Chapter 35: Research Club

Harvest Magic Academy – First Floor of the Girls’ Dormitory.

Three female students had gathered in a room with the number ‘104’ displayed on the nameplate.

Among them, a girl with wavy green hair expressed her dissatisfaction while twirling her hair with her fingertips.

“Rumors about the scholarship students haven’t been spreading at all.”

In response, another petite girl with aqua-colored hair calmly replied.

“Maron Melange and her faction are said to be suppressing the rumors.”

“Ugh, they just have to meddle, don’t they?”

The girl with green hair, Muska Fermante, raised her eyebrows in even greater dissatisfaction.

If that Melange family’s daughter is involved, it’s understandable that things aren’t going as planned. Many students idolize her, as she has both popularity and impeccable grades and personality, so they have become a kind of faction of their own.

Muska, annoyed that she had caught the attention of troublesome people, clicked her tongue.

And then she suddenly remembered her own blunder, furrowing her brows even more in frustration.

(Even thinking about it now makes me furious!)

During a request to subdue magical beasts, her magic suddenly stopped working and she had no choice but to retreat. As a result, the request ended in failure, and she couldn’t take on another one because she couldn’t gain the trust of the receptionist.

Instead, the scholarship student Miltieu Glasse took over the request. It turns out Miltieu is taking on all the backlog of requests.

Presumably, the academy is in a bind because of the backlog of requests, and they are trying to gain favor by helping with the workload. It’s a display of the kind of determination to obtain the title of a scholarship student and earn high evaluations.

Muska, who found that detestable, tried to spread rumors about Miltieu and tarnish her reputation among her close friends.

However, she never expected the daughter of the Melange family to obstruct her plans.

Seeing Muska grinding her teeth, a petite girl with pink hair, Cloze Karareji, placed her hand on her chin, lost in thought.

Then, Akaze Karareji, a girl with the same face as Cloze, leaned over and peered into Muska’s face.

“What are you going to do, Muska? Are you going to stop tormenting that scholarship student?”

“There’s no way I’ll stop. I’ll beat her until her heart is completely shattered.”

From Muska’s perspective, it wasn’t just about having the request snatched away from her. She felt as if she had been mocked, thinking that as a scholarship student, she could easily accomplish it herself.

It infuriated her to be treated with contempt by someone who didn’t even have a family crest.

Just spreading rumors wasn’t enough. She would relentlessly corner her until her heart was completely shattered.

“But even if you say that, any visible pranks might catch the attention of the teachers. It might be difficult to go any further, don’t you think?”

“…”

Akaze’s words were correct. If they acted too boldly, they might attract the attention of the teachers. While there wouldn’t be any consequences for merely spreading rumors, once they resorted to direct actions, there would be no escape.

In this academy where children from prestigious families gathered, tarnishing someone’s reputation was equivalent to sullying the family name.

No matter how emotional she was, Muska had to be extremely cautious about that particular aspect.

Was there any convenient plan that could break that scholarship student’s heart without attracting the teachers’ attention? She pondered on that.

While thinking about it, she suddenly overheard a conversation between the Karareji sisters, Cloze and Akaze.

“By the way, Akaze, are you studying for the exams properly?”

“I am, I am. As you told me, I’m flipping through the areas that are likely to be on the exam, so I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t just look at them, make sure to write and memorize as well. I’ve heard that the written exams are quite challenging, although not as much as the practical exams.”

Final exams are typically divided into two types: written exams and practical exams.

During the entrance exams, we also had a written exam followed immediately by the practical exam.

As an educational institution that trains magic users specializing in subjugating magical beasts, the emphasis is placed on the practical exams. However, neglecting the written exams could also leave you vulnerable.

While Muska was considering reviewing the material for the upcoming semester, she was stimulated by the continued conversation of the Karareji sisters.

“Cloze, you’re always so worried. I’m the older sister, so everything will be fine, right?”

“Your statement just made me even more worried. I shouldn’t have forgotten, but if we fail this exam, we’ll be immediately expelled. So keep that in mind, okay?”

“Okay.”

“…”

Suddenly, Muska’s face lit up with a triumphant smile.

“Expulsion, huh? That’s an interesting idea…”

———————

It had been half a month since I started accompanying Mil to help with her request completion.

So far, nothing particularly eventful had happened around Mil.

There were no instances of harassment from other students, nor were there any leads on the culprit behind the rumors. It was simply peaceful days passing by.

I’m not sure if it’s thanks to my presence or if the harassment group got tired of it.

For now, after half a month of accompanying Mil on her requests, this is my impression:

“It’s a shame that Mil is amazing yet disappointing.”

“Di-disappointing… Well, it’s the truth, so I can’t argue.”

After finishing the report on the subjugation request and heading towards the entrance, Mil slumped her shoulders.

It felt a bit like adding insult to injury seeing her in a dejected state, but I continued.

“Because of her luck stat being zero, she gets involved in some kind of trouble every time, but her mana value is ridiculously high, so she forcefully resolves any disadvantageous situation with magic.”

Truly, she’s an amazing yet disappointing existence.

If only she didn’t have the misfortune trait, she could have become a perfectly cool magician.

I’m sure Mil herself feels regret more than anyone else.

“But, at least you’ve completed the requested tasks, right?”

“Yes. It seems that second and third-year students also helped, so all the pending requests have been completed.”

In that case, it would be time to focus on the upcoming final exams, which are just half a month away.

Failing the exams would result in not being promoted and being expelled, so we must approach them with even more seriousness than usual.

The exams are always rumored to be difficult.

That being said, we haven’t been informed about the specific format of the exams, so we can’t really prepare in advance.

“If there were acquaintances among the second and third-year students who were helping with the request completion, wouldn’t you have become friends with any of them?”

“No, I didn’t become friends or even meet any of them. I just asked if there were any pending requests at the reception desk and took them. Besides, even if I had met them, do you think I could have become friends with them?”

“…Sorry about that.”

It seems like I asked something bad.

Reflecting deeply, I placed my fingertips on my temple and let out a sigh.

“Well, if Mil had acquaintances among the second and third-year students, I could have asked them what the first-semester final exams were like.”

“You mean studying past exam questions? I don’t think the exams will be exactly the same, but it might be better than doing nothing…”

Suddenly, Mil cut off her words and, for some reason, swiftly moved behind me, crouching down. Like a small animal fearing its natural predator, she covered her face with a blue hood and hid behind me, gazing forward.

What’s going on? I looked ahead and saw a familiar person walking towards us.

“Oh, it’s Sachi-san!”

“Oh, Maron-san! We seem to meet often.”

Maron-san, who has had many encounters with us lately, greeted us with a gentle smile. Then she noticed the figure hiding behind me, the girl in the blue hood, and let out a surprised sound.

And then she greeted Mil with a “Hello,” to which Mil responded with an extremely soft voice, “Th-thank you.”

She still had her shy personality.

Well, Mil’s misfortune trait seems to affect those around her, causing unfortunate things to happen to those who are close to her, so it’s necessary to keep a certain distance.

Thinking that it can’t be helped, I tilted my head as I observed the direction Maron-san came from.

She didn’t come from the front of the corridor but from a side passage. That caught my attention.

“Did you have some business in the West Wing? The staff room or something?”

“Oh, no, well, today I was visiting the research club. It has piqued my interest since I entered the academy, and I’m starting to get used to school life, so I thought it was a good time…”

“Oh, the research club.”

Research clubs.

These are activities where students of this academy gather with a common purpose and engage in free discussions and research. As long as you submit the required documents, anyone can establish a research club. Currently, there are around twenty or thirty clubs working towards a single objective.

If they can produce revolutionary research results, they can even present their findings at the official organization for magical academic research, commonly known as the “Magic Society,” and receive rewards for their achievements.

Maron-san seems to want to join one of these research clubs.

“Oh, Maron-san, you’re joining a research club. Which club are you interested in?”

“Um, I’m interested in the ‘Performing Arts Research Club’…”

“The Performing Arts Research Club?”

An unfamiliar name raised a question mark in my mind.

But more than that, I couldn’t help but wonder why Maron-san was blushing. She looked embarrassed.

I had no idea why, but the answer must lie within this “Performing Arts Research Club.”

“What do they do in the Performing Arts Research Club? I know about the ‘Swordsmanship Research Club’ or the ‘Martial Arts Research Club,’ but I’ve never heard of ‘Performing Arts’…”

“Well, um… Simply put, it’s about performing dance and various arts on stage.”

Dance and arts?

Standing on stage and performing in front of a large audience?

“So, it’s like a Dance Club?”

“To be more precise, it’s the ‘Magician Performing Arts Research Club.’ By incorporating magic into traditional dance and performing arts, they create even more dazzling performances. It’s still a term that hasn’t spread to all regions.”

“I see, I had no idea.”

Dance and performing arts using magic.

That’s certainly a glamorous spectacle that only magicians can create.

I knew that using magic in Kendo was called Swordsmanship, and using magic in martial arts was called Martial Arts, but I never imagined that magic could be used in dancing and performing arts.

I’d love to see it if I have the chance.

Wait, does that mean…

“So, Maron-san, you mean you’ll be dancing on stage?”

“Yes, um… I had a background in dancing when I was young…”

I understood why Maron-san was embarrassed now.

It must be embarrassing to stand on stage and dance in front of people.

Well, even if she did it when she was young, it takes courage to dance in front of everyone at this age.

Moreover, if she does it in a school research club, her peers of the same age would naturally be watching.

But Maron-san is so beautiful, and her mana value is high. I’m sure she can perform flashy and splendid dances.

“It would be so beautiful to see you dance, Maron-san… If you practice, you have to show it to me!”

“Well, um… Yes, I’ll do my best.”

Maron-san, who nodded shyly, bowed slightly and left.

As I imagined her dancing in my mind, I called out to Mil behind me.

“You know, she may have been embarrassed, but I think Maron-san is really suited for it.”

“Yeah…”

“Maybe she’ll perform during the school festival or something? If that’s the case, I really want to see it.”

“…Yeah, I guess.”

Mil, who was still huddled and hiding behind her blue hood, responded slowly.

“You still seem to have trouble getting along with other students, Mil-kun.”

“If I become too attached to someone, I end up causing them misfortune. Sachi-san seems to have become quite close to Maron-san.”

“Well, you know. A lot has happened while you were taking on missions alone.”

“…I see.”

Mil seemed a bit grumpy.

I couldn’t quite grasp the reason.

Oh well, I thought and turned to look in the direction Maron-san had walked.

“Research clubs, huh… Hey, Mil, since we have the opportunity, how about going to watch them?”

“Huh?”

“Research clubs. We have some free time now, and it might be interesting to join one if we find something that catches our attention.”

“…”

Mil responded with a somewhat gloomy expression.

“…As long as it’s not the Performing Arts Research Club.”

“Huh? Why not the Performing Arts Research Club?”

“…Just because.”

Just because?

Well, I guess it’s true that it would be too much for timid Mil to dance or perform on stage.

With her high mana value and proficiency in ice magic, she could certainly put on a glamorous performance.

Well, if Mil says so, let’s avoid the Performing Arts Research Club and go watch other clubs.

So, off we go to the special building where the research clubs gather.