Endex Magic High School, or simply [Endex], is one of the most prestigious Magic High Schools on the continent. As such, the admission requirements are as challenging.
Of course, the children of the powerful Edsilla families can gain admission relatively easily, but commoners must fiercely hone their skills and compete on merit.
So, how could I, a patient with demonic leukemia, have been admitted here?
Firstly, the selection process is a bit unusual.
Being an orphan, I was considered under the social welfare category.
In addition, I created cheat sheets with 「Notepad」.
Perfect score in theory, top tier in essay writing, and lower-middle tier in practical skills.
Admitted.
When I passed the entrance exam, it felt as though I had the world in my hands, but reality was not so soft.
In the society of elites, an orphan from a foster home were looked down upon. Those from wealthy families naturally did so, and those from poor families desperately offered them up as scapegoats.
Looking back, it seems there was no one else who was as much of a human shield as I was.
Bald from chemotherapy. A scar from brain tumor surgery. An orphan from a foster home. A small body. A timid personality.
I ticked all five of those boxes.
"...It's been a while."
「ENDEX」
Various thoughts came to mind as I looked at the entrance of Endex.
I stepped onto the campus. It was still vacation, so the inside was empty.
I slowly walked around the schoolyard, looking around.
In every corner of the landscape, I could see my past self, walking hunched over with my head down.
I had nothing back then.
No money, no ability, no family, no confidence.
I was shackled from head to toe.
"It really is the past."
I'm now a third-year student. It's time to choose whether to remain a High School graduate or to challenge myself in college.
The me before the regression naturally chose to graduate High School. I had half given up on life.
Because of the Cancer of the Magic's Core.
Even after overcoming diseases like leukemia and brain tumors, which have less than a 10% survival rate over five years, I couldn't dare to challenge an incurable disease with a 0% survival rate over twelve years.
"...It's fucking big."
Anyway, the Endex campus is vast. A total of 20 buildings are lined up around the central clock tower, and students collectively refer to all of them as 'the dormitory'.
I aimlessly wandered between these buildings.
Without realizing it, I ended up in a familiar place.
[Old Building]
Old Building.
"Ah, this place..."
This place, which suddenly immerses me in sentimentality, is the most rundown building at the corner of the Magic High School campus.
A deserted building devoid of students.
At the basement of this place, which doesn't even look like an Endex facility because it's adjacent to the back mountain, there's a small room called 'Maintenance Dormitory'.
There's an adult there who I can trust more than anyone else at the Magic High School.
The old man.
Old man Belthos.
"...He should still be here."
The thought of meeting him somehow excites me.
If I meet that old man, who doesn't exist in the future, it feels like my heart will momentarily become as young as my body.
I entered the old building. Walking on the wooden floor covered in too many thorns, I went straight down to the basement.
"Ah, look at the stale air."
Drip- Drip-
Water leaking from the ceiling, stone steps heavily stained with dirt. Each step echoed with a cold sound.
At the end of it, a basement of about 33 square meters, as if a ghost might appear.
"What are you doing here?"
A sharp-looking old man stared at me as I descended.
Mr. Belthos.
He spoke nonchalantly.
"Weren't you supposed to graduate?"
I almost choked, but I responded as if it was nothing.
"…I'm going to college."
I sat on the sofa. My butt sank deep. It was almost like a swimming pool.
"What are you doing?"
The old man was staring at something on the table.
"A puzzle."
"…"
Suddenly a puzzle?
I sank into the sofa and glanced at the old man.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…If you have something to say, say it."
The old man seemed to have eyes on the back of his head.
"Well… That is, um… Can I ask for just one piece of advice?"
"No. Don't bother."
"But you said if I have something to say, say it."
"I take it back."
Belthos lowered his head, but it only made me more determined.
At this moment, the only person I could confide in, even for a moment, was him.
I wet my lips and began to speak.
"Sir. What would you do if you had an enemy?"
An enemy.
The word might sound a bit childish, but I couldn't describe it any other way.
Libra killed me. They killed my father. They destroyed everything I had. And yet-
"I'd get along with them."
The old man answered without hesitation.
"But they're an enemy?"
"And? What kind of enemy?"
"Well…"
I scratched the back of my neck.
How much do I really hate Libra?
How much can I fuel the fire I've kept in my heart?
"An enemy I want to destroy, even if I have to stake my life on it? Like an enemy of my family and my life."
Then the old man shrugged.
"All the more reason."
Leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, staring at the puzzle on the table.
"The more desperately you want to take them down, the less likely you'll be able to do so from the outside."
He turned his head and spoke bluntly to me.
"Become the most trustworthy person to your enemy, become the most important person, and then destroy their heart. This is the best strategy for revenge against an enemy."
"…"
I was silent for a moment.
The best strategy to destroy an enemy.
If you can endure, if you can be patient, it's the best way.
A gentleman's revenge is never too late, even if it takes thirty years.
"…Really?"
An inexplicable smile crossed his face.
"What a coincidence. I was thinking something similar."
Having already clashed head-on with them, I know. I know because I couldn't make a single scratch even with all my soul.
A deeply rooted tree cannot be uprooted without rotting the very core.
"Can I stay here for a while? I don't have a home."
The old man didn't say anything. It must have been consent.
I approached him and took a quick look.
"…But why suddenly a puzzle?"
The old man didn't say anything.
"Ah, the kids left this. Asking me to do it."
The audacity is truly something. Daring to ask a favor of an old man who's busy with his own life-
"They said they'd give me 700 ren if I complete it. There are a lot of kids who don't know the value of money."
"So much for respecting elders, huh?"
The old man's monthly wage must be around 1,500 ren.
"What's the picture supposed to be?"
"See for yourself."
The old man pointed to a piece of paper at the corner of his desk. It was a famous portrait.
"It's 'The Lady of Deunavis'."
"Do you know how to do puzzles? It's 8,000 pieces."
"I've never tried, but I might be able to do it."
I have some faith in myself.
I took in the image of the completed puzzle, a famous painting. Just in case, I also ran my palm over it, then sat across from the old man.
And then, one piece.
Two pieces.
Three pieces.
Click- Click- Click-
My hands moved on their own, and the puzzle started to come together.
There was no need to specifically look for the corners.
Just following where my hand went, without hesitation, I matched the pieces of the puzzle...
The old man asked with wide eyes.
"How are you so good at this?"
I answered with a small smile.
"I'm not sure."
Before I knew it, part of the picture was complete, and the purple eyes of the lady were looking at me.
I murmured as I met her gaze.
"It's like... my body remembers."
* * *
As soon as I finished the puzzle, I stopped by the main building of Endex.
[Endex Office of Academic Affairs]
I knocked on the door of the Office of Academic Affairs and opened it. A few staff members were sitting in front of computers.
I approached one of them.
"I came to apply for the College Board."
The College Board. It's a mandatory process for admission to a Magic College, supervised and conducted by the Continental University Association over a year.
Magic High School students who aspire to attend a Magic College must participate, and through this, the grades and talents of all Magic High School students across the continent are ranked.
The qualification for participation is 'those who have completed more than 3 years of education at a Magic High School'.
Most participants are in their fourth year often referred to as 'seniors' as they conduct the College Board in their senior year.
"...Please show your student ID."
I handed over my student ID.
The staff member tilted her head.
"Your average grade is D-?, huh?"
"Yes."
The quota per grade at Endex is 400~500 students, but among them, only around 100 participate in the College Board.
With just an Endex diploma, you can make a decent living, so many don't feel the need to stress about going to college.
The staff member asked with a doubtful tone.
"...Can you handle it? Most of them will have grades over B."
"Of course."
I don't want such a carefree life.
Whether I walk a straight path or not, my lifespan is short. I don't know when my terminal illness will kill me.
So, if I'm on my way to the afterlife anyway, well.
Taking down a big shot with me as a travel companion is my life's primary goal.
"The College Board registration fee is 300 ren, and the tuition fee is 5,000 ren."
But the tuition fee is 5,000 ren.
The cost of living is insane.
I scratched the back of my neck.
"...Can I pay the tuition fee later? I can pay the registration fee now."
"That's possible. However, if you drop out in the middle, there will be no refund."
"Yes."
For now, I took out 300 ren from my pocket.
The reward for the completing the old man's puzzle was 700 Ren, dividing that fifty-fifty.
"Shion Ascal. Your application has been processed."
Bang—!
The clerk stamped my student ID. The black ink read [Senior].
"Yes."
"But, um."
The clerk spoke to me as I was about to leave.
"How about getting a haircut?"
"…A haircut?"
"Yes. The curriculum of the college board changes every year, so I don't know what will happen, but there are quite a few old-fashioned people among the staff. They don't like long hair."
I twisted my hair with my fingers.
Long hair is one thing, but it definitely looks ragged because I've never trimmed it.
"Yes. I suppose so."
...
[Salon des Milles]
The closest hair salon to Endex. As soon as I opened the door and entered, the designer rushed towards me with sparkling eyes.
"Oh my, dear customer~ Your hair is so long~ Are you a student at the Endex?"
"Uhm-"
"Please, have a seat~"
I sat down awkwardly in the barber's chair.
It's always been the most uncomfortable seat for me. I have a slight aversion to having a razor near my neck.
"How would you like your cut?"
"There's no need to cut it too fancy."
I was about to give a vague answer when suddenly, I noticed the clippers on the table.
Clippers.
Seeing them, a certain 'idea' came to mind.
I asked the hairdresser.
"Can I see those clippers?"
"…Pardon?"
"The clippers."
"Oh… Yes?"
She seemed not to understand, so I reached out and grabbed the clippers. I even turned them on. Vrrrrrrrr——
"…What are you doing?"
"Ah, nothing."
Just trying to see how far I can utilize my 「Notepad」.
Just like my 「Notepad」 remembered and summoned Perion, I was curious if these simple machines could do the same.
After all, the original Notepad has a similar function. [Save], and [Load].
I closed my eyes. Drawing up the power of mana, I murmured with intent.
"Memory."
—Kuduk.
The mana contracted weakly. It meant something had happened.
Now, to load again.
Vrrrrrrrr——
"Oh."
Then, mana surged in my palm. It was an intangible, vibrating, blue clipper.
With that hand, I swept through my hair. My blonde hair was cut off in clumps.
"...Hmm."
I alternated between looking at my hand and the mirror.
"Interesting."
It was pure admiration.
"Um..."
Then someone made a small noise next to me. The hairdresser was looking at me with a slightly stunned expression.
"Ah, right."
I quickly sat back down in the chair.
"Please shave it. But don't shave it too much. I have a scar on my scalp. So, make it blend in well with a two-block style on top, about 11mm. Something like a fashionable buzz cut, or something along those lines...."