Chapter 16 - I Became the Daughter of the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 16 16 - The First Friend <Chapter 16 - The First Friend> Max and Jessie were both pleasantly surprised and intrigued by the arrival of a pretty child of their age. “Hey, why were you in the ball pit?” “Didn’t want to play with the kids?” “You dummy, girls are shy. She was probably just too embarrassed.” “Ha, shy? More like a loudmouth.” “What? Watch your mouth, or I’ll teach you a lesson!” “Ouch, stop it. You hit my bone!” The children began bickering among themselves. I felt envious. Watching them, I inadvertently thought to myself. “Are you two friends?” “We have to meet because of our parents. Our families’ estates are next to each other.” “And you say I’m the mean one...” Max pouted his lips in a sulk right away. Whether it was him getting teased by Jessie for looking 'cute' when hurt, they really did seem like close friends. “I’m sorry for startling you earlier. I just like to hide when I’m in a new place…” “Ah, I get that. It’s annoying when strangers bother you and you just want to run away.” “Are you two on your way to take the entrance exam?” The two little ones tilted their heads in unison. “Us?” “We’re only ten years old, you know?” “Really?” “How could ten-year-olds take the entrance exam?” “It’s already tough for twenty-year-olds.” A hint of disbelief flashed across both children's eyes. “Are you on your way to take the exam?” “For real?” I felt like I had misspoken. As I nodded cautiously, admiration followed with exclamations of “Wow!” and “That’s amazing!” It was a familiar look. It reminded me of when remastered Pokémon stickers were released, and I used to collect them in a notebook—the envious gazes from everyone when they saw a rare sticker. “What’s your name?” “Oknodie.” “That’s a strange name.” “How can someone be named Oknodie?” I thought so too. “Our brother is fifteen and he’s going to take the entrance exam. It’d be great if Oknodie passed instead of him.” “Why?” “I just want to tease him for losing to a ten-year-old.” I didn’t want to be cheered on for such a reason. But, talking with these two made me realize it was quite enjoyable in its own unexpected way. Before I knew it, night had fallen, and time had passed unnoticed. “Oops, we should be going now.” “Hey Max. Go get your little brother quickly.” Like a café's vibrating buzzer, Max’s communicator rang, and he tiredly picked up a child who seemed barely a year old and was nodding off. “Abubu” “Hey, put that down. You can’t take the ball pit balls.” “Abubrababa!!” “Argh, don't push with your hands!” “Pfft. You’re so bad at taking care of kids.” Jessie scoffed, and Max’s face turned red as he tried to pry the ball from the determined child’s grip, resulting in quite the scuffle. “It’s like a security blanket.” Jessie commented from the side. “My mom said that children over 12 months old often have an attachment object they can pour their love and interest into instead of their parents. Since there are no such toys or items here, he must’ve taken the ball pit ball as a substitute.” “Jessie, you’re really smart.” “Tch, don’t expect anything just because you compliment me.” Her tail might as well be wagging. But something about that ball pit ball seemed off. I felt strangely drawn to it and wanted to check it out. “Should I take it?” “The ball pit ball? Why?” “I still have to be here for a while.” “You’re here to take care of a kid?” “Leaf said she would come if she waits.” “Leaf?” “That’s the maid's name.” “She must be cute. But that child is very greedy; will you be okay?” “Let’s find out.” I caught the baby’s eye. “Hello, little one?” “Oomah? Kyakyakya!” The child’s eyes sparkled as they reached out for my golden hair. As they clutched onto my hair, the ball pit ball naturally fell to the ground. Thanks to that, I easily secured the ball, though a few strands of my hair seemed to have been pulled out by the child’s grip as Max tried not to drop them. “Sorry. Is my little sibling too rough?” “It’s fine. It doesn’t really hurt or anything.” “You seem so mature. Is that why you’re taking the entrance exam? You’re the same size but you seem like a full adult. I would’ve been so annoyed, I wouldn’t even be able to smile.” It’s because I am an adult. Anyway, after seeing off Max and the child, and Jessie, I picked up the ball pit ball that the child had been holding. The ball was slick with drool and felt weirdly unlike the other ball pit balls. To put it precisely, it didn’t feel like it had any weight. It felt like something else in the shape of a ball pit ball. Indeed, this was familiar. I knew the identity of such objects. ‘Isn’t this a stat stone?’ It was a possibility. I had never been to the Kids Zone on my musclebound male character playthrough. It wasn’t all that surprising if there was a stat stone I didn’t know about. ‘Guess I’ll find out if I eat it.’ I wiped the drool off on my sleeve and opened my mouth wide to swallow it in one go. Gulp. It went down smoothly. Just as I thought. That sensation, it was definitely a stat stone. ‘Which stat increased, I wonder?’ Upon enrollment at the academy, even without the status window available to players, I can check it with the academy’s magic. I can’t wait to get in. While I was contemplating, my gaze met Jessie's, who had her hands over her mouth. “I came back because I forgot something...” In Jessie’s hand was a small pouch. In other words, the timing was bad. “Oknodie...? Why did you swallow the ball pit ball?!” “Ah, aah, you see, the thing is…” “We need to get to a healer, a healing teacher, right away!” Jessie pulled me along with frantic tugs. It was unlikely for a body with an estimated strength of 29 to be dragged along by this much force, but rather than Jessie getting injured from pulling, I decided to relent and let myself be dragged to the emergency room. What if Leaf returns in the meantime? Hmm, well, I can always go back soon. It should be fine, right? * * Leaf, having found a way to infiltrate the gambling den, returned to the Kids Zone only to discover the empty ball pit. She realized that the lady's chronic game of hide and seek had started again. This time, she seemed to have hid quite cleverly but, as someone who had also been dispatched as an assassination instructor, Leaf knew how to find her. I am confident in my ability to find someone hiding. "Hehe. Madam, I can hear your breathing. Could you be hiding behind the curtain?" Swoosh "No...you wouldn’t choose a cliché hiding spot like inside a wardrobe, would you?" Creak "Considering this is the Kids Zone's nap area, if you hid under a bed, that would be commendable." Slide "Today, Madam has quite the skill in hiding… A good challenge indeed. Hehe." The solitary game of hide and seek in the deserted Kids Zone went on for some time. * * The emergency room, set up for urgent patients, had various facilities and specialized healers on standby. From priests skilled in healing magic to surgeons proficient in operations, as well as therapists treating various symptoms—the experts were all present. 'In the game, if you got injured and rushed to the emergency room, a random doctor would be assigned, which could result in bizarre treatments or even wrong interventions.' A skilled priest could set bones right but not a lowly one. Knowing the risk, to me, the emergency room was the fast track to becoming a 'ruined character,' and Agio, a low-ranked priest on night duty, was both a mocker of broken bones and the harbinger of fear. “Your friend swallowed a ball, you said?” “Yes! Please do something quickly!” “Hmm. He seems to be older than five, is he registered? Please press your palm on this Mana Board.” What is this? A new feature not in the game? As I pressed my palm onto the stone slab that resembled plaster, my hand sunk in, leaving an imprint. Intricate magic symbols emerged on the slab, forming geometric patterns, syncing with familiar inscriptions like 'Communication,' 'Record,' and 'Analysis.' What kind of magic is this? “This can’t be!” “What is it, Doctor?” Could it be a power level-measuring spell? Perhaps my power level is actually 530,000. “To think at this age, you are a stateless person, not registered in the International Arcane Identity Archives!” Power level measurement? It was identity verification magic. “Whaaat?! Could there be some mistake, Doctor? Oknodie rode here with a butler and secretary on an airship and is even preparing for the Academy’s entrance exam!” Hearing Jessie’s words, the doctor chuckled and rose from his seat. “Right, it’s more likely that a malfunction occurred with the relay device. There’s no way there would be parents who didn’t register their child when they’re nearly ten years old.” Laughing heartily, the doctor left the room, and before long, serious-faced doctors were seen conversing on the other side of the transparent glass in the hallway outside. Nurses also emerged, looking over here in rumblings, greeting awkwardly with their hands when our eyes met. “Oknodie, are you really not registered?” “I don’t know!” “Ehh? You’ve never used the free talent assessment provided by the identity registration magic circle that comes with registration?” “I don’t know what I don’t know. No one ever taught me about this magic.” “Not even the butler you came with? Or the maid?” “Yep.” Jessie’s expression now mirrored the severity of the doctors outside. [Attention please, an announcement.] [A guardian is searching for a child. Blonde hair, about 133 cm tall, slender figure, dressed in an adventurer girl’s set with a ribbon headband, approximately ten years old.] [If you find the child, please hand them over to the nearest staff member.] Oh no. “It looks like Leaf is looking for me. I need to go back.” “Don’t go.” “Jessie?” “Mom and Dad told me. A household that doesn’t register their child is not a normal one. Oknodie’s family is not normal.” “Hmm.” I had that thought myself. But does it really matter? They provide for me and trained me. It’s not easy to find a father in a Random Papa Event who helps this much. In my personal experience, he’s one of the best fathers I’ve encountered in all the stories I've been part of. “Papa’s not bad. I’m grateful for what Papa has done for me. I always thank the given trainers, Jona and Leaf, for their help.” “Training? What kind of training require that you neglect such basic identity registration?” “Things like sword dueling? Or sprint intervals that alternate between running full speed and walking? And shooting arrows at squirrels tied to targets or rabbits in cages?” Jessie’s face turned pale. Her focus wavered as if she was looking at a victim child from an abusive household who had gone through inhumane treatment. “Let’s run away.” “What?” “If we get caught, Oknodie, you'll be in trouble again.” A sense of mission kindled in Jessie's eyes. A Word from the Author (Author’s Note) Did you know? A day on Venus lasts 243 Earth days. That's right. To a Venusian reader, if a terrestrial author uploads daily for 243 days, it would essentially seem as if they received 243 consecutive updates in just one day! Therefore, the Rare Teddy Bear warmly welcomes Venusian readers. For the same reason, residents of Jupiter with 9-hour 53-minute days are not welcomed. Not producing updates every 9 hours doesn’t make it a daily update, and the thought scares me.