained why I could just continue testing magic without running out of steam yesterday. In fact, all my trials using basic spells with parchment-inked magic circles were strangely impressive to the librarians eyes and I didn't find it difficult to use the spells much either.

To test out what her weird enthusiasm was all about, we simultaneously used the Candlelight spell with the same inscribed magic circle. Mine had a delayed activation but glowed clearly, like a real torch but bluish and bright. Hers was slightly dimmer, flickering rather than burning, and glowed a dim orange to a weak yellow. A bit on the weak side. Not only that, but she was quickly tired out by my inscribed circle's mana requirement despite it being the minimum amount required for a very small but clear light.

Then again, she also said her magic was almost in the 100's by now due to using magic to maintain the library for most her life. And she looked to be at least in her late 20's. Given that stats grow as one uses it, she must've been using it at least several times a day ever since she started working in the place.

Does that mean it was just because I had a higher magic capacity? A higher growth potential? Or is it because of efficiency or some mechanic not even the people here are aware of?

Either way, my magic was too noticeable to hide.

Ah, shit. Too many variables to consider. I really don't like my position right now.

In summary, either the Appraisal Skill gets me arrested and chained for being potentially illegal, or my high Magic stats forces them to keep an eye on me as I train to use magic properly.

.

.

.

Ah fuck it. Better get dressed before I lose my head through overthinking everything.

I put the Status Plate down for a minute and popped open the closet. Grabbing something similar to what I wore two days ago, I started getting dressed. The dress shirt fit me like a glove. Slipping my family's photo into the inner coat pocket, I checked my reflection on the mirror.

It was still dark with little sunlight as it was just the early morning. I really didn't feel like sleeping in or associating with the rest of the class. I just repeated the same thing for three straight days. Get up, eat early, straight to the library, get back early, sleep, repeat.

I haven't met up with any of them, save for Hajime dropping by in the library yesterday. When he did so the day before, he had asked the librarian for books on non-combat classes. The same thing yesterday but I kept to myself most of the time he was there. No doubt it would be the same routine today if he gets the free time.

Maybe he had the same problem as me with his status plate? I couldn't be sure, but it was probably that seeing as he went quiet during the time Kousuke and I talked about it.

I can offer advice. That is, I would. But seems like I can't even resolve my own problems.

Who am I kidding?

With a hand to my chest, just right above the photo and my heart, I pocketed the plate and breathed deep.

Calm? Focused? Good. Another long day awaits—!

KNOCK KNOCK

"Yamamoto-sama, will you be having your breakfast early today as well?"

Ah, right on cue. It's only been three days, four if I count our kidnapping day, and she's already expecting me to get up this early. The young maid truly is a hardworker. I winced at the trailing thought.

A shame she followed Ehito's cult, ergo she was a pawn to the Church of Saints.

Not that I can say she should convert to Anima when I pulled that garbage out of nowhere.

Opening the door, she stood there, waiting and ready for my response. She had a proper rest today, seeing as she wasn't yawning or looking sleepy.

"Good morning, Iselda-san."

"Good morning to you as well, Yamamoto-sama." She bowed while greeting me. She wasn't as flustered as before anymore. She's still probably suspicious of me. Just got used to hiding it. "Um, your plans today—?"

"Same as yesterday," I responded as politely as possible. Although we've both had some sleep, hers was probably more comfortable than mine, seeing as I never had her do much other than find more books for me for the past few days. "I'll have an early meal then go back to the Library to resume my research. But later in the afternoon, at Lady Liliana's behest, I'll be having tea again with the First Princess."

No use hiding that fact. If I attempt to do so, the Church, and maybe Eliheid, might think I was meeting with her in secret. Scandalous, yes. Potential blackmail/threat, double yes.

Had I kept myself in check at the time, maybe this wouldn't have troubled me so much. But there's nothing I can do to change it now. I got too caught up in reminiscing about home that I just had to have tea with her again.

But even if it was I who put the suggestion before her in the first place, Lady Liliana still accepted it. She's in as much danger as I if I don't play the charade of 'being friendly to the Royal Family'. Eliheid might've announced me as his friend, but that didn't mean he was out of the Church's pocket. Not yet, at least. I should do my best to make sure Liliana stays a neutral party in all this mess.

Better to keep my enemies well informed about my movements then. So long as they don't see me as much of a threat, they may just leave me, and her, be. Hopefully. Probably.

"Understood." The young maid nodded in acknowledgment. Maybe she was going to report it to her superiors later, but that was fine. For now, I had nothing to hide between me and Lady Liliana. "Then please wait as I fetch a meal and deliver it back here to your—"

"Iselda!"

Suddenly having her name called, the maid jumped and nearly did so into my arms. I also nearly jumped out my skin, but more out of panic than actual fear. Fortunately, neither Iselda nor the newcomer noticed my shock as I quickly recomposed myself and peaked over in the direction of the voice.

Another maid. Taller. More voluptuous. And a bit more energetic than the silent observer assigned to me. Judging by the familiarity in calling to her, this one was either her senior or a friend.

"Amelia-senpai!" Her senior then, I surmised. "You shouldn't yell out like that! It's disrespectful in front of Apostle-sama."

Huh, the junior was scolding her senior. Don't see that every day.

"Isn't it fine? They don't get up early anyways. What's the big… deal…?!" Considering that she suddenly glanced in my direction and noticed me, and by the embarrassed look Iselda-san was giving her back, I guess this maid named Amelia was the energetic but airheaded type. "I—I humbly apologize for my rudeness, Apostle-sama! I will accept any punishment you deem fit for my disturbing your rest!"

She almost broke her back, bending low in apology. At least, I think she might've already done so. Well, I wasn't really offended in any way. I'd been awake for nearly an hour by now.

But it wouldn't do to show weakness.

"There would be no need for that. However," I gave a serious expression as I reprimand her. Just a tad scolding and nothing more. "You should know better than to raise your voice near someone's bedroom. You wouldn't want to risk waking up those who are exhausted from their daily training. Remember to not do so again."

"I'm grateful for your mercy."

Jeez, this Apostle thing really grated on my nerves. Just a few words and suddenly the believers are prostrating so hard. I really, reeeaaaally did not like being an Apostle. I preferred being a normal dude. Then again, maybe being an Apostle's what kept me relevant to them all this time. A blessing as well as a curse. Damn the title.

"I thank you for your mercy as well, Yamamoto-sama," Iselda bowed low as well before addressing her colleague. "Then, Amelia-senpai, did you need me for something?"

"Eh, ah! Right!" Digging through her apron pocket, she procured an envelope. "I was tasked to deliver this to Yamamoto Eichirou-sama, the Apostle under your care."

"Who's it from," I asked with my hand held out. It took Amelia a few moments to connect the dots that I was Yamamoto Eichirou. Quite an airhead.

"I-It's from the Knight Commander, Meld Loggins-sama."

I took out the letter and read the contents. After rereading it to be clear, I let out a sigh.

Looks like fate wanted to play around. Either that or Ehito's up to something.

"Iselda-san, change of plans. I'll be having breakfast with the Knight Commander instead. Could you please guide me to their barrack's mess hall?"

"Right now, Yamamoto-sama?"

I nodded and reread the letter while lowering it for her to see.

"It seems he has something he wants to talk to me about."

"Understood. I shall lead you there. Please, follow me."

I did just that. Bidding the bowing Amelia adieu, I followed Iselda through the winding corridors.

The place was quite silent, save for our footsteps. Well, it was early morning. Not even Hatayama-sensei was awake yet, probably tuckered out from joining the class during physical training for the past two days.

And yet, despite their being only the guards, Iselda, and I, I could feel something akin to a gaze directly behind me. Every time I looked over my shoulder, no one was there and the guards neither flinched nor stirred. Strange, I thought. I resisted the urge to keep looking back. I knew I would find no one suspicious there. If they could hide this long, then there would be zero chances for me to know who it was. But that didn't mean someone wasn't following me. I wonder why they would though.

I kept my guard up until I reached the barrack's mess hall.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Yamamoto Eichirou. Eichirou is fine."

"Meld Loggins. Likewise, call me Meld."

"Then, Meld-dono—"

He held up a hand to cut the boy off.

"Drop the formalities. Just 'Meld' is fine." The boy visibly sighed and shrugged while giving a relaxed smile, as if he found it difficult to not show respect. A commendable personality, Meld thought. "Now, please sit. I'm guessing you haven't eaten anything yet."

He signaled his subordinates to fetch a meal for the young Apostle. Soon, they came back with the usual rations all the soldiers ate. Several chunks of meat, some vegetables, a soup and a piece of bread. Meld noticed that the boy clasped his hands together and noted that he muttered a small word of thanks for the meal before partaking of the food.

"Sorry if it isn't to your taste," Meld apologized. He noted that many of the Apostles preferred to eat the luxurious meals of the palace over the scraps given to the guards. "Rations are pretty much limited now as we have to prepare for the war."

"Ah, it's no big deal." Meld had raised an eyebrow at what he meant until the boy started eating the scraps without even flinching. "I was wondering why the palace meals weren't as small as they should be. Good to know that there are some who think rationing is necessary during wartime."

"You expected it to be so?" the Knight Commander asked curiously.

"Of course," Yamamoto replied. "If even one person eats more than they should, another could die of starvation a day earlier. If the ones starving were civilians, you could expect a riot. But if they were soldiers instead, you'd expect them to surrender."

The boy made an expression that he was just stating facts.

"I'd expect such a simple concept as 'maintaining unity' to be well known among officials and officers."

"Officers, sure," Meld agreed with the statement. "But civil officials are harder to placate when it comes to lowering their standard of living."

"I guess it's the same in any world," the boy replied with a knowing smile. "If everyone were so short-sighted as to not focus on the bigger picture, I doubt the Heiligh Kingdom would remain standing as it is. The Knights here are competent. I'll give you that."

"Thanks for such praise," Meld accepted it gladly. But then, he remembered he was talking to a boy, a child, not of this world, and wondered how he knew of such things as the value of logistics and morale. "Have you faced similar troubles in your world before?"

The boy shook his head, already halfway done with his meal.

"Not me, personally. But there are many countries in my world that have undergone similar circumstances during times of war. There was once a country that chose to flood their own lands to slow the enemy down, however, the casualty count climbed into the millions. Moreover, most of them were of their own citizens and not the enemy."

Meld frowned at the story. Scorched earth tactics were implemented when one needed to halt or delay enemy advancements. But to say the scale reached far above the thousands? Just how cruel would one have to be to make such a decision.

His expression must've been a grave one as the boy added.

"Not to worry, Meld. This happened a long time in the past. The damages have been repaired and the descendants of those casualties now live decent lives in a time of peace."

"If you say so, I'm relieved."

The boy nodded in response. But his eyes, they were blank and emotionless. There was a message there.

Millions in casualties. Civilians, no less. What a cruel result. And all of it amounted to be a delay of their enemies. Had such a thing happened to Heiligh, Meld wasn't sure if he could live without the guilt.

This brought with it another thought.

How could this boy before him say such things like one would a history lesson, and yet still have eyes that said they understand how severe such things were?

The other Apostles acted fine, excited even, when they were told they would be trained and armed to fight a war. They were just kids. And yet, they were thrilled about it. But this one, Yamamoto Eichirou, spoke calmly, reserved. He didn't act like he wanted any part in it. Instead, his violet eyes burned with defiance at the thought of being forced to the same task.

"Anyway, why have you called me here?" The boy had finished his meal. Even the hard bread which was normally difficult for new recruits to bite down on was just crumbs on the plate. Meanwhile, Meld's own was still half-full. "I highly doubt it was just for a friendly chat."

"You've got me there," Meld conceded. He had invited the boy under the pretense of having a talk. He hadn't specified the topic in the letter, seeing as someone might've intercepted it if it was. "I actually wanted to ask you to join our training for today."

"With all due respect, Meld," the boy was shaking his head in refusal already. A reasonable response, one that was missing from the other children, minus the self-proclaimed adult of theirs. "I don't see why I, someone who doesn't want to fight, should join. As you may have heard, my focus is somewhere else. I wish to research magic that would allow me to open a gate back to our world—"

"So you could return home and request for more competent help, am I correct?"

The boy seemed surprised at being interrupted but nodded to admit he was right. The King had informed Meld of Yamamoto's suggestion and liked the idea as well. Just that it was a farfetched one and had a very little chance of actually working in the King's eyes. The reason the King accepted in the first place was to allow this Apostle to willingly contribute. Being persons of great potential, it was better that they were focused on farfetched ideas than moping about and wasting precious resources. Who could say that an Apostle's work wouldn't go unrewarded in the future but Ehito himself?

But it was nonetheless a noble goal to the Knight Commander. One not blinded by heroism or desperation. It was rational and logical.

The kind of thinking he wished the rest of the Apostles had.

He wouldn't lie, he knew the Heiligh Kingdom was desperate. Had he a choice, he would've preferred to sacrifice himself before having to resort to involving outsiders. But the Church didn't want to wait. Nor did they care. Eradication of the devils took top priority. All else was negligible.

Meld's hand balled up to a fist at the thought. He too was a man of faith. But his morals ranked higher in that regard.

And it didn't like the idea of sending children, not ones form Tortus at that, to fight a war.

"Worry not." Meld continued. "We'll be having a magic training session today instead."

He noted the boy's expression perked up at that. He was focusing on magic. It would be in his best interest as well.

"Lecturers from the magic corps of the army as well as a few court mages will come to assist. After the lectures, there'll be a time for practical testing."

"I've already started testing on my own."

"But you haven't increased the scale yet, have you?" Meld noticed the boy's look sour slightly. "Nor have you tested all the elements and spells archived in the library."

He had been informed of the boy's actions for the past few days. Well, more 'investigated' than 'informed'. It seemed no one thought it best to keep him in the loop when it came to this Apostle in particular. A fact that was both suspicious but acceptable as Yamamoto did not wish to take part at all.

"It would also be a good experience to have some of the experts observe and give you notes. It could help with your plan to open a gate to your world."

It took the boy a few minutes to consider the offer. Meld knew he would accept as it was helpful too his goal in a way. But he felt the hesitation was there for a reason. Meld didn't know why exactly, but it felt as if the young man was… suspicious of him. It might've been because he was from another world. But maybe it was more that he was naturally suspicious.

It wasn't a nice way to live, but Meld could admit it was a mature way of thinking to some extent. Being given something nice without expecting to have to give in return was naiveite in its rawest form. By contemplating on why he was being given such an opportunity, Yamamoto had proved to Meld that he was someone the Knight could reasonably trust.

Amanogawa Kouki and the rest of the class may have meant well when they volunteered. But with circumstances as it was, it only meant they were doing it out of obligation, being forced to so to speak. But this boy refused, flat out just because he didn't want to, despite how he would appear to his fellows. He knew he could trust Yamamoto to think selfishly. Therefore, he knew Yamamoto was thinking for himself.

"Alright. I'll go. But on one condition." Meld nodded and had the boy continue. "I'll be dismissed early and not have to participate in the whole training session. I still have my research to continue as well as an appointment with Lady Liliana-sama."

Meld knew of this appointment. From what he had gathered, the Princess herself wished to meet with Yamamoto, or so the story from the maids goes. As a Knight, he had no business in intervening with such affairs, so this was fine. Even the other reason of having to research early was commendable so Meld assented.

He had heard from the guards and the librarian that Yamamoto was a diligent student capable of learning from simply reading the material on his own. If he had such talent, then it wouldn't be right to deprive him of the time to utilize it for his own commendable goals.

Just then, he noticed Yamamoto subtly glancing around.

"Is something the matter?" Meld asked.

"No, not really. Just that I've been having this strange feeling of being watched since yesterday."

Yamamoto stopped his searching, only for is eyes to be directed in the direction of the door behind him. He didn't look or face the direction, but rather signaled for Meld to do so in his steed.

He noticed someone disappearing behind the cracks of the door. The observer was making a run for it. He was about to chase after and call for the guards about a spy on the loose, but Yamamoto's calm voice stopped him in his tracks.

"No need for alarm, Meld. Let it be. They've done nothing wrong other than observe me all morning. As it doesn't affect me in anyway. Causing a ruckus would be pointless."

The Knight sat back down and looked at the boy's calm yet contemplative gaze at his own plate.

"You have an idea who could be so keen on observing you?"

"Oh, I do. Just that confronting them about it would be more trouble than it's worth."

The implication was not lost on the adult. The boy's words would have just been indifference had it not been for the serious look in his eyes. They spoke of something deeper, more of a conspiracy than just mere trouble.

And he didn't want to involve Meld. At least, for now.

This brought out more of Meld's respect for someone younger than himself.

"If you need help, just call me or my men." It wouldn't do to just let this child, no, this young man be. As a responsible adult, he should at least extend a helping hand. "Your troubles won't disappear, but as someone who's country has wronged you and your associates so, it is my duty to keep you all safe, regardless whether you fight or not."

"I appreciate the offer then," the young man replied with a nod and a kind smile. "But this is getting to dreary for me. We have the time, and it's still too early. What else do you want to talk about until the rest of my classmates awake?"

Meld didn't think Yamamoto would change the topic just like that, but then again, he was just a kid. Having something weigh on a child's mind too long wasn't a good thing. It was better to know he had someone to back him up then move on.

"Well, I heard your world is more advanced than Tortus. Would you mind sharing some aspects they are so?"

Before replying, the young man looked around the place. There wasn't much to look at. The soldier's barracks' mess hall was, plain and simple, several long tables arranged vertically in a spacious stone room with two entrances, a few skylights and a window to the kitchen were the day's designated cook was handing out meals.

Looking at the food and grinning slightly, Yamamoto began to talk about his world's rationing system. Meld was surprised at how people in educational institutions would sometimes subject their pupils to the same treatment as soldiers, but after a brief explanation, Yamamoto cleared it up that such a system was more efficient than having to cook for each individual separately.

When he got to how the modern military did theirs, Meld almost lost it when he heard of the preservation methods used to keep rations available for months to even years at a time, yet still keep the flavors of noble food and the right nutrition required by a soldier.

This went on for a while. During that time, the observer resumed their stalking. Unaware that both had already noticed but chose to just ignore it instead.

"So we're learning magic today, huh?"

Ryutarou stretched his arms behind his head as an early morning workout. He and the rest of the class proceeded on their daily route to the soldier's barracks to have their breakfast. They would have had it in the palace's grand hall but Meld's insistence and their training warned them that eating the hearty meals of noblemen would soon end up out of their mouths rather than in their stomachs.

"Isn't it just a waste compared to more physical training?"

Not everyone thought so.

"Muscle brain."

"Hah?!"

"Shizuku-chan, stop being rude. Ryutarou-kun, we shouldn't say anything until we've heard what Meld-san has to say. It might be important to getting stronger," Seeking cooperation from everyone, the class angel decided to ask her childhood friend. "Don't you think so, Kouki-kun?"

"…"

"Kouki-kun?"

"Hm? What is it Kaori?"

"… nothing…"

Flattened at being ignored, Shizuku had to rub the girl on her head while Ryutarou looked to his best pal. Of the class, these usual four were talking in their own little group, being given a wide berth from the rest. So anything they might have to say wasn't really heard by the rest.

"You alright Kouki? You seem down."

"I'm fine." Contrary to his words, his usual confident and upbeat expression was absent. Instead, Kouki was looking deflated. "Just thinking about something."

"Yamamoto?"

"It's Yamamoto, isn't it?"

"Yamamoto-kun, right?"

"Eh?" shocked at the simultaneous guesses, Kouki couldn't stop his face from contorting in shock. "How did you all know?"

"You've been down ever since he started ignoring you like three days ago."

"Every time we were all taking a break, you were asking the others if they'd seen Yamamoto around."

"When we're eating dinner with the king and everyone else, you always seem to be looking for Yamamoto-kun if he was in his seat."

All three voiced their individual opinion. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, Ryutarou's guess pointed out that Kouki had been having this dilemma earlier than the two girls could notice. As expected of the best friend.

"You're not going homo are you?"

"Shizuku?! Wha-what're you saying?!"

"Shizuku-chan, you shouldn't say stuff like that!"

"Kaori…"

"If Kouki-kun's going to come out of the closet, it's none of our business. We should leave him to it."

"Kaori?!"

"Kaori, you're so adorable. Mm. You're right. Sorry for speaking out of your preferences, Kouki."

"Shizuku?!"

"… Well… as your best friend… I can't say I won't support you… er… good luck, Kouki."

"RYUTAROU?!"

"Pffft…"

"Heheheh…"

"Hahahah…"

With the completely random question, Yaegashi Shizuku threw off her childhood friend's focus into disarray. This was added on by her best friend's follow-up remarks as well as Ryutarou's astonishing support of the idea. Really, friends were amazing. Sometimes, they were worth more to you than everything else. Other times, they were as embarrassing as a misleading photo.

"Then, for real this time." After they were all done having their fun, they decided to get back to the main issue at hand with Shizuku pulling their reins. "Why're you looking around for Yamamoto if you're not going homo?"

"I told you, it's not like that." Kouki had a hand to his forehead while his expression turned from exasperation to frustration. "I was just wondering why Yamamoto wouldn't want to join us in training so we could fight the devils."

"Stupid Kouki," Shizuku instantly barbed at his answer.

"Eh?"

"He already told us that, remember?" Shizuku was speaking about the day they were summoned as well as the other day when he left for the Library. When Yamamoto declared he would find another way to return home and him proving his commitment by beginning his research. "Did you seriously forget about it? Or did you just not listen again?"

Kouki grit his teeth. It was more that he couldn't accept the reason than he didn't hear it. He knew it. All three of his closest friends knew it. They just chose to stay quiet about it as they didn't see Yamamoto doing what he could as a problem. Only Kouki did.

"Tell us again, Kouki. Honestly, this time." Shizuku looked into the eyes of her childhood friend. "Why are you looking for Yamamoto?"

Having grown up together from a young age, she had grown used to this stubborn side of Kouki. The side that chose to absolutely stay the same. The side that always thought what he was doing was right. The only flaw she ever saw in the so-called 'perfect boy'.

"I wanted to have a little talk with him. I want to convince him to join us fight for this world's sake."

Shizuku could only stare at the guy's face with plain indifference. Had it been any other girl besides her and Kaori, they might've swooned at the nobility of the response and chosen to support him through and through. But Shizuku wasn't like that. No, she chose to ask the difficult questions.

"Then, what're you gonna do if he still says 'no'?"

"Eh?" By his response, he looked like he didn't expect to be denied. This only deepened the sigh Shizuku held within. "Then, I'll… I'll…"

"You'll what? You'll force him into helping us? Is that what the Hero thinks is right?"

"Force?! No! I-I just… But what about the people of Tortus? Is it wrong to save them? Shouldn't we do the right thing and save the innocent people from the devils?"

"Haaah," Shizuku finally released the sigh she was holding in.

Kouki was finding excuses and not answering her question, again. This wasn't the first time. Before he became popular, before when his grandfather had just died, he swore to her that he would always do what was right.

It was the typical setup for a romantic subplot. But Shizuku, even back then, had always suppressed her girlish side and chose to adopt a more pragmatic persona she had kept using up till this day. She then asked a similar question before.

'What exactly did you have to do to be right?'

She didn't remember his exact response anymore. It happened quite a while back. But she was sure he just asked something similar to what he had just responded with.

'Shouldn't we do the right thing?'

Or something like that.

Shizuku shook her head in disappointment. Even after being transported to another world like one of those light novels, Kouki still retained that stupid mindset. Shizuku wanted to scream at him, to make him understand. But she knew, no matter what she did or wanted him to think, he would just shake his head and say, 'That's wrong, Shizuku'.

The major flaw in her childhood friend that she hated so much.

He was always right. Even when he was wrong, he was still right. And he would never think he was wrong. Even with all the evidence you'd pile up in his face, he would just shrug it off.

And he didn't even mean to do it. All his actions were done with good intentions.

As one of his closest friends, she had taken it upon herself to apologize to everyone he had wronged by mistake. Nagumo was a big example. She always apologized for both Kaori and Kouki's sakes as they only mean well to help or advice Nagumo, but whatever they did only seemed to burden the guy more. Shizuku understood that whatever she would say to them, Kouki especially, would fall on deaf ears.

Maybe Kaori would understand, but then it would be the same as Shizuku telling her best friend that she couldn't pursue her love interest. She couldn't do that either. She couldn't live with the guilt and pain that would bring to Kaori.

Ryutarou wouldn't even be able to help because he was a muscle brain.

"Kouki's right." Case and point, the dumb lug was smashing his fist to a palm to show his enthusiasm. "Since we were summoned, we need to take on the devils."

'Thanks for nothing, Bakatarou,' her teeth were making grinding noises, but neither boys noticed.

"Thanks, Ryutarou," the idiot nodded in response before Kouki turned back to her. "I don't know what I'll do, Shizuku, but I'll make sure Yamamoto sees my point. Then, we can all end this war and go home."

Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He was ignoring the point once more. Somehow, Shizuku wondered why she even put up with the boy's constant persistence of being correct. He was a paragon of justice, sure.

But he couldn't even find the justice behind other people's choices.

What was the point in arguing with someone like that?

Then again, when did I stop trying to change his mind?

It was another difficult question. One meant for herself.

There was a time when she tried to clarify Kouki's purpose in life. 'To be a paragon of justice' was too vague when the guy wouldn't specify what kind of justice it was. The end result being a lot of misunderstandings and people either seeing Kouki as an awesome guy or a really arrogant prick.

He was her friend. But when did she choose to start apologizing for his sake rather than sternly explain to him the consequences of his actions?

"Maa, maa, no need to make such a dreary face, Shizuku-chan," Kaori, the slight airhead with a kind soul moved to comfort her best friend. If Shizuku was yuri, she would never let Nagumo have her. "We're here now. Let's just enjoy our meal, okay?"

"Mm."

Shizuku simply nodded. They had arrived. Maybe it was her hunger that was causing it, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt guilty for Kouki's current state. It was her fault, in a way. And she hasn't done anything to remedy that.

Some friend you are.

She wallowed in her silence until she bumped into Kaori's back.

"Eh, Kaori?" she noticed not just her best friend, but the rest of the class was cluttering at the barrack's cafeteria's entrance. "What's everyone waiting for?"

Kaori shook her own head as if to say even she didn't know.

Being one of the taller girls, Shizuku only had to tiptoe slightly to see a few classmates stopped at the entrance and whispering to themselves. A bit to the fore, she could see Aiko-chan-sensei struggling to get one their attention as she asked what's the holdup about.

"Everyone, why aren't you going in? We still need to be ready for— YAMAMOTO-KUN!"

No sooner had she reached there and peeked into the hall at what they were staring at did she start her tirade of the angry, but adorable, teacher and vanished into the hall.

"Yama-? Everyone, excuse me!"

Hearing the name, even Kouki decided to get in on the action. The class parted at his words as Shizuku and the other two followed after their friend. When they got to the front and into the hall, they saw the transfer student being scolded by the little teacher.

"Mou, you had sensei worried when I asked one of the maids where you were when you never showed up at all yesterday and she told me you were resting in your room exhausted! What were you thinking, trying to overwork yourself? We haven't seen much of you since we got here! You almost gave sensei a heart attack! What do you have to say for yourself? Well?!"

It was quite the thing, seeing such a little person with all that anger stuffed inside to come bursting out. Though Shizuku and the rest respected their teacher, they still found it cute for her to act like such a child. Even though she was trying her hardest to look like an adult, it could only be seen as a temper tantrum.

"My apologies, Hatayama-sensei." Yamamoto Eichirou, however, was an outlier to their group and, instead of treating her like a child, responded like a new hire being scolded by the manager by bowing a perfect ninety degrees. "I had overestimated myself and tried to learn as much as I could while forgetting to rest."

"Why would you do such a thing you silly boy? You know you're not in Earth anymore. Don't push yourself too much."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to find a way to get sensei safely back home as soon as possible."

Shizuku noticed how he used the term 'sensei' to refer to Ai-chan instead of 'the class' to refer to everyone. She also noted how he said so with such a straight face that Ai-chan didn't so much as shy away, but instead, blushed at the implication while attempting to keep her composure.

"If that's all it is, then good. Just… just don't worry sensei too much, understand?"

"Thank you for your concern, Hatayama-sensei. I haven't been your student for long, but I'm grateful for your efforts to watch over this careless me. You really are an impressive instructor."

A bow, a smile, and maybe a wink. Such theatrics. Great performance. Much words. Shizuku could only watch as Ai-chan-sensei seemed to swoon at the praise. There was no romantics involved. Just that the little adult sorely appreciated being referred to as a proper teacher. But her actions were interpreted quite differently among the class.

"Uwah, transfer student is good."

"Nah, Ai-chan is just so precious."

"Grr, how dare he make a move on Ai-chan?!"

"Gambare, Ai-chan-sensei!"

Well, maybe 'quite' wasn't the term for it.

"Oh, I see everyone's up and ready." Meld, who had been sitting quietly across from Yamamoto suddenly stood up. "Please, have your breakfast first. I shall go and sort out the matter of your magic instructors. Eichirou, sorry for asking you to wait longer."

"It's no problem, Meld. I can wait," Yamamoto replied as he casually spoke to the Knight Commander. "Besides, I should report some of my findings to my teacher and also talk with a few of my friends."

"Then, I'll leave you to it." Before exiting the hall, Meld-san gave them an hour to be ready. "I'll send one of my men to pick you up later after I've gathered the court mages."

The rest of the class took their seats after grabbing a tray. They still hadn't gotten used to the soldier's rations, but they at least felt better after a workout compared to the first day when most of them were short of vomiting. Shizuku thought the flavoring was a bit too bland and the bread as hard as a brick, but she, like many of the others, made do by having it soaked in the soup for a while and saving it for last.

Sitting down with the other three, they positioned themselves close to the door. But the center of everyone's attention, the classmate they hadn't so much as heard from in two day, conveniently sat in the middle of the hall.

Looking around, everyone was looking at him strangely. Some like Hiyama were leering. Others had concerned looks, especially Ai-chan. But sitting across from her, Kouki was glancing over his shoulder with a serious but frustrated look. Like a hunter that found its prey but didn't know how to approach it.

"Kouki, are you sure you're not homo?"

"Shizuku!"

The words had him back to focusing on his meal. But she knew this was just a temporary fix. In due course, Kouki would confront Yamamoto. Not immediately as her words may have had an effect on him. But he will. He always pushes for what he wants. And soon, she might need to apologize for what he had to say.

Again.

"Yo, Eichin! Aren't you gonna eat? And what were you and Meld doing together?"

"I already did, Kentarou-kun." Eichirou replied politely to the rapid-fire questions. "I slept early last night. Woke up a bit too soon. Coincidentally, I met up with Meld who was also awake and he asked me to join him eat breakfast. I had the time, so I obliged."

"Hmm," Jugo who sat next to Kentarou, who took Meld's spot across Eichirou, laid down his tray. "So, what happened yesterday? Didn't think you were the type to tire yourself out."

"Well, I just had to verify something after I registered my Status Plate. I really forgot to take a break when I got too engrossed in the books. You wouldn't believe how many their Library has collected over the years."

"You've registered it? Can I see?"

Most people would flinch at the sudden but quiet voice popping out from behind Yamamoto, but the boy in question merely smiled and let Kousuke who appeared from his shadow to peek over his shoulder.

"If you can keep a secret," he waited for the boy to nod before bringing up the plate. "Status Open."

"… !"

For a moment, Endou found it difficult to read the plate. Yamamoto had a few fingers obscuring the skills section. But when he noted that they were not as notable as the class section, his eyes widened. True to his word, he kept silent for Yamamoto's sake.

"What's up? What did he get?"

Kousuke didn't respond as Eichirou tucked the artifact away into his coat pocket.

"It's a secret, Kentarou-kun."

"Eeehhh?"

Kentarou and Jugo who sat opposite the duo and couldn't see the plate's contents made disappointed faces as Yamamoto refused to share with a knowing grin. Well, Kentarou made the disappointed one, Jugo had a more understanding expression. Akin to his 'old man' face, the guy was mature enough to not pry.

"What do you mean by 'secret', Eichin? I wanna know too! Why does Kochin get to know but I don't?!"

"Prying is a no-no, Kentarou-kun." He maintained the smile but his eyes were teasing. "A gentleman should know when to stop, otherwise the ladies would think you the obsessive type."

"He's right, you know?" Sending the pouting Kentarou into a jump, another classmate casually joined the conversation while her friend stood awkwardly behind her. "Good morning, Yamamoto-kun."

Endou amusingly watched as the newcomer's presence threatened to expose Kentarou's red expression.

"Good morning to you as well, Tsuji Ayako-san, Yoshino Mao-san."

"Ayako's fine, y'know." The girl casually spoke and dropped the formalities. "We're all classmates here."

"Then, Ayako-san, likewise, call me Eichirou." Getting the introduction out of the way, Yamamoto addressed his first concern. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Seriously, is that really how you talk?" she asked, cringing slightly at the formality.

"I didn't grow up in Japan most of my life. The formalities are a habit I picked up when speaking English."

"Huh? You've been speaking English this whole time, Eichin?" interrupting like it was no one's business, Kentarou decided to ask the obvious. "I never noticed."

"Well, everyone here has the Language Comprehension skill. It would be surprising if you didn't understand me no matter what I said."

What he said was true. Kousuke never really noticed that the people of Tortus weren't speaking Japanese, but they were being understood all the time without difficulty.

"That aside, I wanted to ask, Eichirou-kun," Ayako sat next to Kentarou, much to the boy's shocking embarrassment. Sadly, or in his case fortunately, the girl didn't notice as Yoshino took her place next to her friend. "You said you were researching in the library, right?"

"Yes, I am."

"Have you found anything?" she twiddled her fingers. She was nervous, or so Endou observed. "To get us back home, I mean."

Silence fell on their table and maybe the whole room as well. Everyone wanted to know but only she dared to ask. It was a type of false hope, one they dreamed of attaining but were scared of verifying. Yamamoto looked like he understood that. And his reply was straight and true.

"As of now, not yet." The temperature in the room dropped before he decided to spare some good news. "I've only had two days to go over a small fraction of the Library's collection. It would be impossible for me to have gone through it all in such a short amount of time."

"I see. Thanks." Ayako had disappointment painted on her face. She expected the answer, but still didn't like it. Yoshino had a hand to her best friend's back, even though she too was similarly depressed. "I guess going home really isn't that simple."

"Not to worry, Ayako-san," Eichirou spoke up, trying to brighten her day. "From what I've researched, magic isn't that hard to understand at all. I performed a few tests the other day and it's quite easy once you get the hang of it."

"Eh?"

"What're you on about, Eichin?"

Kousuke wasn't as surprised as the others. He and Hajime had already witnessed it with their own eyes. Had he not, he would be appalled.

"Well, you'll have to see it later then. I'm joining you all for the magic lectures today."

That brought a small reaction from everyone else. Glancing at Kouki's table, Kousuke noted how the guy seemed to stare hopefully at Eichirou. It was weird. He wasn't going to question it.

"Eh? Is that true, Yamamoto-kun?" appearing out of nowhere, Ai-chan-sensei sat down on Eichirou's other side, unaware of the weird looks she was being given by how close she was to the boy.

"Yes, Hatayama-sensei. I theorized that if magic got us here, we could use it to get us back," Yamamoto responded. "Since Meld told me about it, I figured I should learn more and a practical test should be what I need."

Just then, Yamamoto stopped, as if realizing something just now.

"Hey, Kousuke, have you seen Hajime? I thought he would be ecstatic at the thought of learning magic?"

"I guess he went to the Library instead." Kousuke merely shrugged as he responded. Even he didn't know why Nagumo was missing. Compared to the others, he seemed to be the one who would've been excited about the day's topic.

A few others seemed to think otherwise.

"Heh, maybe he chickened out."

"Figures. That weakling's too weak to even want to try."

Distasteful comments came from Hiyama's table. The sickened look he was being given by a few others, notably Shirasaki and Yaegashi, and the disproving ones from Ayako and Ai-chan didn't seem to bother them.

"Ara ara, I didn't think they would have puppies in Tortus." Then there was the balls of steel Eichirou who's words caught everyone off guard. "Don't you think small pups are adorable, Kentarou-kun?"

"Eh? Ah, yeah, but… Eh? What's this about dogs?"

"Well, when you think of pups, you'd look at them as adorable little things with no knowledge of the world."

"Uh, Eichin, what's your point?" Kentarou asked what everyone in the room was thinking.

"Oh nothing really," his smirk was one of being in the know to a small joke. "Just that pups are also known more for their adorable little barks than the weak little bites. I mean, they're cute and all. But if no one puts them in their place, that's all they'll grow up to be. All bark and no bite. Then they're no longer cute. Just a pack of mindless mutts who can only squeak about all their problems."

"Hah?!" Hiyama and company were all getting up from their seats, expecting a fight.

"Ara, the barking mutt got louder."

"Wanna say that to my face, hah? Yamamoto?"

"Did you say something, Kousuke-kun?"

"No, I didn't."

"Hmm, strange. Must be a dog or something. My bad."

"Don't ignore me!"

"ENOUGH!" stepping up in her full capacity as teacher, no matter how short she was, Ai-chan tried to calm down the situation. "That's enough from both of you. Hiyama-kun, finish your meal. Yamamoto-kun, stop antagonizing your classmates."

"I apologize, Hatayama-sensei," Yamamoto was once again up and bowing before her. "However, if you think about it, someone I'm not friends with is insulting a friend who is not present. I'm sorry for my attitude, but if you expect me to not react, you will be sorely disappointed."

"I understand how you feel, but now is not the time to be bickering between classmates. We shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves while we aren't even in our own world."

Eichirou bowed once more to the teacher, but he refused to even acknowledge Hiyama. Kousuke glanced over to their group. All four were glaring at his back. Eichirou, on the other hand, had half of his face with a satisfied smirk. Of course, the half that was visible to Ai-chan-sensei was passive and expressionless. It was a creepy thing to see.

Time passed and after Ai-chan finished scolding the others for their rude comments and getting everyone to finish up, the normal atmosphere returned and the class resumed what they normally talked about. No one except the Four Assholes of course. They maintained their glares on Eichirou's back.

"What are you trying to pull?" Kousuke decided to ask. He felt something off about Eichirou's behavior. The guy was the type to accommodate another when spoken to. This was the first time he saw someone talk in his own pace and flat-out ignore another just a second after an insinuated insult. It was as if he was trying to piss them off rather than simply defending Hajime.

"Oh nothing." The smirk had now vanished, replaced by his default friendly expression. Th sudden swap strangely sent chills down Endou's spine. "I was just wondering what I should do later. Lady Liliana and I will be having tea again during my break time from research."

The change in topic surged throughout the whole class. Gossips were passed around. Some about how Ai-chan-sensei was playing second fiddle to the Princess. When asked why he was to spend time with her, he merely responds with:

"Lady Liliana was interested about our world, so she decided to meet with me to satiate her curiosity."

Those choice of words sent everyone's, in this case the girl's, into rumor-pumping overdrive. Ayako wasn't helping as she was one of the more inquisitive of the group, pelting Eichirou with question after question. Ai-chan was left to suffer the teasing and sympathy of the others.

Soon enough, they all forgot about the argument.

They finished their breakfast just as Meld's soldier, the same one to guide himself and Hajime to the library just the other day, came in to guide the students towards a large hall adjacent to the training grounds. Passing by the area, they noted that there were several strawmen stood upright in the field. Kousuke and the rest thought they were to be used as target practice.

Upon their arrival, they were greeted by several men and women, each wearing shawls and robes. Some carried books on their person while others had sticks and staffs. There were also several servants of the palace in attendance, carrying several stacks of parchment, ink, quills, and multiple copies of the same books. Several bundled rods with differently shaped heads were tended to by other maids. One of them, Kousuke recognized, was the maid who was assigned to Eichirou. Iselda, he remembered.

"Good day to you, Apostles-sama," greeting them was what seemed to be the eldest of the robed men, wearing robes fit for a scholar while holding onto a stave with differently colored ornaments. "I am the Court Mage Break Senec. It will be a pleasure to train you all in the art of magic."

"I understand most of you have not the knowledge for the basics. In light of this, we have brought several of our most capable magicians to assist you in your lesson today."

Each of them bowed to the class in turn. It reminded Kousuke of their first day, just after being summoned, with the priests and Ishtar. Now that he thought about it, their bows were cold and felt tired. These people, however, looked to the class with reverence and expectation.

Now he understood Eichirou's words at the library the other day a bit more.

The Church was using them. The people of Tortus was desperate for their help. In turn, the former was willing to kidnap children, the latter had begun to stoop low enough to beg.

Kousuke's brow scrunched at the thought.

"As there are so many of you, we will be dividing you into groups and assigning each one instructor. Pease, group yourselves into four persons per group. After you've understood the general idea of how to perform magic, the maids will give you some tools and utensils to aid you."

Kentarou nudged both Jugo and Eichirou at the instructions while Eichirou just glanced towards him. The fact that Kentarou accidentally forgot about him again was harsh but normal, but with Eichirou there to find him, it seemed a bit relieving. Kousuke was grateful for it.

Everyone started grouping up. The girls mostly kept to themselves with a few exceptions like Kouki's group of two boys and girls each. Break-san approached theirs, saying he was given instructions by the king to do all he could to assist the Hero's growth.

Typical of the Hero. He received all the attention. But unlike Meld's training which gave no particular favoritism, the mages all seemed to show their preferences. Hiyama's instructor seemed alright but didn't seem to enjoy being assigned to a group with some muscle-brained idiot. Tsuji's group of Taniguchi, Yoshino and Nakamura all seemed to get along with their female instructor who was, by far, the youngest.

"Good day to you, Apostles-sama." Approaching their group of four boys, an aged lady with a blue shawl over her graying head approached them. Her features told that she was once a beautiful girl and although past middle-aged, her posture was straight and true, giving the impression of a healthy lifestyle. In her arms were a simple staff and a thick tome with a few sheets inserted here and there. "My name is Tear and I shall be your instructor for today."

Greeting her back with a bow, the guys awaited her instruction. Well, except for Eichirou who was looking over the equipment and books pushed off to the side.

"We shall be discussing the basics and learning to draw magic circles and their different components." Tear-san continued. "After which, we will start drawing examples and then we will move on to using—? Excuse me, Apostle-sama?"

Kousuke turned to look over where she was staring at. Eichirou had pulled away from the group and was now fiddling with one of the staves while propping open a book. 'Magic Tools' was the title.

"Oh, please. Don't mind me." Eichirou nonchalantly replied as if nothing was wrong in what he was doing. "I've already read through all the basics yesterday at the Library. I've also used magic and experimented with a few components of the circles. The exception being these tools."

"Uhm, forgive me if I don't believe you, Apostle-sama," she stared at him awkwardly, unsure as what to do. Kousuke could tell this woman was not used to being interrupted nor was she often told to resume class by her student who wasn't even paying attention.

"Yamamoto Eichirou, Madam Tear-sama." He offered a most gracious bow. It would have been respectable if he wasn't breaking protocol right now. "Would you prefer it if I proved myself?"

"Prove?" The old mage pondered for a second before sighing and nodding. "Very well, Apo—Yamamoto-sama. If you can prove that you can use basic magic, then I guess it will be alright for you to start studying on magic tools by yourself."

"I'm very grateful for your understanding."

Kousuke was too. Normally, when you interrupt a teacher, it was considered disrespectful and could land you in a heap of trouble. Tear-san seemed to be the moderate type, consideration before anger, as she seemed to be alright with the arrangement. Well, the small gleam in her eyes told Kousuke that she was more curious about his claims as well.

"Is there any spell or element you would request, as per the test?"

"Normally, I would ask a student to perform any magic they think is their best." Tear-san said so with a chuckle, probably reminiscing of her past students and their tests. "Seeing as you seem confident with your knowledge, I shall leave the choice to you, Yamamoto-sama."

"Very well," he nodded. "Iselda-san, please hand me some parchment, an inkwell and a quill."

The maid nodded and immediately gave him the utensils. Soon enough he was drawing on each of the parchments with different circles apiece. All the while, the mage Tear observed his actions, neither commenting nor drawing away from his movements. She merely observed. Soon enough, the other instructors took notice with a few, as well as their assigned groups, stopping to watch.

Soon, he had five different circles arrayed before him in a row. One remaining parchment was crumpled next to him. It was then that Tear-san decided to ask.

"Yamamoto-sama, what is it exactly that you will demonstrate?"

"Different spells that I've formed from my studying from the library, Tear-sama. I shall demonstrate them simultaneously."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" The sounds of an elderly man laughing burst from the center of the hall, garnering the attention of those present. "Forgive me Apostle-sama. But in all my years of being a Court Mage, I have never heard of a magician invoking several spells all at once."

"Is it not possible, Break-san?" Kouki chose to ask.

"My dear Hero-sama," the pandering old mage replied. "Magic is performed with the caster as a source of mana, a magic circle or magic tool as a medium, and the spell cast as the result. It would be hard to focus on activating multiple spells at the same time even for someone of your caliber."

"Since the mana to power the spells would be split among multiple targets at once." Kouki stated the obvious.

The other mages nodded at this, reinforcing the fact that what Eichirou was attempting to do was naught but childish fantasy. The class started whispering about it. Hiyama and his posse seemed to gloat. As if to call Eichirou a 'show-off'.

"Well, what you say that can't be done is none of my concern," Eichirou simply shrugged and ignored them all. "Tear-sama, I shall start the demonstration. If you would all please take a step back."

The only mage to not ridicule him did as requested. Kousuke pulled Iselda out of the way, surprising the girl but only for a moment, while Jugo did the same with Kentarou. All eyes were now on Eichirou as Break continued to chuckle behind the boy's back.

He had arrayed the five parchment pieces on the floor in a row with himself at the head of one. The balled-up crumpled piece was in right hand. Raising his left and aiming for the other pages on the floor, he breathed deeply, paused, then spoke clearly.

"Raise the pillars into the sky. Sound thy fury at the first sign of invaders. Strike, Blow, Blast, Burn, Rend, as I instruct thee, Five Towers."

Nothing happened. No light show, no glowing, not even the wind. But before the elderly mage and the other classmates could start mocking him, he raised his other hand, the ball crumpled within and added more.

"Cover the earth with great wings. Reveal the magic in the air. Scatter, as I command thee, Mana Fog."

Rolling the non-reacting ball in his palms, he spoke the final line.

"Five times, shield this fragile soul. Protect its path straight and true. Hold Firm, as I implore thee, Pentashell"

With that, he was done. In finishing the words, Eichirou tossed the crumpled ball towards the five pieces of paper.

What happened next shocked everyone. Those in proximity, maybe quite literally. Those in disbelief, Kousuke would like to think they were probably both.

DAN

A pillar of lightning erupted from the first page as soon as the thrown ball flew above it, striking the paper sphere but not causing any damage. It flew above the first and over the second.

GON

A pillar of earth grew from the floor, knocking the paper back up and on. Again, no damage. The third erupted next.

FIZZ

A gout of water struck the ball, slowing it into a roll but allowing it to hop on forward. Once more, the ball was not harmed or even drenched. Reaching the fourth, a great heat surged forth.

BOOSH

A column of flame gushed out, enveloping the paper ball in a mini-fire cyclone. Yet again, not a scratch to the paper. The final page remained.

WHOOOOOOOOOWL

A real live tornado the size of a person burst forth and slammed into the ball. Visibly, the ball held. Audibly, the sound of blades striking glass and the glass shattering rang in everyone's ears.

Then, the paper ball uncrumpled itself and spread out. The sixth circle imprinted within shone then exploded with light.

WOOOOOSH

A cloud of smoke erupted from the center of the circle in the air. But unlike regular smoke, this one neither smelled of anything burning nor did it do much to obscure vision. Instead, once it came into contact with the five other parchments below, the previous pillars that had come and gone started to reappear in different colors.

Blue for the lightning pillar. Orange surrounded the earthen pillar still above ground. Verdant green for the waterspout that was now spluttering out. Crimson swirls for the fire cyclone. A silvery whorl with sharpened blades made the wind pillar. Above the pillars, a small golden trail of the paper ball was traced along its bouncing path, each bounce accentuated by fragments of shattering light before culminating into the shattered star where the fog came from.

Kousuke noted, however, that there was a faint yet thin violet trail coming from each page, even the crumbled one, that traced itself back to Eichirou's hands.

"No way…"

"That's… impossible…"

"How…? How can this be?!"

The mages all had different reactions. The Court Mage himself was stunned speechless. But only one reaction was given any response.

"It's… … … beautiful."

"Such praise is undeserved, Tear-sama." Eichirou simply bowed as if to end his performance. "With a bit of practice, anyone can accomplish this feat. Given they have the mana capacity, of course."

He smiled as a performer would at the end of the demonstration. Had this been a circus show, a few in their crowd would have cried for an encore. Tear-san herself just stared in awe of the beautiful colors.

Kousuke too simply stared, amused. Before he noticed, he was clapping an applause. Iselda the maid joined, or maybe to her, started her own. Soon, everyone was doing so. The exception being, as expected, the Four Assholes who were gaping with spite at the spectacle.

"Now, as I have proved myself, I believe I am now permitted to study with magic tools?"

"Eh? Ah, that's right." Tear-san looked surprised. It was as if she had forgotten the reason for the demonstration in the first place. "You are free to do as you wish. There are targets in the field if you will be practicing with long range magic and targeted spells."

"I thank you for your judgment."

Eichirou, content with his freedom, took a stave and a book with him. Just as he was about to leave, however.

"WAIT!" The old Break had broken from his stupor to shout out. "How? How were you able to do all that?! The simultaneous casting? The high-level wind attribute magic, lightning? Tell me! I MUST KNOW!"

He very nearly tossed Kouki aside as he tripped on his robes trying to get as close as possible to Eichirou. If it wasn't for Kouki reacting accordingly and catching the old coot before his face hit the floor, he'd probably have broken his back or nose.

"Senec-sama," but Eichirou didn't flinch, instead he smiled. Mockingly. "If you would like me to elaborate on my circles, I suggest you finish instructing the Hero and his group first. It wouldn't do for any of us to disobey the king's orders and I'm sure we will have the time to discuss it later. When you're free. Now, please excuse me. I do not wish to interrupt anymore of your lectures."

With that, he made his exit. Iselda followed him closely with a few more utensils in hand as well as the sheets he used for the demonstration.

"An amazing display," Tear-san nodded to the fading mana residue of the five pillars. "To think that there was a mage who could cast multiple spells and not suffer the backlash of insufficient mana requirements."

"It's not completely impossible, right?" Kentarou meekly inquired. "I mean, Eichin did it. Right?"

He looked to Jugo who also shrugged. Kousuke simply shrugged to himself. Had he known at first that such a thing was impossible, maybe he would be surprised. But magic was new to him and all the others. To say he was impressed with a magic show was nothing short of the obvious. But the mages of Tortus were beyond impressed. They were astounded. To them, Eichirou probably found an answer to a question that plagued them for centuries or more.

Yamamoto Eichirou was a surprising enigma. But if there was one thing Kousuke understood, it was that Eichirou was driven and he would stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

He said he wanted to find a way home. He took the opportunity to join this lecture, and yet he was off doing his own advanced studies. He had taken initiative to find another way back. Doing so denied the Pope or the King to dictate his actions. And instead he plays as the servant of another god wanting to return, willingly lying to a central authority of power, one that could possibly erase him.

If anything, Eichirou was amazing in his own right. Kousuke respected him for it. And for not treating him like air.

The latter thing is irrelevant but the point still stands.

Yamamoto Eichirou was amazing.

'I wonder what goes on in that guy's head?' thought Kousuke.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT, IT FUCKING WORKED?! OH MY GOD, I'M FUCKING SAVED!

I internally screamed for my success but kept the composed façade on. If Iselda wasn't following me to the training grounds' open area, I would've been jumping in joy!

Tear had only asked me to perform my best magic, but I seriously doubt a simple Candlelight spell would pass as impressive. I mean, sure, the librarian was amazed, but these people were mages. MAGES. Their entire profession revolved around magic! If I had used Candlelight, no matter how bright, it would be the same as a toddler flipping a switch and saying, 'I have the POWER!'.

Cute, but no.

I needed to impress. Therefore I needed something jaw-dropping. Luckily, I found that theory the day before. The one on Magic Circle's Structural Components. TL;DR: Magic results from the circles. Circles are like math or science equations. Equations have components. Change or add components to make or change the magic. Use a bit of imagination to 'see' it working. Aaaaaaand it works! Tada. End of story.

Well, not really.

Had it not been for my desperation yesterday, I wouldn't have thought to use my skill while practicing magic.

"Here will be fine, Iselda-san." I stopped a few meters before one of the targets and took the items off the maid. "Could you please find me a stool to set this down while I work?"

"A stool, is it?" The girl bowed and answered as per the norm. "Understood, Yamamoto-sama."

As soon as she left, I uttered the small phrase.

"Appraisal, magic stave."

My vision blurred slightly before focusing again. But this time, when I gazed at the stave in my hand, a feeling in my mind pulsed repeatedly. Information. Data itself came into my mind as I looked at the stave. Numbers, uses, the magic spell engraved in its end. All that jazz was jammed into my skull. Not painfully or soothingly, just pushed itself in there. Like I had read a pamphlet about this particular stave but my 'reading' said pamphlet caused the words to just enter my head.

Quite invasive as I didn't necessarily want to learn everything about it, but ok.

One hundred centimeters in length, about three feet and three inches. About one and a half centimeter in diameter. The material used was iron. Several scratches and dents resulting from mishandling or dropping the thing but still functional. Tempered by a Synergist that had help from another, a Magician, as the metal had a high mana retention to absorb some when expelled from the body. Basically a mini-mana battery.

The endpoint was that of a simple crystal green orb. Shaved magic crystal taken from a monster. A large one from the sea at that. The green color was because of the water spell engraved within.

The red and silver filigree were crushed magic crystals imbued with wind and fire magic. One was from a reptilian that was constantly immolated, the other from a flying one with petrification magic. Used to increase affinity with related spells. In short, something used to temporarily raise the aptitude to said magics.

The invasive feeling dissipated but the information remained. Now I knew more about the stave than I did my own clothes.

Quite creepy indeed.

But I wasn't done. To the guards stationed around the place, I was just a guy checking out the new staff. To me, I was having my mind fucked by a skill implanted in my head by a jerk wad of a kidnapper god. Grimacing at the thought, I repeated muttering but changed my target.

"Appraisal, magic stave, water spell circle, circle components."

This one was trickier as well as the key to my making the demonstration possible. I did it with one of my own drawn circles before, but all it gave me was a screenshot of the damn circle in my head. I needed to specify where, what, and which part. A pain in the ass, sure. But at least I finally got it right. Had I known it needed to be super specific before I started testing it, I would have stopped at the fiftieth attempt. God my head felt like mom's camera. The same goddamn formation of the same goddamn thing with fifty or so duplicates.

'For backups,' she says. Dammit, mom! That is NOT how it works. Anyway, the 'components' bit had to be noted down in detail. Simply knowing them wasn't enough. To activate a multi-elemental spell simultaneously from five different points, I had to also know the mana's entry points, the spell's exit points, the spell's resulting shapes, dimensions and what not. Incidentally, the information was all in a language that the Language Comprehension skill auto translated. The words for 'wind magic' was a root word for 'lightning'. I don't know what the old coot was on about when he said that it was a higher-level version. Wasn't it just a separate element?

Most importantly, the mana requirement factor. No wonder they think it's impossible, they never checked how much mana a spell consumed in a given amount of time. Sure, you could manually regulate it without altering the circle, but that requires one to have the Mana Manipulation skill to pull off perfectly. And only devils and monsters had that according to the books.

Why didn't anyone think to regulate it through the spell circle? Don't fucking know. Maybe they thought it would be stupid to change the spell even further. Maybe it was sacrilegious to do so as it violated the Church's views of what Ehito's gift was supposed to be used for. Maybe the upper class just doesn't want to make it easier for the lower class to use magic to keep the monopoly on magic studies. Who fucking knows?

But more importantly, I found the loophole and its essential component factors. All of that had to be in my head. And the Appraisal skill was the most useful in that regard.

As I expected. This skill was too dangerous for any book to just detail down on how to use. If my 'maybe's are correct, this could either cause a rift between the Church and the magic community or force the lower classes to overthrow the upper ones through revolutionizing the use of magic.

Ho Lee Shit…

.

.

.

Better keep quiet about it then… If a revolution occurs, something like the Enlightenment Period, or some civil war to overthrow the monarchy, I might lose access to the Great Library.

.

.

.

I should leave introducing this concept for public knowledge to the monarchy.

.

.

.

Yeah. Good idea. Now, back to the magic circle.

The spell's attribute was, as expected, water. Huzzah. Moving on. Range was approximately ten meters. Mana cost was on the low side and is consumed at the moment of casting the spell. Form was the size of a dodgeball. So a 'water ball' spell. Harmless, only if the speed wasn't set to hundred and ten kilometers per hour!

DAFUQ IS THIS SHIT?

It's past the speed limit on a highway! Jumping on front of a truck moving as fast as 65 mph was dangerous enough. Compressing it into a ball and sending it flying at someone is pure lethality without the use of a blade. This shit could punch a hole through a brick wall.

The basic data from the spell had it set to explode on impact. So it was an impact spell made out of water, that was also moving at the speed of cars on a highway.

Yep, it's practically a cannonball. A fucking CANNONBALL!

And they're just gonna let children handle these sticks like it's a fucking prop?

"Yamamoto-sama, I have brought a stool as you requested."

"Thanks, Iselda-san." The maid had spoken behind me. I would have jumped, but I had been to dumbstruck by the staff's capabilities that I just didn't care and thanked her normally. I dropped the tome and parchment on the top of the stool and set it aside for now. I needed to see what the staff could do. "Please stand back a bit, Iselda-san. I'm going to test how to use this staff."

She did as she was told and took two steps back. This left her standing next to the stool and things while I stood ten or so meters away from a straw target dummy.

Let's see. The book says I can omit the chant and just command the spell. Raising the stave, I aimed the green orb tip towards the target.

"Fly, as I command thee, Water Ball."

The orb formed by drawing water from the air, or in this case, mana coalesced to form water midair and gathered at the point before the staff's tip. As soon as it formed, approximately a second after casting, the ball flew, shot out of an invisible cannon by an unseen force, the water ball struck the target and exploded on impact.

BSSHHHH

The strawman was nowhere to be seen. The straw and its wooden spine? Oh they were everywhere, scattered around the point of impact.

Welp, it's worse than a cannonball. It's like a fucking grenade launcher without the arc trajectory bullshit. Just cast and boom, pinata surprise!

Iselda, and the few guards posted around, were looking at the target's remains blasted into impunity. They had eyes that were the same as my previous thought, 'What the hell?!'. I agree. This thing was stupid and the Court Mage thinks it's safe to let kids handle it. Is there no Safety Regulations Protocol in this palace?

"Hm," I put the stave down on the stool and propped open the book. Thumbing through the pages, I found the one I was looking for on the magical engravings of tools. "Iselda-san, could you please ask one of the guards to—? Iselda-san?"

Still locked in place staring at the destruction my test caused, I tried standing before her and calling out once more. She very nearly jumped as well before speaking up.

"Uh, yes? What is it, Yamamoto-sama?" she said, looking flustered, at the same time, amazed.

"Could you please ask one of the guards to replace the training dummy?" She nodded but I didn't let her go just yet. "Also, please request if they could bring additional targets as well."

"Eh? Uhm," she looked towards the mess I had made then glanced back at me, then to the mess again and back. I apologize if you have to clean this up later internally, but I really need to test some things. "Understood, Yamamoto-sama."

As soon as she left, I non-verbally promised to help her clean up afterwards. It was my mess after all.

"Now, time to fix this spell."

I took an inkwell and a quill. With the quill's writing tip placed atop the green magic crystal, I began drawing a new circle. However, once I had finished, the circle began to sink into the crystal's surface as if it was actually water. It was done and I used my skill once again to confirm.

"Yamamoto-sama, we have brought the targets."

Right on time, Iselda and a soldier approached me, the maid carried one strawman which I took from her arms. It wouldn't do to burden her. Though she may be a spy, it would be prudent to act gentlemanly before her as I have done with so many others. I need to keep up the façade anyway. The man, however carried multiple targets in his arms while dragging a bundle more behind.

"Apostle-sama, should I set one up for you?" the soldier asked.

"Let's see." With the new spell I was testing, it should only need one. But I could try the other version with a wide range as well. "Let's set all of them in a row across from our current position."

"Eh?" the older man looked dumbfounded. "All of them, you say?"

Apparently he didn't expect me to waste my targets all at once. I apologize for being wasteful, soldier-san. I promise to help clean up afterwards.

We soon had them lined up like a firing squad. Three rows, five in the fore and rear, four in the middle. A single target stood on the side, like an officer would when ordering a line infantry to fire a barrage in the movies.

"That should do it," I said. Now for the maybe fun part. It's a 'maybe' only because I didn't know if it would work. "Please stand back. A few meters more this time."

Iselda guided the man back several paces. They were farther than the stool this time. Good. Staff in hand and quill in the other, I pointed the staff forward towards the solo target.

"Gush, as I command thee, Hose."

FIZZ

The water spell I swapped for Water Ball erupted from the staff. A thin stream of water flew into the target, dousing it but not doing much to push it down. The spell soon ended with the gush dying down to s splutter and soon the only water left was the puddle that surrounded the target.

"Kind of anticlimactic," I turned to face the guard who spoke. Noticing me look, he immediately stuttered and followed up with. "Eh, ah, no offense, Apostle-sama, but I really don't think such a spell is useful for combat."

"No, you're right." It wasn't designed for that purpose in the first place, but at least he spoke his mind. A level-headed soldier, I see. "This was just me testing a theory."

I walked up towards the target. They might think I came closer to inspect it so they remained at a distance. But as I walked up to it, I also changed one of the magic circle's component values of 'pressure'. In mathematical terms, I included several zeros. Up close, I spoke silently.

"Slice, as I command thee, Hydro Cutter."

FI—

Whipping the staff up from my lower left to the upper right, I repeated the motion going from my lower right to the upper left in a cross-sword slice fashion.

—ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

THWACK THWOCK DOK

The three sections of the diced target fell to the sides while its implanted stump stood there, torso less. I repeated the spell and swung the stave diagonally at the other targets from my position. Five in the fore were separated from the stump, three of the middle bisected, three in the rear had their heads lopped clean off, one was partially beheaded. Only two remained untouched.

Ugh, this really is gruesome. Had this been weaponized in such a way by accident, no doubt someone would be incarcerated for magical manslaughter. Or maybe abetting one.

I reverted the spell back to water ball with its original components and returned, only to find the guard and the maid's jaws dropping to the floor. The guard especially had his hand pointing at the targets while his eyes were white in fear. At least, that's what I assumed it was. Well, who could blame him? That spell, if ever used on a human being, would be akin to being attacked without warning and left to die while screaming in pain. Only the lucky ones would die from a beheading, the rest would have to suffer the sight of their innards pouring out in—!

Noooooooooooooo! Stop, stop, stop!

Enough gore. The circle modification test is done. Time to move on.

I snapped the man out from his stupor and had him help Iselda and I clean up the mess. I really felt bad for ruining the targets. The Hydro Cutter even made a thin cut in the ground. I used a small earth spell to remedy that, but the damage was still visible from the mess. The wreckage of the water carnage was piled as neatly as possible nearby.

"Uwah! What the hell happened here?!"

I heard them before I saw them. Turning around, I found my friends approaching, along with the rest of the class following close behind. I noticed they were all dressed in their gears while a few were now equipped with new staffs and rods. Me in my Victorian-era-like coat with the Water Ball stave looked completely out of place now that I thought about it.

The class dispersed in the fields. A few here and there spared a look at my corner of ravaged strawmen and looked away immediately. Either they were pumped to test their own or did not want to associate with a show-off like me. Didn't bother me. What did though was the look of the mages, the old coot especially. They still had to tend to their students so none approached me.

I'm guessing that wouldn't last long if they were seriously wanting to pester me about it.

I locked eyes with the mage Tear as soon as I saw her, however. She was assessing the damages to the targets in the pile. From the water puddles to the clean slices, she must've been surprised. No such water spell with a cutting function exists in this world. Of course, it didn't in Earth either, but science was another story.

Kousuke and Jugo were also glancing at the damage, but they probably understood what I had done and were now looking at me weirdly. Like I was some great and talented magician. My eye twitched at that.

"Yo, Kentarou-kun," I greeted the dude who came running towards me with a gleam in his eyes. "How was the lecture?"

"A bit boring but okay." Wow, what an honest and rude thing to say before your instructor. At least Tear was distracted by the strawmen dummies. "I learned how to cast a spell at least. Check it out."

Kentarou carried a staff of his own. There was an orange crystal strapped to the end of the meter-and-a-half long stave. Orange filigree decorated the tip down to the handle. Earth spell and earth aptitude, is it? He was wearing robes with a similar orange theme. There was a magical air to them. Maybe he got them from the mages to assist in casting earth-based magic. He took a few paces away from me, pointed the staff to the floor a few feet away from himself, and dragged a line.

"Break, as I command thee, Earth Split!"

The ground split along the drawn line, revealing a small crevice while shaking the earth around it. Hm, had he used it near his foot, he would've lost it then and there. Smart, to keep it as far away as possible.

"What do you think?" he said, looking for praise. "Pretty amazing, right?"

Kousuke was examining his own rod, a red magic crystal adorned it, ignoring the eager Kentarou. Jugo on the other hand was smiling like a father proud of his son as he held his own wand. Funny how out of the four of us, an Assassin had a staff, the one looking like a Knight held a wand, the butler-looking me held a stave, but the only one who looked like a proper mage was childishly excited.

It just made me smile at the guy's enthusiasm. He was excited to play around with magic. He dressed the part and doing it safely to boot. I guess he deserved it for being able to learn fast. Or reinventing the stereotype. But maybe someone was against giving the guy praise.

"Being able to dig up the ground isn't really a skill you should be impressed about." Another came to boast her skills. "Protecting people with a barrier and being able to heal them is better, don't you think so, Eichirou-kun?"

"Ayako-san, is your specialty defensive magic then?" I asked the new arrival who was closely followed by her best friend Yoshino.

"Well, I am a Priest." Her 'priestly' attire made her look more like a nun trying to run a marathon though. Shorts, shawl, and half a robe seemed a bit odd unless it was one of those cosplay things. "I can naturally use support-based magic, but I can also train myself to use other magics as well."

"So a support type with offensive capabilities, I see." I nodded at the flexibility. "But I don't see how that makes Kentarou-kun's magic worthless. I see a lot of flexibility in earth magic as well."

"Eh? Like how?"

Maybe another demonstration was in order. I could spare the time seeing as we've pretty much cleaned up most of the mess.

"Tear-sama, may I borrow Kentarou for a few minutes?"

The mage nodded, not even sparing me a second glance as she used her own tome to cast a smaller version of the Mana Fog spell to study the area. The mana tracing magic was useful in remaking certain magic spells reoccur visually, but the downside to it is that the spell to be found must have recently taken place for it to be visible. Mana disperses slowly, but it was incoherent like gas. Try finding mustard gas in a fart cloud. It was easier than that, but only marginally for a short window of time.

After showing Kentarou a few circles he might want to test, we decided on a few 'safer' ones. Rather than having him split the whole field in two, he is a Geomancer now that he shared it with me so it was possible, we went with the basics. His class would omit most of the chanting and I also requested a few more targets.

"Alan-san," I called on the guard who assisted Iselda in bringing the strawmen victims. "Thanks for the help. You can return to your duties if you have them, or maybe take a break with Iselda-san. We can take it from here."

The guy had been dragged around by me to clean up then set up more targets. I really shouldn't take up more of his time or the young maid's.

"Not to worry, Yamamoto-sama. I am on break right now so all you need to do is call on me."

The smile on his face said he wasn't going anywhere and that I could count on him for more heavy lifting. Iselda similarly didn't budge. Really now? How hard working were these people? Was he really doing this out of the goodness of his heart? Was he interested in watching magic? I don't know. I like the guy's eager personality, but after that Hydro Cutter test, he had been looking at me with admiration beyond simple reverence.

Was the spell really that impressive?

Anyway, the targets were up and Kentarou was ready. Kousuke stood nearby to observe at a safe distance. Jugo did the same on my opposite side while shouting support like 'You can do it' and what not. Weird. It made me think of pops while Daiki and Hanami were anchoring a track meet during elementary. Pfft—! No, stop. He's a friend. Let's not laugh at his old man's face's expense. Tsuji and Yoshino stood a little way off with their instructor, a mage named Ruina who was conversing with Tear, and her two other groupmates, Taniguchi and Nakamura.

"Ready when you are, Ken-chan!"

"Rise, as I command thee, Stone Wall!"

Kousuke sounded off his start signal and Kentarou went to town with the targets. First, he summoned walls for each target, angling them differently and a few had roofs instead of walls using slanted slabs of earth. Then, he fired off boulders or raised spears to crush the defenses for each target. In the case of the roof-only ones, he launched a boulder by hitting it from below in two points: up and forward. When it was done, he cast magic again to raise multiple walls around each target. Catching his breath, he used one last spell to have each wall close in on their targets.

When it was done, the dummy strawmen were either crushed under intense weight or pierced by stone spears. Only a select few were safe from harm under their stone bunkers. Or maybe prison in some cases.

"So… hah… how about that… hah?" Kentarou was heaving slightly. Maybe the number of magic spells had drained him somewhat. I guess we chose too much to demo at a time. "Pretty amazing, right?"

"Well, it's not that impressive." Ayako stubbornly stated. Yoshino, along with Tear and Ruina, was applauding the display. A few of the classmates were as well as their instructors. The Old Coot Break looked absolutely livid that he wasn't right here, right now, to investigate my secret to casting so many spells with such varying degrees of result. "It's just roughhousing and all brawn. There's no degree of finesse and self-control."

"Haaah?" Kentarou didn't take kindly to the comment. "I made barriers that protected well against falling boulders"

"Boring. Anyone can hide behind a rock."

"I also made spears from the ground and can use spikes to trip people up. Can a Priest top that?"

"Pfft, to 'trip people he says.' Can throwing dirt around and making them fall help your friends? Can your mud be used to heal wounds? I doubt that they have Chinese remedies here." She smirked and teased. "Try learning some healing spells before you get someone dirty with your down-to-earth spells."

"Why—you?!"

It was an awkward scene. I knew about Kentarou's feelings for Ayako. But never did I think they were close enough to tease each other like this. It was strange for me, seeing them lash out at each other without a hint of embarrassment. Well, boys will be boys.

Even Daiki tried to show off only to accidentally insult the girl he liked during elementary. Hanami, trying to console the poor thing, had almost the exact features as her twin. She ended up being flustered about it as well, being mistaken for Daiki and all.

That was adorable. But I was getting off topic again.

"Humuhumu, is it just me or is it getting hot in here?" Taniguchi Suzu pretend-fanned herself while speaking with a teasing tone. "Get a room you two! We can't practice with you having a lover's quarrel out here."

"Suzu-chan, stop it." Nakamura Eri chimed in only to tease as well. "They can make a room for themselves using Nomura-kun's earth magic anyway."

"Wha—What the hell are you implying, Eri-chan?!"

"That's right, Nakamura! There's—There's nothing between us!"

"Pfft…"

"The hell's that for Gochin?!"

"No need to be so embarrassed, Ayako-chan."

"Eh? Mao-chan too?"

Yoshino just smiled as her best friend started turning red. Jugo, meanwhile was stifling his laughter. The two adult mages just watched and observed the children blunder about.

Was this what a typical group project would look like if we were back in class? I wondered to myself.

Jugo and Kousuke just watched from the sidelines along with me. We all knew it was just a slight argument. It would solve itself, no problem. Thankfully, that was all it amounted to.

Otherwise I wouldn't have noticed the strong wind and heat dangerously blowing in our direction.

"KENTAROU! STONE WALL! RIGHT SIDE!"

"Eh?!" He jumped at my words, but through sheer luck, or coincidence, he stopped arguing with the girl and slammed his rod into the ground. "Rise, as I command thee, Stone Wall!"

DON

"Eichirou? What's—?!"

SIK SIK SIK SIK

Kousuke noticed the Wind Blade and the Fire Ball a few moments after I did. Kentarou, on point with my instructions, had erected a wall next to himself, shielding Ayako from the blades and blast. Having lost her balance, Ayako fell into his embrace just as he caught her. The Stone Wall held as four Wind Blades struck. But with a glance, I noticed the cracks.

It wouldn't hold against the approaching Fire Ball. I raised my hand and blanked out for but a moment. My lips moved, but the words were not my own.

"~Munio~"

DAN WHOOM

An explosion rocked the area. I struggled with the ringing in my ears. Or was that the splitting headache.

"Everyone alright?"

Gathering my senses, I called out from behind the dust cloud. As the place cleared up, I found Alan protecting Iselda and the two mage instructors maintaining a barrier before Yoshino and the two other girls. Well, Tear was while Ruina was fumbling with her wand. Jugo had ducked down to the ground, making himself a smaller target as he could. Kousuke had his arms up to shield his face. Kentarou were still prone behind the wall but otherwise safe.

No one was hurt.

"Oh?! Sorry about that!" I turned to face the direction where the spells came from, headache gone as swiftly as it came. But it was replaced by something else. Anger. My eyes narrowed, but I didn't let my anger show as Hiyama and his posse stepped forward. "We were just practicing earlier. We accidentally slipped our aim. Our bad."

They apologized, but only half-heartedly. I didn't like that. And neither did the girls.

"Bakahiyama! Watch what you're doing! We would've been hurt if Nomura wasn't prepared!"

"Hey, we said it was an accident!"

A likely story, one they would persistently use. I stood across from them, with Kentarou and Ayako sat directly between us. They very nearly got caught in a problem of my own making. But then again, I wasn't the aggressor, was I?

"That's right. It was just a minor miss!"

"Besides, aren't you a Barrier Master, Taniguchi? Why didn't you put one up yourself?"

"Are you all bark and no bite?"

Oh ho? Oh ho ho ho?

.

.

.

So that's how you want to play assholes? Okay… Let's go.

"Why you little—?"

"That's enough from you, Hiyama-kun. Calm down, Suzu, he's not worth it."

"Yes, Taniguchi-san. Nakamura-san is right." I said clearly that even the other classmates who were just noticing the argument focused their attention towards me. "There's no need to lose our head over this. After all, it was just an accident." I glared intensely at the four pricks from behind my glasses but kept it as blank and expressionless as possible. "Isn't that right, Hiyama-kun?"

"Yeah," he gloated back, so sure of his victory. "That's right."

I noticed Kousuke balled his fist. Luckily, with Jugo just frowning from behind me and Kousuke being invisible as usual, Hiyama didn't think to look elsewhere.

"Well, that's fine then! No one was harmed so we can all get back to our practicing!"

My cheery tone confused a lot of those in my immediate surroundings. The four pricks were slightly confused they couldn't get me to retaliate as well. But the rest, even Kouki's party went back to their practicing.

"Oh, by the way, Hiyama-kun?"

"What?"

"You guys should really practice your aim. It's one thing to say that you missed a shot by firing slightly higher than your target," I smirked slightly. "But I've never seen someone miss the strawman by shooting their own back before."

"Hah?" he snarled back. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He didn't notice. The other three did, however.

"Oy! Hiyama!"

"Your clothes, man! Your clothes!"

"Uwah! You're really smoking!"

How stupid must this guy be to not notice his own ass on fire?

True to my word, Hiyama's ass was on fire. His coat's tail to be precise but he could still feel the heat, so it counts.

"Eh? EEEEHHHHH?! OY, YOU IDIOTS! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT! PUUUT IIIT OOOUUUTTT!"

Ah, he finally noticed. A pity. And I so wanted to smell fried idiot for the first time in a while—! Oh, stop. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts.

"Guys, stop panicking," I raised my stave and aimed at their group. "Let me help you with that! Fly, as I command thee, Water Ball!"

BSSSSSHHHHH

All four of the flustered boys were doused with Water Ball as soon as it hit Hiyama Daisuke in the ass. I had amplified the explosive power but reduced the spell's volume and speed. I essentially made it a water balloon. Oh ho. They were wet. And despite feeling the cold in the air, their expressions were seething.

'Hey, don't look at me like that,' I internally said. 'You wanted to bite. Expect a bite back, punk.'

"What's going on here?" Finally, Old Coot Break Senec stepped up along with Kouki and his group.

"Ah, Senec-sama," I took my formal persona. "We just had a little fire spell accident. Poor aiming and what not. But no need to worry. We have been trained in fire safety and have contained the situation."

I gestured over to the Stone Wall that Kentarou had brought up as well as the four wet noodles to reassure the elder. Burn marks and slashes were there but the wall stood tall and remained intact. Cracks were forming, but surprisingly, it held. Meanwhile, the wet pups shivered in the cold as they 'coldly' glared back at me, who addressed the old man with a smile.

"If it's all fine then very well. Carry on. But please exercise extreme caution next time, my dear Apostles." Old man Break didn't seem to notice anything wrong as he merely gave a slight scolding. "Magic is a great blessing when used correctly but also a dangerous tool if mishandled."

Says the senile old man who hands kids literal fucking grenade launchers.

Then he leaves us alone, eagerly dragging Kouki's group back to resume their lesson. Maybe a little too eager. I'm guessing he really did want to be over and done with the Hero's party so he could interrogate me about my magic. He was probably so preoccupied, he never noticed Hiyama's incredulous looks nor the fact that everyone was now laughing at the boy for setting himself on fire.

After being disgraced so, he and his wet posse, close but no cigar, scurried on away from us.

"Take care next time, Hiyama." I warned. "Wouldn't want someone to actually get hurt due to carelessness!"

He glared at me. I smiled back. The boy retreated and everyone was relieved. Even Suzu who was about to go on another tirade let out a sigh. Glancing down, however, I spied two in their own little world.

"Well, at least there's a plus to this little incident."

The others all looked at me with disbelieving looks. Even the mages who could probably tell that I lit that ass using Kousuke's rod—

OKAY, PHRASING! —using Kousuke's wand— NOPE, STILL BAD! —using Kousuke's staff?, better!,

—looked at me with disappointed but curious eyes.

"Seriously, guys, if I have to explain the joke, it would be so lame."

"Just spit it out, Bakamoto!"

Impatient, childish Taniguchi couldn't take it anymore. And I earned a nickname too. Well, quaint but it was fine. I was on cloud-nine after getting a small payback after all.

"At least we found a new way for Kentarou-kun to use his down-to-earth magic." I made an obvious glance at the two in each other's arms, still lost in their own little world. "He made Ayako-san 'trip and fall' for him."

Needless to say, I got more than a kick in the gut from laughing. The tomboyish Ayako had decided a slap was needed as a bonus. Kentarou got one as well for 'being too close'. But I bet everyone else present, minus the two, would agree with me that the fire of youth was burning in the air.

But I intentionally lit a different fire entirely. I may have put out the wet dog's ass, but that didn't erase the fact that I baited him earlier and had just retaliated to his lashing out. What about this situation makes me the victim if I also pushed his buttons just so he could try to bite back?

I guess I'm not as careful and coolheaded as I think myself to be.

"Ugh," I released a heavy sigh as I once again walked down the almost empty corridors. I wasn't alone, of course as Iselda dutifully followed behind.

"Is something bothering you, Yamamoto-sama?"

"No. I'm just exhausted."

I massaged the bridge of my nose, understating the stress I was feeling. Although making fun of the 'maybe' couple was childishly fun, dealing with a persistent old man like Court Mage Break Senec was definitely something only nurses in retiree homes were capable of.

As soon as the briefing was over and everyone was given free time to train on their own while the mages observed, Break took that time to pester me incessantly. He just kept asking question after question that I just made an excuse that I had an appointment with the Princess and had to leave early to prepare just to escape the old coot.

Had I not suspected that revealing my skill was dangerous, I would have just dumped him earlier by saying 'get an Appraisal skill then we'll talk'. The implication of that statement would be my downfall.

But then again, Hiyama was a possible one too.

If I failed to notice the 'accident', someone would've gotten hurt. Would've made sense of the target was just me. I did piss him off earlier this morning. But it seemed he also harbored some animosity for the others. When I asked Kousuke if Hiyama had a bone to pick with anyone other than Hajime, he told me about the argument the punk had with the girls while I was away at the library with Lady Liliana and the defense the boys put up for my sake.

I was touched. They had only known me for a few hours, less than a day at most. These guys really were good people. Even Tsuji and Taniguchi. Taking the neutral ground and not judging me immediately wasn't much of a friendly gesture. But it did show that they weren't stupid enough to jump to conclusions. Well, not counting their assumptions about my relationship with the princess, but I digress.

Cleaning my glasses then replacing them back on my face, I contemplated my options with narrowed eyes.

Should I make friends with those girls?

Well, they already were, in a way. At least, Ayako had the decency to apologize for hitting me even though I was the one at fault and Suzu pretty much shared my views about Ayako and Kentarou's 'blossoming' relationship, not that it went beyond arguing, saving, then getting slapped. They'll grow more intimate soon enough.

Ah! Dammit, focus, Eichirou! Breathe, and exhale. Now, back to thinking.

Should I do something about Hiyama?

Probably. Most likely. The guy was volatile. With the company he keeps, even more so. But confronting them head-on is a bad idea. Today, it was an 'accident' that ended with him burning himself while almost doing the same to us. If I do anything aggressively, it would count as 'assault on a classmate'. The same could be said for him, hence he had to play the victim. This left me to play the waiting game. If he moves, only then could I retaliate or get someone else to do it. No sense to get my hands dirty if he hasn't pushed my buttons, yet again.

Should I do something about Break?

A cold shiver travelled down my spine.

I didn't want to deal with an old man again. Eliheid was around the same age, if not slightly younger, but he was still sane, not counting his blind faith. Ishtar was a prick with ulterior motives, but I can just lay low to avoid him. Can't do the same for Break since he knows about my magic. I just had to show off, didn't I? Having to share my findings of magic would be nice, but not to someone who would probably just see me as a metaphorical goldmine to be emptied and dried up. Better to just be invisible to him, seeing as he still had his duties to train the Hero and his group. I only attended that lesson to get a proper hands-on. Now that I have, I could probably just ask Meld to borrow a corner of the training area every now and then and avoid the Court Mage. The Knight probably won't mind. Hopefully.

"Haaah." I sighed once more and got out of 'contemplation mode'. During times like these, I really miss just turning off my thinking and bingeing on some Netfics and sleep. Sad to say, there was no internet here. Even though I did bring my solar charger for my phone in my schoolbag, playing some music wasn't going to ease my worries. Speaking of playing music, I turned to the maid. "Iselda-san, how many hours do I have until my appointment with Lady Liliana-sama?"

"Around four hours, Yamamoto-sama."

"Then, since it would be quite some time, how about having a light and early lunch before going to the library?"

The maid assented and we entered the dinner hall. However, I didn't expect to see someone already there having his own meal.

"Ara, Hajime-kun," the boy jumped in his seat and tried to hide away the book he was reading while eating. "Fancy meeting you here. Early lunch as well?"

"Ah, yeah. That's right." He nervously shuffled in his seat. I did see him tuck away the tome under the table, but maybe I should pretend I didn't.

"Didn't see you at the magic lecture today." I made casual talk as I sat down opposite him. Iselda had already left to fetch my meal without my input. "Not up for it?"

"Eh? Ah, well," he nervously scratched his head. "I had to check something out so I chose to skip for today. Ahahah."

Funny as I thought he would jump at the chance for otherworldly magic. But, I didn't really have a full understanding of the boy, so who am I to assume? If he says so, I can't just disagree.

Just as he answered, he said nothing more. Maybe it was to avoid the topic or he was just awkward as hell, but the silence that followed was uncomfortable. Well, I better chat with a friend instead, seeing as I need to wait a bit.

"What did you need to check up on? Something to do with your class, I guess?" He stiffened, unsure as to how I knew. "You were asking the librarian for some books about it the other day too, weren't you?"

I was referring to the books he asked for about non-combat classes. Judging by how he tensed up, I maybe correct as to what his problem was.

"Ahahah, correct guess, Eichirou. I found out that my class was really weak." He laughed but it wasn't an amused one. "I didn't want to be a burden to the others so I tried looking for a way to get stronger."

Isn't that convenient. I was in the same boat. Only, I was more in this for myself. Guess that's our differences.

"You're a nice guy, trying your best to not burden Shirasaki-kun."

"Eh? Wha-What does Shirasaki-san have to do with anything?"

"Well I doubt you were doing it for Hiyama," he was flustered, so I chuckled. "From what I could tell, you're not really close with Amanogawa-kun either. So, by order of elimination, Shirasaki-kun was my best guess."

It was pretty much a logical guess, but a guess, nonetheless. He may not want Shirasaki's concern, but he didn't do much to turn her away. Or maybe it was for some other ulterior motive.

"It's either that or maybe it was Yaegashi-kun you were after. Don't tell me, where you putting up with Shirasaki so you could get close to her best friend, the cool and calm beauty? Not a bad plan, Hajime-kun."

"Eh? EEEHHH?!" He tried not to scream but it was fairly audible. "No, no, no, no, no! I would never do that to Shirasaki-san! That's horrible! What kind of guy do you take me—?!"

"I'm joking. Calm down, Hajime-kun." I stopped my teasing then and there. For now. This kid was too nice. "Well, if it isn't Yaegashi-kun or Shirasaki-kun, I guess you really are just a nice guy,"

"Just how did you come to that?" He was miffed, but not so much that he didn't want to talk. It's true that I don't want too burden either of them, but I don't just mean them.

Ah, man. You're too considerate. Really, it's stupid to even think about it. If it was me, I wouldn't give this class a damn after all I've seen you go through. But then again, that was me. I couldn't speak for Nagumo as I wasn't him.

"If that's the case, then it's fine. Whoever you do it for is your choice," I smiled at him. "I can't really convince you otherwise because it's something you want to do, no?"

Iselda soon arrived with my meal. A lunch with vegetable soup, some meat and the softest of the bread they could make in this world. To be honest, I preferred cheap bread over their texture any day. Even the bread from the barracks was just as alright as this one. I guess they really do just ration the soldiers and not the palace.

So much for preparing for a war.

"What's up with that meal?" Nagumo suddenly asked. "You sure you're alright with something that small?"

"I'm used to eating small if I'm tired." I replied. "I don't have much of an appetite after exhausting myself with the magic lesson."

"Magic, huh," Nagumo let out a small sigh. "I wonder if I could do it too."

"You can, actually. Anyone can, so long as they have the stat to do it. Aptitudes help, but if one didn't have the magic power, they wouldn't be able to do much without depending on magic support tools." I just stated what I've already researched. Pretty much any actually can use magic. The exception was demi-humans. I didn't trust the mumbo-jumbo about 'Ehito's blessing'. It just could be a difference in racial physiology. That being said, Nagumo should be able to. Maybe… "Hajime-kun, what's your class? You don't have to tell me if you really don't want to."

I repeated the question from last time but worded it straightforwardly. True to mu expectations, Hajime hesitated. The last time, I asked about 'stats'. Today, it was about the 'class'. As I thought, this, he replied.

"Ahahah, I got a bad draw." He looked bad. Sounded bad. "I got Synergist. Guess my luck ran out—"

"And why exactly would it be a bad class?"

"Eh?" he didn't expect my interruption. "But, wasn't it a non-combat class?"

"Yeah. And?"

"As the books say, it's pretty much a blacksmithing class. Just making weapons and tools. Isn't it just useless?"

I inhaled. Then exhaled.

What the fuck is this kid thinking?!

Hold on, maybe he just doesn't see its strong points. Better elaborate on that first.

… FINE…

"Iselda-san, is it alright if I use this to exemplify my point to my classmate?" I held up a fork to the maid. She was confused but then told me it was fine. Turning back to the boy, I handed out the fork. "Hajime-kun, could you take this and turn it into a weapon?"

"… Eh?"

"Could you take this," I waved the fork before him. "And turn it into a weapon?"

"Wh-why do you ask?"

"I read in the library that classes have certain skills unique to them," desperate reading from yesterday actually has a use for today. Efforts not wasted. "Judging by how everyone sees the Synergist, or Transmutation Master, class as akin to a blacksmith, then it's expected you could make a weapon from any metal in your possession, right? I wanted to confirm that with your skills."

Widening his eyes, he understood my point and took the fork in his hand. After turning it around and observing it, he then closed his eyes and spoke.

"Transmute."

The metal gleamed once, then suddenly shifted awkwardly in his fingers.

"Eh?!"

"Well," I smiled awkwardly. "At least you could inflict harm with it."

The fork that previously had three prongs, a neck, and handle was now quite different. It's points on the sides were bent outwards then back after being stretched as along as possible with the middle point as the de facto spear tip. I would say spear, but the thing was only as long as twenty centimeters now compared to its previous ten. It looked brittle to boot.

"Now if you had a harpoon launcher or a small crossbow, I guess you would be unbeatable in the kitchen." I laughed at his expense. Nagumo, however, looked disappointed. "Turn that frown upside down, Hajime-kun. It looks like this now, but maybe with enough practice, you could actually make something more refined than that."

"Maybe you're right." He still looked bad as he tried to revert the utensil. Sadly, it didn't so much as go back to its original form but instead morphed to a small and brittle fishing trident. Dejected even further, he placed the former fork down and went back to eating.

Ah, shit. Now I ruined his appetite.

.

.

.

Goddammit, this was supposed to be me trying to reassure he could do magic. Not make him feel more useless.

How do I fix this?

Contemplating as I ate, I noticed the book he had been reading peeking out from under the table in his lap.

.

.

.

"Hey, Hajime-kun?"

"What's up?"

"Want to help me study magic in the library today? I just so happen to have some free time after and I actually want to review some of my findings with a fellow otherworlder."

Well, at least someone who was not Break Senec, the senile Court Mage.

"Why ask me?" he said. "I haven't even practiced magic yet."

"Yeah, sure. You have a point." I conceded but it only soured his expression further. "But there is something else you could do." His eyes lit up as I said that. "You are familiar with our world's science, right? I mean the basics, of course. Since the magic in this world functions like science would in ours, I figured asking someone to help with my studies would make it easier and you could learn more about it along with me."

Of course, I wasn't looking for just the convenience of having an assistant. If I had an extra perspective on how to develop magic, I could probably find a way to make a portal back faster. If he could learn magic while I research, wouldn't it be mutually beneficial in the long run?

He considered my point. I waited patiently. I wasn't in a rush. If he agreed, we would probably have all the time in the world with our circumstances.

It would also give me some legroom too work around Ishtar's surveillance. He could assign one to observe Nagumo as well, but if we worked independently, he would have to focus on two things at once. I would ask Endou as well, but he hasn't shown much interest in the library as Nagumo has. It would be suspicious for someone without interest to suddenly start hanging around the place.

"Alright. I'll help." He agreed. "But I still have to do some training with Meld-san and the knight order."

"It's fine with me." I responded. "If you want to help the others in the war directly, go ahead. I won't stop you."

I left the rest of my thoughts unsaid. With Iselda around and a few of the guards present, I wouldn't want to blurt out anything to tip them off, or Ishtar for that matter.

That said, we had an agreement. As soon as we were done eating, we both headed for the library. Having memorized the path by now, I had Iselda take her early break while we took the stroll on our own.

We passed by the other classmates as they had just finished their magic practice to have lunch. Since we were already done, I gave a few greetings and told them we were off to the library. Only a handful really cared like Jugo and Ayako's group. Hatayama-sensei warned us both against overdoing it, something I had to apologize for again.

Amanogawa seemed to leave me alone and completely ignore Hajime, but the same couldn't be said for the worried Shirasaki. I successfully stifled my laughter as Yaegashi had to literally drag her away before Shirasaki started to dote on Nagumo again with questions like 'Are you feeling okay?' or 'Should I get you some medicine?'. I half-expected her to end it with 'Should I nurse you back to health if you're not feeling well?', but Yaegashi had that covered and spared Nagumo the embarrassment.

Ah, such carefree people.

Before long, we bid them off as we headed towards the Library for our own self-imposed task. All throughout the small meeting with the class, I could feel the way the class looked at me. There were people transfixed on my wellbeing, technically one person, but it was Hatayama Aiko's duty. How dependable. The others looked to me with indifference, like Amanogawa who was now looking at me with the same glances he gave Nagumo. Odd, but I didn't really expect anything from the self-centered guy. Then, there was the troublesome yet satisfying glares Hiyama and his group sent my way.

I knew they were pissed. But I really didn't care about them right now. Sure they were trouble, but just thinking they existed was in itself a cause of stress. Better do the best thing right now and ignore them.

But just as we left, I felt the glares leave my back. Curious if they were gone, I chatted with Hajime on simple things, an excuse to allow me the chance to look over my shoulder. I was wrong. They weren't gone, just not looking at me.

They had their sights on Hajime.

Well, Shit…

.

.

.

I guess I will have to dirty my hands one way or another. Looking back on it, I guess this is karma for losing my cool.

I should learn to just keep my mouth shut.

So, this was upped early for IRL reasons. Depending on how you guys like the arrangement, I may change how I display the Status Plate contents in the future. For now, take it with a grain of salt as ffnet does not have table support.

Just realized now that the word count per chapter has been increasing, about 2k every succeeding chap, but the plot just goes way too slow for some of you. I'll try fixing that, but don't get your hopes up. I'm running on 'motivation and love for the web series' fuel, but this stuff tends to disappear when I get depression or writer's block.

And, for jumping this up to 58 Followers and 49 Favorites, I plan on including a fight scene or something next chap just so it stops getting boring for those of you who are probably at the end of their attention rope.

Hope that does NOT amp the word count per chap even more.

Also, I might update this later than normal next week depending on IRL stuff. Thesis papers are hard. Harder especially when you have people mouthing off that they're not and keep telling you to stop whining. I get that it shouldn't be this hard, but I doubt someone saying it isn't will actually help anyone.

Anyway, enough about me. Review this stuff if you want me to get better. I wouldn't be absolutely sure about the plot and everything else until someone says something.