I Will Be Unrivaled With The Skill [Sewing]! They Said It Was A Bad Skill, But With Effort, I will Make It A Hit~ - Chapter 38

Episode 38: Special Students

The cafeteria was crowded with people.

“Those getting meals, come this way and line up!”

Hearing the voice, they turned to look and saw an upperclassman explaining how to use the cafeteria.

Seneca, Maior, Gaia, and Plautia approached to listen.

“I’m Secunda, a second-year. I’m in charge of assisting new students, so if you have any trouble, feel free to ask me. Now, let me explain about meals.

Both breakfast and dinner are served here in the cafeteria. Seating is free, but some upperclassmen have territorial tendencies, so be mindful of that.

When getting food, take one of the wooden trays stacked over there and line up at that spot. B-class students and above eat for free, while lower-ranked students can get refills at a very low price. Just show the student ID that will be distributed later if you want seconds. You can also order a lunchbox at a low price, but you need to request it in the morning. If you need one by morning, it’s best to place your order during dinner.

Also, those who use the cafeteria are responsible for cleaning up after themselves. Be thorough—there are even people who track magical traces to find out who didn’t clean up.

Adventurers live freely. That’s exactly why we need to follow basic rules, or conflicting values will cause problems. I believe everyone here understands that, but you’ll come to realize just how difficult it can be time and time again.

That’s about it for now. Let’s all enjoy our school life together! If you understand, go ahead and get your dinner!”

Seneca and Maior raised their hands enthusiastically and responded, “Yes!” before confidently heading to get their meals.

Gaia followed silently, while Plautia looked around nervously as she trailed behind.

The four of them sat together at the edge of the cafeteria to eat.

“So, Plautia, you’re an adventurer specializing in plant gathering?”

Seneca asked with a smile.

“That’s right. I’m not good at combat, but I passed the exam by demonstrating my scouting skills.”

Plautia had achieved high marks across the board, earning her a spot in A-class.

“I’m also used to gathering materials, but I doubt I can match you.”

“No, no, I’m nothing special… Besides, I saw Gaia-san ranked at the top of the academic division.”

Although adventurers typically dropped honorifics and formal speech among themselves, Plautia seemed uncomfortable doing so, so they decided not to force her. The four of them continued talking.

At first, Plautia spoke little, but she seemed to be warming up now.

“…Well, yes, I was at the top academically, but my practical skills are so lacking that I ended up in B-class.”

“Ah…”

Realizing she had said something inappropriate, Plautia immediately covered her mouth with her hands, turning pale.

“No, no, don’t worry so much. I know my own capabilities, and people will find out sooner or later anyway. Besides, I came to this school to improve my practical skills.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Maior asked curiously.

“I’m a mage, but my skills are extremely specialized—difficult to use in most situations. However, I believe that if I find the right way to utilize them, I can make myself useful. That’s why I chose the path of an adventurer.”

“What a wonderful story.”

Seneca listened to Gaia with an enchanted expression.

Meanwhile, Plautia was happily chewing on grilled Big Boar meat. The school purchased materials that students collected through quests, allowing the dormitory to serve fresh ingredients at low costs.

Maior was delighted with the vegetable-filled soup, though it was a little saltier than expected.

“More importantly, you two are special students, aren’t you? How did you become Copper-ranked adventurers?”

Gaia asked eagerly, looking at Seneca and Maior.

“We defeated a mutated monster and reached Level 2. That allowed us to qualify for Copper rank, so we applied for admission right after.”

“I see… Maior, you’re thirteen, and Seneca, you’re twelve, right? That means you each leveled up within a year or two… There really are prodigies in this world.”

Saying that, Gaia tilted her head back, looking up as if in awe. Plautia gasped, exclaiming, “Hawawa!” in surprise.

Seneca felt like she was missing something, but sensing that asking now would be a bad idea, she decided to wait and ask Maior later.

After finishing their meals, the four of them gathered in Maior and Plautia’s room to talk.

Plautia was eagerly asking Seneca questions.

“So, you two defeated two variant Rampage Apes by yourselves?”

“That’s right.”

“Hawawa—! That’s an achievement worthy of Copper-rank promotion even without leveling up!”

“But Plautia successfully gathered Trichoderma Grass—that’s even more amazing! I’ve seen it in the forest before, but I could never bring myself to touch it.”

“Ehehe, I was only able to do it because of my skill.”

“It’s 【Plant Gathering】, right? It’s a specialized skill, but really powerful. Have you received any direct requests? With more experience, you might be the only one able to gather certain materials.”

“I’d love for that to happen, but gathering isn’t just about technique. Reaching the gathering sites is just as important, so I have to learn a lot of different skills…”

Plautia said while running her fingers through her red hair.

At that moment, Maior turned to Gaia and changed the subject.

“I still can’t believe that Gaia took down a Bronze Duck… How can you defeat such a monster but struggle with practical skills?”

“It was just a good matchup. I have a magic skill called 【Artillery Magic】. It’s incredibly powerful—strong enough to pierce through even tough enemies—but the mana cost is so high that I can only fire it once per day.”

“There’s a skill like that?”

Maior asked, looking slightly uneasy.

She had secretly used 【Detection】 earlier and confirmed that Gaia’s mana pool was relatively large. Even so, it still wasn’t enough.

“Yeah… there is.”

Gaia replied with a wry expression. Plautia, looking surprised, joined the conversation.

“Hawawa… With that kind of limitation, earning proficiency must be really difficult.”

“Exactly. Even though I can fire it once per day, the power is so high that I can’t use it in town. So I have to go to remote areas just to cast it. Thanks to that, I’ve gotten pretty good at camping out in the wild.”

Gaia let out a dry laugh, eyes distant.

“I heard that this school has facilities that can withstand even powerful magic like mine, which is why I wanted to enroll. I knew I wasn’t strong enough, so I studied desperately to get in. Not very adventurer-like, huh?”

“That’s not true! Building up what you can do to reach your goals is really important, and you’ve actually achieved results. That’s amazing!”

Seneca leaned forward, bringing her face closer to Gaia’s as she spoke.

“…Thanks.”

Gaia, feeling embarrassed, responded in a small voice.

Watching Seneca’s natural ability to connect with people, Maior felt a deep warmth in her chest.

“We really got caught up in conversation. I think I’ll go get some exercise.”

“I’ll go too. Where would be a good spot?”

“Anywhere around here should be fine.”

Seneca and Maior stood up smoothly.

“Wait, you two are planning to train now?”

“Of course.”

Seneca and Maior tilted their heads in unison, as if the question itself was strange.

Before Gaia and Plautia could say anything more, the two were already heading outside, vanishing off somewhere.

“People don’t usually start training at this hour, right?”

Plautia turned to Gaia and slowly nodded.

“That’s what makes them special students…”

Gaia and Plautia stared at the door the two had left through for a long time.