I was standing on a grassy field with green grass and flowers of various colors.
The sun was out, and its bright, warm rays were shining on me.
I looked around for anyone else.
I saw two figures in the distance.
I squinted and realized they were Reina and Day.
They were waving at me.
I ran toward the two of them.
I was running to catch up to them, but for some reason, the distance between us didn't shrink.
No matter how long I ran, I couldn't reach them. They were just waving at me and weren't moving.
And I realized.
I wasn't moving forward; I was just running in place.
But even after I realized that, my feet didn't stop, and I kept running in place.
As I did so, the bright scenery was slowly swallowed by a black color.
The sky, the grass, the flowers, and even the two people who were waving at me were about to be swallowed by the black color.
I was trying to get to them, but just like before, I wasn't moving forward.
Damn it! I have to save them and enjoy my academy life with everyone!
"Hey?"
I heard a familiar voice from behind me.
When was the last time I heard that voice?
The moment I heard the voice, the scenery around me turned dark, and the warm sunlight felt cold.
I slowly turned around.
A small girl was standing behind me.
She was looking down, and I couldn't see her face. She was gripping my clothes tightly.
"Hey, why?"
The girl's voice was quiet and cold.
I knew this girl.
But she was...
"Hey, why? Why?"
The girl's quiet, cold voice became more intense.
The girl's head, which had been facing down, began to lift.
As I could see her face, I couldn't move. I could only stare at her.
The girl's face was now completely turned toward me.
"Why do you look so happy?
Even though you're the murderer who killed me?
You don't deserve to be happy."
I could see the girl's face.
There were no eyeballs in her sockets, and dark red blood was flowing from all over her face.
Her hand, which was gripping my clothes, was stained with blood. Her stomach was ripped open, and many of her organs were falling out of her body.
All I could do was stare at her.
The ground around us turned dark, and my feet slowly started sinking into the darkness.
"You'll never be happy.
Suffer more than you would in hell."
My body was now waist-deep in the darkness.
Countless hands reached out from the darkness and grabbed my body, dragging me into the abyss.
Suddenly, a wave of regret from the past hit me.
There was nothing I could do to change the past, no matter how much I regretted it.
My body was neck-deep in the darkness and was about to sink completely.
No, I'm... I'm...
"Aaaaaaaaaah!!!"
I shot up.
I was out of breath and breathing heavily.
I was drenched in sweat.
My breathing slowly returned to normal.
After I calmed down, I looked around.
The moonlight from the window was shining on me.
It seemed it was night.
I was on my bed, not in a field.
It seemed I was having a dream.
I looked around the room to calm myself down even more.
I wasn't in the dormitory for examinees... This was a student dormitory at the Pazele Magic Academy.
A few days had passed since I passed the exam, and I had moved into this room today, as the entrance ceremony was tomorrow.
To think I would have a dream about her now.
Is it wrong for me to be happy?
Ah, it probably is.
I had killed a person in the past.
The girl from my dream.
I didn't mean to kill her, but she died.
My conviction to help people in need is probably due to the guilt I feel toward that girl.
I don't remember much about that time because the shock was so strong.
But I clearly remember the fact that I killed her.
I have a lot of things to think about, but for now...
I should go to sleep early for the entrance ceremony tomorrow.
With that thought, I got into bed and fell into a deep sleep again.
The sky was clear, and the sun was rising. I was wearing my uniform and walking from the dormitory to the academy.
The distance between the dormitory and the academy wasn't that long; it was only a few minutes' walk.
I could see many other students walking to the academy as well.
Then, from behind me...
"Hey, Yuuto!"
I heard a voice from behind me and turned around.
It was Day who called me.
"Hey, good morning, Day."
I greeted my friend who I would be studying with from today.
"Hey, what's up, Yuto? You have bags under your eyes.
Haha, I bet you couldn't sleep because you were too excited for today."
Day teased me.
Do I really look that bad?
No, his eyes were worse than mine.
"No, your eyes are blacker!"
The area under Day's eyes was black like a panda's, and it was obvious he didn't get enough sleep.
"Huh? Really? It's that bad?"
We talked and walked to the auditorium where the entrance ceremony would be held.
In the auditorium, there were chairs lined up in the middle for the new students, and on the sides, there were chairs for the current students.
Many students were already sitting in their chairs, waiting.
It seemed the seats were assigned, so we went our separate ways to find our seats.
I found my seat and sat down.
After a while, many students had found their seats and sat down.
When all the seats were filled, the entrance ceremony began.
There was nothing special about the entrance ceremony in this world. It was pretty much the same as in my old world.
The ceremony was long and boring, so I was spacing out.
After a while, it was time for the new student representative to speak.
Who is the representative?
I snapped out of my daze and looked at the stage.
Clack... clack... clack...
The new student representative was walking up to the stage.
I was surprised when I saw who it was.
It was Valin.
Valin stood on the podium and gave a speech.
I was surprised that she was speaking so politely and with a noble's dignity, but I listened to her.
And so, the entrance ceremony ended.
The current students stood up and left the auditorium.
The new students were told to remain in the auditorium, so we stayed in our seats.
As we waited, a few adults lined up in front of the stage.
They were Annis and the man named Lucode from the exam, along with a few others.
"Everyone! Good morning!"
Lucode came to the front and said loudly.
The students were silent.
Lucode was annoyed by the silence.
"What's wrong! Say hello!!"
The moment Lucode said that, our mouths moved on their own, and words came out.
"G-good morning."
All the new students said hello at the same time.
The new students were confused by what just happened.
Then...
SMACK!
Lucode was hit by Annis, who was standing next to him.
"Don't use magic on the students.
I'll apologize for him. I'm sorry.
I think I said this during the exam, but I'll reintroduce myself.
I'm Annis. And this idiot is Lucode. From today, we will be your teachers!"
Annis and the others said that and began to introduce the academy.
After the long introduction, I stood up and left the auditorium.
"Hey, Yuuto!"
I heard a voice from behind me.
Since it was "Yuuto," I had a pretty good idea who it was.
I turned around.
"Hey."
It was Reina who came up to me and greeted me in a cute voice.
"Hey, good morning, Reina. The entrance ceremony was a little tiring, wasn't it?"
I said to Reina.
"Yeah, I'm tired too."
Reina agreed with me.
It seemed Day had already left, as I couldn't see him.
Reina and I left the auditorium and walked into the hallway.
"We meet again, Yuto!"
The moment we stepped into the hallway, a voice called out to me.
A red-haired girl appeared in front of us. It was Valin, who I had a match with during the exam and was the new student representative.
Her butler was with her, as always.
"O-oh."
I didn't expect Valin to talk to me first, so I was surprised but replied anyway.
"By the way, you were the new student representative. Did you even take the exam?"
I was a little worried that I was falling into her pace, so I decided to change the subject.
The butler twitched, but Valin put her hand out and stopped him.
"Honestly, I was going to talk first..."
Valin looked a little disappointed.
"Um, I'm here too..."
Reina said, as Valin was only talking to me.
"Oh, were you here?
My apologies.
Your chest is so flat I thought you were a wall."
Oh, no. I tried not to mention that.
Compared to Valin's ample chest, Reina's was flat and despairingly thin.
I hesitantly looked at Reina.
"A-a wall... a wall?"
Reina's chest was probably her complex. She put her hand on her chest and mumbled with a dead look in her eyes.
"It's alright. I am from the prestigious Wolnon family.
Passing the exam and being chosen as the representative is child's play."
Valin ignored Reina and continued to talk.
She didn't give much detail, but I could guess what happened.
She probably used her family's influence to get into the academy without taking the exam and also got herself chosen as the representative.
I didn't want a troublesome position like a new student representative anyway, and since I was skilled enough to pass the combat exam, there was no need for me to say anything.
"I-I see."
I replied hesitantly.
"More importantly!"
Valin ignored my answer and pointed her finger at me.
"I haven't forgotten about our match the other day.
The next time we fight, I will definitely win!"
Valin declared to me.
She was talking about our match during the exam.
I was a little confused by how pushy she was, but I didn't feel any malice from her. It just felt like she wanted to fight me.
"And..."
Valin was about to add something.
"Please undo the magic you put on me."
Huh?
What is she talking about?
I put magic on Valin?
I still can't use magic. There's no way I could have done that.
Or did I start to be able to use magic without realizing it?
No, that's impossible.
I checked my Jinki, and it hadn't changed at all.
"M-mistress! Let's go home now!"
Valin's butler suddenly became flustered and pulled her away.
"W-wait, Sebass! I haven't gotten the magic undone yet..."
The butler took the still-talking Valin and left.
"Let's... go."
I said to Reina, who was still in shock.
"O-okay.
Hey, Yuuto, what do you think of my chest?"
Oh, no. That's a difficult question.
I prefer big ones, but saying that here would be a bad idea.
I know what I have to say in this situation.
"I think... a person's chest is fine no matter the size."
I tried to defend her chest without saying what my preference was.
"Really? If you say so, Yuuto."
Reina's expression brightened a little.
Well, Reina and Valin probably won't have much to do with each other from now on, so it'll be fine.
I would soon realize how naive that thought was.
"Everyone, you're all here!"
We were sitting in our seats in the first-year classroom.
The seats were assigned randomly. But it felt like there was some kind of malice behind it.
Reina was on my right.
Valin was on my left.
The two were bickering, with me in the middle.
It was the first day of school, and I was already worried about my future academy life