Chapter 16: Flashback
The next day.
I properly paid attention to the lessons, then came the afternoon.
We went to the library.
“Is it okay for me to see the Second Form Grimoires of all attributes?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. Please give me a moment.”
After speaking to the librarian lady at the reception desk, she answered as so and went to the back of the library. With a “Here you go”, she handed me four Grimoires. She was quite friendly. She had nice looks too.
“…………Alright.”
After flipping the pages of the 「Second Form」 Grimoire of the fire attribute attack magic, I opened my status window to confirm the 【Magic】 skill of 《Fire attribute – Second Form》 properly showing there and then I passed the book on to Silvia.
It had nothing to do with 「Deep understanding」 or anything like that. Maybe because it is magic that I used in the game in my previous life, it is determined that I already possess a deep understanding of it. I wonder if that’s it? Well, I was able to learn it so it doesn’t matter.
“Already? “
“Yeah, I learned it.”
“……The same as ever.”
Looking at Silvia that was by my side, I flipped the pages of the remaining three books and handed them over to her.
Okay, I learned them all. Next is the Third Form.
“Excuse me, is it possible to take a look at the Third Form Grimoires? “
“Hmm…… please wait a minute.”
A little embarrassed, the librarian lady headed towards the back of the library again.
After waiting for a while, she came back accompanied by a fat 50-year-old woman who wore thick makeup.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Silk, the head librarian. Are you the rumored transfer student? “
“Yeah, I’m Second.”
She might be named Silk, but she sure isn’t silky at all. Rather, she looks like some badly wrapped gift with some weird wrapping paper pattern someone hastily slapped together.
“What a good-looking guy! A pleasure to meet you.”
“O-okay.”
She energetically shook my hands. Her hands felt more like cream bread, having that puni puni texture, or rather poisonous bread due to those eerie purple-colored nails.
“Well then. I heard you want to see the Third Form Grimoires; may I ask you some questions first? “
“Yes.”
“First, can you tell me the purpose? “
Silk asked with a smiling face. But behind those eyes she wasn’t smiling at all.
“They are quite rare in my country you see, so I just hoped to get a chance to glance at them.”
“I see. Then, is that the same reason why you looked at the Second Form ones first? “
“That’s right. They are very rare.”
“Then, excuse me for being blunt. You don’t seem to be interested much in the contents. Also, the Third Form is very similar to the Second Form, so I wonder if you won’t get bored just flipping through it? “
Hmm.
“No, there’s no way I can. There are many things that can be felt from the book itself aside from its contents.”
“For example? “
Augh.
“The feeling of the people who have used it previously, its history, and many other things. To begin with, since they are rare, there’s this deep emotion simply by having it in your hand.”
“I see. However, it’s difficult to lend them just for that reason……”
Damn, this old hag is a tough one.
“To tell you the truth, the loaning procedure of the Third Form books requires the approval of several people, therefore a justifiable reason needs to be given to fill in in the paperwork. I am very sorry, but this time we will have to refuse the loan request.”
“……I understand. It’s a shame.”
Crap, it was useless! I was so naive, damn it.
Silk then bowed and left with the same smiling face. I was totally hated.
This is bad, I’ll have to think of some other method……
“Second-dono. How was it? “
Right after I returned, Silvia asked me that, to which I answered that it was useless. “So there are things that even Second-dono is useless at” Silvia laughed for some reason. It made me angry so I told her “Just hurry up and learn it already” and gave her a finger flick on the forehead (dekopin).
Silvia certainly learned 《Soldier Archery》 and 《Lance Archery》 in about fifteen minutes at the Comiket, while the First Form Grimoire took her about one hour of thoroughly reading it before she finally learned it. Is it because this girl has a “deep understanding”? Or it’s just a difference in talent? I can say that I never expected her, being the Magic Archer type, to be struggling this much to learn Magic.
“I wonder if I’ll be able to learn this in just two weeks…… Second-dono, don’t you have something like a trick to make this easier? “
Silvia then asked me for help.
Trick―― a word I really dislike. When I was the world’s number one player in my previous life, a lot of fledgling players came and asked me for ‘tips’, saying “teach me how to be strong”, “Do you have any tips for raising PS? (player skills)” and many other similar questions in chat. That was really irritating. “Share with us the tricks to becoming the world’s number one”, they cheerfully asked me that, but it was easy to see the selfish underlying motive they had,. Just remembering irritates me.
This is the first time I’ve heard the word “Trick” after coming to this world, but I don’t feel uncomfortable at all. I wonder why?
Silvia shamelessly said “If I can’t learn it in two weeks, then I will just be a bother”, as she asked me for any tricks I could share with her. It’s pleasant that she cares so much. The difference between her and the guys in my previous life is like heaven and earth. Actually, it makes me happy to be relied upon.
“Alright, I was planning to do something else today, but let’s change that schedule. I will teach you.”
While savoring for the first time in my life the “joy of teaching others”, I sat next to Silvia who looked so cute with her happy and joyful face.
————-
“Up to this far is fine for today.”
Around the time for the library to close, I shut the pattern-engraved Grimoire.
It was the first time that I properly read the contents of a Grimoire but, its contents were long and difficult to read sentences. Similar to a thesis.
It should be easier to understand by practical application than simply by reading it. Having thought so, I began to explain to Silvia in a manner similar to a wiki, like “What kind of effect does this magic exert?”, “In what situation should you used it?”, “Against what king of monster is this effective? etc., in order for her to learn it.
Silvia was like a serious student, properly listening to what I was saying while taking notes, and occasionally asking questions.
“Did you acquire it? “
“……No, sorry. Not yet.”
“Is that so? Well, don’t worry about it.”
After asking her, Silvia shook her head apologetically. If she could learn it in a day, then there would be little sense to building a Magic Academy.
We returned the Grimoires and left the library.
We grew up a bit. Well, shall we go back to the inn?
“Whoaa! “
A cute girl with cat ears appeared in front of me.
She gave a little scream and her eyes rounded into perfect circles as she looked at me with a lost-in-thought face.
Her blue-green eyes reflected the light of the hallway; sharp, acute teeth stuck out from the edge of her mouth and her pointy ears stood out in her fluffy, chestnut-colored short-cut hair. In addition, a tail was peeking out from the back of her skirt. A cat?
……Anyway, she has an incredibly foolish look on her face.
“So handsome! “
It talked.
“You mean me? “
“That’s right! “
She’s somewhat cute.
“I’m Eko Leafret! And you are? “
Eko Leafret. Oho, so you are the infamous…
“Second.”
“Second! “
Just as Eko called my name, she approached me with a huge smile.
And then, she noticed Silvia that was behind me.
“Ah! And you are? “
“Silvia Virginia. My best regards.”
“Silvia! Best regards! “
They shook hands with a smile. Although, a moment after having her hand shook so energetically, Silvia seemed to be somewhat troubled.
Somehow, just looking at this girl makes me feel a bit happy.
Such a cherishing manner, no, to say that such a harmless girl is a “useless demihuman”, isn’t she just being bullied? ……It’s inexcusable. Sorry to butt in.
“Hey Eko, would you happen to have some sort of problem? “
While it might be none of my business, I happened to hear about it.
“Eh? I don’t think so? “
Seems like there’s nothing wrong. Huh?
“Is that so? Come tell me if you happen to have some sort of trouble. I’ll do something about it.”
“Really!? Thank you! “
Ahh, so cute. I want her…… I mean, I want her to become our companion.
Still, there’s one thing that bothers me.
“By the way. What’s with that large package? “
Next to Eko was a cart. It was loaded with an amount of baggage as tall as her. About 1 meter and 40, I think.
“This? As you can see, everyone asked me for something.”
Ahh…… I see, I see.
She’s their errand girl.
Looking at it closely, the contents of the package was all books. Surely those are all books being delivered from the F class. Did you put them in the cart and carry them all alone to the library? ……Admirable.
“Are you alright? “
“I’m fine. Since I’m pretty strong, I’m fine.”
Eko proudly stuck her flat chest out with a “Fu fu”.
“Is that so? But, since I’m here anyways, let me help you.”
“Really!? “
“Yeah. This me will personally help you. It’s a rare occurrence so, you should feel honored.”
After I said so in a haughty attitude, Eko’s happy face suddenly turned sad for some reason.
“Second, thank you! ……But I will do this by myself.”
“Huh? Why? “
“Because this is the only thing I can do to help. That’s why I’ll do my best to help everyone. And if everyone sees that I’m more and more helpful, I’m sure they will be kinder to me.”
————————–
“…………”
Suddenly, my heart hurt.
I was reminded of something.
What is it?
From the depths of my heart, a voice that said “please stop” kept echoing.
Please stop, Eko. That is――
“See ya! “
After waving her hand, Eko continued to move that package with a lot of effort.
That honest and frantic manner, that figure of a hard-working fool…… and that fruitless effort. Seeing again that gear that no matter how much effort it puts in, it never interlocks with the others, made me remember the root of this “pain”.
Pointless.
No matter what I did in the game, nothing ever changed.
There in the game, I worked harder than anyone, I even became the world’s number one.
But deep down I knew the reality of it.
That it was useless, it was a waste to bet my life on that.
“……Yes, useless……”
I already tasted the depths of that despair, and was made aware that I hated it.
Was all the effort I put into it wasted?
Was I an idiot, a piece of trash, a joke of a human being?
I kept asking myself those questions until the very day of my death.
I ran away. I ran away to the game, because I couldn’t accomplish anything in the real world. I ran away from society because it was a bother. I ran away from others. I ran away from the daily life. I hated it, so I ran away. Like an angry child throwing a tantrum because he doesn’t get what he wanted. Believing everything was against me, I began to despise everything in return; a vicious cycle of self-deceit and justification. And at the very end, I irresponsibly threw everything away and ran away from life itself.
Then, I came to this world.
Truly a miracle. You could call it God’s blessing. That helpless me was miraculously saved.
……However, would Eko also get her miracle? There’s no guarantee in that.
Eventually, Eko too will taste a despair similar to mine.
No, she might already be tasting it.
I can see how painful her feelings are.
That’s exactly why. Because I already noticed it with my eyes, I want to extend my hand to her and save her. Those are my true feelings……
“Second-dono? “
Silvia’s anxious voice returned me back from my sea of thoughts.
Eko already carried the luggage and was no longer there.
“…………Sorry. Shall we go back?”
I left the school along with Silvia.
Eko Leafret―― Somewhere there’s that girl who is similar to the past me.
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