Chapter 55

With the new year, the short winter break came to an end, and the third term began.

I had forgotten to check, but the results of the second term's final exams were still posted. After the exams, everyone rushes home, so of course, there are no make-up classes during winter break for those who failed. If there are any, they would start after the New Year.

I was in first place, and Harthis was in second.

...I was surprised. The heroine was in third place.

"It's a competition, isn't it..."

Serea, who was in eighth place, muttered. So the heroine is now the top girl in terms of grades. Even Serea has been surpassed. She's quite something.

"Since you don't show much interest in the heroine and don't even remember her name, I think she decided to adopt a strategy to make herself more noticeable."

"Can grades really improve so easily?"

"Well, she's a game heroine, so if she puts all her parameters into studying, it's surprisingly easy to improve..."

What are parameters?

"I don't really understand what you're saying, but I guess the heroine has that kind of ability."

"Once you get to know all the characters you need to, you just need to meet the target values by graduation."

Hmm, I see.

We decided to show our faces at the orphanage and the royal palace parties but avoid the school's party. We skipped the school's Christmas party, which is known for its romantic events. If we had attended, something would have happened, but I wanted to stay out of it...

"Shin...!!"

...Damn, she finally remembered. The pink-haired girl, who calls me "Shin-sama" or "Prince," has finally learned that I will never consider her a friend.

"Hello, Ribbon. Is there something you need?"

"It's only the 'Ri' that's correct... It's Rinse!"

"The 'N' is also correct, isn't it? You're getting closer to the right answer."

"Where? ...Did you see this!?"

She pointed to the posted grades.

"Hehehe, I'm getting closer to Shin-kun, too?"

"What place were you?"

"Third place! Why don't you remember my name!"

"I can't remember the names of all the students in the school."

"Is my name that hard to remember?"

"I want to treat all students fairly and not give anyone special treatment."

"Then remember me as a rival in grades!"

She's strong... Does a heroine need to be this pushy?

"Shin-kun, you didn't go to the Christmas party, right? What were you doing?"

"I was with Serea, enjoying a very romantic night suitable for Christmas."

I set up a defensive line just in case.

"Ah... Serea-sama... Serea, I'm sorry."

The heroine finally noticed Serea and greeted her.

"It's been a while. Please don't worry about it."

Serea greeted the heroine as if nothing had happened. Yeah, it seems fine.

"Hmm... You two together. Being engaged must be wonderful..."

You're saying something different from what you usually say, you bastard. You used to say it was sad that I was bound by an engagement.

"You went to the royal palace's Christmas party, right? That's great! It must have been wonderful! I hope you'll invite me at least once before graduation!"

"The royal palace's Christmas party invitations are issued by the palace. I can't do anything about it."

"High hurdle! But the school's Christmas party was fun, right? I wish you two had attended. Everyone said your dancing was amazing!"

She's gathering a lot of information. Scary.

"At least once before graduation..."

"I'm looking forward to it! See you!"

Finally, she let me go.

When I returned to the classroom, Jack and Silfa were there.

"Long time no see."

"Long time no see, Jack. Silfa."

Serea and Silfa also exchanged greetings.

"Jack, did you go to the school's Christmas party?"

"With Silfa. It was pretty fun, I guess."

"Tell me more about how it was fun."

"...Why are you so interested? Look, remember that pink-haired girl?"

"Yeah."

"She came in her uniform and said her dress was torn. The guys were all in a fuss about who did it."

"..."

Serea had a complicated look. She might have known such an incident would happen.

"What's that... Who are the guys?"

"Musclehead, idiot, and cool guy."

Powell, Picard, and Fried, I guess. But it seems Jack has really gotten used to calling them that.

"Was it done by some female student?"

"Since she lives in the dorm, all the female students are suspects. Even Silfa was suspected."

"That's terrible."

"I told them Silfa has me as a fiancé, so she has no reason to be jealous of that pink-haired girl."

"Good job, Jack."

"What's that supposed to mean... Anyway, the party was tense because of that."

Hmm... It seems like she's making more enemies. She still stands out unconsciously. Maybe I should attend the school's party next year. If she's being bullied, I need to do something about it. It's unfair to everyone if the party is ruined because of this. The guys might want to show off to the heroine, but causing a fuss will only put her in a difficult position.

"Who did she dance with at the party?"

"She didn't dance in her uniform. I didn't see it."

So, dancing with specific characters increases their affection, right?

"...She's in the same dance class as us for the third term."

Silfa told me.

"Ah, Jack and I are taking the dance elective, so we know."

"Good for you for trying to overcome your weakness."

"Shut up. Even if I can't match you guys, I need to at least be decent as a noble."

I see. Jack is also working hard...

"Jack, dancing is about enjoying it, not just technique."

Serea smiled, but Jack looked exasperated. "I know, but the dance teacher at the school doesn't say that." The teacher is different from the one we had for five years...

"We have a different elective for that time."

"What are you taking?"

"Philosophy."

"Sounds serious..."

To be honest, I don't really understand what "philosophy" is.

But there are many people in the upper class who use philosophers' words to justify their whims, so it's important to have knowledge to counter them. I want to have at least a general knowledge of it.

The philosophy class has only ten students. It's not very popular...

Unfortunately, the first class turned into self-study. The teacher asked everyone to say any philosopher's quote they knew, and when Serea said "I think, therefore I am," the teacher got lost in thought, closed the book, and said, "I need to get back to my research. Today's class is self-study," and left the room.

Serea, what did you do... Is that quote so profound...?

"Should we go watch Jack's dance class?"

Many students wander around during electives when they don't have a class. I don't really approve of taking too many electives, as missing one or two can lead to failing.

"Why did Serea know that?"

While walking in the hallway, I asked her.

"I read it in a book while I was in the hospital. It was a novel called 'I Am a Cat,' where the cat protagonist said something like, 'It's ridiculous that a philosopher would seriously think about something a three-year-old could come up with.' I remembered it..."

"...Don't say that to the teacher."

Will the teacher seriously research something that even a cat finds ridiculous...? Serea is a troublemaker...

We could see inside the dance class through the windows in the hallway.

...They're arguing again.

As usual, it's the pink-haired girl, the idiot, and the musclehead. The heroine, Picard, and Powell. I wish they could be separated and locked up somewhere.

There are about twenty students in the dance class, fifteen girls, and six boys.

Boys generally don't like dancing, so there are few participants. You need to be mentally strong to join. Still, it's surprising that the musclehead is taking dance, probably targeting the pink-haired girl.

I thought they were competing for the heroine, but it seems different.

Silfa noticed us and opened the window, beckoning us over.

"What are they arguing about?"

"Um... Rinse's dance practice clothes were torn again."

Again...!

Wasn't this the same thing that happened at the Christmas party?

"Who did this!"

Powell is holding the torn practice clothes and glaring at everyone in the dance class. It's a surreal scene.

Picard noticed us and approached, saying, "Shin-kun, Serea-kun, what a coincidence to see you here."

"Our class turned into self-study, so we thought we'd watch Jack's dance class."

"Unfortunately, it's not that kind of day. Rinse's dance practice clothes were torn again. This is the second time since the Christmas party. What should we do... Powell-kun is furious."

He shrugged, looking at Powell's anger. Hmm, the heroine's tendency to escalate things unconsciously is still there. I can feel the game's forced events.

I don't know what to do about this. Getting involved in a girl's fight might make things worse. Jack is also disinterested, practicing steps in front of the mirror. I'm not sure if I should get involved.

"I'll bring my dance clothes!"

Serea ran down the hallway. That's a good idea!

The dance teacher is trying to calm Powell, but he's still angry. It's a tricky situation. He's making things too big...

Serea returned with her dance clothes and entered the classroom.

"Here, please use my dance clothes."

"Se, Serea-sama? Why are you here?"

The pink-haired girl is surprised.

"Please don't call me 'sama.' We're all students."

She smiled and handed the practice clothes to Rinse.

"You can keep them. You don't need to return them."

"But... then what about you?"

"I'm fine. I didn't take the dance class, so I've never worn these. They were given to me when I enrolled and have been in my locker. It's perfect. Please use them."

Picard clapped.

"Beautiful, beautiful friendship. Rinse, take them."

"But..."

"Serea-kun's dance clothes won't be torn. Everyone here is a witness. We don't know who did it, but no one will tear your dance clothes again. Isn't that good, Powell-kun?"

"...Why are you conveniently here?"

Powell is upset that his moment was taken away.

"We were in another elective, but it turned into self-study, so we thought we'd watch Jack's dance class."

"Hey, that's rude!"

Jack glared at us in his tuxedo-like practice clothes. Everyone knows Jack and I are close friends.

"Shin-kun, Serea-kun, you two are known for your dancing skills. How about joining us for the rest of the class? It would be great, right, teacher?"

Don't say that, Picard! I don't want to get involved!

"That's a good idea. Please join us. We're short on boys."

The middle-aged dance teacher looked relieved and asked us to join.

...I guess we have no choice.

So, we joined the dance class for the rest of the period, still in our uniforms.

We practiced basic steps to the piano music.

I danced with all the girls fairly.

Picard changed partners frequently.

Jack danced with Silfa the whole time.

The heroine danced with Picard and Powell alternately. This will make the girls jealous... There are other boys, but it's concerning.

Powell practiced shadow steps alone after dancing with the heroine. What's he doing here?

Serea, surprisingly, danced as the male partner with the girls. She's very talented... It's popular with the girls because it's easier to dance.

"Of course, Your Highness. Serea-sama is also excellent. Dancing with skilled partners is the best way to improve!"

"Teacher, please don't call me 'Your Highness'..."

"No, it's true. You're amazing. A worthy rival."

What are you saying, Picard, about basic steps...

Picard is indeed skilled, but I don't like how he tries to stand out. The main role in dancing is the partner. It's wrong to focus on yourself.

The pink-haired girl is looking at me, wanting to dance, but I don't want to get involved, so I offer my hand to another girl.

"Being able to dance with Your Highness here is a dream come true! I can brag about it for the rest of my life!"

"Please don't call me 'Your Highness.' Just Shin-kun is fine. We'll have many more chances to dance together, so there's no need to brag. Let's dance!"

In the end, it wasn't clear if it was a class or a dance party.

I wonder if I avoided an event or got involved in one today.

Whatever, it doesn't matter anymore.

Next: "55. Student Council Meeting"