An Adventurer Mom, Who Awakened [Housewife] Skill Through a Login Bonus, Is Making the Most of Her Adventurer Life With the Weekly Flyers She Gets! - Chapter 66

A little after the entrance exam for the Junior Division of Loa Academy, Ed-kun received a letter.

“O’Connor-san, mail for you”

“Okaay”

Inside, it was written that he had passed the Junior Division exam.

At one point, Ed-kun had thought about giving up on the Junior Division but deep down he really wanted to attend, so being able to pass made him truly happy.

His mother, Kachua-san, who had encouraged him to continue his studies, was also overjoyed and said,【Congratulations, Ed-kun. Tonight we’ll have a feast】 and made a roast chicken using an entire bird.

Three months later, at the start of the new term, Ed-kun would enroll in the Junior Division of Loa Academy.

Moreover, since Ed-kun had achieved a high score on the exam, he was chosen as a candidate for the Special Scholarship Student.

The Special Scholarship system supported talented students, and being selected was an extremely honorable thing. When the teachers at school heard that Ed-kun had been chosen as a candidate, they were very pleased.

Not only was it an honor, but Special Scholarship Students also had their tuition fees waived.

“You don’t have to worry about that, Ed-kun”

said Kachua-san, but Ed-kun couldn’t help but hope that his tuition would indeed be waived.

Since his mother, Kachua-san, was working hard on dungeon exploration, it seemed the household finances had a bit of leeway but if there was money available, Ed-kun wanted to use it to go see his father.

The other day, they had even made plans right up until the last moment but suddenly could not go and both Ed-kun and Barbara were disappointed. Although they acted normal in front of the children, Ed-kun knew that his mother was also disappointed behind the scenes.

It seemed that once the borderlands became peaceful again, they would be able to travel.

That was why Ed-kun wanted the money to be saved for when that time came, so they could go right away.

Special Scholarship Students were evaluated not only on their academic performance but also on their everyday conduct.

For new students, during the three months between passing the exam and the start of enrollment, they were required to attend the Junior Division on school holidays and participate in various activities to assess their suitability as Special Scholarship Students.

Therefore, it had not yet been decided that Ed-kun would become a Special Scholarship Student. He was still only a『candidate』.

On the night before his very first visit to the Junior Division, Ed-kun was packing his backpack with the items he would need the next day.

He packed a handkerchief, tissues, emergency rations in the form of candies, a notebook and pencil. Then, for when the pencil could no longer write, he included the brush pen he had received from Gilbert Garfa.

Gilbert-san was the next head of the Garfa Company and a very important person, but when he had joined the Gamma Team for a meal, he had spoken to Ed-kun in a friendly manner.

It seemed he, too, was a graduate of the Junior Division of Loa Academy.

He had said, 『If you pass, you’ll be my junior. Do your best on the exam』and told Ed-kun about the Junior Division.

Apparently, Gilbert-san had heard from Jessica-san that Ed-kun had passed the Junior Division exam. To celebrate, he gifted him the brush pen.

It was said to be extremely durable, to the point that even if the famous enormous monster, the Big Elephant, stepped on it, it would not break. Moreover, it was a pen whose ink would never run out.

Since it seemed like such a valuable item, Ed-kun had felt hesitant, but enclosed with it was a letter from Gilbert-san that said, 『Since I only have a younger sister, I think of you as a younger brother. Our entire household is deeply grateful for the precious things your mother’s team has entrusted to us. I do not think something of this level can truly repay what we received back then, but as a celebration, I hope you will accept it.』

Because of that, Ed decided to accept it.

The pen was very comfortable to use, and he liked it a lot. The gold-colored shaft also looked cool.

While he was preparing, for some reason, Kero-chan suddenly leapt into his backpack.

“Are you coming with me?” Ed asked, and Kero-chan croaked, “Keroro.” It seemed like it wanted to go along.

“Alright, then let’s go together”

Since going alone was a little worrying, Ed felt happy.

Just as he thought he had finished preparing, Kachua-san came over and handed Ed a small teddy bear.

“Ed, take this with you”

“What’s this?”

Ed asked without thinking.

“Actually, I, your mother, have awakened to a new power that turns stuffed animals into puppets”

Hearing that said with a straight face, Ed flinched a little. But apparently, in dungeons it was quite common for people to awaken to strange powers.

Still, what his mother had been sewing so earnestly was a tiny teddy bear, small enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand.

It looked like nothing more than an ordinary stuffed animal.

“This way, you won’t lose it, right?”

Kachua-san attached a string to the back of the bear’s neck, turning it into a plush charm that could be hooked onto Ed’s bag.

And then Kachua-san stared intently at the teddy bear.

“That child’s name is Kumatarou. He’s a stuffed-animal spearman, and his techniques are Kuma-Kuma Spear from Kuma-Kuma Spearmanship, and also Kuma Bomber”

Since she said this with a serious face, Ed-kun once again pulled back a little.

The bear wasn’t holding anything in its hands.

And yet… a spearman?

“This bear isn’t holding a spear, right?”

“That’s right”

“Then how is this bear a spearman?”

When he asked that, Kachua-san gave a troubled look.

“I don’t really understand it myself. But surely Kumatarou will protect you, Ed. Don’t underestimate the little bear. If anything happens, entrust it to the bear and make sure you run away”

At the end, Kachua-san told Ed this with a serious expression.

＊＊＊

The Junior Division of Loa Academy was a fully residential school located within the grounds of Loa Academy.

The students’ ages ranged from nine to eighteen.

After graduation, the outstanding students would become Loa Academy students and study at the main school building.

Previously, Ed had come to Loa Academy together with Kachua, but today, for the first time, he boarded a stagecoach alone and headed to the Junior Division.

“Haaaa”

At the main gate of the Junior Division, Ed let out an admiring sigh.

Last time, the walk rally had been held on the Academy’s campus, and even the exam venue had been the Academy’s auditorium.

This was the very first time Ed had entered the Junior Division itself.

The atmosphere of the Junior Division was completely different from the school he normally attended. Ed was overwhelmed by the large and splendid buildings.

But it seemed that the twenty or so children around him were also candidates for the Special Scholarship, just like him, and they all looked nervous. Seeing that, Ed felt just a little relieved that everyone was in the same situation.

At that moment, a boy called out to Ed in a loud voice.

“Hey, you, over here”

“Eh, me?”

“That’s right, you’re in my group”

Being beckoned, Ed hurriedly ran over to him.

He was a student wearing the Junior Division’s uniform.

He looked to be two or three years older than Ed, but he seemed very smart and looked very mature.

He looked around at everyone and smiled.

“Hello, nice to meet you. I am Robert Hamilton, a Special Scholarship Student of the Junior Division. Today, I will be guiding you all around the campus” he said.

On his chest, the Special Scholarship badge shone brightly.

“「「「「「I-I look forward to your guidance!!」」」」」”

Several of the candidates Robert had addressed greeted him all at once. Ed instinctively straightened his back with a snap.

“First, let’s begin with an explanation of this gate. Our school has only two entrances: this main gate and the side gate connected to Loa Academy. Since this is a boarding school that takes care of underage boys and girls, the security is strict”

After saying this, Robert gave a sly grin.

“Once you are enrolled, you won’t be able to escape so easily. Here, students are only permitted to go out on designated outing days. You’d better take care of various things while you still can”

“Take care of what, exactly?”

The child standing next to Ed asked.

“Well, if I were you, I’d go to the marketplace and eat my way through all the stalls. The food at the cafeteria here isn’t bad, but if you eat it every day, you’ll get a little tired of it”

There were several other Special Scholarship Students as well, and the twenty or so exam passers who had gathered were taken around the school by them.

Partway through, teachers of the Junior Division also joined them and spoke about more specialized matters.

“This door was made two hundred years ago, during the reign of King Darm. Its design symbolizes the Tree of Life, and…”

Ed listened to the teacher’s talk with great interest, occasionally jotting down notes.

＊＊＊

“Huh?”

On the following holiday, when Ed went to the Junior Division for the second activity, he suddenly looked around and tilted his head.

There had been more than twenty students last time, yet now the number of Special Scholarship candidates had decreased somewhat.

“Why?”

To the words he muttered without thinking, someone behind him answered.

“They’re testing our suitability. We’re being observed”

The one who told him that was another boy who was also a Special Scholarship candidate.

Ed was puzzled.

“But I was just acting normal. Those kids weren’t making a fuss either, right?”

To Ed, there hadn’t seemed to be any difference between himself and the ones who had disappeared.

The boy shook his head, saying,  “Good grief.”

“I don’t know the reason either, I’m not an examiner. Anyway, it means we’d better be careful with how we behave”

“That’s true, thank you”

Ed expressed his gratitude.

“I’m Mark. Mark Hawthorne”

“I’m Edward Connor. Nice to meet you”

Ed said that and extended his hand to Mark. Mark grasped it back a little shyly.

“Likewise”

That day, they toured places on campus that had not been shown to them the previous time.

The other children also seemed to be reminded once again that this activity was actually a test for the Special Scholarship.

Some children shrank back and kept their heads down, while others were the opposite—being very proactive, repeatedly asking the guide students or the teachers questions. Their reactions varied widely.

That week’s activity ended without incident, and then came the next session.

“…………”

Once again, a few of the children were gone.

It was easy enough to understand about the ones who had been extremely frightened, but even some of the very proactive children were no longer present.

“I wonder why?” Ed asked Mark.

“Who knows. I suppose they didn’t suit the tastes of those making the selections”

Mark said in a slightly sarcastic tone.