The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

“Is this the 4th class?”

“…Maybe it’s just plain since the 5th class is so flashy?”

“Same here, there are a lot of people.”

In front of the 4th class, a line nearly as long as that of the 5th class was forming.

Even without special promotions, there was an impressive crowd.

Unlike the 5th class, which had flyers scattered everywhere and large signs hanging up, the 4th class had a remarkably simple appearance.

However, a small sign with the emblem of the Prigia family prominently displayed caught the eye.

As I stood at the back of the line, a student from the 4th class appeared.

“Prigia has invited you. This way, please.”

Looks like she knew I’d show up early.

Her hospitality was so smooth it made me wonder if she was hired staff, but the brooch pinned to her chest reminded me that she was a student of this academy.

As we entered through a different entrance from the bustling main gate, the first person to greet us was Shaara.

“Welcome to the 4th class.”

Shaara was wearing her usual outfit, the same one she wore when she attended the academy.

All the other students were in uniform, making her stand out even more.

The other students just looked like staff, and she made it very clear that she was different.

I couldn’t help but think of Perda, who wore that strange golden suit in the 3rd class.

“…You could’ve just lined up to get in…”

Shaara crossed her arms and shot a glare at Lucia.

“It’s more of a nuisance for you to be waiting there in that getup. Why don’t you just change back to your original clothes? Are you really planning to walk around like that all day?”

Shaara’s sharp words struck Lucia.

She was already feeling embarrassed for showing up in heavy gear, but being singled out again made her face turn red.

Seeing that, I pretended to mouth a warning to Shaara.

‘You’re being too harsh.’

“…I appreciate that you’re trying to keep your nerves for tomorrow’s Hunting Festival, but it doesn’t look good to others.”

The moment Shaara noticed my warning, her fierce aura softened.

“…Are you saying it’s good or bad…?”

“Well, what’s important isn’t that. Can you guide us to our seats?”

“Yes, then please follow me.”

As Shaara led the way, the classroom transformed into a bustling tea house.

It was quite rare for Prigia herself to personally guide someone to a seat.

However, Lucia assumed it was about her conspicuous outfit, causing her to shrink back even more.

She looked like she wanted to dig a hole and hide, so I decided to take action.

I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

“Eek?”

Lucia made an odd sound as I held her waist. With our bodies pressed together, she looked down at me in surprise.

“Lucia, don’t think it’s weird, it’s actually cool. Let’s walk with confidence.”

“Ah… okay…”

While waiting for our orders, Casey leaned in and whispered to me.

“What’s your relationship with her?”

“Just someone from the same class.”

“Doesn’t seem like it…”

When I spoke plainly, she didn’t believe me.

Just like the 5th class, the 4th class operated a tea house.

However, there was a difference in the products offered.

Anything sold at the booth had to go through the students’ hands at least once.

It’s impossible to sell ready-made items that were just bought wholesale.

Woodville went through the process of preparing the dough and then baking it on-site, whereas Prigia utilized an ‘assembly’ method by bringing in products to sell.

It was akin to how Perda brought ready-made drinks from the 3rd class, mixed them, and sold them as cocktails.

She had chosen methods that resulted in the least amount of change in flavor, making sandwiches from bread and combining pastries with cream in between.

‘They must have teleported the goods… or maybe got them from the café here.’

The reason for sourcing dough from a famous bakery is that the tempting aroma of bread is strongest right after baking, and even with preservation magic, it fades significantly during transport.

However, the bread from the 4th class still had a rich aroma, suggesting they either used teleportation magic to transport them quickly or received deliveries within the academy.

I was bored studying this, but Lucia was observing something else.

“I wonder who those people connected to Prigia were…? They seemed really professional…”

Lucia watched the staff moving efficiently as they waited for our ordered menu.

Their skills were so developed, it felt extraordinary for students.

While observing the bustling staff, I reached one conclusion.

“They all look like exam-entry students.”

“Exam-entry students?”

“The brooches they all wear are items only exam-entry students have. Would they seriously give training to kids from the same class?”

While we chatted about random topics, our drinks, sandwiches, and macarons arrived.

“This place has better average quality.”

“I thought so, too?”

“Even though our class tried hard, it still has a rough feel, doesn’t it?”

The 5th class didn’t seem specialized.

They emphasized how hard the students worked, so both their hospitality and products felt off just a bit.

Even the baked bread, although made with care, had slightly different colors.

Everyone laughed it off, but the fact that this festival would last for two days was a different matter.

It’s one thing to drop by for promotions, but coming back for a second visit changes the dynamics.

“Well, I guess Woodville will figure something out.”

————————————

Amy had always intended to win, but recently, a reason emerged for her to absolutely clinch the victory.

“Hehehe.”

“Are you that happy?”

“Of course.”

Amy responded brightly to River’s remark, and suddenly a clanging sound echoed from her waist.

On the first day of the Hunting Festival, Lucia had carelessly brought all her gear, making a clanging noise as she walked, but Amy wasn’t any less.

Since the day Atlas gifted her the sword, she hadn’t let it out of her sight.

Like a child carrying a doll received as a Christmas present all day long.

The sword made of mithril alloy was now equivalent to her treasured toy.

She never particularly loved weapons.

She had only learned how to see and use them out of necessity, and while she took great care of her hard-earned gear, she didn’t harbor any affection for them.

The smells of grease and gunpowder filled the air, and the sharp, cold metal pieces—if mishandled—could injure her, they were terrifying.

However, gifts given by someone felt different.

While the sword from Atlas wasn’t better than the gear she typically used, it was crafted from mithril ingots obtained by defeating monsters in a hidden dungeon, making it a rare item on the continent.

Yet, Amy never compared the weapon gifted by Atlas to anything else.

Just knowing that it was a present thought of her made her extraordinarily happy.

“I mean, Rio is always carrying that wand he received as a gift.”

“Well, I can’t help it! With something this expensive, I can’t risk leaving it somewhere else…”

Rio jumped, startled, when the arrow turned back on him.

Since Rio still felt uncomfortable around Atlas, the three of us were enjoying the Hunting Festival together.

Since we really needed to cover each other tomorrow, it was good to strengthen our bond.

“I told you, didn’t I? Atlas is kind.”

“I appreciate it… it’s my first time receiving a gift like this…”

After receiving the wand and artifact, Rio’s abilities improved significantly.

Her output increased, and the time it took to manifest magic decreased.

It was like giving her wings, considering she had survived with just the cheapest wand until now.

“We’re definitely winning tomorrow.”

“Right… if we crash out miserably after receiving something like this, I won’t be able to face anyone.”

“The teams we need to be cautious of include… Edgar’s team, and the upperclassmen’s team from the swordsmanship research club and the student council, right?”

The Hunting Festival can be won just by hunting monsters, but in most cases, teams that score above a certain threshold end up fighting each other fiercely.

“If River and the seniors keep an eye on the other three, I’ll take care of Edgar.”

“Are you confident?”

“I’m stronger than you two think.”

Amy firmly resolved.

She would repay everyone’s expectations.

————————————

Later, as the first day of the Hunting Festival came to an end, I went looking for Andy, who looked like he was going to die during the event.

When I knocked on his dorm room door, Andy appeared, blinking in his pajamas as the door swung open.

He looked like someone who had just woken up from a nap.

“Ahh… I slept all day… Was there anything going on today…?”

“It’s the first day of the Hunting Festival, and you slept the whole day?”

“Ugh… I’ve only been getting about three hours of sleep each day for the last two weeks… It felt so good to rest.”

With so much to do, I heard he was really struggling.

But if all the people who needed to work tomorrow were in that state, would everyone be alright for the festival?

I couldn’t shake off my anxiety.

“Hey, is there anything strange going on in the Black Forest?”

“I saw everything… there were some monsters with higher danger levels than expected, but they were set up moderately… just figuring out the map was a pain…”

Barely clinging to life, Andy showed me the map that he’d drawn.

It indicated the areas that would be relatively safe during the Hunting Festival in the Black Forest, which was painted pitch black due to insufficient exploration by the academy.

“Is there any detection magic placed on the Black Forest right now?”

“There’s one, why do you ask?”

“You can just go in, right?”

“I could, but… please tell me you’re not thinking what I think you are.”

At my casual inquiry, Andy shivered uncomfortably.

“Let’s go into the Black Forest together!”

“Please, I need to work tomorrow…!!”

“Do you want to walk in there by yourself or be dragged along?”

If nothing happens tonight, things should be fine for tomorrow.

That’s why I had been waiting for this day.