I Became the Academy's Turn-Based Swordsman - Chapter 55

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 55: Are You Listening?

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Iris Hall, the female dormitory.

“Cecil says she doesn't want to see Halibal.”

“Is she still not fully recovered?”

“No. She fully recovered yesterday, but...”

Late at night, I was talking with Senia at the dormitory entrance.

Things had been awkward between us at first, but before I knew it, we had started speaking casually to each other.

There was only one reason I was loitering around the female dormitory at this hour.

The practicum would end tomorrow, yet I hadn't seen Cecilia even once over the past five days.

I knew she had been bedridden.

The same had happened to me.

I couldn't leave my bed for three full days, so I had no choice but to accept Aren's care.

My condition improved over the next two days, but my mind was a mess, so for the first time, I shut myself away in my room.

Aren's glare whenever he saw me loafing around was pretty fierce, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Watching someone laze around without any motivation was bound to put anyone in a bad mood.

Aren was human too.

Then I suddenly realized that I hadn't written our practicum report.

Cecilia had originally been responsible for it, but she had ended up bedridden.

At the very least, I needed to check on its progress.

That was why, with one day left before the practicum ended, I had called Senia out through the dorm supervisor.

“She said she's too embarrassed to see Halibal.”

“...?”

“She was worried she might have made a mistake because of the medicine.”

‘A mistake?’

She hadn't done anything wrong.

If anything, we survived and cleared the dungeon thanks to her awakening.

She had nothing to be embarrassed about.

‘It can't be helped.’

“Okay. Thanks for letting me know. Tell Cecilia I said hello, and tell her I'll write the report.”

I would have to stay up tonight and finish it.

Just as I turned to leave, a voice stopped me.

“Ah... Halibal. Y-you came...?”

Cecilia had somehow come outside the dormitory.

“Cecil. Are you okay?”

“Mhm... Sis. I'm okay. Thanks for worrying about me.”

She was wearing pajamas with a blanket draped around her shoulders, an outfit I had never seen in the original game.

Maybe she still hadn't fully recovered, because her cheeks were flushed red.

“Did you... come to see me?”

When I nodded, a small smile settled on Cecilia's lips.

Seeing her smile made the tangled thoughts in my head calm down a little.

“Are you really feeling okay?”

“Yeah. My fever went down yesterday. I'm just... a little embarrassed.”

She fiddled with the edge of her blanket and avoided my gaze.

“Um... I didn't do anything weird while we were fighting, right?”

“What do you mean, weird?”

“It's just... my memory is a little hazy. It feels like I had a dream...”

For a moment, I remembered her licking my hand, but I didn't bring it up.

“No. Not at all.”

“Ah... okay.”

Instead, I changed the subject and brought up the reason I had come.

“Still, just in case, I'll write the practicum report. Go back inside and rest.”

“Oh, right. Now that I think about it, there was a report. I'm sorry. I should've taken responsibility and written it...”

“It's fine. I can do it.”

“But there were two bosses in the Doll Dungeon. It would be hard for you to write the part about Lilian alone.”

I had been planning to fill that part in however I could.

After all, our credit for clearing the Doll Dungeon wouldn't disappear just because the report was a little lacking.

I would probably be guaranteed first place even if I only wrote our names down.

Cecilia thought for a moment, then squeezed her eyes shut and spoke.

“Then... do you want to come in?”

“?”

Excuse me? Come in where?

“Cecil?”

At Senia's and my shocked reactions, Cecilia frantically waved her hands.

“N-no! Don't misunderstand, both of you! It's only so we can write a perfect report! We won't have another chance to write it together unless we do it today!”

“Are you out of your mind, Cecil? Do you know what time it is? You're letting a man, Halibal of all people, into the dormitory?”

“But, Sis! The report is due tomorrow! I can't let Halibal lose marks because of me.”

“That's your problem.”

The two sisters argued for quite a while.

I was stuck between them, unable to say a word.

‘...What about my situation?’

Eventually, Senia turned to look at me first.

It seemed they had reached a conclusion.

For some reason, though, a playful smile rested on her lips.

“So, what will you do?”

“...What?”

“Will you enter the room where two girls your age are staying at this late hour, or won't you?”

“Are you coming or not?!”

They both looked up at me at the same time.

Hmm.

Birds of a feather flock together.

Wasn't Senia the one who tried to stop this at first?

Looking at her now, it seemed like Senia wanted me to come into the room too.

No, but was I an idiot? Going into the female dormitory this late at night?

‘Does that make any sense?’

If I got caught, I would be punished without question.

But...

Maybe it was the night, the situation, or simply the fact that we stood in front of the female dormitory, but something strangely alluring emanated from the two of them as they looked up at me.

I had forgotten because we had been put through the wringer in the dungeon lately, but these two were among the most beautiful girls in the academy.

They were directly inviting me into their room. Wouldn't refusing make me a complete idiot?

My self-justification started working at full speed.

‘Right. It should be fine as long as I don't get caught.’

I wouldn't stay long. I would just write the report and leave. Both of them would be there, so nothing could happen anyway.

“Phew.”

Mm. Mm. Right. Right.

“...Do you have anything I can use to cover my face?”

Still, I had to take precautions.

⁎⁎⁎

Avoiding the dorm supervisor, I snuck into the sisters' room.

Of course, nothing inappropriate happened.

The two of them had probably invited me half-jokingly, half-seriously from the beginning.

I could see it as a small act of rebellion by two young noble ladies trapped in the stifling routine of dormitory life.

Once inside, I looked around.

Honestly, I had held some expectations because it was a dormitory used only by girls, but the room was more ordinary than I had expected.

‘It's not that different from Aren's room.’

Even the placement of the furniture and layout of the space were exactly the same as my room.

Were all noble dorm rooms like this, regardless of gender?

Senia brought me a cup of tea and some apples.

Over the years we had spent together, I had learned that she simply liked apples.

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since I had been served apples.

Then Senia looked at me suspiciously.

“...What is it?”

“Hm?”

“That reaction. Halibal, have you been inside another girl's room before?”

“No?”

It was true.

I had never been in a high school girl's room, not even before I fell into this world.

After that, we spent time as we always had when I met the two of them before entering the academy.

We had tea, snacks, and fruit, talked about the dungeon, and shared our thoughts on this Follower class.

Only after an hour or two had passed did we finally begin writing the report, our original purpose.

As the scratching of pens filled the quiet room, Senia stretched.

“Halibal, I'll wash up first.”

“Sis. Could you stop saying things people might misunderstand?!”

“Hehe. That's up to me.”

Senia hummed as she entered the bathroom, leaving only Cecilia and me in the room.

The scratching sound continued.

“...This was when Moon Domain unfolded, and the mana in the area began intensifying.”

Cecilia's voice sounded as normal as ever, but for some reason, she was far too close.

At some point, she had moved close enough that she was nearly pressed against me.

“...Then my Core awakened. Are you listening?”

“...Yeah.”

Her silver hair gently spilled over my shoulder.

I could hear her excited breaths beside my ear, while an unfamiliar softness brushed against my back before pulling away again and again.

‘Phew.’

This wasn't something I was proud of, but I was more oblivious than people expected.

No, I didn't think so myself, but people had always said I was oblivious.

Still, even an oblivious person who couldn't understand what her actions meant right now wouldn't be human.

The truth was, I had known from the beginning.

[Affection Level: 5 (Max)]

Even in the original game, once Aren experienced Bond events with the heroines, the way they treated Aren visibly changed.

It was no different from Affection Level.

So now, I knew for certain.

Cecilia Ren had feelings for me.

That was why I deliberately didn't turn to look at her.

I focused all my attention on the pen and paper in front of me.

Starting tomorrow, the Follower assignments would reset, and I would form a party with a new Follower.

When that happened, I would need to build a new relationship with another playable character.

I had no idea what consequences that might have in the future if I formed a relationship with Cecilia that went beyond being comrades.

So, at least for now...

I couldn't accept her feelings.

“...Halibal.”

“...”

“Really... nothing happened?”

She whispered quietly into my ear.

“In the dungeon, I mean. I didn't... really do anything to you?”

“Yeah.”

“I see...? That's a relief...”

For some reason, the soft sensation against my back showed no sign of moving away.

Instead, she began resting her head on my shoulder.

“Still, it's strange. I think I dreamed that I was... begging you to praise me...”

‘That wasn't a dream.’

I swallowed the words that nearly slipped out.

Cecilia suddenly took my hand and brought it to her cheek, just as she had that day.

“And... I think something like this happened too.”

The back of my hand against her cheek was incredibly warm.

“...Hey.”

“...”

“Halibal.”

Cecilia raised her head and looked up at me.

Her flushed cheeks and slightly unfocused eyes faced me from unbearably close.

“You know, I...”

Just as she opened her mouth as though she had made up her mind, a chilly voice sounded from behind us.

“So, what sort of report are you two writing, exactly?”

The bathroom door opened, and Senia watched us as she dried her steaming hair with a towel.

“It's not a report on the creation of life, is it?”

“S-Sis. W-when did you come out? You should've said something if you were done washing!”

“I did.”

“...Huh?”

“Three times.”

Cecilia's face turned so red that it looked ready to burst. She hurried into the bathroom with quick little steps.

Watching her go, I let out a sigh of relief.

‘...Saved.’

Still, just before the bathroom door shut, she glanced back at me.

Her expression plainly showed her disappointment.

Once Cecilia disappeared into the bathroom, Senia sat down on the sofa with a pout.

“So.”

“Yes.”

“How far have things progressed between you two?”

“...Progressed where?”

“You don't need to be embarrassed. There are plenty of people in the academy who became couples through Follower class.”

She sighed.

“Ugh. I'm sick of it, though.”

‘Right, you probably would be.’

I hadn't found it so bad.

Then, as if she had reached a decision, she stepped closer to me.

She wasn't as close as Cecilia had been, but she wasn't far away either when she made her declaration.

“Halibal.”

She took another step forward.

“Please choose me as your next Follower. I want a fair chance too.”

“...If I get the chance.”

That was what I said, but I couldn't choose my next Follower from within the same class anyway.

The instructors would reveal that information tomorrow, so even Senia probably didn't know it yet.

Still, Follower class only lasted two sessions.

Maybe I should consider choosing Senia after that.

Fortunately, Cecilia's forward attitude eased a little after that.

She must have been swept up in the charm of the night in her own way too.

We successfully finished the report afterward, and when we came to our senses, the clock had already passed three in the morning.

From five o'clock onward, the dorm supervisor would begin making rounds in earnest, and girls who liked training, including Ran, would start waking up one by one.

At four in the morning, I said a brief goodbye to the two of them.

“...Halibal.”

Cecilia called out behind me.

“Sorry... Now that I think about it, today was supposed to be your turn to decide how we spent our time... but I was selfish until the end.”

She was referring to the 15-day rule.

For half the month, I used our shared time as I wished. Cecilia used it for the other half.

As she said, today had originally been a day when I could do whatever I wanted. I probably would have gone to a dungeon.

I said one thing to her as she looked downcast.

“You don't need to be sorry. I was using my time too.”

“...What?”

“Tomorrow... no. Today, I'll see you at the academy.”

Leaving only those words behind, I lightly vaulted over the wall.