Chapter 19: Alone Together

1 Comment / Level 999 / By IX

Mille Feuille is an unfortunate girl. (T/N: Her name is a french cheese)

Due to her luck value of 0, she constantly experiences misfortune and there hasn’t been a single day where nothing bad happened.

Losing things and dropping things is a common occurrence for her, and it’s always raining unexpectedly when she goes out. Tripping and falling has become routine for her.

She is truly a person despised by the gods.

However, she has never harbored any resentment towards anyone.

On the contrary, she often feels sorry, believing that her own misfortune might be causing unhappiness to those around her.

When her mother fell ill, she thought the same.

“Mom… I’m sorry…! It’s my… my fault…!”

“Mill, it’s not your fault. It’s just your mother’s bad luck,” her mother said with a smile.

But Mille believed that her misfortune had brought sickness upon her mother.

As much as she was willing to bear her own misfortune, she didn’t wish for her mother to suffer. So, she thought it was her fault that her mother fell ill.

Of course, it was just baseless speculation.

Luck values are still surrounded by many mysteries, and no concrete effects have been proven. The only thing known for sure is that there might be a slight difference in daily happiness.

Therefore, even though she was considered an unfortunate girl with a luck value of 0, it was uncertain whether her misfortune affected those close to her.

But Mille believed that she was causing unhappiness to those around her because of her own misfortune.

And an event occurred that reinforced such suspicions and turned them into certainty.

“Once again, you’ve done something clumsy, Mil. You’re as hopeless as ever,” someone from her hometown, the village of Olivier, said.

There was a girl named Plum Cuillère in the village. She was one of the lord’s daughters and had a strong and lively personality, contrasting with Mille’s timid and quiet nature.

Despite their contrasting personalities, Mille and Plum often played together. They spent a lot of time together because Plum’s residence was near Mille’s home.

Additionally, there were no other children of their age in the village, so they frequently engaged in activities together.

They had a very good relationship. It had become customary for Plum, who was proactive and caring, to take care of Mille, the unlucky girl with a luck value of 0.

A clumsy sister and a caring sister—it was the impression most people had of them, as they had never seen the two fight.

However, one day…

“Mille!”

While playing in the forest near the village, Mille was attacked by a plant-type monster.

Unluckily, they encountered a plant-type monster that wouldn’t normally come near the village. Perhaps Mille’s misfortune had attracted it to their play area.

Mille was captured by the monster and almost dragged deep into the forest. But Plum came to her rescue.

“[Flaming Sphere: Flame Sphere]!”

Thanks to her noble lineage, Plum had a considerably high magical power. She had studied magic since childhood and aspired to become a national mage.

Using the magic she had learned, Plum attacked the plant-type monster and released Mille from its grasp.

However, the enraged monster turned its attention to Plum and attacked her.

Releasing a large amount of venom from its body, Plum couldn’t avoid it.

Having been exposed to a significant amount of venom, Plum experienced excruciating pain, but she managed to cast another spell and drive away the plant-type monster.

Eventually, the two managed to return to the village, but their condition was far from safe.

“Ugh… Urgh…”

The venom Plum had been exposed to not only had the power to corrode the human body but also to paralyze magical energy.

Although a small amount would have had little effect, Plum’s young body was covered in a large amount of venom.

As a result, she lost her ability to control magic effectively.

The magical incantations didn’t reach the magical essence, and even if they did, the spells’ power became feeble.

Modern medicine deemed it incurable, and Plum’s dream of becoming a national mage was completely shattered.

“I wish I never met you! Don’t ever appear before me again, you jinx!”

When Mille heard those words from her cherished childhood friend, she reaffirmed that she was indeed a bringer of misfortune.

From that moment, she avoided interacting with people as much as possible.

If she got close to someone, they would be afflicted by misfortune again.

Therefore, she decided not to become friends with anyone, not to get close to anyone. That’s what she had resolved in her heart.

But…

A silver-haired girl appeared before her.

In order to earn money for her mother’s medical expenses and find a way to cure Plum’s magical impairment, Mille had taken the entrance exam for the magic academy.

The silver-haired girl she met there was named Sachiko, a very mysterious child.

At first, Mille wanted to brush her off with a cold attitude.

But Sachiko was unexpectedly persistent and assertive, making it difficult for Mille to refuse.

They ended up cooperating and through their actions together, Mille became increasingly aware of Sachiko’s extraordinary nature.

“You see, despite appearances, my only merit is my luck value. When it comes to being happy, I have the utmost confidence that I can surpass anyone else.”

For some reason, Sachiko was a special presence who didn’t experience misfortune when she was with Mille. She didn’t stumble when Mille stumbled and instead found amusement in Mille’s clumsy moments.

In fact, since Mille started accompanying Sachiko, her own misfortunes had significantly decreased, and she felt that very few unpleasant things were happening to her.

Sachiko was a super lucky girl who seemed to neutralize even Mille’s misfortune. So Mille found herself relying on Sachiko and wanting to spend more time together with her.

However, misfortune struck suddenly once again.

“The request reception desk is where students are assigned suitable requests.”

Due to her commoner status, Mille couldn’t receive the academy’s requests as she wished.

She thought this was another misfortune she had brought upon herself.

Even if she continued to act together with Sachiko, she wouldn’t survive in this academy alone.

To safely advance to the next grade and eventually graduate, she needed the cooperation of other students.

For instance, Maron Meringue, the female student who had approached her earlier, could be one such ally.

However, whenever Mille got involved with someone, misfortune would inevitably befall them.

Sachiko was a special lucky girl, so she was exempt, but it wasn’t necessarily the same for others.

That’s why when Maron approached her, Mille fled the classroom as if escaping.

And now, in the courtyard of the academy, she sat on a bench, sighing deeply with regret.

“Haah…”

Being involved with her would bring nothing but misfortune. So avoiding contact with Maron was the right thing to do.

But she felt it was impolite to simply run away.

Perhaps there was a different way to handle the situation.

With Mille’s presence, Sachiko’s position could become precarious too if she continued to act like this.

“Isn’t this unpleasant? You being with her is dangerous too, isn’t it?”

Mille pondered over her complicated feelings, not knowing how to express them, while gazing at her beautiful magical tool, a pendant.

Although her mother had given it to her as a good luck charm before the entrance exam, she had yet to experience its effects.

That was because the pendant merely changed color in response to the owner’s magical essence.

It was nothing more than a psychological comfort. Nevertheless, Mille treasured the pendant and kept it as her protective charm.

Come to think of it, for a super unlucky girl like herself to meet Sachiko, the super lucky girl, was quite fortunate.

Since she managed to pass the entrance exam, there might be some effect in these kinds of ornaments that raised one’s happiness.

“Mill, I found you!”

“What?!”

While she was focused on her pendant, she suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind.

When she turned around, there was the lively girl with silver hair she was used to seeing.

“S-Sachiko-san? Weren’t you having lunch with Maron-san?”

“I canceled it because you suddenly ran off. Ahh, what a shame. It was a chance for you to make a new friend.”

Sachiko came around from behind the bench and sat down next to her, expressing her discontent.

Watching her from the corner of her eye, Mille awkwardly asked,

“In that case, why did you chase after me?”

“Huh? Because you suddenly ran off…”

“Not that. I’m saying it would be wiser to make new friends instead of being with me.”

“I don’t have a single good reason to stay with myself. Instead, I am constantly accompanied by the danger of attracting unhappiness. On the other hand, if I become friends with other people, your school life will surely become much easier. Why did you follow me and give up that chance?”

“It’s pointless for me to be the only one making friends. Let’s all be friends, including Mil.”

“Oh, I’m fine. I don’t want to become friends with anyone.”

“Don’t want to become friends?”

“If people become friends with me, they will all end up unhappy.”

Like her mother, like her childhood friend. And all the people I made unhappy, I will only receive harsh words.

“So you’re avoiding Maron-san… or rather, everyone in the class?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Because you might make them unhappy if you become friends? So you don’t want any friends?”

“If it means making someone unhappy, then I don’t need friends.”

Mil affirmed once again, clearly stating her position. She didn’t need friends. It was better to be alone than to make others unhappy. That was Mil’s true feelings.

Then Sachi fell into deep thought, remaining silent for a while, and eventually seemed to come up with something as she spoke.

“Well… then I guess I’m not needed either.”

“Huh?! Uh, no, it’s not like that. Sachi-san, you’re different…”

“Well…”

Glancing briefly at Sachi, she had a smug grin on her face. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy the bewildered reaction from Mil.

Mil blushed and turned away in frustration.

“Alright, that’s enough.”

“Oh, sorry, sorry! I just wanted to tease you a little!”

This person, really…

Thinking this, Mil sighed, and Sachi cleared her throat and brought the conversation back.

“So basically, you don’t want to get involved with various people and bring unhappiness upon yourself. But you don’t have to worry at all, right? Because I’m always with you and I’m fine. It’s just a misconception.”

“That’s because Sachi-san has a luck value of 999. It doesn’t necessarily mean others will be fine. In fact, I made a close friend in my hometown village unhappy in the past.”

Recalling the words spoken by her childhood friend, Mil tightly gripped her chest. She thought that she didn’t need friends if it meant going through such experiences again, and she spoke to Sachi once more.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Sachi. Even if it’s just you, please go to Maron-san’s side. I’ve heard that the Melange family, Maron’s noble family, is highly renowned for their contributions to the prosperity of the magic nation through magical tool development. If you’re with them, you’ll be able to receive plenty of requests, and your school life will become stable.”

On the flip side, if they didn’t accept Maron’s proposal now, their future school life would become considerably difficult. Currently, within their class, the close friends were starting to form their own groups. However, Mil and Sachi were in a slightly detached position, mainly because they were commoners, a rarity in this academy. It wouldn’t be accurate to say that they were being avoided, but they felt somewhat distant from others. Additionally, both of them weren’t particularly skilled in socializing, which resulted in their isolation within Class 1-A.

In such circumstances, it was truly fortunate that Maron, the popular one in their class, approached them. It was an opportunity that they couldn’t afford to waste, as it would only accelerate their isolation.

With that in mind, Sachi tried to persuade Mil to go with Maron, but Sachi stubbornly insisted on considering Mil’s feelings.

“I do want to get along with Maron-san and the others, but I don’t want Mil to be left isolated. 

What are you going to do, Mil?”

“W-Well, I…”

“As commoners without a noble background, even if we get introduced, we’ll only get low-level requests like defeating one monster point or something. Even if we do those, there’s no way we can reach a perfect score before the final exams. Are you okay with getting expelled like this?”

“I don’t want to get expelled. But I still can’t involve other people in my misfortune.”

Mil also stubbornly shook her head. Then Sachi, realizing that Mil wouldn’t change her mind, eventually sighed as if giving up.

“Well, if that’s what Mil says, I guess there’s no helping it. It’s a shame, but I’ll decline Maron-san’s invitation too.”

“Huh? W-Why would you do that? Sachi-san can just get along with Maron-san and the others…”

“If Mil doesn’t want to be friends, then I won’t either.”

“…”

What is this person even thinking? Mil wondered. While she appreciated Sachi’s concern, it wasn’t the time for such things. They needed to accomplish many school requests and earn enough points.

If they didn’t do that…

“If things continue like this, Sachi-san might also get expelled.”

“I’ll find a way to prevent that. We promised to graduate together and become national mages, didn’t we? Besides, I’m sure there are still other ways to survive. Let’s think of various methods.”

“…Even if you say let’s think, I can’t see any possible solutions.”

There couldn’t possibly be such methods. They had already realized how disadvantaged commoners were in this academy just a few days after enrolling. As long as they were commoners, surviving in a magic academy would be an arduous path.

But Sachi still had a way to save herself. The one blocking it was none other than Mil herself.

“I should have never been with someone like you!”

Causing someone unhappiness again because of her own actions… Mil didn’t want to experience that anymore.

Recalling past events, Mil made a decision.