It was a day in early sumr...
I was carrying a mountain of dessert ingredients back from the shopping district at the request of Nina-senpai, who loved cooking. These ingredients were prizes from winning the "Dessert Eating Contest" held in the shopping district.
Nina-senpai, with a bright smile on her face, held the trophy marked [Winner].
"Fuhihit, I ate so many delicious pastries... And got to bring back lots of fresh ingredients too~ This is a win-win no matter how you look at it!" she exclaid.
Nina-senpai leaned in close and revealed a secret to , her mischievous smile visible through her ivory-colored hair, styled like a shaggy dog.
"Actually, I’ve been on the blacklist since I won in my first year... but in my second year, I used Selma’s na, and this ti I used Frida’s."
I couldn’t help but chuckle, recalling the slightly chubby cheeks of Nina-senpai.
‘She’s a bit on the plump side, but she doesn’t look like she can eat that much... Where does all those pastries go?’
Even world champion-level food fighters from my previous life didn’t look overweight, so maybe Nina-senpai had the sa kind of tabolism.
Nina-senpai’s terrifying sight.
Like a scene straight out of an Arican cartoon, she opened her mouth like a vacuum cleaner and swept in hundreds of pastries... It was sothing that should be called a level of "gourmand." I learned for the first ti that just the sight of soone eating could make a person tremble.
‘Even if this is a ga world... to give a cute girl with a bit of baby fat such intense food-fighter attributes...’
I suddenly stopped in my tracks.
“...”
Co to think of it.
This was a ga world.
One destined for apocalyptic-level disaster at so point.
And in this world, fate existed.
“...”
Fate.
It was a question I had never seriously considered.
What if...
What if the character who opens the main story, ‘Clara,’ didn’t fulfill her duty and left ...? What would happen?
What if extra-level characters achieved things beyond the [Fate] assigned to them in the main story? What then?
What was the penalty for defying [Fate] in this world?
“...”
Honestly, I didn’t know.
It was only sothing that existed as a tooltip in the ga’s skill traits.
Even if soone told , an outsider, to dedicate myself to this world’s [Fate]... it was a difficult thing to get invested in. I just got stronger, got to know the characters... and before I knew it, sumr was approaching.
“...”
I tried hard to forget about [Fate].
‘Well, even if I don’t step up like Clara, history will continue. Fate or whatever...’
I let those montary worries drift away and adjusted the sack of sugar that was slipping from my grip, continuing to walk.
The hill road lined with shabby shops.
Usually, I would zoom past on my bike, but today, walking slowly was refreshing.
“Oofta—☆”
Climbing the hill, I soon arrived at the front gate of . As always, the seniors were waiting for .
"I'm back~☆"
"Welco back, Clara!"
"Welco ho~"
Led by Frida-senpai, Nina and Selma-senpai approached. Frida-senpai frowned at the enormous load I was carrying.
"Really! Did Nina really ask you to carry all this alone? That’s why I said we should help!"
"Ah, well... hehe. I didn’t think it’d be this much~"
"It’s fine, it’s fine—☆ This is nothing for a cute porter like ♪"
"Porter?! Nina, did you call Clara that?! No wonder you've been shalessly working her lately...!"
"No, it’s not like that...!"
Frida-senpai scolded Nina-senpai, but Selma-senpai didn’t care and, while looking at , mumbled sothing to herself and adjusted her glasses.
"Hmm... porter... porter? Oh! ...! An underdog story is bubbling up inside ...! The protagonist, who was thought to be a re porter, was actually in a crucial position in the party...!"
Selma-senpai ignored the hustle and bustle around her and quickly jotted sothing down in her small notebook.
"Ahaha...☆"
These three lively girls.
Seeing them made feel like I was ho again.
‘...It doesn’t feel strange to call this place ho anymore.’
The old, dusty schoolyard.
While the seniors carried the supplies inside, I felt the breeze brush past my back, prompting to turn around.
“...”
Whooosh—
The vast sky and clouds spread out before .
The shabby shops nestled below the hill.
Dwarves passing through the street and the distant World Tree.
The sumr breeze, tinted with blue, blew through once more.
Whooosh—
The cool breeze, carrying the scent of the plains and the World Tree, marked my first sumr in this world as incredibly refreshing. The girls, busy under the sun, stopped to enjoy the coolness. Plants bent to hide from the dew swayed to and fro.
“...”
Turning away from the wind, I picked up the rest of the load and started walking again. I quickly caught up with the seniors, who had gone ahead.
My body had beco much stronger than at the start of the sester.
I was growing stronger each day under the influence of Ether.
Yet, the realm of [Unique Ether] always seed just out of reach.
‘I’ve fully adapted to [Wave Ether] now... but for so reason, I can’t grasp [Unique Ether]... it feels like I almost understand it...’
The na leading to [Unique Ether].
In the ga, it was described as the shape of a soul reaching toward [Fate].
But what this [Fate] was, I had no idea.
‘The shape of a soul... it sounds like so kind of occult nonsense, what are they even talking about?’
Thinking these thoughts, I walked up to the seniors.
Frida-senpai, wiping the dew-like sweat from her forehead, was startled.
"Wow...! Clara, you're really good at carrying heavy things...?"
"Ahaha—☆ It's a cute girl's specialty~♪ That's why I said I’d carry it all☆"
My tone was deliberately boastful.
Frida-senpai chuckled and said.
"But you don’t have to carry all the heavy stuff alone. Even if it’s just a little... sharing the load makes it feel better and lets you keep going longer!"
Frida-senpai’s speech was full of romantic ideals. But the hand holding the sack of flour trembled like a leaf. Sotis, her sensitivity was too high, and she ended up exhausting herself.
‘She fainted last week because she thought a passing butterfly looked lonely and stood with it under the hot sun...’
Seeing Frida-senpai exhaust herself for her romantic feelings, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, and offered a light-hearted rebuttal. No matter how worried she was or how much she wanted to help ... she still had to take care of herself.
"B-but... isn’t it better for the strong person to handle such rough work alone...☆"
"Hmph...? So, Clara doesn’t want us weaklings to help, huh—!"
To twist it like that...
Even my pretty filter was starting to malfunction.
I broke into a cold sweat as I carefully chose my words.
"N-no—☆ That’s not what I ant...♪ If the person who’s good at it does it alone, it’ll get done quickly☆"
"Oh no?! Clara’s starting to talk back to ... boohoo... so sad...!"
Frida-senpai pretended to cry, effectively stopping any further rebuttal from .
In the end, it all ca down to emotions.
Seeing this, I couldn’t help but give a wry smile.
‘I know she’s a kind and good person, but... there’s sothing overly emotional about her... maybe because she’s an art student?’
The banter was almost at the level of a joke.
Nina-senpai ca over to my side, subtly carrying the lightest sack of sugar, and joined in.
"Fuhihit... When Frida's like that, just quietly accept it~ She's stubborn and will never be persuaded~"
"I can hear you, Nina...!"
"Ahaha...☆ Well, Frida-senpai is a lady of principles—☆"
"Clara~! You’re just calling stubborn!"
"Ahaha...☆"
"Don’t just laugh!"
Nina-senpai, looking at us, smiled wryly and said.
"Even if our talks don’t resolve things, once we sit down and eat sothing delicious together... problems will get solved!"
Selma-senpai shrugged and said.
"Nina... that's only because you're only interested in eating. You’ll get teased if you say that elsewhere."
"No, no~ My opinion doesn’t change~ People's thoughts are similar... it's just their tastes that differ."
Whooosh—
Once again, the sumr breeze blew.
It carried away the breath of the present into the past.
Nina-senpai’s bangs fluttered in the passing breeze, colored blue.
Nina-senpai grinned mischievously and said.
"Even seemingly big problems can be solved with just one trigger... Everyone needs a similar excuse~ For , it’s delicious food... And nobody hates delicious food! So this is the truth of the world—!"
“...”
Frida-senpai heard this and gave a small laugh, her face filled with undeniable mischief.
"Then, if Nina can recreate the taste of the limited-edition cookies from the most famous dessert shop on Golden Street... , I might consider it!"
"Fuhihit, that’s quite a difficult order..."
"Oh my—♪ Frida-senpai has suddenly beco a demanding lady—☆"
"I’m a refined lady!"
"Fuhihihihi—!"
Nina-senpai laughed heartily, like a witch.
What was needed was a small trigger.
Nina-senpai’s words, which seed foolish at first glance, surprisingly helped elevate my Ether state.
Not long after that, I awakened [Unique Ether].
＊
A shattered sign lay on the street corner.
“...”
"Senpai?"
A small voice ca from beside .
Lota looked at with worried eyes.
I responded with a reassuring smile, as if to say not to worry. When I turned my head back, the dessert shop the seniors had ntioned ca into view.
‘I never thought I’d actually end up in front of that shop.’
The pitiful sight of .
Even though the luxurious exterior was shattered in the aftermath of the fight... it still couldn’t hide its original sophistication.
While I stood there, gazing absentmindedly at the shop, Freya, who had been scouting around, approached .
"T-there are snake tattoo thugs guarding the front... I think we’ll need to break through..."
"Okay—☆ Got it♪ I’ll do my best~☆"
“...”
“...”
After a mont of silence, Freya nodded heavily.
"I-I called you here, so... I can’t say much... But don’t you regret not staying with the main force of ... Or going to your juniors, or finding a safer way with [Azure White Spear]...?"
"Hehe, I told you—♪ Those kids are strong enough to handle it now—☆ I’ll prove that I’m no longer the [Faded Spiral]—♪"
“...”
"If I get hurt or beco a hindrance, I’ll never... I’ll never step forward again—☆"
Because I spoke so earnestly, even Hilde accepted that we would each do our best in our respective positions.
She stepped up to confront the student council president Frau, who had reappeared.
‘What’s needed is... to correct all misconceptions caused by my actions and to honestly approach everyone... Honestly, I’m anxious too, but if I don’t give it my all now, I feel like I’ll never be trusted again.’
I looked Freya and Lota straight in the eyes.
"I swear on everything... I’m okay. I’m sincere."
“...”
“...”
"I want to resolve the issues facing the academy city, my juniors, Hilde... and my friends as best as I can—☆"
The beastn’s eyes were as clear as the surface of a gem.
When they were startled or frightened, it was obvious.
This was also evident in the eyes of the two catgirls standing in front of .
‘Perhaps the arrogance of the noble kids was also a shield to hide these traits of the beastn...’
Not that I intended to be lenient with them.
Thinking this, I looked into the trembling eyes of Lota and Freya and spoke.
"Let’s begin."
"Yes... [Eternal Wheel], deploying for local activation, standby..."
Freya summoned a large spinning wheel, ready to attack at any mont, while Lota quietly climbed onto my back and said.
"Will it be okay...?"
"Of course—☆"
“...”
Squeeze—
Her arms wrapped tightly around .
The chant echoed in the air.
[Why carry a greatsword when your back aches, use it as a mirror instead.]
I grasped the cat-shaped greatsword that materialized in mid-air. Along with its lingering warmth and tingling emotions, I felt Lota’s anxiety.
“...”
A fleeting thought crossed my mind.
‘Was there ever a character who could sense others’ Ether attributes and emotions like this?’
...
I didn’t know.
One thing was certain.
Having t Hilde, Urdr, and the seniors... my [Fate] had changed, diverging from that of ‘Clara’ in the ga.
Letting these thoughts drift through my mind, Freya and I charged toward the snake tattooed beastman girls advancing ahead.
Tatatatata—!!
The girls with snake tattoos turned to face us.
Their faces showed shock and hostility.
"Who are you?!"
"Ah, [Purple Wheel]?! Why?!"
"Attack!! Attack them!!"
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Hundreds, thousands of red spearheads.
A barrage of attacks rained down.
Even the elite unit of was forced to retreat by this assault.
Despite hearing the word “okay” repeated endlessly.
But for so reason... I was certain we were going to be okay.
“...”
And surprisingly.
We managed to break through dozens of beastman girls and slip through the back door of the library.
＊
The secluded library of .
The main base of the Exploration Faction, which seed most shabby.
The back door was tightly sealed with several layers of magic, and there was a sign that read:
[No Visitors Allowed]
Freya knocked on the door. It seed to be completely locked with a magic skill.
Knock, knock.
"Open the door, you crazy people... your leader is here..."
Then a timid voice ca from beyond the door.
"D-don’t say such nonsense... You’re good at imitating voices... O-our library director would never hang out with people... If you have business, write it on a note below... If you’re with the noble faction, go away..."
Creak—
The seal loosened slightly.
It opened just enough for a piece of paper to pass through.
“...”
“...”
“...”
This was unexpected.
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