Night had fallen. Evi and I were chatting idly in our room before turning in.
"Ray, are you doing okay?"
"Hm? About what?"
"You're juggling your work for the Management Committee and Amelia’s special training, right?"
"Yeah."
"Isn't it a lot to handle?"
"Well... I suppose it's been a bit of a challenge. To be honest, I don't have much free time anymore. I haven't been able to read as much as I'd like, though I'm still making sure to do a baseline level of muscle training."
"I figured. You've been getting back to the room pretty late lately. Is there anything I can help with?"
"...Hmm. No, I’m fine. But if something comes up, I’ll be sure to reach out."
"Right! Just leave it to me when the time comes!"
After our talk, we both lay down in our respective beds. Once the lights were out, the room was swallowed by darkness. However, since it was a clear night, the moonlight spilled in through the window, providing a pleasant glow.
Thinking back, this was the first time I'd ever lived as a student... and lately, I felt rather fulfilled. My work as a member of the Management Committee mostly consisted of menial chores, but I didn't mind it. It was a strange sensation to be helpful to others without exercising sorcery, yet it gave me a genuine sense of accomplishment.
Besides, knowing that my training was helping Amelia was enough to make me happy. I knew she was harboring something deep in her heart, and I also knew she was hesitant about whether to confide in me.
To most, Amelia Rose was perceived as the perfect individual—beautiful, intelligent, and charismatic. In reality, however, she tried to run away from our training sessions, laughed often, and was prone to complaining.
In my eyes, she was simply a close friend.
Take our training session the other day, for example—
"Hey! Amelia! One more! One more! You can do it! You've got this! Move!! Hurry, hurry, hurry!!"
"Nnghh... I-I can't... I’m dying!"
"Yes, you can! You've got this, Amelia! Come on, come on, come on!!"
"Nyahaaaaaaaa!!"
It was Physical Reinforcement Week.
I had Amelia working through an arranged version of the Ainsworth-style Boot Camp, focusing on training her entire body evenly. We rotated through different muscle groups every day, pushing each to its absolute limit. The regime was so thorough and grueling that even a professional soldier might have tried to desert.
Amelia whined and tried to escape, but she still put in the effort to keep up until the end. That was exactly why I wanted to do everything in my power for her.
"Ugh... huff... huff... huff... No more, I'm literally going to die... huff... huff..."
"You're fine, Amelia."
"Ah... we're finished for today! Thank goodness!"
"No, I meant we're finished with the abdominal work. Next, we move to the legs. Break time's over. Let's go, Amelia trainee!!!"
"I don't want to do this anymoreeeeeeee!!!"
"I told you your response should be 'Ranger!' didn't I?!"
"R-Rangeeeeeeeeeerr!!"
Exchanges like that had become a daily occurrence.
It wasn't that I enjoyed putting Amelia through pain, but if one wants to obtain power, a corresponding price must be paid. There are no shortcuts to achieving greatness.
But I was certain Amelia could do it.
I believed in her. Though our acquaintance had been brief and I didn't fully understand everything about her yet, I trusted her completely. I didn't necessarily have a logical basis for it, but call it a friend's intuition... or perhaps I simply found Amelia to be a wonderful human being. That was enough to make me want to believe.
As I lay there, thinking about her standing at the pinnacle of the Magics Chevalier, I finally surrendered myself to sleep.
◇
The first term was drawing to a close, and our testing period was nearing its end as well. Of course, the School Preliminaries for the Magics Chevalier were still ongoing during this time, so I continued to carry out my duties for the committee.
In the afternoons, Clarice and I would clean the Training Grounds and inspect the surrounding area. My days were spent reporting match results to headquarters and managing the performance records of the contestants. By now, the students for the Newcomers' Tournament were almost entirely settled, and after a few more matches, the final list of participants for the Magics Chevalier would be locked in.
The same applied to the Main Tournament. Rebecca-senpai had already secured her spot, a fact that had Sera-senpai overjoyed.
Unlike the Newcomers' Tournament, only six people from the second through fourth years could qualify for the Main Tournament. The competition was on an entirely different level compared to the first-year bracket. A single loss could have devastating consequences for one's standing. Given that, Rebecca-senpai's early qualification proved she wasn't the previous year's champion for nothing.
"Hm? Is that...?"
I only had one test this morning, so I had planned to head to the library to study until my afternoon shift. As it turned out, Elisa and Clarice were already there. They were sitting in a common area near the library entrance where talking was permitted.
Silence was strictly enforced in the deeper sections of the library, which is where I had intended to go, but the presence of my friends changed my plans.
"May I join you?"
"Ah... Ray-kun..."
"Hm? Oh, Ray. Sure, whatever."
"Pardon me, then."
I sat down across from them. It appeared that Elisa was helping Clarice with her studies.
"Are you tutoring Clarice, Elisa?"
"Yeah, got a problem with that!?"
"No, not at all... but you seem unusually stressed, Clarice."
"If my grades are bad, my allowance gets slashed... and Mama will be furious..."
"I see. That is a dire situation indeed."
"Ray, you seem strangely relaxed..."
Clarice narrowed her red eyes at me. Her signature golden twin-tails, usually perfectly styled, seemed to be drooping slightly. Between the exhaustion in her eyes and the slight roughness of her skin, I guessed she hadn't been sleeping much.
The fact that her trademark hairstyle looked so dejected made the change in her demeanor immediately obvious.
"Have you not been sleeping?"
"That's right! I don't have the luxury of caring about my looks right now! Dammit, I know Elisa is smart, but why is this muscle-brain so clever too!?"
That was a bit uncalled for.
In truth, I didn't have much left to study. I had been reviewing the first term's lessons as we went, and Master had already drilled academic fundamentals into me long ago. Establishing a study habit at the academy hadn't been a struggle for me at all.
Most of the tests were already over, but I was confident enough to think I might have scored perfect marks in several subjects.
"Were you recruited to help, Elisa?"
"U-Um... Clarice-chan came to me out of the blue and asked me to teach her... so I'm helping her out."
"I see. Are you alright with your own studies, Elisa?"
"Yeah... I'm pretty much finished... and so are you, right, Ray-kun?"
"Yeah."
"Agh, honestly!! Why are you two so calm!?"
"It's the result of daily diligence. Clarice, you didn't really bother to review, did you?"
"Ugh..."
"While there are rare individuals called 'geniuses' who can memorize and understand everything from a single lecture, that's impossible for most people. That's why you have to build your knowledge up steadily."
"U-Ugh... I can't even argue with that..."
"You still have your work for the Management Committee this afternoon. You should do your best until then."
"Waaaaah!! I should never have joined the committee in the first place!!"
Clarice screamed, clutching her head and messing up her hair. She must have been truly at her wits' end. Her usually cute twin-tails were now a tangled mess.
"Goodness, you shouldn't do that, Clarice-chan... your hair is all frayed now! Honestly, let me fix it for you."
"Ugh... sorry, Elisa."
"Don't say 'sorry,' I'd rather hear a 'thank you'..."
"Th-Thank you! Th-There, are you happy!?"
"...Mm-hmm!"
Elisa stood up, undid the twin-tails, combed through the long blonde hair, and tied them back up. She was clearly practiced at it; in no time, the divine twin-tails were restored to their former glory.
Hmm... I see. That’s actually quite useful...
As I watched the process from a different perspective, Clarice let out a heavy sigh.
"Hah... if it wasn't for the committee, I could have studied more..."
"Personally, I'm glad I got to meet you, Clarice. Hearing you say that makes me a little sad."
"Ugh... no, th-that's not what I meant! Don't go getting the wrong idea!!"
Averting her gaze, Clarice went back to her notebook, her pen scratching furiously against the paper.
"Elisa, did I say something wrong?"
"Hmm. Well... how do I put it... you're always like this, Ray-kun... but I think it's fine. Really."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah... I think you're fine just the way you are, Ray-kun..."
"I see. I'm relieved to hear that. By the way, Elisa, are you planning to watch the Magics Chevalier?"
"...Of course!!"
She leaned in closer toward me, her cheeks noticeably flushed. She usually maintained a respectful distance, but right now she was quite close. It must be a truly special event for her.
It was the first time I'd seen Elisa this animated.
"I-I actually watch the tournament every year!"
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yeah! And since Amelia-chan is competing this year, I really want to cheer for her! The famous contestants even have their own cheering squads... it gets incredibly lively!"
"Oh... that sounds impressive. I have work to do as part of the management, but I'll look forward to it as well."
"Yes, definitely! You should!!"
"Let's watch it together when we're free. All of us."
"...Y-Yeah! I'm sure watching with friends will be a lot of fun!"
Elisa remained visibly excited, her energy staying high. Meanwhile, Clarice seemed to have reached a state of transcendent focus, mumbling to herself as she applied herself to her studies.
Still, hmm... I see.
A flash of inspiration hit me—!
And so, I immediately set out to put that inspiration into action.