Wake up… Wake up… Wake up…
A voice that wakes me up.
Shake… Shake… Shake…
The gesture that shook my body.
I quietly opened my eyes.
"Wake up… Huh? He's awake."
My vision filled with Layla's large eyes. Layla is looking into my eyes, right in front of my nose.
"Elly! It seems like Shion is awake?"
"..."
How can her eyes be so big? They're so colorful, it's as if they contain the universe.
"No? Not yet?"
She tilted her head.
"Still sleeping? Wake up!"
She shook my shoulder again.
I wanted to say something, but my lips and tongue wouldn't move yet.
Maybe it's the aftereffect of using Perion and Severing Sword at the same time.
"Hey, hey. Hey, wake up."
Slap-
A palm touches my cheek. Layla lightly slapped my cheek.
"Hey. Hey."
Slap-
She slapped me one more time.
"Hey. Hey, hey."
Slap-
She laughed wickedly as she slapped me.
"Hey. Hey, hey. You try getting hit. How is it? Hehe."
Slap-
A smirk playing at the corner of her mouth. The palm that keeps slapping my cheek.
I just stared blankly.
Slap- Slap-
"Hehe. You slapped me on the airplane too."
Slap-
"Hey, hey. Hey, you brat~ How is it~"
Slap- Slap-
"Hey, hey, hey, brat~ How does it feel to get hit~"
Slap-
As I was getting slapped, suddenly.
"How is it~ Hey!"
Instinctively, my palm swung out. Unconsciously, I slapped Layla's cheek.
Slap──!
"Ah! Ahhh!"
Her whole body fell backward.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Layla trembled as if she'd been electrocuted.
I slowly sat up. I was still dazed.
"..."
"Ahhhhhh──"
I looked at Layla, shaking my head from side to side.
"Ah, sorry. I wasn't thinking."
"Kyaaaaaaa─ Kya─"
Layla rolled away on the floor.
"..."
I looked around. Everything was white.
"Where am I?"
"...Where, you ask."
Swish-!
The curtain was drawn back.
"It's the dormitory. The infirmary, to be exact."
It was Elise.
Only then did I realize the situation. The 'phantom' that had attacked us came to mind belatedly.
"Kyaaaaaa──."
Layla rolled back in. Elise kicked her away again.
"Kyaaaaaa..."
Layla's voice faded away.
I stared blankly, then suddenly remembered.
"Where's Soliette?"
Elise calmly pointed to the next curtain.
"Soliette was badly burned. Almost the entire body was cooked."
"What?"
I quickly drew back the curtain.
Soliette was lying on the bed.
"...She looks fine?"
She looks fine. There's no wound at all. She's upright, with her hands folded on her chest.
"Hrrrrrr..."
She's even snoring like a lion.
"Hrrrrrrrr..."
If there was a mane under her chin, it would be exactly like a lion's roar.
"Why are you surprised? It's Arkne."
Elise raised an eyebrow as she spoke.
"At least, this monstrous direct descendant can't be killed by 'heat'."
"...Ah."
Upon reflection, that's true. I seemed to have inadvertently forgotten a fact so obvious.
Arkne possesses an abnormal resistance and recovery ability to heat. Among them, Soliette could even survive being submerged in boiling water at 100℃.
Because she is the one who inherited the thickest blood of Arkne.
"But who brought us here?"
I clearly collapsed right after dealing with the spirit body.
Whoosh-! The curtain on my opposite side was drawn.
It was Kielli.
"Hey. With this, I've truly repaid you. Don't hold a grudge when we meet later."
"Ah. Was it you?"
"...Who else would it be? Everyone else ran away. Haha."
Kielli tossed his long hair behind his ears, revealing his side profile. I drew the curtain again. I saw Elise.
"But, you guys managed to hold out somehow."
"That's what I want to say. How did you endure in such a confined space?"
"Thanks to the fruit."
The fruit enchantment obtained from [Bethune].
It was a real lifesaver.
"More importantly, how many of us survived?"
"Exactly 507. Only about 20% are left."
507.
I nodded and asked again.
"Did they eat?"
* * *
I gathered all the food in the dormitory. All the harvest from the [Ascal Farm], and everything else the seniors had brought on their own.
Then I recruited about twenty helpers and cooked in large quantities.
We used all available ingredients to create a buffet, and the other seniors hastily set up a long table and chairs in the middle of the park.
In no time, a banquet was set up.
─Wow, this is delicious.
─I know, right? Is it because it's almost the end?
─Don't we still have a week left?
─Honestly, if we've come this far, it's the end... It doesn't make sense if there's more like this.
I watched them from behind. The 507 filled the park. Fortunately, most of them seemed to enjoy the food.
─The wall collapsed, and I blocked it with my body~.
This was Kain's heroic tale. He was surrounded by men, showing off his muscles.
─It was tough. But, well, we made it, didn't we?
On the other hand, Asher was busy flirting with a girl.
─Drink, drink~ Eat and live~
At Layla's table, where her cheeks were flushed red, some kind of drinking game was in full swing.
Where on earth did they get the alcohol?
─Hehehe. You drink! A shot, dumbass!
I still can't believe that Layla is a hero.
By the way, Soliette hasn't woken up yet. She overexerted herself, so it will probably take another two to three days.
Rustle-
Then, footsteps approaching from my side.
I glanced in that direction.
"Isn't it noisy?"
Elise. She sipped from her wine glass with a calm demeanor. The color was that of red wine.
"You like noise, don't you."
"...."
She pursed her lips as if I had hit the nail on the head. I gestured towards her glass.
"What's that?"
"Wine."
Elise swirled her wine glass elegantly and shrugged her shoulders.
"Anyway, congratulations."
"For what?"
"You. You'll be in the safe zone of Edsilla University."
Edsilla National University. An academic achievement I couldn't even dream of before regression.
"That's true."
I can feel it too.
It's there, almost within my grasp.
"We'll go to the same university. Us."
Elise shuddered slightly. But she soon responded with a tone of amusement.
"Probably not. You're aiming for the Knight Department. I'll probably head to the Magic Tower after a year."
Magic Tower. It's not the most honest institution, but it's a natural path for Elise.
She has a tremendous talent for magic, after all.
"You. A guardian knight of Libra?"
Elise asked. I chuckled and nodded.
A guardian knight of Libra.
Edsilla National University is just a stepping stone for that.
"Well… good job."
Elise muttered, taking a gulp from her glass. I wasn't sure who she was talking to, but I turned to look at her.
"You too."
I placed my hand on her head. Very lightly. Elise shook her head at that moment.
"Wha-where do you think you're touching? Are you crazy?!"
She quickly became flushed. Not just her face, but all the way to her neck, as red as tomato ketchup.
Her reaction was so intense that I couldn't help but laugh.
"What's with that reaction? Do you like me?"
"Ar-are you a lunatic?!"
Splash! Elise splashed wine on my face. The red liquid clung to my skin.
"..."
"..."
Elise, perhaps acting impulsively, swallowed hard. I narrowed my eyes and said,
"It's a joke, a joke."
"...Oh my, oh my. Such a, such a low and… that..."
Elise feigned calmness and coughed.
"It's my first time hearing a joke based on such wild speculation. Isn't a joke supposed to be funny? Or..."
She handed me a handkerchief, a smirk in her eyes.
"Is it your wishful thinking?"
"Are you crazy?"
"..."
I just took the handkerchief and wiped my face.
"Hehe."
Suddenly, a sinister laughter echoed from behind.
We turned to look.
It was Layla.
She had been playing a drinking game at the table, but somehow she had come over here and was looking at us, chuckling.
"Hehehehe."
"Why is she like that?"
"...Should've killed her then. By slapping her."
Elise grumbled aggressively.
"Hehehehe..."
As Layla left with a meaningful laugh, Elise glared at her, grinding her teeth.
* * *
After the second test, it was peaceful for a week.
The [Ascal Farm] and [Terence Cafe] were operating normally. However, since the overall number of seniors had decreased and the income wasn't as high as before, I had to hunt monsters as a side job.
That was all.
Running the farm, hunting monsters, converting AP, and playing [Bethune Dungeon] with Soliette during my free time.
"...Ah. If it was going to be like this, they should have just let us go."
Late at night.
At the end of the day, after finishing hunting and returning, I grumbled and locked eyes with Elise in the hallway. She seemed to be getting ready for bed, dressed comfortably.
"If they gave us a break, why don't you rest? What will you do if another test like the second one comes up?"
She's been nagging every time our eyes meet these days.
"Go and get some sleep."
"...Is that so?"
Elise opened the door to room 106. I opened the door to room 107 as well.
Bang-
I closed the door and looked out the window.
The night in Planarium is dark. At the same time, fireflies, or perhaps will-o'-wisps, rise and dance.
It's sufficiently dreamlike.
But now, it's tiresome.
"It's finally coming to an end."
The second quarter is nearing its end, and the third quarter is just university interviews, so it will be over in two weeks. Those two weeks will only actually involve about three days of interview time.
Finally── this damned hell of college entrance exams is ending.
That's when it happened.
──Are you resting well!
It was the courteous voice of the statue. As soon as I heard it, I felt a slight headache.
──It's time to go home!
"Huh?"
What's this? Is there no third test?
──That's right! It's time to go home! It's the end of the second quarter!
Waaaaaaa───!
A huge cheer echoed throughout the dormitory. A faint smile crept onto my face.
──Great! Then! Escape!
I got up. Then, a word suddenly caught my attention.
"...Escape?"
But, the dormitory was filled with the sound of people bustling out.
I started packing my bag in a hurry. I opened the door on a whim.
Whoosh- A gust of wind swept over me.
"....?"
I blinked my eyes.
The corridor was completely empty.
"What the."
There was no one. Just a moment ago, it was filled with the sounds of seniors rejoicing.
It was eerily quiet.
No sound could be heard, no presence could be felt. It was enough to give me goosebumps.
"What is this..."
I walked down the dormitory corridor. I opened the door leading outside.
"...?"
It was a typical night in Planarium.
I started moving. Slowly, I started descending the mountain path.
No matter how much I thought about it, something felt off, so I drew my sword. I walked cautiously, keeping an eye on my surroundings.
So it went for 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours....
"?"
In the distance, at the end of the mountain path, I saw a familiar silhouette.
──No way?!
It was him. He looked surprised to see me.
"What is it."
──Shion Ascal... Did you escape?
"Escape? I don't know, but I'm here, aren't I?"
──Good. You're the first!
"...Excuse me?
[1st Place : + 3,000 AP]
3,000 AP appeared on my student card.
It was bewildering, but apparently, I was the first.
"Is this the end?"
─Yes. You can just go down!
"Well, okay."
I started descending the mountain path again.
Crackle-
Somewhere, the sound of a radio transmission echoed.
Crackle-
Right behind me. In other words, inside my bag.
I quickly opened my bag. I grabbed a fist-sized piece of equipment.
Crackle-
It was a radio. The radio was emitting a signal.
I turned it on.
"Hello."
─Eek! You scared me.
It was Elise's voice.
"Oh. Elise, is that you?
─Who are you?
"Who am I? I'm Shion Ascal."
─Phew....
Elise let out a sigh of relief.
─Where are you?
"Where am I? I'm outside right now? I'm about to arrive at the train station."
─...What?
Her voice rang out in surprise. I bet her eyebrows shot up too.
─What are you talking about?
"What do you mean, what am I talking about...."
Ah.
A thought suddenly brushed past my mind.
When I opened the door to my room, there was a peculiar 'wind' that blew in.
I didn't think much of it at the time, but was that the effect of magic?
I smiled contentedly and shrugged my shoulders.
"I think I've passed. The third test."
─What... Are you crazy? No, are you really Shion?
"Hey. Don't mess with me. I have a tremendous resistance to this kind of magic or magical power."
Hahaha.
I laughed.
─...Resistance?
"Anyway. I'm going, so take care. Oh, I see the train station."
Under the night sky. The lights of the train station are twinkling.
─Hey. Stay. Won't you help?
"I'd like to help, but I'm already done."
I looked at my student card.
[3rd Test 1st Place: Shion Ascal]
It's clearly marked.
Whether it's a fluke or unexpected luck, thanks to this test being designed extremely favorably for me.
"I'm going."
─...bastard.
Elise cut off the radio.
I chuckled and tucked the radio into my pocket. I sat down on a chair at the train station.
"...Aren't you going?
"!"
My body jolted.
"Ah, you startled me. Give me a heads up."
Akane was right next to me. She was flipping through a newspaper, glancing at me.
"I asked if you're not going."
"...Where to?"
"The test."
"Didn't I pass?"
"That's true."
Akane furrowed her brows.
"But you could still help, couldn't you?"
Help? Me?
More than that, Akane's behavior is strange. She's not usually like this.
"...Well, is there a problem there?"
Snap!
Then Akane folded the newspaper. She looked at me with a slightly mischievous face.
"There is a problem."
She said, chuckling.
"You killed a very important spirit entity in Planarium. Everyone is very angry."