Healing at the Academy convenience store

After Aila left and I decided on my future course of action, I took a two-day break from school.

Fortunately, it’s still an intersession period. Really fortunate.

“Argh, oh my…”

A delayed onset muscle soreness caught up with me. It was a payback for the exertion when I went to fetch Beans with Nephti.

I can assure you, it wasn’t that strenuous. However, Wolfram’s pathetic stamina was incapable of handling just two hours of walking and bean picking.

“Stamina…2”

If I don’t improve this damn stamina stat, I might end up collapsing. Even though this thought crossed my mind, I couldn’t really do anything about it.

“The only quest that definitely increases stamina is towards the end of Act 1…”

But as far as I’ve checked, the D/Z SAGA hasn’t even started Act 1 yet.

Most likely, Act 1 will start around next month. It progresses as the freshmen come in.

Jephryn Academy ends in December, starts again in April, and in between, there is a winter vacation and a free practice period.

During this time, you can seek knowledge by attending the lectures of the professors who are teaching, or you can hone your skills on your own.

It’s kind of like an intersession period.

In my case, since my major is magic, I attended the classes to keep up, but I’ve started to think I should give up on intersessions.

“If I go again…I might die.”

This damn stamina is the problem.

For now, convenience store.

Let’s start by establishing the convenience store.

***

The next day.

Since dawn, I went to the Magic Building with my food cart, as usual, laid out candy and dried pollack soup, and waited for the customers.

“Ugh…Soup…please…”

“Help yourself.”

“Tha…Thank you…”

The graduate student, whose speech was barely coherent, ladled out some dried pollack soup and ate it, then exhaled deeply.

“You look more exhausted than usual. What happened?”

“Professor…had a dinner party because the semester ended.”

“Oh, that can happen. You must be having a tough time.”

“……”

As the professor’s assistant, he has to attend when called for a party. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have to go to the lab the next day.

Of course, it depends on the professor, but it seems he’s stuck with a demanding one.

“You can have another bowl.”

“Th…Thank you.”

He thanked me and started drinking the dried pollack soup.

After finishing it, wiping his mouth, and patting his belly, he looked at me and chuckled.

“What?”

“No, just that the rumors about the prince are different from reality.”

“Are you referring to the idiot who meddled between the Knights and Magic Department, bought weapons at absurd prices, managed to purchase a magic book despite being swindled, and finally got his hands on the Royal Archives?”

“I apologize…”

“No, I’m not blaming you. What you said is true.”

That was Wolfram.

A conglomerate of inferiority. An idiot who reaches out for what he cannot have.

Wolfram might have loved swords and magic, but swords and magic didn’t love Wolfram. He was a fool who couldn’t face this harsh reality.

“I mostly stay in the lab, so I don’t know much about what kind of President Wolfram was…”

“He was exactly the President the rumors say.”

“Really? You doesn’t seem so. Here in this cart, you are like a street vendor.”

“Now, I don’t have big ambitions. I just want my convenience store to succeed, learn some skills, and graduate.”

“What’s a convenience store?”

“It’s a place that sells these kinds of items.”

“Oh, a grocery store. I didn’t expect Wolfram to open such a place. I’d like to visit. Where is it?”

“Magic District 8.”

As I said that, he widened his eyes in surprise.

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s in a corner of Magic District 8.”

“Who in their right mind opened a shop in such a crazy place? Even my demented grandfather wouldn’t go there… sorry.”

“Right. I know. You’re right.”

“Ahem. Anyway, it’s too far. I apologize, it will be difficult to visit.”

“Alright.”

“Oh, but if you continue to set up your stall here, I will come by every morning. Yes.”

“…”

Is he trying to cheer or encourage me with that?

As I stared back, he handed over the money and hurried back to his lab.

Damn it all.

‘Is the location that bad?’

There was no answer, but I knew the answer.

‘How could someone open a convenience store there? Geez.’

***

When I returned to the convenience store, it wasn’t a customer who had come.

It was Eve von Roengreen.

She was standing fatly in front of the store, which made me frown.

“What is it?”

“I didn’t come here because I wanted to.”

“Then leave.”

“I have a task to complete. Could you open the door first?”

“…”

Once inside the convenience store, Eve sighed and took a seat.

“I’ll tell you the task quickly and then leave. Wolfram von Roengreen.”

“Alright.”

“I’m here for a transition of power.”

“…A transition?”

“Yes. Initially, I would have just kicked you out and done it myself. But since you insist on staying at the academy… We might as well go through the transition. It was your duty. You know that, right?”

“Fine. Once we’re done, you can leave.”

It wasn’t a big task.

The next student council board had already been decided when they were trying to get rid of me, and all I had to do was verify the budget.

But wow, he really wasted money. Why on earth did he buy a seventh-tier magic book for one billion Rin? Is he stupid?

“How could someone spend money like this?”

“That’s why you’re the president, aren’t you? If I had spent the money a bit more wisely, I would have been the president again this term. Do you really think Jephryn’s embezzlement would affect the royal family?”

“…How could someone speak like that?”

“Hmm.”

Fair enough. I thought the same, but it was a bit harsh.

As I was checking last year’s budget, our conversation got longer.

The budget was fantastic, in a terrible way. Even I wondered how anyone could behave like this.

“Why on earth did you buy this broadsword for ten million Rin?! You can’t even wield it! What am I supposed to do with this year’s budget?!”

Well, um.

I’m sorry, but that was Wolfram’s doing, not mine.

It seemed that any moment now Eve might tear my stomach open with a beam of light instead of some unnamed character, so I hurriedly stood up.

“What are you doing? Sit down!”

“Hmph. I’m just going to grab something to drink.”

I quickly escaped to the workspace set up in the back, opened the drawer where I had stored beans by type, and mixed strawberry, milk, and sugar beans lightly.

【Combination Success!】

【Strawberry Shake Beans】

Ignoring the description below, I made two cups of strawberry shake beans and brought them out.

As the faintly pink drink was poured into a transparent glass, Eve’s eyes lit up.

“Uh, um. What is this?”

“It’s the next major product of my convenience store.”

“Convenience store?”

“This grocery store will soon be renamed to ‘convenience store’, to strive for the convenience of all students.”

“Are you trying to dedicate yourself to the students now?”

No, it’s for my own ambition and glory.

But I didn’t say that. The beam of light was an armor-ignoring magic, and if I got hit, I would die.

Before Eve could sip from the straw, I stopped her with my hand.

“Why?”

“Freeze it with cooling magic before drinking. That’s the proper way to drink it.”

“…Isn’t it supposed to come out frozen from the convenience store?”

“I can’t do that.”

She paused at that.

Eve knew well that neither swordsmanship nor magic favored Wolfram.

There was an awkward silence, then a cold wind blew from Eve’s hands.

[Freeze.]

The shake beans, now lightly frosted. Eve tasted it and her mouth turned up at the corners.

“Hehe.”

“…Stop laughing. It’s really annoying.”

“Be quiet. Just for a bit… hehe.”

Her innocent laughter.

Before entering the game, Lee Young-jin, not Wolfram, was a heavenly orphan, and so, he had a longing for family.

However, seeing his little sister innocently and cutely laughing in front of him seemed to induce some repulsion at a genetic level, making Wolfram’s body break out in goosebumps.

“Huh, hm. This isn’t bad. So, how much are you going to sell it for?”

“Perhaps around 20,000 rin.”

“That’s expensive. Isn’t this shop located in the Magic District?”

“That’s right.”

“In that case, how about saving it to sell at the freshman welcome party?”

Eve suggested that while tapping the cup.

“Not a bad suggestion. I’ll consider it.”

“You should thank me for giving a proper piece of advice. Really.”

Eve grumbled, and I silently sipped my shake.

And then, desperately, I resisted the trembling in my eyes.

My shake had also become cold without me noticing.

When I glance at Eve, she avoids my gaze.

“I won’t charge for the shake. Just buy some candies instead.”

“I’m out of money.”

“Can’t you buy it under the Student Council’s name?”

“Who do you think overspent the budget? I’m buying the candies with my allowance?!”

***

When the work was done, it was late at night.

It was not just getting dark; it was truly the pitch-black middle of the night.

Looking at the clock, it was already past ten. The nights of early spring were unfathomably dark.

“Okay. I think I can somehow put together a budget proposal.”

“Is that so? That’s fortunate. Do your best.”

Eve sighed heavily.

“Yes, Wolfram. It will be a different Student Council from your time. We will also change the Academy. So, you just stay quietly here and run your convenience store or something.”

“I was planning to do that even without you saying it.”

“Then I should go now. I need to draft the budget proposal.”

“You seem busy.”

I just shrugged and grunted.

There was no need or reason to offer her a ride home.

If we were attacked, I would die with a single blow, and Eve would survive and get home anyway.

“Yes, I am busy. We need to organize a dazzling yet substantial freshman party for this year’s new students.”

Saying so, Eve bowed slightly and then turned away.

“By the way, I have one thing to ask.”

“Go ahead. Make it quick. I’m busy.”

“Who is the representative of the incoming freshmen?”

At that question, Eve opened her eyes wide as if she really hadn’t expected it.

“Why are you curious about that?”

“I’m just curious. I have no intentions of getting involved.”

“No, not you. Actually, it’s not entirely unrelated to you.”

“Hmm.”

“Interestingly, the representative of the new students is a commoner. Because his name is…”

Eve then mentioned a name that I remembered, a name that had been deeply ingrained in my memory.

“Kelters.”

Soon, the main part of the game begins, adding an unexpected person to the role of convenience store owner.