Free Web NovelChapter 240: Graduation Ceremony (2)
After the closing ceremony, we gathered at the party house. Yurina covered her mouth with her hand as she struggled to hold back her laughter.
“Why are you laughing?” I asked in a foul mood.
“N-no, it’s just— pfft! Sorry. Hah! Ah, man, it’s just too bad... t-the chance to... pfft... escape last place.”
Make up your mind. Do you want to laugh at me or do you want to tease me? I yelled inwardly.
She still consoled me. “Hoo! Well, don’t let it bother you too much. Grades aren’t everything, you know?”
“Wow! Hearing that from the top student of the year is really convincing,” I replied.
I clicked my tongue and turned my gaze away from her.
Sitting beside me, Iris asked with a faint smile, “But you did kind of expect your grades wouldn’t be good, didn’t you?”
Honestly, I had skipped more than half the classes. How could my grades possibly be good?
I replied, “Well, yeah. So, I wasn’t really bothered by it either. But then they went and gave me bonus points for no reason.”
People said that one could only feel despair if one had hope in the first place. Just when I thought I had finally escaped that cursed last place, getting shoved right back into it, even if it was only by a single rank, somehow made it feel even worse.
Iris looked at me. “Still, it’s kind of interesting.”
“What is?”
She tilted her head, puzzled. “That you care so much about being in last place, Dale. Everyone who needs to know already knows how strong you really are. And not long ago, the headmaster even appointed you as a Special Operations Cadet.”
“That’s...”
“And the reason most cadets fight so hard for a high overall ranking is to secure a good government post or a spot in a prestigious guild after graduation, but you don’t really need to worry about your future like that, do you?”
She placed a hand over her chest and lifted her chin, wearing an expression that practically screamed, “I’ll take responsibility for Dale’s future!”
She wasn’t wrong. Just as she said, escaping last place wouldn’t change a single thing about my life right now. Despite all that, it mattered to me. This wasn’t about logic or cost-benefit analysis; it was a matter of pride.
“Try being called a last-place hero your entire previous life. You’d feel differently,” I replied.
Iris tilted her head again, clearly not quite getting it. “Hmm. Is that so?”
I let out a short sigh and gave her a simple example. “Iris. What rank did you get this time?”
“I placed third overall. Camilla was fourth.”
“Then by your logic, there’s no reason for you to aim that high either, right? Your future as a Saintess is already guaranteed.”
“Oh.”
“That’s how it is. Grades, I mean.”
This was a feeling that those who already had everything wouldn’t understand.
Senior Sophia, who had been quietly listening beside us, nodded. “Yeah. I think I get what you mean. This is the first time I’ve ever taken first place myself, and honestly? It didn’t feel half bad.”
“First place? You mean you were the top cadet among the fourth-years, Senior Sophia?”
She crossed her arms and shrugged. “That’s right. I was always losing to that annoying couple, Aaron and Bella, you know, the ones I couldn’t stand even looking at. But this time, I beat them. Watching Aaron’s face twist when the results were announced was pretty satisfying.”
Senior Sophia beating Meteor Spear Aaron for first place? Since Aaron and Bella always formed the same party for the final evaluations, it would’ve been nearly impossible for Senior Sophia to place first unless she was strong enough to carry an entire party on her own. It seemed her skills had improved by leaps and bounds while I wasn’t looking.
She looked at me. “Well, I hate to admit it, but it’s thanks to you.”
I was surprised. “Me?”
“You showed me the approach to the Three Conundrums of the Great Sage, remember?”
“No, I don’t recall doing that.”
What I had given her wasn’t a solution. Magic wasn’t the kind of discipline where one could grow just by receiving someone else’s answer. All I had done was toss her a few tiny hints, just enough for her to find the solution herself. Even calling them hints was generous. I had basically just said something like, “What if you try thinking about it from the opposite direction?” How was that a solution?
She replied, “Huh? That’s basically giving the solution, isn’t it? You showed me that my entire line of thinking was wrong.”
I had forgotten that Senior Sophia was a genius on the same level as Yurina.
She continued, “Well, that and I realized a few things while watching Professor Bastion’s magic, and Berald’s, too.”
I was surprised again. “Professor Bastion, sure, but you learned something from Berald’s magic?”
“Yeah.”
That idiot barely knew any magic at all. Other than Mana Bullets, he couldn’t even use anything properly.
“His magic had a lot to learn from, especially in how it manifested through the harmony between the inner and external worlds.”
I was speechless. I felt this every time. The way geniuses thought was completely beyond my comprehension.
Senior Sophia smiled faintly. “Anyway. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have gotten the solution to the Great Sage’s problem, and I never would’ve met Professor Bastion or Berald either. Thank you.”
Being thanked by her felt like getting smacked hard in the head with a hammer.
Suddenly, Iris said, “By the way, Sister Sophia.”
As if she still was not used to being called that, Senior Sophia flinched slightly. “H-huh? What is it?”
“You’re graduating as the top cadet this time, right?”
“Ah, yeah. That’s right.”
“What are you planning to do after graduation?”
Iris looked worried, as if she were afraid Senior Sophia would leave the party. But even if she didn’t, a graduate couldn’t exactly stay at the academy.
“Oh, that? Don’t worry. I’m not leaving the party, and I’m not leaving the academy either.” Senior Sophia let out a small chuckle and subtly turned her head toward Berald. Then, in a softer voice, she murmured, “There’s no way I’d leave that guy behind. Where would I even go?”
It was a quiet mutter, but her feelings came through loud and clear.
“Then how are you staying at the academy?”
“I got hired by Professor Bastion.”
“Huh?”
That means... Don’t tell me.
To confirm my suspicion, I asked, “You became a teaching assistant?”
“That’s right.”
A teaching assistant, of all things. No matter how much she wanted to stay with Berald, I never imagined she would make that extreme a choice. Berald, you bastard, you better take really good care of Senior Sophia. If you start rambling about microscopic worlds or whatever again, I swear I’ll crack your skull.
Senior Sophia continued, “Dale, Professor Bastion said you might become a professor’s teaching assistant someday, too.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?” I replied firmly.
Why would I ever do something that horrifying?
“You wouldn’t?”
“Not a chance. Never even crossed my mind.”
“Hm. Is that so? Well, can’t be helped then. When Berald graduates, I guess I’ll just ask Professor Bastion to make him an assistant.”
Sorry, Berald. Looks like I won’t be able to save you this time.
Completely unaware that his future was plunging straight into hell, Berald was stuffing himself with the food and alcohol prepared for the closing ceremony. “Gulp! Hey now, why are you all talking so seriously on graduation day without even having a drink?”
I said nothing, merely patting his shoulder and offering a brief, silent prayer.
“Okay, assuming Senior Sophia stays on as a teaching assistant, what about Laneige?”
Laneige’s eyes sparkled, and like she had been waiting for someone to ask, she blurted out, “M-me too! Thanks to Professor Baldwin, I’ll be able to stay at the academy!”
“How? Did you become Professor Baldwin’s assistant too?” I asked.
“N-no, not that. Hehe...” Laneige scratched her head, trailing off awkwardly. “Umm. I’ll tell you later! It’ll be good news for you, Dale! A-anyway! I’ll be staying at the academy too, so don’t worry!”
Just what was it that she was being so mysterious about? Honestly, I had been more worried about Laneige than Senior Sophia. It was a relief knowing she had found a way to stay.
So, I replied, “Well, okay.”
Iris looked around at the party members, her eyes shining. “That means, we’ll all be together again next year?”
“Looks like it.”
“Hehe. That’s a relief.”
“Haha! Big brother! On a day like this, shouldn’t we at least have a drink?”
“Sure.”
“Everyone, hold out your glasses! I’ll pour!”
Berald bustled around, filling everyone’s cups. After he was done, he looked at me. “Then....”
As he trailed off, all eyes turned to me.
“What, you want me to give a toast or something?” I asked.
“Heh. Who else would do it if not the party leader?”
“Yeah.”
“Ohoho. I’m looking forward to hearing what wise words you’ll share, Dale?”
Now that they had set it up like this, that just made it more awkward.
I said, “Uh, well. Everyone worked hard this year. Let’s do our best again next year.”
“Boo! That’s boring!”
“I’m disappointed, Big Brother. Is that really all you’ve got?”
“Hey.”
What was I even supposed to say in this atmosphere? I swallowed hard and looked around at my party members, their eyes glittering, mostly because they were ready to tease me. “You all keep thanking me, but honestly, I’m the one who’s grateful.”
They wouldn’t know how desperately I had longed for this moment, to be together again like this—how, wandering through endless frozen wastelands, I had yearned for nothing but this.
“Thank you,” I said wholeheartedly.
Only because you guys were here, I can exist.
“Dale...”
“B-Big Brother,” Berald said with a sniff.
Embarrassed, I shouted, “Ah, damn it! Saying this stuff just makes it more embarrassing! Shut up and raise your glasses! This year was fun! We’re doing this for another year!” freēwebnovel.com
* * *
After drinking myself senseless along with the rest of the party, I returned to my dorm room. When I opened the door, the first thing I saw was a sight that surprised me. Laneige was inside my room. Moreover, she wasn’t just her usual self; she had somehow changed into a maid outfit.
“Laneige?” I muttered.
She looked at me. “Hehe. You’re back, Dale?”
“Why are you in my room?”
“Well, I told you earlier that I found a way to stay at the academy, right?” she continued, her expression shy, “I asked Professor Baldwin for a favor, and it’s decided that I’ll be staying on as your personal maid, Dale.”
“What?”
What was she talking about?
“You know how cadets from high-ranking noble or conglomerate families keep attendants at the academy to clean their rooms or cook for them?”
“Well, yeah.”
Even Iris, for one, had a personal chef living on campus.
“I’m going to be like that! A maid who stays by your side and helps you with all sorts of little things! O-of course, not just chores. I can also, um, h-help with other things too.”
Laneige squirmed in place, twisting in embarrassment. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Why was it that the coming year felt like it was going to be far more turbulent than the last year? A terrible premonition brushed through my mind.
