<The Academy City of Yord> is literally a city of schools, but ironically, it wasn’t an environment conducive to studying.

That’s partly because the world I know is—

‘It’s an otaku game made to watch high school girls playfully hanging out, not a real high school training simulation.’

The academy city was always bustling with activity. Whether it was the game system, story elements, or what I felt while living here, this place was clearly not designed for studying. In both a good and bad sense, it was an atmosphere perfect for creating memories beyond just studying.

‘The academy city wasn’t created to cultivate model students…’

Memories shared with friends under the clear sky. Adventures that made your heart race and training that made you stronger.

Studying in this city, overflowing with open-world content the moment you step out of the school gates, was truly a loss.

That’s why I couldn’t understand Albite’s obsession with grades as a ‘student’s duty’ both in the main story and now.

Well...

I’m in a rather special situation.

There’s no one I need to send a report card to, especially since I’m originally an orphan like Clara… And I have no time to worry about the outside world until I defeat the main story boss.

With those thoughts in mind, I looked at the delinquent student caught in my arm triangle choke. She was struggling desperately, her mouth agape, trying to escape.

“Ahhh…! P-please… spare me…! I won’t come back…! Please…!”

“Wub-wub—! What do you take a lady for! I’m not going to kill you~☆”

“Hnnngh… Ugh…! Ughhh…!”

Struggle struggle

‘I’ve never seen this face before even though I’ve been here since my first year. Did they come from somewhere else?’

The delinquent was drooling and in a panic.

I didn’t intend to make her faint or kill her with the hold… But she was so terrified it was embarrassing for me.

“...Grrk.”

“Uuuugh…”

The shadow revealed under the faint moonlight.

Her dozens of comrades were also subdued by my hold, unconscious. They had climbed over the school fence, and I welcomed them with chops and dropkicks.

‘What’s going on at this time of night? I haven’t seen a delinquent attack in a while... Hmm, I should just put them to sleep and send them back.’

Illegal trespassing in <Academy City Yord> is a serious crime.

This level of response was practically like a housewarming party.

If I brought out some tea and macarons, it would be akin to hosting guests.

Suddenly,

A smile crept onto my face, softened by my newfound warmth.

‘During the [Pink Spiral] days, I would have launched [Red Flower Darjeeling] without a thought… Have I developed too many human relationships now? I just felt bad and used a restraint hold.’

Truly humane behavior.

If Senior Frida saw me now, she would surely be proud. Isn’t this the mercy of the Spiral?

‘Oops, I should ease their fear first.’

I loosened my grip slightly around the neck and spoke to the delinquent in the gentlest tone I could muster.

“Hoho—☆ Is this your first time experiencing a joint lock? Breathe, breathe! Inhale! Exhale! Like this!”

“Inhale… exhale…!”

“That’s it, that’s it—☆ Good job~”

I patted the head of the green-haired delinquent girl. Although she smelled a bit funky from not washing for a while, I didn’t blame her.

Wasn’t it just last month that I made a joke about Freya’s messy appearance and made her cry? Humans are beings that progress by learning from their mistakes.

‘After much ado, I’ve become close with Freya. But she seems busy lately due to the chaotic school situation, so we haven’t been able to talk often...’

Out of the thousands attending <Banana Public Boarding School>, about 300 students were part of Frau’s direct aristocratic faction. In exchange for sacrificing [Fate], they became ordinary people and left the academy city.

‘It’s only a portion of the student body, but the issue is that they’re the top 300 elite… The very identity of <Banana Public Boarding School> as an aristocratic institution is at risk.’

I’m not well-versed in the power dynamics of prestigious schools, but I’ve heard that the order in the Golden District continues to fluctuate.

The remnants of the aristocratic faction left behind after refusing the serpent tattoo.

Ordinary students who fled from battles beyond their will.

The research faction, absorbed in studying newly discovered magic.

The Golden District was bustling with the aftermath of so many students’ affairs.

Unlike nearby schools watching the chaos from afar, the center of <Academy City Yord> was very complicated, as Hilde informed me.

‘Even so, it’s thanks to Freya holding on for the sake of her school that <Banana Public Boarding School> maintains any semblance of order…’

Freya’s devotion, despite despairing over [Fate], ultimately led her to rise again.

“…”

Thinking of her, I looked again at the delinquent I had in my grasp.

“…”

“Ahhh…!”

This green-haired delinquent was a lark who had flown out of her cage, seeking freedom more important than final exams.

‘I should be as kind as possible, without teasing…’

I continued to gently stroke the green-haired delinquent girl and spoke.

“You think it’s a waste to spend your teenage years just studying, don’t you? Huh♪ Am I the only one who thinks that…☆ As a free spirit who would sneak into another school, I thought you might agree with me~♡”

“Y-yes…! Senior’s words… are absolutely right…!”

“Good job~! But☆ as nice as freedom is, is it okay to enter someone else’s school as you please? Or is it not?”

She shouted with all her might.

“It’s not okay!! I’ll never!! Ever!! Never come back!!”

“Very good~☆ Now go to sleep—♪ Have sweet dreams~☆”

“Huh?”

I gently applied pressure to her arm, pressing against her carotid artery. Thanks to the delicate strength control paired with ether manipulation, she struggled briefly before calming down.

“…”

I laid the limp green-haired girl beside her friends and fetched a large tarp from the storage, covering them.

“Mmm…”

“Uuum…”

Their scruffy appearances and peaceful sleeping faces were cute, like little babies. However, in preparation for any sudden outbursts, I carefully rolled the tarp, wrapping them like a sushi roll.

Roll roll roll—

About 30 delinquents ended up rolled up like a giant sushi roll. The dawn slowly brightened beyond the horizon, embracing its grand sight.

A shining, gigantic sushi roll.

An impressive appearance, as if it were brushed with sesame oil.

I smiled wryly as I patted the heads of the kids inside the giant sushi roll. They still slept unaware of the world.

“Phew—☆ It’s an awkward time to go back to sleep♪”

In the end…

I spent the time stretching and checking my recovered physical condition, which had improved to the point where I could comfortably use [Wave Ether]… [Blue Sweet Macaron].

“…”

And then, I remembered something I had forgotten.

Today was the last exam day of the semester… the day of the finals.

“Oh, I haven’t prepared at all for the finals—☆”

...

But who cares?

There are many things in this world more important than studying.

“…Yes♪”

A hero doesn’t study…☆

At dawn, together with Albite, I unraveled the sushi roll made of delinquents and sent them off. After washing up and changing clothes, I headed to the final exam site.

The administrative office of the <United Student Council>, designated as the finals exam venue, had conspicuous news bulletins posted.

[The Tragedy in the Golden District… Is the United Student Council President Responsible?]

[The Complete Dominance of <Aesir Girls’ High School>… What’s Next?]

[<United Student Council> Announcement: "School Festivals During Summer Break Will Proceed at Each School’s Discretion…”]

“…”

“Senior!”

A hand grabbed my shoulder while I was looking at the bulletins.

It was Albite, who hadn’t let go of her academic passion.

“Senior, we need to go in now. You’re not planning to skip the exam, are you?”

“Haha…☆ A hero doesn’t study…☆”

“What are you talking about! The witch studied hard too!”

I nibbled on Rota’s cat ears, annoyed by her words. Rolling her pink earlobes with my tongue, I gave her a playful lick while petting her.

“Yes~☆ I see! Lelele, nom nom nom…!”

“Ugh—?! Ack—!?”

Rota let out a sound a girl shouldn’t make.

Albite was startled and tried to stop me. She waved her hands to quickly separate me from Rota.

“Please stop, Senior!! Everyone is watching!!”

“Hoho, isn’t this also a kind of revolution concerning public awareness?”

“What are you talking about?!”

Eventually, giving in to Albite’s insistence, Kara carried off the trembling Rota.

Thus, we entered the rooms assigned differently to each grade and received our test papers.

Upon entering the spacious room, there were students who came to complete the finals process, just like at <Central Prism Academy>. Their uniforms were unfamiliar even to me, a native of the eastern region. They seemed to be from small schools.

The nervous breathing of the tense students.

I chuckled to myself as I wrote my name on the test paper. The white paper and black letters made no sense to me.

‘...This is my last first-semester school activity.’

I quickly moved my pen, filling out the sheet, and submitted the test to the dwarf administrative staff. Then, I stretched right there.

“Yes, perfect—☆”

Of course, I guessed all the answers.

Within five minutes of entering the exam room, I had written my name on all the test papers and was the first to submit them.

Even in <Academy City Yord>, where academics were often neglected, this was quite an extraordinary act.

“…!”

“…!”

I walked out into the hallway with the heroic confidence of someone receiving awe-struck gazes from the third-year students from other schools taking the test in the same room.

Thump!

Without a word, I gave them a thumbs-up and walked toward the dazzling light.

But I came out too early.

Surprisingly, the juniors seemed to be taking the exam properly.

‘Seriously, even revolutionary fool Kara? Am I really the only one who gave up on studying?’

It was surprising.

Is it because they’re the main story characters?

“…”

In the end, I sat on a nearby bench, idly watching the passing students and dwarves.

Activating my perception ability, observing the streets made the crowd’s flow feel like waves. I spent time watching the countless waves in a daze.

“…?”

For some reason, I sensed a familiar presence approaching from the waves of people. But perhaps due to the aftermath of being dazed, I kept my gaze forward, too lazy to look and acknowledge.

“Huh? [Spiral]?”

“…?”

Who was it?

Who called me [Spiral]?

I looked up to see…

There was Eir, who had turned scruffy, waving her hand. Even in this hot summer, she wore a black mask and a black coat.

“Long time no see.”

“Long time no see…☆”

But aren’t you hot?