"All right, for this problem... Yue Ayase."
The teacher's chalk tapped against the blackboard, indicating a complex math equation. The girl called upon sat relatively close to me. Yue was a petite girl with short black hair and a quiet, scholarly aura. Having spent nearly twenty days at Mahora Academy, I had begun to get a feel for the personalities of my classmates, even those I didn't talk to often.
At first glance, Yue looked like the quintessential literary girl—the type you'd find tucked away in a quiet corner of a library. In reality, she was a member of the "Library Exploration Club," a group that spent its time exploring the labyrinthine depths of the Library Island's basement—a pursuit I found baffling, to say the least. Despite her seemingly aggressive hobbies, she clearly loved books; I often saw her huddled with her clubmates, Nodoka Miyazaki and Haruna Saotome, discussing their latest finds.
I had barely spoken to Nodoka Miyazaki since I transferred. She suffered from a severe case of androphobia, and apparently, even my current child form triggered her anxiety. Unlike Yue, Nodoka was a genuine bookworm through and through, earning her the nickname "Bookstore." Sometimes I wondered if her phobia gave her a sort of sixth sense that allowed her to detect that, mentally, I was a man in my twenties.
Then there was Haruna Saotome. To put it bluntly: she was a fujoshi. Her twin hair antennae seemed to twitch whenever she caught the "scent of romance," and she spent most of her time sketching things that were best left unmentioned.
While I wasn't particularly close to that trio, there was one thing I knew for certain about Yue Ayase.
"I am very sorry, but I haven't the slightest idea," she said, sitting back down with a perfectly blank expression.
Yes, despite her "literary girl" aesthetic, Yue was a founding member of the class's most notorious group of academic failures: the "Baka Rangers."
"Oh? If it isn't little Axel. No lunch box today?"
It was lunch break. Last night, after Natsumi had gone to sleep, I'd stayed up late practicing magic with Ayaka and Chizuru. As a result, even the ever-reliable Chizuru had actually overslept—a rare occurrence. Breakfast had been a rushed convenience store run, and lunch was to be a solo trip to the cafeteria.
I was headed toward the dining hall when a voice hailed me from behind. It was Chao Lingshen. Rumor had it she was the brightest mind at Mahora. According to Ayaka, Chao scored a perfect 100 on every single test. Honestly, there was no doubt she was smarter than me. I had graduated at the top of my class at the military academy, but that was for strategy and piloting, not high-school academics.
I tried my best to keep up, but without the benefit of perfect recall, I still made the occasional careless mistake on quizzes. I was still near the top of the class rankings, but Chao was in a league of her own.
"Chizuru overslept," I explained. "So, it's cafeteria food for me today."
Chao held out a small paper bag. "Why not give this a try? It's a new product we're planning to launch at Chao Baozi. If you're willing to give me your feedback, I'll let you have five of them for a special price of a hundred yen."
I peeked inside the bag. There were five steamed buns. That would certainly be enough to keep me going until the end of the day. I pulled a hundred-yen coin from my wallet and handed it over.
My "allowance" was handled by the Dean, Konoe, as a sort of scholarship. While Ayaka was technically my guardian, I had no intention of taking pocket money from a middle-schooler, so I'd negotiated a stipend through Takahata.
"Well? What do you think?" Chao asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
I took a large bite out of one of the buns. First came the aromatic spice of curry, followed by a savory filling of minced meat and bamboo shoots.
"A curry bun?"
"Close! It's actually a keema curry bun," she corrected me proudly.
"Ah, that explains the minced meat. Anyway, it's delicious."
I went for a second bite, but stopped when I noticed the way Chao was looking at me. It wasn't the look of a shopkeeper worried about a recipe. It was a sharp, calculating gaze—the look of a soldier observing an enemy on the battlefield.
Takahata hadn't mentioned anything to me, but I suspected Chao had ties to the magical world as well. I stole a quick glance at her Status. Under her skill list, a single entry stood out: [Magic Circuit]. I didn't know the specifics of the skill, but with a name like that, she was definitely involved in magic.
"It's a bit hard to eat with you staring at me like that," I noted.
"Ah, sorry about that!" Chao chirped, her expression instantly shifting back to her usual cheerful mask. For the rest of our chat, that piercing gaze didn't return.
After lunch, it was time for afternoon PE. The class had moved to the gym for basketball. Teams had been decided by a lottery, and since my team was scheduled for the second match, I was relegated to the sidelines for now.
"Man, we really ended up on the 'freak team,' didn't we?"
The comment came from Miku Kasuga, a girl with short brown hair. She was a member of the Track and Field club and clearly athletic, but her skill list featured [Magic (Wind)], marking her as another magic student.
"Heh. I assume you're referring to me?"
The girl who responded was Mana Tatsumiya. She had dark skin and long black hair, and her aura was far too intense for a middle-schooler. ...Was she even a "girl"?
"Axel-kun, did you just think something rude?"
Mana suddenly produced a realistic model gun from nowhere and pressed the muzzle against my forehead. I offered a dry smile and shook my head. Dark skin, a gun-nut, a miko at the Tatsumiya Shrine, and her skill list explicitly labeled her as a [Half-Demon]. She had a few too many "special characteristics" for one person.
"No, I was just wondering why I was lumped into the 'freak' category," I lied.
"To be fair, Axel-kun, you're easily the most unusual person in Class 2-A," added Satomi Hakase. She was a genius who rivaled Chao, often called "The Professor." Unlike Chao, she wasn't particularly athletic, but I knew she was one of the "parents" who had helped create Chachamaru.
"Setsuna, what do you think?" Mana called out to the final member of our team.
Setsuna Sakurazaki stood a short distance away, her black hair tied in a side ponytail. Even though it was gym class, she was clutching a bamboo sword bag as if her life depended on it. Her eyes were fixed on Konoka Konoe, who was currently playing on the court. It was a look of intense, almost feverish devotion. "Watching over" her didn't quite cover it; it was more like she was "PROTECTING HER WITH EVERY FIBER OF HER BEING."
Setsuna snapped out of her trance and looked toward us. Her skill list showed [Shinmei-ryu] and [Half-Crow]. It seemed my entire team was composed of people connected to the supernatural. Even Satomi was linked to Eva through Chachamaru.
"Mana? Did you say something?" Setsuna asked.
"Good grief. You're always so focused whenever Konoe is involved. Kasuga here was just complaining that our team is full of weirdos."
"Hey! Don't make it sound like I'm the bad guy!" Miku protested.
Setsuna didn't seem to care. Her gaze drifted back to the court, where Konoka had just passed the ball to Akira Okochi. Akira leaped into the air with terrifying power.
"A dunk?!" I blurted out.
She slammed the ball through the hoop with a resounding clack. I was genuinely shocked to see a middle-school girl perform a perfect dunk.
"Oh, Milady... what a magnificent pass," Setsuna murmured, looking utterly entranced.
"...Is she always like that?" I asked. I'd spoken to Setsuna a few times, and she had always struck me as the cool, collected type.
"Well, everyone has a side they don't show to the public," Mana said with a faint, knowing smirk. I recalled that the two of them were roommates.
"I dedicate this shot to Axel-kun!" Ayaka shouted from the court. She'd caught a pass from Kugimiya and sunk a perfect three-pointer.
She really was the perfect "ojou-sama," excelled in both academics and sports. If only her "preferences" were a little more normal, she'd be flawless. Then again, if she weren't a "shotacon," she never would have taken me in, so I supposed I couldn't complain.
After school, I found myself walking home alone for once. Ayaka had business with the Equestrian Club, and Chizuru was busy with the Astronomy Club. Natsumi, of course, was at drama practice.
I'd been invited to join several clubs, but I'd turned them all down to remain a member of the "Going Home Club," giving me complete freedom after hours. Though, I still didn't understand why Kakizaki, Kugimiya, and Shiina had tried so hard to recruit me into the Cheerleading Club. Watching them perform was one thing, but joining? And Kakizaki... please stop shouting about your "Reverse Genji Plan" in the middle of the hallway.
"Hm? Almer?"
I heard my name and turned to see a girl with glasses and brown hair. It was Chisame Hasegawa, the girl who sat diagonally in front of me. In a class full of people with secret skills, Chisame appeared to be a total civilian. Her skill list was completely empty of magic or demonic traits.
"Hasegawa. You're in the 'Going Home Club' too, right?"
She gave a small, curt nod and hurried past me toward the girls' dorm. I considered catching up to walk with her, but then I heard her muttering under her breath.
"Ugh, honestly... what is wrong with that kid? A ten-year-old with that kind of vocabulary? Does Japan even have a skip-grade system? I thought that was just a foreign thing. He's completely ruining my sense of common sense. Dammit, I'm going to vent all this frustration in the chat room later..."
She was speaking in a whisper meant for no one to hear, but with my enhanced senses, I heard every word. I decided to let her go. I'd thought she was just a plain, quiet girl, but it seemed she was wearing quite a few layers of "cat skin" to hide her true personality.
On the way back, I felt a bit peckish and decided to stop at a convenience store. Apparently, five steamed buns from Chao weren't enough. Even though my body was smaller now, it seemed my appetite hadn't shrunk as much as I'd expected—maybe it was all that running around in PE.
This was the same store I'd visited this morning when Chizuru overslept. Being close to the school, it had a great selection of deli breads and snacks. As I approached the entrance, I spotted a familiar figure.
She had dark skin and silver-white hair, but her most striking feature was the tribal paint on her face. Her name was Zazie Rainyday. I'd heard she belonged to the "Acrobatics and Magic Club," which was basically a school-run circus. ...Or so they said.
The group surrounding her—people in black capes and masks—definitely didn't look human. And sure enough, the word [Demon] shone brightly on Zazie's skill list. I assumed the masked figures were her familiars or kin.
"..."
Zazie approached me without a word and handed me a plastic-wrapped onigiri. Tuna mayo.
"For me?" I asked, taking the rice ball.
Zazie gave a small, silent nod. I didn't know why she was giving it to me, but I wasn't about to turn down food.
"Thanks. I was actually pretty hungry. I appreciate it."
She gave a small bow and led her masked entourage back toward the school—not the dorms.
"Strange girl," I muttered. I'd been at this school for nearly three weeks and I still hadn't heard her speak a single word.
I unwrapped the onigiri and took a bite as I continued my walk.
This was just another typical, "peaceful" day at Mahora Academy.
Name: Axel Almer
LV: 38
PP: 625
Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272 | Defense: 272 | Evasion: 302 | Accuracy: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to increase Slime performance)
Growth Type: All-rounder/Special
Terrain: Air: S | Ground: S | Water: S | Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accel (4 SP)
Effort (8 SP)
Focus (16 SP)
Direct Hit (30 SP)
Awakening (32 SP)
Love (48 SP)
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9, SP Regen, Concentration)
Telekinesis LV.10
Attacker
Gunfight LV.9
Infight LV.9
Morale Limit Break
Geass (Gray)
Magic (Fire)
Magic (Shadow)
Magic (Summoning)
???
???
Kills: 376
-------------------------------
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