Chapter 37

When I went to the front of the classroom, the class assignment list was posted.

"Hey there."

"Jack, it's been a while."

"Seria, it's been a while too. We're all in the same class."

Jack pointed at the list and smiled. Seria and Silfa were both in the same A class.

There were 120 new students, divided into five classes of 24 each. The highly anticipated heroine, however...

was in B class. Oh, I'm glad we're not in the same class. It seems I won't have to deal with her.

But on the other hand, it's a bit unsettling to leave her out of sight. Well, things will work out as they should.

"It's a relief to have you two here. I look forward to working with you."

"Yeah, but that was quite a speech. I thought I'd have to call you 'Your Highness' in school..."

"I don't like that either, Jack calling me that."

"Right."

The two of us laughed.

"Prince Shin, how are you?"

Silfa curtsied.

"It's been a while. But I'd like to stop being called 'Prince Shin' and having that greeting in school."

"I find this more convenient."

"Even with Jack?"

"Not when it's just the two of us."

"Then please do the same for me."

"Seria! We're in the same class!"

"We are! Let's celebrate!"

Silfa and Seria hugged each other, and the classmates watched in shock. I want to have this kind of relationship with everyone in the class. I hope they understand.

My seat was in the middle of the classroom. Seria was in the front by the window. Silfa was in the back by the window. Jack was behind me. We were scattered.

The homeroom teacher was a middle-aged woman who explained the upcoming schedule in a very straightforward manner.

Our daily schedule includes a homeroom period in the morning to communicate announcements. All students will be in this classroom. In the morning, we will take required subjects in this classroom, and in the afternoon, we will move to the classrooms for our elective subjects. After that, those who have finished or have no classes can leave on their own.

"I'm sorry I'm late!"

The classroom door opened with a bang, and the heroine in her sports uniform appeared!

Oh, why do heroines end up drawing so much attention without even realizing it!

You're supposed to be in the next class! Why did you enter the wrong classroom?

"Oh, there are still students here... What's your name?"

The teacher glared.

"I'm Rins Brower! Nice to meet you all!"

She immediately introduced herself with her adopted family name and bowed to the class.

"...You're in the next class. B class."

The teacher calmly answered, flipping through the student roster.

"Eh, eh? Oh no! I made a mistake! Hehe."

She tapped her head with her fist and stuck out her tongue.

I was really irritated. The boys were in a daze, and the girls were half-lidded.

"Aaaah!"

Suddenly, she pointed at me with a loud voice!

Oh no, don't involve me! I don't want to be seen as an associate!

"You're the one who carried me earlier!"

She ran to my desk and bowed.

"Thank you for carrying me to the infirmary earlier!"

You were unconscious, weren't you? How do you know that?

"To carry me like that... You're such a gentleman. I'm Rins Brower. May I know your name?"

"I'm not worth introducing myself... I didn't carry you. I just used a stretcher."

"Stretcher?"

"Stretcher."

"..."

The class burst into laughter. That was really awkward.

"Rins?"

The teacher, with a vein popping on her forehead, tapped the desk.

"Go back to your classroom quickly."

Realizing it was a bad situation, she looked around the class and left.

"Sorry! Thank you! See you later!"

She ran to the door, bowed, and waved at me with a big smile before closing the door.

...What just happened.

The boys were amazed, saying they had never seen such a cute girl, but the girls were all half-lidded... Each of her gestures was obviously calculated...

"...Does she not know who the prince is?"

"Unbelievable..."

It seems she was immediately disliked by the girls.

And someone, please do something about that pink hair. That hair color is just unbelievable.

Anyway, the teacher continued explaining the subjects.

Since today is just the opening ceremony, we will be dismissed after this explanation.

When about half the class had left, Jack turned around and sat in front of me.

"Shin, what club are you joining?"

"...I'm not joining any. I'm busy, and I might get into trouble wherever I go."

"Busy, Prince. I'm joining the swordsmanship club."

"Okay, okay."

"What should I do about these elective subjects..."

Jack scratched his head.

"Talk to Silfa. I recommend dance for you."

"Ugh..."

"You should work hard on what you're not good at."

"You're so serious, Shin."

Seria and Silfa also came over.

As if that was a signal, the remaining half of the class surrounded us.

"What subjects are you taking, Prince Shin!?"

"Prince Shin? Are you interested in music!?"

"Prince Shin, please take dance with me..."

The girls, and even the boys, surrounded us from a distance. I wish they would just casually talk to me.

"Please stop calling me 'Prince Shin.' If it's too hard, just call me 'Shin.' Please."

"..."

Everyone froze.

"What about you, Seria?"

She smiled and put a finger to her lips.

Right. It's better to keep it a secret.

"Princess Seria!?"

"Princess Seria, what subjects...?"

"Please tell us what you're interested in!"

"Please, everyone, stop calling me 'Princess Seria.' I don't want to be called that by my friends, just like Prince Shin..."

"Is it okay for Seria to call you 'Prince Shin'?"

Jack interjected. Yeah, good point. I wanted that comment.

"Of course. Seria is my fiancée, not a friend. So, from now on, anyone who calls me 'Prince' won't be considered my friend. Got it, everyone?"

Seria won't suddenly start calling me 'Shin' now.

So, it's better to let everyone know from the beginning that it's just a formality.

Everyone smiled politely. Good.

"Aaaah! There you are!"

This air-headed voice is unmistakable... Is there more to the opening ceremony?

The pink-haired girl pushed through the crowd of classmates. Her boldness in entering another class on the first day is impressive.

"I'm sorry for earlier! I just had to thank you."

"You're welcome. It's fine now... Be careful on your way home."

"Thank you! I didn't have an umbrella, and I got soaked in the rain, which is why I fainted. I'm really sorry."

She kept talking about things no one asked about, as usual.

"Wow, you recover quickly. You should see a doctor. They can check your immune system. Be careful."

"Um... Since we met like this, may I know your name?"

"I'm not worth introducing myself... Have a good day."

The girls around her were clearly exasperated.

"Do you not know who Prince Shin is?"

"Stop with the 'Prince.'"

"This is Prince Shin Midland, the first prince of this country. It's unbelievable that someone doesn't know this and still enters the school!"

One of the noble girls introduced me, but I was embarrassed after all that.

"Stop it. I don't care about that."

"You're a prince! I'm sorry, I didn't know!"

She widened her eyes in surprise, bowed deeply, and saluted.

You definitely knew...

"I'm so clumsy... I'm just naturally this way..."

The heroine's act made all the girls groan. What's with this 'natural' act? Seria also mentioned something about a 'natural' character...

"Anyway, please don't call me 'Prince' in school. Seria, let's go home."

"Okay."

"Seria... Seria Colette...?"

The heroine was surprised to see Seria again.

"My name is Seria. Please just call me Seria."

Seria bowed.

When she looked up, the heroine was staring at her in shock. She's your biggest rival, the villainess. Didn't you meet in the infirmary? Well, you were unconscious, so you probably didn't see her clearly.

"...Not pigtails!"

Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying.

After all that, we finally got to leave and got into the carriage.

"Wow, that was intense, the heroine..."

"Yeah... She did everything in the opening ceremony, including the obligatory 'natural' act. She packed it all into one day. She's tough."

"Hey, Seria, what does 'natural' mean?"

"Hmm, it's hard to explain. Originally, 'natural' refers to someone whose values are different from the norm, who makes inappropriate comments, and whose priorities are off..."

"What do you think of someone who calls themselves 'natural'?"

She made a scary face and crossed her arms. Sometimes I don't understand the origin of Seria's actions.

"It's impossible. A real 'natural' person wouldn't know they are 'natural.'"

...I see. So it's just a calculated act to appear cute.

"What's 'tehepero'?"

Seria closed her eyes tightly, tapped her head, and stuck out her tongue.

"Tehepero" has incredible destructive power. I never thought I'd want to hit Seria.

Next: "37. The Dumb Character"