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The undergraduate program at the Lichten Academy was divided into five major fields:

Magic Studies, Knight Studies, Priest Studies, and Reconnaissance Studies.

In addition, there was a class called 'Aether' consisting of top performers from each field.

Of course, these 'fields' were just broad categories within the academy. If you delved into the specifics, you found numerous disciplines being taught within the Lichten Academy.

In other words, the campus of the academy was unbelievably vast.

Naturally, Ian was lost.

“He’s shaved.”

"Why was he still so annoying?"

"Did he do that to impress someone this time?"

"Good-for-nothing."

What was surprising was that wherever he went, he could hear insults about himself.

'Seriously, how shameless could Pongpong be?'

In a way, it was a feat that was only possible because Pongpong was like that to all the heroines in different fields.

That's why Ian was nonchalantly ignoring Lina.

"...I should have asked for directions."

But he immediately raised his head.

This was all because he was still thinking in terms of the [Lina Rosewell] he had experienced while playing Fanta X Aca.

A kind insider.

In short, Lina's official personality could be summarized like that. She was so kind and friendly to everyone that she naturally had a lot of friends around her.

Lina's appearance on the screen had always been like that.

'If anything, it's even more suspicious.'

Now, in this state of possession.

He knew that Lina, confirmed through Pongpong's 'Love Journal', was different.

— You brought an extra lunchbox because there was leftover food? But why me? Why do you always give it to me?

Lina's smile collapses when she only sees Pongpong.

That might be her true self.

“I did well to ignore her. I should just keep wandering."

Getting lost is just a part of exploring the Academy.

If you think about it, it was the first day of the Academy, so it was even weirder not to get lost.

Ian didn't know, but he seemed to exude a sense of ease and confidence outwardly.

‘There's no need to rush. If I focus on myself rather than others, the reactions will change eventually.'

While Ian was focusing on his growth rather than the reactions of those around him, to others, he already seemed different.

◆

Magic Studies, 1st year, Mezai class classroom.

"Ah..."

Lina sat down in her seat with half-closed eyes.

“Hello Lina-!”

"Yeah... hi."

Lina, who would usually greet the others around her with kindness, seemed off enough for them to tilt their heads in confusion.

It was understandable.

'... What's going on?'

Lina's thoughts were in disarray.

Of course, it was because of Ian.

'Didn't he fall to the ground and never got back up?'

Lina blankly turned to look at Ian's seat.

It was still empty, even after he left earlier in the morning.

That seat had been empty for the past week.

It was because of ‘an incident’ that occurred on the roof of the Faculty of Magic.

An emergency committee had been convened to handle the situation.

Only those mentioned in Ian's letters knew about the facts.

As Lina recalled the situation at the time, her eyebrows twitched.

'Even if I got better, I didn't expect to see you at the academy.'

... Did she see a ghost this morning then?

It was definitely a far cry from Ian Blackangers' usual self.

Normally, Ian would approach Lina awkwardly and make small talk as soon as he saw her.

- "Oh, you look beautiful today."

- "Did you change your shampoo? It has a different scent."

Like that.

But this time, he just glanced at Lina without saying anything.

'His appearance has also become neater.'

His messy hair from earlier in the morning was now neatly combed, and his scruffy beard was cleanly shaved.

But the most significant change was his attitude.

— Don't worry. I won't have any dillusions anymore. Bye.

It was a clear change.

His tone was infinitely colder.

Now, it was an attitude of 'I won't bother with someone like you'.

So when Ian walked away first, Lina was left stunned and stood still for a while.

Such a remarkable change.

'... Has he really changed?'

Lina tilted her head in doubt.

People don't change so quickly.

Of course, he could have hit his head and changed when he fell from the rooftop, but Lina didn't believe in Ian's transformation.

As she was thinking about it.

— Gurgling

Her stomach made a sound of hunger.

'...Ah.'

Naturally, Ian's lunchbox, which he used to secretly place in her desk, came to mind.

Items that were secretly placed in the desk by him.

— "I-I made it at home and brought it..."

And it was definitely a lunchbox that he put a lot of effort into.

Supplies and lunchboxes.

She couldn't help but remember those things.

The supplies were somewhat helpful, but the lunchbox was too burdensome and she didn't like it.

'...I really hated it.'

But other than that, there was nothing else to eat.

And now, a week had passed since Ian hadn't shown up.

Lina's nutritional status was getting precarious.

— Gurgle gurgle

'Ugh... I'm so embarrassed...'

She felt incredibly embarrassed, as if her health was deteriorating for some reason.

Somehow, she felt like her health was getting worse.

It had been quite some time since she had eaten good food and nutrients.

She even found herself wanting to pluck the grass while walking in the garden yesterday.

'… Ah! No! Not to that extent!'

Anyway, she had heard about it before.

People crave foods that are lacking in nutrients.

The reason was clear.

As she leaned on the desk with no energy.

— Creak

Suddenly, the classroom door opened.

"Huh!"

Lina let out a surprised exclamation without thinking.

Ian was standing there.

'...Did he not bring the lunchbox today?'

Suddenly, a noise came from her stomach.

— Gurgle

This time, it was louder.

"What's that sound?"

"What was that noise just now?"

The nearby children were buzzing with curiosity.

Blushing, Lina clutched her stomach.

'Why am I like this? Am I going crazy?'

To think her stomach would growl so loudly upon seeing Ian.

She wanted that lunchbox.

◆

Ian, struggling to find the building of the Magic Department, had no trouble finding his way to his class and seat since he had experienced it once after the possession.

As he sat in his assigned seat, Ian was taken aback by Lina's gaze.

'Why is she glaring at me like that?'

No, wait a minute.

It's not just a normal gaze.

Yeah, it's more like she's eyeing prey.

Not exactly like a tiger... but maybe a cheetah... or a lynx. It felt like that kind of gaze that predators have when they're eyeing their prey and their mouths are watering.

'...Could it be?'

Is Lina really the culprit?

"!"

Ian's gaze fell on his book.

Outwardly, it seemed composed and indifferent, but inside...

'F*ck.'

His heart started beating more forcefully.

In reality, Lina wasn't overwhelmingly strong. She was quite skilled in handling spirits, but her potential exceeded her current abilities.

But there was something else.

Even if she were a potential killer.

There's a big difference between a murderer wandering around with a knife in a harem and a murderer sitting diagonally across from you in the same class.

'Maybe it was too modern a touch.'

In fact, the world of Fanta X Aca was a world where monsters and demons roamed freely.

People dying was more common than you might think.

Ultimately, it was the fear he felt as a modern person trying to fit into this era that bothered him the most.

Above all, Lina's gaze wasn't evidence that she was the culprit.

'… Phew.'

Ian's mind began to recover quickly.

He didn't have a particularly weak mental state; he was just momentarily surprised.

'I still haven't fully adapted to this world.'

He needed to immerse himself more actively in this world.

As he accepted his newly assigned task, it seemed like the class was already in progress.

[Advanced Application and Interpretation of Magic Circles I]

“Student Ian, come to the front and solve the problem.”

As Ian walked up to the chalkboard, he continued to ponder.

Even when playing games, hadn't he always approached things from a modern perspective?

How could a modern person synchronize with the flow of this era?

With his thoughts in mind, he examined the chalkboard.

[The triangle ABC has the following dimensions and angles. The auxiliary magic circle inside ABC must be circular. What should be the exact radius of the auxiliary magic circle?]

Compared to Ian's current concerns, this was a straightforward math problem.

“Student Ian. You must also write down the solution.”

— Let O be the center of the inscribed circle in triangle ABC. Let r be the length of the perpendiculars drawn from O to each side of the triangle. Then, triangles AOB, BOC, and COA are all right triangles. Therefore, we can set up the following equations. r / sin 60 = AB / 2 r / sin 30 = BC / 2 r / sin 90 = AC / 2.

So, Ian continued his thoughts and scribbled down his solution.

'The way to adapt to this world, huh.'

Tap, tap.

He dryly filled the white letters on the chalkboard.

— Simplifying the above equations, we get: r = AB * sin 30 / sin 60 r = BC * sin 90 / sin 30 r = AC * sin 60 / sin 90. Since all three equations have the same value, we can summarize it as follows: AB * sin 30 / sin 60 = BC * sin 90 / sin 30 = AC * sin 60 / sin 90.

It might be a good idea to go to the market or an auction. I can experience the lives of ordinary people there.

— Solving for r in this equation, r = AB * BC * AC / (4 * AB * BC * sin 60) Now, AB = 12, AC = 15, BC = 9, and sin 60 = √3 / 2, so: r = (12 * 15 * 9) / (4 * 12 * 9 * √3 / 2) r = (15 * √3) / (8 * √3) r = 15 / 8.

Or maybe trying to make friends would be a good idea. Although, considering Ian's reputation, it might not be easy in this regard.

— Therefore, the radius of the inscribed circle of triangle ABC is 15/8.

Ding-dong.

With a cheerful sound, Ian placed the chalk back on the chalk tray.

"...No. Is it really this easy?"

"Even among advanced magic circles, this is the most complex part!"

"This is being done by Ian Blackangers?"

Everyone, including the professor, was surprised.

But Ian, returning to his seat, had an unchanged expression. He couldn't even hear the murmurings around him.

The conclusion of the modern person's adaptation to a fantasy world.

That was the culmination of his worries.

'Alright, let's go to the library.'

There's no indirect experience as great as books.

He might be able to quickly grasp countless settings he hadn't encountered in games.

As Ian concluded his thoughts, he suddenly felt something strange.

The classroom had become deathly quiet.

'Why is the atmosphere like this?'

Ian slowly raised his head.

“…?”

Both the teacher and the students were staring blankly at Ian.

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