The Burden of Math and a Rooftop Vigil

“Ugh… there were so many new concepts in that last class, I feel like my brain can’t hold any more.”

During the short break, Aimelusen, usually bursting with fiery energy, lay sprawled on her desk like a wilted chive.

‘Ugh… why does a subject like math even exist? Are these equations we’re learning actually useful in real life? It’s not like I’ll ever use them when shopping.’

Amidst her despondency, Aimelusen’s gaze happened to drift to her right, landing on Xin Moyan’s desk. As always, Xin Moyan was engrossed in her studies, whether class was in session or not. Her focused expression and the rapid glide of her pen across the scratch paper couldn’t help but inspire a hint of admiration in Aimelusen.

‘How impressive! Even with tutoring classes after school, she still manages to maintain such intense focus during every lesson. No, no, I must pull myself together. A dignified magical girl can’t be defeated by a mere subject like mathematics!’

Aimelusen sat upright, patted her cheeks, and then attempted to immerse herself in her studies as well.

Meanwhile, atop an apartment building outside Mingtu High School, the nefarious executive Yue Ling was observing the school’s situation through a telescope she had pilfered from an adventure enthusiast.

“This high school is truly massive… It has a swimming pool, a gymnasium, and even two football fields. I suppose it lives up to its reputation as a key high school… If I didn’t despise the routine of high school life, I’d almost want to enroll myself.”

After a cursory scan of Mingtu High School, Yue Ling adjusted the magnification, hoping to locate the three magical girls by peering into the windows of various classrooms. However, this idea was clearly impractical; not only was the school absurdly large, but from her current vantage point, she couldn’t possibly observe the students inside the classrooms through the windows unless light itself could bend.

‘Tsk… there’s no other way. I’ll just have to wait until school lets out to observe them.’

Yue Ling reluctantly put away her telescope, then sprawled against the rooftop’s protective wall, her rear end sticking up, commencing her lengthy vigil.

Several hours passed, and Yue Ling herself was on the verge of falling asleep on the rooftop. It was only when the boisterous sounds of people grew louder that her consciousness was roused from its languor.

“Huh… mm? School’s out? I can’t believe I slept for so long…”

Yue Ling groggily blinked her eyes, then straightened up. Just as she was about to stretch comfortably, the light before her made her feel a subtle sense of unease.

‘Hiss… why hasn’t the sun set yet…’

Yue Ling glanced at the watch she had also pilfered from the adventurer, checked the time, and was instantly so shocked that all traces of sleepiness vanished.

‘What the hell?! What kind of high school lets out in the early evening?! Even middle schoolers don’t get out this early, do they? I’d believe you if you told me this was an elementary school masquerading as a high school! Well, I suppose it is another world… The educational philosophy here is certainly different from my original one. No… come to think of it, with the existence of Subjective Bursts in this world, an early dismissal for high school… doesn’t seem quite so hard to accept.’

“However… speaking of which, the girls in these high schools are quite attractive. It feels like another unique feature of this other world. Well… though most of them aren’t as good-looking as me, of course.”

Despite her words, Yue Ling continued to sway her hips, observing the beautiful girls with keen interest.

“No, no, that’s not what I should be focusing on right now!”

Yue Ling adjusted the telescope’s magnification once more, attempting to discern the figures of the three magical girls amidst the throng of students pouring out of the school gate. Although there were far more girls at the school than Yue Ling had anticipated, the three magical girls possessed quite distinctive appearances. Thus, it didn’t take Yue Ling long to locate Magical Girl Akahoshi, Magical Girl Biyu, and… Magical Girl Youlan.

“Ugh… everything we learned today was so difficult… and they assigned a mountain of homework… Tonight will be another battle.”

Aimelusen grumbled softly, clearly dispirited as she walked. She turned her head to look at Yimeier and Xin Moyan; neither seemed to show any emotional fluctuation, presumably having already mastered the day’s lessons.

“Moyan~ If you have some free time, could you help me with my homework? I feel like if things continue this way, I might actually fail a subject on the next exam.”

Aimelusen leaned closer to Xin Moyan, her face earnest as she pleaded with her.

“Ah… I still have tutoring classes after this, so I don’t have much free time. You should ask Yimeier instead; she’s also good at studying.”

“Eh? Oh right, Moyan, you have tutoring classes… Well, alright then, I won’t bother you. I’ll go find Yimeier.”

With that, Aimelusen turned and scurried over to Yimeier. At that moment, Yimeier had already met up with her older sister, Ishila, and they were preparing to walk home together.

“Sis… you came to pick me up again today…”

“What? Not happy about it? Your sister came to pick you up because I was worried about you!”

Ishila huffily poked Yimeier. Honestly, her current demeanor made her seem less like Yimeier’s older sister and more like a pouting, tsundere younger sibling. In response to her sister’s prodding, Yimeier merely offered an awkward smile, as if she had grown accustomed to her behavior.

‘Hiss… who’s that short girl… Magical Girl Biyu’s sister? Never mind, she’s probably not a magical girl, so I don’t need to worry about her.’

Yue Ling continued her observation, then saw Aimelusen approach. After exchanging a few words with Yimeier, the three of them began walking in the same direction.

‘Did those two walk off together because they live close by? On the other hand, Magical Girl Youlan went off on her own. Logically, I should prioritize tracking the one who’s alone… but I’ve already witnessed Magical Girl Youlan’s strength. Tsk… it’s probably better to follow Magical Girl Akahoshi and her companions. Even though there are three of them, one is just an ordinary person, who could be seized as a hostage in a crucial moment.’

‘Hmm… that settles it. I should go down and follow them immediately.’

With that thought, Yue Ling climbed to the edge of the rooftop, then unleashed a copious amount of relatively soft silk threads, distinct from those she used in combat. She repeatedly wrapped these threads between her building and an adjacent one, forming a continuous network of silk trampolines. Utilizing these makeshift platforms, Yue Ling swiftly descended, then proceeded to shadow Aimelusen and her group from a position undetectable by ordinary people.

“Speaking of which, Ishila-jie, didn’t you used to have a car? How come I haven’t seen you drive to pick up Yimeier these past few days?”

“Th-that’s… that’s obviously because the car had some problems, so I sent it in for repairs!” Ishila replied in a seemingly normal tone, though her eyes unconsciously darted to the side.

‘Gulp… I can’t possibly tell her it’s because I’m too short, and the seats in my old car were too low and couldn’t be adjusted, so I sent it in for modifications… Honestly, I’m the older sister, yet Yimeier developed such impressive height. And not only is she tall, but there… it’s as big as two watermelons…’

At this thought, Ishila cast a slightly resentful glance at Yimeier’s chest, then at her own, feeling a distinct sense of frustration and inadequacy.

Just as the three of them were chatting and laughing, having reached the street where their homes were located, Minita’s figure suddenly appeared before Aimelusen. The unexpected sight startled Aimelusen into emitting a shriek, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. Realizing her reaction had been a little too dramatic, Aimelusen quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, feigning as if nothing untoward had occurred.

Seeing that there was indeed no spectacle to behold, the others turned their heads away.

“Aimelusen… are you… alright? Did you see something?” Ishila inquired with concern.

“Ah, no, no, I’m fine. It’s just that I suddenly remembered I had something to take care of.” Aimelusen casually fabricated an excuse to brush her off, then shot a glance at Yimeier, signaling her to divert her sister.

Having partnered with Aimelusen for quite some time, and having also witnessed Minita’s appearance, Yimeier immediately understood her meaning. Thus, under the pretext of, “Sis… I… I’d like to get some snacks…”, she steered her sister towards a small stall, allowing herself and Aimelusen to converse with Minita.

“Minita, have the enemies returned? Do we need to transform right away?” Aimelusen whispered, simultaneously preparing to transform.

In response, Minita did not give a clear answer, but merely informed the two of one crucial fact.

“You… are being followed.”