Memoirs of the Returnee-Chapter 8: Dream (2)

Dream (2)

The Endex campus is quiet during its vacation season. The incoming freshmen and soon-to-be sophomores are likely busy with trips and leisure activities, while the prospective juniors and seniors preparing for the College Board are preoccupied with private lessons, training, competitions, and studying.

It’s the life of the wealthy elite or talented commoners.

But not for me.

I’m in the deserted library of Endex, watching YouTV on a computer.

—Today, I will teach you about logging, that is, easy methods to chop down trees.

These days, I’m learning woodworking, but I’m also ‘watching’ as many skills as possible, such as fishing, hunting, archery, cooking, and so on.

Of course, it’s all to incorporate into my 「Notepad」 skill.

—The most important thing is your posture. Maintain your lumbar arch, and firmly grip the axe with both hands. The first strike should be a horizontal slash against the tree, creating a diagonal line on the wood.

Thwack-! The axe strikes the tree diagonally on the monitor.

“Aha. The first strike is a bit slanted?”

In this way, everything I watch is remembered in the 「Notepad」.

The simpler and easier the skill, the less capacity it takes up, and the more I physically repeat and master it, the less capacity it requires.

—Next, strike the axe in a straight line to mesh with the first diagonal strike. Try to cut as deep as possible, with the idea of making a triangle on the surface of the tree……

The process of ‘repetition and mastery with the body’ is what I call ‘Attunement’.

It means incorporating the memory of the 「Notepad」 into my body, and once attuned, the skill is rarely forgotten.

Perhaps, never.

—Well, this is how you can easily chop down trees. It might be difficult, but if you try hard…… Please subscribe and like, and I’ll see you next time.

The video ended.

After reviewing the logging technique in my mind, I left the library.

“Hmm?”

There was a large poster on the corridor wall.

College Board Participant List

Provisional Assembly Date: Monday, February 25th

I scanned the list from top to bottom.

“…I’ll meet these guys again.”

Just like the saying that school is a society, there is a hierarchy in Magic High School. It’s a stratum considering status, wealth, lineage, ability, etc., and not only the office of education but also the media divide the students into pyramid-style tiers.

For instance, there are only two people in the S+ tier in this Magic High School.

The eldest daughter of the Arkne family, ‘Soliette Arkne’, and the second daughter of the Petra family, ‘Elise Petra’.

Below them, there are two people in the S tier.

The historically talented ‘Gerkhen Kal Doon’ and the wealthy ‘Layla Hilton’.

Additionally, there are about five people in the A~A+ tier, and interestingly, most of those with high tiers have some connection to me. Bad ties, good ties, ones who put spaghetti on my head, trapped me in the janitorial closet, threw garbage at me…… those kinds of guys exist too.

[The Provisional Assembly will be on Monday, February 25 at the Clemen Hall. There may be disadvantages for non-attendance.]

Anyway, the Provisional Assembly Date tomorrow is literally to gather the College Board participants in advance. So, they can see each other’s faces, scout, and keep each other in check.

“I’m going to see those faces again after a long time.”

* * *

I may not know about the Provisional Assembly, but I do have a temporary residence.

The far corner of the second floor of the old building. An abandoned storage room, left alone with plenty of cobwebs.

I couldn’t keep living in the basement of the old man’s house, it was too conspicuous. So, I moved to an upper floor.

“Is this indoors or outside?”

It was just too cold, my breath was visible, and there was no furniture to speak of. Just a straw mat on the floor, a pillow, and a blanket.

After all, you need money to live.

“…Sigh.”

So, I went out to the mountains behind the academy. I looked around quickly and chose a suitable tree.

Not too thick, not too thin, just right for firewood.

“This should do.”

Tap tap- I tapped a 5m tall tree with my finger. It was sturdy.

“Let’s give it a try.”

I gripped the axe I borrowed from the old man. In that state, I summoned the ‘Memory’.

In an instant, my senses sharpened. My body moved on its own, changing my stance.

The expert I used as a reference was [Celestion Lumberjack], a YouTVer with 150,000 subscribers who had been in the industry for 25 years.

Therefore, even though I’m currently not a master in logging, I can become a professional lumberjack who had worked in logging for a long time….

“Hup!”

I let out a yell and swung the axe diagonally.

Thwack-! The steel blade dug deep into the tree bark. Bark fragments flew like sparks.

“Hoo.”

After a brief pause, I pulled out the axe and struck directly below the first hit.

Crack-!

The empty space of the triangle [∠] formed by the intersection of diagonal and straight lines.

That completely destroyed the balance of the tree.

Creaking——

The tree, its spine broken, let out a scream and fell.

Thud!

The tree, easily weighing hundreds of kilograms, was cut down with just two swings of the axe.

“Phew…….”

I caught my breath. I wiped the sweat that had soaked me. I looked at the fallen tree with a somewhat proud eye.

Now, it’s time to chop this guy into firewood.

* * *

Crackle- Crackle-

The gentle warmth of the firepit, borrowed from the old man, crackles indoors.

“Haaah…….”

I opened my eyes in the warmth. Surprisingly, my body felt refreshed. I thought I’d be a bit sore from swinging the axe so hard.

I looked around with clear eyes.

The temporary residence on the second floor of the old building.

My body was on the straw mat, and the surrounding area was cluttered with the logs I made yesterday.

“……I’m in good condition today.”

As I muttered, my hair stood on end-! I quickly turned my head to look at the clock on the ceiling.

[9:03 AM]

“……This is crazy!”

—Provisional assembly is on Monday, February 25th, at Clemen Hall. There may be disadvantages if you do not attend.

That sentence, written at the bottom of the poster, was clear in my head, down to the last letter.

“Shit!”

I jumped up and ran out of the old building like a madman, sprinting across the campus.

My destination was the round building southeast of the clock tower, [Clemen Hall].

“Haah, haah.”

I ran until my heart was about to burst and finally arrived.

“…….”

I pressed my ear against the door and heard voices already flowing out.

I straightened my school tie. I tidied up my clothes.

“Hoo.”

After taking a deep breath, I quietly opened the back door.

Creak…….

“So, your late?”

As soon as I stepped into the hall, the man on the podium furrowed his brows at me. The seniors filling the hall also turned to look at me.

I bowed my head slightly.

“I apologize.”

“I’ll let it slide since it’s an informal assembly. But from the next class, there will be penalties.”

He seemed to be a flexible person, fortunately.

He looked quite young, and his features were strikingly handsome.

“Yes. Thank you.”

I walked to find a seat. With each step, I could hear murmuring.

Why is he here… ugh- what’s with his hair- it’s so short- Why is he here instead of graduating- has he gone insane this time-

Amidst the chatter, the coordinator began to speak.

“I will explain the college board program.”

I hastily sat down in any available seat.

“What the. Shion, why are you sitting here?”

Someone snapped at me from the side. It was Layla Hilton, twirling her purple hair around her finger.

She’s in the S tier of Endex.

And next to her was the S+ tier, Elise Petra.

“Why are you sitting here?”

I have quite a few unpleasant memories of these two.

Layla is either an axe-murder, a psychopath, or a schizophrenic. She once tried to cut off my fingers in freshman year, thinking I had crossed some ‘line. And Elise…

Thwack!

Just then, the homeroom teacher flicked his finger.

Whish-!

A piece of paper flew and landed on my desk.

It was a course registration form.

“The college board program is divided into three quarters. From March to May is the first quarter. You must first choose two general education classes for the first quarter, which will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

I scanned the course list with my eyes. The elective courses included [Basic Swordsmanship], [Latinel I], [Literature], [Advanced Magic], and so on.

I immediately chose two.

[Basic Swordsmanship], [Latinel I].

Swordsmanship because my father is a knight, and Latinel because it’s a necessary noble course to approach Libra.

“Decide on your elective courses by tomorrow and submit them to the academic office.”

I folded the course application form horizontally.

“Hmmmm….”

Layla, sitting next to me, glared at my hand movements with narrow eyes.

“On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, you will work on college board assignments. Most assignments will be announced on the day, and if you fail more than three times, you will be disqualified. However, the assignment conducted on the first day of school is a special ‘qualification test’, and if you fail, you will be disqualified immediately.”

The coordinator paused for a moment and pulled out a card from his pocket.

“Today, I will give you a shared assignment. There is no failing in the shared assignment, but there are benefits if you succeed.”

He swung his arm. Chrrrr— about a hundred cards sprouted from under the lectern.

“The first shared assignment is ‘Secret Friend’.”

Oh, not this.

I briefly closed my eyes. Although the others pretended to groan in displeasure, there was excitement and anticipation in their voices.

I just felt like shit.

“I assume you know the rules. These Secret Friend cards have the names of all 153 of you. The Secret Friend must perform ‘an action that can clearly be defined as helpful’ for their target, and in doing so, earn 1.5 points of CP.”

“CP. It stands for College Point. This is the standard by which the cut-off line for prestigious universities is determined.

For those in the upper echelons, every single point is hard-earned.

“However, a Secret Friend must never be caught. If discovered, no CP will be received.”

He raised his finger.

“On the contrary, if you correctly guess the identity of your Secret Friend, you will also receive 1.5 CP points. You only get one chance to guess your Secret Friend.”

There are a lot of rules for such an outdated Secret Friend game.

The coordinator spoke in a stern tone.

“In summary, a Secret Friend must not be caught by their target. If they help their target without being discovered, they earn 1.5 CP. If they’re caught? The Secret Friend doesn’t get any CP, but the target does.”

At first glance, it might seem like a game for fostering camaraderie and breaking the ice, but upon closer inspection, it strongly reeks of the opposite.

“The period is until the end of the midterm exams.”

This game makes you doubt the goodwill of others.

Those who want to show goodwill must do their best to deceive the other party, and the other party must detect the intention of the goodwill to score points.

“It’s better to help as soon as possible. If the target gives up or drops out, you won’t even have a chance to help.”

Perhaps it’s a good lesson.

There’s no such thing as unconditional goodwill in this world.

“I will distribute the cards randomly to each of you.”

The homeroom teacher imbued his mana into the cards. Then, shrrrr—! They were delivered face-down in front of the students’ desks.

“Check them.”

The room fell silent.

The noisy voices disappeared, and the sound of flipping cards filled the room.

I also picked up a card.

“……Ah, shit.”

As soon as I saw the name, my face contorted. I touched my temples with my fingers. A sudden headache surged.

“I assume everyone has checked.”

Yes——

“Good. Then, let’s introduce ourselves one by one.”

───■■■■■!

At that moment, genuine groans of despair filled the classroom.

The coordinator frowned.

“Self introduction is a tradition of the Provisional Assembly. Are you going to moan like today on the day of the college interviews?”

Then the coordinator pointed somewhere with his finger.

“You, who came in last, go first.”

It was me.

My headache worsened.

Damn it, why. Should I confess to being a Magic Core cancer patient?

“You. Stand up.”

I reluctantly rose from my seat.

“……”

I looked into the coordinator’s eyes. He met my gaze and asked.

“Your name?”

“……It’s Shion Ascal.”

“Your hobby?”

I glanced around the room for a moment.

Suddenly, I realized how crowded the hall was.

There were students who seemed uninterested, looking straight ahead, and some who were leaning back, watching the spectacle. But most of them exude an atmosphere as if they are looking down on me as some ‘inferior thing.’

Layla, who was sitting next to me, in particular, was smirking as if she was looking at a baboon.

I really want to smack her.

I sighed and said, “…Drawing.”

“Drawing?”

“I know how to draw.”

Most of my hobbies can be done while lying down. Listening to music, reading, exploring information, scrapbooking newspaper articles, drawing, and so on.

Thinking about it, I had quite a talent for drawing among them.

“What’s your dream?”

Suddenly, the coordinator asked about my ‘dream’.

“…Dream.”

Dream. The nuance of the word felt strange.

Dream. It was a future I hadn’t thought about for quite some time.

Dream. Suddenly, the voice of the old man Belthos whispered in my ear.

…Become the most trustworthy person to your enemy, become their most important person, and then shatter their heart.

Why would I think of that now?

It sounds easy, but it’s incredibly difficult.

It’s going to be excruciatingly hard.

Since Libra is in a different realm, it would require tremendous effort and patience to reach them.

“Do you not have a dream?”

“…Libra.”

But now, I find myself muttering blankly.

I clenched my fist, opened my eyes.

I found myself smiling, unknowingly.

“What? Libra?”

“Yes.”

If they are in a different realm, I will definitely reach that realm.

I will exact a fitting price for this damned life, from them.

“Libra.”

Until then, I can endure.

Because there are many things, I want to ask them, because there are countless things I want to get, I can endure.

“My career aspiration is…”

I took a deep breath.

I spat out the emotions rising from the bottom of my heart.

“I want to be a Knight of Libra.”

This is my resolution, still so small that you guys wouldn’t even notice.

A prayer sent in the hope that you will hear it from above.

“…Hmm. That’s quite ambitious.”

The coordinator said.

Then, as if they had been waiting, laughter erupted. It was a scornful and dismissive laughter, mixed with contempt and disregard.

It didn’t matter.

“Yes. I suppose so.”

Because I was laughing too.

For the first time since I regressed, I genuinely laughed.