…Hmm, did I just imagine Lilith saying something about repaying her debt even with her life? Yeah, let’s chalk it up to my imagination.

Honestly, it’s a little overwhelming. From my perspective, I casually went out to hunt a dragon on a whim, only to run into people with much heavier motivations. Then, when I handed over something they desperately needed, I got told they’d repay me even if it meant becoming my slaves. That’s… heavy.

Still, the idea of living in a harem is appealing. Being surrounded by beautiful older women sounds like life’s ultimate goal. Watanabe would probably die of joy. Oh, wait, wasn’t he more into dog ears?

…Anyway, back to the topic at hand.

For now, I’ll set aside the matter with Lilith and her group. Instead, let’s address the pressing issue right in front of me: I have to dismantle this massive dragon corpse all by myself. In hindsight, saying, “Well then, I’ll take my leave” and trying to look cool wasn’t the best idea.

Should I just visit Egarton tomorrow and ask Lilith’s group for help? No, as a man, I can’t show such weakness. Especially when they’ve already misunderstood my motives, thinking I’m on some noble quest to slay dragons.

Bringing it to the town's adventurer guild would draw too much attention, so that’s also out. In the end, it seems like I’ll have to do this alone. Sigh… no choice but to start working.

“…Alright, that’s it for today.”

After teleporting the dragon’s carcass to the Grand Mage’s estate, I began the dismantling process in the backyard. In this era, you can find a tutorial for anything online. Following a “How to butcher a wild boar for beginners♡” video (mentally yelling, “Normal people don’t butcher animals, okay?!”), I used it as a reference for dissecting the dragon.

Luckily, the adventurers I met yesterday had taught me how to process wyverns. Plus, the physical strength I inherited from the Grand Mage came in handy. Despite the size of the task, the work progressed smoothly—except, of course, for the sheer enormity of the dragon’s body.

I stored the head and internal organs using spatial magic and focused on carving up the meat. Decapitating it with a single blow earlier turned out to be a good move—it drained the blood from the neck arteries effectively. Speaking of which, I ended up collecting enough dragon blood to fill five wooden barrels.

Even so, finishing the entire job will take days. Looks like I’ll be spending all my after-school hours on this for the rest of the week.

By the way, starting today, Isosaki’s suspension period is over.

Thinking about that jerk first thing on a Monday makes an already gloomy day worse. Hopefully, the intimidation I laid on him was enough to keep him from messing with me again. He’s a bit of a musclehead, so staying cautious won’t hurt.

Surprisingly, Monday passed without incident. Isosaki avoided eye contact with me altogether.

The week flew by uneventfully. For once, I enjoyed the slower pace—things have been too hectic lately. …Then again, there’s nothing normal about quietly spending your afternoons dismantling a dragon. What kind of high schooler does that?

Speaking of progress, I’ve finished carving up all the meat, thanks to my daily efforts. The next challenge is the scales. I have to peel each one off the hide and clean the remaining flesh—tedious work. I’ll keep about ten for emergencies and stash the rest away with spatial magic.

Finally, I can eat dragon meat! I’ve held off until the butchering was done, so I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll take some to Ms. Sara’s estate and ask her chef to prepare it. If I had the money, I would’ve paid professionals for both the dismantling and the cooking.

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

Friday’s last bell rings, leaving just homeroom before the week is officially over.

“Ahh, finally the weekend!”
“Let’s push through next week and look forward to the concert!”
“Seriously!”

Next Sunday is the live concert by Sayama and her idol group. I’ve already reserved tickets and informed Iijima, Kawabata, and Sayama. My first live concert—I can’t wait.

Rumble.

“Whoa!”
“Ahh, an earthquake!”

That was a big one.

“Man, that shook pretty hard. Are we okay?”
“That felt like at least a magnitude 5.”

I checked online. The epicenter was in the neighboring prefecture, with a magnitude of 6. Our area experienced about a 5 on the scale.

“Magnitude 5, huh? No wonder it felt strong.”
“Yeah, but I hope the trains aren’t stopped.”

In today’s Japan, this kind of reaction is normal unless it’s closer to a magnitude 7.

“Alright, class! Homeroom’s starting. Settle down!”

Our homeroom teacher enters, unfazed. A 5 isn’t serious enough to disrupt the routine.

“Hey, did you hear? A factory in the neighboring prefecture exploded after the quake!”
“Seriously? That’s terrifying. It’s not a nuclear plant, is it?”
“No, don’t worry! Apparently, it’s just some kind of machinery plant!”

What?!

“Hey, no phones in class!”
“Ah, sorry!”

An explosion in the neighboring prefecture? That’s concerning.

A quick search on social media revealed reports of a fire raging at a factory, with several people trapped inside.

“I’m not feeling well; may I leave early?”

The class is basically over, so it shouldn’t be an issue. I can’t waste any time.

“Huh? Sit down, Tachihara! Homeroom’s almost done. Be patient.”

No! I don’t have those ten minutes to spare!

“Besides, haven’t you been acting cocky since you lost weight? The other day—”

Excuse me?! Who’s the one who didn’t even notice my weight loss until recently? No time to argue with this idiot. Time for some low-level status magic…

“Urgh!”

“Oh no, are you okay, sir? Since you’re unwell, can I leave now?”

“Fine, fine! Just… just go already!”

Victory! With my bag in hand, I quickly leave the classroom.

Sorry, but this is an emergency. I'll have to manipulate his "condition" later to cover my tracks. What a hassle.