The very moment I was about to open [The Tale of the Seven Demons].
[Diligent behavior detected!]
"Eh?"
The system stopped me.
Ah.
No way—did it just classify 'reading' as diligent behavior?
Damn. It really doesn't cut you any slack in everyday life.
Feeling a twinge of regret, I slipped the book back into my subspace pouch.
Even with 1000 points of sloth at my disposal, I couldn't waste them on something as trivial as reading a single book.
'Oh, maybe it's because it's the weekend.'
Yeah, come to think of it.
On a rare lazy weekend, lying cozy in my dorm bed—suddenly deciding to read?
And not some web novel or comic, but an ancient tome like this?
That does sound pretty diligent.
Sloth is relative to the situation, after all.
Sleeping in bed at night is just rest, but dozing off in class is pure sloth.
So, I'll try reading it at the academy tomorrow.
With that, I put my thoughts about [The Tale of the Seven Demons] on hold for now.
'That said, tomorrow's the day, huh.'
The day the Magic Department's second major character finally makes her entrance.
[Stella Academia] had one or two key NPC characters per department.
The Magic Department, being one of the largest alongside Swordsmanship, had two.
One was Yuria, as everyone knew.
The other hadn't arrived at school yet.
Tomorrow was the day she'd first show her face.
But I was a little worried.
'The kid's a bit tricky.'
Key characters all had their quirks.
Just look at Karen Stark.
Yuria, with her normally kind personality despite being a key character, wasn't called the Demon Princess for nothing.
But this one was especially peculiar among them...
Even in the game, she was hard to predict.
'Hope it goes smoothly.'
With that in mind, I drifted off to sleep.
***
The next morning.
I barely made it to class on time, as usual.
"Good morning, Jeron!"
And in the seat next to me, Yuria.
She looked refreshed after a good weekend rest, greeting me brightly.
"Morning, Yuria. Have a good weekend?"
"Yes! I played with the spirits a bit... and reviewed what we learned over the week. What about you, Jeron?"
"Oh, you know, this and that."
Took care of some old geezer, beat the Skeleton King in a dungeon, that sort of thing.
Of course, I couldn't get into those details.
I vaguely said I'd tackled a dungeon with Artel and Karen.
"Ah... I see. With Artel..."
Yuria's face darkened ever so slightly for a split second.
But she quickly shook it off, clenching her fists with determination instead.
"I'll train harder too and get stronger! Then next time, you have to take me along!"
The way she said it, like a puppy begging its owner for a walk—it was adorable.
"Of course."
I smiled back.
It wasn't empty words; I genuinely hoped for it.
Grow up quick and become my personal chauffeur already.
Just then, Professor Kate entered and started morning roll call.
"Quiet down, everyone. Starting this afternoon, a new cadet will join Class 1. They're a week late due to personal reasons, so help them adjust."
After roll call, during the brief time before class.
Yuria leaned in with curious eyes and whispered.
"Jeron, do you know who the new cadet is? I only heard they're from the Magic Tower..."
The Magic Tower.
The continent's largest organization and research institute for mages.
Its members were all above-average talents.
Usually, academy graduates sought jobs there, but this was unusual—a Magic Tower-raised mage coming to the academy.
"Someone our age from the Magic Tower... They must be an elite. I wonder if they'll fit in okay?"
As Yuria murmured worriedly.
"The name's Ciel Ifrit. Raised in the Magic Tower since childhood."
Artel had sidled up to my desk unnoticed, adding details.
"She placed 4th in the entrance exam, but word is she wasn't even trying her hardest."
Artel's info was spot on.
It matched perfectly with what I knew from the game.
As expected from a noble house lady—her information network was top-notch.
That aside, when did this girl sneak up?
She blended into the conversation so naturally, I thought she'd been there the whole time.
Did Karen teach her some stealth steps yesterday or something?
"Of course, entrance rankings aren't everything, but she's definitely an exceptional mage... Urk, why are you staring like that...?"
I eyed her curiously, and Artel flinched, turning her head away.
Normally, she'd be buried in a book even during these scraps of free time.
But approaching like this, chatting with friends?
Unthinkable in the game.
Good, good—this was a healthy student's vibe.
I flashed a proud dad smile.
"No reason. Just looks good on you."
"L-Looks good...? Saying stuff like that so casually..."
The tips of Artel's ears flushed red again.
'...Again?'
No, this reaction was coming too easily.
Sure, it was nice to look at, but it felt off.
It wasn't even praise for her magic skills, so why?
In the game, Artel only got shy from magic compliments.
That was the only 'praise' interaction available.
'Huh, maybe that's it?'
She hasn't had many friends, so she's not immune to casual compliments?
It wasn't in the game, so I couldn't be sure, but I let it slide.
I had something to ask Artel anyway.
"By the way, any big events this week?"
In the game, time didn't flow day by day.
It mostly skipped around key events, so while you knew the order and rough timing, exact days were unclear.
Hence, real-world confirmation was needed.
"Sigh. Jeron, you haven't even checked the schedule? Fine, well..."
Now calmed down and back to her usual self, Artel sighed and was about to explain the upcoming schedule.
Ding-dong-dang!
Unfortunately, the class bell rang.
"Later."
"Ah..."
Artel bit her lip with faint regret as she returned to her seat.
'Bummer.'
I felt it too.
Still, I could hear it during the next break.
I was about to nap instead.
When Yuria tugged my sleeve lightly.
"Jeron, want me to tell you?"
I nodded.
The next professor was entering, but Yuria leaned in anyway.
"...There are two big things this week."
She whispered in my ear like it was a secret.
Her breath tickled, carrying a pleasant scent.
"First, club recruitment in two days."
'Club recruitment.'
I repeated it inwardly.
[Stella Academia] had tons of clubs, some offering special rewards or hidden quests upon joining.
I had one in mind—perfect timing.
"And on Friday, practical spars kick off for real. Not just within the class like last time, but ranking matches against all 1st Year Combat Department cadets."
'Placement Exams.'
The prelude to the infamous ranking battles.
The trigger for clashing with other departments' cadets.
Stella had ten departments matching the class count: seven combat, three non-combat.
Combat: Magic, Swordsmanship, Martial Arts, Divine, Assassination, Dark Magic, Special Ops.
Non-combat: Crafting, Alchemy, Support.
Practical spars pitted you against cadets from all seven combat departments.
"Thanks, Yuria."
I whispered back in her ear.
She giggled as if tickled.
Come to think of it, Yuria's voice was amazing.
Great in-game, but even better in reality.
Soft, soothing, putting you right at ease.
In modern times, she'd be a star ASMR YouTuber.
'She'd crush it with read-aloud content.'
As that thought crossed my mind, a brilliant idea flashed.
'Wait. [The Tale of the Seven Demons]—that...'
The mysterious book I couldn't read last night due to the system.
'...What if I ask Yuria to read it?'
Totally slothful genius.
Do it.
***
After lunch that day, I quietly pulled Yuria aside.
"Yuria, mind doing me a favor?"
"Sure! What is it?"
We headed to the academy's quietest, sunniest bench under an old tree.
I pulled [The Tale of the Seven Demons] from my subspace pouch and handed it to her.
"Could you read this?"
"Huh? The book?"
"Yeah... I wanna hear it, but reading's a hassle... Eyes are tired too."
"I-Is that so?!"
[Sloth +5!]
Yuria panicked a bit but took the book.
"Um... If that's what Jeron wants..."
She sat beside me on the bench, cleared her throat, and began reading in her clear, gentle voice.
"Long, long ago, there were seven demons who disrupted the world's balance. The first was 'Gluttony,' devouring all in its path..."
'Oh, it works!'
Thankfully, just listening didn't trigger the system block.
Warm sunlight, cool breeze, Yuria's lilting voice.
'Heaven on earth?'
Perfect combo.
But listening made my body go limp.
'...Maybe lie down a bit.'
That'd boost sloth even more, right?
As I started reclining on the bench.
Something glimpsed through the leaves caught my eye dead-on.
Sleep vanished.
Silvery-gray hair, golden eyes gleaming like a feline's.
A girl crouched casually on the thickest branch, cat-like.
The Magic Department's second lead, the Magic Tower's genius.
Ciel Ifrit.
"Hello─."
She gazed down at me with a sleepy greeting.
read upto 130 chapters at NovelsHub.org