I Became the Academy’s Pink Airhead

Bell said she would have an intimate conversation with the seven incompetent young ladies Freya had captured. So we entered the garrison set up next to ’s main gate.

The garrison area we had become familiar with entering and exiting.

They had remodeled an entire spare dormitory to create a space for personnel dispatched from the to stay. Though located in a corner of the grounds, it was in a formidable position that could go straight to the student council building at any time.

‘It feels like a U.S. military base established in a foreign country… From Student Council President Skadi’s perspective, it must feel like being watched, making the back of her neck itch…’

No matter what situation or choice…

’s independence is impossible.

That must have been a painful situation for independence advocate Skadi. A puppet state of the Eastern Alliance in the original work, a puppet state of the here… She seemed to be a student with quite a tragic fate.

Alvit looked around and said:

“I feel this every time I come, but really has a lot of buildings. The student council building is like a huge tower resembling a castle…”

“Ahaha―☆ They even generously gave Bell an entire building that can easily house dozens of people♪”

“After all, among the schools in the academy city, no one can match their architectural technology. Above all, many outside visitors come…”

Kara trailed off and looked around. Hundreds of dwarves and outside students who had come to were gathered there with worried faces.

Murmur murmur

-I came to request weapon and equipment production, but what’s going on…

-I could finally get lots of low-grade ether conductive ore at cheap prices… Heeeng…

-Those damn carpet and elf bastards, they’ve been noisy lately centered around ’s noble faction, and they finally did something.

-Haah… They’ve been messing with the phone base stations since yesterday so we can’t even contact the school… What on earth is this commotion.

They were reading news about the Eastern Alliance’s recent movements on the student council’s bulletin board. had also stopped factory operations due to this incident, so they had become stuck unable to go back or forth.

“…”

Visitors who had flocked to .

Seeing that sight, I thought that ’s sudden production halt declaration probably wasn’t unrelated to this incident.

‘Thanks to that, Maya and the facilities engineering department students who went on strike and ran away escaped from school before the blockade started, but…’

The movements to intimidate so they couldn’t pay attention externally were quite intentional. It seemed the Eastern Alliance’s mobilization incident wasn’t just done thoughtlessly and impulsively.

‘In the original work, they had already taken the northeast, so they didn’t put pressure on multiple fronts to this extent…’

Actions similar to but more meticulous than the original work.

Is it my illusion that the shadow of the changed feels strongly present there…?

“…”

We left that sight behind and entered the garrison office.

“Ah, I’ll open it for you.”

“Ooh―☆ I’m not that much of a patient anymore☆”

“Ah… Yes, yes…”

Alvit took the lead and opened the garrison office door.

Creak―

A neat and sophisticated interior befitting a building erected at , the prestigious school of architecture and mechanical engineering. There, investigation unit members who follow Sigrun among the academy city’s peacekeeping force were resting or working.

I saw the faces of the investigation unit members who appeared as helpers in the original work too.

‘The oddballs who follow justice idiot Sigrun.’

In the game they were NPC mob characters replaced with common modeling, but here they were girls with unique appearances.

“Just a moment~!”

The silver-haired red-eyed vampire girl who was the youngest 1st year in the investigation unit dutifully blocked our way. But soon she widened her eyes seeing our faces.

“This area is off-limits to outsiders… Huh? Miss Alvit? Miss Rota and Miss Kara too… And Senior Clara? What brings you here?”

“Hello, Miss Greta.”

“Hi, hi―☆ Greta! Your fangs are cute today too~♪”

“Huhu! You recognize me! My fang alignment is said to be the most sophisticated among this year’s new students at … Oh my, more importantly, what business brings you here?”

I answered the slightly dim-witted looking Greta:

“Bell told us to wait here for a bit―☆ We’ll be quiet♪ and well-behaved♪ so we’d appreciate if you allowed us―☆”

“Ah… Yes. Of course! You are guests of Captain Sigrun and Secretary Bell.”

“Hmm―☆ We can’t be Greta’s guests~? That’s a shame… I was about to tell you a method to whiten teeth…☆”

“Heek…?! Is th-there really such a method―?! The secret art of fang whitening that the student council seniors absolutely won’t tell, right here and now―?!”

Greta approached with clenched fists and sparkling eyes. She seemed to retain a purity that made it look like stars were twinkling in her eyes.

‘…It’s a new feeling every time I see that even kids who aren’t playable characters have their own individuality.’

Is this how it would feel if it was revealed that one of the minor soldiers in a Three Kingdoms game actually had a backstory as a scholar?

I gently pressed Greta’s nose and answered:

“…Actually I don’t know either―☆”

“How could this be―?! Were you making a fool of me?!”

“Sob sob…☆ But Greta, if I didn’t do this♪ you wouldn’t pay attention to me―☆”

“H-How could this be―?! Were you trying to get my attention?!”

“Well… I thought someone like Greta could be a good friend―♪”

“H-How could this be―?! Did you want to be friends with me?!”

An idiot conversation that seemed like it would cause brain damage just from listening.

Alvit and Rota watched that sight with bitter smiles, while Freya was hiding behind tall Kara pretending to be a stranger.

Perhaps hearing the sound of my banter with Greta, investigation unit members started gathering around.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, it’s the kids.”

“Are they here to help us again this time?”

Investigation unit members approaching with welcoming expressions. They had become acquainted with us while cleaning up the recent northern incident.

An investigation unit member with a cheerful impression said to us:

“I heard all the roads coming this way were blocked because of the Eastern Alliance. How did you manage to come?”

“Yes♪ The alley cat lady on our side broke through it all for us―☆”

“Alley cat? Beastkin?”

“That’s right~♪ I’m talking about this lady here―☆”

I said that while pointing towards Freya.

Freya who was hiding behind Kara flinched in surprise.

And the investigation unit members who discovered her also widened their eyes in shock.

“Wait a minute…!”

“Eh?! [Purple Spinning Wheel]―?!”

“Greta―!! Hurry and call the captain―!!”

“Why is ’s strongest here?!”

The investigation unit members started murmuring as soon as they saw Freya.

Since the forces including the current garrison are in a sharp confrontation with ’s Eastern Alliance, all the investigation unit members looked back inside the office in bewilderment.

“Captain~! What should we do about this―?!”

Investigation Unit Captain Sigrun who was receiving a phone call in the innermost part of the office turned this way and spoke. Her brown ears were twitching constantly, perhaps in the middle of a frantic report.

“Ah! That person is fine! Since it’s a matter that’s been settled with Secretary Bell, everyone go about your business!”

“Huh? Is it really okay? That person… is a beastkin magician from , right?”

“That person is from the ‘research faction’ unrelated to this incident so it’s fine! And if you’re going to argue that, I’m a dark elf too! Racial discrimination is forbidden in the Investigation Unit!”

“Ah… Well…”

I let out a dry laugh seeing that sight.

‘What are they, American police or something…’

Poke poke

“…?”

I turned to the side feeling a small impact on my side.

Poke poke

Poke poke

Poke poke

Freya was holding up her wand and poking my side like a woodpecker. She seemed dissatisfied about being at the center of such a commotion.

Freya timidly expressed her anger in a disgruntled tone:

“It’s n-noisy… When I’m talking to strangers… Don’t d-drag me into it… You ruffian…”

“Ah☆ I’m sorry―☆”

“R-Really… If it weren’t for this e-emergency… I w-wouldn’t be hanging around with a r-ruffian…”

“I’m sorryyy…☆”

Until recently, our conversations usually ended around here.

But since our talk at the shopping district, Freya always added condescending remarks while timidly nitpicking.

“H-Hmph… If you just s-say sorry with words all the time… Wh-Why do school rules exist… Wh-Why does the disciplinary committee exist… Sh-Shouldn’t you show sincerity…”

“Oooh… So mean―☆ Then would you like to eat some of the macarons I was eating? They’re very sweet and delicious―♪”

“I’m not a beggar… H-Hmph… G-Give them to me… Let me taste them…”

It seems she was hungry after getting angry on the train.

Nom nom nom…

Freya received the macarons from my coat pocket and closed her mouth. She seemed to like them since they were high-quality macarons included in the relief supplies sent by Hilde.

After the brief commotion passed.

The tension that returned to the office.

We were sitting in Bell’s somewhat messy office.

“Excuse me.”

Clatter

A 2nd year female student with gentle-looking eyes and smooth red hair brought black tea. And she placed snacks that were on the tray in front of me while saying:

“Please eat before it gets cold. Thank you for coming such a long way.”

“Ooh―☆ Thank you♪ To receive such luxurious treatment―☆”

“Huhu, it’s nothing.”

The female student who bowed her head left Bell’s office with the tray.

Sip…

Everyone brings their teacups to their mouths and drinks the tea.

“Phew phew~”

Rota couldn’t drink the tea the female student handed her and was blowing on it to cool it down. As always, she couldn’t eat hot things.

A brief silence.

Around the time the fragrant tea aroma spread through the office, a presence boldly entered from outside towards here and opened the door. It was Bell.

Slam―!

The fur on one ear, that Freya had mercifully left, was cruelly shaved off and stuck to Bell’s clothes. It seemed like enough to fill an entire small pillow.

Bell shouted with a beaming smile, her face covered in fur:

“I found out! The furry beasts’ scheme! Those guys are trying to tie up our feet now. The place the carpet and elf alliance is aiming for isn’t the northeast!”

“Not the northeast? Then why are they occupying the dungeon gates…? And the ones with recovery blessings at that…”

“Huhu… The cute secretary knows that too―! The magic puppets of , the main force of the northeast! It seems they needed blessings to replenish those, I guess what they had in their own neighborhood wasn’t enough!”

Hearing those words, Rota grabbed my sleeve and looked at me with anxious eyes. The blessed dungeon gate we were going to visit to heal my body had been preemptively occupied.

‘Well… It can’t be helped, we didn’t know ’s armor puppets would come out this quickly.’

I held that hand and gave her a look saying it was okay. Then Rota bowed her head with dejected, despairing eyes.

Thud thud

Bell hurriedly walked to the back of the office. And with a cheerful gesture, she pointed to the center of the map.

“The place ’s main force is aiming for is… the barrier leading to the World Tree, specifically the building connected to the outside!!”

Freya muttered as if understanding something hearing those words:

“F-Frau and the noble faction… haven’t stopped their f-foolish plan to… r-regain hegemony over … the n-noble faction’s long-cherished wish since ancient times…”

“Hmph! It was our and forces belonging to the Aesir warlords who protected for 1000 years! Where do furry beasts get off trying to stick their spoons in―!”

Freya ignored those words and voiced a question:

“B-But it’s a plan the noble faction can’t even dream of with their incompetent magic skills… What’s the reason for executing it so hastily…”

“Hm… I don’t know that far. Do you know anything on the research faction’s side?”

“N-Not at all… F-First of all, it was… tr-tradition for the entire student council to be filled by factions within the noble faction…”

“This is why noble schools are…”

Bell started comparing what she had found out with what Freya knew. She seemed to consider our coming here to help a golden opportunity.

‘If what is really aiming for… isn’t the northeast but the …’

For some reason.

My chest tightens and one person’s face comes to mind.

“…”

The first thing that came to my mind was Hilde.