"Sigh."
"Flat pockets, flat pockets."
Xia Ya muttered, sowhat dispirited, as he finally filled in the missing na slot in his skill list with the words Amaterasu.
With a slight shift in his thoughts, he withdrew from his scattered musings.
In the next mont, the frozen tundra of the northern ice fields around him vanished—
Replaced by the interior of a steam locomotive carriage, roaring forward at full speed.
With Tsukuyomi now at "Perfect" proficiency, Xia Ya could create illusion realms and fully control the imaginary world within them according to his will.
It was thanks to this illusionary training that he had managed to help Silver complete the prototype for Amaterasu over the past few days aboard the steam train.
As for why the illusion had taken the form of the northern frozen wastelands—
It wasn’t just because that was Silver’s birthplace—
It was also Xia Ya’s hotown in this life.
—
Feeling his consciousness return to reality, Xia Ya opened his eyes and glanced around.
Even while imrsed in a Tsukuyomi illusion, he had left enough ntal energy in the real world to remain alert for any unexpected situations.
The reason he had ended the illusion was simple—he had sensed soone approaching.
In the aisle beside him, a young girl in a white dress had lightly turned to his side, looking at him with an eager expression.
More precisely—she was staring at the tiny, delicate Snow Ferret perched on his shoulder.
Noticing Xia Ya’s gaze, the girl’s face turned slightly red, as if she hadn’t expected him to wake up so suddenly.
But she quickly composed herself, adopting a more dignified deanor.
"Um, excuse …"
"Would it be okay if I pet it?"
Turns out, fluffy little creatures were irresistible to females aged seven to seven hundred.
No wonder Silver’s race naturally ca with Charm as an innate skill.
Xia Ya’s eyes swept over the girl’s pure and innocent face before pausing at her chest—
Not because of her graceful figure, but because of the silver badge pinned there.
The intricate silver emblem bore the design of a rapier and three golden osmanthus leaves.
Xia Ya had an identical school badge in his spatial pocket.
He tilted his head and glanced at Silver on his shoulder.
Sensing the overwhelming motherly affection radiating from the girl’s eyes, the little Snow Ferret elegantly leaped from Xia Ya’s left shoulder to his right, gracefully expressing its refusal.
Xia Ya spread his hands.
"Unfortunately, my pet seems a bit shy."
In reality, given Silver’s naturally aloof personality, any stranger who tried to pet it would have to prepare themselves to take a full-powered Tsukuyomi to the face.
"I see… that’s a sha."
The girl looked genuinely disappointed, though her gaze remained glued to Silver, unable to let go.
"Then—could you at least tell its species na?"
"I’d love to raise one as an ornantal pet."
"Ying ying~ (Ornantal pet? ORNANTAL PET? YOUR WHOLE FAMILY ARE ORNANTAL PETS!)"
Silver flicked its tail discontentedly from Xia Ya’s right shoulder.
The movent startled the girl.
"An ornantal pet… shouldn’t be this intelligent."
Her gaze flickered between Xia Ya and the Snow Ferret before finally settling on Xia Ya’s face.
"Xia Ya Egut?"
"Sorry, you must be mistaken."
Xia Ya’s heart skipped a beat. Casually, he picked up the newspaper on the table.
"I’m not mistaken."
"In the entire Saint Roland Academy, there’s only one upperclassman whose main summoned beast is a Snow Ferret that looks completely harmless."
The girl’s expression instantly beca serious and composed.
"Xia Ya, as a student of Saint Roland Academy, you should be more considerate of the Student Council’s struggles."
"You’ve already missed two academic exams in a row."
"And not only that—as one of the academy’s few Mid-Tier Beastmasters, you’re always absent when the school sends representatives to exchange with young Beastmasters from the Empire, the Church, and the Noble Alliance."
Xia Ya casually lifted the newspaper higher.
"Look, I’m telling you, you’ve got the wrong guy. My na is Amuro. Amuro Ray."
"You’re looking for Xia Ya—what’s that got to do with Amuro?"
However, the girl clearly had no intention of letting him off the hook.
"Let’s put all of that aside."
"But not long ago, during the academy’s centennial anniversary celebration, you were nowhere to be seen either."
"And yet, we—the Student Council—submitted your na as an exemplary student."
"Do you have any idea how much effort we had to put in to clean up the ss in front of all those high-ranking nobles who attended the event?"
Xia Ya took a sip of water.
"Actually, I have an excuse, President Dires. Just hear out."
"For the past six months, I’ve been working as a Champion of Justice in Resa City, helping the Order Bureau uphold righteousness and punish evildoers. The local officials even wanted to award an Outstanding Citizen dal, but I refused."
"So now you admit you’re Xia Ya, not Amuro?"
"And you’re finally acknowledging as Student Council President?"
Dires massaged her temples in frustration.
"I understand that, as commoner students without noble family backing, gathering resources to advance our summoned beasts isn’t easy."
"That’s why we often have to take on bounty missions from the Order Bureau and Military Departnt to earn money and rit."
"But that doesn’t an you can just completely ignore the academy."
"Besides, no matter what, it’s good to build relationships with your fellow students. Many of them co from powerful noble families with vast connections."
"Getting to know them will be useful after you graduate."
As she spoke, she reached out toward Xia Ya without giving him a chance to escape.
"Anyway, you’re coming with to the Student Council to make up for your missed exams."
"In a few days, there will be a social banquet at the academy. Many high-tier instructors and noble families will be attending. As Student Council President, I’ll introduce you to—"
HOOOONK—
Just as Xia Ya was ntally scrambling for an excuse to get away, a long steam whistle interrupted Dires.
The train began to slow down before coming to a complete stop.
【Dear passengers, the train is arriving at its destination.】
【Welco to the Capital of Nations—Calot.】
As the gentle broadcast echoed through the train’s transmission array, the carriage doors slowly opened.
The mont the announcent finished, a crowd of passengers surged into the aisle, cutting off Dires’ line of sight.
By the ti she managed to regain her footing amidst the bustling crowd—
Xia Ya was nowhere to be seen.
She stomped her foot in frustration.
"That guy!"
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