Neptis bought Simon a large-capacity Subspace as a gift.Simon thanked her profusely, bowing several times, and Neptis patted his head, saying he deserved it. More precisely, she had to stretch her arm and bounce, so Simon briefly crouched down for her to pat his head.As they walked out of the shop, while Neptis and Stephanie chatted, Simon stammered, "B-but can I really just accept this? You said it's priceless."Lorraine gave a mischievous smile. "You were so quick to wear it when Mom told you to.""Ah, no! That was just……""Just kidding."She rarely laughed as she continued, "More importantly, how are your father and mother doing, Simon?""They're well, thanks to your concern.""Since they're Mom's comrades, I should visit them sometime with a gift and say hello."Simon thought Lorraine was remarkably mature and calm for someone his age.It felt like she carried a different burden. People were already saying that Lorraine had a significant influence on Kizen's management."What were you doing before school starts tomorrow?" Lorraine asked."Homework with my group members at the dorm. Our dorm is really nice. We use the space on the lower floor of the Clock Tower. Would you like to visit if you have time?"She shook her head. "Thanks for the invitation, but no. If I suddenly show up, they'll feel awkward, and I also need to prepare for school starting tomorrow.""Did you finish your vacation homework?"She curled the corner of her lips. "I'll start now~"To reiterate, Lorraine, despite her Jet Black magic skills far surpassing a student's level, didn't have particularly good written grades.***After parting ways with Neptis and her daughter, Simon returned to the Clock Tower. "Wait! This is wrong! Who told you to write the curse formula like this?!""Dick! This is wrong too!"Everyone was in their final sprint.Dick, sitting in the middle, was racking his brain over the homework, while the two female students nagged him and gave him all sorts of advice. "Just leave me aloneeeee!"Dick, who had been screaming, looked at Simon, who had just entered the dorm, as if he were a savior. "Simon! Help me!""Alright." Simon changed into his slippers and sat across from Dick. "Should I help with Summoning Studies?""Ah! Not that one!"Although too many cooks spoiled the broth, with four heads working together, Dick's vacation homework reached a stage where it was somewhat manageable.Now Simon and Kamibarez also sat side-by-side, finishing their own homework. "I'm looking forward to the opening ceremony tomorrow~" she said, putting down her quill. Dick, sensing a new topic, quickly jumped into the conversation. "We'll see new professors at the opening ceremony! Do you guys know? Besides Professor Byulya for Toxicology, the Hemomancy professor is also changing!""Yeah.""Yes."Dick was speechless. This wasn't the reaction he wanted. "Th-then you don't know who the new Hemomancy professor is……""Professor Walter Han." Simon replied curtly. "Actually, I saw him this morning, Dick." Kamibarez said with a bright smile. Dick grimaced and rubbed his forehead. "……Ah, that was supposed to be my secret information.""Hey!! I told you not to mess around!"Bang! A sound came from beyond the wall, and Mei-rin, dressed in pajamas, burst out. Her hair was tied back with a string, and her face was shiny, as if she had just washed it.Dick, who had been slacking off, flinched and pretended to be doing his homework. "Mei-rin! Let's have a pajama party!" Kamibarez clapped her hands. Mei-rin nodded. "After the boys finish all their homework.""Hehe, I don't think we'll finish today.""……Ugh. Everyone, stop hitting me. I even got this dorm, it's really unfair.""Don't make a big deal out of nothing. If you don't like it, finish your vacation homework in advance."Simon smiled, watching the three of them chattering noisily, and crossed his arms. "But the Unified Second Semester. They say it's a quasi-war curriculum. How do you think it will proceed?""What's there to it?" Mei-rin said, sitting down and resting her chin on her hand. "When vacation started, it felt like a war could break out at any moment, but now the Divine Federation side has calmed down, right? It wouldn't be strange if we went back to normal classes.""But why did it calm down?""Oh, that, that!" Dick, hearing a topic he knew about, excitedly chimed in. "They say all the aggro is on some heretical group called the Blood Heaven Cult! They tried to make the Divine Federation and us fight!""Right. It was a big issue in the Dark Alliance too."Simon subtly turned his head and pretended not to be listening to this part of the conversation.The fact that he had been at the center of that momentous historical moment felt unbelievable now that he thought about it. 'Lete, Ellen, Lady Israfil, I wonder if they're all doing well? I hope Metin overcomes his divine slump too.'Then Dick approached and put his arm around Simon's neck. "Oh, what are you getting all melancholic about by yourself? Don't have fun thoughts alone, share them with me!""Haha! No, it wasn't a fun thought at all."Late into the night, the four of them noisily finished their preparations for the new semester.***Early morning. "Yawn.""Hmm."Simon packed his bags, listening to the yawns of Dick and Kamibarez, who were still half-asleep.Mei-rin, tireless as ever, continued to nag, while Simon, being naturally energetic, prepared everything himself and even took care of the cleaning. "Thanks for the fun stay!"With Dick's shout, the four of them left the Clock Tower dorm. They walked through the empty streets, where there were few people yet. Some shops had people sweeping their yards, preparing for the day.The four stopped by a bookstore before heading to the assembly point.They had originally planned to buy their second-semester textbooks yesterday, but an unexpected incident occurred, so they ended up buying them on the day itself. Naturally, buying textbooks in Rochester was expensive, so it was common to buy them here and then cross over to Locke Island.As they entered the bookstore, they found many first-year students with the same purpose. "Oh! It's Mei-rin!""Simon!"They met familiar Class A students. Jamie Victoria, the master of questions and honorary class representative, and Cindy Vivace, Class A's Necromancy ace, were there.While Mei-rin and Jamie chatted, Cindy nudged Simon's elbow and chuckled. "Hey, how've you been?""Just fine." Simon replied, clutching his wallet in his pocket. Cindy laughed cheerfully at his reaction. "I won't steal it anymore, you idiot!"It was incredibly nice to see the other Class A students after two months. At the same time, the atmosphere of the new semester suddenly felt very real.Kamibarez and Dick also joined in, and they all talked about the recent activities of the Class A students.Meanwhile, Mei-rin and Jamie were so engrossed in their chatter that they had walked quite a distance away from the others. Jamie whistled. "What~ you got prettier over the break? Look at your hair shimmering.""Thanks for the empty flattery." Mei-rin replied indifferently, but she wasn't displeased. She had actually put a lot of effort into growing her hair for the play. "Ah, but I'm a little envious." Jamie sighed. "My group is all girls. You're leading two boys around.""L-leading them around?! What are you talking about!" Mei-rin cried, her face flushing. Jamie, catching her reaction, gave a meaningful smile. "Tell me. Which one?""Hey! Stop it! The kids can hear you……!""Is it Dick?""Are you crazy?" Mei-rin's expression turned serious, devoid of playfulness. Jamie giggled, as if she had received a sufficient answer. "If you need help, just tell your unnie anytime~""It's not like that, so stop talking nonsense and worry about your own love life. You like Hector, don't you?"This time, Jamie's face turned red. "Hey!! If you really say that……!""What are you talking about?"However, their conversation was interrupted by Cindy Vivace's intrusion. She was widely rumored among the female students to be very loose-lipped.When both of them fell silent simultaneously, Cindy misunderstood and looked at Mei-rin. "Wow, Mei-rin likes Hector? What terrible taste.""……Should I freeze you or burn you?"After buying all their textbooks, the four of them left the bookstore.There were various routes to Locke Island, but most people who came to Langerstein took the Netherwhale. Simon's group was no exception. "This is my first time riding that Netherwhale!" Kamibarez said with an excited expression. Dick, who was chewing on dried jerky he bought as a snack, asked, "Then what did you ride for the entrance ceremony?""I rode a giant eagle-like creature from the Kalos Kingdom! When it landed on a building, the eagle picked up the entire building and dropped it on Locke Island!""……Wow, as expected of Kizen. The scale is insane."The four of them arrived at the pier.Just like last time, a large ship was docked, and agents were controlling the students, letting them board. Dick was enthusiastically explaining to Kamibarez. "Now, once we get on the ship, the Netherwhale will come and swallow us!""Wow!""You four there."At that moment, a man wearing a cloak adorned with black crow feathers looked at the four of them. "Stop chattering and move quickly. Others are waiting behind you.""Ah, yes! Sorry!" Dick bowed his head and quickly ran towards the ship. "Guys, did you see that? Did you see? It's a Crow!"'The Crows' was an organization composed of Kizen Headquarters' core combat force and elite Necromancer agents. Among the current Kizen professors, Bahil was a member.Mei-rin's expression turned serious. "This time it's not professors, but Crows. Is something wrong?""Oh-ho." Dick, who loved conspiracy theories, his eyes sparkling. Kamibarez, scared, quickly shook her head. "D-do you really have to think that? Maybe they're just a little short-staffed.""Let's get on. We'll get another lecture." Simon said. The four of them sat down side-by-side, and soon other students also boarded the ship.Hector and his faction were also visible. Fortunately, they didn't seem to notice and went down the stairs to the lower deck.Soon, all Kizen students in Langerstein had boarded. The Crow agent, having received the headcount report from the agents, boarded last. "Agent. We'll arrive in 5 minutes."At the agent's report, the Crow wearily waved his hand. The agents scurried around, shouting for students to fasten their seatbelts.'It's been a while since I've been on the Netherwhale.'Simon fastened his seatbelt with a pounding heart. "There it comes!"From the distant horizon, a massive splash arrived. Students, a mix of nervousness and excitement, cheered at the thought of returning to Kizen.Swoosh!Soon, a huge splash erupted, and the Netherwhale appeared from within, swallowing the entire ship before diving into the sea.***"You may now unfasten your seatbelts."The ship, with everyone on board, safely settled inside the Netherwhale's belly.Students, as if they had been waiting, noisily unfastened their seatbelts and stood up. Although it was inside the whale's belly, the interior was quite warm and comfortable.Agents attended to the students, offering desserts and food. There was even a menu to choose from.Simon chose cream coffee. "I-it's a little scary." Kamibarez said, her eyes wide, looking around the whale's belly, which was made of crimson flesh. Dick chuckled. "Don't worry, we won't go down to its stomach. And the view after we get off the whale is the real highlight, so look forward to it!""Highlight?""Yeah, we'll drop thousands of meters from the sky straight to the Kizen campus. The sunrise view then is amazing!"At the mention of thousands of meters, Kamibarez got scared and shivered.Just as Mei-rin was about to smack Dick's back for scaring Kami.KWAANG!The ship suddenly began to shake violently. "W-what was that?""An explosion?" Dick looked at Mei-rin with a surprised expression. "How hard did you hit my back?""You idiot! Do you think I did that?!"KWAANG! KWOOOONG!The shaking grew more intense, and the Netherwhale's pained cries could be heard. Simon grabbed the ship's railing.'……What's happening?'His vision gradually blurred.Then, with a loud crash, the ship shook violently, and Simon lost consciousness.***Swoosh!The sound of waves crashing.Simon slowly opened his eyelids.His mouth tasted like dirt, and his head felt dull.Swoosh.Seawater washed over Simon's body. He realized his head was buried in the sand.He couldn't understand what was happening. He pushed himself up with both arms, struggling to sit upright. "……Dick? Mei-rin? Kami? Where is everyone?"Simon called out to his friends and looked around, but the three of them were nowhere to be seen. He was all alone here.Swoosh.Simon's gaze belatedly turned towards the sea. The incoming seawater was red. "!"Simon quickly stood up and looked behind him. His eyes widened at the sight in the thick sea fog.The massive body of the Netherwhale he had just been on was floating far away, belly up. The sea was entirely red from the blood the Netherwhale had spilled. "What in the world happened?"
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