Chapter 54: Special System Class

Leave a Comment / Level 999 / By IX

On the way back from the principal’s office.

After parting ways with Professor Lezan in front of the staff room on the third floor, we headed to our classroom to retrieve our bags.

As we discussed whether to visit the Magical Tools Research Club or take on a school request, Mil and I were making our way to the classroom when…

“Enough already, Maron.”

“…?”

Descending the stairs of the West Wing, we reached the first floor when suddenly we heard the name of a familiar person.

Mil and I exchanged glances and instinctively stopped in our tracks.

The first floor of the West Wing housed several laboratories, the office used by the administrative staff, and the “entrance area.”

Unlike the main entrance, this entrance area was where the staff and administrative personnel passed through, and many visitors also entered the building from there.

So occasionally, we would see people related to the school entering the building through this entrance area.

And the voice we just heard clearly came from there.

“…?”

Unable to resist our slight curiosity, Mil and I slowly approached the entrance area.

There, as we heard, stood Maron Melange from the same class.

“Maron-san…?”

What could she be doing at the entrance area?

While wondering about that, I noticed a mature woman with the same hair color standing next to her.

Unlike Maron, who had a gentle face, this woman had sharp eyes and chestnut-colored hair.

She appeared to be in her late twenties, judging by her looks.

Her style was on par with Maron, and her reserved dress apron seemed as if her ample bosom could spill out at any moment.

Considering their similar atmosphere, could she be Maron’s older sister?

Maron, who was facing this woman, seemed to have lost her usual gentle smile and wore a clouded expression.

Sensing a somewhat uneasy atmosphere, I instinctively hid behind the corner of the hallway as the chestnut-haired beauty spoke to Maron with a firm tone.

“I told you, didn’t I? After entering the school, you should immediately leave the regular class. As a young lady of the Melange family, if you continue your studies alongside other ordinary students, your talent will wither away. You are a magician with superior qualities compared to other children.”

“…”

Maron silently listened to the woman’s words, wearing a gloomy expression.

I couldn’t fully understand the content of their conversation, but I could tell that Maron was unusually downcast.

And then…

“Maron, you must already be aware that you possess exceptional talent, right? If you can utilize that talent, you can further elevate the Melange family. Why do you think I enrolled you in this academy and taught you to aim for the position of a national magician? I won’t accept any claims of forgetting,” the woman continued.

“…Y-Yes, Mother.”

“O-Oh!?”

I instinctively covered my mouth with my hand.

I never imagined that the beautiful woman would be Maron’s mother.

She was frightfully young. No, maybe her actual age didn’t match her appearance.

Although I was tempted to wonder how she managed to maintain such youthful skin, my attention was drawn to the words spoken by her mother.

“Very well. By the next exam date… No, before the Starry blossom Festival concludes, make sure you complete the transfer to the ‘Special System Class,'” her mother said assertively, returning what seemed to be an enrollment permit to the office before leaving through the entrance area.

Even after her mother had left, Maron stood frozen in place for a while.

Mil and I, peeking from the corner of the hallway, secretly realized that we had unintentionally overheard something we shouldn’t have.

Guided by a revelation, we attempted to leave the scene immediately, but it seemed to backfire—or perhaps it was fortunate—as I accidentally tripped over a bucket on the floor.

Clang!

“…!?”

Startled by the sound, Maron quickly turned her gaze towards us.

In desperation, I returned an awkward smile.

“I-I’m sorry, Maron-san. We didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

“S-Sachi-san… And Mil-san…”

Mil promptly hid behind my back, as if trying to escape. I felt the same urge to flee.

“Well, then we’ll be going now. Let’s pretend we didn’t hear anything that happened here,” I said.

Surely, it was inconvenient for Maron as well.

Deciding to treat it as if we hadn’t heard anything, we tried to leave the scene promptly when…

“W-Wait, please!”

“…?”

“S-Sachi-san and Mil-san, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about. May I have a little of your time?”

“…?”

What could she want to discuss with us?

Mil and I exchanged glances, puzzled. However, considering that we inadvertently overheard their conversation, we couldn’t refuse.

The conversation took place in the dormitory.

It seemed that Maron wanted to consult us about the content we unintentionally overheard earlier.

She hesitated to talk about it in front of others, so she suggested discussing it in her room in the dormitory.

Since there was no particular reason to refuse, Mil and I agreed, and unintentionally, the three of us ended up walking home together.

“Poire-san isn’t with you today?”

During our walk, I asked Maron out of curiosity.

I recalled that Maron and Poire-san always went home together, so I found it strange that she wasn’t there.

“I had a scheduled conversation with my mother after school, so I sent Poire-san back to the dormitory first. I wasn’t sure how long the conversation would take,” Maron explained.

“Ah, I see.”

As I understood the situation, I once again heard the word ‘mother’ from Maron’s mouth.

It seemed that the person was indeed Maron’s mother.

“Your mother seems strict.”

“Yes, she is. She has a strict and uncompromising personality.”

Maron always excelled academically and had good conduct, so I had never seen her get scolded at school… That’s why it was the first time I witnessed her being spoken to like that.

“I apologize for showing you such an unsightly side.”

“Oh, no, it’s not like that,” I reassured her.

As we continued our conversation, we soon arrived at the dormitory.

True to our discussion, Maron guided us to her room.

It was my first time entering another student’s room, so I felt slightly nervous.

Mil also appeared uneasy. Eventually, we reached Maron’s room.

“Sachi-san, Mil-san, please come in.”

As urged, we entered the room, and a surprising sight greeted our eyes.

One of the beds, presumably Maron’s, had a very luxurious and ornate design that caught my attention.

On the other hand, the other bed had a distinctly girly and fluffy appearance. It was a bright yellow, plush bed adorned with a multitude of sheep-themed stuffed animals.

One of the stuffed animals served as a makeshift pillow, with a sleeping female student wearing a nightcap cuddling it. Even at this early hour after school, she was already fast asleep.

It was Poire Mule.

“Oh, right. Didn’t you mention sharing a room with Poire-san?”

“Yes. It seems Poire-san is already sleeping.”

It felt like her bedtime was too early. As expected of Poire-san, who always dozed off during classes. Despite spending less time awake, it seemed like she still didn’t get enough sleep.

“Is it okay to talk here without disturbing her?”

“Yes. Once Poire-san starts sleeping in her own bed, she won’t wake up until the next morning. So, it’s fine to have our conversation here.”

“I-I see…”

Come to think of it, she never seems to wake up during class either.

Out of curiosity, I playfully poked Poire-san’s plump cheek, but she showed no signs of waking up at all.

Snuggling the sheep plushie tightly against her chest, she emitted a peaceful sleeping breath.

“She looks just like a baby.”

“S-Sachi-san, now is not the time to play with Poire-san.”

Oops, that’s right.

I got too absorbed in Poire-san’s chubby cheeks.

Regaining my focus, I turned back to Maron.

“So, what is it that you wanted to discuss?”

“I mentioned earlier that it relates to the conversation we overheard…?”

Prompted by Maron, Mil and I took a seat on her bed as she sat on Poire’s bed, and she began speaking formally.

“It’s about the conversation from earlier. How much did you hear?”

“You mean the one with your mother? Well, let me think…”

Desperately trying to recall, I twisted my head, but Mil answered in my place.

“W-We heard about ‘leaving the regular class.’ We didn’t quite understand the content of the conversation, though…”

Ah, yes, that’s it.

I couldn’t fully grasp the conversation either, so it had been bothering me.

“That’s precisely what I wanted to discuss with Sachi-san and Mil-san. Currently, my mother is telling me to ‘leave the regular class.'”

“When you say ‘regular class,’ you mean the ‘1st Year Class A’ that we’re currently in, right?”

Maron nodded in response.

In that case, if we take it literally…

“Leaving the 1st Year Class A? That means… Is that even possible? What’s the point of it?”

I wondered what advantages there would be in leaving the current class. Could they even leave? And if they could, would they transfer to another class?

There were many things I didn’t understand, and I tilted my head in confusion. Maron lowered her eyelids sadly and answered.

“My mother believes that interaction with classmates and following the same pace in classes is entirely meaningless.”

“Huh…”

“That’s why she is considering transferring me from the regular class to the ‘Special System Class’ to allow me to focus more on academics.”