I Became the Academy’s Pink Airhead

The starry ground sparkled beneath us.
A space that felt like wandering somewhere in the universe.
At the center of this universe, I finally faced my worst enemy.

"…"

It was 'me.'

The Prophet slowly rose from his darkened form and walked forward, his long tail dragging on the ground, and his bat-like wings swaying.

We looked at each other.

"…"
"…"

And we each voiced our impressions of the other.
We were so different that it felt disturbingly dry.

"You look like a late-game self-insert villain—☆ Talking about darkness and death, while pretending to be cool. You're almost 30, isn’t it time to graduate from your chūnibyō phase♪"

"Is that really how Clara talks? Or is it a projection of some deep-seated desire to be loved by everyone after becoming a pretty girl? Either way, you should probably lose the manhood—though I guess it’s already gone."

And with that, we both clammed up, feeling uneasy.
We knew each other too well, and we were both good at hitting the other's weak spots.

"…"
"…"

With a sigh, we both guessed each other’s intentions.
We knew each other too well to miss the other's motives.

"You’re here to stop me, aren’t you?"
"You’re here to stop me, aren’t you?"

And then...@@novelbin@@

"…"
"…"

We were so different.
Our genders had changed, and our appearances were different.
We had lived different years, experienced different eras.

I had changed, but the Prophet had solidified.

But...

We were still thinking in mirror images of each other.

‘That’s probably because…’

We had made foolish mistakes,
regretted them so intensely that we reached a point where we couldn’t back down.

“It’s funny, we’ve changed so much… but when we finally recognize each other, the first thing we say is—☆”

Or so you’d think?
The surprise attack from the Pink Airhead comes with a talk—☆
It’s too late to pretend to be friendly now♪

I suddenly rushed forward and threw a punch. Ether steamed off my body as I accelerated.

The ground exploded under my feet as I stepped forward, shattering beneath me. Probably all they’d see was me appearing before them with a loud crash.

My eyes met the Prophet’s as I closed the distance in an instant.

I swung my fist toward him.

Whoosh—!!

A surprise jab, jab—☆

But the Prophet simply exposed a darkened part of his skin and stood still. It was as if his skin gleamed like that of a lizard.