Episode 8: The Moment the Protagonist Saw Me as an Enemy

TL: lime
ED: Spynine01

“Next week, we’ll be holding an intra-school competition to see if the knowledge, skills, and magic you’ve learned up until the first semester of your second year will be useful in actual combat.”

As the first semester neared its end, Ms. Maguire stood at the lectern and suddenly announced an event that would benefit only the protagonists of the story.

In a competition like this, where we are divided into groups, I’m almost always the one who’s left out from any group.

On the other hand, this is a stage for a wider range of interactions between the main characters lurking within the school year, which is sure to be a rough time for them.

Let’s watch the end of the story, whilst feeling unhappy that I’m in the same grade as ‘The Hero Lute’.

Well, it’s clear that I won’t get away unscathed from this though.

This is because Lute does not take it easy on his classmates, even if they have just learned magic.

The reason is quite simple.

I heard him deluding himself that his power was within the range of an ordinary person, and so he almost killed a delinquent in his class during the first few days of his time here.

I wanted to complain that he finally realized his power level after defeating the demon king, but I didn’t want to be seen as his enemy from the very beginning of his school life, so I just kept quiet.

“Please begin grouping up together!”

Maguire-sensei clapped her hands and said so.

I don’t know why she’s always so abrupt, but well she is.

In addition, I thought that this was the kind of grouping that we mobs are most uncomfortable with, but surprisingly, everyone was forming a group together, and the only one who was uncomfortable with it was me, a Mob D.

I was completely isolated.

My daily routine had backfired.

I should have befriended at least one of my classmates.

I regretted it, but I knew it was too late.

As I look up from my slumped position on the desk, I look around one more time to see if there’s anyone around to be my partner.

“———Ehehe, I’m here☆.”

A voice called out to me from nearby.

Dorothy, who hadn’t been there until just a moment ago, was sitting next to me without a sound.

In contrast to me, who was taking the situation very seriously, she was smiling adorably.

“Eh… seriously?”

“I’m serious, I’m not going to team up with anyone else without my dear friend Helios-kun.”

If I can be honest, I’m happy.

I’m happy enough just to be in a group with such a cute, strong, and capable girl, including the fact that she’s also my friend.

If there was a man who could resist this, a war would break out immediately.

When I looked at the seat in front of me, my gaze met Lute’s, who was looking back at me suspiciously.

This is the first time he clearly recognized that Dorothy was actively involved with me, even though she hadn’t been smiling much at him lately.

(…my …death seems to have been confirmed today…)

———The worst thing that I had avoided so far has finally come to pass.