I Became the Academy’s Pink Airhead

The darkened sky.

The wilderness where can be seen in the distance.

A faint golden glow emanated from hundreds of positions surrounding the large gray fortress city. That light flickered, intermittently illuminating the surrounding landscape.

Numerous dark elf students were standing guard where armor puppets and magic weapons were installed.

Dark-skinned dark elf students. Accustomed to the darkness of their underground fortress school, their vision was unimpaired in the darkness of the wilderness.

Fearsome guards surrounding . But the dark elf students’ vigilance was gradually slipping for reasons unrelated to the darkness.

“…”

“…”

Whirrr―

The 3-meter tall armor beside them periodically made operating sounds. At the same time, the dark elf students in black armor turned to look with shining eyes.

Undisguisable excitement.

Black background and gold.

Their favorite colors.

Finally, a 3rd year dark elf student in work clothes with braided blonde hair muttered. It was the distinctive dialect of , spoken as if chewing the words:

“Damn…! Look how pretty it is?”

She didn’t strongly agree with this invasion started under the pretext of midterms… but she had found one thing she really liked. Namely, standing guard with this thrillingly cool automatic weapon.

The work clothes student continued speaking as if she just couldn’t hold back:

“To think I’d see with my own eyes the completion of the ‘cool armor’ that was our school’s long-cherished project… How on earth did President Andrea do it? Where did she get something so awesome…!”

An exclamation using dialect that high-ranking or some students avoid using as vulgar. At those words, the armored dark elf students on guard also quietly agreed.

“It is pretty cool. Seems I wasn’t the only one focused on it.”

“Damn, look at that golden color…”

“How much did this cost again?”

The work clothes student answered with a grin:

“I heard they poured enough ether conductive ore into the output core to equal about five ether trains for just one of these… They say it’s currently being charged by transferring blessings received from the dungeon gate next to us into conductive ore.”

Everyone’s gaze moved.

The cable connected to the core of the ‘cool armor’.

“That there.”

As she said, an awesome cable attached to the body of the ‘cool armor’ extended from the dungeon gate entrance. Seeing that, the armored students exclaimed in unison:

“Ah…!”

“Damn…!”

The armored students who had become completely talkative by now. They continued asking the work clothes student about the ‘cool armor’ weapon.

“How many hours has this been charging?”

“Since earlier in the day… About 3 hours? Blessings enough to make 10 stage 2 [Vibration Ether] ability users fly are being used here.”

“It’s a total walking power plant. Should we snag some scraps?”

“If you want the disciplinary head or President Andrea to skin you alive, go ahead.”

“…I’ll pass.”

The armored students shuddered as if just imagining Andrea’s anger was terrifying. Wasn’t it Andrea’s overwhelming power that dragged them into this unwanted fight, when they just liked money?

The work clothes student continued speaking with a still smug expression:

“This is the crystallization of magic engineering that those beanpole bitches could never make even if they died trying. Would those beanpole bitches riding square toys understand the romance of moving armor?”

“Damn… I wonder how much this is worth?”

The careful question of an armored student.

Hearing those words, the blonde work clothes student covered her mouth and answered jokingly. Actually, it was taboo among dark elves who live and die for money to carelessly reveal an item’s value, but it didn’t matter now.

“If you ran off with just one of these, you could set up a small school in the academy city.”

“Ah…”

“Damn…”

The armored students cheered, slapping their heads.

They had already forgotten they were trespassing on another school’s grounds as they gazed at the ‘cool armor’.

For the dark elves who worship mammonism, comparison to expensive items was truly heavenly praise. Among those, the highest value in was ruling one’s own school.

The overwhelming power to dominate an area.

That was an asset shining brighter than any gold.

The armored students spoke in dreamy voices:

“If you set up even a small school in … You’d basically be king there.”

“That’s some crazy thrilling romance…”

“Damn… King of the neighborhood…”

The gathered dark elves trembled and shuddered.

“…”

Rustle―

Therefore.

They failed to notice until the end the hazy figure like mist that silently disappeared between the shadows of the campfire.

“If you set up your own school, what would you do first?”

“Fill the vault with money earned without labor, then have fun spending it.”

“Ah…”

“Damn…”

The dark elf students in armor and work clothes passed the time listing things they could do with money of similar value to the ‘cool armor’.

* * *

Greta, returning from reconnaissance, finished reporting to Bell and Sigrun, then caught her breath.

“Huff… huff…”

Greta had scraped the bottom of her vampiric powers that allowed her to conceal herself like mist in darkness. It was quite skillful ability for a 1st year.

I admired the investigation team’s youngest Greta seeing that.

‘She’s better than most 2nd years… This is how mist concealment should be used, but that guy…’

Watching Greta’s mist concealment, I recalled one of my old acquaintances who used vampiric powers absurdly. Among uniquely colorful peers, she was the one who used her powers most strangely.

‘If I meet two more, I’ll have met all my old acquaintances.’

[Great Bow] and [Mist].

Ironically, the two acquaintances I hadn’t met yet were the two who had the most moderate relationship among the fighters.

‘I didn’t expect to meet fierce Eir or picky Freya first…’

While I was thinking that.

Greta who had finally caught her breath spoke with shining red eyes:

“Huff…! Huff…! Anyway, that seems to be how the Eastern Alliance’s encirclement is operating.”

“I see.”

Bell nodded at Greta’s words and looked at Sigrun, the dark elf. She was an oddball who pursued justice rather than money, unusual for a dark elf.

‘Actually, even in , oddballs like that are treated as outliers and separated into the investigation team…’

The pure smiles of the investigation team girls who vowed to protect ’s main gate no matter what flashed through my mind.

“…”

Bell asked Sigrun:

“Sigrun, how well can you see in this darkness? Is that enough to gauge their field of vision?”

“Yes! I can see the expressions of those gossiping next to the golden armor from here, Secretary Bell! In my estimation, if we don’t hide well here, they’ll be able to see us right away over there―!”

“Okay I get it, please lower your voice…!”

“Ah sorry Secretary Bell!”

“Hey…! Please…! I’m begging you…!”

“Mmph!”

Sigrun covers her mouth to stop her uncontrollable voice.

‘Bell, usually acting so calm, but getting flustered…’

Was she reminded of Sigrun’s aggro that caught Eir’s attention at ?

Bell’s face turned visibly pale even in the darkness as she pulled Sigrun’s sleeve. For all her usual tough act, it seems she was still scared of some things.

Shuffle

Shuffle

We hid deeper in a pit dug somewhere in the wilderness. The damp earthy smell of the wilderness filled our noses.

Rota’s timid voice was heard behind me as I carefully backed up. Her elbow was about to poke out from the cover.

“Sen-Senior…”

“Hm? Oh sorry―☆ Oop☆ Now we can hide nice and snug, right?”

“S-Sorry…”

“No, no―☆”

I instinctively hugged Rota who nearly poked out from cover and tucked her snugly into the shadows. Rota bowed her head, as if she hadn’t expected me to go that far.

Still in my arms, Rota spoke quietly:

“You don’t always… have to do so much for us, Senior.”

“Huhu―☆ I wonder about that☆”

“You always give everything, sacrifice everything… Then your hair gets all dry… And you got scars on your neck… And… um…”

Rota trails off, hesitating as if unable to say something ominous.

‘[Faded Spiral]…? That’s nothing now…’

Guessing what she was trying to say, I spoke up first:

“That’s nothing now―☆ I receive lots of help from you guys too♪”

“…I’m sorry.”

“You should say thank you at times like this―♪”

“…Okay. Thank you.”

Rota snuggling into my body, hugging tightly with her small hands.

We were warmly hidden like that in shadows untouched even by moonlight. Hearing our conversation, everyone else made quiet sounds.

‘…I didn’t expect the alley cat to worry about me.’

I was especially surprised to see Freya looking at me with particularly sad eyes.

‘They worry so much… By the way, I didn’t expect to do stealth cover again after the military.’

Short Bell, Rota, and I behind rocks.

Medium height Alvit, Greta, and Sigrun on the pit slope.

And largest Kara at the bottom of the pit.

Freya formulating a strategy was lying flat at the very front of the pit.

Twitch

Twitch

As if having decided something, the purple cat ears in front of me moved. Even in the darkness, that movement was vividly visible.

Freya soon opened her mouth in a timid tone:

“…I-In my opinion, the ruffian should come to this team.”

“Ruffian? You mean Clara? Why?”

“Wasn’t Senior supposed to stay back and guard from here…?”

Bell and Alvit’s questions respectively.

Freya answered those questions in a firm tone:

“With j-just me and… the orange ear’s amplification skill, our firepower is much stronger than… a-all of you here combined…”

“…”

“I-If that’s the case… rather than the swift-footed ruffian fluttering around over there… c-carrying me on her back would be… s-safer and… f-faster…”

“Ooh…☆”

I understood, recalling Freya’s speed that was slower than ordinary students despite being a [Unique Ether] ability user.

‘Alley cat, you… are pretty smart…?’

Certainly… rather than me clumsily joining forces with Bell and Sigrun when I can’t exert overwhelming combat power in my current state. It’s more efficient to act as a part that completely covers Freya’s weakness.

‘Usually people think those with strong combat abilities are also fast… This is an aspect I hadn’t considered.’

With no ether, if only raw specs remain then I’m better used as a speed boost support.

As expected of Pang Tong.

You unhesitatingly bring up an unorthodox method that even Zhuge Liang walking the righteous path couldn’t think of. That bold strategy disregarding convention was judged to be very effective now.

As I was thinking that, Alvit approached and said:

“Rota, Senior…”

“Yes?”

“…Be careful.”

“Yes! I’ll take good care of Senior!”

“Huhu, thank you―☆”

Alvit’s gloomy face.

We somehow made it here as comrades.

The fact of having to entrust a comrade’s safety to someone far superior to herself.

‘We’ll split into two groups and meet up again in the golden street after the feint operation anyway.’

While giving comforting pats to our ever-responsible Alvit, I spoke to Kara who was the only one joining the vanguard position:

“Kara, watch Alvit’s back well―☆”

“Huhu, of course. Senior comrade… please… please absolutely don’t get hurt this time.”

Kara quietly extended her long arm towards me. And I returned a fist bump to that large fist for a girl.

Bump!

Seeing ’s solemn oath ceremony, Bell said:

“Um… we’re going together at first too.”

“Secretary Bell! It is not right for a leader to ruin the atmosphere…!”

“Eek?! I get it so please lower your voice…!”

Silence returned again.

Freya quietly declared:

“L-Let’s begin. Orange ears, cast that.”

“Yes…!”

Rota waved her wand, casting a skill on Freya.

[Ether Link]

A buff skill that amplifies used ether several times, in exchange for making it much more threatening and faster.

Freya chanted the activation phrase she had been preparing:

“[Eternal Spinning Wheel], activate…!”

Whoosh―!

Instantly a shining purple wheel appeared behind Freya’s back.

And the surprised voices of dark elves who noticed it.

A giant purple bow emerged from the wheel that was much stronger after receiving Rota’s buff… And a massive purple laser fired from it.

Boooom―!!

[Emergency!! Emergency!! We’re under attack!!]

[Focus all fire networks on the center!!]

[Identify the attacker!! Presumed to be [Purple Spinning Wheel]!!]

Screech!!!

An ear-piercing alarm sound.

In that, Freya looked at the feint attack team that would break through ’s center.

“I-I’ve drawn their attention… R-Run.”

“Let’s go!! Attack!!”

Bell, Sigrun, Greta, Alvit, and Kara ran out.

And Freya looked at me and said:

“G-Get me up, o-on your back.”

“Okaaay―☆”

Freya got on my back.

At this moment, the fastest student and the student with the strongest firepower in the academy city combined.