Episode 154 – Test (1)

Test (1)

Sssshhhhhhh……

The cold water pouring from the showerhead.

Drenching her entire body in the chill that seemed to gnaw at her flesh, Soliette fumbled through her memory.

She cautiously shed light on the past she had tried so hard to cover up.

Back then, when her precious people hadn’t died yet.

Her past self had already met Shion.

Probably, not long after she enrolled at Endex.

The sports field.

─Felix! What are you doing?

Back then, she, a first-year student, was standing on the sports field with Felix.

─What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m preparing for the college board.

─Oh~ College board~

Soliette first learned about Shion then. To be precise, she remembered Shion’s name and appearance.

The reason was……

─Ah. That guy.

Felix glanced at the window of the Endex building and spoke. Soliette also tilted her head and looked in the same direction.

There was a yellow buzz cut.

Standing by the window of the corridor, a guy who was either watching the sports field or us, it was hard to tell.

─Do you know who he is?

……It was the popular way of speaking at the time.

─He’s the guy who had leukemia. Shion.

─Wow.

Soliette looked at him again. This time, a little more cautiously.

He was small in stature, and there was a long scar above his ear. His bones and flesh were almost stuck together.

─Be nice to him. He’s in the same class as you.

─……With me?

When Shion made eye contact with her, he walked down the corridor again. Somehow, he seemed deflated.

Soliette murmured quietly.

─He’s probably all better now, right?

─Probably so.

─But how did you know about that?

─You. You’re so cheeky.

Felix pressed hard on her forehead.

─Oh, really.

─It’s common knowledge. It’s rare for someone with leukemia to enroll at Endex…… I know his father a little.

Soliette glanced up at Felix.

He was still staring at the corridor where buzz-cut Shion had left.

─It’s good if he’s all better. Anyway, do you want to have a sword fight? I think I can win this time.

─……Not yet. Maybe in 10 years.

─Ha! I feel like I could win if I tried a little more. Come on. Let’s have a duel……

Soliette smiled brightly.

It was a memory of those days when even the school meals tasted delicious.

Kkik-

She turned off the shower.

“……Haah.”

She sighed and shook off the water with a towel.

Could it be that Shion has been nurturing his feelings since then?

Or was it even before that?

Of course, it must have been much earlier.

Since half of his life, from some day when she didn’t know him until now……

She doesn’t know.

Now, how should she treat Shion?

Should she just treat him as usual? Or should she show a slightly different side of herself?

“……Is it because of me.”

Soliette murmured quietly.

His abyss, in the end, was because he couldn’t forget them.

No.

Because he didn’t even try to forget.

Shion had been hurting himself, fearing that he might burden me, that he might become my sorrow. He pushed all his emotions into the abyss.

She had come to know the secret.

She knew it too clearly, so she could never go back to the way it was before…

Soliette stepped outside. As she was about to change her clothes as usual, she glanced at the floor of her room.

“…Oh! Shion?!”

Shion was lying there.

He was sprawled out almost in a straight line, clutching something in both hands.

“Socks?!”

Not just socks. There were bracelets and leather gloves as well.

“Oh, no!”

That wasn’t the problem.

Cough-! He had vomited blood.

“Ah!”

Soliette moved quickly. She bent down and put her ear to his chest.

Fortunately, his pulse was steady. It was regular.

He was safe.

At least, theoretically.

“Hoo….”

Without realizing it, Soliette was out of breath. Her fingers trembled as much as his heartbeat.

She did what she could for him.

She wiped the blood from his mouth and slightly lifted his chin to prevent his airway from being blocked.

“….”

Fortunately, there was no more bleeding.

Shion fell into a peaceful sleep. He breathed comfortably.

“Haah….”

She patted her chest. As she mindlessly relieved, she inadvertently looked at the mirror.

“…?”

Suddenly, her brow furrowed.

There were tears in her eyes.

It was a very faint trace.

It was so faint that she couldn’t tell whether it was the moisture left over from the shower or from her eyes.

However.

Even that was a question to Soliette.

She hadn’t shed a tear since they left. Her tear ducts had dried up because she couldn’t cry.

But now, was it because she was too surprised?

Or was it the moisture she hadn’t managed to shake off?

Soliette wiped the droplet from her eye and murmured softly.

“…Why?”

* * *

“Ugh….”

I opened my eyes.

My forehead was damp.

No, my whole face was soaked.

“What is this?”

I identified the culprit.

It was a wet towel.

No, it wasn’t a wet towel, it was just water.

“Are you awake?”

I was startled. It was Soliette.

“Why are you here?”

“Why? The game console is here.”

“Oh, right.”

I had forgotten. When you log out of a two-player game, you appear in the same space.

“…You scared me. Why did you suddenly collapse?”

“I wonder. But this towel-”

“Leave the wet towel for now. You had quite a fever.”

I smiled faintly and sat up.

“My hair is going to get wet. You should have squeezed it out.”

I wrung out the water. It was almost a waterfall.

I lay back down and put it on my forehead.

“Ah….”

Soliette exclaimed as if she had just realized.

“What’s the matter? Didn’t you know this?”

“I didn’t think to squeeze it because you had a high fever. I’ve know now. But what are these?”

Soliette held out some things.

They were a bracelet, gloves, and socks.

“What are those?”

“I don’t know. You were holding them in your hand, weren’t you?”

“What are you talking about….”

I examined them closely.

“Oh, really? Wait a minute.”

“…crazy.”

This is the 「Blink Defense Bracelet」. It’s a bracelet that instantly shortens the distance by about 40~50 cm.

This is the 「Premium Leather Gloves」. They’re gloves that are said to be incredibly helpful when gripping something.

The socks are… Soliette’s.

“So it comes out like this.”

I was just trying to memorize the performance, but it seems like the game items have actually come out.

I don’t know what the principle is.

Could it be that this happened because I memorized the ‘code’ that embodies the item?

“Here.”

I handed the socks to Soliette first.

“What… Wait. Aren’t these socks from the game?”

“Yeah, right. It seems like I got them as a quest reward, so I’ll give them to you.”

I beat around the bush because I didn’t want to explain.

Then Soliette stared at them.

“……”

“……Excuse me?”

Why is she treating a mere pair of socks like a precious, valuable item?

“Half of my level was raised by you. It’s worth receiving.”

“Ah… Yes.”

Only then did Soliette accept the socks.

“Try them on.”

It’s strange to say this about mere socks. It’s as if I gave her a pair of luxury shoes.

“Yes.”

She put on the socks with a very tense face.

“……Wow.”

Her eyes, nose, and mouth all widened in surprise.

The look on her face as she turned the white socks she had put on her feet this way and that was like she had received a real pair of luxury shoes.

“They’re comfortable. Really.”

Grrr-!

That’s when a sound came from Soliette’s stomach.

“……”

She subtly checked my reaction.

I almost laughed.

“I’m hungry too. Shall we go?”

Soliette nodded quietly.

“……Yes.”

Outside of the dormitory, it was already morning. There were many seniors.

They were each stretching, doing morning training, and so on. It was a familiar sight, but there were also many different things.

It’s a ‘marketplace’.

There are stalls lined up with meat butchered like in a butcher’s shop, and there are many people selling the grass and fruits they have gathered.

Self-sufficiency is achieved like this.

Especially where the line is long… it’s coffee.

[Terence Cafe]

The shop looked like a 5~6-year-old child selling lemonade on the street. However, since coffee itself is a rare item here, the seniors were waiting in line.

-Hey. Have you been to the farm in the mountain?

-You heard too? Layla and Kain praised it.

-Isn’t 300 a bit overkill? It’s two days’ worth of wages.

-Yeah. It’s expensive. So I’m a little curious. Kain ate that and was out of it for almost three days.

Achievement points have already become an official currency among them.

It seems to have developed steadily while doing various things in [Bethune Dungeon].

“……Oh, wait. Isn’t that Terence?”

Suddenly, there he is, making coffee at the café.

When I looked at him because his face was familiar, it was ‘Terence’.

It’s the guy I met during the first quarter evaluation, whose Spectrum is 「Home」.

[Terence Cafe]

Even the name of the cafe was Terence.

“Who is he?”

“Ah. Yeah. He’s a good guy. He’s doing well.”

I looked at him. Just then, Terence spotted me too. He was busy pouring coffee with both hands and moved only his lips to speak.

‘Shion, who beat Gerkhen!’

I waved back at him.

“Let’s go get some food then. To the farm.”

-Just as we were about to leave.

──Hey!

A loud voice echoed.

Everyone in the square was startled and looked in that direction.

──Attention, everyone!

It was a statue. A four-foot-tall stone statue.

“What’s that?”

“……Hey. There’s a statue here too?”

It wasn’t just one.

The statues that seemed to be both present and absent outside the dormitory suddenly began to speak the same words.

──Now. From now on, we will start the formal second quarter test of [Planarium].

The statue declared the ‘second quarter test’ with a strange expression, and all the seniors froze in place.

──Ah. Only those who want to participate should participate. Not everyone needs to participate. Because you might die.

The words that one might die.

The atmosphere instantly turned cold.

──It means that the producers can just produce.

Then, Terence’s voice flowed in faintly.

“Coffee, I’m still selling coffeeee~”

──But there is a qualification to participate in this test! Those who want to participate in the test should find the ‘ticket’! The ticket is somewhere in this Planarium! If you find it and bring it to the destination, it’s 1,000 achievement points!

1,000 achievement points seemed to be quite a lot of money, the seniors were stirred.

I earn that much in a day’s business.

──It’s hide and seek! Now, let’s find it! The lucky ones might get an ‘outing pass’!

“Outing pass?!”

Someone shouted loudly.

──That’s right! It’s an outing pass that allows you to go home and rest for three nights and four days.

“But if you go down to the continent, you can’t earn achievement points.”

──Ahem! Since it’s a legal outing, appropriate achievement points will be given!

“Wah! Where! In the forest?!”

──That’s right! It’s somewhere in this Planarium!

Then, there was a commotion. Nearly 2,000 seniors rushed out of the dormitory and ran in all directions.

Someone was flying using magic, someone was advancing by raising a golem, and such scenes were spectacular.

Soliette asked calmly.

“Shion. What are you going to do?”

“Let’s eat first. Oh, do you want some coffee?”

Thanks to that, the cafe was deserted.

“Ah. Coffee. That sounds good.”

Soliette gave a faint smile.

I approached Terence, who had finished his day’s business.

“This is crazy… Why is business like this today.”

“Terence. Long time no see?”

“Oh, Shion, who beat Gerkhen. Long time no see.”

“Stop using that old nickname. Just call me Shion.”

Terence laughed heartily.

“Sure. What would you like to drink?”

“I’ll have an Americano. Soliette, you?”

“I would also like an Americano.”

“Did you hear that? Two cups, please.”

“Ah, okay!”

Terence served the coffee he had prepared in advance.

“That’ll be 20 achievement points.”

“Thank you.”

I was about to tag my student ID on Terence’s when Soliette cut in.

“I’ll pay.”

She hurriedly said, tagging her student ID.

Beep-

-20 AP was deducted from Soliette’s student ID.

“…Uh, thanks.”

“No problem. It’s the least I can do.”

“Wow. You two seem close. Soliette and Shion.”

Terence looked at us, or rather, at me, with a hint of envy.

“Well… Terence. Where did you get these beans?”

“They were at the 「home」. You know what I mean, right?”

“Of course.”

It means he got them from his Spectrum.

“Strangely, the beans don’t go bad.”

“Right.”

Souls don’t eat beans. They don’t drink coffee at all. They only drink plain water.

You don’t see anyone offering cola on the ancestral rites table, do you?

“But I’m running out of beans now. It’s getting hard to do business because of the annoying customers…”

“Annoying customers?”

“Yeah. Those who bring their huge tumblers and ask to fill them up. You know, those slightly delinquent types. The tough ones.”

I crossed my arms.

Beans.

Come to think of it, there are coffee trees at the [Ascal Farm]. Thanks to Gerkhen who really brought everything.

“Hey Terence. Want to enter a supply contract? Like a franchise.”

“…Franchise?”

“Yeah. I’ll provide much tastier coffee beans. And for protection…”

Not only Endex, but a protector who can fend off all the nuisances of all other magic high schools.

One person comes to mind.

“Kain. I’ll attach Kain.”

Terence’s eyes widened as big as baseballs.

“Really?! Ka, Kain will protect me?”

I just need to give Kain a few coupons for free use of the farm, no, discount coupons.

“He won’t be on constant guard. But if he shows his face, the nuisances won’t be able to act up. If they do, you can complain to Kain.”

“That’s, that’s great!”

“Okay. Just give me 30%.”

His beaming face hardened a little. I chuckled.

“But raise the price. The beans I’ll supply will be of much higher quality.”

Caffeine is addictive. Good beans are all the more addictive.

Thinking about it, Gerkhen didn’t bring tobacco seeds and coffee trees for nothing. You can sell more by getting them addicted.

He’s a real politician.

“Okay. I’ll do it! Should I write a contract?”

Terence said with a determined face.

“Oh~ You’re proactive.”

“Of course! Those annoying bastards were really fuking annoying!”

“…….”

The curse words spewing from the innocent and cute face of Terence, well, they must represent the difficulty of running a business.

“Fucking bastards. Shitheads. Crazy motherfuckers.”

“Alright, alright, calm down.”