During my stint overseeing the academy league matters, classes and training couldn't afford to fall by the wayside.
When it came to foundational courses, there wasn't much difference between the central and local branches—the subjects and content were the same.
Throughout this period, students from the external Tracen branch would be temporarily placed in classrooms corresponding to their grade levels to prevent their academic performance from slipping.
It felt a bit like being an exchange student, just temporary.
As luck would have it, Copano Rickey was seated right behind me.
Manhattan Cafe tilted her head slightly and caught sight of the girl, chin propped in her hands, swaying her head cheerfully.
The moment their eyes met, those reddish-purple eyes of hers blinked slowly.
"Hehe☆~"
Hehe, my foot! Out of all the classrooms, why did it have to be this one? And with so many seats in the back, why did she have to end up right behind me?
It was as if fate itself was playing a joke on her—the very person she wanted to keep her 'friend' away from had somehow latched onto her instead.
As soon as the class-ending bell chimed, Copano Rickey slid her desk over, settling right beside Cafe.
"What do you want?"
Cafe had little patience for someone who'd once tried to harm her 'friend.'
"Nothing much, just a little curious."
"…"
"Don't give me the silent treatment! I haven't done anything weird lately, and I've already apologized to Silence Suzuka."
That might be true, but there was something about this girl, from the inside out, that made her hard to approach.
It wasn't about Copano Rickey's personality or character—her way of dealing with people was fine.
But just like light and shadow can't coexist on the same side, neither could Manhattan Cafe and Copano Rickey.
Their very auras seemed incompatible, and conversation never flowed easily between them.
Being around her offered no sense of comfort, so why… why did she have to cling so persistently?
Just as Cafe turned her face toward the window, hoping Copano Rickey would leave her in peace, the girl leaned in and whispered by her ear:
"Actually, I'm still a middle school student. I didn't understand a single thing the teacher was talking about."
Huh?
Cafe narrowed her eyes.
"I asked my trainer to pull some strings for me—filled out the Tracen forms to bump me up a grade."
"You're deceiving Symboli Rudolf! If she finds out…"
"No worries, no worries. I've already picked up most of the basic subjects anyway. Even if I tune out during the academy league, my grades won't suffer. So as long as you don't spill, no one will know."
She waved a hand lightly, a soft laugh escaping her lips. "But hey, you're finally talking to me. Cold as you seem, you've got a sense of responsibility, don't you?"
This girl's personality was really something Cafe couldn't handle.
"By the way, Cafe, what does that person do during daytime classes?"
Copano Rickey asked suddenly.
"That person…?"
"Yeah, that person." With curved brows, Copano Rickey repeated, "Your 'friend.'"
"Do you really think I'd tell you?"
"Come on, don't be like that. I'm really curious—what does a lifeless spirit even do all day?"
Without the pressures of survival or material desires, for years, even decades… Copano Rickey couldn't wrap her head around how spirits passed such long stretches of time.
Faced with the relentless questioning, Manhattan Cafe's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.
Annoying. Really, incredibly annoying…
Watching Copano Rickey sprawled over her desk, that ever-innocent, smiling face plastered on, Cafe finally replied, "She reads."
"...Eh?"
"Usually, she reads. Happy now?"
"Spirits read? Eh…" That was the last thing Copano Rickey expected.
She'd assumed they'd be hiding in some dark corner, scaring passersby or something.
It felt unexpectedly… mundane.
"Spirits aren't the special beings you imagine them to be."
They're common, everywhere.
People fear spirits because they don't understand them—it's an instinctive dread of the unknown.
But spend enough time with spirits, and you'll realize how ordinary they are, as if they've always been part of this world.
At least in Cafe's eyes, spirits weren't terrifying or incomprehensible.
She was used to them.
Copano Rickey blinked.
"How come you understand them so well?"
About spirits, she meant.
"I've been with them since I was born."
Day and night, in crowded rooms, in empty corners.
When it came to understanding spirits, Cafe was confident she knew more than anyone.
So she understood the biases people held toward things they weren't familiar with.
Spirits, like snowflakes on the ground, may look similar, but each is different in form, thought, and action.
Yet you, bound by habitual thinking, lump them all together as one.
"If you, Copano Rickey, resent others for not understanding feng shui, then why not turn that gaze inward and try learning about spirits yourself?"
Her golden eyes were cold.
"Your perspective is too narrow."
With those words, Manhattan Cafe rose slowly and left the classroom, leaving Copano Rickey still seated at her desk.
The smile on her face was stiffer than usual.
Lowering her head, Copano Rickey's eyes wavered.
She kept turning over Manhattan Cafe's sharp, yet unarguable words in her mind.
--+--
"Happy Earth Day~"
No sooner had she stepped out than Cafe ran into the second person she least wanted to see.
A tall girl with a cap, straight-cut bangs, and long gray hair stood at the doorway.
"Heya, I got to thinking—saying 'good morning,' 'good afternoon,' or 'good evening' every time is way too much hassle. Then it hit me: the Earth is always spinning, right? So why not just call every day 'Earth Day'? That way, you can just say 'Happy Earth Day' no matter when you see someone, no need to check the time."
Chin in hand, as if she'd uncovered the universe's ultimate secret, Gold Ship spoke with a mix of seriousness and excitement.
"What are you doing here?"
It wasn't the first time Cafe had been cornered by her like this.
The girl stood a head taller, blocking the path with no easy way around.
"So yesterday, I gave it a shot outside, but even going all out, I couldn't pull it off."
"Pull what off…"
"The Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Cafe's heart nearly stopped.
"It's the first time I've seen a technique so perfectly mastered. I mean, I've dabbled in the Kamehameha and all, but nothing beats how stunning the Shadow Clone Jutsu feels."
"Like just now—I was testing the moon's gravity, jumped out the window, and saw you in the library. By the time I ran back, there you were in the classroom again."
"If I could reach that level of mastery, I'd send one clone to Mars to check out the living conditions, and leave another here to get mummified and dug up a hundred years from now when humanity's on the brink."
"Then the whole universe would belong to me, Gold Ship-sama!"
Her words tumbled out faster and faster, buzzing with excitement as if her dream was within reach.
Meanwhile, Cafe's expression darkened with every word she spoke.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.