Support the translator on lazytranslations.com
Amelia Miyagawa: 16 years old
Occupation: High School Student
Magical Aptitude: Eight (General Class)
Hero
~Amelia’s Perspective~
Sh*t, I really didn’t think you were just going to let me help you with your work. [T/N: Amelia, watch your words.]
I was made to change into a sister’s outfit that was somehow mixed in with the cleaning supplies handed to me, and now I’m covering my mouth with a cloth and waving a duster to remove dust.
“Next up is here.” (Ann)
“Yes.” (Amelia)
My classmates don’t seem to think it’s me because I’m dressed like this, and they walk past behind me, saying good job.
My state of mind is conflicted by the fact that I’m half shocked that my classmates didn’t recognize me, but I’m also half awed because they don’t realize they are the object of surveillance.
I follow Ann’s instructions to clean the furnishings and windows in the hallway.
It’s not wrong for me to clean as a student, but I feel like I’m doing it wrong as a hero, but I do it diligently for the rest of the day.
When I clean like this, I realize that there are people who keep the buildings and rooms clean, even though I didn’t pay attention to them while I was sleeping in the room.
With Ann, I feel like she’s teaching me how to clean, like my teacher from before, to make her own life and work easier, but I don’t care… really.
As a result, I don’t complain because I don’t feel uncomfortable with me keeping an eye on them.
Ah!
“… that’s all the cleaning we have to do here. Let’s move on.” (Ann)
“Yes.” (Amelia)
But that’s the end of it here.
It’s finally time to be a hero!
I leave the dormitory late with my tools in hand to chase after the imposter who is leaving the rest of my classmates and going outside.
From here on out, I’m going to follow him like a hero.
“Next up is the candlesticks, and since there are so many of them, please make quick work of them.” (Ann)
“Eh?” (Amelia)
I wanted to, but it wasn’t the kind of chase I was expecting.
I had imagined that I would be hiding in the shadows, sneaking after them under my breath so that they would not notice me.
But what we were doing was the same as before.
As expected, there are a lot of candlesticks, so this time Ann is helping me, but…
“Ann, is this really needed?” (Amelia)
‘What is?” (Ann)
“They’re getting further and further away from us!” (Amelia)
It is natural that there is a difference in the speed of progress between cleaning and normal walking.
Unlike him who is walking somewhere, I am moving slowly like a tortoise.
The other day, I was walking next to her, so I whispered this to Anne, but she let out a sigh and said,
“You know, it would be suspicious if we followed him in such an empty place. What’s going to be your cover?” (Ann)
“I don’t know.” (Amelia)
That’s all I could say.
If I were to see someone from the corner of the hallway, I would wonder if there was something going on.
When I was at school, I wondered if I could act like that person, but if I did that here, a knight would stop me.
“Don’t worry. If you concentrate on cleaning, check the direction, and listen for his footsteps, you won’t lose him since you can predict where he is going.” (Ann)
“You’re describing difficult things, you know?” (Amelia)
“Please just do it.” (Ann)
That’s not what you ask an amateur to do, is it?
I’ve never done this kind of detective work before.
I may be a hero now, but I used to be just a normal student who was good at dancing, you know?
However, I thought that Ann was really a spy as she calmly said that if I could do that, I would know his general location.
I would try to do it too, just to see, but there was no way I could do it.
“Ugh, there are a lot of footsteps, I can’t find him.” (Amelia)
“Each footstep has a different sound. Try to find the one that is a little heavier and has a shorter time of scraping the ground.” (Ann)
Since I came here, I have been able to do many things physically, but I have never used them in this way.
If I concentrate on my ears, I can indeed pick up various footsteps, but they get mixed up and I can’t tell which is which.
If you want to do it, I could do it.
In order to concentrate a little, my hand wiping candlesticks stopped.
What should I do, I can’t do anything at this rate.
I almost feel like I’m going to be labeled as a useless person.
I might be able to do something if I use my skills.
“Ah, maybe he’s these footsteps.” (Amelia)
“… I never thought you would be able to do it.” (Ann)
“No way, you were forcing me to do something you can’t do!?” (Amelia)
“…you are a great talent, would you like to work here if you like? Salary is negotiable.” (Ann) [T/N: LMAO]
“No!” (Amelia)
I was able to recognize the rhythm, not the type of sound.
It was difficult to distinguish between the various sounds, but I was able to find one using their tempo, thinking I could distinguish the rhythm of their feet with the senses I was accustomed to using through my dancing.
I didn’t think I was being told what they couldn’t do.
I’m glad I was able to do it, but what was Ann going to do if I couldn’t?
I’m curious, but for now, I’ll focus on the chase.
And, of course, I’m going to decline the invitation!
Anyway, there is a Japanese proverb that says, “A rice cake from the shelf,” but I wonder if this is what it means. [T/N: The idiom describes “unexpected good fortune”. It is from a story of a rice cake falling from the shelf and landing in a hungry mouth.]
I have been following the sound of his footsteps with my ears, stopping and starting to walk, but I never thought I had such a talent.
The impostor hero doesn’t seem to be heading straight anywhere, so I can head off like this, polishing candlesticks.
“…I didn’t know you could do it more accurately than me, why don’t you team up with me? With you, the top of the underworld is not a dream.” (Ann)
“Never.” (Amelia)
What is Anne saying to a young woman like me?
Even if I am a hero.
I wouldn’t ever notice this kind of talent.
Still, a professional huh? I got an endorsement from Anne, but… it’s a talent I wouldn’t normally use.
And then, we move closer and closer to a nosier area of the cathedral.
“Move forward.” (Ann)
“Is something wrong?” (Amelia)
“It’s a place rumored to have something going on. I visited there once myself, but I’m sure there was nothing there but wine being stored.” (Ann)
“Is that place suspicious?” (Amelia)
“As a result, if what you said is correct, it is definitely suspicious.” (Ann)
I ask Anne to tell me in what direction should we go.
If it is a building that a suspicious person approaches, we can certainly expect that there is something going on inside.
And sure enough, the footsteps we had been following disappeared as we entered the building.
“He didn’t come out.” (Amelia)
“… Based on the structure of this building, I guess it’s underground.” (Ann)
“Anne, are you sure you don’t want to go in?” (Amelia)
“It would be more accurate to say we can’t go in.” (Ann)
“Why?” (Amelia)
Even if we wait for a while, the impostor hero did not come out.
It is common knowledge in my world that high school students do not drink alcohol.
Some of them drink, but usually, they don’t.
In my mind, it was suspicious enough at this point.
I thought that if we had come this far, we should see it through to the end, but Ann said we couldn’t go any further.
“Perhaps this is the mage’s domain from here on. If you step in and explore carelessly, it’s like dancing over a trap; you’ll be found out immediately. Unless you have some way to search inside or some way to disguise your magic, I don’t.” (Ann)
“Yes, I might?” (Amelia)
“You might if that’s the case…? Can you do it?” (Ann)
“Umm, maybe I can do it, I just need to know what’s going on inside, right?” (Amelia)
I thought we needed to learn something more, and maybe there’s something I can do about that.
I scurry around to make sure no one is there and gently put my ear to the wall.
“Yeah, I see… but can you even hear though that?” (Ann)
“Hmm, maybe if I make a sound like this.” (Amelia)
I put magic power in my hand and lightly knock on the wall.
The sound waves, which only I can see, are then launched and I can see where the sound is obstructed and what the structure of the building is like.
I can’t tell where the cavity is, where the walls are, or what’s inside, but I can see the outline of the structure in my mind’s eye.
It’s my skill, Acoustics.
I can only make a sound and pick up the sound that comes back, like a bat, but depending on my magic, I can explore a very large area.
It is not an offensive ability, so I might be able to use it to listen to my opponent’s movements and anticipate their actions.
However, I think this skill is inconvenient because it is not very heroic, you have to concentrate to know the details like this, and it gives me a headache because I pick up a lot of sounds when I use it.
And I didn’t receive a very good impression from my classmates who knew about it, calling me a Hell Ears.
T/N: If you like the series rate, review and add on your reading list on Novel Updates. You can also donate through Paypal or Ko-fi, or subscribe on Ko-fi. Thank you!
Support the translator on lazytranslations.com
