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180. Be My Mentor!

Last night’s dream that Luska had was likely not just a simple dream. Given the new abilities she is about to awaken, it cannot be overlooked.

The Yoho tribe becomes energized under the full moon. And for Luska, who can be dubbed a masterpiece, there’s a great possibility she can draw out even greater power.

Thanks to this, Luska can now easily handle the challenging Divine Beast Transformation. In fact, despite the full moon rising last night, she didn’t go on a rampage but remained composed.

She has not only gained control over that power but has also awakened another ability.

<Future Foresight>

This skill had primarily been useful whenever I played as Luska.

The already top-tier physical prowess of Luska only enhances her versatility.

Damage, Tank, Speed. Moreover, Luska can take charge of both close and ranged combat, truly deserving the title of a broken character.

And on top of that, Future Foresight?

‘Thinking back, it seems like a blend of being broken and a gangster.’

Of course, that’s only true when we’re talking about maxed-out specs. Right now, she’s merely at a stage where she can’t fully unleash that ability.

Last night, its manifestation was more like a prophetic dream than anything definitive.

However, the content of that dream is the real problem.

`Didn’t it clearly say that I would be reduced to dust and die?`

『Wow… Is that true? Just like before, the Yoho tribe really is on another level.』

`Do you know something?`

『I’ve seen a lot of Yoho tribe folks during my long wanderings. That guy seems to have some talent too, as he awakened similar abilities from being close to the moonlight.』

Even if it’s a great ability, it probably wouldn’t be as outstanding as Luska’s, but it proves the Yoho tribe lives up to their combat-oriented name.

『It’s shocking how casually Papias’s king used to hunt such excellent beings.』

I had an inkling of who they were talking about.

Talema End Hall Papias. Even though he was bisected by Lyman, he’s still a formidable opponent not to be underestimated.

He always loved blood and made it a hobby to wage war with other tribes.

『So what are you going to do? Your death is predestined.』

‘It’s not that there’s no way to avoid it. Usually, prophecies tend to be wrong.’

As mentioned earlier, Luska’s foresight isn’t perfect yet. There’s no rule that it must be ‘me’ dying in that scenario.

Moreover, what Luska possesses is merely foresight. It’s not an absolute future but rather a future that can be dodged.

Otherwise, how could it have been applied as an “evade” tactic in the main story?

‘Still, just in case, I should set the stage properly.’

『How?』

To achieve that, I’m currently engaging in club activities.

The Newspaper Department is excellent for spreading my personal lies.

However, unfortunately…

“Hey everyone, this is important. It looks like I won’t be able to write articles for the upcoming festival.”

The club members gathered around the central table in the Newspaper Department.

The president, Trisha, spoke regretfully, but for some reason, the members seemed happy.

“Really? Then we can take it easy.”

“So I don’t have to come here after school every day?”

“Finally, I can rest.”

“This festival comes once every five years; of course, they’re giving us freedom!”

Cheers erupted from tables here and there among the members.

Trisha was furious at their unexpected response.

“Guys! Aren’t we about to be separated? Why are you laughing?”

Though she had no horns, Trisha might as well have been a goblin in her anger, yet the members only let out awkward chuckles.

“Oh come on, President. If we can rest, we should take it. No need to make a fuss.”

“That’s not it, you guys! We’re about to write a Nobel record for the festival!”

“What??”

When the members asked how they ended up in this predicament, Trisha replied, teary-eyed.

“Remember when I submitted a manuscript to the Divine Literature contest? It won first place.”

“Wow… that’s amazing!”

“Of course, I was thrilled at first. But they thought it was a work from the Aligieri Newspaper Department and are now demanding a record for the Magical Banquet from us.”

The Magical Banquet features numerous events prepared by the students.

Among them, the most popular spots for nobles to kill time are those showcasing ‘drama’.

Not only the drama club but also literary bookstores fall into this category.

Particularly, the Nobel records are a favorite for all ages. Just lying back with your eyes closed lets you enjoy the stories.

In a world without the internet, what other form of entertainment could compare to that?

“So you want us to help with this… is that what you’re saying?”

“Please! I can’t possibly write ten novels alone within the deadline!”

I could think it’s quite demanding. Just the members visible now already exceed that number.

Even though there’s less than a month until the festival, we can manage preparing something.

“Well, considering it was written by someone like the president, we shouldn’t be unable to do it ourselves.”

“Exactly! If we join forces, ten volumes should be done in no time, right?”

Certainly, thinking about Trisha’s first-place-winning piece made it feel like we wouldn’t be entirely lost in literary works.

In any case, Nobel records lean more towards entertainment than literature… it shouldn’t be too difficult.

However.

“….”

“Hey, guys?”

“….”

“Why the silence?”

It’s bothersome.

A waste of time.

With the evaluations urgently needing attention, why must I write some novel?

Their silence was nothing but natural.

“Guys…”

Trisha pleaded desperately, but the members weren’t easy to deal with.

“You and Radon earned extra points on this mission, right? So there’s no need to worry about evaluations.”

“Ah… well, yes…”

“In contrast, we’re busy every second. If you keep forcing us, we might report you to the Student Council.”

“Hey! Isn’t that a bit too extreme?”

During back and forth exchanges between the members and Trisha, I cut in boldly.

“Wait a minute, senior, did that literary club really insist they wanted to see our works?”

“Yeah… I was surprised when I just received the message from the Vice Principal today.”

According to the Vice Principal, the literary club has developed a curiosity about our Newspaper Department’s capabilities.

That’s right. It was merely interest. They’re not demanding us to create masterpieces.

Thus, the solution is simple.

“Then we can just whip up some arbitrary work and submit it. Even if there’s only one writing department in the school, throwing such a task on us is genuinely troublesome.”

“There’s still the matter of sincerity. An opportunity like this, coming once every five years, shouldn’t be something to throw out hastily.”

That was somewhat reasonable.

Imagine a cooking competition actively taking place.

While other participants present uniquely flavored and personalized dishes, we’re bringing out rice balls and fried rice, typical student fare.

However, that doesn’t mean we’ll get scolded for failing that competition.

“Senior, we were simply asked to do this, and no one has forced us, right? What if we present a subpar piece and others are disappointed? They asked for it, so the responsibility lies with them.”

“But what will the audience think of our mediocre work?”

“And what if they complain? They’re just here to pass time.”

In this world, the concepts of star-rating assaults or trolling comments do not exist.

And considering Trisha won first place, it doesn’t seem like the literary field is particularly normal.

So we might as well fill it up like a writing factory.

“We just need to write something light. I doubt we need any help from others on that.”

“Is that really the case?”

Upon hearing that, the members’ eyes lit up. It meant they wouldn’t have to participate.

“It’s just as I said. If it’s just casual writing, Trisha and I could handle it ourselves.”

With about three weeks until the festival remains.

Even if we take a laid-back approach, completing ten volumes is a tall order in that time.

To hint at my point about the need for lower volumes, we can still aim for what would be our minimal courtesy.

`Requesting this during such a busy time makes no sense at all.`

Moreover, this isn’t simply about making excuses to avoid work. As mentioned before, writing articles during the festival would be impossible.

Therefore, a substitute is needed, and coincidentally, this novel writing fits that bill perfectly.

It’s obvious that the literary club sought it out, so there will be plenty of advertisements, and surely there will be more than a few people drawn in.

In fact, we might end up profiting more than from putting out newspapers.

“Can we start writing the novel from now?”

“Yep. Here’s the manuscript paper specifically for records.”

Trisha presented to me the magically heated manuscript paper. Thanks to its special coating, it won’t tear or get dirty.

At the same time, I summoned two spirits.

“Whoa!”

“What’s going on all of a sudden!”

Most of the members were shocked at the appearance of the elite spirits.

Ignoring them, I turned to the two spirits and said.

“Alright, it’s your turn now.”

『Huh?』

『What is this…?』

Muto and Aisha, who suddenly manifested and tilted their heads.

I smiled and pointed at the manuscript paper with my chin.

『You can’t be asking us to help you right now?』

“No, you have to write it yourselves.”

『What?!』

『…!!』

Muto and Aisha’s faces turned like they struck lightning.

As the elite spirits fell into disbelief, the members grew curious about their reactions, while Muto naturally got furious.

『What the hell! You can’t just mess with us like this!』

『Indeed. This is slave labor. This is absolutely unacceptable.』

As expected, Aisha jumped in to protest, but the two had no choice in the matter.

“Then how about the mess you made yesterday by spilling food from the fridge and running away?”

『….』

『You should know your place!』

Just then, as Muto was about to act threateningly, the moment I pulled out a droplet from the rain of my illusion, Muto flinched.

“You wanna taste this drop?”

『Ugh…!』

“You know what will happen if you say one more word? Behave yourselves.”

『Damn you.』

『Ugh…』

Ultimately, the two spirits begrudgingly grasped their pens.

Though Muto was technically a snake, he had the wisdom to hold a pen with his tail, and Aisha, being human-based, found no issue writing the manuscript.

*

After the club activities, I stepped outside the main building.

As the cherry blossoms fell and the sun blazed, I sensed summer was approaching.

Now bidding farewell to the cold, I walked while taking off my school uniform jacket.

『Hey, you dirtbag. You’re not seriously planning to only give us work, are you?』

『Can you consider rethinking this? Please…』

As I walked, I naturally caught Muto and Aisha’s words.

Especially since Aisha spoke while trembling, I replied sincerely.

“Don’t worry. I’ll help out too, so you won’t be overworked.”

『That’s how it should be.』

“But is there even a concept of overworking for you two?”

『….』

When pushing to the limit in combat, overworking might occur.

However, ever since I reincarnated, even they have been affected.

Thanks to being able to fully draw forth their strength better than before, there are things I can make them do now that they couldn’t before.

One of those things is manuscript writing.

“Radon!”

Just as we reached the plaza, Jenny called out to me.

Waiting as if she’d been anticipating this, she ran to me in front of the fountain.

“Is the club activity finished?”

“Yep. But Jenny, what are you doing here?”

As I asked, Jenny fidgeted with the back of her neck, feeling a bit shy.

But, showing her usual bright self, she looked up and spoke to me.

“I have a request. Radon.”

“…?”

“Be my mentor!”

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.

 

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