Chapter 283: The Lesson People Get From the Past is That They Get No Lesson at All

"Long time no see, Classmate Muen."

Just as he stepped out of the bell tower, Muen saw, under a tree not far away, a pretty girl leaning there.

Her brows and eyes looked somewhat familiar. She wore a third-year uniform and seemed to be waiting here specifically for Muen.

"Senior Fanny?"

Recognizing who she was, Muen asked curiously:

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to congratulate you."

Senior Fanny smiled. "To be honest, your sudden selection for this roster really startled me. You scored eighty on the Magic Theory exam before—I still feel like that happened just yesterday. So I was even thinking of asking if you had any kind of secret to improving this fast."

"No, I should be the one congratulating you, Senior."

Muen clicked his tongue:

"I didn’t expect Senior to be this amazing."

Fanny Sawyer.

A third-year senior who, a few months ago, tried to recruit Muen into the Magic Arts Club, and also the very first name on today’s roster.

Judging from how she could stand so openly in such an eye-catching spot, that slot of hers likely left almost no room for anyone to object.

"So, are you regretting it?"

Senior Fanny blinked playfully:

"I heard that Anna Kaplin withdrew from school. How about reconsidering joining my club?"

"I’ll pass, but thank you for the kind offer, Senior Fanny."

Muen declined with a smile:

"I don’t exactly have time for any club activities lately, and I haven’t withdrawn from the Ancient Potions Club, either."

"Oh? So that means Classmate Muen is now the president of the Ancient Potions Club? How interesting. I hadn’t heard that Classmate Muen was actually well-versed in potions."

"Give me a break. I still can’t even manage the most basic identification of potions. I’m just..."

Muen looked off into the distance, a touch of gentleness surfacing on his face:

"I just don’t want that place to disappear."

"I see..."

Senior Fanny looked at Muen, a bit dazed.

Under the warm winter sun, Muen Campbell’s handsome profile was washed with a faint halo, outlining lines that were angular yet extremely soft.

Although she considered herself indifferent to this duke’s son, she had to admit that in the looks department, he really did deserve all that worship from so many first-year girls.

Ka-cha.

Hm?

What was that sound?

As if he’d suddenly heard something, Muen frowned, his gaze swinging toward Senior Fanny.

But her expression remained perfectly normal.

"I was actually just joking earlier. I can’t invite you to the Magic Arts Club now anyway, because I’ve already withdrawn from it," Fanny [N O V E L I G H T] said with a smile.

"Withdrew? Why?"

"Because I joined another club."

"What club could possibly win such favor from Senior Fanny?" Muen was slightly surprised.

"Well..."

Fanny’s eyes drifted a little:

"Strictly speaking, I’m also one of that club’s founders. I’m not the president, though... As for what club it is... it’s a bit inconvenient to tell Classmate Muen."

"Inconvenient?"

Muen didn’t understand.

Could the Academy have some club it can’t show people?

And with how outstanding Senior Fanny is—she founded a club, yet isn’t its president?

Ka-cha ka-cha.

"...By the way, Senior Fanny."

Muen’s eyes swept the surroundings, taking in, bit by bit, the bare trees, the walls, the flowerbeds, and the densely-leaved shrubs, as he spoke in a tone that seemed casual:

"Those three younger girls who like to follow behind you—where are they?"

"You mean Emma and the others?"

"Yeah. I’ve actually wanted to meet them."

The winter wind blew gently, and Muen heard the rustling friction of leaves.

"During the last exam, they kept supporting me, didn’t they? So I wanted to thank them face-to-face," Muen said with a smile.

The rustling of leaves grew more urgent...

"Well... those three are a bit timid. I’m afraid they don’t dare see you."

"Hm? Am I that scary?"

"No, I think it’s for other reasons..."

For some reason, Senior Fanny seemed a bit halting.

"Is that so?"

As if he hadn’t noticed her oddness, Muen strolled forward like he was taking a walk, then stepped past her, ambling—seemingly at random—to the patch of... snow-covered dense shrubs by the tree behind her.

"In that case there’s no helping it. Since they don’t want to meet, I’ll just... take the initiative myself!"

Muen’s movements suddenly sped up. His figure all but became an afterimage. Before Senior Fanny could react, he thrust his hand into the shrubs and yanked out what was hidden within—

A rabbit.

Huh?

Muen stared, dumbfounded, at the cute little white rabbit in his hand, still chewing on leaves.

Not what he’d thought—just a rabbit?

His eyes slid to the name tag on the rabbit’s neck. Listening to the ka-cha ka-cha of the rabbit’s chewing, Muen’s mouth twitched hard.

Damn it, who the hell keeps such a normal rabbit at the Academy?

Wasn’t the Academy’s top-two favorite-pets ranking supposed to be the Kurs Serpent and the Telly Three-Headed Hound?

"Hm? Classmate Muen, what are you doing?"

Senior Fanny blinked and asked curiously from the side.

"Sorry, my mistake."

Muen set the rabbit down and awkwardly changed the subject:

"It’s getting late. I’ll head back to the dorm."

"I happen to be going that way too—together?"

"Of course."

The two left together.

This area fell quiet again.

Then, not long after, right where Fanny had been standing, the tree she’d been leaning on suddenly twisted strangely.

The realistic camouflage props fell away, and the tree flopped down limply, revealing... three girls stacked up in a human pyramid.

"Phew, that was close."

The girl on top shaded her eyes with a small hand and peered into the distance at Muen’s retreating back, letting out a long breath.

"We were almost discovered."

"Uu..."

The two girls below wobbled and let out pained groans.

"Since he’s gone, can we get down now? Emma, you’re heavy."

"Heavy? You guys are just too lazy to train! I’ve said it already—if we want to carry forward our glorious club and organization, stamina is essential!"

The twin-tailed girl, Emma, hopped down from on top, gave a little wave, and that cute little white rabbit sprang into her arms, nuzzling her chest with uncanny intelligence.

"Good girl, Mumu. We really owe you this time."

Emma stroked the rabbit’s ears.

"Well? Did it work?"

At this, the other two girls crowded over, faces tight with nerves.

"Relax. When I take the field, it never fails."

Emma splayed out her five fingers, and a clear image blossomed from her palm.

Image-Capture Magic.

And the person in the image was, of course... Muen.

"Heh heh, thanks to tireless practice, my Image-Capture Magic can now take a hundred frames per second! No one in the whole Academy is faster than my hand speed!"

Emma said proudly.

And it wasn’t just fast. The frames she captured—whether lighting or composition—were perfect, bringing out the handsome, striking charm of that blond man in the image to the utmost.

It even felt like the aura surpassed the real person.

"That’s great!"

Arwa pumped her fist in excitement. "With these photos, we can go swindl—no, attract new members again!"

"Yeah, it’s just a pity..."

Amy sighed in regret. "If Senior Fanny hadn’t been covering for us, we definitely would’ve been discovered. Otherwise, how could we be short on photos?"

"About that..."

Arwa turned, looking at Emma in puzzlement:

"Since Classmate Muen wanted to meet us of his own accord, why don’t we get his consent and then openly take pictures?"

"Idiot!"

Emma rapped Arwa on the head, hating iron for not becoming steel:

"How could doing it openly ever have the same st—stealthy results? Some shots have to be caught on the fly to be perfect!

Besides, as single-target stans, aren’t we supposed to support him quietly from the shadows? If we stand in front of him on purpose, how are we any different from those gaudy hussies who want to fawn over him just because of his status?"

"I see..."

The two looked at Emma with faces full of admiration. "That resolve—worthy of you, President."

"Heh, put the small stuff aside. We’ve got something more important!"

A glint flashed in Emma’s eyes as she asked:

"Have the betting odds come out?"

"They have!"

"What are they?"

"Twenty to one."

"Twenty to one again?"

Emma ground her teeth. "Those guys—seriously looking down on people."

Last time they lost so badly they all wanted to jump off the rooftop, and this time they still haven’t learned!

"Bet! We’re betting too!"

"How much?"

"Everything! Allowance! Living expenses! Savings! Including the dues we’d planned to use to expand the club!"

"But that includes Senior Fanny’s portion that she deposited..."

"Bet that too!"

Emma thrust out her chest and lifted her chin, domineering:

"In our Muen Campbell True-Love Underground Support Club, I’m the president!"

...

"Hm? The newspaper came out this fast."

On her way back to the dorm to begin today’s training, Ariel suddenly stopped, raised a hand, and snatched from the air a newspaper that dropped after a bird skimmed past.

"Truly that green-hair from the News Club. But this time he’s handing out papers for free—has he turned over a new leaf?"

Ariel flipped open the paper. The most eye-catching page, as expected, carried today’s matter in the auditorium regarding the slots to the Holy City.

Only, for the first six candidates, the paper merely mentioned them in passing. Most of the space was spent analyzing and speculating on why Muen Campbell got selected and whether he could endure the subsequent challenges.

Ariel skimmed rapidly and curled her lip:

"Looks like the vast majority think the same as me—that Muen Campbell is done for this time."

This wasn’t a conclusion born of her subjective dislike of that guy, but a perfectly normal analytical result.

After all, a class slacker suddenly pulling a high test score might only be a bit surprising, but the scrawniest bean sprout in class suddenly punching into the sky the academy’s notorious school tyrant—no, a whole group of school tyrants—that was extremely impossible.

You can study in secret, but getting stronger has to have a process. Ariel had climbed to the top of her grade one steady step at a time, too.

And you, Muen Campbell, are sleeping every day—what, you can cultivate in your dreams?

"Hm, another betting pool? On whether Muen Campbell can successfully endure to the end. Odds... twenty to one?"

Ariel’s breathing instantly grew heavier.

"No, no. I’m spending Liya’s money right now—how could I use it for something like this?"

Ariel shook her head, snuffing out the thought she shouldn’t have, flicked the paper, and headed for the dorm.

But as she walked, her steps slowed to a stop, her eyes wavering as she bit her lip.

"But... I want to pay Liya back sooner, too."

"The result’s so certain this time—there shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

"I’ll just put in a tiny bit. A tiny bit..."