Voidworm Knight, Great Hero

In the air.

Lynae opened her eyes and felt herself plummeting toward the ground.

After overusing her Resonance Ability and racing through one crisis after another all night, she could feel the exhaustion in her body.

But even if she hadn't been exhausted, she doubted she could have landed safely from this height.

She instinctively glanced to the side.

Star Torch Academy stood there.

The place that had taken in someone with a less-than-spotless past like hers.

No matter which direction she looked from, the Academy was as beautiful to her as ever.

It was a shame that beauty seemed about to disappear.

That was what Lynae thought as the air whipped around her.

If I could go back, if I could stay at the Academy, what would I do?

I'd try every dish the Academy had to offer, race to my heart's content, and...

I'd spend more time with my friends.

Would they be sad if I vanished without a word?

More than anything, I'd enjoy my life at Star Torch Academy as a student—as Lynae.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

As Lynae fell, two figures shot toward her at incredible speed.

Nue and Rover.

A single wing had sprouted from Rover's back. From a distance, she looked nothing like she had before.

She seemed colder, with a deadly edge to her.

But up close, Rover was still Rover.

Whoosh.

She caught Lynae firmly by the arm, and the two began a steady descent.

"Let's go back."

Just as the sun rose above the horizon, the two reached the ground.

Mo Bai had confirmed through Nue's eyes that Lynae was safe, so he waited for them on the ground with his mind at ease.

"Mo Bai!"

The moment she landed, Lynae called out to Mo Bai excitedly.

She had seen him dodge an enemy's attack by slipping into a shadow before.

Even so, she could only relax once she saw for herself that he was unharmed.

"Yeah. Glad you're back."

Mo Bai stretched wearily.

Come to think of it, since arriving in this world, he hadn't had a proper taste of Academy life. He hadn't even slept.

And the only thing he'd eaten was...

That tasteless blob of jelly.

Then he'd spent most of his time fighting a machine monster he knew next to nothing about...

Yeah, this Academy life hasn't felt much like Academy life at all.

"There's only one Motorcycle left..."

Mo Bai looked at Rover's Motorcycle, troubled.

His and Lynae's rides had both been all but wrecked in the fight against the Voidworm.

"Does this count as destroying Academy property?" Mo Bai asked Lynae, turning his head.

"Of course not! We're the heroes who stopped the Voidworm!" Lynae said at once.

She sounded as energetic as ever.

"Mo Bai, drive us back," Rover said.

"Huh...? There's only one bike. Three people would be too cramped. I'll summon Nue and have her carry me back." Mo Bai looked sheepish.

"Oh, well. I guess Lynae and I, the two who've used up the most energy, will just have to support each other on the way back."

Rover finished speaking and gave Lynae a sly look.

Lynae immediately caught on.

"Ow, ow! I just fell from way up there and used up so much Resonance. I hurt all over. There's no way I can drive."

Lynae bent over dramatically as she spoke.

"All right, I'll drive. Get on and hold tight." Mo Bai sighed and recalled Nue.

The two of them just wanted him to go back with them.

Though he'd only just discovered Rover had such a playful side.

Maybe she only acted that way around people she was close to.

Does that mean she's finally accepted me?

The thought lifted his spirits a little.

"Yay! Back to the Academy!"

Lynae shouted as she hopped onto the Motorcycle, looking nothing like someone who was injured.

So she and Rover had planned that whole act together!

But it was too late for Mo Bai to complain. Both of them were already on the bike.

Vroom!

Mo Bai twisted the throttle and headed back the way they had come.

They had defeated the Voidworm, and now the three of them were riding a single Motorcycle toward Star Torch Academy, just as they had when they first met.

This time, though, something was different.

"Those elk-like Tunneler Swarm Creatures are Planter Elk. The Roy commonly herd them, and the Academy studies them too. And those over there are..."

Mo Bai drove the Motorcycle at barely more than a strolling pace, giving Lynae the chance to show off what she knew.

She might have loved skipping class, but her confidence that she could score full marks in every subject was well founded.

"You really know your stuff, Senior Lynae," Rover teased from the bike.

"Yeah, Senior. Once we get to the Academy, you'll have to look after us two new students," Mo Bai chimed in with a grin.

Having defeated the Voidworm and protected the Academy, all three were in much better spirits.

"You two, stop teasing me."

Lynae scratched her head shyly at her two close friends' words.

No matter how many times it happened, she could never get used to being called a senior.

The three chatted and laughed all the way to the outskirts of the Academy.

But the closer they got, the quieter they became.

"Speed up, Mo Bai. I can't wait to hear our classmates cheering for us!" Lynae suddenly said.

"Okay."

Mo Bai twisted the throttle as she wished.

Lynae had probably realized long ago that he was slowing down on purpose.

But if she was urging him to go back now, she must have been ready to face whatever awaited her...

Once they returned, she would face the Academy's judgment and be sent back to the New Federation.

Even so, she had chosen not to run. She had chosen to return to the Academy.

Vroom!

And so the three returned to Star Torch Academy.

"It's them! They're back!"

The moment Mo Bai and the others rode up to the Academy gates, other students spotted them.

The students were beside themselves with excitement.

"Our Academy's great heroes are back!"

"The heroes who defeated the Voidworm!"

"Voidworm Knight!"

As soon as the three got off the Motorcycle, they were met with the students' enthusiasm.

Mo Bai and Lynae promptly ducked behind Rover.

"Whoa. That's a lot of people."

"Yeah. Just looking at them is making my social anxiety flare up."

The two whispered behind Rover.

Tap, tap!

Just then, a student came rushing toward them with a microphone.

"Wow! I can't believe it's true! Black Lightning, Rinascita's great hero, really has enrolled at our Academy!"

The student, dressed like a reporter, was especially excited.

Rover's many over-the-top titles made Mo Bai and Lynae's eyes twitch. They stared at her in disbelief.

"Ahem. I'll tell you about it later," Rover said, giving them a wink.

Tap, tap.

But while everyone was caught up in the joy of victory, several figures approached from the distance.

They were the Academy's teachers.