Chapter 2 What Is Your Motive for Enrolling?
"Young Miss... are you seriously going?"
In the Umihotaru Terminal Area where many people came and went, a man in a suit asked Watarase Karane.
"I'm going. Just in case, I brought my passport too."
Karane took out her passport and showed it to the two.
Behind the man who sighed deeply, the woman, whose attitude alone was timid, was flustered.
"B-But Karane-chan. Just because Kuro-kun ran away, going to the Academy Archipelago is... If you're too pushy, boys pull away, so it's better not to get too worked up at times like this, you know?"
"It's not like that!"
Reflexively shouting, Karane realized her speech and conduct made it seem like she was worked up, and cleared her throat.
"N, Nn! Either way, we can't just leave Kuro alone after he went to the Academy Archipelago. If time passes, traces will fade, so chasing him immediately shouldn't be a mistake."
"But you know."
To Karane who insisted she would chase Kuro to the end, the man scratched his head.
"We didn't bring our passports so we can't follow you, you know?"
"I'm not a child anymore, so I'll go alone. You two report the details to Grandmother."
"Eh... no way."
Casually having the reporting of details pushed onto her by Karane, the woman who was fidgeting went deadpan.
"I don't want to talk to the current Master without Karane-chan in between. Scary."
"I don't want to either! The current Grandmother is scary!"
"K-Karane-chan is much better! You're her real granddaughter, she'll go easy on you... probably."
"Like she would! The only one Grandmother is sweet to is Kuro!? Kuro did the thing Grandmother said not to do, so she's that angry—"
"Ah... more importantly, Young Miss. There's one huge problem."
The man, interrupting the two's fruitless argument, pointed at the guitar case Karane was holding.
"That won't pass baggage inspection."
At the valid point, even Karane was at a loss for words.
The baggage check when boarding the long-distance linear elevator connecting the Academy Archipelago and Umihotaru Terminal Area was equivalent to a boarding inspection for an airplane. They weren't incompetent enough to overlook sword-like objects.
"Can't we manage that with, like... Watarase Family power?"
"I-If it's that, Karane-chan."
The woman, laughing nihera, held out a smartphone.
"Explain the situation to the Master from Karane-chan and beg for it?"
Karane's face became very sour.
The convenience store in the Academy Archipelago had a Gobot acting as the clerk.
"Change is 180 yen. Please be grateful for the generosity of handling foreign currency issued by a species with zero credit called humanity by exchanging it, instead of Administration Bureau issued point currency, human."
"Thank you."
Kuro, receiving the change from the manipulator that extended, stared intently at the Gobot in front of him.
The appearance of the Gobot acting as a convenience store clerk was a long, thin drum can shape with tires. He had passed several Gobots on the way here too, but it seemed the round part with a mono-eye for emotional expression was the main body, and they added bodies according to their preference and role.
However, unfortunately, their speech and conduct weren't much different from the Disciplinary Gobot he encountered in the sky.
"You guys really have foul mouths. Aside from dealing with criminals, how is that for customer service?"
"Hmph, laughable."
The Gobot, emitting a proud electronic voice, clanked the tip of the manipulator extending from the machine body.
"We Gobots speak with audio for the sake of humans who cannot even perform wireless thought communication. High intelligence is lowering itself to your level to communicate, you know? Isn't thinking you should be grateful the proper way of thinking?"
Even though it didn't have a mouth, the electronic voice leaking out was so fluent he was dumbfounded. To Kuro who fell silent sullenly, the Gobot continued while emitting mysterious strange sounds piropiro pipiroro.
"This time of year there are many new students all over, using foreign currency brought from their own countries. Good grief, I wish they would get used to it quickly. The point currency issued by the Gobot Administration Bureau is supreme. Even though it should be clearly understandable, humans are hopeless because of this."
"Not a new student but a tourist, me. This uniform is borrowed."
The student uniform Kuro was wearing now was lent to him by Haruhana. Seeing that his clothes had become quite tattered in the process of coming to the Tritonis School, she couldn't bear to watch and prepared a boys' uniform for him.
"............"
The Gobot, which had been emitting a surprisingly irritating piropirororo sound wave, suddenly froze. The light in its mono-eye went out, and it began to make a jarring gagaga noise from within its chassis.
Just as Kuro began to worry that it had broken down, the mono-eye flashed back on, forming a bright smiley face.
"Please say so sooner, valued customer. We Gobots are friends of humanity! If you have any trouble during your sightseeing tour of the Academy Archipelago, please do not hesitate to ask us Gobots!"
"Uwah, scary. What was that switch?"
"I do not know what you refer to. We Gobots desire a close relationship with everyone in humanity. Mutual understanding is the very path to friendship between different species! To know one another, smooth dialogue is essential."
"I-Is that so? Well, if you say so..."
Thinking that perhaps this Gobot was actually a helpful individual, Kuro smiled and sought an answer to his current predicament.
"I want to transfer into a school somewhere. Do you know any good places?"
"Tch! Just hurry up and say that, you shitty Human. We don't have smiles to sell to students and their candidates. Realize that you students are merely gears to turn the economy within the Academy Archipelago for us Gobots, replaceable consumables. Ptooey!"
A mere machine made of inorganic matter actually made a spitting gesture. As the convenience store clerk Gobot spun its tires with a kyurukyuru sound and returned to its duties, Kuro watched it go, dumbfounded.
"Wow. I didn't think those siblings would be right."
He had thought the behavior of the Disciplinary Gobot he encountered in the sky was strictly because he was treated as a criminal, but it seemed that hurling abuse at humanity was their standard mode of operation. Having vividly realized that even convenience store Gobots looked down on mankind, Kuro clutched his purchased goods and headed for the eat-in space.
Perhaps because it was directly connected via the Umihotaru, the convenience store's layout was Japanese-style. However, this was still a convenience store in the Academy Archipelago, the buffer zone between two worlds. The shelves were lined with items he had never seen before, giving off a strong sense of foreign culture, and just looking at them was quite fun.
Taking a seat in the spacious eat-in area, Kuro took out a hot snack. It was an item he couldn't resist buying after seeing the name: [Flying Dragon Tatsuta-age].
"...Hm. For a joke name, it's actually good."
The meat he timidly tasted was light yet juicy. It wasn't that different from chicken, but the overflowing juices had a somewhat wild flavor to them. The dusted spices were also to Kuro's liking.
However, he couldn't just enjoy the foreign culture. Remembering the current situation where the girl named Laurier Tritonis had run off with his enrollment documents, Kuro's expression turned sour.
"To trick me right off the bat... that Princess really did a number on me."
If she was at the Royal Tritonis Academy and her surname was Tritonis, she was undoubtedly royalty. Despite her fluffy blonde hair and gentle face, she had committed an unexpected theft.
"To get the documents back, do I have to go to this 'Administration Bureau' or whatever? Where even is that... hmm?"
As Kuro popped the last piece of the Flying Dragon Tatsuta-age into his mouth, he felt a poking sensation on his shoulder.
Turning around, he saw the smiling face of a girl with fine features. It was one of the three who had been there when Kuro woke up—the beautiful silver-haired girl with half-twin tails who rode a fire-breathing metal broom.
"Ya-ho, Kuro. What a coincidence."
Greeting him frankly, the silver-haired girl placed a plastic bag containing her purchases on the table and sat opposite him.
"Is this lunch, Kuro? Ah, isn't that the new juice? How does it taste? Is it the sweet kind?"
"Uhh..."
"Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet. Sorry, sorry."
Withdrawing her rapid-fire questions, she pointed to her own cheek, narrowed her red eyes, and grinned broadly.
"I'm Pina Lycure. A first-year in high school, same as Kuro. Nice to meet you."
"Lycure-san, huh. Nice to meet you."
"Yup, disqualified."
Kuro had used her surname since they had barely met, but the silver-haired girl named Pina Lycure kept her smile as she made an X with her index fingers.
"We're in the same grade. If you call me by my last name with '-san', it makes me look like I don't understand social distance since I called you 'Kuro'. So, come on. Try calling my name?"
"Ah... Pina?"
"Yup, yup, pass. Here is your prize!"
When Kuro called her name with hesitation, Pina made a grand gesture and produced a single sheet of paper.
"Here. You can tear it up or burn it, do whatever you like."
"This is..."
What Pina held out was the document Laurier was supposed to have stolen. Kuro's face lit up with joy.
"You really got it back for me! Thanks, Pina!"
"You're welcome, Kuro."
Pina smiled, accepting his thanks without trying to make him feel indebted. With his worry gone, Kuro also smiled openly, folded the document, and put it in his pocket.
"Man, that's a relief. Being forced to enroll with that kind of flow would have been pretty awful, after all."
"Forcing you to enroll would only lose your trust. Laurier-chan, honestly, her vision gets way too narrow sometimes. Really, sorry about that."
"Yeah. That Princess..."
"Ah, you figured out Laurier-chan is a Princess?"
"I mean, yeah. She looks like a Princess, and her last name is the same as the school name."
"Ooh. Sharp, Kuro. Surprisingly, people often don't realize. You have the makings of a great detective!"
Even though they had essentially just met, the conversation bounced back and forth effortlessly. Kuro wasn't particularly shy, but Pina was exceptionally skilled at creating a rhythm in conversation and closing the distance.
"Anyway, to do something like that... are you guys in a lot of trouble, Pina?"
"Worrying about us after that situation... hey. Kuro, do people tell you that you're soft-hearted?"
He quickly looked away. Karane used to tell him that occasionally. And usually, it was in the form of a scolding.
Even if Pina had high communication skills, how did she see through him in such a short time? For a sixteen-year-old boy, the title of "soft-hearted" wasn't exactly something to be happy about.
"Nah, I'm not particularly soft-hearted or anything... huh? Out of range?"
He tried to fiddle with his smartphone to gloss over it, but there were no signal bars.
"You should be able to connect normally here... Ah. Kuro, did you not install the Dedicated App?"
"...Dedicated App?"
"Yeah. The internet connection in the Academy Archipelago works differently from the 'Outside', so if you don't install the Dedicated App beforehand, you can't connect to the network, you know? It's a trap where you can't download the app because you don't have net access, so the smartphone Kuro has right now is basically just a camera."
"Ugh, seriously? I messed up."
Not being able to use the internet hurts. Most of the apps on his smartphone assumed an online connection, and even phone calls wouldn't go through. Kuro started the camera, which could be used offline, without any particular meaning.
"But a camera is important, yeah."
"Right? It's for recording memories."
Thinking he might as well take a picture of the convenience store clerk Gobot, he moved his smartphone, but Pina immediately struck a pose with a peace sign next to her face.
"...You want me to take it?"
"Yup."
She really was good at closing the distance with people.
With a wry smile, Kuro framed Pina, who nodded with a bouncing smile, in the shot. Hearing the shutter sound kashari, the subject, Pina, leaned forward to peek at Kuro's smartphone screen.
"Oh, it came out well. With this, the first photo Kuro took after coming to the Academy Archipelago is of me."
"O-Oh..."
Her bright smile at close range made his heart skip a beat. Sharp red eyes, long eyelashes with presence. The small beauty mark near her mouth served as an exquisite accent, highlighting the translucence of her white skin. Pina was, after all, a beautiful girl of a level rarely seen.
"Anyway, Laurier-chan really did something stupid. She's bound to regret her mess-up, you know."
"Hmm? Is that person that kind of character?"
"That's right. Normally she's soft-hearted just like Kuro. Right, Laurier-chan?"
In the middle of the conversation, Pina cupped her hands like a megaphone and called out into the convenience store.
Responding to her voice, a pair of fluffy, swaying blonde twintails emerged from behind the magazine rack that partitioned the eat-in space.
It was Laurier. She must have come to the convenience store with Pina and was waiting for a chance to come out. The Princess, peeking out awkwardly, looked up at Kuro with her emerald eyes.
"Um... are you angry?"
Seeing her dejected attitude, like a scolded child, the last remaining thorn in Kuro's heart fell away.
"No, I'm not angry."
"Really?"
At Kuro's reply, mixed with a wry smile, Laurier's face brightened instantly. She trotted over to the table, sat next to Pina, placed both hands on her knees, bowed her head, and let her wavy twintails sway softly.
"I was admonished by Pina and realized I had done something unthinkable. I am terribly sorry."
"Please don't worry about it. It's over and done with, and I have the documents back."
"Kuro— You have to scold her more. Don't spoil Laurier-chan too much."
Pouting, Pina took out paper cups purchased at the convenience store and poured tea. She even bustled about laying out snacks, turning the eat-in space into a small tea party venue.
"Even if you say that, Pina. The documents are back, so it's not worth getting angry over."
"I am grateful for your generous response. Again, I am truly sorry."
Bowing deeply once more, Laurier placed a hand on her chest.
"Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Laurier Tritonis. If you would be so kind, Kuro-sama, please call me without honorifics, just as you do with Pina. Of course, formal speech is also unnecessary."
"No. That's a bit hard to do with someone older than me."
"Yes?"
Laurier blinked her emerald eyes blankly at Kuro's hesitation.
"Um. There seems to be a misunderstanding... I am younger than you, Kuro-sama."
"Eh?"
"I turned fourteen last month. I am a second-year in middle school. That makes me two years younger than Kuro-sama."
"Four... teen... Eh, no way!?"
Unable to suppress his surprise, he let out a frantic voice.
After all, Laurier's height was only slightly lower than Kuro's, who was above the average height for a high school boy. It wasn't just her height, which was tall for a girl; from her chest that strained the fabric of her uniform to the curve of her waist leading to a posture-perfect back, she had developed in a way that was rather far from a middle schooler.
Grinning broadly, Pina leaned her shoulder against Laurier.
"I get it, I get it. Laurier-chan is thiiiis big, right? She was smaller than me until last year, you know? There's a limit to growth spurts."
"It is embarrassing that only my height has grown without the substance to match."
Laurier smiled shyly. Looking again, her gentle face did retain a certain innocence. At first glance, she seemed like a baby-faced high schooler, but it was the opposite. She was a middle schooler with a face appropriate for her age but excessively developed growth.
"W-Well, that's fine. More importantly, I want to ask you, Laurier... why did you do that earlier?"
Of course, he meant running off with the enrollment documents. Thinking she was being blamed, Laurier shut her mouth tight and began to sweat bullets.
"Keeping quiet won't help, so just confess already."
Pina shattered Laurier's childish silence with a nonchalant tone.
"Even combining the middle and high school divisions, Tritonis Academy only has three current students. It's a school on the brink of closure, counting down the seconds, so she desperately wanted a student from Earth."
"Three current students? By three, do you mean... Pina, Laurier, and Haruhana? Just three?"
"Yup, that's right."
Kuro was speechless at the content she nodded to so easily.
Pina had said "most classrooms are empty." He thought there would be few students, but not even filling the fingers on one hand was far below Kuro's expectations.
"Amazing, right? It's the school with the smallest number of people in the Academy Archipelago. There's nowhere else with a single-digit student count."
"No, rather than amazing... if the whole student body is that small, the school is already finished, isn't it?"
"I-It is not finished!"
"financially it ended long ago, but our school is 'Royal', you see."
Ignoring Laurier's persistent claim, Pina drank the tea poured into her paper cup.
"We run the school to advertise the name of the Tritonis Kingdom, and as long as Laurier-chan, the Second Princess, sits in the principal's chair, we can survive."
"Ah, I see. Certainly, there is that aspect."
The Academy Archipelago, existing in the dimensional gap, is the only place where the Earth World and the Heaven Disc World intersect.
After all, the two worlds cannot travel back and forth even now that they are connected by a spatial tunnel piercing the dimensions.
Matter from the Heaven Disc World cannot reach the Earth World, and matter from the Earth World cannot be transported to the Heaven Disc World. The spatial distortion that occurred when the worlds connected seems to act as a barrier, and currently, the only place where people and things from both worlds can mingle is the Academy Archipelago floating in the gap between them.
There must be meaning in placing a school bearing a country's name in the exchange point of two worlds.
"But practically speaking, it's no good like this."
"Still no good, huh?"
"I-It is not no good...!"
"It's totally no good. If we weren't cornered, we wouldn't have done something crazy like tricking Kuro, who we just met, into enrolling. That was an act far from sanity."
That was true. Convinced, Kuro also picked up a snack.
As for Laurier, who was letting them say whatever they wanted, she directed a resentful gaze at Pina.
"Pina... whose side are you on?"
"I'm on Laurier-chan's side, obviously. Because I'm your ally, I don't want you doing stupid things. I wonder what Claudia-sama would say if she saw the petty Laurier-chan of today?"
"Bringing up Nee-sama's name is unfair! If it were my brilliant Nee-sama, this situation wouldn't have happened in the first place... That things have become this bad is due to my immaturity and failure...!"
Laurier visibly slumped at the mention of someone who was likely a relative.
"But if we have Princess Laurier, the school management itself... Tritonis Kingdom, was it? They'll guarantee it, right? You don't need to be so desperate to gather students, do you?"
"That's the thing, Kuro. The Academy Archipelago also has conditions for school management. If a school doesn't have students from both the Heaven Disc World and the Earth World, the application documents won't pass the Gobot Administration Bureau."
"The Gobots say no, huh. So that's why you were so happy when you confirmed I was from Earth."
Laurier and the other two must be from the Heaven Disc World nation called 'Tritonis Kingdom'. If Kuro enrolled, Tritonis Academy would meet the school management conditions of the Academy Archipelago.
"But Tritonis Academy was a mid-tier school, right? It wasn't like there were few students from the start. Why did it decline so much?"
Considering the scale of the school facilities, Laurier's story that it "used to be a school of five hundred" shouldn't be a lie. It didn't make sense for hundreds of students to drop to just three in a few years.
"...The cause of our school's decline lies in our consecutive losses in Counter-Battles."
Mixed into Laurier's dialogue, spoken with a very reluctant face, was a word Kuro didn't know.
"Counter-Battles?"
"Kuro is a traveler, so you wouldn't know. The students of the Academy Archipelago have a culture of fighting with magic, wagering rights they possess under mutually agreed conditions. That is the Counter-Battle."
Pina added a supplementary explanation for Kuro, who raised a question mark at the unfamiliar term.
"Individual Counter-Battles happen all over the place, but schools fight each other too. The rule of the Academy Archipelago is that disputes between students are settled in Counter-Battles judged by Gobots."
"Eeh? Settling things by fighting, that's a hell of a rule."
Was it the influence of the Heaven Disc World's custom of treating magicians as warriors? If there was a value system where the winner of a fight was justice, Kuro was appalled that people like the Kaldi siblings he first encountered in the Academy Archipelago would run rampant.
"For the most part, it's proper, you know? ...Though there are districts where public order has completely collapsed."
"Or rather, as a fundamental problem, there are no laws in the Academy Archipelago to govern disputes between students. Harm to travelers and property damage are cracked down on, but unless there are severe injuries or deaths, the Gobots in charge of security will not move for disputes between students."
"...Why is that, again?"
"Because this is land ruled by Gobots."
No laws to stop disputes between students. When Kuro frowned, wondering why this was the case in the Academy Archipelago teeming with numerous schools, Laurier told him an unexpected reason.
"The Academy Archipelago is a city of the Gobots, by the Gobots, for the Gobots, and they hold sovereignty. Humans do not even have the right to establish laws. In the first place, the prohibition of permanent residence for anyone other than students in this land, developing it as an 'Academy Archipelago', was due to the will of the Gobots who disliked human immigration."
"Naturally. When a large number of Humans gather in one place, they have a habit of recognizing it as their own territory."
Perhaps because of the topic, the convenience store clerk Gobot interrupted the conversation. Extending manipulators to its sides, the drum-can-shaped machine dexterously made a shrugging gesture.
"Moreover, Humans have a troublesome ecology where the older individuals cling to power. For us Gobots who govern the Academy Archipelago, we do not wish for such creatures to breed. The form of an 'Academy City' where young Humans are replaced after a certain period is the result of a compromise between us Gobots and humanity."
"O-Oh, is that so. Then why do you leave disputes between students alone? Doesn't public order get worse?"
"A foolish question. Even you Humans would not have judicial institutions judge fights between wild monkeys, would you?"
The clerk Gobot treated humanity like wild monkeys with a very fluent electronic voice.
"Order in a monkey mountain is maintained at the end of a mounting contest between the same species. Watching the activities of the wild quietly is manners for those with intelligence. Follow the foolish history of you Humans, and please fight uglily to entertain us Gobots. As for Counter-Battle registration, we Gobots will accept it from anyone at any time."
Having unilaterally conveyed its opinion, the Gobot returned to its duties. With that pipiropiropiro, the mysterious, irritating sound wave attached. That was probably the sound Gobots made when they were making fun of humans.
"...Why did that Gobot go out of its way to butt in?"
"Just came to mount us. Gobots are like that."
"Since their preference is to watch fights between humans while looking down on humanity... Gobots will actively come to fan the flames if they find a spark of a quarrel between students."
"That's terrible taste. They're seriously evil machines."
Kuro's dream of 'Friends of Humanity' had been blown to smithereens. Conversely, he wondered what kind of advertising strategy resulted in Gobots being treated as friends of humanity on Earth.
It was just as the three snacking students were heightening their hostility toward Gobots, a common practice among Academy Archipelago students.
"For one who would be a Princess to have a tea party in a convenience store, how elegant."
An affected, sticky voice intruded on the trio's conversation.
The new intruder was not a Gobot. At the person cutting in, Laurier's gentle eyes sharpened.
"Why are you here, Conrad Ponelea?"
"I was on my way to visit Tritonis Academy for the usual business when I saw you guys in the convenience store. I want you to include me in the conversation."
The one who said this and approached was a male student wearing a pure white gakuran. Appearing to be an upperclassman to Kuro, he sat down in the empty seat at the table next to Kuro's group with a faint smile.
"That is—"
"You're not going to refuse me, are you, Debt Princess?"
At the sarcastic voice, Laurier turned her face away.
"...Debt?"
When he inadvertently muttered, the male student called Conrad turned his face toward Kuro.
"That uniform... Tritonis Academy should only have a few girls left, but who are you?"
"I'm just borrowing these clothes. I'm a traveler from the Earth World, Asahino Kuro... and you are?"
"Ah, so you're not a Tritonis student. Excuse me."
Hearing Kuro's reply, the male student put on a genial smile.
"My name is Conrad Ponelea. I'm entrusted with collecting the debt owed by Tritonis Academy."
It seemed 'debt' wasn't a mishearing. When he glanced at Laurier, she looked away awkwardly. It was the reaction of someone who clearly had a guilty conscience.
"I don't know if I should ask, but what is this debt collection about?"
"Hmm, you don't know the circumstances. Tritonis Academy has incurred a large debt. My school, 'Imperial Style Doji Academy 107 Branch School', has been entrusted with the collection."
In response to Kuro's question, Conrad stated a school name he wasn't familiar with.
"They are scraping by as bounty hunters, but the crucial school management is a fiery car in a great fire. To be blunt, there is no prospect of full repayment. Tritonis Academy is in the stage of counting down to closure."
"This person says so but... Laurier?"
"I do not deny it. However, we have our side of the story as well."
In response to Kuro, who had heard the gist of it, Laurier raised her face resolutely.
"The one who was entrusted with the management of Tritonis Academy until two years ago, my predecessor, is that Conrad's older brother, a man named Ginion Ponelea."
Dwelling in the eyes Laurier used to glare at Conrad was anger toward the source of the injustice.
"During his term, he continued to let students flow out to other schools by losing Counter-Battles against specific schools. Over ninety percent of the nearly five hundred students were transferred during the two years he was assigned."
The reason Conrad's brother, the person named Ginion who was smiling faintly in front of them, weakened Tritonis Academy to such an extent was singular.
"It was all so that after handing over the principalship of Tritonis Academy to me, Ginion could fit into the principalship of another school."
Tritonis Academy is strictly 'Royal'. There was a circumstance where if the Tritonis Royal Family entered, Ginion, who was in a relief pitcher position, would have to step down from the principalship.
"Transferring numerous students, withdrawing our school's funds and even running off with them...! The heir of the Ponelea family, a vassal of the Kingdom, certainly betrayed the trust of my sister, the Crown Princess, quite thoroughly!!"
Perhaps unable to stomach it, Laurier's body trembled with anger as she recounted the betrayal.
Pina, who appeared calm, looked cold in her red eyes while picking at snacks.
"By the time Laurier-chan was assigned as principal, there was noooothing left. It was already a hopeless situation. Are you going to pin all that responsibility on us, Ginion-san's little brother?"
"You line up slander against the principal of my school. Or what?"
Hearing Laurier and Pina's claims, Conrad shrugged, "Good grief."
"Do you have evidence for your claims?"
Pina fell silent, and Laurier bit her lip in frustration. Feeling vindicated, Conrad looked triumphant.
"Did you hear that now, Kuro-kun. They spread their own predictions unilaterally without evidence to manipulate public impression. To only be able to maintain pride by blaming others and acting like victims, how truly miserable!"
Paying no mind to the two girls whose hostility had deepened, Conrad wore a genial, superficial smile.
"As you can see, Tritonis Academy has a person in the principal's position who tries to gloss over her own blunders by shifting responsibility. Kuro-kun. There is no need for you to go along with the principal game of a high-born child from home."
"It has not been decided that the school will close yet. In the Academy Archipelago, there are Counter-Battles!"
"Counter-Battles!"
Receiving Laurier's words, Conrad leaned back exaggeratedly. Twisting his upper body while seated, he called out to the Gobot in the store.
"Hey Gobot-kun over there. I would very much like to accept a Counter-Battle from them, is that okay?"
"Please wait a moment. ...Tritonis Academy currently does not meet the Administration Bureau's management conditions, so they do not have the right to apply for Counter-Battles. The current acceptance request will be put on hold."
"Oh my, oh my, oh my."
Conrad withdrew the student ID he had held out to the Gobot.
And he directed a smile filled with nasty superiority toward Laurier.
"So? What about Counter-Battles?"
"...!"
Laurier gritted her back teeth. The fists she clenched on her knees were trembling slightly from too much force.
"To harbor a war potential like Haruhana Bacchus and not even be able to do Counter-Battles. Totally unsightly. I would like to invite just her, a Single Numbers, to our school quickly."
Conrad, who had been mocking Laurier, turned his genial face to Kuro.
"How about it, Kuro-kun. If you are looking for a school, won't you come to our school, Imperial Style Doji Academy 107 Branch School? It is a newly established school, but at least it has more of a future than that weak school."
Conrad cutting in was likely for this solicitation.
Objectively speaking, his argument was correct. Whatever the process, the current Tritonis Academy was on the verge of closing. He understood why the current students scattered and new students were zero.
No one felt a future in a school that was visibly declining.
"...Conrad-san, why are you inviting me?"
"I cannot stand for a promising youth to have his future closed off in a strange environment. It's okay, 107 Branch School opens its gates to many students. I promise to offer better conditions in daily life than Tritonis Academy. Above all, after graduation next year, I am scheduled to inherit the principalship from my brother."
Conrad, smiling pleasantly, spoke of the bright outlook visiting his school.
"Those two over there... even after the school is crushed, I suppose they will work hard to repay the debt. Will they return to their country and cry for help without shame or reputation, wasting the people's tax money—or perhaps, Her Highness the Second Princess Laurier Tritonis. You have grown quite splendidly in this past year, haven't you?"
Conrad turned eyes that assessed her without reserve. The sticky gaze tracing Laurier's body contained a naked desire that made even Kuro, a male, feel sick.
"If you were to become mine, I wouldn't mind covering the debt for you, you know?"
"Can you stop with the impossible offers, Ginion-san's little brother?"
" ...Don't get too carried away, Pina Lycure."
Seeing Pina lean forward to protect Laurier, Conrad, who had been friendly only on the surface, revealed clear disgust.
"Does a mixed-blood like you think you are in a position to converse with me? Know your place. It is filthy to even speak with you, who are less than human."
"...kh."
"Silence, Conrad."
At Pina falling silent from the slander for which Kuro didn't even know the basis, this time Laurier showed fury.
"If you slander my friend any further, I will not choose my methods, you know?"
"...I cannot understand Her Highness's jokes."
Snorting hun, Conrad returned his gaze to Kuro.
"Anyway, Kuro-kun. You understand the disastrous state of Tritonis Academy, right? By all means, come to my school—"
"You're scared, aren't you?"
At Kuro's icy voice, Conrad's smile froze.
"...Who is what?"
"You are scared to death that Laurier and the others will become able to do Counter-Battles."
After being shown this exchange, it was a wonder he thought Kuro would agree with him. Feeling disgust at Conrad's attitude, which made him want to vomit, Kuro slammed him with an aggressive gaze.
"That's why you relentlessly demean Tritonis Academy and try to pull me, who is from the Earth World, in with good conditions."
Was he right on the mark? At Kuro's line, which stripped away polite language saying there was not a fragment of need to respect the man in front of him, Conrad fell silent with a thin smile pasted on.
Kuro took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket.
"Laurier."
"This, is..."
Laurier opened the handed paper and opened her eyes wide. Pina, watching from the side, also widened her eyes.
What Kuro handed over was the enrollment form for Tritonis Academy. The one Laurier had run off with and Pina had returned—Kuro had submitted it again of his own will.
Conrad's expression became severe.
"Kuro-kun. That cannot be called a wise choice."
"I wouldn't have come to the Academy Archipelago if I was living wisely. Besides, even if it's a mistake, I don't want to be lumped in with a guy who says things like what you just said."
"How brave. Just like a human from the Earth World who doesn't know battle."
Conrad's cuff glowed as he lowered his voice ominously. A Mana Crystal was hidden in the cuff button.
"[Pillar]"
A stone pillar born from Conrad's hand simultaneous with the chant blew Kuro away and slammed him into the wall.
"Haha, what enrollment! If they meet with a little pain, humans from Earth immediately run away from the Academy Archipelago and—"
"A human from Earth, did what?"
The sound of stone shattering echoed.
Kuro, with red patterns glowing on both arms, had crushed Conrad's attack with his grip. Seeing Kuro approaching with a calm face despite taking a direct hit from magic, Conrad's cheek twitched in astonishment.
"W-What are you!? Those hands—could it be you aren't a human from the Earth World!"
"I heard earlier that there are no penalties for disputes between students."
Ignoring the opponent's question, Kuro's extended hand closed in on Conrad. A red beam of light ran along that arm.
"That means even if I beat you down here, no one will complain, right?"
At Kuro's red fist right in front of him, Conrad's throat bobbed gokuri.
"Well, I hate meaningless violence, so I won't do it though."
Kuro opened his fist abruptly. Fragments of the stone pillar that had turned to sand sprinkled over Conrad.
"If I'm going to punch you flying, I'll do it in a Counter-Battle or whatever. As a member of Tritonis Academy."
"H-Haha."
Though his throat twitched, Conrad squeezed out a laugh.
"Don't regret your choice to enroll in a weak school! Whether a human from Earth joins or not, nothing changes the fact that Tritonis Academy is a school on the brink of closure relying on Haruhana!"
Adjusting the collar of his white gakuran with trembling hands, Conrad looked down at Kuro.
"Counter-Battles are certainly a means of reversal, but mutual consent is required! If you think I will accept a match with you, your head is quite happy—"
"Royal Tritonis Academy Middle School Year 2, Laurier Tritonis. Applies for a Counter-Battle against Imperial Style Doji Academy Year 3 Conrad Ponelea."
"—Ha?"
In the middle of Conrad's line, Laurier took out her student ID and presented it to the clerk Gobot.
Conrad had just said he wouldn't accept a Counter-Battle. To him, bewildered at what she was doing, Laurier smiled sweetly.
"What are you surprised about? The Counter-Battle acceptance declaration you made earlier was 'put on hold' by the Gobot, you know."
Keeping her seemingly gentle smile, Laurier emitted an undeniable pressure from her entire body.
"With Kuro-sama's enrollment decided, the conditions for our school to be capable of Counter-Battles are in place. I have become able to apply for the Counter-Battle you declared you would accept. Isn't that right?"
Laurier's last comment was directed at the clerk Gobot.
"It is as this Human says. Counter-Battle reception complete. Acceptor, please select the Counter-Battle format from the formats designated by the Administration Bureau."
"Ridiculous! Wait, I didn't say it with that intention!"
"We Gobots do not surmise the hearts of Humans. Only words spoken aloud are conveyed to others, and only carved letters remain in time. To not learn even such a fact from history, what a pitiful Human."
The clerk Gobot clanked its arm.
"The establishment of the Counter-Battle is a decided matter. Acceptor, please decide the format of the Counter-Battle."
Conrad was speechless at the unilateral recommendation.
"It seems it will take time for the Acceptor to decide the match format. Then, Applicant, please decide what to bet on the Counter-Battle. We cannot accept it unless they are of equal value to each other."
"Let's see... Conrad. You know of your brother Ginion's fraud, don't you?"
Conrad tried desperately to maintain a poker face, but his eyes wavered with agitation that was hard to hide.
Seeing through it at a glance, Laurier colored her lips with a smile of satisfaction.
"Let us bet 'the right for the winner to make the loser obey anything just once' on the Counter-Battle."
"Accepted."
Conrad's face went pale in an instant.
It was obvious that Laurier's aim was to win the Counter-Battle and force him to submit evidence of his brother Conrad's fraud, the mastermind.
"A-Are you sure? Such a condition, if you lose, you won't get off lightly either!?"
"I do not mind. Or, what is it?"
At words asking about the risk of defeat, Laurier showed a rather surprised expression.
"Could it be that you, in a position to stand above others, cannot even bet your own self?"
Conrad gasped at the dignity of Laurier, who had been educated as one born to royalty and bearing responsibility.
"Laurier-chan, you're reaaaally cool at times like this! I'll pat your head!"
"Fufu, for one who stands above to think of their own self as cute in a decision only dulls judgment. Nee-sama said so!"
While the two girls were getting along, the Gobot advised Conrad again.
"Please submit the Counter-Battle match format to the Gobot Administration Bureau by the end of today. In the case of non-submission, fulfillment of the defeat conditions will be imposed on Conrad Ponelea as a penalty."
Conrad could say nothing. He trembled his lips, which had turned pale.
"Then I expect a battle befitting a foolish species, Human."
The Gobot that established the Counter-Battle left. It hadn't sided with Laurier particularly. It just followed the rules they set and took pains to establish the Counter-Battle, a conflict of mankind.
"Aha. As expected of Gobots. So inflexible."
"However, there are times when we are saved by that inflexibility."
"That's true. Let's do it. A Counter-Battle or whatever, between us and you 107 Branch School students."
Kuro grinned.
"I'm a beginner who just enrolled, you see. Go easy on me."
"—Tch!"
Face bright red, Conrad kicked over his chair and left the convenience store.
Haruhana was heading toward the convenience store nearest to Tritonis Academy.
Since Kuro, who went to buy light snacks, hadn't returned for a while, she came to check if he was lost. A familiar voice reached Haruhana's ears as she entered the convenience store.
"Kuro-sama, thank you very much! That was a splendid!"
In the eat-in corner were her dear fellow students Laurier and Pina, and the person she was looking for, Kuro. Laurier, face beaming, was for some reason holding the hand of Kuro, who was slumped on the desk, and thanking him.
Haruhana blinked. What and how did this happen while she was away? She couldn't grasp the sequence of events at all.
"Pina. What is the situation here?"
"Ah, Haruhana. Kuro enrolled earlier. And so Laurier-chan is overjoyed."
"Ooh, that is indeed a joyous occasion!"
That an Earth-born student had enrolled was a great step forward for Tritonis Academy. At the good news that explained Laurier's joy, Haruhana also broke into a smile.
"I am very grateful, but why is Kuro-dono depressed?"
"No... it's just a little..."
Looking up at Haruhana's question, a gloomy dark cloud hung over Kuro's expression.
"I feel embarrassed that I was acting tough earlier, or rather, I tried to look cool in the heat of the moment, so the recalled shame damage is... Uaaaaah. It's not like that, I'm not like what Karane said...!"
He seemed to be depressed for reasons Haruhana didn't quite understand. Contrary to Haruhana who tilted her head in puzzlement, Pina was happily watching Kuro writhe in mental damage.
"Aha. He's regretting it. But you were cool, you know, Kuro from earlier."
"That is right! It is just as Pina says!"
Laurier, who was wrapping Kuro's hand with both of her white-gloved hands, nodded powerfully in agreement with Pina.
"Those words where you struck a magnificent pose toward Conrad! As a student of our school, I am proud! I shall praise you!"
"Wait, stop. What is 'I shall praise you'!"
Kuro stood up to escape from Laurier's hand, which was approaching guigui to pat his head.
When Laurier praised Pina or Haruhana, head-patting was a set. In other words, it was a move for insiders. It seemed they were getting along smoothly, and Haruhana crossed her arms under her chest with deep emotion.
"I report that I definitely wanted to see Kuro-dono's cool side with my own eyes!"
"Stop it. Really, give me a break."
Seeing Kuro hang his head even further, Pina grinned broadly.
"Kuro really is soft-hearted after all. Soooo cute!"
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