Episode 23
When I woke up the next morning, I was back to my senses.
“What on earth was I doing yesterday…?”
I’m supposed to be exploring the Old School Building to find a place to imprison her, so why did I spend the entire afternoon studying?
Once the kidnapping event happens as in the original story, nothing else matters, so there’s no need to worry about failing a grade.
On top of that, why am I getting along with the person I’m supposed to kidnap? What kind of attitude should I have when I actually kidnap her…?
“It’s Millie’s fault, Millie is to blame.”
She’s like a natural, innocent Succubus without even realizing it. If you get too close, you’ll get hit with a charm debuff and lose your mind.
Since she’s going to be part of the protagonist’s Harem anyway, I shouldn’t expect any developments like getting close to her…
However, I’ve decided to change my approach regarding magic.
Until yesterday, I was only focused on triggering the kidnapping event, and I hadn’t done any research on the classes or even knew the schedule.
At this rate, I’ll stand out too much, and if I’m paired with Millie again, who seems to be quite talented, I might get completely charmed.
I don’t need to aim for average scores, but I need to study enough to avoid failing grades.
“Alright, let’s start the second Magic Practice Alpha~”
In the third period, the Cursed Magic Practice began. I need to do it properly today so I won’t be paired with Millie.
This Magic Practice Alpha is only on Mondays and Tuesdays, so if I can get through today, I’ll be safe for the week. Let’s put in some effort.
“Yesterday, we practiced increasing the output of magic, but today we’ll practice decreasing it~. It might be boring for those who can already do it, but it’s absolutely necessary for the upcoming classes, so please bear with it~.”
I see. Most people can do it as a matter of course, but they’re taking the time just in case there’s someone like me who came in without knowing anything.
“Now, let’s talk about the precautions when decreasing the output of magic~… Today is the eighth, so number eight, Sanimura-kun. Do you know~?”
“Yes. If you decrease the output too much, the magic won’t activate.”
“That’s right~. So, it’s important to determine the line for each magic―――”
Tch, showing off his excellence. I still don’t like that Sanimura bastard.
“―――Okay, those who can use ‘Pefu’ can try it~”
Alright, this is the crucial moment.
I grasped the knack for manual activation yesterday. I should be able to do it by decreasing the output in the same way I increased it.
First, let’s try about half… I managed to decrease it, but it didn’t activate. Does that mean I decreased it too much?
Then, 70%… It activated. A small Pefu. 60%… It barely activated. Is this the line for Pefu?
“Hmm, you can do it~. Can you…? Oh, you too. Huh? Eh~?”
It seems like there are many students who can’t do it this time. I’ve already joined the ranks of the excellent students on the second day.
“S-so many…? Well, um~. Those who can do it can go play over there~. Those who can’t, gather here~.”
As a result of dividing the class into those who can and those who can’t, the “can” group consisted of me, four other guys, and all the girls.
The “can’t” group was the rest of the guys, which was an extreme division. Are guys bad at magic…?
“Ah, Geld-kun. You could do it, huh.”
“Yeah, well. I just got taught yesterday.”
Damn it, Millie is close by because I’m in the “can” group. Or rather, she talked to me. …Ah, I see.
Those guys were probably all aiming for a second chance like I did yesterday. They were pretending not to be able to do it, hoping to get one-on-one instruction from Millie…!
But because there were too many people thinking the same thing, they all ended up failing together. It doesn’t pay to be sneaky…
Holding a mysterious stick, I took a running start, did a one-handed cartwheel, and then a backflip with four rotations while spinning the stick at high speed, drawing three circles.
“Geld-kun, what are you doing this time…? Whoa! What’s that, what’s that! Amazing~!”
“Hawaa… What was that just now?”
“How many times did you spin? Three? Four?”
“Uwahahaha, I’m not good at magic, but I’m good at this kind of thing.”
I made a large-sized ‘Pefu’ shine at the end of the stick, a medium-sized one slightly inside, and a small-sized one further inside, and by rotating them at super high speed, I created a triple circle.
As I was trying to figure out how to show it off, Millie and the other female students started cheering, so I got carried away and escalated it, eventually performing an incredible acrobatic feat.
The last time I got this much cheering was when I was surrounded by the Maids while practicing my swings in the first week. Wait, why were they cheering for just a simple swing back then…? There’s no exciting element in that…?
“Okay, everyone can do it now~. Well~, it’s a bit early, but that’s it for today~. We’ll be doing something more serious next time~.”
While I was playing around, the last person managed to succeed, and the class seemed to be over. Well, everyone could do it from the beginning, so there’s no success or failure.
Those guys were probably thinking, wouldn’t it be unnatural if I could do it right away without being properly taught…? From there, a psychological battle was waged over who would succeed and escape at what timing.
The guy who was left until the end is the loser.
“Good work, Sanimura. That was tough.”
“Cut it out. Seriously, you guys escaped too early.”
The winners seem to be mocking the loser. Apparently, the loser’s name is Sanimura.
“Huh? …Eeeh!?”
My lifelong rival, Sanimura, has been labeled as a loser. How pathetic…!
“Whoa, what’s wrong?”
“Ah, no… It’s just, I remembered something and got surprised.”
“Remembered and surprised?”
“Yeah. I remember something that surprised me and then I get surprised.”
“…Geld-kun, you say weird things sometimes, don’t you?”
I failed to cover it up and Millie thinks I’m weird. Sanimura, you…!
On the way back to the classroom from the training grounds, I tried to have a normal conversation with Millie to somehow get rid of the weirdo label, but I only got laughed at and surprised, and I couldn’t get the label removed.
After returning to the classroom, I rushed the homeroom teacher and dismissed the class after homeroom. But today’s after school is different from usual. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, classes end in the third period, so we have a long afternoon to ourselves.
It’s good to play around with friends, or lose yourself in love. You should enjoy your youth to the fullest.
Or, you can start working hard for the future from the very beginning of school. The sooner you start, the more you can differentiate yourself from your rivals.
Looking at the classmates leaving the classroom, most of them seem to be leaving school to go play in the city. Several groups seem to be forming already, and I could see them walking together.
And as for me, who is already floating among the guys, I’m going to explore the Old School Building alone.
There must be many guys who want to kidnap Millie and take advantage of her, so I need to decide on a place to imprison her as soon as possible to differentiate myself from my rivals.
I start acting stealthily when there are fewer students around. I don’t want to be seen heading towards the Old School Building, so I’m using all my stealth skills.
I leave the school building, pass through a small forest, and head to the front of the Old School Building. I also select the route, taking into account that I’ll be carrying Millie when I carry out the plan.
“Alright, what should I do with this…”
And then, I want to go inside the Old School Building, but there’s a strong presence of Monsters inside.