I Became the Academy’s Pink Airhead

Like any other morning, I opened my eyes.

What I see in front of me is the familiar ceiling of the dormitory.

“…”

The usual appearance of my room.

But instead of getting up right away, I observe the numerous presences.

Among the presences felt within a 100m radius, I focus on my juniors.

-Clatter clatter…

-Hmm… The amount is a bit ambiguous, should I crack one more…?

-Snore… Kuu… Huum…

-[Flash Sword]―!!

-Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh―!!

-Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Rota in the next room has already gone out and is on meal duty.

Kara across the hall is sleeping face down on the floor, scratching her belly.

Alvit seems to have headed to the main hall, as an intense presence is felt far away.

‘Hmm… They’re all healthy. Alvit has gotten stronger again… Seeing that her skill has evolved to stage 2. But why is Kara always sleeping on the floor in a prostrating position, leaving the bed unused.’

It had become my habit to check if my perception ability to see ‘moments’ and presence detection ability are working properly as soon as I wake up in the morning.

‘With the value of original work knowledge plummeting, if I lose my detection ability too, I’ll really become a useless pink airhead…’

I slightly turn my eyes to the side to look at the cuckoo clock hanging on one wall. A room full of all kinds of dolls and pink. The sound of twisting parts is heard from the clock that always awakens me in the morning. I had a feeling the alarm would ring soon.

‘The radar is still working fine.’

I’m grateful for the presence detection and perception abilities that are still functioning normally.

Actually, except for ether recovery ability, no abilities have been damaged, but. Due to my juniors’ continuous pampering behavior, I almost had the illusion that I was really a seriously ill patient. So I unconsciously developed a habit of checking if there were any damaged parts.

‘No matter how much I explain I’m fine, they don’t believe a word…’

The inspection results pass everything again today.

I now reduce my perception range appropriately and check the time. The parts inside the cuckoo clock were slowly twisting in the view of moments, preparing to sound the alarm.

The time is 6:59 AM.

A day when I don’t go out cycling at dawn.

Planning to get up leisurely and eat the meal prepared by my junior.

It’s already been a week since I started spending such lazy mornings.

‘Still, I did do a few things though…’

Somehow I felt a bit stifled by these days.

Fei yu zhi tan.

I’m feeling the frustration that Liu Bei cried out about losing muscle mass in his thighs when he lived as a jobless person for 4 years clinging to Liu Biao.

‘I want to loosen up my body a bit with some cardio soon, but whenever I try to do something, I get surrounded from 3 directions and whimpered at…’

Cute baby, diligent baby, big baby.

The sight of three baby juniors shedding sparkling tears and clinging to my sleeve while following me around is something I probably won’t forget.

-Senior… Where are you going?

-Just walking around the shopping district―☆

-Senior comrade! Please don’t move! I’ll carry you on my back instead!

-Senior!! Please!! I’ll let you touch my ears, so just lie down quietly!

-Isn’t that just what Rota comrade wants…?

-Shaaaak―!!!

I get up leisurely while recalling such memories.

Just as I’m about to get up slowly to turn off the alarm, a white cuckoo pops out of the clock and lets out a loud cry.

Ding―!

Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

The white cuckoo glares at me and wails.

-Time to be scolded~!! You pink airhead―!! Won’t you wake up from sleep soon!!

The cuckoo’s cry that I heard after a long time since awakening [Unique Ether] felt like it was saying that. Since it was routine to instantly turn it off like a superpower through ether manipulation. The cuckoo’s spirited cry was extremely irritating.

‘To do that again, I still need to wait three months…’

Trudge trudge…

Pop!

In the end, I walked directly to the clock and turned off the alarm.

Silence falls in the room.

Receiving the morning sunlight coming through the window.

I roll up my sleeves in the comfortable nightgown dress as is.

What’s visible then are faint blue bruises on my arms and legs.

“Oh―☆ Like cute blue moldy cheese♪”

Compared to when it was covered in eerie dark red wounds, it was much improved. Though the branch-like scars that formed on my neck and chest couldn’t be helped, the wounds on my arms and legs were gradually healing.

“Yes♪ This much is enough―☆”

I checked the improved wound marks and rummaged through the box containing medical supplies to find new bandages. Since there were plenty of bandages anyway, they were soon in hand.

‘Hilde… She could have just sent them in her own name, but she had to send them in the name of the .’

A daily necessities box containing various medicines and foods that were unthinkable with ’s poor finances.

After that day, we received daily necessities boxes containing various items as support from the . Since they were always sent in the name of the , I couldn’t know exactly who had pushed for it, but…

‘Since Bell had already stayed overnight at our school, and has officially started activities… Hilde couldn’t not know.’

In my first year, I didn’t reveal it to Hilde because I was ashamed of the school’s poor circumstances, but Bell had already seen everything down to the bottom. Probably from the perspective of kind-hearted and honest Hilde, it would be difficult to pretend not to know our situation.

‘It’s fortunate to still be able to get along well with such a thoughtful and diligent kid. I was too indifferent…’

The image of Hilde timidly waving her hand from the rooftop flickers. Despite everything, Hilde too was a soft-hearted girl… who thought of her friend.

When I get the chance soon, let’s meet again and say thank you.

Let’s exchange normal gratitude and greetings again.

I hummed a tune recalling those jewel-like beautiful silver-white eyes.

“Hmm―♪ Hm―☆”

I unwrap the bandages stained with festering blood and replace them with new ones.

Along with a stinging pain, I feel the comfortable pressure of new bandages.

I cover the parts where my nails fell off especially carefully, as they looked ugly.

‘If our babies see this, they’ll overreact and cry again.’

I finished changing the bandages and lightly moved my hands and feet.

Rub rub

Clenching and unclenching my fists, lifting and lowering my feet.

Wiggle wiggle

I also wiggle my fingers and toes.

Fortunately, the condition has improved a lot and I no longer feel pain.

That’s right.

I’ve now fully revived.

‘If I’ve recovered this much, should I slowly broach the subject in front of my juniors…?’

Thinking that, I put on a pink cardigan. And I walked towards the dining hall in the dormitory building where Rota was preparing breakfast.

* * *

In the dining hall next to the dormitory building.

A small orange cat was enraged there.

“Senior! Are you going to say something ridiculous? What patient exercises! Just because there’s no pain doesn’t mean the wounds have disappeared, it just means they’ve started healing!”

“…”

“Anyway! Absolutely not! Now just eat breakfast!”

“Yes―☆”

I was flatly refused.

‘Damn, this little one only speaks the truth.’

Rota expressed her dissatisfaction by putting her tiny hands on her hips while wearing a white apron and headscarf. Though her appearance like a school lunch server was cute, it was hard to speak up due to the cold look in her orange eyes.

‘Is this why Liu Bei couldn’t talk back to his mother?’

I smiled bitterly and held out a plate to Rota like that. Then she ladled potage soup onto the plate with the ladle in one hand, then took out prepared fruit and boiled eggs.

“…”

I couldn’t help but be moved seeing those things.

Really… Since coming to this world, this was the first time having such a luxurious meal at school since Rota arrived.

‘Senior Nina knew how to cook, but she was only focused on snacks and desserts.’

The potage soup Rota prepared had various vegetables neatly cut in it, and the table had bread warmed with steam in a basket.

‘She prepares the food herself if there are ingredients… Her life skills seem better than Alvit’s… Is she really from a wealthy family?’

Alvit only cared about cleanliness during cleaning time, but during meal times she only shouted for meat and prepared meals full of meat. And Kara shouted that ‘We should be grateful just to have food’ and served raw ingredients as is.

In the end, Rota was the only one who prepared proper meals.

Such a neatly prepared breakfast.

Rota had filled a large plate with breakfast, but was hesitating without handing it over.

“…”

Rota fidgeting while twitching her orange cat ears.

‘Does she have something to say?’

I just blankly watched that appearance.

“…”

“…?”

I urged in a playful voice:

“Hm? What’s the matter―☆ My tummy’s about to go growl♪ soon☆”

“Um. Senior… If, if senior is hurting more because there’s not enough ether in your body… There’s a ‘special dungeon’ near the school I used to attend…”

Hearing those words, I thought I knew what proposal Rota was making.

“If senior’s condition is due to ether loss, if you receive a ‘blessing that quickly recovers ether’ there… Wouldn’t it get a bit better? Well, becoming strong again like before… is probably impossible…”

This misunderstanding that doesn’t clear up no matter how much I explain.

I had no idea how to resolve this discrepancy caused by existing common sense and the results I had shown.

‘Hah… Geez. It’s heartbreaking. No matter how many times I say I’m fine, they don’t believe me.’

I just listened to Rota’s words with a troubled smile.

“Hmm…☆”

“I just… want senior to hurt less. Being in pain is… too sad, you know.”

“I see, thank you―☆”

As I said that and patted her head, Rota bowed her head deeply while still holding the plate. And she shyly held out the plate telling me to take it, and I took it and started eating.

Rota was moving awkwardly here and there, perhaps feeling she had meddled too much.

‘You’re just worrying about me, I couldn’t possibly dislike that.’

But given our junior’s personality, if I say that out loud, she’ll probably panic even more overcome with guilt. So I decided to quietly eat breakfast.

A thought that came to mind while savoring the umami flavor of the soup.

‘It’s about time I go tease those furry beasts anyway.’

Rich and arrogant beasts.

All kinds of treasures are hidden in the land they rule.

In my first year I only quickly plundered a few dungeons and withdrew.

Now that the main story timeline has started, there should be even more things.

‘And I need to bring back some nice things for our house kitty to use too…’

As I closed my mouth thinking that, the dining hall was filled with a subtle silence.

“…”

“…”

At that moment, Alvit entered the dining hall.

She was covered in sweat, probably from unleashing her newly strengthened skill.

But she had a satisfied expression, having realized how much stronger she had become.

Alvit said loudly with an innocent smile:

“Wow~ Soup!! Rota! Give me a lot!”

“…”

“…”

“…Oh. Sorry.”

Alvit quickly sensed the subtle atmosphere and started scooping her own food to eat. And Kara who got up late entered rudely in just his underwear, smacking her lips, ending breakfast for all members.

It was a peaceful breakfast.

* * *

And that afternoon.

A surprising guest came from .

“I’m here.”

A guest who appeared wearing work clothes with eyes full of boredom. She drove a huge truck and held a strange machine up to me.

Beep

Beep

Beep

Beep

Beep

Maya held the strange machine up to my head and muttered quietly:

“Wow, a corpse is talking.”

“Hey―☆ What are you saying, Maya☆”

“This is a machine that measures the ether depletion ratio. When I held it up to a kid who collapsed from overwork recently, it beeped twice.”

“…What does five times mean☆”

“When testing on animal corpses, it beeped three times so I don’t know beyond that.”

“…”

And hearing those words, my juniors made tearful faces.