After the entrance ceremony…
Greee…
Rudell returned to his room in the dormitory, stretching and letting out a quiet groan.
A long four-hour entrance ceremony. For Rudell, who had to stand still for almost three of those hours, it was pure torture.
As he took off his outerwear, Rudell approached the bed with a face dripping with exhaustion.
Hwaaa…
With that, he threw himself onto the bed, and the soft sensation of the mattress relaxed his tired body. Feeling his eyelids grow heavy, Rudell slowly closed his eyes.
“I shouldn’t sleep…”
As he muttered this, his consciousness gradually faded into the background.
Knock, knock, knock…
“…?”
At the sound echoing in his ears, Rudell lifted his head. It sounded like a knock.
“Ugh… what is it…?”
Rubbing his eyes, he got up and approached the door, peeking through the peephole.
But through the peephole, he saw no one in the hallway.
“…?”
Was he so tired that he heard things?
Shaking his head vigorously, Rudell lay back down on the bed.
Knock, knock, knock…
“What the heck…”
But as soon as he lay back down, the knocking came again.
Grumbling, Rudell sat up again and turned his head toward the sound.
What he saw next was someone completely unexpected.
“This way, this way.”
“Le, Leje!?”
Seeing Leje wave her hand outside the window, an exclamatory voice escaped Rudell’s lips.
Honestly, it wasn’t all that surprising to see her outside the window. Even when they lived in the Duchy, she often jumped into his room through the window.
“What are you doing there?”
Hanging upside down while knocking on the window, Rudell couldn’t help but voice his incredulity. What would someone think if they saw that?
Of course, considering that Rudell’s room was over ten stories up from the ground, the chances of someone spotting them were low. But still, you never know.
“Wait, hold on. I’ll open it for you.”
Thinking that, he shook his head and approached the window, opening it.
Whoosh.
“Next time, use the door; it’s dangerous!”
Leje climbed in through the open window, and Rudell squinted at her.
“Dangerous, my foot. It’s just this!”
“Have you heard the saying that even monkeys fall from trees?”
Even though Leje’s physical abilities were extraordinary, Rudell’s room was on the eighth floor.
No matter how good Leje was, from that height, if she fell…
‘Would she get hurt?’
Maybe not.
With those thoughts, Rudell squinted his eyes at her.
“By the way, I feel like you just thought something really rude.”
“Huh? No, definitely not!”
As Leje deflected his question, Rudell turned his gaze away.
She’s quick on the uptake…
Thinking such, Rudell observed Leje as she shrugged and threw herself onto the bed where he had been lying.
Hwaaa… I’m so tired…
“If you want to lie down, go to your room.”
“But it’s boring to be alone!”
Haa…
Feeling the pounding of his head at her mischievous gaze, Rudell pressed his forehead.
“…Want me to brew some tea?”
“Yes, please.”
As Leje nodded at his question, Rudell lightly waved his hand into the air.
At that moment, steam began to rise from the kettle on one side of the room…
“You did well at the entrance ceremony.”
Pouring the hot tea into a pristine white cup, Rudell said.
Given that many students were watching, she must have felt quite pressured.
“What ‘hard work’? It was nothing much.”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t have been able to say anything right from being so nervous.”
“Really? I thought you’d do quite well.”
Rudell’s response caused Leje’s eyes to widen in surprise.
“Our tea brewing skills leave much to be desired.”
“Sorry about that.”
Shooting a retort at her playful comment, Rudell poured tea into his own cup as well.
For a while, silence reigned, with only the sound of slurping filling the air…
“But everything’s fine, but the headmaster was a bit much… How can a person talk nonstop for three hours?”
“I know someone who’s even worse…”
“Ugh. There’s someone worse?”
Thinking of a certain baseball player from his previous world, when Rudell said that, Leje grimaced in disgust.
“So, what are you gonna do now? You have any plans?”
“Since I couldn’t sleep properly last night, I was thinking of sleeping now.”
Even though it was technically because of someone.
As Rudell looked at Leje with that expression, she chuckled before placing her cup down.
“Really? Then shall we sleep together?”
“Huh!? Out of nowhere, what are you talking about?!”
What nonsense is she spewing…
As he was caught off guard by her sudden statement, Leje giggled and linked her arm with his.
“Why? What’s wrong with that?”
“Don’t you know why I’m asking?!”
Even if they were childhood friends, it’s strange for a guy and a girl who aren’t dating to sleep together.
Rudell found that hard to comprehend.
“Bu-haha! What’s with that reaction? Do you think I meant it seriously?!”
Ugh…
At that moment, Leje burst into laughter at his reaction, while Rudell let out a low groan.
Feeling inexplicably irritated.
‘I can’t keep letting her walk all over me.’
Both were now fifteen.
Although one only officially becomes an adult after graduating from the Academy, they were already of an age to have undergone their coming-of-age ceremony.
Rudell thought he couldn’t just keep getting pushed around by Leje like this.
“I, I don’t mind at all!”
“Oh?”
As he cleared his throat and said that, Leje narrowed her eyes, looking at him.
It was a gaze that seemed to regard him as a challenger.
“Okay. Then it’s fine to sleep together?”
“W-Well, of course!!”
If a man draws his sword, he should cut something.
Though his true feelings were entirely different, Rudell answered with a nonchalant look and threw himself onto the bed.
They say the one who takes the initiative wins.
Given how cramped the bed already was, if he lay down, Leje couldn’t just easily slip in.
‘Can you really make it in here?’
With that thought, Rudell smirked.
But that was purely his misconception.
“Okay, then I’ll sleep now.”
“Wh-what!?! Wait a minute!?”
“Huh? What is it? Are you embarrassed?”
“Wh-why would I be embarrassed?!”
Someone once said that the strongest denial is an affirmation.
“Let’s not sweat the small stuff!”
“!@&%@#%&(@)*@!”
That’s not “small stuff” at all!
Despite those words clawing at the back of his throat, Rudell couldn’t let it out.
Sometimes, a man’s pride is something he can’t barter for anything.
As Leje burrowed into his arms, Rudell could only let out a silent scream.
“It’s kinda cramped.”
“Th-then how about going back right now…”
“I don’t want to. Too much hassle.”
“…”
Why is she being so persistent today?
Thinking this, Rudell gazed at her.
It smells nice.
The sweet scent of strawberries wafting from her hair.
Strawberries had been one of her favorite snacks since childhood.
Huh…!?
But just as he thought that, he shook his head vigorously.
Get a grip, Rudell.
Now’s not the time to be thinking about frivolous stuff.
Repeating this in his mind, Rudell tried to calm his racing heart.
At that moment…
Hoo…
A thin breath of air tickled his ear, and at the same moment, Rudell’s expression turned to confusion.
She fell asleep?
For real?
In this situation?
Haaa…
As all kinds of thoughts filled his mind, a short sigh escaped his lips.
Who’s going to persuade this stubborn girl?
Yawn…
Was he watching her sleep that made his eyelids grow heavy?
Rudell let out a short yawn.
‘I guess there’s no helping it…’
After all, you can’t just wake someone who’s sleeping soundly.
With a final short sigh, Rudell stood up, leaving the sleeping Leje behind, and headed toward the table by the window.
Recalling the memories of his school days when he used to doze off at the desk, he slowly settled down at the table…
“Good night, Leje.”
Gazing at the peacefully sleeping Leje, Rudell slowly closed his eyes.
In that way, Rudell’s academy life began.
