The Summoning Genius of the Necromancer School
Meilin scrunched her face.
"Ah, shut up. By the way, what brings you all the way to the girls' dorm?" Simon smiled broadly and clapped his hands.
"Meilin, you look great today. Did you do something with your hair?"
"Hey!!" She flushed and shouted.
"Stop with the smelly compliments and just tell me what you want!"
Simon answered immediately.
"Let's study together this weekend."
"Ha, I knew you had an ulterior motive."
Meilin sighed, covering her forehead, and crossed her arms with a blank expression.
"Why should I? I prefer studying alone."
"But it would be nice to study together. Our strong subjects are different, so we can ask each other questions... Ah, of course, you excel in all subjects, but teaching others will help you remember better too."
"That’s true, but..."
She pretended to think for a moment before asking, "Who else is coming?"
Simon counted on his fingers.
"Kamibarez said she would come right away, and Dick went down to Rochester but said he would be back by the afternoon at the latest."
"Got it. I have some studying to do, so I can't come right now, but I'll drop by in an hour or two."
"See you then."
After parting with Meilin, Simon asked the caretaker for permission and headed to an empty classroom.
He gathered four desks and opened his textbook. 'The setup is done, should I give it a try!' As Simon stretched and prepared himself, a knock sounded at the door.
"Simon! Are you here?"
"Ah, Kami. Come in."
The door opened with a click, and Kamibarez, dressed in casual clothes, entered the classroom.
Wearing a bright pastel-colored dress, she smiled widely and sat down across from Simon.
"I can't believe we can study together on the weekend! I'm so excited!"
Simon blinked.
"You really love studying, huh?"
"..."
She rolled her eyes and suddenly turned her gaze to the textbook Simon had opened.
"Oh! Are you studying hematology?"
"Yeah. Since you're here, I thought I'd start with hematology. I have a lot of questions to ask, is that okay?"
"Yes! Yes! Ask me anything!" Kamibarez smiled brightly as she took out her summoning studies textbook from her bag.
"Then can I ask you questions too?"
"Of course! I don't know how much help I'll be, but at least I can think through it with you."
The two immediately began studying for their exams.
It was peaceful.
The only sound in the classroom was the scratching of quills, and a cool breeze from outside swayed the curtains.
For a moment, it felt like a perfect space, and Simon paused to take a deep breath.
"Simon~" At that moment, Kamibarez called out to him.
"I don't understand this."
"What is it?" Simon checked the problem she had marked with a star.
His face lit up.
"Ah, it's a zombie-related question! You solve this using the decay formula."
"The decay formula?"
"Yeah, I just learned about it yesterday..."
Excited by the familiar problem, Simon began to explain.
Kamibarez tilted her head, listening intently.
"You apply the formula like this. But if you read the problem again, it says the season is hot and humid summer, right? Decay happens faster in summer, so you need to consider the acceleration value..."
'.......' Kamibarez stared at Simon with wide eyes.
The wind blew in through the window, ruffling Simon's hair and the hem of his shirt.
He had a slightly furrowed brow, focused on explaining, and the prominent veins in his arms showed when he rolled up his sleeves.
For a moment, he stumbled over his words, pondering how to explain, but then he smiled brightly like a child.
"So, you can solve it by adding like this. Got it?"
When Simon looked up and asked, Kamibarez jumped in surprise and replied, "Yes! Yes! I understood! I need to consider the decay formula and the seasonal acceleration value, right?"
"Exactly! I'm glad you understood."
Simon smiled warmly before turning his gaze back to the problem he was working on.
She placed a hand on her chest and let out a small sigh of relief. '...
Ah, it feels harder to concentrate now.'
The two resumed their study session, asking each other questions and finding answers.
Simon, who had never studied at school before entering Kizen, found Kamibarez's know-how very helpful.
"Make sure to check this part. Professor Silaji repeated it three times."
"Got it."
Just as Simon opened his notebook to jot down the points Kamibarez mentioned, the door suddenly swung open.
"Hello, everyone!" Meilin waved as she entered the classroom.
"You’re here?"
"Welcome! Meilin!" The two greeted her cheerfully.
"Thanks for having me. Since we're in the same group, I'm here to help you out. If one of you gets expelled, it will be hard for the rest of us to manage the group."
Meilin mumbled as she sat down and took out her things.
Simon was surprised to see the textbooks and notebooks she pulled out.
He hadn't paid much attention before, but it seemed she had a considerable amount of study material, with more than two or three notebooks for each subject.
She laid out her notebooks and tied her hair back with a hair tie before filling her quill with ink.
"But this place is really nice~" Meilin looked around and said.
The space was spacious, there was little noise, and a cool breeze made it a perfect atmosphere for studying.
"I think it's better than the study room in the dorm. You’re glad you came, right?"
"...... I don't know."
She awkwardly looked around as she took out her textbooks.
Simon and Kamibarez exchanged glances and quietly laughed.
"Anyway! If you have any questions, just ask."
Meilin said, glancing at Kamibarez's textbook.
There was a problem marked with a star.
"This one uses the decay formula."
"Yes! Simon explained it to me!" Meilin blinked.
"Kami, you really don’t know the decay formula? With your score in summoning studies last test, it’s obvious you should..."
In that moment, Kamibarez's face turned bright red as if she had been caught.
"I-I didn’t know!!"
"Ah, you scared me."
"Actually, I knew a little about the decay formula, but I got the answer wrong! I didn’t know how to apply the seasonal value! So, um..."
Suddenly mumbling excuses, Meilin looked at her with a 'What’s wrong with her?' expression.
Simon was too focused on solving the next problem to hear them.
Knock, knock.
Just then, a third knock sounded at the classroom door.
Simon said, "Yes, come in."
"......."
But there was no response.
The door did not open.
"Simon."
Meilin set down her quill and turned her head.
"Is someone else coming?"
"Now it’s just Dick. But he went down to Rochester, so he probably hasn’t come back yet. Who could it be?" Simon stood up and approached the door.
Then—
- Woob! Woobooob! Woob!
A strange sound came from beyond the door.
"W-Who is it?" Kamibarez shrank back, looking scared, and Simon raised his palm to signal that it was okay before opening the door.
"Me ha! Pli Yelz!"
"Dick!"
Dick stood there, holding a large box in his arms and chewing on some packaging.
"Ha ha!" He set the box down on an empty desk.
"What’s all this?"
"Things for the next duel evaluation. And!" Dick tossed something.
As Simon returned to his seat, he quickly raised his arms to catch it.
"Snacks to share!"
"Yay! Thank you, Dick!"
"Uh-huh. You’re quite perceptive."
Dick placed various snacks he had bought in Rochester on the desk.
"Hehe, you have to eat something while studying for exams, right?"
"Those who say that usually don’t study well."
Even as she said that, Meilin was the one tearing open the packaging with the most enthusiasm.
"Hey! Dick! How do you open this?"
"Just start with something else."
"I want to eat this!" Meilin was struggling with the packaging of her favorite grain cookies.
Seeing this, Simon reached out, took the packaging, and smoothly tore it along the perforation.
"......."
Feeling embarrassed, Meilin took back the packaging and muttered a small 'thank you.'
"All done! Let’s eat!"
"I’ll enjoy it!"
"Thank you for the meal, Dick!"
Though Dick called it snacks, it was more than enough for a meal.
There were desserts and snacks, even fried chicken.
The four of them chatted excitedly as they ate.
"But didn’t you say you were going to Rochester? You came back quickly."
Simon nudged Dick's elbow.
Dick, with a piece of fried chicken in his mouth, smiled cheerfully.
"I just checked on the progress! It’s exam time, so I have to study a bit too."
"When I went to the necromancer shop, the owner asked about you. He wondered when you’d get expelled from Kizen."
"Hahaha!" At Simon's joke, Dick chuckled and shrugged.
"Hmm, I am the top candidate for the Rochester Merchant Association."
"Then hurry up and get out of here. Why are you studying for exams here?" Meilin said, tearing open two snack packages at once.
Dick waved his finger.
"Well, I need to be a Kizen student for the business to proceed."
"By the way, Dick! Since we’re on the topic, what kind of business are you preparing?" Kamibarez asked.
"I have a lot of preparations, so it’s complicated to explain, but the simplest one is a delivery service."
"A delivery service?"
"Yeah. Even on weekdays, there might be things that need to be bought in Rochester right away, right? I can’t just sneak down like Simon or anyone else every day. So, I take orders for the needed items, make a list, and then bring them in with the dorm supplies the next day."
Simon blinked.
"Have you talked to the dormitory about this?"
"Of course! I discussed everything with the dorm manager. I even made a pamphlet for the ordered items."
"That’s amazing, Dick!" Just then, Dick’s hand, reaching for a castella, sliced through the air.
"Uh, what? Where did the castella that was here go?" Dick looked inside the packaging but found it empty.
He looked at Meilin with pure astonishment.
"Wow, did you eat it all by yourself? Are you a pig?" Meilin's face turned red as she snapped back.
"What? A pig? Do you want to die?"
"You said I couldn’t study, but look at how much you can eat."
"I haven’t eaten anything since last night!"
"Ahahaha! Don’t fight!"
Though the exam study felt somewhat sidelined, Simon felt a deep happiness in this moment of laughter and chatter together.
He wondered how it would have been if he had experienced school life a bit earlier.
Knock, knock, knock.
Just then, there was a knock at the classroom door.
Everyone's gaze turned toward the door.
"Hey, Simon. There’s no one else coming, right?"
"Yeah. Really no one."
Simon stood up and walked to the door.
"Who is it?"
Then a voice came from outside the door.
"It’s me!"
"......?" The moment Simon heard that lackluster and blunt response, he froze as if the stop button had been pressed in front of the door.
Could it be that girl’s voice...? No, but why is she here? As Simon’s mind raced, the door swung open with a click.
A small girl with shimmering silver hair appeared, waving her hand and smiling brightly.
"Hi, Simon! Long time no see!"
His prediction had become reality.