Chapter 10

Summer vacation ended, and the second semester began. I started attending the cram school I had long wished for.

It was a high-level cram school, where students from prestigious private and public schools gathered, just as one would expect from a place my brother attended.

It was completely different from the cram school I attended in my previous life, where they only did worksheets.

So far, there have been no problems with the lessons in Japanese and math. In fact, I feel quite competent.

Well, I'm only in the first grade, after all. If I didn't understand, that would be a problem.

But there was another, more significant reason I wanted to attend the cram school.

It was to buy snacks.

I have several extracurricular activities, but the driver of the Kichijoin family always picks me up and drops me off.

He takes me to the classroom before the lesson starts and picks me up when it's over.

That's right! I have no free time!

I hardly ever walk alone outside. Someone is always with me.

But that's a problem.

Because I can't buy snacks.

Laugh if you want, but I have a serious sweet tooth.

But still! Every day, the only snacks I get are from high-end pastry shops, and the meals are always from some fancy restaurant.

I'm grateful, and they are delicious.

But my taste from my previous life craves junk snacks. I want to eat simple meals like rice with pickles. I want to eat convenience store bread!

So I thought,

Why not choose an extracurricular activity where I can have some free time without an attendant?

The cram school has two periods of Japanese and math, with a break in between.

I could sneak out during the break and buy snacks.

It would be great if there was a convenience store near the cram school.

I have to be careful not to do it too often, or the teacher might report it to my parents.

I should only buy small items that fit in my bag. I shouldn't aim for big items like potato chips, as even the small bags are bulky.

I decided to start with small items like Choco Tirol. I really want to try Bamboo Village, and I'd love to try Lucky Turn, but that's too risky.

Eventually, I want to buy onigiri.

I couldn't stop daydreaming about it.

That's why I wanted to attend the cram school so badly.

Near the cram school my brother attended, there was a convenience store just a 2-3 minute walk away.

Perfect.

At first, I couldn't sneak out because I was new and a student at Suiran, so I was under close scrutiny.

It took about two months of attending the cram school once a week before I could finally make it to the convenience store.

The first snacks I bought were two Choco Tirols and some caramel.

I could only buy items that fit in my pocket since I couldn't carry a bag outside.

The break was only 15 minutes, so I had to hurry back.

I couldn't concentrate at all during the second period.

When I got home, I secretly ate the Choco Tirol in my room, and the familiar taste made me cry with emotion.

I carefully ate the remaining chocolate and the 8-piece caramel.

Cheap, hooray.

Autumn is busy with events like the sports festival and the Suiran presentation. I also have a piano recital. It's overwhelming.

At the sports festival, the top performers in our grade were Kagemi and Enjoji, who outshone even the upperclassmen. Thanks to them, they gained even more fans, including among the upperclassmen.

Unfortunately, my class didn't have any heroes. Try harder in other areas.

The Suiran presentation is like a cultural festival, where students display their works, and there are choir competitions and bazaars.

The preparation is more challenging than the sports festival, and to nourish our tired bodies, we often eat sweets at the salon of Petit Pivoine.

Being able to eat sweets in school is a privilege, I think.

Recently, the salon has been buzzing with talk about the presentation's choir songs and class projects.

The difficulty of the class projects increases with each grade. The upper grades make dioramas, for example.

"Rika, there are Pierre Herme macarons today. Would you like one?"

"I'd be delighted. Thank you."

This is Aira Minazuki, a fifth-grader.

She has a relatively rare short, boyish hairstyle at Suiran and seems destined to become a top male role in some opera company.

Since the summer party, where she saw my brother and me dance the waltz, she has been kind to me.

She said she found our enthusiastic dancing cute. I'm grateful.

She even said, "I'm envious of your kind brother," and gave me a photo of my brother and me ringing the bell under the rose arch, which she got from someone who was there.

She said, "You two made a cute couple, so I wanted to take a photo and give it to you later."

Brother, we're a couple now.

I thought I would be embarrassed in front of Kagemi and Enjoji, but there's always someone to pick you up when you fall.

However, there is one major problem with Aira.

"Yurie, these limited-edition macarons are delicious."

Yes, Aira is a close friend of Yurie.

"Really? Then I'll have one more. What about Kagemi and Enjoji?"

"I'll have one."

"Hmm, I'm good."

Kagemi is usually around Yurie, who loves him. Yurie and Aira are close friends, and Aira has recently taken a liking to me as a junior.

It's a dangerous position to be in.

The Emperor is generally indifferent to people who don't interest him, so he hasn't paid much attention to me.

But once, when Enjoji said, "You're the one who danced the waltz in the middle of the summer party, right?" he looked at me and said, "Oh, that was you."

Enjoji, you didn't have to say that!

"Is Kagemi helping with the class presentation properly?"

"More or less."

"That's not good. You need to do it properly."

"Ah, okay."

"What's with that answer? I'm going to check on you in the classroom. Got it?"

"Got it. Yurie is so nagging."

"What did you say!"

"Just kidding, sorry. Yurie gets angry easily."

While munching on the macaron, I sneak a peek.

Despite her complaints, she looks happy. So, you like her that much, huh?

The Emperor's face is completely different when he talks to Yurie. His usually bored expression becomes lively.

Oh, his cheeks are a bit red. You can't contain your love.

Observing this rare, interesting side of the Emperor, I met Enjoji's eyes.

I'm sorry, I won't look anymore. But I will eavesdrop on their lovey-dovey talk.

Despite all this, I managed to get through the busy but peaceful autumn.