Trails with Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon

Translator: Tsukii

Editor: Helen

Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!

Author Note:

It is an ordinary slice-of-life life chapter for the first time in a while.

Thank you for the typo reports as always.


Chapter 022 – Fufufu, son. Do You Have Someone to Talk to During Self-Study?

Even after the day’s classes were over, one couldn’t immediately leave the academy on certain days. 

During Schmidt’s class, which was mainly held for Rean, the Ashen Awakener, and Emma, Beryl, and Rosine, the semi-awakeners.

Everyone involved gathered in the orbal terminal room, each operating the terminal in front of them while completing the tasks given by Schmidt. 1

Meanwhile, Rean was worrying in front of the orbal terminal with a textbook in hand.

He had been given a program textbook that “even monkeys could understand” such that “it was obvious that humans could do it” and a test was given to him, but he was stuck. 2

Uh~n, this is done like this…… the level has risen dramatically from basic edition to the advanced edition.

[“Fufufu, son. From Professor Schmidt’s perspective, that’s probably the dividing line between human and animal. Humans are living beings with a great weapon known as imagination, so he is experimenting on how one expands that power.”]

{“Umu, it is human imagination that developed wisdom which managed to create us, after all.”}

It would be easier to understand if Rean could ask Rosine, the easiest to talk to among his friends, but for today’s class, they were told to leave as soon as they were done with their assignment, so after Rosine was done with her part, she headed off to help at the chapel. 

Her kind temperament could be felt from the way she seemed sorry for leaving first, but Rean couldn’t afford to lose to everyone else.

Currently, the only one left besides Rean was Mint, two seniors, and a first year male student sitting next to him.

Mint seemed to have already cleared her assignment, but it seemed like she had messed up something in a certain part, which made her have to do it all over again, which made Rean feel sorry for her.

Even though Mint is competent, her clumsy nature made one anxious as they watch her. 

[“Fufufu, but she managed to accomplish the great achievement of dragging Professor Schmidt around through her ‘granddaughter-sought-help power.’ She could be considered a masterpiece, in a sense.”]

{“Meister’s student Mint is someone who accepted me from the beginning after all.”}

The two seniors seemed to be friends as they worked on the program assignments in a friendly manner together. 

If Rean recalled correctly, one of them seemed to be a chubby senior he saw during the entrance ceremony, George. He seemed to be the third disciple of Schmidt, and he was often seen working hard under Schmidt together with the second disciple, Makarov.

But perhaps thanks to a sedative known as Mint, both of them seemed to be looking a little happier than when they first started.

The other one was a senior wearing a bandana, and according to what Rean heard, he seemed to be a delinquent whose number of school attendance was down to a dangerous level.

Speaking of attendance, Rean’s was also on quite a number, so perhaps they could get along well if they conversed, but he didn’t have many opportunities to do so.

Let’s leave my observations at that, thought Rean as he shook his head and was about to return to his task, but he suddenly felt something caught on the edge of his vision.

It looked like an autographed sticker that the boy sitting next to Rean had on his desk.

The face printed on it was something Rean had seen before. 

“Ah, isn’t that Misty-san?” 

“Eh?”

Rean couldn’t help but speak out loud but then immediately put his hand over his mouth, but the boy next to him turned and stared at Rean. 

That male student was a boy with long bangs that concealed one of his eyes.

He had the impression of being timid or cowardly…… or at least on the quiet side, but there was no trace of that from the way he looked at Rean.

On the contrary, it seemed like his eyes were shining somehow.

“When you say Misty-san, do you mean Misty-san from Abend Time?” 

“Aah. But sorry to speak out loud all of sudden, it’s just I have met the person on that sticker before.”

“No, no no it’s fine. I never thought I would meet a comrade here.”

While saying this, the male student’s mouth twisted as if it were twitching. 

He was probably trying to make a smile, but he couldn’t pull it off very well.

“I’m Rean Schwarzer from Class VII.” 

“I-I’m Munk from Class V. N-nice to meet you.”

“Class V…… so you’re from the same class as Rosine.”

“Y-yes. She probably doesn’t know about me, though……”

“Rosine is basically kind to everyone, so I don’t think that’s the case, though?”

“……Is that so? No, it doesn’t matter. We’re talking about Misty-san now. Are you listening to Abend Time too?”

“That’s right, that said, I only started listening to it recently. I got to know Misty-san, and that’s how I started listening to it.”

“Is it so!”

Munk looked at Rean happily as if he was looking at a comrade.  

Although Rean listened to Abend Time out of curiosity, considering Vita’s other occupation was an opera singer, her captivating voice was easy to listen to, giving a calm atmosphere that was appropriate for evening time (the program was aired at night though), making it suitable for listening during breaks from work.

“B-but have you seen Misty-san?” 

“Well, she’s recording for the program, so won’t it be possible to see her face as long as the timing is right?”

“N-no. I never got that opportunity……”

“This is just up to luck.”

In fact, back when Rean met Misty —— or Vita, it was completely out of coincidence.

She did say she was a witch, but it didn’t seem she came to meet Rean, so she completely encountered Rean when she was on off-duty.

“But that’s fine. I have this autographed sticker after all……!”

“Do they sell things like that?”

“No, there are few segments on the program, right? This will be sent out to those whose postcards have been approved to the program.”

“I see,” said Rean as he paid attention and found out there was a second sticker overlapping. 

“There are two stickers?” 

“Fufu, this is proof of my status as a postcard artist. It proves that the postcards I sent had been accepted twice.”

“Postcard… artist ……?”

“Aah. It’s about writing a topic that is easier to accept for the segment and sending it there. If you want to talk more, the topic is important, right? It’s the best feeling to have the letter you sent out being read out loud by Misty-san’s voice!”

Munk was overcome with emotion and embraced himself. 

The seniors were looking at him with a wry smile, so Rean bowed his head at them and told Munk to calm down.

“Okay, okay, this is a classroom, so can you please be quiet?” 

“S-sorry.”

“But I see, listeners could send the topic, huh. Where do you look for that kind of material?”

“I did a lot of stuff for that. I explored the academy and Trista…… and the reason I came to Schmidt’s class was originally part of my search for materials.”

“The fact you keep up with the professor’s lesson for that reason is amazing in a sense.”

“Fufu, studying about orbal terminal itself isn’t a bad thing, and above all, I’ve always been glad that I joined. There might be many things, like the battle against Divine Knights and the mysterious experiments that can’t be publicized, but I got to experience many things I would never be able to if I lived an ordinary life instead.”

 

By the way, Schmidt’s class was basically a repetition of studying and experimentation.

Practicing efficient remote control of the Divine Knight, development of the puppet golem known as Combat Shell based on the Divine Knight’s data, and recently there was also introduction to the Magic Knight, and Emma was focused on controlling it.

Schmidt must have been intrigued by the Magic Knight, so on theory days like this, he just gave an assignment and proceeded to investigate the Magic Knight with Makarov and Emma.

George and Mint would participate when they had no club activities, so when they had no other appointment, they would probably go to the old schoolhouse after their assignments were finished.

On the other hand, the people that Schmidt really needed were the group that went to the old schoolhouse, and the others were just there to set up appearances as the temporary instructors.

“Above all, Professor Schmidt isn’t as difficult to interact with as the rumors… Well, he is certainly a difficult person, but when she’s involved, he’s not as difficult.” 

“Aah, you mean Mint.”

“What, are you talking about me?”

Fresh green hair appeared between Rean and Munk as if gushing out. 

“Uwah,” said Munk in surprise as he pulled out his chair, but Rean calmly greeted her.

“Mint, have you finished redoing your assignment?” 

“Yes, well~ it was tough. As for Rean-kun’s and others’ assignments… huh? It seems like the content is different from mine.” 

“Is it so?”

“Yes,” said Mint as she reached for Rean’s orbal terminal and manipulated the control panel. 

“You can just sit,” said Rean as he stood up and made Mint, who was kneeling, sit there.

“Thanks~! Hm~………… the content really is different from mine after all! George-senpai~! Can I see your terminal for a bit~?”

Mint flew towards George like the wind. 

Munk returned to his chair and watched the scene while placing his hand on his chest.

“T-that scared me……”

“Hahah, Mint is an active person and moves around a lot, so she certainly could be good material.”

“Y-you’re right. The same could be said for the Thors Military Academy as whole, but many peculiar people gathered in Schmidt’s class in particular.”

“I think you can make a topic that ‘there’s a person like this in Trista’ as a topic for Abend Time.”

“Ooh, that might be a good idea. That said, is it okay for a listener to suggest such a topic……”

“U~hn, why don’t you just try to send it? Or you can just visit there directly and ask to experience the work there?”

“Muu, I never thought of that. But wouldn’t that be a nuisance?”

“Munk, you had your postcards approved at least twice, right? If it continues at this rate, you might be known as a famous listener, or perhaps the station might even remember your name.”

“Uh~n, how positive. Should I learn from him, or should I consider him impudent?”

“I’m back~! As I thought, only the assignment given to George-senpai and mine were particularly difficult~! That old man~!”

Mint returned cheerfully. 

Rean had predicted this, so he didn’t return to his seat and watched her solve the problem as if to vent her anger.

[“Fufufu, son. Cheating is not good, you know?”]

I’ll make sure to ask her later how she got that answer. I’ll understand it eventually. For now, I’m prioritizing Mint’s stress relief.

{“You suck at sophistry, Rean.”}

Valimar, you too, have become quite knowledgeable about the subtleties of emotions.

{“Umu. It’s all thanks to Osbon.”}

[“Fufufu, I just spend time between the silences. We’re just having conversations, but that’s important.”]

That seemed to be the reason why Valimar had recently been able to use its own technique. 

Mint seemed to have finished venting her complaints, and was smiling as if she had worked up a good sweat.

“Mint, do you have club activities today?” 

“Yes. Ah, I guess that’s why he’s harassing me. That Schmidt jii-chan, how petty!”

“No, I think he just adjusted the level of difficulty for Mint and George-senpai according to your proper skills.”

“I’m going to complain for now! See you later, Rean-kun and Munk-kun!”

The girl, who was like a storm, left the classroom after saying that. 

Rean guessed that at this rate, Mint would end up helping the task at the old schoolhouse and end up late for the Wind Orchestra club.

Munk was dumbfounded and watched Mint disappear.

“What’s wrong?” 

“No, well…… she actually knew about me.”

“Of course she would. There are less than ten participants in Schmidt’s classroom after all.”

There were Rean, Emma, Beryl, Rosine, Mint, Munk, and two other senpais, making a total of eight people. 

If that was the case, it was only natural to remember all of the people’s names.

“That’s why I think Rosine, who is also from Class V, knows about Munk.” 

“I-is that so.”

 

Munk smiled with some joy.

Rosine was a beauty and Mint was a cute girl, so perhaps he was happy as a teenager to have the opportunity to interact with them as a person of the opposite sex.

“This looks like it could be good material……”

 

It wasn’t.

“U~hn, I guess I could learn from your passion toward things you love.” 

“Then why don’t you……”

“Just call me Rean. I’ve been calling you Munk after all.”

“O-okay…… Why don’t you send a postcard, Rean?”

“Sending a postcard, huh…… what kind of topics do they collect?”

“It was mostly ordinary letters. I think it was the segment that received the most postcards. Misty-san’s private life seems to be revealed from time to time, so it’s hotly contested.”

Vita’s real private life, as in, her identity as a witch should be a secret, but it seemed her appearance as Misty seemed to be quite popular. 

Although she was hiding it, she was also active as an opera singer, so she must be good at winning people’s hearts.

Unless Emma noticed on her own, the elder sister’s voice wouldn’t reach her little sister…… It was frustrating.

No, if Class VII starts writing postcards, others might notice and decide to listen to Abend Time as well. I should consider it. 

As Rean came to a decision, he immediately asked Munk for an example. 

“Then I guess I should write a little about it. How does Munk write it?” 

“Let’s see, I think pen names are important if you decide to write——”

 

After that, Rean and Munk discussed writing a postcard to be sent to Abend Time.

But when Rean noticed the light coming through the window was that of dusk, he worked together with Munk to finish their assignment.

After Munk agreed to discuss it again during the next elective class and Rean saw him off, he saw Mint being scolded by Schmidt outside the old schoolhouse.

She seemed to be apologizing, but she didn’t seem to reflect on it, then after Schmidt waved his hand, Mint returned to the school building ―― to the Wind Orchestra clubroom.

Schmidt had an expression as if he had bitten a bitterbug, but then he noticed Rean and walked toward him. 

Rean took the initiative and spoke.

“Professor, what’s wrong?” 

“Schwarzer…… do something about that.”

“Do you mean Mint?”

“I allowed her to participate because she was Makarov’s niece, but then she erased data that had been typed and when repairing equipment, she forgot to put in parts and ended up breaking it. I have no idea how many things had to be redone from the start……”

“But she’s competent, right?”

“…………She has potential, I guess.”

From the professor’s perspective, having potential was the bare minimum requirement. 

At least when it came to helping with the experiment, from what Rean saw, Makarov and George seemed to be the main assistants.

Mint’s natural personality and Schmidt’s difficult personality made it seem like they were a poor combination, but it wasn’t like they didn’t get along.

“Let’s get some coffee for now. There’s a saying in the east about how one will forget the heat once it passes their throat, so I think she’ll get better over time.” 

“Hmph, you’re quite optimistic.”

“I think such a perspective is important.”

“You have a point, but as long as you don’t deal with it, the heat will stay in your mouth. It would be impossible to forget.”

“I guess her becoming a fourth disciple is still far away.”

“Unless her clumsiness is fixed, she will stay as a candidate even with two years of experience.” 

“I think as long as Mint is Mint, her clumsiness will never go away.”

“…………………”

 

Schmidt implied that he would take care of her until she graduated.

Not only was it hard to understand his intentions, he didn’t seem willing to speak it out, but if one could guess from his actions, Schmidt was actually quite considerate.

Of course, him being self-centered and moody was undeniable, though.

In other words, as long as one could get along with him properly, he was an interesting person.

“Speaking of which, how is the Magic Knight?” 

Rean and Schmidt went to Kirche, ordered prime coffee, and sat down on seats far away from the counter. 

At Beryl’s suggestion, the Magic Knight, which was brought to the basement of the old schoolhouse, was being taken care of by Emma, but Rean was curious about the process. 

“To put it bluntly, it’s a defective product. It’s incomplete, and being a weapon that could only move on active ley line (spiritual line) makes it difficult to use. However, if the Ashen Knight with Milstein’s follow-up could create a ‘stage’ overflowing with ley line, that won’t be the case.” 

“Stage?”

“I heard your group experienced that when you obtained the Ashen Knight. I guess you can call it an imitation of that, like creating a barrier in a certain area and the Magic Knight could be active within that area. If there’s a way to deploy the stage permanently, then it could be useful for base defense.”

Apparently, Schmidt was referring to the Ashen Battlefield where Rosine could see Osbon. 

It might be simple to say that if it was constantly running out of energy, one would be able to use an alternative method, but from Rean’s perspective who still couldn’t construct that battlefield, it was a difficult story.

“As long as the stage is set, it’s possible to have soldiers spawning endlessly like zombies. In addition, if Milstein’s idea comes to fruition, it will become an aggressive device that endlessly summons the Magic Knight. 

“Won’t Emma collapse if she did that?”

“Only if she did it continuously, that is. There shouldn’t be a problem with spawning one or two.”

[“Fufufu, is he intending to access the higher dimension where angels and devils live? No, considering it emerging from the stage, I guess it’s more of designing the stage on the spot.”]

Osbon seemed to understand what Schmidt was talking about and spoke difficult-to-understand words. 

There was nothing Rean could do, so he decided to focus on Schmidt’s story.

“Another option is to make your Power of Ashen function as a vessel. But rather than forcing you into something so not worth it, it’s better to have it connected to you through a tactical link.” 

“Since the Divine Knight is the original vessel, I guess it’s only natural……”

“In the first place, saying a machine has a will and that it possesses a person, would sound like nonsense to anyone who hadn’t seen it with their own eyes. Originally, the Divine Knight shows its true worth by having its awakener piloting it, but since the machine itself had no consciousness, it’s impossible to get inside, making it literally a knight doll. Even then, it’s still an excellent product that can’t be recreated in the current era.”

“Just being able to remotely control that mass of metal is powerful enough, after all. But does that mean it would become even more powerful when an Awakener rides it?”

“…………I guess that should be expected from the others too.”

Others as in, the other six Divine Knights other than Ashen. 

Beryl said that by reusing the Trial of Ashen, it might be possible to make a contract with another Divine Knight, but there was no proof that it could be true.

Rather than a vague remark, there was Roselia, who was the living witness of the history of the War of the Lion where Divine Knights other than Ashen were active, and perhaps she was also knowledgeable about how to handle Magic Knight, which Emma had a hard time dealing with.

Thinking so, Rean asked Schmidt. 

“By the way, professor, is it okay for outside collaborators to participate in the class?” 

“It depends on the other party. That class is basically part of the military academy’s curriculum, and there’s also different circumstances about ARCUS. Since military secrets are concerned, it’s probably difficult unless the other party is really worth it.”

“Then I guess it’s up to the chairman and principal.”

“Do you have a candidate for that collaborator?”

“Yes. That said, she is an outsider, so I have no idea whether she will agree.”

“Since it’s someone you’ll be bringing, I guess I need to prepare myself a little.”

Schmidt’s voice was a little stiff, perhaps because he was wary that the said person might be someone like Mint. 

The only thing that was similar was their height, and it would be rude to compare Mint, an ordinary girl, with a witch who had lived for 900 years…

“However, if you really deem them necessary, you should bring that person with you. If you worry too much about others’ opinions, you won’t be able to create anything.” 

“Hahah, I’ll do that if it’s really necessary. When that time comes, I’ll ask for professor’s help as well.”

“Hmph, let’s hope that said person could strike my interest.”

Schmidt seemed to be taking a longer break, so Rean left Kirche after paying the bill and thanking him. 

On his way home, he bought a postcard and returned to his room in the Class VII student dormitory where he immediately went to his desk and picked up a pen.

“Err, first of all, the pen name……”

 

And the postcard that was written—— with the pen name “Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon” was featured in Abend Time’s segment a few days later.

Furthermore, when Misty read out the pen name, she spoke in a voice that was filled with an unprecedented amount of conflict, which Munk would later say was a valuable moment in its own way.


Author Note:


Munk finally appeared.

He doesn’t have much focus during Cold Steel I and II, but just like Mint, I really like interactions with him in III.

I was really grateful to him for letting Rosine participate in the radio drama in Cold Steel III and Beryl in IV…


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