Chapter 7
Due to the rare combination of riding in a carriage and the terrible state of the road, Carl found himself forced to confirm what he’d eaten, and as the vice-principal, who was blissfully unaware of the situation, began to sweat cold bullets while guiding him, the morning sun was just beginning to rise. It was about that time when students were starting to wake up, preparing to head to the Academy.
Outside, people were opening their shops and bustling about for their daily business, while inside, students were gearing up for their classes. A busy day at the massive Academy was about to unfold.
Sunlight sneaked through the curtains and playfully tickled the girl’s face. Annoyed, she tossed and turned, trying to escape its grasp, but ultimately surrendered and opened her eyes, as if the sunlight was a wake-up alarm insisting she get out of bed.
The girl, all wrapped up cozily in a white blanket, rolled over before suddenly shivering from the chilling air that grazed her skin. It was now ten days since the entrance ceremony, and in mid-March, the morning felt like winter stubbornly refusing to let go.
“Yaaaawn~”
Perhaps it was the abrupt cold that truly woke her. Carefully, she sat up and stretched her arms. Though there was still time before class began, dawdling would only make her run out of time.
“It’s another day to do our best!”
The girl possessed an enthusiasm that made it hard for others to look at her directly or approach. Quite a bit too much.
Hmmm, hmm, hmm♪
Not exactly a song, but she was humming something she would insist was a tune, as she stepped lightly, her pink hair bouncing about like cherry blossom petals fluttering in the breeze. Her gleaming blue eyes sparkled like a clear, cloudless sky.
Those who caught the faint sound of humming might nod knowingly, convincing themselves they had indeed heard it. After all, the secret to humming well was the face you wore while doing it.
“Louise!”
The humming girl turned at the sound of her name. Upon seeing who called her, her lips broke into a wide smile.
“Irina!”
Louise dashed toward Irina, throwing her arms around her as if they hadn’t seen each other for ages. Of course, they’d shared dinner just the night before! Still, with their friendship reignited, their walking speed dropped to a snail’s pace, and more and more of their friends began to tag along.
Whenever someone called out to Louise, she would greet them warmly and invite them to join the growing group. So it went, slowing to one-third, one-fourth, one-fifth. The speed at which they moved was as if they had stepped onto a slippery patch, the group gradually becoming less and less agile. But did anyone mind the change? If it was for friendship… Isn’t it only fair to be late sometimes?
“Keep this up, and you might actually be late! Didn’t something like that happen yesterday?”
But Louise’s safety net against tardiness made sure that she hadn’t been late yet.
“Ah, Erich! Good morning!”
“Yep, good morning.”
Erich greeted her with a smirk, and as he naturally moved into place beside Louise, Irina, standing right next to her, subtly made room for him. Louise gave a half-awkward, half-amused smile at the invitation, but she didn’t seem inclined to refuse, settling into close proximity with Erich.
Witnessing this, Irina and the other three girls began to whisper and giggle among themselves. While their own dating lives resembled fierce battles, observing the romantic escapades of others was way more enjoyable than watching a distant fire.
Sure, Erich had to muster up the courage to capture Louise’s attention, but that wasn’t their concern.
By now, their group grew to six. Yet, surprisingly, Erich seemed to possess some sort of speed boost, allowing them to pick up the pace, all while the chatter increased rather than faded.
“Erich, isn’t that a gray hair?”
“That can’t possibly be happening already!”
“Just kidding! It was a loose thread.”
With a laugh, Louise plucked a stray white thread from Erich’s black hair and let it fly away. Irina turned her gaze discreetly to grant Erich some dignity while his cheeks flushed. Curious, she followed the trajectory of the floating thread.
“Who’s that over there?”
Both Irina and Louise noticed her pointing finger and turned.
“True. Not a student or staff member, are they?”
“How strange! An outsider?”
“Can an outsider even enter the Academy at this hour?”
Dressed in non-uniform attire, he wasn’t a student, nor did he sport the blue cloak of faculty. As this realization hit, Erich finally managed to calm down and shift his gaze toward where Irina was looking.
“Uh…?”
Erich blurted out a startled sound as he recognized the mysterious outsider. Perhaps the other person recognized Erich as well because they marched straight toward him.
“Erich. Do you know that person?”
Louise asked, seeing their familiarity.
Erich couldn’t respond. He knew exactly who that was, but there was no way they should be here. After all, this was someone who had complained about having no time to return home! So what on earth were they doing at the Academy?
The unknown person stopped right in front of Erich and said, looking him straight in the eye:
“It’s been a while. Hope you’ve been well?”
*
Finally, I managed to find a restroom before I hit the point of no return—thankfully, everything came pouring out, and I felt a lot lighter. I’d never heard anyone call me weak, so why on earth was my body acting like this?
I had been cooped up in the office for long hours lately, and it had been ages since I saw the sunlight or rode in a carriage. Then, to make matters worse, the roads were an absolute disaster! Add to that the fact that I had to eat while feeling queasy…
Hmm, now that sounds like a good excuse.
Once I finished my self-reflection session, I stepped outside the main building and took a look around the Academy. Like it or not… No, I absolutely hated it, but I was stuck here for the next few months. The size of this Academy was absurd, so I needed to get a grip on the layout.
How embarrassing would it be to get lost when an urgent situation arises? I could just imagine it getting back to the Minister’s ears, who would probably roast me for being the Executive Manager who couldn’t even find his way around. Just the thought of it made my blood boil—like I could hear him saying it for real.
After brushing my hair back, I made my way toward the building that looked closest. Even imagining it was enough to irritate me; hearing it in reality would be infuriating. Knowing that future was unbearable, my priority was to map out the Academy quickly. It would have been perfect if the student’s arrival time hadn’t overlapped with my wanderings.
‘What to do?’
I could hear students whispering as they passed. I mean, it’s natural to react when an outsider suddenly appears. So, I decided to huddle back inside the main building until the students cleared out. That’s when I stumbled upon quite an eye-catching scene.
“What the heck is that cluster over there?”
While most people walked in pairs or small groups, there was a group of six practically glued together—all women, with one guy caught in the middle. The gender ratio was pretty skewed. Even though I had no clue who that guy was, he was certainly in a position to be envied…
‘Wait, isn’t that my little brother?!’
What a punk. While I’m over here struggling, my little brother is living a life of luxury and romance without a care in the world. He’s far more infuriating than the second Manager. Great, Erich even seemed to have noticed me, and his expression turned stiff. Perfect, time to go tease him.
With a spring in my step, I approached Erich. The closer I got, the more I noticed him trembling. How odd. He’s always been tense around me, even though I’ve never done anything to bother him.
“It’s been a while. How’ve you been?”
“U-Um, I’ve been…”
“Just the same as usual.”
I fought the urge to say that it was bad as usual, but with so many ears around, I decided to bottle it up. Complaining about my civil servant life in front of a bunch of unfamiliar students would be embarrassing.
As I turned my gaze toward the five clustered around him, they all awkwardly bowed their heads to greet me, except for one.
“Hello! Are you Erich’s older brother?”
Instead of sounding polite, she was practically bouncing off the walls! If this were an anime, you could practically hear the sparkles! as she shouted.
Bright blue eyes and pink hair—she had an eye-catching style that would attract attention wherever she went.
…
…
But hold up—why does she feel oddly familiar despite this being our first meeting?
Pink… Blue… There was something vaguely reminiscent in my mind, but I just couldn’t place it. Had I seen her picture on a student list somewhere?
“Yeah, I’m Carl Krasius. Are you Erich’s friend?”
Since she introduced herself first, it was only polite for me to do the same. If I could just catch her last name, then surely I’d recall where I’d seen her before.
“Yes! I’m Erich’s friend, Louise Naird!”
“Oh, really?”
F%$.
I nodded my head, but internally I was freaking out.
Hearing her name jolted my memory. Louise, daughter of Baron Naird. Pink hair and blue eyes. She was like the Pied Piper, effortlessly gathering friends around her. She was attractive, magnetic—a character that everyone adored.
‘She’s the protagonist.’
I shot a glance at Erich. He was rigid, but his eyes were glued to Louise like a moth to a flame. That blush creeping up his cheeks. Ridiculous.
“Wasn’t it four, but actually five…?”
“Pardon?”
“No… Nothing.”
Oops, slipped out loud. But really, can you blame me?
With a hint of pity, I looked at Erich, who seemed frozen in place. He flinched a little, but couldn’t shake off my gaze.
‘Poor guy. So you really are the underdog here.’
A prince, two other princes, and a likely candidate for a saint. Sure, there’s a difference in status, but they can at least compete on even footing at the Academy. But Erich, being the second son of an earl, in that mix? Awkward…
I patted Erich’s shoulder, trying to console my little brother, who looked like he’s already lost before the race began.
On my first day at the Academy, I met the protagonist—who also just so happens to be my little brother’s friend.
And to top it off, their “friendship” seemed like it was destined for an ending where they both declared, “Let’s just stay good friends!”
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