After the weekend, the long-awaited Monday had finally arrived.
While other students from the Old School Building went to the training grounds for combat training with Instructor Esta, I was seated alone in a lecture room in the Old School Building with a large magic pad in front of me.
“Is this the magic pad for real-time remote lectures?”
“Yes, that’s right. The academy staff worked hard for a week to build this system.”
Instructor Kadisha pointed to the magic pad in front of me, a device that looked somewhat like a large tablet.
“What do you think?”
“It’s impressive.”
What should I say?
It reminded me of the time when everything was conducted remotely due to a widespread pandemic. I had to sit in front of a camera and microphone to give instruction back then.
‘Even franchise education was conducted remotely back then.’
I had managed the business in a similar fashion during that period.
In hindsight, I wondered if I should have conducted the training in person, but at that time, schools and government offices were also doing things remotely, so I had little choice.
Anyway.
Since such a system had been set up, I was probably the most familiar with this setup.
“Instructor Kadisha, is this how I adjust it?”
“Oh, you figured it out right away? Yes, if you adjust it like that, your face will appear on the video call like this.”
Kadisha placed the instructor’s pad beside her.
There, some students’ faces who had already joined the call appeared in small windows.
There was a slight lag, but even if the resolution wasn’t perfect, at least the faces were visible.
“Instructor Kadisha, may I take a look at the instructor’s pad for a moment?”
“You can keep looking at it if you’d like. But why?”
“I wanted to check if the students wearing the magic pants are properly fitted.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Instructor Kadisha moved her chair closer to mine and placed the magic pad beside me.
“…So, doesn’t this make it visible that we’re together?”
“Students can’t see this screen. And the first lecture today is being conducted by Dean Ederson.”
“Oh, is that so?”
If it’s Dean Ederson, he’d overlook it even if I played around with a woman on-screen.
“Are you sure it’s invisible?”
“Why? Do you want to show off to the other students that you’re sitting with a pretty woman?”
“Well, that’s part of it.”
“Haha. It’s possible, though we’ve currently disabled that function.”
Instructor Kadisha adjusted the student panel, and soon a password prompt appeared.
“Since this is the first time remote lectures are being conducted, everyone seems to have various concerns. Although Vermilion Bird class students might not have such worries…”
Smack.
Kadisha ran a hand over her face.
“There were a few male students who felt embarrassed at the thought of their faces being seen by others while wearing magic pants.”
“Oh.”
I understood what she meant.
“Well, I also don’t really want to see other guys making faces while they’re in that state.”
Seeing male students on the instructor panel tense up or tilt their heads back and then switch back to a sage-like expression might be a bit much.
“Other guys? So, it’s okay for the girls?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, that’s pretty blatant.”
“If I know what face they make, it might be useful for future reference.”
“Heh…”
Instructor Kadisha gave me a knowing smile and chuckled.
“So, if it’s a face that doesn’t indicate anything, would you not notice?”
“In that case, I’d confirm in person. Well, it’s a shame that there are no female students here, though…”
I pointed at a young man among the male-filled panels.
“See the guy here, covering his lower face with one hand, looking serious?”
“Oh, him? …Isn’t he just exploring the features?”
“Most likely.”
A typical guy thing: When there’s a new system or device, they tend to explore it first before listening to explanations or reading a manual.
And the student I pointed at seemed focused, tapping on the magic pad with a serious expression and looking around.
“…”
Brrr.
There was a moment when he closed his eyes, then opened them with a refreshed look, as if he’d just had a revelation.
“Look here. Isn’t there a new spark in his eyes?”
It was as if his gaze was saying, ‘I’m going to live a clean and productive life from now on.’
“…So, he just realized something?”
“Yes.”
“Mm, I get what you mean. It makes sense… but you know.”
Instructor Kadisha pointed to another male student who was frozen in place.
“Shouldn’t you clean up immediately after… you know?”
“Oh, about that.”
I made an X with my hands.
“The magic pants are enchanted, so that’s not an issue. They allow you to feel it without, you know, releasing anything.”
“Oh…”
“And most people will likely restrain themselves.”
If that student’s name was something like ‘Rapid Shot’…
“I mentioned that releasing reduces efficiency, and that’s true. Going for it is fine, but if you absolutely can’t hold back, then…”
Bang!
Though no sound was heard, the screen of one male student suddenly shook violently.
“Due to a drop in effectiveness, he’ll likely get frustrated with himself and leave his seat for a while.”
An act not unlike pulling the trigger of a shotgun.
Simultaneously, with a face full of annoyance, the student stood up abruptly and disappeared somewhere.
And soon, he’d return to his seat as quickly as possible.
I could simply assume he just went to the restroom.
Not that he went to the shower room, used cleansing magic, or quickly washed it off.
“Right now, students can’t see each other’s faces, but if they could, wouldn’t this turn into a pride battle?”
“…Is that really something they’d compete over?”
“It’s an important issue. Though it varies from person to person, if someone returns to their seat in less than three minutes…”
That male student shouldn’t just be wearing magic pants; he should be training to build up more self-control.
“Looks like everyone’s joining now.”
One by one, the faces of the academy’s male students appeared in the countless grid-lined screens.
‘I’m searching for him.’
Why had I insisted on remote classes and pushed for the distribution of magic pants, meticulously examining the faces of these male students?
‘He must be here.’
A particular person who should have been in the Old School Building, who should’ve enrolled.
The protagonist.
I knew their appearance thoroughly, from the default settings of character customization to any slight differences in appearance.
So, I searched.
Filtering through the supporting characters, passing over the noteworthy figures like the Student Council President, meticulously examining each face.
“This student, they’re wearing the magic pants, right?”
“Yes, they are.”
“Calm, aren’t they?”
I continued to scrutinize each face, determined to find them.
…
…
…
The lecture ended.
* * *
[Monday, 3rd week of March, afternoon]
“Phoenix is having lunch alone on the rooftop today?”
“Yes, it seems he has a lot to think about.”
Phoenix had left his seat.
Someone who usually found any excuse to eat with others, only opting to eat alone if his classmates were in poor condition or couldn’t get up in the morning, had now declared his would eat alone.
“Is something serious going on?”
“…What’s going on, Instructor Kadisha?”
“How would I know?”
Kadisha, who had attended the morning remote lecture with Phoenix, shrugged.
“Well, this is just my personal thought.”
“What is it?”
“Maybe he hoped there would be at least one male student.”
“That’s unlikely.”
Lyudmila firmly shook her head at Instructor Kadisha’s suspicion.
“If anything, Phoenix would rather avoid having a male student in the Old School Building than hope for one.”
“Really? He looked very gloomy, though. Normally, guys need a bit of guy-to-guy talk now and then.”
“I think Phoenix is a bit different…”
Yunia scratched her cheek with an awkward smile.
“Did he really look that down? Should I go check on him?”
“No, he said he needed to handle something important alone.”
“…No way?”
Evangeline cautiously raised her hand and made a gesture in the air.
“Is he maybe…?”
“Don’t say things like that carelessly!”
Ludmila shouted, her face turning red.
“Yes, if he were planning that, he’d do it in his own room…”
“Miss Yunia, why are you looking at me? There’s nothing like that between us.”
Instructor Esta cut off any implication with a firm tone.
“Oh, is that so? I was just curious.”
“Unless it’s a life-or-death situation where he needs to relieve something from his body…”
“…”
“It would be considered a medical procedure, purely medical.”
“So, what exactly is Phoenix…?”
“Well… he did seem to be muttering something to himself.”
Instructor Kadisha tilted her head as she continued.
“He looked like he was searching for something and was caught off guard when it wasn’t there.”
* * *
“Why is he not here?”
The protagonist was nowhere to be found.
“Not a single student was absent.”
The protagonist… had not enrolled.
