Tiring!
'Proposal: Life is your own! Find what you have to do.' 3/3 achieved!
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'Chapter 1. If you help yourself, God will help you (1) Complete!
'Route 1 — 〈 Chapter 2. If you help yourself, God will help you (2) 〉' is confirmed.
"It feels a little cooler now."
I touched the back of my hair, which was cut short.
Yeah, this is it. If you want to grow your hair out, either trim it a bit and grow it out, or just cut it.
Lucus was left alone for a long time without any intention of raising him, so he looked like a complete beggar.
'But it looks less haggard now that I cut it off.'
Instead of the dead face that comes out when I'm not conscious, I looked at the mirror without any expression.
I didn't know, but he looks surprisingly normal.
Even though your skin is pale, if you eat well and exercise hard to get a healthy complexion, you will look much better than you do now.
I left the store and thanked the student who was following me a step behind.
"Thanks for bringing me here. So, we're in the same class?"
"…That, that's right. At our school, once you enroll, you're in the same class until you graduate, Lucuss… I didn't know that."
"I knew that."
Since the main character was a student here, he was familiar with the information in the novel.
"Oh, really…? Haha! I see. I didn't know. Haha…."
"So what's your name?"
"Oh, me?! I, I'm Melvin. But why is that…?"
Can't you even ask your classmate's name?
And why are you shaking like this?
I felt like a thug who was ripping things off, so I just kept my mouth shut.
When I saw the entire nation avoiding him, I didn't think much of it, but when I saw him acting like this one-on-one, I felt sorry for no reason.
As we arrived in front of a building, Melvin's face lit up and he pointed to the building.
"This is the dormitory. Let's go now and see you in class tomorrow."
"Hey, wait a minute."
"huh…?"
"Where should I go to find a room?"
Melvin walked me to the administrative office from as far away as he could, his face almost dead.
'The reaction is funny.'
The regret was fleeting.
Having gotten used to that kind of reaction, I smiled and waved.
I was curious about what level it was at, so I just called out the favorability rating, and as expected, the score was -10.
"Thank you. See you later."
"Uh, uh… I'll really go…!"
Without giving me a chance to respond, the student ran down the hallway.
I asked the administrative office for the number and went to my room. When I opened the door, there was a package from home inside.
"I guess I need to start by organizing things a bit."
The luggage consisted of only a few sets of clothes, books for class, writing utensils, and medicine. There was even a useless family wand thrown in a corner for Lucus.
After throwing everything into the closet and desk, the only thing left was the medicine chest.
I resisted the urge to kick the box and opened the lid. There was a cream-colored letter lying on a black sheet wrapped in a light-proof cloth.
I haven't checked the sender yet, but I can tell right away who wrote it.
I opened the envelope and took out the letterhead.
[To my beloved little sister.] [Goodbye. By the time you read this, you will already be at school. I can't tell you how worried I was when you collapsed like that. I wish I could have stayed by your side even a little, but I had to leave early. I didn't know the medicine would hurt you so much. Please forgive me.]
That apple must be the lightest apple in the world. Knowing Lucus's ending, I couldn't help but laugh.
After that, it was just useless stuff like how my father was doing, what he said about me, and how it would be nice if I could get my grades up to average.
As I opened my eyes and read, I soon reached the end of the article.
[I nagged you a little bit earlier, but I trust you know what to prioritize. Always put your health first. Especially since things seem to change so much these days, so if you have any problems, please let me know.] [May God always protect you.
Sincerely, your brother.]
It was a very ordinary, useless letter.
I could sense his stubbornness in the fact that he took the time to write such a long letter while pretending to be kind.
I moved my gaze to the most striking sentence on the letterhead.
[I trust you will know what to prioritize.]
Yeah, I know that.
I just lifted the box, put the vials in the drawer, and locked it.
The poor bastard who drinks this because you told him to drink it may have been your little brother until now, but not anymore.
'I want to just throw it away, but…'
That can't be possible.
I need to keep some of them as evidence to bury my brother.
And if I can just get Leon on my side, that would be a great cure.
Future plans will vary depending on the remaining potion effects, so for now, I'll just have to check how much magic I can use.
'My brother gave me a bottle three days ago.'
That would be meaningless if I just spit it out, and it was four days ago since I last drank two bottles in a row before my brother changed the medicine.
Since it is a medicine taken once a week, its effectiveness will be significantly reduced.
So, let's try some magic.
'…however.'
Whatever you do, you have to have a fairly long memory. I think the last time was when I was twelve.
Anyway, I was born into a wizarding family and my core is somewhat closed, so I guess I'll be okay somehow.
I tried stretching out my hand.
Peeking!
At that moment, red magic flashed. Before I could be surprised by the magic I was seeing for the first time, a sharp pain came to my heart.
"Ugh…!"
It really happened. My knees gave out on their own. It was so painful that it was hard to stand.
'This is a state where the effect has worn off… .'
I can sleep soundly with my legs stretched out while giving this kind of medicine to my little brother.
Even when I was a reader and not Lucus, I was dumbfounded, but now that I'm a party to it, I'm even dumbfounded. I couldn't help but laugh like I was crazy.
'Anyway, there's nothing wrong with the plan.'
Today is the last day of the week.
The weekend is tomorrow. The effect of the medicine will completely wear off once the weekend is over.
I laughed even though I was sweating coldly.
Yeah. First, let's get Leon on my side.
• * *
The next morning, as I stepped out of the room, I encountered students preparing for school.
'Surprisingly, you don't avoid it?'
I looked around, amazed at this amazing situation.
At that moment, a student passed by calmly, saw my face, got startled, and quickly ran away.
The situation was similar when I went down to the crowded dormitory lobby.
'… … .'
It's not that I didn't avoid it, it's that I didn't recognize it.
Every day, he would show up with his hair neatly trimmed, but the students would always avoid and despise Lucus, even though there was a delay in their reaction.
To make matters worse—unlike the outside world where people just blindly avoided him—there were those at school who were more daring to ignore and insult Lucus.
There are three main reasons for this.
Firstly, because of the rumors about Pleroma.
Secondly, because I entered the magic department through donation despite not being able to use magic.
Finally, because there was one student who had a strong influence at school and he really hated me.
And… that student is Leon.
'There's a long way to go.'
Leon has a good standing in school because of his excellent relationships with his classmates, grades, and behavior. His magical skills are also among the top.
Since such a person openly hated Lucus, some of the students who were more courageous but less human took it to mean that it was safe to openly bully Lucus.
That is why the bold contempt and ridicule that was different from the outside remains in Lucus's memory.
But it's not a completely hopeless situation.
While investigating Lucus's death, Leon opens up to the protagonist about his past.
Unbeknownst to Lucus, Leon had seen Lucus before he was seriously beaten by his brother.
Leon, who had been far from magic, from a family background that had been passed down through generations in medicine to a talent that was too weak to perform ordinary magic, began to devote his life to magic in earnest after witnessing Lucus's magic.
Perhaps because he had a blindly positive impression of Lucus since childhood, Leon did not completely believe the rumors about Pleroma.
But that's why the spark flew to Lucus.
'I thought it was foolish to give in to strange rumors when you have such great talent, so I treated you rudely.'
This is what Leon confesses to the protagonist while investigating the case of Lucus's death. And now is probably the time to 'be blunt'.
'How did I get involved in this kind of problem…?'
But it actually turned out well.
Whatever the type of emotion, it is better to have strong emotions than to be indifferent.
Because you can dramatically change direction while maintaining that depth.
Druk-
As I opened the door and went in, the noisy classroom suddenly became quiet.
The embarrassment that arose from showing up in an unusual way was completely conveyed to me.
I pretended not to know the reaction and just sat down in the back row.
I felt a warm gaze from afar.
"You will see this if you live long enough."
A cynical voice was heard.
I took out the book without saying a word and laughed inwardly.
'Are you saying that just because I cut my hair now, I'll live a long life?'
What kind of crap have I been doing for the past year?
Anyway, it's obvious who said that.
I raised my head and looked at him.
A student surrounded by his friends was looking at me coldly, his chin resting on his hand and his head slightly turned.
Wheat-blond hair, blue eyes, gently slanted eye tails, and a stubbornly closed mouth.
And even without Lucus's memories, he could immediately tell that her attire was the pinnacle of exemplary fashion.
That student is Leon.
Tiring!
________________________
'Route 1 — 〈 Chapter 2 〉' begins.
「 Chapter 2. If you help yourself, God will help you (2) 」
〈 Chapter 2. If you help yourself, God will help you (2) 〉
Proposal: Make 'Leonn Hemsmith ' your companion. (0/1) (167 hours 59 minutes 58 seconds)
• Route 1 ― 〈 Chapter 3. Undecided (1) 〉
• Route 2 - 〈Death〉
_______________________________
'…dying.'
167 hours and 59 minutes, one week.
How can they casually post such a crazy idea as a quest?
Before I knew it, my breath was caught in my throat.
'no.'
Even if there is a one-week limit, there is still a chance. Now that I am in the same class as Leon, I am not confident that I will fail at this suggestion.
I took my eyes off Leon's blue eyes and sat down.
• * *
"Hello, students. How was your vacation?"
During the first class of the new semester, the professor gave a powerful greeting as he placed the attendance list on the podium.
Contrary to the professor's greeting, the students' response was lukewarm.
The professor continued introducing the class without paying any attention to it.
"You know, I heard about it last year, right? Our class is about learning about the history of magic."
I like it because it's a subject that's easy to learn from the first hour.
I emptied my mind and leaned back against the chair while the professor continued his explanation.
Leon's favorability rating, which I quickly checked when our eyes met earlier, was -8.
It was higher than most of the students here, who were -10, but it was not a good number since it was a negative number.
If I want to get Leon on my side within 168 hours, a week, I'll have to speed up my original plan a bit.
I looked at my watch after scribbling something on my note for a while. An hour had already passed, but there was no sign of class ending.
"This is the cornerstone that allows us to pioneer the future through the past. We can face the microscopic world of ourselves and pioneer our own lives independently…."
"...."
Is it okay to talk about this for an hour in high school?
I took my eyes off my notes and looked around. The students were already doing something else, either listening or not.
Match-
The professor clapped his hands and caught the students' attention.
"Okay, everyone. Focus. I'll give you one last question. There's a meeting that has decided that those who have manifested magical powers will participate in the Holy Communion once a year. What is it? The student who guesses the answer will receive full marks for attitude this semester."
"Professor, you're doing it again… How do you know when you haven't even learned it properly?"
"What do you wish for?"
The students sitting in front of me were whispering so loud I could barely hear them.
No matter how far away it is, that guy… .
It was an attitude that could only come out if one looked down on the teacher.
'It reminds me of when I was in high school…'
If you look funny once, you're no longer a teacher or anything.
I listened to the professor's words with a feeling of regret inside.
"It won't be on the test. However, you should know this much to be considered a student of our proud Imperial Second Academy. It's not covered in the textbook, but it's an important event that will help us understand the origin of the current divine power. Are there any students who know about it?"
Naturally, the classroom was quiet.
I was lost in thought, skimming through the possible action routes in my notes.
First class, first hour of second grade.
It's not a bad time to start planning to make this proposal happen and decide on a course of action going forward.
'Let's give it a try.'
Should I really act like I do at school?
Although he had already shown some uncharacteristic words and actions towards the student who had guided him, he could have changed direction even now, since he had only shown this to one person.
Besides, the professor's question was a story from a book on divine powers that I had memorized by heart the whole time I was here.
Now that you know the answer to that question, it's a good opportunity to take advantage.
'Isn't something coming up?'
I just in case brought up the quest window.
There was no other suggestion than to make Leon a colleague.
It shows up well even for useless things, but when it's really needed… .
'Okay.'
It's only once anyway.
Yesterday I read in the newspaper that the royal magician group my brother belongs to has departed for the Papal States.
It will be at least a year before your brother's work is finished, and with warp magic forbidden between countries, you will have to find your way back to the Imperial border by carriage or train.
It's hard to return home just for the sole purpose of throwing me in the basement.
'First of all… you were the one who told me to raise my grades first.'
I'm scared of my brother, so I'll do whatever he says, and you're coming to find fault with me?
If it's just answering questions during class… it might be enough to set boundaries, but it's not enough to provoke direct action.
Even this is based on the assumption that the news will be delivered there.
In the novel, my brother didn't assign a watchman to Lucus. That's understandable just by looking at my condition right after the possession. What more can a person who has completely broken down mentally and physically do?
So, even if I answer once during class, it won't reach my brother's ears right away.
I smiled and quietly listened to the professor's complaints.
"Is there anyone? This is a problem that is connected to what I was talking about earlier. I'm sure we briefly discussed this last year…."
"...."
"There's nothing you can do. I hope you remember this well from now on."
"This is the Second Leyterum Council."
Silence fell on the classroom.
The classroom was packed with students who turned toward me and looked at me with bewilderment on their faces.
The professor also couldn't close his mouth, as if he had not expected me to answer.
There seemed to be no one who could break this awkward atmosphere. I smiled gently and opened my mouth to lighten the mood.
"Am I wrong?"
"student?"
"yes."
"…Is the student's answer correct?"
I tilted my head and answered with a look that asked, "What's the problem?"
"yes."
"…You're not wrong. It's the 2nd Leyterum Council. I thought you were sick last year and couldn't attend class often… Do you remember?"
Instead of answering, I smiled and ended the conversation.
When I faced the countless gazes focused on me, the students quickly turned their heads as if they had noticed something in my gaze.
What matters is not the other guys.
I looked at where Leon was.
Instead of the cold expression from before, Leon was looking at me with a puzzled face.
At that moment, a new window appeared before my eyes.
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Tiring!
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