The Romance of Looking Down from the Rooftop

I slipped out onto the roof and took a moment to survey the academy from above.

From my vantage point, I could see the school staff and faculty being herded into the Grand Lecture Hall. It was a massive space, easily large enough to hold the entire student body. We usually used it for entrance ceremonies, the occasional play, or lectures by visiting celebrities.

Outside the academy gates, the Knight Order had already mobilized after hearing the commotion. However, they didn't dare cross a certain perimeter. That was likely the boundary where the field inhibiting their Magic Power began.

Inside the school buildings, the presence of people had all but vanished. There were only the Black-clad Men, prowling the halls in search of any students still in hiding.

As I took in the scene, a smirk tugged at the corner of my lips.

This. This is exactly what I wanted.

An academy under siege, students held hostage, a mysterious terrorist organization... and me, looking down on it all from the rooftop.

That was another item checked off my Things-to-do List.

“Me Looking Down from the Rooftop.”

Mission accomplished.

Now then, how should I keep myself entertained until nightfall?

To be honest, when those Black-clad Men first stormed the classroom, one thought had immediately jumped to mind: These guys have absolutely zero aesthetic sense.

Think about it. It’s the middle of the day, the sun is dazzling, the sky is a clear blue, there’s a refreshing breeze... and they decide to show up in black long coats?

Give me a break.

They made one fatal error.

Yes... they completely disregarded the TPO—Time, Place, and Occasion.

Fashion is about freedom, sure, but if you don't respect the TPO, you just look like a delusional try-hard. By ignoring the basic rules of style, they looked undeniably tacky. Everyone knows black long coats are strictly for nighttime.

Since I’d planned to take my time and enjoy this anyway, I had no problem waiting for the sun to go down. It would be a waste to end the fun too early.

I decided to go with Operation "Taking My Time Until Night".

As I sat there looking down at the academy, I spotted two Black-clad Men walking along the connecting corridor.

Yeah, black long coats in broad daylight? Definitely tacky.

“Right... let’s play sniper.”

I snipped a thumb-sized piece of slime off my slime suit.

I rolled it into a ball, imbued it with Magic Power, and lay flat on the roof, taking aim in my Flicking Style.

“Fools. You’re walking right into my line of fire,” I muttered.

Then, I flicked it.

Pshhht.

Leaving a faint whistle as it sliced through the air, the Slime Bullet pierced the first man’s head.

“Ah...”

It didn’t stop there; it went right through and pierced the second man’s heart.

A double kill? I hadn't expected that. Honestly, I felt a bit cheated; I’d wanted to fire another shot.

“Whatever. Next target is...”

I readied another Slime Bullet and squinted one eye as if looking through a high-powered scope.

Over in the opposite building, I spotted an idiot walking around completely off-guard.

“Target confirmed. A girl with pink hair... wait, what?”

It was Sherry.

What the hell was she doing? She was trying to creep along while peeking at her surroundings, but she was being incredibly obvious about it.

“Sherry-chan, you are so getting caught.”

Just then, I spotted a Black-clad Man closing in behind her. He lunged.

I adjusted my aim with the Slime Bullet... and released.

Pshhht.

The man’s head popped like a melon.

“Mission complete.”

Sherry continued on as if nothing had happened, eventually disappearing from my line of sight.

Hmm. There's definitely something going on here.

My Mob Intuition was screaming at me that the Main Scenario was progressing.

The Eminence in Shadow who appears gallantly just as the Main Scenario reaches its climax... Oh, I like the sound of that.

Alright.

I pumped Magic Power into my legs, made sure no one was looking, and leaped.

“Hup!”

I stuck the landing on the roof of the opposite building.

Without breaking stride, I vaulted over the edge, grabbed a window frame, and swung myself inside.

I checked the hallway and... there she was.

Pink hair, moving with all the grace of a suspicious character in a bad stealth game.

“I’m telling you, you’re totally exposed.”

There was another Black-clad Man right behind her. Just as he reached out to grab her, I moved at max speed.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

“Eh?”

Feeling like something had moved behind her, Sherry spun around.

She thought she’d heard the sound of something cutting through the air... but the hallway was empty.

The silent corridor stretched out into the distance.

“Was it just my imagination...?”

Sherry continued her way with a patter-patter of footsteps, cautiously scanning her surroundings while clutching the Artifact tightly to her chest.

I can’t use Magic Power... she thought. That’s what the knight had said earlier.

If his words were true, then it was her fault. She knew exactly what this phenomenon was.

She knew about this Artifact, too.

Sherry squeezed the device once more.

“I have to do something...!”

The faces of the two knights who had fought to let her escape flashed through her mind. She couldn’t let their sacrifices be in vain.

As she rounded a corner with those heavy thoughts, she gasped.

“Ah!”

A Black-clad Man was right there. Sherry scrambled back into hiding.

Oh no, I think we made eye contact!

Suddenly, she heard that sound again—the whistle of something slicing through the air.

“It’s okay, he didn't see me, he didn't see me...”

Praying under her breath, she peeked around the corner again.

“Thank goodness... he’s gone.”

The man had vanished.

Sherry braced herself and resumed her patter-patter walk, watching the area with wide, cautious eyes.

“Ah!”

Through a classroom window, she saw a Black-clad Man staring right into the hallway.

Sherry dove for cover, but it was too late. The classroom door slid open and the man stepped out.

“Hiee!”

Sherry clutched her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

...

......

Whish. Something cut through the air.

“Eh?”

Sherry fearfully opened her eyes. The Black-clad Man was nowhere to be found.

“Thank goodness... he didn't see me.”

Sherry grew even more determined, continuing her patter-patter walk.

She checked every corner, every classroom, and constantly looked over her shoulder.

She looked left, then right, then left again.

Because she was so busy frantically checking her surroundings, she neglected to look where she was going.

“Ah!”

She tripped.

Sherry face-planted onto the floor. As she lay there, she watched in horror as the Artifact was sent flying through the air.

“Aah!”

Just before it smashed against the ground, a hand reached out and snatched it.

She looked up to see a friend she’d made recently.

“Cid-kun...!”

But he was covered in blood.

“Are you okay?! You’re hurt so badly...”

“I’m fine. It was a miracle I survived, but I’m perfectly okay.”

For some reason, he looked exhausted. He looked down at Sherry with half-lidded eyes.

“I have a lot of things I want to say to you. Like, ‘stop walking while lost in thought,’ or ‘stop talking to yourself,’ or ‘maybe look at the floor once in a while.’”

He let out a long, heavy sigh.

“But first, let’s start by taking off those noisy patter-patter loafers, shall we?”

Sherry nodded.