HTACS 73

Chapter 73

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And the next day.

That girl came.

That noisy girl barged in without any consideration, flinging the door open.

“Ah! Senior! Hello!”

“Nephti.”

“Yes! Are you selling food? I came to eat! Ah, snacks are good too, but meat is also great?”

“There’s no meat.”

I served Nephti some roughly made dishes. Using the ‘Cooking’ skill obtained when Agility reached 10, as long as I know the recipe, I can produce something reasonably edible.

Receiving a roughly made cream pasta and a smoothie, Nephti went *Ooh, ooh!* and started eating right away.

While those three colorful chicks kept nibbling endlessly on something, Nephti’s style is fast, swift, and ruthless. From a cook’s perspective, she’s the type who eats well with a satisfied expression—no complaints.

“Ah! I’m done! Thank you!”

After finishing, she bows her head and even does the dishes herself.

After the meal, a light tea time—though Nephti just drinks the smoothie prepared for her, while I leisurely enjoy a cup of bean tea.

“Come to think of it, haven’t you been busy with work lately?”

“Hmm? I am busy? It’s spring, so the sites are moving pretty fast? Construction is also busy.”

“But you have time to come here? District 8 is quite far.”

“Thanks to that black thing. It’s incredibly convenient.”

“It’s not a black thing—it’s a wolf carriage, combining the spirit wolf and the magic carriage.”

“…Ah. Wolf carriage. That’s a cool name! It’s magic, not a horse!”

Taking a sip of smoothie, Nephti smiled brightly.

The Wolf Train driven by Patrasche is extremely popular with regulars—even Nephti, who used to only visit occasionally due to being busy with site work, now comes this often thanks to the regular service.

Ah, Patrasche went back to the Common Department with the wolf carriage.

He has items to pick up.

I promised him an extra hour of vacation, so he dashed off.

“Is it just you today?”

“No, Ayla is giving a lecture to Mille-feuille.”

“…A lecture? Is junior Mille-feuille planning to apply to the Magic Department next year?”

Nephti tilted her head sideways.

Mille-feuille’s already public stats clearly suit the Knight Department more than the Magic Department, and she doesn’t even have the ability to apply to the Magic Department in the first place—so it’s natural to be curious.

“No, she’s learning hand-to-hand combat from Ayla.”

“……Pardon?”

Her head tilts even further. She must be wondering what that even means.

“Didn’t you know? No… I suppose it’s natural not to know.”

“……?? You mean Senior Ayla is teaching hand-to-hand combat?”

“Hmm. You’ll see. They’ll be back soon—you can ask them then.”

I gestured with my chin toward the convenience store door, where Ayla was approaching lightly, and Mille-feuille trudging in looking a bit tired.

“I’m back, Wolfram!”

“I’m… back…”

“Hmm. Welcome.”

—

After hearing the full story, Nephti nodded a few times.

“Aha, so that’s what happened. So you’ve been training?”

“Yes. It’s been a while, Nepheterian.”

“Ah, you can call me Nephti. Senior Trista.”

“Then you can call me Ayla too, Nephti.”

“…Hehe. Yes, Senior Ayla. Ah, but I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Senior Ayla, do you know how to use hand-to-hand combat? Even though you’re in the Magic Department?”

“…Hmm. Yes, I know enough for self-defense.”

Ayla said it lightly, and Nephti let out a *Ooh…* of admiration. And Mille-feuille—

“…Th-that’s self-defense? Th-then what on earth… The hand-to-hand combat I knew was…”

Trembling as if she’d seen something terrifying, Mille-feuille stared at Ayla.

What on earth happened?

“…Judging by junior Mille-feuille’s reaction, it doesn’t seem like ordinary self-defense?”

“Oh my, it’s nothing that impressive.”

“I’m curious. Hmm. Hmmmm…”

Nephti looked at Ayla with an itchy, restless feeling.

Hmm.

Ah, this girl, don’t tell me…

“It seems Nephti is curious about your hand-to-hand combat, Ayla.”

“Oh my, really?”

“Ah, haha… Well, I try to learn all the department’s skills whenever possible, don’t I?”

“That’s right.”

In an era when no one went outside, she learned skills like 【Protective Formation】—this girl just likes learning things and likes shiny things.

“…And amid all that, self-defense—and from the Magic Department’s top senior’s self-defense!”

Nephti’s eyes sparkled.

Is it really that interesting?

With 2 stamina, Wolfram would fly if he got hit once, so I wouldn’t know.

And at Nephti’s words, Ayla reacted.

“Say that again.”

“Pardon? Ah… I’m curious about Senior Ayla’s self-defense!”

“Not that—what did you call me? What about the Magic Department?”

“The Magic Department’s top senior?”

“Hmm, hmm. Yes, that’s right. I am the Magic Department’s top senior. I beat Regina Sierra, whom no one else could defeat, and rose to the top!”

“Y-yes? Yes, that’s right.”

“Then I have no choice. Since you’re curious about my self-defense, I’ll have to teach you!”

Oh, Ayla vs. Nephti in self-defense combat.

If Ayla fights with magic, she’d win a thousand times out of a thousand. But if it’s purely hand-to-hand… who would win?

“Then let’s have a demonstration right now—”

“Ah… well.”

Seeing Nephti look a bit disappointed, I stepped in as a mediator.

“How about a spar instead of just demonstrating forms? Without using battle skills—purely technique.”

“Oh my, that sounds good.”

“…O-oh! But wouldn’t Senior Ayla be in danger? Even without battle skills, there’s the stat difference…”

“Just pull your punches.”

I said that, and Nephti looked a bit uneasy, but the two of them went to the vacant lot right in front of the convenience store and began sparring with hand-to-hand combat.

And the result was…

“I won, right? Hehe.”

“…U-uh? ……Huh?”

Ayla’s easy victory.

—

Even with the condition of not using battle skills, Ayla’s overwhelming victory was truly unexpected.

She casually tripped Nephti’s leg as she charged in, broke her arm to throw her off balance, then pinned her limbs and placed a hand on Nephti’s neck.

That was the end.

After winning like that, Ayla smiled lightly and looked this way.

“Hehe. Peep-peep, did you see that?”

“Y-yes! Wow, wow… Senior Ayla’s victory!”

“What did you think, Wolfram?”

“…It was an excellent move. As expected, you’re amazing.”

“Hehe, you could praise me a little more, you know?”

“Amazing. Rebellious.”

“Ehe. Ehehe.”

Watching Ayla beam with delight, I shrugged.

On the other hand, Nephti…

“I’m a tadpole… I’m a tadpole…”

She seemed broken, stuck in a corner of the vacant lot, staring blankly at the sky.

I didn’t expect her to take this much damage.

“Come to think of it… Senior Wolfram, did you expect this?”

“Hm? I thought it would be a close match.”

I nodded at Mille-feuille’s question.

This is due to Ayla’s stats.

Ayla Trista’s Mana is 19.

Compared to Eve’s 22, it’s far inferior.

Compared to Regina Sierra’s 21, it’s also lacking.

But Ayla Trista’s true terror is that her other stats compensate for her lacking Mana.

All stats except Mana exceed 15 to 16 overall.

To be precise, her Stamina is 16 and her Strength is 14.

What’s surprising is that Ayla’s Agility reaches 17.

Literally—if things go south, she can crystallize her fists, stand at the front, and swiftly punch people—evolving into a battle mage.

It was the same in the game.

In Act 3, when fighting Ayla, if you drain her mana with Mana Drain, she resorts to melee basic attacks—and they hurt like hell. She wraps her fists in black crystal and pummels you.

And with her high Agility, physical attacks against her get dodged like crazy.

She was a truly filthy boss.

On the other hand, Nephti has Strength 17, Stamina 16, Agility 14.

Of course, her Strength is higher than Ayla’s, but Nephti lost because she was careless.

But I couldn’t explain it like that, so I decided to persuade the chick with a different reason. You could say it’s an explanation fitting today’s theme. Something like that.

“Their experience periods are different.”

“Experience?”

“Hmm. Ayla, how old were you when you started learning self-defense?”

“From age three. It’s been quite a long time. In contrast, Nephti… it’s a bit harsh to say this, but you started learning at Zefflin, didn’t you?”

“……Tadpo—Ah. Yes, that’s right.”

“In terms of hand-to-hand combat, there’s over ten years of proficiency difference. And if you master the Trista-style self-defense to its limit, you can even aim for 4-tier, you know?”

I’m still at 7-tier, though.

Ayla said that with an embarrassed smile.

Wait… it goes up to 4-tier?

And she’s currently at 7-tier?

……That’s higher than I thought. I should be careful not to mess with her.

“I see. So there’s an experience period… Yes! I’ve learned a lot! I’ll keep training! …Ahaha. I’ve really learned a lot.”

Shaking off the damage, Nephti saluted and smiled brightly.

Showing a positive side even in situations where she’d be hurt is very Nephti-like.

But that doesn’t mean she’s unscathed—there was a faint shadow in her smile somewhere.

“Ahaha, ahaha… I’m a tadpole…”

Hmm.

Hmmmm.

Since I arranged the spar, that smile stings a bit.

“Nephti. Don’t worry about it too much.”

“Eh? Are you consoling a tadpole?”

“Who’s a tadpole? If you had used every method available and fought dirty, you would have won. Isn’t your hand-to-hand combat also at least 7-tier?”

“That’s… true.”

“Your loss was because you underestimated her as a Magic Department student and went in lightly. Use tactics befitting you.”

“……Aha. I see. Thank you, Senior!”

Only then did Nephti smile brightly,

and I turned my gaze to the pink chick.

“Mille-feuille. What are you thinking?”

“…Ah. Well.”

The pink chick was quite serious, with a firm expression, deep in thought.

“Tell me what you realized.”

“………Gale Strike-kun must have trained in the Strike family’s greatsword techniques since childhood, so his proficiency is probably high—like Senior Ayla.”

“Right.”

“In contrast, my learning is very shallow. So… the difference in training is absolute. But because of that, he might be more fixated on forms…”

This chick’s intelligence is truly high.

Just catching the intention alone is impressive.

But the real mark of high intelligence isn’t just that.

“So I have to win using every means available.”

“That’s right. You saw well.”

She catches the essence of what needs to be learned on the spot.

That might be her true talent.

“Yes. Thank you, Senior!”

“Now, let’s figure out every means available. Just in time…”

From afar, with a *rumble*, the Wolf Carriage approached.

“Seniooooor! I brought the ordered items! Give me donuuuts!!”

Inside, the yellow chick was waving her hand, looking this way.

“Yes. Just in time—one of your ‘every means available’ has arrived.”

In the carriage’s cargo hold sat the gauntlet the yellow chick had poured her heart into making for her friend.

—

And a few days later.

With all the ‘every means available’ Wolfram had told her stored in her mind, Mille-feuille sat quietly in her seat during break.

Normally, her friends Vanilla and Yogurt would have been with her, but today they had ‘intentionally’ stepped away.

As a result, the pink chick was left alone—and naturally, she was targeted by a predator.

“Mille-feuille. Mille-feuille von Sabre.”

Gale Strike.

Arrogant and haughty, a count’s son who loved to look down on others swaggered over to Mille-feuille.

“What is it, Strike-kun.”

“Huh? What else. I’m getting tired of this back-and-forth—why don’t you just join my faction already? Huh? Let’s stop sizing each other up.”

“……”

“I told you. If you join my faction, it’ll be pretty good for you. You won’t have to go back to your dung-smelling hometown after graduation—you could even get a chance to advance to the capital! All you have to do is lose to me—just once—big time. How about it?”

“……”

“If Mille-feuille von Sabre—who took down the top student—gets completely crushed by me, the second-ranked, and crawls on the ground, it’ll be favorable for the top student re-evaluation, won’t it? Huh? Let’s make that deal. I’m a guy who keeps his promises.”

Saying that, Gale chuckled.

Mille-feuille took a deep breath.

Her heart pounded. What she was about to do next was something the usual Mille-feuille couldn’t even have imagined saying.

‘Can’t you do it? Don’t betray me.’

But in her head, a certain person’s calm voice echoed.

A senior who usually seemed cold and indifferent, but cared about others more than anyone.

And her first—

At that point, Mille-feuille’s mind cleared completely.

The words were decided, and her racing heart calmed down.

“Gale Strike-kun.”

“What?”

“I challenge you to a duel.”

“……Huh?”

“Two days from now. 1 PM. At the Common Department training hall, I will fight you fair and square.”

“Wh-what are you saying, you…”

“First-year duels require notarization from at least two seniors. I have obtained notarization from three: Second-year Knight Department top student—【Knight of Faith】 Senior Nepheterian, Third-year Magic Department top student—【Black Crystal】 Senior Ayla Trista, and the same third-year Magic Department—Senior Wolfram von Lohengrin.”

The names that followed were all heavyweights.

Only then did Gale Strike’s complexion turn pale.

Just—an unremarkable count’s son—against true monsters he could hardly even imagine.

“Wh-what… Huh? W-why…”

“Didn’t you say you’d defeat me and gain an advantage in the top student re-evaluation? I’m challenging you first.”

“A duel… I-is that so—a duel…”

Only then did a smile return to Gale Strike’s lips.

Even if those monsters came as notaries, they couldn’t intervene in the duel.

Rather, wasn’t this a great opportunity to show off his good side to the seniors and join the powerfully rising Wolfram faction!

“Fine. Two days from now! I accept your duel. In the name of Gale Strike!”

“Yes. I will challenge you in the name of Mille-feuille von Sabre.”

Mille-feuille removed the cotton glove from her right hand and threw it at Gale Strike’s face, where it hit with a *slap* and fell.

“……I’ll see you in two days.”

The sudden duel caused the surrounding students to buzz with chatter, but Mille-feuille’s expression remained unwavering.

To be precise,

in her mind,

a single person’s,

a single voice echoed so powerfully

that there was no room for any other sound.

**【Mille-feuille von Sabre. Are you ready to KaBOOM?】**

“…Yes, Senior. I’m ready to KaBOOM.”