The next morning.
I slipped into the classroom just barely before being late, same as always.
The classroom scene wasn't much different from yesterday.
Numerous cadets' gazes focused on me, and Kaiser was no longer just avoiding eye contact—he looked ready to burrow into the ground.
Luna was still staring at me with clear interest. Artel, sitting in the front row, silently raised her hand in greeting.
…Hmm? But something felt missing?
When I got to my seat, I realized what that off feeling was.
Yuria, in the seat next to mine, was nodding off with her head drooping.
'What's up with Yuria?'
No way she awakened the [Sin of Sloth] trait too, right?
Of course not.
She must've been worn out from yesterday's elective class.
I carefully pulled out my chair so as not to wake her and sat down.
"…Ah."
But she must've sensed my presence, because Yuria lifted her head with a sleepy voice.
"Good morning, Jeron…"
"Hey, Yuria. You look tired. You okay?"
"Yeah… I didn't sleep well last night… Yawn…"
"Geez. You've gotta get proper sleep. What if you doze off during class?"
At my words, Yuria bristled.
"Isn't that rich coming from you?! And this is because of you…!"
"Huh? Because of me?"
"N-No, forget it…"
She made a pouty face, then stretched out her arms and slumped over her desk.
"It's not really your fault, Jeron… I just feel kinda weird lately…"
'Poor thing.'
I looked at the dejected Yuria with sympathetic eyes.
She must've stayed up late studying on top of being tired from her first elective.
Yuria wasn't quite as intense as Artel, but she was the diligent type.
Compared to her, I had a truly rotten ability.
Effort actually made me weaker, so yeah…
'And I don't really need magic practice either.'
By the original setting, casting magic involved all sorts of complicated processes.
Mastering and optimizing those was key, they said.
But for me, magic just fired off with a skill click sensation.
I used magic, but had no idea how?
My body handled it naturally on its own.
It was standard in the game, but in reality, this was a huge advantage.
'Still, I need to experiment more with [Magido Slash]. Need real combat experience too.'
Had to hit the dungeon next weekend anyway.
And deal with that 'old man,' the one to watch out for.
Of course, I had confidence from countless battles in [Stella Academia].
But reality and games are different, right?
Variables could pop up anytime.
Plus, dying here meant game over for real, so maximum caution.
'Today's elective will be perfect for it.'
I'd planned to skip today's class originally.
No real merit for me.
But now that I had [Magido Slash], there was merit.
'Looking forward to it.'
With that thought, I planted my head on the desk and dozed off.
Gotta do what needs doing.
***
"Jeron, Jeron. Wake up, time for lunch."
Shake, shake.
Yuria woke me, so I opened my eyes.
On the first day, she barely touched me and just poked with her finger, but now she boldly shook me awake.
"Mm… Already that time?"
[Slothfulness +200!]
I stretched and leisurely eyed the message floating before me.
Result of sleeping straight through four periods—200 minutes excluding breaks.
Watching me, Yuria looked purely curious.
"Jeron, how do you sleep a whole half-day straight? Did you not sleep last night or something?"
"I slept fine last night…"
"I barely slept and now I'm wide awake… Were you a koala in a past life or what?"
Not a koala in a past life, but a chronically fatigued office worker plagued by sleep deprivation.
Always chugging energy drinks and coffee.
Not so much from heavy workload, but from pulling all-nighters on [Stella Academia].
'Guess I'm catching up on all that lost sleep here.'
But like Yuria said, the sleep came unusually easy and sweet.
Felt like I could keep sleeping forever, no matter how much I got.
The trait description didn't mention anything like that, though.
'No way constantly stacking slothfulness actually turns me slothful for real?'
That'd be a problem.
I was slacking to get stronger, not to lose all drive and become truly slothful.
Had to steadily push main quests at key points, or various bad endings awaited.
Build affection with characters, clear quests, collect hidden pieces…
But couldn't work too openly—had to pretend to be slothful, laid-back, carefree on the surface.
'Totally a swan situation.'
The swan gliding gracefully on the lake looks chill, but paddles furiously underwater.
That was me exactly.
Then,
Thud.
Someone tapped my desk, snapping me from my thoughts.
…She always shows up like this.
I looked up, and as expected, Artel was gazing at me.
"…Jeron."
"Hey, Artel."
"Want to grab lunch together, if you're okay with it?"
Oh? Artel personally inviting me to eat.
Guess my truancy yesterday really boosted her affection.
"…"
I was about to accept, but caught Yuria looking a bit downcast beside me.
Sensing my gaze, Yuria forced a smile.
"Go ahead, Jeron… I'm fine eating alone…"
Didn't look fine at all.
And I had no intention of ditching her anyway.
"Artel, mind if Yuria joins too?"
"Sure."
"What?!"
"Introduce yourselves. Good chance to get acquainted."
At my words, Yuria jolted in surprise and froze.
Artel silently stared at her.
Their awkward face-off. I'd seen them near my seat before, but this was their first real exchange.
"Nice to meet you."
Artel spoke first.
"H-Hello! Lady Artel? N-No, Cadet Artel? Artel…?"
Yuria fidgeted, unsure of the proper address.
As the noble lady from a prestigious house, magic department idol, and top-ranked entrance exam taker, Artel must've seemed intimidating.
But Artel responded surprisingly calmly.
"Just call me Artel."
"G-Got it! Artel…! Call me Yuria too!"
Yuria replied, thrilled.
"…You can drop the formalities."
"N-No, this is how I'm comfortable! Our family always uses polite speech, so it's stuck with me…"
Yuria waved her hands as she spoke.
'This is amusing.'
I chuckled, watching Artel and Yuria.
Rare sight in the game.
You could raise affection with both separately, but never met them together.
Saw Artel resting yesterday, their chemistry today.
Perks of soul-possessing the game.
Anyway, we headed to the academy cafeteria for lunch.
But with Artel and Yuria awkward around each other, I naturally ended up in the middle, flanked on both sides.
Left: Yuria. Right: Artel.
Striding with two stunning beauties drew massive aggro.
"Isn't that Jeron?"
"The bottom-ranker who beat Kaiser?"
"Already got two girls… And Artel too?!"
"Gasp…"
Passing cadets whispered about us.
Of course, one cold glare from Artel shut them all up.
Maybe because of that, an awkward silence hung over lunch.
Finally, Yuria mustered the courage to break it.
"Um, Artel, what elective are you taking this afternoon?"
Artel thought for a moment, then answered shortly.
"…'Signature Magic Development.'"
Yuria's face lit up at the reply.
"Oh? I'm taking that too! Jeron said yesterday he was… So all three of us have the same one today?"
Electives included minors like Yuria's major 'Basic Spiritology' that only some took,
But there were also popular majors most magic department students shared. Last time's 'Great Beast Magic' was one, and this afternoon's 'Signature Magic Development' another.
'Signature Magic Development…'
I pondered the class while eating.
Signature magic.
Exactly as named: developing your own unique magic. One of [Stella Academia]'s core contents.
Kaiser's Crimson Flame Arrow, Artel's peculiar ice magic—those were signature magics.
Of course, elites like Kaiser and Artel had theirs already, while most cadets created theirs in this class, suited to their aptitude and talent.
In the game, players used it to create new skills, strengthen existing ones, or practice skill-based combat.
Of course, I already had [Magido Slash], a 0-tier signature magic.
And I was a total magic illiterate, so creating new ones was a pipe dream.
So today, I planned to experiment with [Magido Slash] in various ways and get combat experience using it.
I'd scrapped with Kaiser, but that hardly counted as a real fight.
'And gotta check that for sure.'
What I was most curious about.
The utility tricks I often used in the game.
Would they work here too?