[V4C2] Just Like Me, Poppo!
Translated by Jodas 4: Flying Through the SkyAfter their group lesson concluded, a strange feeling hung in the air of the classroom.
Everyone’s mind was on the choosing of a representative that Hütter had mentioned first thing in the morning.
“Um, guys.”
Wren spoke more loudly than usual. Rather than talking to Tia and Sevil, his voice was projected so everyone in the class could hear him.
“Once we’re done with lunch, how about we talk it out in the break room?”
“Okay!”
Tia nodded without hesitation, to which Wren gave her a slightly exasperated look.
The three adults — Rose, Oliver, and Sevil — also agreed with his suggestion.
“I agree! Let’s pick our representative there!”
“I have no objections.”
“I believe it would be best for us to discuss this at the earliest opportunity. Everyone has no objections, I assume! Those who have prior engagements, state them now!”
When Sevil made her declaration, Roswitha’s chair scraped across the floor and she stood up.
The eyes beneath the brim of her pointy hat glared at Sevil with hostility.
“There’s no need to discuss anything. I’ll be the representative. That’s all you need to know, right?”
“I cannot approve of that.”
Sevil also stood up and stared down Roswitha.
With all the pomp and circumstance befitting an Imperial Princess, Sevil declared.
“Why, you might wonder. That is because I as well wish to become the representative! I shall not yield the privilege of dessert!”
It was an undoubtably Sevil thing to say.
Wren held his head with creases all over his pretty boy face.
“Right, I forgot we were dealing with the selfish princess…….”
“Piyo! Sevil, you like sweet things, don’t you?”
Sevil liked sweets, meat, and potatoes. Compared to Tia’s small appetite, Sevil ate an astounding amount.
She was a dauntless warrior who would always defeat the swarm to secure the popular baked snacks whenever they were sold.
“Most importantly, I enjoy standing above the rest. I have experience commanding armies in the field as well. I shall become your representative and lead us to victory in the upcoming magic battle!”
“Kuku, the Wedge Tower is a tower of mages. In that case, shouldn’t the representative be the one with the most talent in magecraft?”
Still seated, Julius intruded on the conversation quietly.
His snakelike eyes drifted towards Roswitha.
“Plus, most of the Apprentices this year are studying Modern Magecraft. In that case, wouldn’t it be natural for me, as a talented mage of the Modern School to be our representative?”
“Hmph. You’re not wrong that I’m surrounded by a gaggle of weaklings.”
“It’s a prudent decision when you consider the need for coordination in the magic battle, isn’t it? Kuku….”
A tense air formed in the space between Roswitha and Julius.
(The air is all tingly. Everyone really wants to be representative, huh…..)
Amidst the tense atmosphere, Tia felt the tingling sensation on her cheeks until she heard a tremendous noise.
—Grrroooooooowwwwllllll…..grrrrr
It sounded like a Monster’s growl, but it was the sound of someone’s stomach groaning.
Tia’s excellent hearing instantly picked out the source of that sound.
A boy who’d been sitting quietly this whole time, with long bangs — Gerald.
As the attention turned to him, Gerald lowed his head and mumbled.
“……Um. Maybe we should go get lunch first…………… I’m hungry…………………..potatoes.”
The last word expressed his most honest feelings.
Hearing that, Sevil nodded with a smile.
“You’ve earned my admiration with that last word, Gerald. I also love myself some potatoes.”
Everyone in the room was just saying whatever they wanted and not a single step of progress was being made, prompting Rukiye to mutter as she fiddled with her turban.
“……Hey, weren’t we supposed to talk about this stuff after lunch? You’re just wasting your time fussing over it here.”
“Everyone! Let’s go to the dining hall! We’re cutting in to our lunch time!”
Everyone agreed with Ella’s instructions.
“…..So, did you guys make any progress with your talk in the break room?”
In the classroom for their afternoon individual lessons, Hütter sounded delighted to ask them how it went.
“Pirorororo……” Tia made a dejected noise. They had made so little progress that that was all she could think of to express it.
Wren spoke while resting his chin on his hand.
“No, it was all a complete waste. Those two tone deaf adults just started talking about which desserts were the tastiest, and Sevil, Roswitha, and Julius wouldn’t shut up about why they should be picked……”
“What do you mean by that? How are we to determine a representative if we cannot advocate for ourselves!?”
“Yeah, but…..”
Wren was dismayed by Sevil’s self-promotion.
Wren was the type to be concerned over the condition of the whole flock and the moods of his companions. There were perceptive ones like him among the flock of Harpies as well.
It was different from being the boss of the flock, but it was nevertheless an important role.
(I’m fine if I don’t become the representative, but if you asked me who would be the best representative………. hmmm…… that’s hard.)
“Peuuu…” As Tia groaned, beside her, Wren pursed his lips and complained.
“In the first place, whoever decided that we’d have a whole week to talk this out is an evil bastard. If we just decided by majority vote right then and there, we’d all just vote for someone we can stand and that would have been the end of it! Now that we have a whole week, of course people are going to fight about it!”
As Wren grumbled his complaints one after another, Hütter spoke with the face of a sincere, mature adult.
“I’m sure Director Hegelich has a deeper thought behind everything.”
“Oh, of course it was the Director’s idea!! Dammit, he’s just bullying us!”
“Now, now, don’t say that. Director Hegelich is always thinking about your best interests. Regardless, let’s confirm everyone’s plans for this afternoon. I’ve got important business to attend to, so you guys should head to the Offices you’ve been working with.”
Hütter consoled Wren, then moved on to confirming their plans for the afternoon.
Tia would go to the Management Office in the Third Spire and practice with the Magical Flying Device.
Wren would go to the Library Office in the Third Spire and ask about inscription magic.
And Sevil would go to the Protection Office in the Second Spire and practice with magic swords.
—After listening to that explanation, Tia made a “Peu?” noise.
“What’s inscription magic? Wren, are you studying something new?”
“I haven’t decided if I’m going to stick with it yet, but I was planning to ask Director Linke to hear what it’s like.”
After saying that, Wren looked at Tia and Sevil.
“It sounds like you’ve started to get a grasp on flight magic, Tia.”
“A counterweight is important!”
“And have you made progress with magic swords yet, Sevil?”
“I’m still trying to comprehend the formulas, but I’m getting there.”
Hearing Tia and Sevil’s words, Wren stretched his lips and smiled confidently at them.
“……Just you wait. I’ll catch up to you in no time and show you the power of a pretty boy. With a cool pose, too!”
“Piyo. Does something good happen when you have a cool pose?” “The whole world will bow to my pretty boy power!”
Tia was happy that Wren was feeling a little more energetic.
Lately, she’d seen Wren holding his head a lot and frowning about something.
It was nice to see Wren getting back to his usual self and declaring himself a pretty boy.
After leaving the First Spire: White Smoke, Tia waddled along towards the Management Office while humming a tune.
She still couldn’t fly freely with the Magical Flying Device, but having a counterweight gave her the opportunity to get a hold of the feel of it.
She was confident that she would be able to fly even better.
Faster, higher — she enjoyed thinking about how best to move her body to achieve that goal.
Brimming with excitement as she walked towards the Management Office, Tia suddenly stopped when she heard a voice coming from somewhere.
(……Is this…. a song?)
Tia loved songs. Whenever someone was singing, it made her want to join in.
However, the voice she could hear now was a strange voice to the point she wasn’t sure if she could call it a song.
It also sounded like someone was talking to themselves. However, if she listened closely, she could hear that they were trying to keep to some kind of rhythm.
“Poppopo………..popopo………. hey!”
Curious, Tia changed course to sneak towards the source of that voice.
In a hidden spot in the shadow of a building, where the brush was overgrown and few people bothered to look, a single man swayed back and forth while chanting “Po… po……” in a songlike rhythm. Could that perhaps be the steps to a dance?
The young man had dark skin and small irises. Tia knew this man’s name.
(…….Rikard?)
This was the man who retrieved Frederik Lange after he’d fallen asleep in the grass.
She’d heard he was a member of the Extermination Office, but what was he doing here?
Tia silently watched Rikard’s actions.
While singing “Po, popo….” Rikard spun in place. He flapped his arms up and down, adding to the choreography.
“Poppo!…….. Yeah!….”
It was a song! The moment she thought that, Tia’s whole face lit up as she started to add her own voice to harmonize.
“Poppo!! Poppopo!!”
“—!?”
When she began harmonizing, Rikard spun around with a stunned expression towards Tia.
Rikard’s eyes and facial structure made him look scary, so it almost looked like he was trying to intimidate an enemy…… but Tia cheerfully greeted him regardless.
“Piyoppp! Hello!”
“…………Um…..”
The color drained from Rikard’s dark skin, and he timidly asked:
“Did you……. see that?”
“You were singing and dancing! It looked fun! Let! Me! Join!”
“AAAARGH……”
Rikard screamed and fell to his knees.