Chapter 62: The Price of Attention

Leave a Comment / Level 999 / By IX

“Once Again, Class 1-A Claims the Top Spot! Will this year’s Starry blossom Festival be dominated by the rising star, overshadowing the upperclassmen?”

After the conclusion of the Monstrous Bag competition, in a corner of the cheering section where Class 2-C gathered, Mce Gracier sighed while listening to the broadcast.

“…Tch.”

Clearly displeased, Maiss’s classmates couldn’t help but shrink back in response.

Then, the students who had participated with Maiss in the Monstrous Bag Magic competition timidly approached and spoke to him.

“Um, sorry, Maiss-kun.”

“We’ve only been holding you back, Maiss…”

“…”

Maiss scratched his head without saying a word, and seeing his frustrated expression, his classmates became even more apprehensive.

Bowing their heads once again, they left the scene.

Class 2-C, to which Maiss belonged, had achieved excellent results in numerous competitions thus far. However, they always fell just short of claiming the top spot, experiencing frustrating outcomes.

As the chosen representative, Maiss demonstrated remarkable performance that lived up to his reputation, and his classmates wholeheartedly supported him.

Nevertheless, their efforts fell short due to the outstanding performances of another class.

(Class 1-A…)

In every competition, Class 1-A, the highly anticipated rising stars, outshone them. They had already prevented Class 2-C from claiming the top spot several times, making them formidable rivals.

Despite being only first-year students, they possessed exceptionally talented individuals who were on par with second and third-year students.

In the Monstrous Bag Magic competition, Miltyu Grasse, a first-year scholarship student, showcased her talents. She was an ordinary citizen but possessed one of the highest magical power levels in the academy and excelled in powerful ice magic.

There was also Poire Mure, who played a significant role in pushing Class 1-A to the top position in the previous competition. With a magic power level exceeding 250, she was a skilled lightning magic user with rare yellow magical essence.

In the competitions where these two participated, every class suffered a significant defeat, unable to match their abilities.

Moreover, Class 1-A had a lineup of skilled magicians in every discipline, consistently achieving high scores in every competition.

And above all, there was a troublesome individual…

(…Maron Melange)

The representative of Class 1-A, Maron Melange.

Her achievements were remarkable, as she dominated every competition she participated in as a representative, securing the first place in all of them. While her magical power level didn’t reach the same heights as the scholarship student Miltyu, her sharp judgment and extensive knowledge were terrifying.

Precisely assessing the situation, deploying the optimal magic, and flawlessly assisting her teammates, she became the pillar of Class 1-A, drawing the most attention in the ongoing Starry blossom Festival.

As representatives, Maiss and Maron often clashed in competitions. Even those who observed their abilities up close could intuitively sense that Maron stood apart from the other students.

As long as Maron Melange remained formidable, it would be difficult to dismantle Class 1-A.

(What should I do…?)

Maiss held his head, contemplating how to overcome the current situation. Just then, a few students returned to the cheering section of Class 2-C.

“Oh, the ones from the training field are back.”

It seemed that the students who had been competing in the training field events had returned, and everyone offered words of encouragement to them, feeling exhausted.

“You did well. How did it go?”

“Nah, impossible. The third-years are still too strong. They outscored us in almost every event.”

Upon hearing that, Maiss suddenly stood up and eagerly asked the student in front of him.

“What about Class 1-A?”

“Huh, the first-years? W-Well…? I think there were some amazing ones, but in the end, the third-years dominated the overall rankings.”

“…”

Apparently, they didn’t leave much of an impression in the training field, and it was the imposing presence of the third-year students that drew attention.

Indeed, when considering the results, the third-year class consistently occupied the top positions in every event.

“While Class 1-A is undoubtedly a threat, it’s when their representative, Maron Melange, is present that things become the most dangerous.”

“From what I heard, they’ve taken first place in every event so far.”

“On the other hand, if we focus on the training field events, we might be able to narrow the point gap, right? If we make a comeback there, we might advance to Group A on the third day, don’t you think?”

At that moment, another classmate stepped forward and suggested, as if just coming up with the idea.

“Well, then, should we try to avoid scheduling Maiss and Maron’s events at the same time? We can start the process of making changes from now on…”

Maiss’s eyebrows twitched upon hearing that. Succumbing to his rising frustration, he confronted one of his classmates.

“Are you suggesting that I run away?”

“N-No, that’s not what I meant…! It’s just that if you’re going to be outscored by Maron in Class 1-A’s event anyway, it might be better for Maiss to compete elsewhere and secure points more reliably.”

The classmate quickly added as an explanation.

“It’s not that we think Maiss is inferior to Maron or anything. It’s just that we can’t win against her in the event she’s in because we’ve been holding you back.”

“…”

An uneasy atmosphere settled within Class 2-C. But another student spoke up, managing to dispel the unpleasant mood.

“Well, unless we have a ‘compelling reason,’ we can’t change the events we participate in. It’s a rule, and it might be difficult to make those changes.”

“Y-Yeah, you’re right.”

In the end, they decided to participate in the events as currently scheduled, and the conversation settled down.

Later on, Maiss returned to his seat, holding his head once again. It would be difficult to win the Starry blossom Festival as things stood. Maron Melange leading Class 1-A was undoubtedly a threat, but the skilled third-year students were also dominating the events.

If they weren’t careful, it would be precarious whether they could advance to Group A on the third day.

(I will definitely seize the victory in the end…!)

After that, the competitions resumed, and the first day of the Starry blossom Festival concluded smoothly.