ANIMT - Episodes 5-7

ANIMT - Chapter 5. I gave it a shot first.

The next morning. As usual, I woke up, went to school, and took my morning classes.

Everything was normal, except that the number on the back of my hand had decreased by one day and now read 182 days left. It seems that the countdown updates whenever I sleep.

I’d like to start making use of my second life right now, but I honestly don’t know where to start. At any rate, I woke up a little earlier than usual, and after looking everywhere for Shiratama, I, unfortunately, couldn’t find him. I have a feeling that he won’t appear for a while, which makes me a little sad.

I was also curious about whoever pushed me down the stairs.

Thinking back on it, the culprit most likely used transparency magic. The spell they cast appeared to be relatively advanced: they had entirely erased their presence. If they had removed all signs of their existence, then it’s no wonder I was completely unaware of them, even though they stood right behind me. It was the most straight-forward conclusion.

They were also able to use magic, which meant that they had permission to do so for club activities, committee meetings, independent practice, or to help the teachers. If I were to take a look at the Magical Permit Registry for yesterday, the culprit’s name should be on the list.

However, that list wasn’t something an ordinary student like myself could easily get a hold of.

So, what can I do next?

By the way, I can’t think of anyone who would hold a grudge against me, especially to the extent that they would try to kill me (or actually kill me). On the contrary, I think I have more reason to hold a grudge against this school than anyone else.

In any case, the search for the culprit will be difficult.

It’s a good idea to have a solid grasp of what you’re looking for.

----So, let’s start with the immediate problem at hand.

“… Okay.”

I let out a breath and knocked on the door of a classroom. This room is the devil’s stronghold for me… the chemistry room.

“Come in.”

“… Yes.”

When I stepped into the classroom, I found Kusaka-sensei sitting at one of the large lab benches, elegantly drinking coffee. Incidentally, it was lunchtime, and there was a sumptuous array of cured meats spread out in front of him.

He told me to come before I had lunch, but he sure was treating himself to a rather fancy one.

“Now, now. You know why I summoned you, don’t you?”

“Is it about the… journal?”

“That’s right.”

After all, I had left yesterday’s journal on the stairs after everything that had happened. When I remembered first thing in the morning, I hurriedly retrieved it and left it, along with a note, on the desk of Kusaka-sensei, who hadn’t yet arrived at the staff room. Thankfully I had woken up early to look for Shiratama! I thought I had submitted the journal in time, but just as I expected, I still got called in.

“I understand that you collapsed and were carried to the infirmary. Tsuchida-sensei, the health teacher, told me about that this morning. But that’s not what this is about. It was still missing a signature. I heard your accident was nothing serious and that you recovered quickly before returning to your dormitory. I’m sure I asked you to deliver this yesterday.”

“… Yes.”

Sure, it was my fault for forgetting and submitting it late. However, if it were any other student, I’m sure this guy would have smiled and forgiven them, saying, ‘Well, if you collapsed, then it’s not your fault.’ I’m the only one he’s overly strict with.

“And the reason why you collapsed was that you ran out of magic power? I’m sure you only used a small amount of magic in class; if that was enough to make you collapse, then you are, indeed, too weak. Even though the amount of magic power varies from person to person, it can be improved by training to some extent. Are you properly applying yourself in your classes? You should train yourself a little.”

“… I guess so.”

“Anyway, you should take this incident to heart. Therefore, as your punishment, I order you to clean all the classrooms on this floor after school.”

“W-Wha?!”

Hey. What did you just say, you glasses-wearing sadist?

“You’re punishing me by making me clean… all of the classrooms on this floor in this wing… all on my own?”

“Yes.”

“… I’m sorry, but that’s impossible. There’s no way I can finish that in the time I have after school.”

I mean, have I even sinned enough to warrant that severe of a punishment?

I was just a little late in submitting my journal, and I even had a good reason for it: I was sick (actually, I was dead).

It was true that this building was the smallest of the four and had the fewest classrooms. The first floor, where I am now, has only a few classrooms in active use, so I can probably clean it by myself if I try hard enough. However, there is no way I can finish in the after-school hours alone. I have to sweep, mop, and lightly wipe down the desks.

“Then why don’t we start now? We still have about half an hour of lunch break. If you want, I can permit you to use magic after school. It won’t take long to move a broom with matter manipulation magic.”

“I can only use movement magic, though… And the only thing I can do with my movement magic is move objects within a meter of me. That would only be good for mopping.”

“What, you still can’t even do matter manipulation magic? Well then, there’s no difference between having permission to use magic or not. If you don’t finish by the end of the day, come back early tomorrow morning and finish then… You can even deliver your journal first thing in the morning. If anything, being able to wake up early seems to be one of your few positive traits.”

----At that moment, I felt some kind of thread-like thing snap in my head.

If I had been my previous self, I would have held it all in and cried while cleaning alone, even though I would be so angry inside that I could burst into flames. I was unable to speak up against this sarcastic demon teacher.

But I had literally been reborn. I’m not going to endure the unreasonableness of the demon glasses in silence any longer.

I purposely lifted the edge of my mouth wide and smiled.

“… I understand and will reflect on my actions. I would like to start cleaning right now.”

“Obviously.”

“Then, for starters, hm… Yes, I’d like to start with the chemistry prep room!”

“Huh!”

Ignoring the unusually distraught teacher, I beetled forward in a straight line to the back of the classroom. But the teacher was one step quicker than me, hurriedly flinging his arms out to block the entrance of the chemistry preparation room.

“This part of the room is fine. Clean another part.”

“Why? You said ‘all classrooms on this floor,’ didn’t you, teacher? Teacher, please continue with your lunch. Relax. Enjoy yourself. I’ll just be cleaning the prep room, that’s all.”

The teacher was visibly distraught; his usually impassive face had disappeared entirely.

I’m not the only one who has been summoned to this classroom many times.

It was easy to see that Kusaka-sensei has practically made this chemistry classroom into his own property. He may be abusing his authority, but he was popular with the students and trusted by the teachers, so no one complained. However, everyone knows that he never allowed students to enter the preparation room.

Everyone seems to think that it’s because there is delicate and valuable equipment stored there, but I don’t think so. There has to be something hidden in that room that the teacher does not want us to see.

Once, when there was no answer to my knock, I peeked into the chemistry room and saw the teacher hurriedly locking the preparation room (by the way, he tortured me relentlessly that day).

I don’t even know what’s inside, as expected, but if he’s going to attack me unreasonably, then I’ll return the favor.

“This is where I store valuable equipment. I can’t let students in.”

“Then why don’t you stay there and keep watch, teacher? I’m just going to clean up.”

“That’s fine. I’ll do it myself.”

“Why, sir? I’m in charge of cleaning this entire floor as punishment. Why don’t you just let me clean there too?”

As the exchange continued, I didn’t take a step back but instead pushed the teacher harder. His face was finally turning pale, so I decided to go for the killing blow.

“Or sensei… could it be that you’re hiding something in this room that you can’t show me… ?”

“… Oh, okay! Okay, that’s enough!”

The teacher shouted as if he couldn’t take it anymore.

“No more cleaning! I’m exempting you! Now, enough of this, go back to class.”

----I won.

“I see. Thank you very much. I’ll be careful from now on. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Thus, I bowed unnecessarily deeply in my attempt to hide my loosening mouth and left the chemistry room.

* * * *

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I walked down the regular building corridor, feeling giddy while suppressing the desire to skip. I was feeling fine in every possible way. The thought of breaking the teacher’s typical scowl almost made me hum in joy.

The sky beyond the window was clear as if yesterday’s heavy rain had been a lie. The sun shone brightly.

Oh, what a wonderful day today!

----Perhaps it was because I was lost in my thoughts, walking while staring out the window, that I didn’t notice the person right in front of me.

“Kya!”

“Wh-what?!”

We collided, and I held my ground, but the other person seemed to have fallen on their butt with a flourish. See Kusaka-sensei? This is something that’s entirely my fault.

“Sorry, sorry! I was in a daze… !”

“No, it’s my fault too… ”

When I saw the child sitting on the floor, I was so surprised that the hand I was extending stopped in mid-air.

She had golden hair coated in particles of light and a petite frame. The person I bumped into was Konoha-san, a girl younger than me, but none-the-less in my grade; the very person whom I wanted to thank again.

----

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ANIMT - Chapter 6. Healing Time

“Um, are you okay… ?”

Konoha seemed surprised to see my face and showed no signs of moving. When I called out to her nervously, she suddenly stood up on her own, as if she had realized what was going on..

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about me. I’m going now.”

“Oh, wait!”

I grabbed her arm this time and held her back as she tried to brush off her skirt and flee again. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass.

“What are you doing? Please let go of me. Right now.”

“Um, first of all, uh, I have something for you! Just wait here for a minute, just a minute!”

I hurriedly jumped into my classroom, which happened to be right around the corner. I retrieved the book (and its dust jacket) from my school bag, and hurried back to return it before she could leave.

Konoha was waiting dutifully for me, and when she saw the book I offered her, her big eyes became even more round.

“Where did you get this… ?”

“You left it on the chair in the infirmary yesterday. Oh, don’t worry, I didn’t look inside it.”

“Oh, so that was where… Thank you very much. I’ve been looking for it ever since.”

She took the book and held it carefully against her chest, wrapping it in a softness that I only got a glimpse of yesterday. I turned to her again, psyching myself up to say it with this current mood.

“I never got a chance yesterday, but thank you. Sincerely, thank you.”

“… I just happened to find you collapsed and called for a doctor.”

“But you waited until I woke up, didn’t you? It seemed like you were worried about me.”

So, thank you. I smiled at her, and she turned her face away as if embarrassed.

With this, my business with Konoha-san is over.

But I wanted to talk to her more. I haven’t had a girl’s talk ever since I came to this school.

“But you sure treasure that book, don’t you? Are you a big reader, Konoha-san?”

Since I haven’t talked to girls properly for a long time (the three dango sisters are out of the question), I don’t know how to keep a conversation going. I carefully brought up the topic of books, and her eyes wandered in confusion. Her gesture was cute, making her look like a small animal.

From a distance, I could see that she was always alone, giving off a kind of aura that kept people at bay.

But I’m sure that what I see before me is Konoha’s true self.

“Well, yes. I like books. They allow me to immerse myself in my favorite worlds. And when I’m reading a… book, I don’t have to deal with the people around me. Makes things easier.”

Her long eyelashes were slightly downcast as she said this, which in my eyes made her look like any other girl of her age, not a solitary genius.

Her words didn’t fall on deaf ears. I’ve been reading a lot more since I started school here. When I get immersed in a good book, I can escape the everyday annoyances. What’s more, I don’t have to listen to the voices of my happy classmates.

I agreed with Konoha inwardly. Though I felt a sense of kinship with her, it would be rude of me to force my thoughts onto her. I’m sure we both have a more personal reason for enjoying them; it would be preposterous of me to assume the two of us are alike.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to continue the discussion, she suddenly raised her head.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been acting so weird… I’m sorry, but I have to go! Thank you for my book! Now off I go.”

“Oh!”

She fumed and ran down the hallway before I could catch her this time.

“… She got away.”

The hallway echoed with my disappointed voice and the empty sound of my stomach, reminding me of the lunch I hadn’t eaten.

* * * *

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“And that’s how it went! I finally managed to fire back at that demon teacher today!”

“Oh. I remember you always said: ‘One day I will one-up that devil in glasses.’ I guess you finally did it.”

“Well, that was a bit noisy, Mr. Umetaro.”

Tea parties in the dorm supervisor’s office after school have become a regular event. In the comfortable tatami mat room, I was enjoying Umetaro-san’s homemade tea cakes and talking about today’s achievements. Umetaro-san sat across from me on the other side of the table, listening earnestly with a smile.

Mr. Umetaro, the “Buddha of the Dormitory,” was a nice old man with a white beard and a soft face. He might’ve been old, but he had a straight back and kind but strong eyes. He must have been a very handsome man in his youth.

“I am happy for you.” Mr. Umetaro commented while adding some more sweets to my plate.

“Is that okay? I’ve already taken a lot.”

“Of course. Because, you know, you taught that young man a lesson. The one who has been tormenting Mitsuba-chan for ages. We have reason to celebrate! I was worried when I heard you collapsed yesterday, but I’m glad to see you’re fine today.”

“Umetaro-san… ”

He’s the real Buddha!

“Yes, I am! I even had a normal chat with some of the other kids today! And, um, the weather is nice today! Today’s been full of good things!”

When I’m with Mr. Umetaro, I become more talkative than usual and my tone becomes a little juvenile. Umetaro-san is too soothing, and I always end up letting him spoil me.

“That’s right. It’s good that the weather is nice. But there’s a small problem.”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Well, it’s been raining a lot lately, so that’s good, but it was sunny today, right? Unfortunately, the area behind the training building has been turned into a hangout by some misbehaving kids, or delinquents as you young folk call them.”

“Delinquents… ”

When I heard this word, I couldn’t help but recall the recent, bitter experience I had with my own red-haired delinquent. My face subconsciously distorted.

“Tomorrow’s Saturday, so there’s going to be some kind of rally? I heard they’re going to hold some kind of a meetup. Regularly.”

“A meeting of delinquents, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah. You know, I have my monthly cleanup of the area around each building on the following Monday. There are cigarette butts, empty cans, and other garbage. It’s been a little hard on my back lately.”

“It would be easier if I could use magic too.” Umetaro laughed with an unusually troubled expression.

In this school, where all the teachers are magicians, Umetaro-san is one of the very few non-magical members of staff. I’ve never asked him why he is the school dorm’s supervisor, but I couldn’t live in a dormitory without Umetaro-san, so I hope he will always be here.

“I’m sorry, you were giving me such great news, and then I started complaining.”

I growled and shook my head at the words that were so caring. I’ve always been indebted to you, so I’d rather you say whatever you want.

But what I can’t tolerate are the delinquents. They’re causing unnecessary trouble for Umetaro-san.

In that case, I came up with a suggestion.

“I’ll help you clean up on Monday! It won’t take long if we both do it!”

“Yeah, but it’s early in the morning, you know? It’s before class starts… ”

“According to that demon teacher, my only skill is waking up early, so I’ll be fine!”

Maybe it’s because I’m in a good mood, but I was able to turn the abominable demon teacher’s sarcasm into a bit of much-needed comic relief.

I’ve always wanted to repay Umetaro-san for his kindness. His presence has saved me many times. I want to repay that favor, even if only a little, with these last six months.

“Well, I’m sorry for troubling you, but I’ll gladly accept your help.”

“Yes!”

“Then, as my assistant, I’ll get Mitsuba-chan permission to use magic. If you use that movement magic you are so good at, you’ll be able to pick up trash in no time!”

Your phrasing is too kind, Umetaro-san.

It’s not that I’m good at movement magic. It’s just that it’s the only magic I can use.

“I’ll make Mitsuba-chan’s favorite red bean soup with rice flour dumplings as a thank you.”

----After all, Umetaro-san is my healer.

----

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ANIMT - Chapter 7. Blood, Dirt, and Weeds

I pointed my fingertip at an empty can lying on the ground, and with a flick of my wrist, it slowly levitated. I pulled the can into the garbage bag at hand with a beckon of my fingers.

In addition to the empty cans, I cleaned up hardened gum, cigarette butts, and dirty pornographic books with one wave of my finger after another.

After throwing the last of the Coke bottles into the sorting bag, Umetaro-san, who was weeding, showered me with applause.

“That’s great. Thanks to you, Mitsuba-chan, we got through this so quickly.”

“I’m also surprised! This is the first time my magic has come in handy.”

It was finally Monday, and as promised, I spent the hours before school helping Umetaro clean up.

I made full use of the only magic I had at my disposal and started the early morning cleanup activities. Waking up in the early hours of the day is a little challenging, but it’s not too difficult when balanced against the prospect of being with Umetaro-san. With the help of magic, cleaning the trash succeeded without a hitch.

All that was left was to carry this bag to the garbage dump a short distance away.

“Well, I’ll take this bag, then.”

“In that case, I’m going back to the dorm manager’s office first to put away my tools. Well, thank you so much for your help, Mitsuba-chan. Look forward to dessert after school today.”

“Thank you, I will!”

I replied good-naturedly and walked out while holding both garbage bags. It would be easier if I could use magic to carry these as well, but it’s challenging to carry them long distances with my movement magic. From here on, I’ll have to rely on some good-old-fashioned manual labor.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Shaking the garbage bag, I walk along the school building’s perimeter. The sky is clear again today, and the sun shone strongly, the telltale sign of the encroaching summer.

A cold bowl of red bean soup would be so nice right now.

As I was thinking about such things, I approached the corner.

“… Hmm?”

I heard someone arguing. I wondered what was going on and ducked close to the wall, peering around the edge.

There were three figures just around the bend, standing in front of the garbage dumpster. Two of them were flirtatious-looking delinquents in badly worn uniforms. As I recall, they were second-grade seniors that didn’t have a good reputation.

And one of them, Delinquent A, grabbed the third person by the arm, causing them to attempt to resist out of desperation.

“Hey, let me go, please!”

“Ugh, so tiny. Hey, did you really get blown up by this small kid in a mock battle?”

“Shut up! That was just a fluke! And it wasn’t just me that got blown up, it was my whole team!”

“Damn it. Everyone was calling her a genius magical girl, and I got carried away a little. ”

I heard a weak scream, “Ouch!” as the delinquent holding their victim’s arm must have increased his grip strength.

There was no way I could mistake that voice. The one who was entangled was… Konoha-san.

Looking at this situation unfolding before me, I guessed that she must have been passing through on her way to do some errands. Unfortunately, these delinquents appear to have caught her while wandering around the school grounds this morning. It’s not uncommon for delinquents to sneak out into the town for the evening and return in the morning, without even going back to the dormitory. Evidently, they had a grudge against Konoha over their placement in the mock competition held back in mid-May.

It was an important competition with simple rules, and it was a test that all students had to undergo. The winner of each bout is determined by whoever earns more points. Both sides do their utmost to win within the set time limit, and the teachers evaluate their teamwork and magical proficiency. To ensure fairness, match-ups are drawn randomly.

It’s hardly worth mentioning, but my results in this game were disastrous. Futaki-kun skipped the event, so I was forced to participate alone. Naturally, the results were one-sided, and I was lucky to earn any points at all.

----Oh, I want to cry just remembering it. It’s become a part of my dark history.

Thinking about it, Konoha-san was also competing alone. She was a notable exception that did not form a team. Despite the handicap, rumors circulated that she managed to earn the highest point total.

If Konoha-san, a younger girl, single-handedly destroyed their entire team, I felt a little sympathy for Delinquent A. But that shouldn’t entitle them to have a go at the girl out of spite.

“Hey, when you can’t use magic, you’re just a little brat. Haha! Hey, what happened to all that power you had earlier?”

“… You look like a dangerous person who enjoys torturing little girls. You look like a lolicon.”

“Don’t make weird accusations!”

Being surrounded by all those delinquents, Konoha-san was shivering. When she couldn’t use magic, she was just a normal girl, so it’s no wonder that she’s afraid.

‘Don’t worry Konoha, I’ll go call for help.’

I put down the garbage bags and stepped out to turn back with that thought in mind, but I quickly stopped myself.

The staff room is in the special building, which was on the opposite side of campus, and it’s also a long way from the teachers’ dormitory. There’s a good chance that the delinquents will take her off somewhere while I’m trying to call for help. Mr. Umetaro has probably already returned to the dormitory supervisor’s office. This early in the morning, the only people at school are students who have morning club practice. The chance that I get lucky and find someone is pretty low.

----But even if I did, there was no guarantee that person would be willing to help.

Even if I begged them, I can’t be certain that anyone would come to help. There are very few people in this school that would ally with Konoha-san or myself. I don’t think that I can find someone in this area who would have a reason to help her.

While I was pondering like this, the situation was getting worse and worse.

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“P-Please give it back! That’s the only… !”

Konoha-san’s voice sounded more urgent than ever.

“What’s this?” Delinquent B asked as he took the book that Konoha-san was desperately trying to protect with her free hand.

“This looks like something important, huh?”

“Huh. This’ll do nicely!”

Konoha-san’s face turned pale as Delinquent B tossed her book over to Delinquent A. Delinquent A lifted the book high in the air with a malicious smile on his face and raised his arm to spike it into the ground like a volleyball.

I felt compelled to act.

“Stop it!”

I raise my voice and leap in front of the three of them with great vigor. The three all turned their gazes towards me, especially Konoha-san, who looked at me with eyes colored in astonishment.

I showed this girl a strong and pleasant smile. I was planning to find someone to help, but it looks like it’s all up to me.

I owe her a debt of gratitude. If anything were to happen to her here, I’m sure I’ll regret not being able to do something about it.

I have six months to live. Why should I live with regret?

“Ah? What the hell, man? What do you have to do with this brat?”

“I’m, uh, her… good friend.”

“Good friend? Wow, I didn’t know you had a friend!”

I didn’t care about him making fun of me; I was too busy focusing on something else. I had a vague plan in mind, something which would rely on the only trump card I could play at this moment.

“Yes, my friend. So, I’m going to have my friend’s precious things returned to her!”

I pointed my fingertips on the book that Delinquent A is holding and pulled it towards me as hard as I could.”

The moment he took his hand away from Konoha with a startled “Whoa,” I folded.

It was just within the one-meter range where I could use my movement magic.

I manipulated the garbage bag behind me and shot it at them like a cannon. Which was, by the way, just under my weight limit for movement manipulation. I ignored the feeling of fatigue that washed over me and ran to Konoha-san, who was stunned still.

“S-She has permission?! Shit!”

“We’re running away Konoha-san!”

Holding the book in my right hand and taking her small hand in another, I ran as fast as I could. Behind me, I could hear them.

“Ouch! Damn, this smells.”

“Hey, they’re running away, chase them!”

As long as I made it to the entrance of the school building, we could get away. We’d be safe.

At least, that’s what I thought, but it seems like God doesn’t like me very much.

“Wah!”

My legs got tangled up, and I fell spectacularly. Somehow, I managed to keep hold of the book and protected it from the hard fall. I quickly tried to get up, but a dull pain throbbed in my ankle. Did I twist it? My knee was scraped and bleeding, while my face and uniform fared no better, now covered in dirt.

“Are you okay!?”

I let go of her hand just in time to see that Konoha-san was safe. As she paled and tried to crouch down beside me, I handed her the book and shouted, “Run ahead!” If we were both caught, it would be the end.

She seemed to think so, too, and after a moment of thought, she said, “I’ll be right back to help you! I’ll be back to help you soon!” and ran off.

… She seemed to have an idea in mind, as indicated by the clear intention I could read in her eyes. If that was the case, then I’ll just have to trust her and bide my time.

“You son of a bitch, how dare you do this to me… !”

The delinquents caught up as I still lay slumped on the ground. They were both furious. I hit them with an especially nasty garbage bag, so fair enough.

People who lack composure are dangerous. You never know what they might do.

Still, I summoned all my willpower and glared at them. Even with what little magic I had left, I could hold them back for a while.

----But the situation suddenly changed.

The trees near me shook with a rustle, and someone then jumped down from the branches. The person who landed with a familiar gesture, shaking his bright red hair, clicked his tongue with a vicious look at our group, who had frozen in surprise.

“I can’t sleep because it’s too loud… It’s grating on my ears, you scum.”

It was Futaki Kitora, who growled in a low voice, clearly expressing his displeasure.

----

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TL Note: Mald Frogs Club tries to capture the intent of the author when translating these chapters. This is not a literal translation and we can not guarantee the accuracy of it. We re-structure sentences to improve the flow and if we spot what appears to be an obvious error, we fix it as we go.