NOVEL NEXT Chapter 64
<64 - Just Lectures>
“Hey, Oknodie. Why the strange face?”
“I think I had a weird dream last night.”
I definitely dreamed something last night, but I can’t remember what it was. It’s a really icky feeling that’s hard to put into words!
“Hehe.”
“Jezel Uncle looks happy.”
“I came up with a great idea last night.”
Isabel, who was eating with us in the cafeteria, looked at him with disbelief.
“If this guy opens a shop, I’m definitely not shopping there.”
“What did you do?”
“I sold flags.”
“Whaaat?!”
“Of course, I didn’t sell all the real flags. I made a bunch of fakes instead.”
I was left speechless. There are plenty of weird players out there, but I’ve never seen an NPC think of creating and selling flags!
“This is all thanks to the creativity I learned from Oknodie. Outstanding adaptability and creativity are indeed qualities required at the academy, aren’t they?”
“Isn’t it a bit shady for your credit as a merchant?”
“Haha. Oknodie really is clever. Of course, I prepared for that part properly. To be exact, I didn’t sell fakes; I sold the possibility of purchasing a real one.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I mixed in real flags among the fake ones and sold the chance to win a real flag at a 1% probability.”
Essentially, I’m selling a random flag gacha! I knew it was suspicious when I found fake tickets mixed in with the tickets those ticket merchants sold! I can bet 1000 points that this clever scheme belongs to Jezel!
“How much did you sell them for?”
“You can challenge it for 100 points each time. Would you like to give it a shot, Oknodie?”
“No thanks. I already have a lot saved up.”
“Hmm, I see. How about this: why don’t you sell me a few of your flags?”
I was considering selling flags but had a problem with the pricing.
“I was thinking of selling the real flags for 100 points each. Is that okay?”
“What’s the issue? I’ll buy them right away.”
I handed over 10 flags while receiving points via the magic watch on my wrist.
“Hehe. Now, by increasing the probability of winning, if I sell more fake flags, those 10 flags you sold me for 1000 points can turn back into 10,000 points!”
“……I will never buy anything from the shop you open, Jezel.”
The tactics of a merchant are too scary!
*
On Monday first period, there’s homeroom, but there’s none on Wednesday first period. At the Gift Academy, which is more like a university than a high school, homeroom time is primarily for announcing important school events and weekly event notifications.
[Adventure Department]
[Developing Insight Classroom]
Therefore, the first class on Wednesday is the lecture time for Developing Insight, which I attended after homeroom. The stylish beauty professor, who looks great in a top hat, named Bronze, has a chest that’s platinum-level, setting a standard for professors.
“Would everyone like to check this out before the lecture? It might be useful for the class.”
Jezel spread out a mat inside the classroom. On the mat were various earplugs in different sizes to fit snugly in the ears.
“You have the opportunity to pick your desired color and shape of earplugs. They’re quite reasonably priced at 3 points per pair.”
“If I can avoid the ding ding ding in my ears for 3 points, it’s a good deal!”
“Paying the price of a meal is a bit steep, but thinking about the terrible ear drum torture makes it worth buying at least one.”
The students willingly paid the points and started buying earplugs one by one. Among them was Titosso, a wealthy border noble and a cowardly popular figure.
“Titosso, let’s buy a microphone later and have fun playing music!”
“Yeah, it’ll definitely feel like a disco ball party!”
“Hehe. Should we?”
Titosso was a pitiful fool, usually tricked into lugging around cumbersome lighting gear by his sister, who said he could become popular just by getting one.
…Or so I thought. In the Night-time Activities for Adventurers class taught by Professor Sadako, Titosso had actually become quite popular among the students!
‘It would really be fun if someone brought a gun from PX or got on a plane without shoes.’
I’m not sure if that’s being popular or just a plaything for the popular crowd, but anyway, I’m glad Titosso made some friends!
“Hey! Those are the seniors who ditched us back then!”
“Seniors! How could you do that?!”
Titosso, the loudest in the class, cutely protested, puffing up her cheeks at the two seniors.
“Haha. Sorry, first-years. It would be unfair if we gave you hints or help with exam assignments.”
“Is that so?”
“Think about it. If the seniors gave you hints on a surprise assignment prepared by the professor because they experienced it once, wouldn’t that be annoying?”
Both first-years and second-years have to mind the professor’s gaze.
“I’ll trust you because it’s the words of Senior Bixton, who even jokes in front of the professor!”
“Since it’s from Senior Bixton, who boldly confessed to his crush, it can’t be a lie. I’ll trust you!”
“Even after failing a public confession, he still somehow gets treated like a person while hanging out with a female friend, so I can let this slide.”
Is that what they call a first-year’s collective bullying? Titosso’s popular friends are too scary! I must never seek revenge from them!
“Hey, you guys. Don’t tease Bixton just because he seems easy. For now, he’s our friend and your senior.”
“Ah, sorry.”
“Just keep it reasonable.”
Unlike laid-back Bixton, his female friend and reticent second-year friend duly made it hard for Titosso’s popular crowd.
Moreover, getting close to the seniors means I can get hints about those dreadful assignments in advance, so socializing to increase favorability with seniors is quite a clever strategy.
In fact, there are players in the world who focus on building social connections as their primary academy activity.
“Nice to meet you, students.”
But no! Not with the professor! Building a connection with the professor is the shortcut to becoming a teaching assistant or graduate student!
“In the last lecture, we practiced understanding the ‘insight’ to find hidden alarm clocks in the classroom and deactivate them. The remaining students successfully received bonuses.”
“What?! Wait, professor, did the first-years get bonuses? Something we couldn’t do last year?”
“Heh. It was your mistake to ignore the potential of the first-years and leave first. Exiting is your freedom, so don’t blame me.”
“Did those guys come from a treasure-hunting expedition or something?”
“Don’t misunderstand. Out of 20, one student found 11 alone.”
The second-years looked back at the first-years with regretful faces. The professor smiled kindly, hinting at Oknodie, who was the first-year that found the most clocks.
“Since I showed you a taste of what it was like in the last lecture, I’ll add some light theory for this one.”
“I’m sure you all felt the importance of insight. However, you still lack the knowledge of what to look for with that great insight.”
“Let’s hear it. Student with the lighting equipment, what would you seek out with your superior insight?”
Feeling the gaze from all sides, Titosso seemed a bit pale as he replied.
“Um, the professor has a scary lecture.”
Laughter erupted all around.
Professor Bronze’s expression asked, “Are you talking about me?”
Titosso shook his head vigorously to deny it.
I kind of get it now. The professor Titosso fears right now is the same Professor Sadako he’ll see again in the fifth period today!
“If you can discern a scary lecture from the professor, you may have a pleasant learning experience. How about you, student selling a ton of earplugs?”
“I’d like to find a lecture where doing business would be enjoyable. So far, I’m satisfied with my insight.”
Once more, laughter overflowed in the classroom.
Starting to make points through selling at day three of enrollment is something even Professor Bronze would nod at in acknowledgment for its amazing insight.
“Having the insight to identify tools that can resolve what feels lacking during lecture time is also beneficial. For a fruitful academy life, indeed.”
“However, what I aim to teach you during this class is slightly different.”
Professor Bronze’s hand went inside his suit jacket.
His hand, fumbling around the protruding justice pocket, pulled something out.
“What I aim to teach you is how to identify items that it’s permissible to steal and their rightful owners—how to discern between the unjust and the just.”
Professor Bronze waved something he was holding breezily in the air.
The second-years’ eyes widened in shock.
Even the first-years, who didn’t understand what was going on, soon realized the reason.
“For example, a certain wicked professor who despises and belittles his fellow colleagues is indeed an unjust individual.”
“If that professor prepared a take-home exam with a one-sided advantage for the empire nobles, then the answer sheets for that exam would also be unjust property.”
This professor has stolen the exam questions and answer sheets of a fellow professor……!
Even if the students want to not focus, they absolutely cannot help but concentrate now that the lecture bolds ahead.
Except for Oknodie, who didn’t attend any empires noble professors’ classes.
“That looks like the name of the professor from the fourth-period class I heard about……”
Isabel’s murmuring made her eyes spark with excitement.
If it’s about helping the precious chef Isabel, then it’s a whole different story!