When Alice returned to the lobby, Claire and Leo were there. I heard Claire is sharing a room with Charlotte. Leo was in the same room as Jake.
Mia Crowfield was with Sophia and… I have no idea what this combination was thinking. “So they won’t feel uncomfortable?” With this duo, isn’t it just uncomfortable for each other?
But thinking about it again, even if those two were with someone else, it still would have been awkward. Mia Crowfield doesn’t like building friendships with others, and Sophia hasn’t been here for long. Plus, being a foreigner, she has no connections in the Empire’s social circles.
Maybe that’s why they thought there wouldn’t be any conflicts. It would have been… tricky to place Mia Crowfield in the same room as someone like Claire, coming from a royal or imperial family.
“Oh, that.”
As Alice pulled out the invitation she brought, Claire immediately reacted.
“Did you get one too?”
“No, I didn’t get one.”
Claire’s expression was full of disappointment while she answered.
“But I saw Charlotte receiving one. From Roti.”
“What’s that about?”
Leo asked, sounding curious.
“It’s an invitation to a stuffy banquet happening at our estate tonight,” Jake replied. The atmosphere was strangely heavy compared to the academy, making it seem much more serious than usual. Well, Jake’s personality always gave off a light vibe, so even just settling down would make him appear weightier than usual.
“I’ll say it early; there’s no obligation to attend. Father didn’t send it thinking we would come.”
“But we can’t just turn down an invitation from the local lord, can we?”
Charlotte furrowed her brow slightly.
“Providing this venue wasn’t because we invited them here. We are offering it in cooperation with the academy’s curriculum. Strictly speaking, we are still in class, so it’s different from an ordinary invitation.”
She looked around as she spoke.
“Is there anyone else who got one?”
In that brief moment of silence, a girl cautiously raised her hand.
“I… I also received one…”
It was Mia Crowfield.
And noticing that, everyone seemed to realize what criteria the invitations were distributed by.
“That’s… really blatant. So, does that mean the commoners didn’t receive any?”
Alice replied with a look of disbelief.
“Well, that’s true. It was sent only to families of counts or higher.”
Seeing our gaze shift, Jake said with a wry smile.
“Even for a duke’s family, isn’t that just too obvious?”
“… Well, I can’t say that’s too severe. At banquets held by other dukes, counts usually don’t invite unless it’s their own people. Commoners go without saying.”
Alice opened the envelope and unfolded the invitation.
“We would be honored if you could grace the evening banquet we prepared with your nobility.”
And it had the duke’s signature along with the place and time written on it. Aside from the signature, the rest didn’t seem that important. Even if we forgot, there would be someone coming to pick us up.
“Is this a chance to build connections while we’re still students?”
If Alice becomes the emperor, there might not be a chance for either of us to come this far again. Alice as the emperor and me supporting her.
So right now is the perfect opportunity to build connections, not just with royalty like Alice but also with other nobles’ heirs.
“Well, I guess that’s right?”
Jake answered vaguely.
“I’m curious about the banquet…”
Sophia’s eyes sparkled as she spoke. Naturally, Sophia is officially a ‘hereditary knight family,’ making her a touch away from being considered noble, but by the ranks, she was still beneath a count. She didn’t get an invitation.
“Well, it might look that way from an outsider’s perspective.”
In reality, those who received invitations — Alice, Charlotte, and Mia Crowfield — didn’t seem particularly thrilled. And neither did I.
…Plus, I know the duke’s ulterior motives. While I may not be included, it would be better for me to join for the sake of other girls who might get caught up in it.
“… Hmm.”
Jake listened to Sophia’s words, stroked his chin thoughtfully, then a smile crept onto his face.
“Hey, buddy.”
“Wha-?!”
When Jake abruptly put his arm around Leo’s shoulders, Leo jumped in surprise.
“Are you thinking of tagging along to the banquet? I hear there will be pretty noble ladies inside.”
At that, the girls around shot cold glances at Jake. Even Sophia… Ah, now that I think about it, she’s into the whole premarital chastity thing, huh?
“Uh? No, I…”
Leo looked overtly uncomfortable. It was a natural reaction for a clueless male character, but honestly, Leo’s reaction wasn’t that important.
There’s no way the game’s protagonist would miss out on such an important event.
In the original story, Jake, realizing the duke’s true purpose, would bring Leo along and stir things up.
I’m not sure if that thought will work here with the developments being different, but having the protagonist nearby can’t hurt, right?
“And there’s Leo’s little sister.”
“My name is Claire. And I’m not his little sister; I’m the older one.”
“Okay? Then, Claire.”
Jake smiled at Claire.
“Do you want to join us for the banquet?”
“Uh? Is that okay?”
“Of course. If the brothers are going, the sisters can’t be left behind. Sophia, you too.”
…Hmm.
How should I put this?
Although the original work had a similar atmosphere, I can see why some male characters in the story liked Jake so much.
Just looking at his attitude, it’s obvious he has a hero aura that draws in heroines like a golden sun.
He seems to be deliberately giving off that vibe, too.
Just as well that Roti was still handing out invitations. Otherwise, I might not have been able to resist the urge to smack Jake on the back of the head.
“… What’s the catch?”
“The catch? I just want to have fun with my friends.”
Alice’s reaction was a bit different from the original, though.
Alice, who once thought social interactions were awkward because of all the studying just to beat Claire, nearly refused the invitation at first. But when she heard Leo was going, she finally made up her mind.
The other female characters had similar motives.
In reality, it didn’t seem like Alice held any romantic feelings for Leo.
“I’ll go.”
I suddenly inserted myself into the conversation, and this time, the attention shifted entirely to me.
“Oh, really?”
“There’s a huge difference between just hearing about what kind of person the duke is and seeing him in person.”
Honestly, I was brimming with enthusiasm to join in on Jake’s plan.
Well… of course.
It’s common sense to link up a pure couple engaging in forbidden love in such a setting.
“Hmm.”
Jake looked at me silently for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.
“Well, alright. You’ve already received an invitation anyway.”
“Is it okay?”
Alice quietly asked from the side, still casting skeptical glances at Jake.
“I doubt anything major will happen. And…”
I looked clearly at Claire and Sophia, who seemed visibly excited.
“Two people would be extremely disappointed if I said I wouldn’t go.”
“You’re quite the troublemaker,” Alice said with a bitter smile.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
