I Became the Academy’s Pink Airhead

The night road across the wilderness heading towards the golden street.

Only silence filled the road with not a single vehicle in sight.

I was driving the large truck from that Rota had brought.

‘I thought it would be like a manual transmission vehicle from my past life, but this is… even easier than an automatic.’

Just start the engine and press the accelerator.

The vehicle smoothly moves straight ahead.

With the road so empty, driving is even easier.

The most surprising thing about this world was that high school girls drove without a second thought. Of course, it was sometimes depicted in the game too, but I thought that was just dramatic license for character movement.

‘I brushed it off wondering if there was some setting about getting a separate driver’s license…’

But actually driving like this…

The vehicles in this world were about as difficult as racing karts where you just control the ether engine’s power. Moreover, due to the ether engine’s characteristics, even minor maintenance and repairs are simple.

As expected, ether is an omnipotent energy. Thanks to that, I could drive smoothly in place of Rota and Freya even without a large vehicle license.

Vroom―

Only the sound of our vehicle’s ether engine can be heard on the quiet road.

Even when I raised my perception ability while driving just in case, there were no particular presences detected around. Due to the endless noise of magic weapons exploding in the distance, even wild animals didn’t seem to be visible.

‘Unlike usual, it’s so quiet.’

The road going to and from the academy city’s largest industrial complex.

Normally the road towards and was bustling. It was so packed with vehicles full of numerous dwarves and students that riding a bicycle was faster than taking a car.

A road that was always crowded with people even at night.

But now it was like our private road.

‘Such a quiet academy city feels extremely disconcerting…’

I recalled the encirclement we had just broken through while inwardly sighing.

‘Is it because bad news keeps coming from this area?’

’s appearance, the Eastern Alliance’s movements, the erosion incident… In just over 3 months, disaster-level events occurred one after another. From the perspective of ordinary students and dwarves, it must be an unsettling feeling.

‘It will be even harder for ordinary students from now on. Much bigger events than what’s happened in so far will occur in succession…’

Ordinary students.

Those who love peace more than fighting.

For example, people like Senior Frida.

“…”

Suddenly Senior Frida’s relaxed smile flashed through my mind. From late April when the sunlight got stronger, she would walk around inside the school wearing a shabby parasol and drawing pictures.

The small campus of that could be walked around in 5 minutes even with Clara’s short legs. But Senior Frida took over 4 hours to look around the school, meticulously observing even a single flowerbed.

-Clara, have you seen where Frida is?

-She’s always late even for meal times…

When it was time for everyone to eat together.

Senior Nina or Senior Selma would look for Senior Frida.

And when I, with the fastest feet, finally found Senior Frida.

“Clara―!”

Her yellow hair swaying as she turned her head, and that relaxed smile…

“…!”

Grip―!

Strength suddenly entering my hands, grasping the smooth feeling of the steering wheel.

“…”

I seemed to have been too lost in memories and momentarily forgot I was driving.

I shook off the numerous stray thoughts arising in my head.

‘Is it because the car is so easy to drive that it’s really hard to concentrate?’

I should have Maya or Alvit drive from now on.

I only need my bicycle, Red Hare.

Thinking that, I came to my senses and gripped the steering wheel tightly while watching ahead.

“Phew…☆”

The first thing visible is a massive white tree.

And sturdy white walls surrounding it.

Glimpses of enormous, majestic stone buildings. It was the road heading towards the golden street visible in the distance. Fortunately, no unusual situations had occurred yet, and we were just proceeding at a more leisurely pace than vehicles from my past life.

Based on the very slight enlargement, it seemed we were gradually getting closer. But due to the ridiculous size visible even from hundreds of kilometers away, it was difficult to properly gauge the distance no matter how much we approached.

‘The checkpoints visible at each intermediate junction are empty too… The grounds of nearby small and medium-sized schools are completely blocked off with barricades. The golden street side isn’t even visible because of the wall.’

A wall built to strictly control ordinary students’ access.

The wall built to protect the World Tree and prestigious schools was also massive.

That is thoroughly obstructing my view now.

‘I don’t come to this side often so I don’t even know how to go from here…’

Ironically.

In the game, it was the place I clicked most shamelessly for high-grade equipment and character quests. But now that it’s become reality, it’s a place I can’t even enter at all.

So at times like this… a local resident guide is needed.

Glance…

I looked at the back seat through the rearview mirror.

I could see purple and orange cat ears twitching side by side. Both were looking out the window with shining purple and orange eyes respectively.

Twitch

Twitch

“…?”

“…?”

The two cat ears move, catching my gaze.

‘Loyal cats… They don’t sleep soundly leaving just me awake even though they’re tired.’

Actually, I had been hearing them chatting about magic for a while now. But no matter how much I listened, I couldn’t understand, so I had closed my ears.

I looked towards the ugly purple cat ears among them and said:

“Um―☆ I don’t come to the golden street area much so♪ How far have we come at this point―☆”

Freya leaned over from the back seat and poked her head out. She spoke to me in a somewhat uncertain tone:

“Well… There are no p-people… There are usually signs at each checkpoint… but strangely I can’t see them well… It f-feels like we’ve almost arrived though…”

“Wow―♪ That’s really… really… helpful… information…☆”

Oh no…!

It seems asking a shut-in alley cat about road conditions was too difficult.

‘Freya wasn’t Pang Tong, but Kong Rong who’s only strong in places he knows…’

Hearing my weak response, Freya flinches and answers in a grumbling tone:

“C-Can’t be helped…! When I go out to the wilderness for dungeon exploration… for p-personal research… I just take the ether train all the way… And e-even when I go out for joint research with other research faction kids… s-someone always gives me a ride…”

“Ah, I see―☆ So you’re a precious house cat who gets escorted around…☆”

“Ugh…?!”

Freya was flustered hearing my words.

Cold sweat running down her prim face.

Her tongue that always spits out harsh words is long.

It seemed she was really embarrassed to reveal her ignorance. Freya started grumbling in an increasingly small voice:

“T-To begin with… Th-There’s no need to ask for directions, we just need to keep going straight in…! A-Anyway, whether we go this way or that way… it’s all the s-same center…!”

“That’s why♪ We need to enter exactly between and grounds to meet up―☆”

“Ugh… Th-That’s… um…”

The purple alley cat searching for excuses like that. She suddenly pointed urgently out the window.

“Ah! O-Over there―!”

The only lit sign visible outside the window.

In that faint light, a massive barricade was also visible.

『Caution: Private property of from here on. Those unrelated must retreat.』

A massive barricade at the corner of the road.

Text written rudely befitting furry beasts.

Freya’s face lit up seeing that.

“Th-That’s right! Just as I r-remembered! This was exactly the school’s border! L-Look at this! J-Just as I said, if we keep going straight… we arrive right away…!”

“Ahaha…☆ I see, I see♪”

“Wh-What is it, ruffian!”

“It’s nothing…♪”

But as written on that sign, beyond this point was strictly blocked off by barricades so we couldn’t go any further by vehicle. So we decided to park the vehicle we had been riding until now in a corner of the road.

We got out of the vehicle.

We stood side by side in front of the massive white wall sleeping quietly in the darkness. Though battles must be happening beyond it even now, the enormous wall concealed even the roar of fighting.

“…”

“…”

Rota broke the silence and spoke carefully while looking at Freya:

“Then… if we enter through the main gate visible under that distant wall, there’s grounds… and while the noble faction’s main forces are waging all-out war, we rescue the research faction students hiding in the library… Is that right?”

“W-Well… They’re all good at hiding like me… so I don’t think the noble faction would have done anything…”

Freya suddenly changed to a chilling gaze and said:

“If by any chance… that idiot moron Frau touched the original magic book left by [Golden Witch] or our research faction students because of her greed…”

Crunch―

She didn’t continue speaking further.

But from the sound of her tightly gripping her wand, the rest could be understood without saying it.

“…”

“…”

Watching that, I hoped Alvit’s group had arrived safely too.

Though they headed on a less dangerous route than us, their mission was also important.

‘We rescue and meet up with the detained research faction students, they go around to the United Student Council side and meet up… Ironically, it’s safer because it’s the roundabout way.’

Just as we were about to enter beyond the barricade like that.

Killing intent felt from far away.

“…!”

“…!”

I quickly hugged Rota and ran into the checkpoint set up next to the barricade. And Freya also hid around the surroundings while preparing skill activation at her maximum possible speed.

Tap tap tap―!

“[Eternal Spinning Wheel], localized range, precision strike, delayed firing!!”

Startled by our sudden movements, Rota shouted:

“Wh-What?! What’s going on?!”

“Stay hidden well―☆”

“…?!”

I gave Rota, who was looking around in confusion inside the checkpoint, a tight hug. Rota, now completely in my arms, finally seemed to realize something and crouched low to the ground, bracing for impact.

And at that moment…

Baaang―!

Huge black ether flames came flying.

At least five flames by rough count. They collided with and exploded on the truck we had been riding until just before. And the truck shattered into countless debris fragments.

I spoke while going out of the checkpoint before the explosion had even ended:

“Really, seriously, girl-seriously―☆ Absolutely don’t come out~♪”

“Sen-Senior!!”

Rota’s thin voice rang out as if screaming. But I deliberately ignored that and ran to Freya’s side.

We now stood on the roadside with flames flickering, facing the approaching enemies.

“Heh―☆ To think those guys are here…”

“Th-Those are… the or whatever I’ve only heard rumors about… Th-Those dregs, huh.”

“Yep♪ That’s right.”

Even as we conversed, the large figures arrived one by one.

They swiftly surrounded the final gate leading to the golden street, creating massive earth-shaking footsteps.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

The dragon horns rising above the huge 3-meter shadows are striking. They were all scattering black ether, having finished preparations to transform.

“…”

I looked around in case there might be priest-level executives nearby, but fortunately or unfortunately… no presence above priest level could be felt.

‘Just who… brought the power of [Snake of Wisdom and Cycles]?’

A high-difficulty boss event made for bored veteran players after the main story ending. I was curious how they managed to bring traces of beings equal to [Dragon Crouched in the Abyss] that should only exist in the setting.

But at least the followers in front of us didn’t seem inclined to tell us.

Over a dozen followers surrounding us in front.

One of them opened his mouth in a heavy voice:

“You can’t pass beyond this point, inferior species.”

“Wow―☆ What a classic way of talking♪ For someone who’s not much―☆”

“…”

Freya was surprised by my words and whispered a question:

“A-Are they really that pathetic?”

“Yep♪ About adult chaos insect level…☆”

“B-But there are quite a lot of them… and we have a lot to do…”

“Then there’s a way―☆”

“Wh-What is it?”

I spoke towards Freya’s ugly cat ears:

“Lend me a weapon―☆”

“Whaat…?”