Regarding the Zilnius Academy, to be honest, I don’t know much about it.

In the original story, Zilnius Academy was one of the Four Great Schools, but Touraku-kun never directly interacted with it.

Although students from Zilnius Academy appeared occasionally, leaving behind some crazy inventions, the academy itself was never the main setting.

Therefore, I know nothing about the beautiful girl standing in front of me.

Thanks to Mizuhi-senpai, the rescue was simple.

It was likely because the dungeon wasn’t very difficult, to begin with—a low-rank one.

The beautiful girl, who was the only one there, bowed her head energetically toward us.

“—Thank you! You saved me!”

Light brown semi-long hair and a generous chest.

At first glance, she looked like a typical beautiful girl, but her speech pattern was far too distinctive.

Hey, are you a named character by any chance?

“I’m glad you’re safe. Still, are you alone? Even in a D-rank dungeon, going in solo is dangerous.”

As Mizuhi-senpai pointed out, dungeons are generally tackled by groups.

At least two people.

Going solo is something only A-rank explorers do.

Still, this is a bit troubling.

I didn’t expect to meet a Zilnius Academy student so soon.

No, let’s first be thankful for encountering a new beautiful girl.

“There are reasons… Ah, before that, I should introduce myself.”

The beautiful girl said this, flashing a friendly smile.

“I’m Kūna Mirume! I’m a first-year student in the maintenance department at Zilnius Academy. My hobby is development, mainly repairing Dive Gears.”

Kūna Mirume… What the heck. This kind of beautiful girl isn’t in my data…!

『Your data is pretty incomplete, isn’t it?』

Shut up.

Still, she’s a beauty.

Hmm, as a character, she has a junior vibe.

She’s the same age, but her character dynamic is strong.

If paired with Sorciera, the contrast between a cool master and a lively assistant would look great.

I’ve decided.

I’ll have her help me with various things.

Even if she can’t build a TS Machine herself, I’ll ask her to introduce me to someone who can.

She’s a beautiful girl, so she probably has lots of acquaintances. And those acquaintances are likely also beautiful girls.

“Maintenance department? That makes it even harder to understand why you’re alone.”

Indeed, as Mizuhi-senpai said, it’s puzzling.

Why is that? She’s in the maintenance department but doesn’t seem particularly strong.

“Well, you see… I got kicked out of my party during the dungeon exploration.”

Mirume-chan said this without any sign of despair, though a bit embarrassed.

Kicked out…?

Wait, is she one of those people who get exiled in modern dungeons?

She sounds just like a protagonist.

“During the dungeon exploration…?”

Mizuhi-senpai’s stern expression made me realize something.

Indeed, it’s strange.

Or rather, isn’t that an attempt to kill her?

I have a strong sense of déjà vu about this.

The former owner of this body was exactly that kind of pioneer.

“In short, they tried to kill me. Yeah, I panicked when they suddenly left me deep in the dungeon. Luckily, I had my Dive Gear.”

“… I see. It’s good we made it in time.”

Mizuhi-senpai’s expression was hard to read.

I didn’t know what to say either.

After all, this girl was nearly killed.

And she was kicked out of her party.

That’s no way to treat a beautiful girl.

“They told me they didn’t need my Dive Gear maintenance anymore since they became B-rank explorers. I wish they’d remember who modified their Dive Gear system! Calling me a useless mechanic—of course, I’m mad!”

Huh?

This isn’t quite the beautiful girl I had in mind.

So, you greatly contributed to your party’s strength, but they took you for granted and kicked you out?

“By the way, Kūna-san, would the Dive Gear system stop functioning without your regular maintenance?”

『Why are you suddenly asking such a specific question?』

I have a hunch.

If I’m right, she’s not just a beautiful girl.

“Just call me Mirume. No need for formalities. And yeah, you’re spot on. Dive Gears reference the owner’s body in real-time, so daily maintenance is essential.”

“Did you explain that to your party?”

Mirume-chan shook her head. “They wouldn’t understand.”

Zilnius Academy students not understanding… Is that okay?

But this brings up a possibility.

She might be the protagonist of an exile-type template.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing.”

I knew the main story of Lutra didn’t cover Zilnius Academy.

So, I let my guard down.

With the mobile game and possible spin-offs, it’s no surprise if something new cropped up.

The original author said any spin-offs would be about Knight Twin Academy or Chroma Music Institute, but Mirume’s protagonist aura is too strong.

So, this must be a Zilnius Academy spin-off.

In that case, we’re definitely—

“This is irregular.”

“Huh? Irregular?”

“Ah, just talking to myself. Sorry.”

In other words:

Exiled from Zilnius Academy ~ My custom program is essential for your strength, but whatever, I’ll do things my way now ~

I never expected to meet a protagonist-level beautiful girl here.

Thank heavens!

I wonder what the original plot was.

Did someone save her from this predicament, or did she come up with a way to escape?

“What would’ve happened if no one came?”

“I would’ve died. No escape, and I couldn’t beat the dungeon master.”

“Did you have anyone in mind to save you?”

“Not really.”

Hmm, I’m unsure which version is canon.

“Kei, why are you asking this all of a sudden?”

“… Just curious.”

Oops.

This wasn’t the right time for that question.

For now, we should stick with her, steer the spin-off story back on track, and quietly disappear when the time is right.

Also, I’ll ask her to introduce me to someone who can build a TS Machine.

“Mizuhi-senpai, how about we escort her to Fectom Academy? If her party left her here, they might come back to finish the job.”

“Good idea.”

This girl is a protagonist-level beauty.

We must treat her with care.

We’ve probably already broken some event flags.

Until we find an alternative path, we must stick together.

『You’re just trying to spend more time with a new beautiful girl, right?』

Cool × Energetic!

『You’re not even hiding it.』

I’ll try to meet Sorciera later.

If the original plot isn’t affected, a little interaction should be fine.

It’ll be okay! I’ve read tons of stories, so I’m confident I can keep the plot flowing smoothly.

“So, Mirume, would you like to come to Fectom Academy with us?”

“Are you sure? I can’t offer any rewards.”

“It’s fine. Our academy isn’t that narrow-minded.”

“Then I’ll take you up on your offer!”

Mirume-chan bowed her head politely.

Looking at her now, her hairstyle and hair color are pretty plain.

She’s more like a protagonist from a character creation template.

A spin-off from Zilnius Academy likely wouldn’t impact the main story.

If it’s a laid-back story about beautiful girls tinkering with technology, I might’ve already derailed it.

Getting involved with Mirume might be a sin.

『Wouldn’t Mizuhi share the blame too?』

Well, she’s a beautiful girl, so it’s fine. What are you talking about?