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We arrived in the forest and began searching for the wild boar.

“Where could the wild boar be?” Stella asked, looking around at me.

“It’s probably near where the traps are set. We should wait around that area.”

“Alright, then we need to find the traps!”

With that, Stella dashed deeper into the woods, her little feet pattering along enthusiastically.

“Wait, if you go alone…! She’s already gone.”

Stella really acted her age, bursting with energy. Was she this eager because she wanted some wild boar meat? It hadn’t been long since I met her, but it seemed she had quite the appetite. This was an interesting revelation that hadn’t been clearly hinted at in the game. I thought I might need to charm her a bit more later.

After a few minutes of walking slowly, Stella came back, her hands full of something.

“Hey, why are you back? What’s that in your hands?”

“Munch munch, ah, I got some sweet potatoes for you.”

Stella’s mouth was already stuffed with sweet potatoes.

“I was saving those for bait to lure the wild boar…”

Stella’s eyes widened, and she began to sweat nervously.

“Munch munch… gulp, no! I just found them on the ground and picked them up…”

“How can you eat raw sweet potatoes like that…”

“Ugh… By the way, should I put this back?”

Stella was clearly trying to change the subject, feeling embarrassed, so I decided to let it go.

Now didn’t seem like the time to tease her.

“No, I don’t think you need to.”

“Huh? Uh, wait, why are you grabbing my wrist?”

“Never mind that! Just drop what you’re holding and come with me.”

I pulled Stella and climbed up a nearby tree.

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden… ah!”

At that moment, a massive wild boar appeared right where we had been standing. It started sniffing and chomping on the sweet potatoes.

“That’s way too big! If it’s that size, even a Siberian tiger would go down in one hit. Is that a mountain spirit or something?”

Gulp.

I heard a swallowing noise, and there was Stella sitting on a branch beside me, her eyes sparkling as she stared ahead.

“Is that the wild boar… fine, I’ll take care of it right away.”

“Wait, hold on…!”

Stella stretched out her hand and mumbled a few incantations, causing a translucent orb that looked like a glass bead to shoot towards the wild boar.

Bam, boom!

But maybe due to poor aim, the orb just swirled around the boar, failing to land a proper strike.

“Grrr!” The wild boar seemed startled for a moment, then charged towards our tree.

Bang, crash.

“Ahh! Is that… real…?”

Stella tried to prepare for a second strike, but the wild boar shook the entire tree, throwing her off balance.

Damn it, I was supposed to finish it off while it was caught in the trap, but now the situation had turned chaotic. The wild boar banged its head into the tree again, causing Stella to lose her grip.

“Whoa, ugh…?”

In the nick of time, I grabbed Stella’s arm, preventing a disaster.

“Ugh, hurry, hold on tight…!”

Finally managing to pull Stella back up, she trembled as if quite shaken by the ordeal. This would be tough to fight in this state.

“Wait here a moment.”

“Huh? Nova, what are you planning?”

Staying any longer would only lead to the tree collapsing. I looked around and jumped to another tree nearby, moving quietly while picking up a rock to get ready to flee, then shouted at the wild boar.

“Come and try to catch me, you pig!”

As soon as I threw the rock, I fled.

As expected, the wild boar charged after me with tremendous speed.

From above, I heard Stella shouting something, but it was too frantic to catch.

It wasn’t like I did this impulsively.

Inside the forest was a surprisingly large pond. If I could hold out in there, I was sure I could survive.

But in the midst of all this, I tripped over a stone and rolled headfirst. It seemed the downhill slope was endless.

“Oof, hack, ugh…”

Tumbling over bushes and rocks, I ended up in quite a predicament. When I opened my eyes and looked up, the wild boar was barreling down towards me as if it didn’t care about obstacles.

“Whoa… it may be massive, but it’s fast. I need to escape quickly…”

I couldn’t move; I must have sprained my ankle. Damn it, why couldn’t I activate my powers yet? Even if I could, copying wouldn’t help me now. What good would mimicking a wild boar do right now?

Just when the wild boar was almost upon me, feeling resigned to my fate,

BAM!

There was a thud as the wild boar let out a grunt and fell, foaming at the mouth, lifeless.

“What’s going on…?!”

Looking up the slope, I saw a girl with purple hair, her blue eyes glowing as she pointed her finger at the wild boar.

[Two days until tutorial starts.]

“Ugh, I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

“It’s alright, I’m fine, really!”

“Still, I almost got Nova killed because of me…”

With a cold glare directed at the wild boar, Stella turned back to me with her purple eyes misty and wrapped her arms around me, crying uncontrollably.

To take down such a huge wild boar in one strike, she really is the powerhouse she seems to be!

“Everyone makes mistakes. But in the end, you saved me, didn’t you?”

When I patted her head, Stella calmed down a bit, the tears drying from her eyes.

“B-but… if I hadn’t taken those sweet potatoes… or if I hadn’t persuaded you to come…”

Smack!

Stella jumped at the unexpected smack to her head and looked at me wide-eyed.

“Idiot! Why are you mumbling like that? Sure, causing a bit of trouble isn’t the best, but you solved the problem in the end, right? At least you took responsibility for your actions.”

“…Responsibility?”

“Yeah, responsibility. Look at all the people who just talk big and don’t follow through. There’s no such thing as a perfect person in this world. You said you’d protect me, right? You really did, so you’re a good person with a sense of responsibility.”

“Responsibility… a responsible person… hehe.”

Stella seemed to feel a bit better, her smile returning.

By the way…

I was sure I saw that blue-eye shine just now. Did she just unlock her ‘unique trait’?

The power was tremendous. The silver magical bullet flew through the wild boar and continued for some distance, leaving a star-shaped mark on the tree. Is this the ability of the ‘Blessing of the Stars’?

In the original story, Stella rained down dozens of these silver magical bullets like shooting stars on her enemies. Furthermore, she could control these bullets to spin and create a massive whirlwind, obliterating her foes. It was said to feel like entering Saturn’s rings, picturing it was terrifying.

“Oh, I’m daydreaming again. Are you still hurting?”

“Yeah, no, I’m fine, really?”

Suddenly, I felt my body floating into the air. Is this even possible?

“Let’s hurry home; you need to get treated.”

“Wait a sec, I need to grab this.”

“Eh? Oh! Wild boar meat!!”

Saying that, Stella levitated the wild boar, just like I did.

“We’ll have a feast for dinner tonight. Isn’t that great, Stella?”

“Th-that’s not it! I mean…!”

“Sure, sure, it’s for the villagers, right?”

“Yeah! That’s it, it’s absolutely not because I want to eat it!!”

Having miscommunication clarified (or not?), Stella hummed merrily as we headed back home. But carrying this was quite the weight.

*

When we reached home, my mom was taken aback when she saw the wild boar.

“Goodness, what is this? How on earth did you catch it?”

After I roughly explained, my mother scolded me with a stern expression.

“Well, still, you shouldn’t go in that forest recklessly! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? And, Nova, you persuaded Stella to go with you!”

As she said that, Stella, who had been hiding behind me, glanced nervously between my mother and me. My mischievous side kicked in.

“Uh… it was her idea…”

“Yes, it was my idea.”

???

At that moment, three question marks seemed to appear above Stella’s head.

“I must have been really hungry for wild boar meat. I’d never admit it, but I’m a bit of a glutton myself. Plus, I wanted to brag to the villagers about it.”

“No matter how you put it, how can you act so thoughtlessly like that!? And craving wild boar meat? Is it worth risking your life for? Get a grip!”

Hearing this, Stella’s face turned red.

“By the way, what would you have done without Stella? Look at your ankle, it’s swollen! Oh, for goodness’ sake…”

Feeling a pang of guilt, Stella’s face fell, looking like she might cry.

“Hey, why the long face, Stella? Were you really that scared? It’s okay, come here. You went through a lot because of Nova, didn’t you?”

“Th-that’s not it…”

“Let’s have a meat party tonight with all the villagers!”

!!

Stella’s expression turned into that of a startled rabbit, and she muttered ‘meat’ a few times before grinning broadly.

*

Munch munch, nom nom.

Amidst the lively atmosphere, Stella was energetically devouring the meat. Besides the food, she seemed to be in great spirits.

The villagers gathered around, thanking Stella and me. I always did like being complimented, so it made sense that I encouraged this sort of thing. Still, it was crucial to give a serious warning since this was a rather reckless stunt.

But ultimately, being able to see this smile made it all feel worthwhile.

Through this incident, most of the villagers learned about Stella’s magical abilities. They were amazed and complimented her, saying they’d be envious if she ever went to the Academy.

Of course, she’d be going there, too, as the apprentice to the Archmage! What sets Stella apart from other heroines is that she appears as a teaching assistant in the Academy instead of a student. She’s recognized for her achievements and fame, teaching even at a young age. In the story, it was often through learning from Stella that others grew alongside her.

Thinking this over seemed strange. When did Stella meet the Archmage and become a student?

In the original, there was no mention of how the two protagonists separated and then reunited at the Academy. From what little dialogue there was, I could only gather they were childhood friends, but with so many loose threads in the plot, it left many questions unanswered.

As I focused on my thoughts, glancing at her, Stella seemed to notice and shyly looked back at me.

“Uh, what’s wrong? Am I not eating well enough?”

“… Here, take this.”

For Stella to offer me food, especially the wild boar meat she craved—this was quite the surprise! Seems like my words had pricked her conscience a bit.

“… What’s with that look? Are you calling me a real pig?”

“Not at all! It’s just nice to see you enjoying your food.”

“… You’re not joking, right?”

“What’s with the defensive tone? Here, eat this.”

“Alright, thanks!”

So simple-minded, it’s easy to tease her.

 

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