Chapter-01 · EP-021

Episode 21: Maika Momota's Worries

This academy's cafeteria was huge. Actually, it wasn't that the cafeteria was inside the school building; the cafeteria was a building unto itself. I was a bit surprised when I first came here. There were probably only around 300 students in total, but this spacious two-story cafeteria had far more seats than needed, even if all the students sat down. The second floor was luxurious and apparently more expensive. It had waitstaff and was mainly used by nobles. The first floor was for commoners like us. With the separation from nobles, the cafeteria was quite comfortable.

And the food here was delicious. I remembered school lunches in elementary school being just large portions, but the Dungeon Academy's cafeteria seemed to put considerable effort into flavor.

Groups of friends gathered at tables to eat together, but I always ate out on the terrace. Since most people ate indoors, there was basically no one outside, making it a comfortable spot for someone like me who preferred quiet. On rainy days, I had no choice but to eat inside, but usually, this terrace was my private space.

That was how it should have been today, but for some reason, Hayasaka was next to me, and Momota and Takigawa were sitting across from me.

"Ugh! Listen to this! Samejima-san was so mean!"

"Ah, yeah…"

Apparently, she had come to me to vent about the trouble during today's exploration.

"You saw it too, Ichinose-kun? Why didn't you help!"

"Well, I thought if I stepped in, Samejima would get even more annoyed…"

Hayasaka already seemed to have many close friends in class, but for venting like this, she probably preferred me, someone she'd known longer.

Even so, eating with three girls was a bit embarrassing for me…

"I wish we could just explore with these three all the time…"

Takigawa muttered. She hadn't been around when Momota and the others were arguing. It seemed she had been in a different party for today's class.

"Right. Even if you're forced to team up with people you don't get along with, there's no way you can be friendly."

As they talked, Momota sat quietly without touching her food, looking down.

"It's not Maika's fault, so you don't need to worry about it!"

Despite Hayasaka's encouragement, Momota couldn't respond. I didn't know what to say to her either.

As a heavy silence hung in the air, Momota finally spoke.

"Maybe… I should quit this academy."

The sudden confession made us stop eating.

Momota looked extremely sad as she said it.

"Why? There's no reason for Maika to quit! Don't worry about what Samejima-san said! I'll ask the teacher myself to make sure you and Samejima-san aren't in the same party again!"

"Yeah. It's not something worth quitting school over."

As the two tried to stop her, Momota began to open up about her feelings.

"It's not just that Samejima-san is mean. I think maybe I'm just not cut out to be an explorer. Look, I can't use my skill properly, I'm fat so I'm slow, everything I do goes wrong…"

"That's not true!"

Hayasaka immediately denied it, but what Momota said might have some truth to it.

"Hey, Ichinose-kun, say something too!"

I wish she wouldn't put me on the spot like this. She was a sly woman. She'd probably become even more cunning as an adult.

"Ah…"

The three looked at me, so I had to say something.

"I think Momota might have a point too."

I answered honestly.

"What do you mean?!"

Hayasaka got angry, not hearing the words she had expected. Momota silently listened to my words.

"This academy isn't like a normal high school. Dungeon exploration can be life-threatening depending on the situation. There are a certain number of students who drop out because they can't keep up. So if Momota thinks she's not suited for it, I think quitting is an option. Besides, if you're going to quit, it's better to transfer to a regular high school sooner."

"You're right…"

Momota quietly agreed with my words.

"You don't have to say it like that! Why aren't you trying to stop her?"

Hayasaka, on the contrary, was outraged by my words.

As I remained silent, Momota stopped Hayasaka.

"I'm sorry, Yuno-chan. It's my fault. Don't be angry."

"Maika isn't at fault! You don't need to quit school! Say something too, Ichinose-kun!"

At Hayasaka's pained plea, I couldn't find words to retort.

"Iori thinks so too, right?"

"I think… that's something Maika herself has to decide. I don't think Maika is no good, and I don't think she needs to quit, but if Maika doesn't want to do dungeon exploration anymore, I suppose it can't be helped."

Takigawa seemed to share my view; she didn't seem inclined to force Momota to stay.

But Hayasaka wouldn't stop trying to convince her.

"You don't really want to quit, do you, Maika? It'll be fine if we're together, right?"

"Yuno-chan…"

"Because if you quit being an explorer, what about your illness? It would be pointless!"

"Thank you. But it's not like I can use magic properly anyway…"

…What illness?

"Well, if it doesn't affect your health, you could just give up on dieting…"

"But I managed to get into this academy after all…"

"Thank you, both of you…"

I felt like I was being left out of their conversation.

"Hey… what illness are you talking about?"

At my words, the three looked at me simultaneously.

"We're obviously talking about Maika's Magical Power Accumulation Syndrome!"

"Magical Power Accumulation Syndrome?"

"Yuno-chan… Actually, I haven't told anyone except you two about that…"

"Oh, I see."

"What is Magical Power Accumulation Syndrome?"

"Is it okay to tell Ichinose-kun?"

When Hayasaka asked Momota, she quietly nodded.

"Maika has a condition called Magical Power Accumulation Syndrome. Apparently, her body easily converts accumulated magical power into visceral fat. It doesn't seem to be harmful to her health, but apparently she can't lose weight unless she uses magic and consumes that magical power."

"Is that true?"

I asked Momota, and she nodded in response.

It was a disease name I'd never heard before.

Come to think of it, I vaguely remembered that her reason for enrolling in this academy was to lose weight. I had thought there were plenty of other ways to lose weight, so if what I just heard was true, it made sense why she enrolled here.

"Meaning you have a body that won't lose weight unless you use magic properly to consume the magical power built up inside?"

"Yeah…"

Momota nodded shyly.

"So it's not about overeating?"

"What are you saying! Maika eats very little!"

Hayasaka answered in Momota's place to my question. Hearing her answer, I realized I had been under a major misconception.

I had thought if Momota wanted to lose weight, she just needed to reduce calorie intake and increase calorie expenditure. But I was wrong.

I might have secretly looked down on her for saying she wanted to lose weight, thinking she just needed to hold back on eating and exercise more. I had mistakenly assumed she was just lazy.

Now that I thought about it, I had seen her running in the morning.

She had been reducing her food intake and exercising, trying hard to lose weight. She just couldn't lose it because of her illness.

"I'm sorry!"

The apology slipped out of my mouth unintentionally.

At my sudden apology, Momota looked confused, not understanding what it was for.

"W-why are you apologizing?"

"Without knowing about your illness, I thought you weren't trying hard enough to lose weight."

"Th-that's… you didn't know, so it can't be helped."

"I saw you running in the morning before. And you said you didn't eat much. I even saw you practicing magic after school. Despite all that effort, I still thought you weren't trying hard enough. I'm sorry."

"I-it's okay…"

"No, I don't forgive you!"

"Huh?"

For some reason, Hayasaka interrupted Momota and said she wouldn't forgive me.

"Why are you angry?"

"You looked down on Maika, so I won't forgive you!"

"Why are you getting angry!"

"Well, in that case, I have an idea."

"What?"

"If you want forgiveness, Ichinose-kun will have to help out. With Maika's magic practice. Let's all help Maika practice her magic together!"

"How did it come to this?"

I was surprised, and Momota was also bewildered by Hayasaka's sudden proposal. Takigawa just laughed.

"The reason Maika can't use her magic properly is probably because she's been practicing alone! If we all cooperate, she'll definitely get the hang of it! So let's hold off on quitting school!"

"What you're saying is…"

"What? You don't want to?"

I thought about it. I had no reason to refuse.

"…No, I'll help. Momota, let's try a little longer together."

Takigawa placed her hand on Momota's shoulder and smiled. Momota looked at us, and with an expression on the verge of tears, she answered.

"Everyone… thank you…"

And somehow, it was decided that after school today, I would go into the dungeon with Hayasaka, Momota, and Takigawa to help Momota practice her Water Magic.

Once the decision was made, we hurriedly ate our lunch.