Chapter 3: Encounter
Passing through the main gate of the Lister National academy, the first thing that appears is the magnificent Staff Building, reminiscent of the Palace of Versailles.
The Staff Building houses not only the staff room but also lodging for the staff, the station for the Regan Knights, and even Duke Regan's headmaster's office. It is said that Duke Regan’s personal residence is located deep within the grounds.
Stretching out as if hiding behind the Staff Building when viewed from the main gate are our student academy buildings. There are five connected academy buildings. The one closest to the front is for fifth-year students, and the one furthest back is for us first-year students; we will use the same building until graduation. Those enrolling next year will use the building currently occupied by the fifth-years.
Lined up to the left and right of each grade's academy building are the girls' dormitories and boys' dormitories. These are also separated by grade; viewed from the main gate, the boys' dorms are on the right, and the girls' dorms are on the left. The structures of the boys' and girls' dorms are identical, equipped with a cafeteria on the fifth floor available for breakfast and dinner.
So, where do we eat lunch? You might wonder.
Actually, behind our first-year academy building, there is a three-story Cafeteria Building about the same size as the Staff Building, and that is where we take lunch. Since students of all grades visit this Cafeteria Building at once, it gets immensely crowded at lunchtime.
Behind that Cafeteria Building, numerous arenas and gymnasiums have been built. Further back still is a coliseum with a capacity exceeding five thousand people, but I’ll introduce that another time.
"Sorry. Did you wait?"
Clarice and Ellie arrived at the academy's main gate right on time.
"No, I just got here. Shall we go?"
Today, the three of us were heading out into the city of Regan.
Apparently, once this testing period ends, students in the General Classes cannot freely leave the academy grounds. "General Classes" here refers to students from Class A to Class E. Clarice and Ellie, confirmed for S-Class, have a curfew but can freely head out into the city.
In other words, once academy starts, only I, in E-Class, won't be able to go out.
So, we decided that until then, the three of us would sightsee around Regan. Incidentally, secondary exams were currently being held at the academy. Lorenz exempted me from the secondary exams and beyond, and Clarice and Ellie passed on them as well.
The city of Regan was crowded as usual. Perhaps those who failed the exam were still staying, as there were people around our age sightseeing.
As we walked, pushing through the passersby, Ellie whispered in my ear.
"...Being watched..."
It was rare for Ellie, who usually didn't care even if she attracted men's gazes, to say something like that.
"That's because you two are cute, and—"
"...No... Since the academy..."
Ellie immediately denied my words.
Since the academy? Does that mean academy personnel? But the only acquaintances we had at the academy were Sasha and Cyrus...
"Understood. We have to be more careful, and don't separate from me both of you, okay?"
"Okay."
Clarice gripped my hand tightly, and Ellie linked arms with my left arm.
Window shopping in this state, we bathed in the gazes of men looking at us as if screaming Explode, you normie! Some even harbored quite strong murderous intent.
After wandering around Regan for about an hour, even I could sense the presence of someone following us relentlessly.
If they weren't going to harm us, leaving it be was fine, but we didn't know when danger might approach the girls. To eliminate any worries, I decided to make a move here.
"Clarice, Ellie. Let's enter the alley visible on the right. Then we'll catch the guy tailing us."
"Eh? I didn't notice at all."
It seemed Clarice hadn't noticed yet.
"...Got it... One man... One woman... The woman... might be skilled... no footsteps..."
Eh? Two people? I could only detect one. And for Ellie to call her skilled, she might be quite formidable.
"Alright, don't let your guard down."
We entered the alley as planned, immediately hid in the shadows, and held our breath. A man and a woman entered the alley, looking around as if searching.
"Huh? They're gone?"
Perhaps having lost sight of us, the woman's voice echoed faintly in the alley.
Now!
To subdue them, I jumped out in front of the pair who had lost us. The woman was startled by our sudden appearance and couldn't speak.
And I was surprised to see the two of them.
"Misha!?"
The one tailing us was Misha, whom Clarice and I had saved in the Forest of Magic three years ago.
And behind Misha was, surprisingly, Dameze.
However, Ellie, who didn't know them, took Misha's back and skillfully grabbed her arm.
"Ellie, that girl is our acquaintance. So please don't do anything to her."
Ellie obediently followed Clarice's words.
"Misha? What's wrong? Was Misha the one monitoring us all this time?"
Even when asked by Clarice, Misha just looked down.
"It's a bit awkward to talk here, so why don't we talk over lunch?"
Even in an alley, public eyes were a concern. The four of us—me, Clarice, Ellie, and Misha—entered a restaurant.
"...I'm sorry. I saw Mars and everyone at academy and thought about calling out to you... but... um... I was curious about the girl next to you..."
As soon as we sat down, Misha apologized to us. Come to think of it, Sasha had told me long ago that Misha was very shy, but to think it was really true. When she met me and Clarice before, she wasn't like that at all.
"I see. Sasha-san did say that. That Misha is shy. Well then, Ellie, introduce yourself."
"...Nice to meet you... Ellie Leo... Mars's fiancée..."
For some reason, Ellie had a triumphant look on her face.
"F-Fiancée!? Eh? But? What about Clarice!?"
Misha was shaken by Ellie's words.
"I became a fiancée too. Misha, introduce yourself to Ellie as well."
Urged by Clarice, Misha politely stood up and bowed.
"Y-Yes... I am Misha Febrant. Nice to meet you."
However, Misha's expression was gloomy. Why was the usually bright Misha so depressed... Ah! That's right! Misha said she was taking the exam for Lister National academy too; did she fail?
"Misha. Life has its ups and downs. But you mustn't give up! Where there's a will, there's a way! Okay!? Don't fall into despair!"
When I sent her my best encouragement:
"Really? If I don't give up, is there a chance?"
Tears pooled in Misha's eyes as she looked up, her gaze clinging to hope.
"Of course! So let's do our best! I'll support you as much as I can!"
It seemed my words reached Misha's heart.
"Yeah! I'll do my best!"
Her sunken expression cleared, and she showed me a carefree smile like in the old days.
Yeah, a smile suits Misha best.
"Then, Misha, can I appraise you right away?"
Wanting to know Misha's current status, I asked, and she agreed immediately.
[Name] Misha Febrant
[Title] —
[Status] Elf - Eldest Daughter of the Febrant Baronet Family
[Condition] Good
[Age] 11
[Level] 14 (+11)
[HP] 73 / 73
[MP] 224 / 224
[Strength] 36 (+30) | [Agility] 43 (+35)
[Magic] 50 (+41) | [Dexterity] 50 (+42)
[Endurance] 26 (+22) | [Luck] 10
[Special Ability] Spearmanship B (Lv 4/17) (0→4)
[Special Ability] Water Magic C (Lv 4/15) (1→4)
[Special Ability] Wind Magic C (Lv 5/15) (1→5)
[Equipment] Gale Spear
[Equipment] Phantom Robe
Eh? She failed with this?
I feel like it's not much different from Clarice, who disguised her status... Come to think of it, Ellie said the woman tailing us was quite strong.
"Misha. Most likely, Misha wasn't appraised properly either. You should talk to Sasha-san and ask if you can take the exam again!"
Misha stared blankly at me as I excitedly stood up.
"Make haste! Let's go right now! We might still make it!"
I tried to pull the dumbfounded Misha by the hand, but she hurriedly pulled her hand back.
"Eh? Could it be that you think I failed the exam!?"
How should I reply in a situation like this? If I nod, I might hurt her... While I hesitated, Misha continued.
"I'm an Elf, so I can enroll without taking the exam, you know?"
"Eh? Is that so? Weren't you depressed because you failed the exam?"
Her expression clouded again at my words, but Clarice covered for me.
"Misha, there's a reason Mars misunderstood. Mars wasn't appraised correctly and failed the exam on his first time."
"Eh!? Mars failed!?"
My failing must have been incredibly unexpected; Misha stood up, leaning forward while slamming the table. Her voice echoed through the restaurant, drawing mocking laughter from surrounding customers.
"S-Sorry. But Mars failing is weird! Because, because... Mars is..."
I could see tears gradually gathering in Misha's eyes. Crying for my sake... Misha is a seriously good person.
"It's okay. Thanks to Sasha-san, I was able to pass, skipping the secondary exams and beyond."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really. I can't thank Sasha-san enough."
Between my passing and Sasha being praised, a smile returned to Misha's face. Why Misha was depressed remains a mystery, but if I ask now, she might get depressed again. So, I decided to change the subject.
"Misha? Why are you with Dameze-san?"
I asked while looking at Dameze, who was peeking at us from outside the shop.
"Yeah. Somehow Dameze seems unable to leave my mom's side."
She nonchalantly returned an unbelievable answer.
"Eh? Isn't that a stalker?"
Clarice immediately retorted.
"Stalker? What's that? But Mom said Dameze is kinda creepy, so having him nearby keeps men from hitting on her, so she made him a slave. If he's a slave, he follows orders, right?"
Misha answered as if asking, Is there something weird about that?
It was a moment where I felt the gap in common sense between Japan and the other world.
We entered the restaurant before noon, but by the time we left, the sun was already starting to set. It was six hours of being overwhelmed by Misha's machine-gun talk after she regained her spirits, but we had a fun time.
"Hey, hey. Let's go out with the four of us tomorrow too."
On the way back to academy, Misha proposed with a bouncing voice. Despite talking that much, she still seemed to want to talk more.
"Sure. Since Mars can only go out with us during the exam period, that's fine. By the way, Misha, which class are you in?"
"Eh? Me? I'm S-Class. But why can't Mars go out?"
Unexpectedly S-Class. Well, Misha had the highest status among the examinees I saw, excluding Clarice and Ellie, so I can accept it.
"I'm at the bottom of E-Class. So apparently I can only go out during this period."
"Mars is E-Class!? Even years ago you were stronger than the current me; that's weird!"
Knowing I was E-Class, Misha flushed red with indignation again.
"...Yeah... weird... Mars... number one..."
Ellie agreed.
It seemed Ellie and Misha wouldn't be satisfied unless I was number one at everything; until we arrived at academy, the two of them passionately discussed that topic.
December 29, 2031, 9:00 AM
All tests for the Lister National academy ended, and after the provisional class announcements, the dorm room assignments were decided.
This academy differentiates various things by class. Room size, meals served, lesson content... etc.
The E-Class I entered is unfortunately positioned at the bottom of the hierarchy, with the largest number of students in a grade at around 200. The rooms assigned are on the first floor of the dormitory, with two people assigned to an eight-tatami room.
However, this year, the number of boys in E-Class was odd, not even. Therefore, only one room became a three-person room, and the one who drew the short straw was me, the lowest-ranked student. So only our room has high density.
I thought they could have let us use a vacant room, but it seems they do this intentionally to foster a hungry spirit. If you rise to D-Class or C-Class, the rooms get bigger. For S-Class, they get a 1LDK room all to themselves on the top floor of the dorm.
And today is the day two students move into the room I’ve been using since the other day.
"I'm Gon. E-Class, but a current student (non-ronin). Nice to meet you."
"I'm Carl. Like Gon, I'm a current student, so nice to meet you."
The two held out their hands for a handshake.
"I'm Mars. Like you two, a current student. Let's get along."
I shook hands with them, but neither believed I was a current student.
"Eh? Calling yourself a current student with that physique is a bit of a stretch, isn't it?"
"Most of E-Class are ronin (students who failed previous years), so you don't have to be embarrassed to tell the truth."
Apparently, looking at my physique, they couldn't believe we were the same age.
"No, it's true. There are people who have known me for a long time, so if you doubt it, you can ask them. Also, I want to ask Carl, what do you mean E-Class is mostly ronin?"
It seemed the two were still skeptical.
"You don't know? If stats are about the same, classes are divided considering rank, age, level, etc. As a result, current students tend to get into higher classes."
Hm? I would think they'd respect older people and put them in higher classes. Seeing the question mark floating above my head, Gon said one thing.
"Younger ones have more room for growth, right? That's all it is."
I see. So there's no concept of seniority by age.
"By the way, did you hear? Apparently, an S-Class is being established this year!"
"Yeah! This year is a rare bumper crop. I heard it rivals the year three years ago, which is said to be the best in Lister National academy history!"
The two flushed with excitement.
"We have the Hero of the North, the pride of the Lister Federation, and the Sword Saint of the Deador Holy Kingdom!"
"No, no, this year it's gotta be Karen-sama, the second daughter of the Fressbald Head Duke family!"
"Indeed, Karen-sama is definitely Rank 1. Even the Hero of the North can't match her, apparently."
"Well, they're engaged, so the two won't fight seriously."
Hero of the North and Sword Saint? And this girl named Karen is strong? Being strong means the possibility of being a convenience store robber is high. Even if they are criminals, there's a possibility they received a reincarnation bonus from the Demi-God.
There is a reason I enrolled in this academy even risking that.
One is that rather than running around in fear, I want to settle things quickly and be at ease. The other is that there seems to be knowledge that can only be obtained here. Knowledge, of course, meaning combat knowledge.
During the years spent in Almeria, I asked adventurers about sword skills, but while they had seen or heard of them, no one had actually mastered them.
Coming here is the quickest way to become strong—that was mine and Clarice’s conclusion. Well, it was also Zeke’s policy, so maybe our will didn't matter.
"Hey, once we put our luggage down, let's the three of us go to the academy building! We can enter the first-year building from 11:00 today!"
"Sounds good! Actually, I was thinking of going too!"
Carl agreed to Gon's proposal. However, I had a prior engagement.
"Sorry. I plan to tour the academy building with someone else today. Invite me next time."
Putting my arms through the pure white uniform, I left the room.
This uniform also differs by class. All classes have a uniform based on white, but the uniform's lines and the Book Crest of the Regan Duke family on the left chest change color depending on the class.
A-Class: Purple (About 30 people)
B-Class: Blue (About 50 people)
C-Class: Green (About 100 people)
D-Class: Black (About 150 people)
E-Class: White (About 200 people)
Since it's a white-based uniform, the E-Class uniform is almost pure white. Compared to other classes' uniforms, it looks a bit plain.
Walking ten minutes after leaving the dorm.
Arriving in front of the first-year academy building, many first-years were gathered there, waiting for admission. Among them, there was a place where a crowd had formed.
In the center, three girls wearing uniforms with red lines—Clarice, Ellie, and Misha—were bathing in the surrounding gazes.
It seems only S-Class can decide the line color freely, and this year's color is red.
With the three being the center of attention, I didn't have the courage to call out to them. As I stood there wondering what to do, Ellie noticed me immediately and ran over.
"Mars!"
Ellie's face, expressionless until then, was vividly colored, and Clarice and Misha followed after her.
"Who's that guy?"
"Why is an E-Class guy with S-Class girls?"
"Three of them for one guy? Unforgivable."
The male students started buzzing. I hesitated to call out because I anticipated this, but from now on I have to be careful about meeting places too.
"Sorry I'm late. Shall we talk over there until the academy building opens?"
I couldn't calm down amidst these gazes.
Moving a little away from the academy building with the four of us, Clarice spun around on the spot with a mischievous smile.
"How is it? This uniform? Does it suit me?"
Actually, today was the first time I saw Clarice in her uniform, but in a word, it suits her immensely! Seriously, almost too much.
There was just one thing bothering me. Clarice’s skirt was shorter than other female students'. Even now, when she spun, her white thighs peeked out.
"Yeah, it suits you very well, and it's cute. I feel like the skirt is a bit short though..."
When I stated my honest impression:
"Really? It's still longer than in the past..."
Naturally, "the past" meant her previous life. Maybe Clarice was a party girl in her previous life.
In contrast to such Clarice, Ellie's skirt was longer than other female students. Since How about me? was written on Ellie's face, I honestly conveyed my impression to Ellie too.
"It's very Ellie-like, I like it."
Long is long, which is a bit disappointing, but I can't say that even if my mouth were torn.
"Hey!? Why praise Clarice and Ellie-rin but ignore me!?"
Misha puffed out her cheeks, looking exactly like Sasha.
In the past few days, the distance between Ellie and Misha had rapidly shrunk, and Misha had started calling Ellie "Ellie-rin." I could tell Ellie was starting to take an interest in Misha, who was attached to her.
Naturally, Misha's uniform suited her too, but I couldn't casually say "It suits you" or "You're cute" like with Clarice and Ellie.
After all, Clarice and Ellie are my fiancées; we've lived together for years and communicated a lot. So I know the line that makes them happy.
However, Misha is different. I ignored it thinking it might be creepy if I said "It suits you" or "You're cute," but if asked by Misha, I had to answer.
"It suits you, and you look mature."
At my words, she spun around on the spot multiple times, seeming quite pleased.
While we were doing that, it became time for the first-year academy building to open, and students were swallowed into the building one after another. We entered the academy building after waiting a bit.
First heading to the E-Class classroom, many students had already entered, and everyone was inflating their dreams for the academy life starting the day after tomorrow. We toured other classrooms, leaving only the S-Class classroom.
Heading to the S-Class classroom with the four of us, several students were peeking inside in front of the classroom. Among them were Gon and Carl.
"Gon, Carl? What's wrong? In a place like this?"
When I called out asking what they were doing, they flusteredly put a finger to their lips.
"Mars, look too. That's Karen-sama of the Fressbald Duke family. Just as rumored, quite a beautiful girl. To be able to see her every day from now on... wait, you!? Come here a sec!"
Gon spoke eloquently but raised his voice midway, dragged me by the arm, and asked in a volume only I could hear.
"Hey! Who are the beauties behind you!? You said you had plans, right!?"
Gon's expression was grim, looking somewhat angry.
"Mars? Are you okay? Friends?"
Thinking it suspicious, Clarice called out from behind. Behind her were Ellie and Misha.
"Ah, these guys are my roommates..."
When I tried to introduce them, Gon interrupted me.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Gon. Eleven years old, eldest son, no girlfriend. Regards."
He held out his hand while introducing himself with the lowest voice he could muster.
"Oh, thank you for your politeness. Clarice Lampard, also eleven. I am engaged to Mars, so along with Mars, I look forward to getting along with you."
Clarice held the offered hand with both of hers and smiled gently.
"Eh? Hah? Engaged?"
Gon was confused by the sudden word "engaged" and looked at me as if demanding an explanation.
"Yeah. Clarice and I have promised our futures to each other."
Gon froze at my words. Deciding it was better to introduce Ellie now too, I pulled Ellie's hand and had her stand next to me.
"This is Ellie. Also engaged to me, so regards."
Ellie, introduced by me, just gave a slight bow and linked arms with me.
If I didn't introduce Misha in this flow, something like earlier might happen.
"One more. This is Misha. Daughter of Sasha-sensei who started working at this academy this year."
"Nice to meet you~. Gon."
Misha exchanged a light greeting. Gon's soul was saying hello from his mouth due to the torrent of introductions.
Leaving such Gon, I peeked into the S-Class classroom.
Inside the classroom, a sight jumped into my eyes: a man with slicked-back brown (or light brown) hair stood there, placing a hand on the shoulder of a girl with red long hair and slightly strong-willed eyes, whispering something to her.
Then, noticing our gazes, the girl suddenly turned around, and coincidentally, her gaze crossed with mine.
This was my first contact with Karen.
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