Today's the first day of school at Sylvania.
"It's a new semester, and I'm excited to see the students in a new, improved form and to see the work that has been done by the Sylvania Academic Society..."
However, on the very first day...
Standing outside the Dean's office.
"I almost got expelled."
I didn't expect Pheonia to tell the dean about me.
Though, from the way that cranky old man is talking with a smile on his face...
It doesn't look like she said anything bad.
Anyway, I barely managed to avoid it.
Phew...
Let's be careful.
So that the story doesn't stray from the original.
[COMBAT ABILITIES DETAILS]
RANK: Novice Fighter
SPECIALITY: Bow
BOW PROFICIENCY: Level 1
This was the skill I honed for survival.
And magic training appropriate for a student of the Faculty of Magic.
To get the best combination of the two, there's no better weapon than a bow.
As my life skills become able to create good-quality arrows,
"I'll be able to cast spirit or magic formulas onto the arrows."
Though, of course, spirit formulas are outside...
"?!"
That's when I saw...
JANICA FAYLOVER
A second-year, top-of-the-class, genius spirit sorcerer.
Pink hair, red eyes, and a beautiful figure, studying under the spirit tree "Marilda".
"So you're the amusing guy Marilda was talking about?"
"?!"
"Ed Rothstaylor, right?"
"I'm Janica Faylover. I'm in my second year, same as you. You can call me Janica~"
Huh? When did she get all the way here?
"Ah, are you surprised? Because I know about you?"
"You see, this forest is the territory of 'Marilda,' a high-ranking spirit. I've heard a lot about you from her."
"...The master of this forest told you about me?"
"You see, Marilda's kinda nosy. With her attention all over the place, it's obvious she'd know about an unwanted visitor, right?"
"..."
Unwanted visitor... I thought.
I did... kill a lot of them... standing while holding a rabbit I killed. I cut so many trees, too.
"...!"
Seeing me like this, she said,
"Don't sweat the small stuff~"
"It's the natural order of things for creatures in the forest to catch and eat each other."
She spoke, getting too close to my face.
She spoke again.
"Marilda isn't bothered by something like that either."
I stepped back a few steps because my face was red due to the sudden closeness.
"I guess even a huge wild wolf has a tender heart, huh?"
"Unexpected, right?"
"Ah, there's something I wanna show you."
"Isn't it just cute and adorable?"
She said while showing a spirit in her hand.
"I signed a contract with him yesterday as soon as I saw him."
"Do you wanna try touching him?"
she said.
"A contract? Is it a spirit?"
If I want to be friends with Janica, I just need to chime in at the right time, but...
"I don't know what you mean. I don't see spirits."
"Or rather, I can't."
Her face, which was shining with joy, showed a shocked look, or rather a surprised one.
"You can't see... spirits?"
"Yep."
"Anyway, I came here to get food, so I'll get going now."
I said, while returning back to my tent.
Only by following the original storyline can I gain an informational advantage.
Janica Faylover, someone who holds significant importance in the original storyline, is someone I must never get close to.
Not knowing that I made a mistake when I talked with her, I returned back.
"I guess even a huge wild wolf has a tender heart, huh?"
She thought about our conversation.
"It's just as you said, Marilda. He's a really fascinating guy."
"No matter how much I think about it, I think he really can't see you..."
"Who is he?"
"Also, I tried so hard to be kind to him, but he just answers with 'yep'? What's 'yep' supposed to be?"
"Jeez."
"Well, it's not like we won't see each other again... I can just find out from now on, right?"
She said to Marilda while laying on her body.
The distance between my shelter and the student area wasn't close at all.
I barely made it in time, leaving at dawn and running at full speed.
Huff, huff.
Just by commuting to school, I'm doing something ridiculous that increases my stats.
If I want to win the scholarship, I'll have to study more diligently.
I write on a stone slab using a burned stick and borrow books from the student library.
On my way home, I wash my sweaty clothes for daily wear.
"Will they be dry by tomorrow morning?"
You'd think I'm done for the day after that, but no.
I have to check if I have enough firewood, drinking water, and jerky for tomorrow's lunch.
"Why is the beef jerky fishy..?"
Hm...
I can only sleep for four hours because of this.
But that's not what bothers me the most.
"HEY."
"How long are you going to keep following?!"
"Huh..?! You knew?!"
She is following me everywhere—while going to school, at school, and even now.
"It'd be stranger if I didn't!!"
"Don't you know who I am? I'm Ed Rothstaylor."
"The worst hooligan to exist, Ed Rothstaylor! Why do you keep hanging around me?"
"Well, that's other people's judgment of you, isn't it?"
!!
"I don't even know you yet."
She said while giving the brightest smile I've ever seen.
"..."
Right. Janica Faylover was this kind of character.
She may look naive and dumb on the outside,
but she's really independent-minded.
However, knowing what's in store for her in the future, I just can't respond to her with a refreshing smile on my face.
Because Janica Faylover is the final boss of Act 1.
She's the only character who smiles at Rothstaylor.
"I'm a villain.
I'm a villain.
I'm a scumbag."
I didn't wanna go this far, but...
"In that case, since destiny brought us together, can you do me a favor?!"
I said to her.
"A favor?!"
"As you can see, I'm a mess. I've been disowned by my family, and I'm in a pinch."
"Can you give me some money?!"
"I mean, it's not like I won't pay you back!"
"That's what friends are for, right?! I'm only borrowing it for a bit! How much do you have?!"
Every year, Janica gets a scholarship for being the top of the class. But that doesn't signify her excellence.
Her background is so poor that, without the scholarship, she can't enroll or advance to higher graduation in the school.
The daughter of a small ranch, Janica. Her weakness is MONEY.
"Um..."
"Sorry..."
Janica Faylover.
Cut out.