I Became the Academy’s Pink Airhead

The shopping district at sunset.

Freya walking in front of me.

“…”

“…”

Since her original uniform had become too tattered in the dusty winds of the wilderness, we were on our way back from leaving it at Grandpa Hua Tuo’s repair shop. We were returning to school silently like that.

Freya had finished showering and changed into a neat tracksuit.

‘It doesn’t seem that strange…’

I recalled the incident that had occurred earlier while looking at her tracksuit appearance.

-Wh-What is this… This tacky bright red tracksuit…

-Isn’t it better than ’s black tights―♪

-Th-That’s…! They’re not ti-tights… They’re high-quality items with ma-magic engineering applied… Good at absorbing sweat… But to suddenly bring such fluttering pants…

Perhaps because it’s a rich school, they seemed to use good sportswear too. So since I had sportswear from another school, I made a suggestion to Freya.

-Ah―☆ Then do you want to wear these hot shorts that kids gave as a gift―☆ Yes♪ They’ll suit you since Freya has pretty legs―☆

-A-Aren’t those just underwear…? Pl-Please give me the tracksuit…

In the end, Freya ended up wearing ’s red tracksuit. And seeing that appearance gave me a strange feeling.

‘Bell too, and Maya too… Somehow it seems like everyone who visits our school ends up wearing ’s tracksuit once. I wonder if Hilde will wear it soon too.’

I couldn’t imagine that noble silver-white girl wearing a red tracksuit. But I felt like Hilde would look good in anything.

‘I feel like Hilde would look good even if she suddenly appeared on the street wearing baggy pants…’

Of course, the diligent and dignified Hilde would never do such a comedic ridiculous act, but. Somehow because of that, it might suit her with a fresh and cute impact.

“…”

While thinking such thoughts, I followed after Freya, pulling Red Hare along, and maintaining a subtle distance.

Since Freya’s stride was shorter, it seemed like the distance would quickly close if we walked together. But since I was slowed down a bit from pulling Red Hare, the distance ultimately remained subtly unclosed.

A subtle sense of distance.

At a subtle speed.

Walking while sharing an awkward silence.

“…”

“…”

Crunch crunch

Rattle rattle

The low sound of footsteps.

Freya’s shoes make sounds hitting the rough gravel-filled ground. That sound was like dwarves buried underground grinding their teeth while sleeping.

As the sunset fades and it gradually darkens.

Though she herself made no sound of footsteps, the gravel makes noisy sounds where her feet touch.

Somehow that seemed to resemble Freya’s current appearance.

“…”

I thought while looking at Freya’s back:

‘In the game too, it’s mainly the student council students from the prestigious magic school centered on nobles… that appear. Freya herself was treated as part of the high-performance character allocation quota with one for each school.’

Eir of .

Alvit of .

Brunhilde of .

They show strong impressions in the story as much as their powerful character performance, but. Strangely, Freya didn’t appear often in the story compared to her performance.

『Ah, ah… You know-nothing… worms… Do y-you think that’s meaningful…』

Freya who just spat out cynical words and disappeared. After that, she didn’t play an active role in the story and boasted an air-like presence on par with Clara’s ‘Don’t know, don’t know―☆’. She was just consumed as a laughingstock for users like that.

I closely observed Freya’s back.

‘What kind of story does she have… What kind of thoughts does she live with?’

The fact that she steps carefully from the front of her feet when walking. Her shoulders are tilted, perhaps from reading books for a long time.

Following behind, I could tell such things. But I couldn’t know her true inner thoughts that I really wanted to know.

“…”

“…”

Continued silence.

Walking so quietly, all sorts of thoughts pass through my mind.

Feeling awkward for no reason, I ring Red Hare’s bicycle bell.

Ding―☆

Ding―☆

Actually, we could have quickly returned like we came by riding Red Hare to the shopping district. But since Freya said she wanted to return slowly, we’re walking like this.

Freya not bringing up any conversation.

A meeting that became awkward in a different direction from Eir on the first day.

Feeling that something had gone askew, I sighed inwardly.

‘It’s my fault but… It keeps going off track. Somehow… I feel sorry.’

Was it because of the first impression where Freya arrogantly shot dozens of magically created spears at me from our first meeting? In my mind, apart from her timid way of speaking, Freya had quite a strong and arrogant my-way impression.

‘That was her image on the rare occasions she appeared in the game too…’

But she seemed to have a more delicate inner side than I thought.

I was watching Freya’s reactions.

Glare…

Freya had a subtle expression, lost in thought. A subtle face that seemed to mix half timidity and half arrogance.

She soon stopped as if resolved, and slowly turned this way.

“…”

“…?”

Freya’s face with clear light and shadow.

The sunset light created shadows on one side of her face, making her expression look more resolute.

‘Does she… have something to say.’

I looked at that face, waiting for her words.

Freya cautiously opened her mouth:

“Is… Is it true that the pi-pink ruffian… used [forbidden power] since f-first year… That’s why you suddenly disappeared…”

“Ahaha…☆ Forbidden power, huh…”

“A-And… After finally bursting out… [forbidden power] recently… You c-completely lost your power… Your faded hair color too… Your physical condition worse than an empty can…”

My head started hurting as soon as I heard those words.

‘Oh no, this again…’

Even though it’s a lie I started myself.

The legend of [Faded Spiral] that had become an undeniable truth due to the strangely fitting situation.

At some point, even when I told the truth to my classmates and juniors, it reached a point where they selectively listened. To begin with, it wasn’t just them who listened that way.

‘The tiger that Bell, Eir and I created was powerful…’

It was to the extent that rumors spread among other students that it was Eir who defeated ’s priest.

Though as a whole worked very hard to convey my achievements, only the keyword [Faded Spiral] stuck in the ears of students who didn’t witness the incident from outside.

‘My squeezing out my last strength and defeating together with Eir got separated and distorted… As if I’m just an unknown soldier who collapsed alone from forbidden power without doing anything, and Eir is the main character.’

In fact, even what I squeezed out wasn’t my last strength anymore…

Anyway, to make an analogy.

In the rumors, I’m the early minor character version of Gan Song Mi from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Eir has become Guan Yu who monopolized other generals’ martial arts.

Even kids who know the truth misunderstand and think I poured out all my strength and am on the verge of death…

I thought this was my karma.

‘Well… This misaligned perception is… my fault for starting a strange concept act without knowing the original work had been distorted. At least trying to tell the truth again to people around me is my role too. Even if I get criticized for it.’

From now on, what’s important is sincerity, not the original work.

Though there are suspicions that has learned the original content, at least Freya shouldn’t have any reason to collude with . So I decided to tell her the truth with a bitter smile.

“No, no―☆”

“Th-Then…?”

“In my turbulent first year―☆ I just raised my ether capacity and used it with cute bare fists―☆ Like whoosh―☆ Fwoosh~ you know? Ahah♪”

“…”

“And~ Hmm~ The reason I rested… I misunderstood something…☆ I wanted to protect something very precious… Hmm~♪ Anyway I rested for girlish reasons, I didn’t particularly lose my power―☆ My ether remained as it was until recently♪”

“…”

Eyes purple and transparent like jewels.

I was flustered seeing Freya listening with a serious face to the point of being scary.

That face was not the face of the timid girl who had cried bitterly… but befitted her reputation as the greatest explorer produced by the prestigious magic school .

‘What is it, is this something to listen to so seriously…?’

Though flustered by that gaze, I continued speaking:

“And―☆ Recently I acted a bit unladylike, intensely―☆”

“D-Don’t muddle through… like an i-idiot… Pl-Please explain properly…”

I flinched at Freya’s sharp rebuke.

“Ah… Yes. Um… That’s right☆ Actually that lizard… ‘priest’ guy was sucking out girls’ ether like a mosquito, slurp slurp♡―☆ So I decomposed that and forcibly injected it―♪ And became totally☆ultimate☆Clara and made a splendid debut―☆ But as a backlash my ether went empty―♪ My hair went crisp―☆ Something like that―☆”

“…”

“But… As you can see~☆”

I drew up a small amount of ether in my hand.

Though still too weak to draw up [Unique Ether], 2nd stage [Vibration] level ether that I had rebuilt with the realization of weapon aptitude rose up.

It looked pathetic to a [Unique Ether] ability user.

But at least clear evidence that I hadn’t completely lost everything.

“See―☆ I’m becoming strong again from the beginning―☆”

“…”

Freya silently watched that, then soon nodded.

“I-I see… A-Again from the beginning… But y-you’re still alive…”

“Hm? Oh… I’m fine―☆”

“P-Pink ruffian… Y-You… Um… What on earth… Why did you try to become strong to the point of using such power…”

“Hmm…☆ In first year I thought just becoming strong was everything, but now I want to fight to protect truly precious things―☆ I’ve come to wish for only that♪”

Freya spoke with wide eyes:

“F-[Fate]… Is that it…”

“Hm? That’s right! I really met fateful connections~ Ahaha―☆ Freya is so romantic~☆ You romantic alley cat―♪”

“Sh-Shut up… Always going on about peeing and whatnot… Saying idiotic things about something from long ago… I th-thought you were an i-idiot…”

Freya mumbled something in a stammering voice, then nodded and said:

“I-I understand… The r-reason you’re so… m-moronic…”

“Oh my…☆ How mean―☆”

* * *

Freya was quietly looking at Clara.

“…”

‘The soul of this universe’ and ether are completely connected by [Fate].

The limit of ether a person can use in their lifetime is determined by [Fate]. Unless one has a grand [Fate], their soul is depleted first.

‘The ether usage method permitted by the World Tree is only living a life as much as the predetermined [Fate] while holding weapons…’

Even if it’s not known as accurate knowledge like Freya who roams the academy city exploring the truth. It’s a fact unconsciously known by everyone living in the academy city.

No, it’s a rule engraved in the realm of instinct.

‘All souls belonging to this universe’ are bound by that rule.

But Clara was going directly against that rule.

‘To discard weapons and freely expand and use ether as she pleases…’

What is the price for fearlessly taking actions that ‘those belonging to this universe’ feel revulsion towards deep in their souls?

‘Unless she came from another universe unaffected by the World Tree, or has two souls… It should be an action that will eventually completely erase her existence…’

An absurd imagination just to think about.

The situation Clara was in that Freya learned was that gloomy.

Just what…

Kind of [Fate] does she possess?

‘Really… What a foolish ruffian. To pursue a [Fate] to the point of doing things that will erase even her own soul…’

From the moment she realized that fact, Freya no longer disliked Clara. Because she too had an overwhelming [Fate] like herself.