The creature remained perfectly still at the bottom of the pool, looking exactly like a piece of bedrock.
He stared intently at the creature.
“So…
the only reason this pond is so pure and turned into Spirit Water is because you’ve been hiding out down here, little guy.”
The ancient magical creature completely ignored his voice, continuing its thousand-year-old tradition of pretending to be an inanimate rock.
“But how did an ancient creature like this even get here?
It’s so rare and old,” Shinazu’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“Does Minato-sensei actually know about this beast, or am I the only one who can see it?
I guess this magical pond is the exact reason why the surrounding bushes are so overgrown, keeping this entire area hidden from the rest of the academy.”
The confusion on his face slowly melted away, replaced by a wide, ecstatic grin.
“Either way, I couldn’t possibly be any luckier!
First, this shack is located in the most isolated, forgotten corner of the academy, which would normally be a living curse for an ordinary student, but since I’m already carrying a curse, it’s a total heaven for me to train my D..
in absolute peace.
And now, I even have a spiritual water pond right in my own backyard, overflowing with natural mana.
I couldn’t ask for anything more!”
His grin widened into a massive smile.
Without a second thought, he stripped off his normal clothes, threw them onto the grass, and jumped straight into the center of the pristine pond.
Splash!
He swam through the clear water, letting out a satisfied sigh as the cool, magical currents washed over his skin, completely pulling away every last ounce of lingering fatigue from his muscles.
But within a fraction of a second, his previous calm vanished, and he began frantically thrashing his arms, splashing water everywhere in a total panic.
He scrambled desperately toward the bank, gasping for air as he hauled himself out onto the grass.
“Phew!
Cough!
Dammit!” he wheezed, taking a massive, ragged breath as he sat dripping wet on the bank.
He looked back at the glistening surface of the water, a self-deprecating smile breaking across his face.
“From the edge, it looked like it was only shoulder-deep…
but it’s way deeper than that.
I don’t even know how to swim yet!
If I’m not careful, I’m going to end up as a dead man in my own backyard.”
“…Yeah, I really need to learn how to swim.”
He crawled a safe distance away from the edge, laughing softly to himself as the warm morning sun began to dry his skin, ready to face whatever the academy had in store for him.
After almost drowning, he dressed back into his good clothing and went outside to stroll in the academy.
But the atmosphere across the academy looked far different from normal.
Everywhere he looked, professors, armed guards, elite inspectors, and specialized search teams were thoroughly overturning the academy.
Students gathered in tight, anxious groups on every corner, and wild rumors had already begun spreading like wildfire through the crowds.
Nobody knew the actual truth of what had transpired in Room F-520, but everyone knew something monumental had occurred during the night.
“What do you think happened?”
“No way, I heard they uncovered a legendary ancient artifact buried under the fountain!”
“My older cousin told me a high-grade Magical Beast broke through the wards!”
Shinazu quietly walked past the buzzing conversations, keeping his head down and his expression perfectly neutral.
As far as the rest of the student body was concerned, he was just another ordinary, clueless freshman who knew absolutely nothing.
And he fully intended to keep it that way.
The grand inspection of the academy continued.
One day quickly bled into two.
Two became three, then four.
Entire residential dormitories were evacuated and thoroughly searched, every single classroom was swept for anomalies, thousands of magical artifacts were screened, and massive storage facilities were emptied onto the lawns.
The elite institution was practically turned upside down by the furious faculty.
And eventually…
more dark discoveries were made.
The search teams uncovered another hidden structural compartment, several concealed magical totems, and multiple suspicious tracking enchantments hidden in the older facilities.
None of them were anywhere near as deadly or high-grade as the sixth-grade summoning circle found in Shinazu’s room, but it was more than enough to confirm the Headmaster’s worst fears: someone had deliberately and systematically infiltrated the academy wards over a long period.
Throughout the entire process, the students were kept completely in the dark regarding the details.
Because Himetsu strictly enforced a system of absolute independence to eliminate any outside resource bias or noble entitlement, no student was permitted to possess personal magic items, heavy family jewelry, privileged personal belongings, or private maids and servants.
Only clothes, light jewelry and personal belongings were permitted, the academy only accepted children based on raw talent and mana constitution, completely irrespective of their social status or family background.
By the sixth day, however, the intense security sweeps finally drew to a close.
The heavy tension gripping the campus slowly dissolved, and the academy began returning to its normal routine.
The students relaxed, the professors stopped looking entirely sleep-deprived, and official magical announcements finally manifested across the bulletin boards:
[ Official Announcement ]
The Arcane Welcoming ceremony will officially commence tomorrow morning.
Attendance is strictly mandatory for all.
All students must be in their official academy uniforms.
During those six days of isolation in his Wooden Shed, Shinazu had managed to teach himself how to swim in his backyard pool entirely on his own.
He bought some necessities from the Trade Palace at the entrance of the academy with the clinks Minato had given him, like two good lamps, a bed sheet, soap, and other household amenities that he needed to make the shed habitable.
With his past self, he would have never wasted so much on those things, but since it was a prestigious academy, he couldn’t exactly be smelling of rags among nobles.
Nor was he allowed to, as he read the full brochure of rules, discipline, and punishments from the brochure he received two days ago along with his academy uniform.
But without any books or training manuals to study, he had officially reached the absolute end of his rope regarding sheer boredom.
“What should I do now?” he muttered to himself.
“I’ve already done my exercises, I’ve run fifty laps around the shed, the library is also closed due to inspection, and I’ve already gone to the dining hall twice.
Now, this dead place is better for its purpose, but I can’t stay here all day with just trees and bushes.”
He knew tomorrow was his first day of the academy, which was why he was more restless than other days.
“Let’s go to Minato-sensei.”
Although the inspection was over, Minato was so busy that he didn’t even give Shinazu a proper look.
However, he heard his rambling and carelessly shoved a book into his hands to get rid of him.
[ Ancient Treasures ]
After being kicked out of Minato’s office with the book in hand, Shinazu wandered through the academy grounds looking for somewhere quiet.
He was not at all interested in returning to his dead shack just yet.
As he walked, he suddenly stopped.
Before him lay a beautiful garden.
Flowers of every color bloomed beneath the spring sunlight.
Trimmed bushes lined the smooth stone pathways, and several cherry blossom trees swayed peacefully in the breeze, their petals drifting through the air like pink snow.
Sunlight filtered gently through the branches, creating patches of warm shade.
In the center stood a white gazebo.
Its pillars were beautifully entwined with flowering vines, and beneath it sat a round table surrounded by elegant chairs.
He pulled out a chair and started reading.
With the weather so calm, the cherry blossoms falling, a gentle wind blowing, and his hair moving softly with the breeze, he lost himself in the pages.
After reading a few pages, he stood up and walked over to a nearby flower bush.
“The grass in my backyard is much denser and greener, but it’s all wild,” he murmured.
“Not even a single flower blooms there.
There are so many flowers here.”
He jumped from one bush of flowers to another, thoroughly mesmerized by their sweet scent and striking beauty.
His dead, empty, lonely shack suddenly came to mind.
“…Maybe some flowers would make it look a little less depressing.”
Smiling to himself, he carefully picked several flowers.
Not too many.
Just enough.
He didn’t know much about flowers, so he simply chose the ones he thought looked beautiful together.
Before he knew it, he had gathered a small, elegant bouquet.
Satisfied with his work, he sat down beneath one of the cherry blossom tree and started trimming away the unwanted twigs and thorns from the stems, adjusting their sequence and order.
After he was completely done, he looked at his bouquet and gave himself a satisfying nod.
With the weather so soothing and the flower petals dancing through the wind, he lay back on the grass, looking at his bouquet.
He held them close to his chest as he admired the beautiful flowers hanging from the branches above.
A gentle breeze danced through his hair.
The scent of fresh blossoms drifted through the air, and the sound of birds echoed faintly from the canopy.
And before he knew it…
his eyes slowly closed.
Shinazu peacefully drifted into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile…
A girl carrying a book quietly entered the garden.
She walked up to the beautiful white gazebo and sat down on a chair, as it seemed to be her usual, quiet place.