The Academy’s Crude Pink-Haired Martial Artist

The friendly conversation with Silina came to an end.

Pina, who had been fainting the whole time, got up ghost-like as the bell signaling the end of lunchtime rang and headed out for the next lecture.

Silina made a point of asking me not to share my recording with anyone, as she chuckled while heading to the next classroom.

As soon as I stepped into the Personal Training Grounds, I was glad I had asked Pina to turn on the recording. I had a hunch, but I never expected her to come out like that.

Of course, she probably meant it as a reminder for me to be alert, but frankly, I couldn’t care less.

What’s important is that I got one over on Silina.

Anyway.

Here I was, waiting for Leona, the professor for Friday afternoon classes.

Then suddenly…

“…Where the heck is she?”

An hour passed, and there was still no sign of Leona. Sure, it gave me plenty of time to think, but I was getting tired of my own thoughts.

I considered calling her, but that was out of the question. Leona’s status indicator was off. It seemed she had gone outside the Academy.

Did she forget she had a lecture today?

…Could that be? I questioned, but it occurred to me that if it were Leona, it was quite likely.

“Tch, she’ll show up when she feels like it.”

I eventually got up from my seat, stretched out comfortably, and took off my coat.

At that moment, ding—my Device made a sound.

“…What now?”

It was a message from Sedil Mershdoff.

*

Sedil’s message was long-winded, but to sum it up.

I received notice that Leona, who had been out on official duties since yesterday, would be delayed in returning.

Thus, today’s afternoon lecture was unfortunately canceled.

However, there was no need to worry about grades. The canceled class would eventually be made up with Supplementary Classes.

In other words, today’s afternoon lecture was called off.

I was excited thinking about what I could learn today, but well… it didn’t matter much.

When have I ever relied on anyone to train?

If there’s nothing, I’ll just do it alone as usual.

Then there’d be no issue at all.

Yeah. If it’s like usual, then there’s no problem.

knock knock—

“Hey, open up.”

I decided to postpone that for now.

If things kept going this way, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate.

knock knock knock—

“If you call, don’t make me wait. Hurry up and open!”

Rustling sounds came from the other side of the door, and a flustered voice called out.

“Elliaernes…? What’s going on? Where’s the lecture? Did you skip?”

“Why are you surprised? You called first!”

“I didn’t think you’d come this quickly!! W-wait a minute… just 5 minutes… no, 2 minutes!”

The rustling stopped for a moment, then started again. There were sounds of feet running around and someone huffing, as they seemed to be moving things.

Eight minutes later…

“…Okay, done.”

Creeeak—the door opened.

“You came suddenly, and it’s not organized yet… just come in for now.”

Her complexion didn’t look too good.

Her usually calm hair was messy, and from the look of her eyes, she seemed to have missed sleep. They were slightly red, as if she had been crying.

Moreover, all the windows were closed, and the blinds were drawn, preventing any ventilation at all.

Stella’s scent was suffocating inside the room.

“…Why are you here now? I wanted you to come after school today.”

Stella felt embarrassed about her appearance and threw on a hoodie that was lying on the floor, pulling the hood over her head.

“Aren’t you going to the lecture? Didn’t you have a class with the Vice Headmaster today?”

“It was canceled.”

“Ah… I see.”

Stella gave a sly smile and made a dismissive sound, trying to appear relaxed despite the situation.

“If you glare at me like that, I’m gonna poke your eyes out.”

“Could you say that nicer?!”

Tch, I clicked my tongue and plopped down on a chair, unpacking the things I had brought along.

“Did you eat yet?”

“No, I didn’t eat… Huh? What’s all this?”

Yuja tea, bananas, lemon candy, dark chocolate, and seaweed soup.

I separated the lunchbox containing rice, seaweed soup, and a simple side dish and placed it on the table.

“Sit down and eat.”

“…What is this?”

“Rice and snacks.”

“What…?”

With a baffled expression, Stella inspected my face while muttering about the items on the table.

“Why seaweed soup…? Why did you bring this all of a sudden?”

“Don’t ask, just eat it before it gets cold.”

Stella, still dazed, picked up a disposable spoon.

“What’s going on…? Why are you suddenly acting like this? Are you crazy? Is it because you’re feeling lonely and depressed without Yurasia? Did you lose it? Or are you going to die tomorrow? No way… did you get into some trouble and are about to get expelled?!”

“You, you little—”

In that moment, I almost exploded with a stream of colorful curses, but I bit down hard to swallow my words.

I know all too well what those troublesome days feel like. Those days when my mood swings like a rollercoaster, cramps emerge in my lower abdomen, pain shoots through my back, and sometimes digestive issues follow suit.

And damn it, even my nonexistent chest feels hurt.

What’s more, don’t get me started on sanitary pads.

It’s so awful.

Uncomfortable, damp, sticky, feeling every annoying sensation imaginable.

That’s why… today, I decided to hold it together as much as I could.

“…I told you to eat quietly.”

“You know you’re acting really weird today…?”

Stella, still blowing on the steaming seaweed soup before taking a spoonful, lit up with curiosity.

It felt like the question marks hovering over her head instantly turned into exclamation marks.

“…Whoa, what’s this? Why does it taste so good? Did you get this from the Academy’s restaurant?”

“It’s expensive, so don’t leave any behind.”

“Is it for sale or what?!”

Wah! She yelled, then munch—she started eating the seaweed soup while I got up from my seat.

“Is it good?”

Mumbling with her cheeks stuffed with rice, Stella tilted her head.

Would I really sit here and watch you eat? I contemplated, but ultimately chose to keep my mouth shut.

What’s the point of silently watching someone eat anyway?

It just puts pressure on both the eater and the watcher.

So, I decided to clean up instead.

I heard last time that she doesn’t let the dorm maids clean her room and does it herself.

Maybe that’s why it’s such a mess.

First things first, ventilation.

Not that Stella’s scent is bad, but still, a person needs to catch some light and breathe fresh air.

Walking straight toward the window, I—swish!—pulled up the blinds and creak!—opened the window.

Bright light flooded the dim room, and a slightly chilly yet refreshing March breeze filled the space.

“Ugh… so bright.”

Stella squinted her eyes at the sudden brightness.

Meanwhile, she continued to move her spoon and chopsticks energetically.

Especially, she was making an effort with the seaweed soup.

Watching her enjoy her meal filled me with strange joy.

How could it not?

When anyone enjoys something I made, I can’t help but feel good about it.

It felt like even if I had brought something from the Academy, it wouldn’t have mattered, but I thought she might enjoy it more since it was made by me.

Not from the Academy’s main cafeteria, but from the restaurant in Signia Hall.

This was made using the kitchen students could freely use in the dorm.

Of course, the ingredients we could use in Signia Hall were high-quality, but what Stella was eating now was made with the ingredients I had.

The quality was something to be concerned about.

It was stored in a high-grade Artifact that had preservation and space expansion magic cast on it, so when I tasted it, there were no issues.

And that’s not all, the rice and side dishes weren’t just ordinary items.

They were specially crafted by Ronan… or rather, Ellie, packed with things that are good for relieving menstrual pain and overall health.

To translate what Stella’s currently eating would probably amount to about half a month’s worth of food expenses.

Of course, I won’t say that.

If that penny-pincher Stella knew the price, she’d either refuse to eat or surely throw up what she had already eaten.

It was better to let her keep eating happily like this.

“Hey, use the Wind Barrier spell.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Just do it if I ask.”

Following her chopsticks, Stella’s violet mana surged and filled the room, creating a wall of wind between us.

Whoosh—a sound like a whistle echoed, and a barrier appeared.

I prodded at it, then promptly spread out a blanket on the bed with a thud. A stronger version of Stella’s scent wafted over.

And with a whoosh!—the dust came flying out as well.

There had already been a lot of dust, but with the glaring sunlight, it looked abundant.

“W-what? Why are you suddenly cleaning?!”

“Geez, have you ever washed this blanket?”

“I-I’ve washed it!!”

“Washed my foot. It looks like you’ve never dusted it once.”

The air wasn’t ventilated at all.

Tch I clicked my tongue and lifted the blanket, leaning out the window. With a mighty whoosh I shook the blanket furiously to get rid of the dust.

Afterwards, I tidied up the bed, spread the blanket back over it, and cleaned up the hair and bits scattered all over the floor, finishing the quick cleaning.

And Stella’s blissful meal came to an end.

That little brat Stella. She kept telling me not to clean with her words, but her body was honest.

She didn’t leave a single rice grain or drop of soup behind. At this rate, you could say she licked the bowl clean.

“Was it good?”

“Well… it was pretty decent!”

She pretended to act aloof despite her excited expression.

Seeing her amusing face, I chuckled—hee hee—and picked up a bag that had been tucked away, hiding in a corner.

If I’m cleaning, I might as well finish everything.

“Huh? What??? Hey! Leave that bag there!!!”

Suddenly…

Thud—a bunch of papers with dense black text fell to the floor.

Wait, why did the papers fall when I just lifted the bag?

I pondered that question, but I had no time to search for answers.

The papers on the floor.

The title boldly written on one made my mind go blank.

[The Secret of the Eustetia Duchy.]

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