Chapter 20

### Chapter 20: A Peaceful Week (2)

* * *

#4

Early Tuesday morning.

Grateful that the irregular heartbeat didn't make a loud thumping sound that could be heard outside, Miu glanced at Eijio, who was sitting on a bench at the tram stop.

If he's taking the tram now, it must be because there's an external liberal arts lecture at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays.

The frontier is vast, so even if they take the same tram, it doesn't mean they are taking the same class.

However, a part of Miu secretly hoped they would take different classes, while another part of her honestly wished to take the same class as Eijio.

This was because, during their time at the Lorson Academy, they were only ever seniors and juniors, never classmates.

Of course, Miu cherished that relationship, but she had always wanted to experience the new feeling of taking a class in the same room with Eijio, who had always been her senior.

Indeed,

At first, there was a strange sense of anticipation.

However, as she watched Eijio's back, walking silently in the opposite direction without even turning to look at her after boarding the tram, Miu bit her lip slightly and stood holding the tram's handle.

...After all, Eijio found Miu uncomfortable.

Miu couldn't easily get along with Eijio either, but his complete lack of interest was deeply disheartening for someone who still held Eijio dear in her heart.

It was a bitter feeling.

Miu silently stroked the end of her sword scabbard.

During this time, she felt the gazes of several unpleasant men scanning her up and down, and she coldly glared at each of them, silently threatening them.

After facing Miu's icy demeanor, they cleared their throats and turned their heads to look out the window.

...However.

Despite coldly dismissing the gazes of others, Miu naturally kept Eijio's figure, sitting far away with his eyes closed, in the corner of her vision.

His long legs were comfortably crossed and stretched out. Eijio leaned back in the soft seat, arms crossed, and his strong, muscular arms and large, sinewy hands clearly showed that the frail appearance of the once-cute Eijio Crain had completely vanished.

Between the strands of his ash-gray hair, which fell from his slightly lowered head, his sharp, chiseled jawline and prominent nose were visible.

Miu had never been interested in handsome men, but now, Eijio's refined appearance was undeniably powerful enough to make her heart flutter slightly just by looking at him.

Indeed.

If Miu was reacting this way, how would the young girls of the frontier, who would flutter at the slightest touch, react?

By the time Miu and Eijio got off at the same stop and headed to the building together, the number of female students who glanced back at Eijio on their way would easily exceed a hundred.

Some would tap their friends on the shoulder and make a fuss, while others would stand still, entranced, staring at Eijio.

This inexplicable and mysterious scene made Miu's heart complex for various reasons.

Her heart ached, and a faint heat burned within her.

Now, even if Eijio and she had no relationship, she couldn't claim him as hers with a playful attitude like in the past. ...No, it was never something she should have done.

Thud, thud—

Miu didn't have the courage to speak to Eijio first and silently followed him down the corridor to the lecture room.

In the end, Miu ended up taking the same class as Eijio.

It was both newly joyful, as it had been before, but in the same space for an hour, they wouldn't be sitting next to each other and playing around like in her faint imagination. Such things were now absolutely impossible.

Reality was very harsh.

Eijio still didn't give Miu a single glance.

They would probably sit far apart.

It didn't seem like a very pleasant time.

Thinking this,

When Miu and Eijio entered the lecture room together.

“...”

“...”

Eijio and Miu, who sat in the two remaining seats, were seriously considering whether to greet each other first in the unusually quiet lecture room.

#5

— Oh, oh... It's really an epic class.

— Should we talk to him after class?

— Crazy... The guy next to me is so handsome.

— Reila, don't you feel like a monster when you stand next to him? It's like a doll, not a person, how can he be so beautiful? Seriously, it's unbelievable.

Unfortunately,

Our seats were in the middle of the lecture room, so it was impossible not to catch the attention of other students.

Miu, who sat right next to me, and the whispers directed at me were already out in the open.

Sure.

I'll listen to the lecture, so you can talk as much as you want.

While quietly cursing the professor, who still hadn't shown up a minute before the class started, I took out a white notebook and habitually twirled a pen, and then quietly whispered to Miu.

“You're taking this class too?”

“...! Ah, yeah...”

Miu's shoulders tensed up for a moment.

She seemed quite surprised that I spoke to her first.

But if we looked too awkward, it would be strange, so I thought it would be good to at least exchange a light greeting.

“We'll see each other at this time from now on.”

“Y-Yeah...?”

“It seems we're the only ones in the epic class. We'll get a lot of unnecessary attention. There are a lot of people.”

“Y-Yeah...”

Miu repeated her short, bitter laugh.

At the same time, she was gradually pulling away from me.

Of course.

In the past, Miu would have been the one to approach me first at such a close distance, so I felt a strange sense of novelty, but I couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

Maybe because of the vivid dream, it felt even more so.

It was more regretful than bitter.

I didn't start the conversation to continue talking to her, so after adding a few more words, the door to the lecture room opened.

The noise suddenly subsided.

Creak—

A professor with a streak of white hair, who made a sigh of regret escape from those who saw him, entered and adjusted his monocle to check attendance.

A moment later.

“Hmm, I see two epic class students taking my lecture. As a professor at the frontier, this is an honor. Now, I've checked everyone's attendance, so let me introduce myself before we start the lecture...”

After confirming everyone's attendance, he predictably began the orientation on the direction of the course.

— ...Through the study of artistic literature, we aim to develop the ability to understand aesthetic responsiveness and cultural expression, and by reviewing the basic structures of literature in various media, we will help students understand the literary, auditory, visual, and kinetic forms...

The professor was explaining enthusiastically at the front.

Relieved that I wouldn't have been able to take proper notes if the formal lecture had started, I waited silently for the class to end, listening half-heartedly while Miu, who was fidgeting for about an hour, was beside me.

#6

What can I say.

It was more boring than I expected.

Seeing students dozing off subtly on this memorable first day of class, it seemed I wasn't the only one who felt that way...

Anyway, after the liberal arts class.

Miu and I took the tram back to the dormitory.

Miu seemed to have somewhere else to go and parted ways with me at the tram stop in the opposite direction.

I had a swordsmanship major class starting at 11 a.m., before lunch.

It was just past 10 a.m., so I decided to do a short run around the dormitory grounds while I had some time to spare.

Around 10:50 a.m.,

I headed to the Gebra Hall where the swordsmanship major class for the epic class was held.

Creak—

When I opened the door to the lecture room on the first floor,

Inside the spacious lecture room, similar in size to the first-year training ground in Building 3, several training dummies were lined up.

Several real swords, which we would use, were placed on a shelf in the corner, and I could see other epic class students who had arrived before me in the vast space.

“Hey, Eijio! You made it!”

Gabriel, who noticed me, waved his hand.

“Haha, yeah, Sasha, I'm actually not good with swords, but I'm glad I signed up, right! Right? Don't you think so too?”

“...”

Sasha Elne, with her sky-blue twin-tails, whom I had seen before, was bouncing around next to Miu, who stood rooted to the ground like a wooden statue.

“...Ah.”

And.

Miu, who hadn't moved despite Sasha's overwhelming antics, turned to look at me as soon as I opened the door, her eyes flickering slightly.

Tuesday...

I always end up seeing Miu at least twice.

I also saw Aldrie, and three nameless male students, and Stella, who bowed her head slightly with her hands clasped together. By the way, why does Stella treat me so formally...

Is Stella taking this class too?

That's surprising.

Of course, as Gabriel's case shows, you can't underestimate Stella just because she looks so delicate.

She may seem shy and well-mannered, but no one knows how her demeanor might change when she wields a sword.

She might be stronger than me.

After all, Stella is in the formidable position of number 3 in the epic class.

Oh.

But thinking about it, Yurii is number 2.

...Well, there's no need to decide now.

We'll gradually learn who is strong and who is weak in the epic class as we spend time together.

Anyway.

Since I was the last to arrive,

— Creak...

After a while, with no additional members joining, the lecture room door opened with a heavy sound.

There,

“Hmm, are you all here?”

A young boy, much smaller than me, appeared.

...

No, really.

Not a small adult, but a boy with a very young and delicate face, with a navy blue hair color.

Wearing a blue training uniform, he walked up to us, who were clearly surprised, and scanned us from the side, slightly raising his line of sight.

“One, two, three... a total of nine. Hmm, everyone is here.”

Professor... right?

It seemed impolite to ask directly, so I kept my mouth shut, but Sasha, who was blinking next to Miu, suddenly raised her hand.

“Um, Professor!”

“Hmm? What is it?”

The boy turned his head toward Sasha.

Sasha called out cheerfully.

“It seems you might have come to the wrong lecture room! I heard a very tall and muscular person was supposed to teach swordsmanship here!”

The boy tilted his head as if he had never heard of it.

“...Who said that?”

Sasha scratched her cheek and answered.

“Well... aren't swordsmanship professors usually like that?”

“...”

Indeed, she had no idea.

While the urge to lightly slap her silly mouth grew, the boy suddenly burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! I heard this year's freshmen are quite interesting, and it seems to be true!”

The boy, who was adjusting his training uniform, chuckled.

“Even though I look like this, I am a formally employed professor at the frontier. I am Abel Lionheart, and I will be your swordsmanship instructor. You can call me Professor Abel. By the way, no matter how long you wait, no other professor will come to this lecture room, so don't worry.”

Abel Lionheart.

It was a name I had never heard before, but Miu let out a short sigh, “Ah...” when she heard it.

Abel, despite his young and delicate face, looked at us with eyes that seemed to hold a lot of experience.

“Hmm... I have a rough idea of your levels. There are a few disappointingly weak ones among you.”

“...! What do you mean!”

Sasha was the only one who reacted angrily.

“The weak ones are you, Professor, with your height!”

“Hmm?”

Abel countered without hesitation.

“...But aren't you shorter than me? At least from my perspective, that's how it looks. I'm looking down slightly, so it seems to be true. You look disappointingly weak.”

Gabriel snickered from the side.

“Eek...! Before you even see me!”

Sasha, who couldn't deny it, turned red and got angry, but when Abel turned his gaze away from her, she pouted and muttered something.

...I should avoid getting involved with Sasha if possible.

She seems more tiring than Gabriel.

Snap.

Abel, who had been smiling lightly, clapped his hands briefly.

“Alright— everyone.”

Abel pointed behind us with his finger.

“Go to the back and each grab a sword. They come in different lengths, so choose one that feels comfortable. ...Ah, right.”

Abel, who was folding his arms while wrinkling his training uniform, suddenly looked at Miu and spoke.

“Miu, right? Use that sword.”

“...Yes, Professor.”

Miu nodded.

After all, Miu had her own personal sword.

Following Abel's instructions, we all picked up the long and short sword scabbards on the shelf and, after confirming the clear and ringing sound of the swords being drawn, returned to our places.

“Good. Now you look more like swordsmen.”

Abel, who chuckled, suddenly looked at me.

Our eyes met for a moment, and then Abel turned his head to look at Miu.

“Hmm.”

Then, as if he understood something,

He nodded again.

“Now that everyone is ready to wield their swords... the weakest one here and the strongest one here.”

Abel pointed at me with one hand.

And pointed at Miu with the other.

Then,

Abel declared in a low voice.

“Fight each other now.”

* * *