Chapter 8

### Chapter 8: The Day of Enrollment (4)

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#7

Fortunately, I wasn't late.

Just as I arrived at the entrance of the grand hall, I saw the student council seniors waiting for us.

I bowed my head slightly and showed my student ID to enter. Inside, it was a grand hall.

Behind the heavy doors lay a vast space that couldn't be fully taken in at a glance.

The ceiling, so far away that I had to tilt my head almost vertically to see it, was illuminated by a magnificent chandelier, casting a bright light over the hall.

The number of seats, arranged at an angle, far exceeded the number of people inside.

The students who had already entered were either sitting in their assigned seats, whispering to their friends, or quietly waiting for the ceremony to begin.

I headed to the seat I had been directed to by the senior.

The sound of my footsteps echoed.

A few students turned to look at me when they heard the footsteps, then returned their gazes to their original directions. Indeed, they all seemed to exude an extraordinary aura, befitting the empire's top talents.

—Click.

I took my seat not far from the podium at the front. ...I'm a bit nervous. It really feels like something significant is about to begin.

Looking up, I saw people seated here and there on the second and third floors of the hall. They were the distinguished guests invited to the enrollment ceremony.

Dukes, barons, kings of duchies, and grand dukes of principalities... There were many high-ranking officials. A lot of them.

Strangely, there were more guests than new students. What's going on here?

Just then,

"—Our daughter! Over here! Over here!"

While I was rubbing my palms, which were starting to sweat, a loud cheer suddenly erupted from the second floor.

"Our daughter, well done! I always believed in you! You found it well!"

"Whew! Our daughter is the best! She shines even from afar! Your parents are the proudest of you in the world!"

Murmurs.

Everyone at the scene turned to look.

"A, a, a, a..."

There stood a human radish, her face and ears flushed red, unable to speak coherently.

"A, u, r, really...! I don't know anymore...!"

The blonde kid, trembling in her hands and shoulders, finally seemed to give up and slumped her body.

She pressed her forehead against her wrist, shook her head, and walked to her seat like a zombie.

Hmm.

...I shouldn't tease her next time.

After I and the blonde kid finished entering,

I stared at the back of the girl's head a few seats in front of me.

Finally, it was 10:00, the time for the enrollment ceremony to begin.

...But.

A few student council seniors, standing at various points in the hall, started whispering and discussing something.

Rustle.

I wondered why...

It seemed one person was still missing.

Indeed, there were only fourteen students, including me, seated.

I thought the blonde kid and I were the last, but it seems one new student was late for the ceremony.

Perhaps they had an unavoidable reason or were just naturally slow. They said that all the students entering the Epic Class were unique in their own way.

Maybe they would barely make it to the ceremony after it started or not show up at all... That might be too much.

About five minutes later,

—Ah, ah. There is a brief announcement.

An amplified voice echoed through the hall.

—One new student has not yet arrived, causing a slight delay in the ceremony. We apologize for the inconvenience to the distinguished guests.

The student council seniors, considering the tight schedules of the guests, and the impracticality of delaying the entire event for one student, decided to start the ceremony after a brief discussion.

—Given the impracticality of further delay, we will now begin the 61st term enrollment ceremony for the Royal Frontier Academy's Regular Epic Class...

At that moment,

Creak—!

"Sorry, sorry...! I'm here...!"

A voice, mixed with heavy breathing, echoed from behind.

Perfect timing.

The student council senior, who was about to start the ceremony, was startled and momentarily shrank back.

Then, he glared at the new student who had just entered and gestured for her to come and sit down quickly.

"Huff... Huff... Sorry, I, huff... took the wrong train... and got confused... I'm really sorry for being late..."

She was more absent-minded than I thought.

Maybe she mistook the train line. It could happen.

It's a common mistake. People who don't live in the empire often haven't ridden trains before.

Anyway, as soon as the door opened, everyone, including me, reflexively turned to look.

...My head felt like it had turned to stone.

It was as if I had been hit by a high-level petrification spell.

There was a girl in a white uniform, covering her face with her hands, blushing, and running to her seat.

After sitting down, she smiled sheepishly and bowed to the student council seniors.

If that was all, she would just be a clumsy friend—

That's what I thought.

But then, the soft pink hair caught my eye.

Although the smile was slightly different from the carefree laughter of someone in my memory, the unique shape of her lips and the corners of her eyes were unmistakable.

Her face, which usually radiated a bright, blooming smile, now seemed a bit gaunt and forced.

I realized a bit late, but...

I naturally said her name.

"...Rubya?"

#8

Childhood friend.

What can I say about her?

Once I start, there's no end.

What Rubya means to me.

Even if I spent hundreds of starry nights, I couldn't recount all the bittersweet memories I have with her.

...Yes, bittersweet memories.

There are some.

When they come to mind, they make me laugh with happiness.

But there are also memories that, just by flashing through my mind, make my heart ache and bring a bitter smile to my face.

They are the same but different.

The common point is that they were once happy in the past.

The difference is whether the subject of the memory is still by my side or not... that's where the line between memory and recollection is drawn.

Rubya is not by my side now.

So, it's a bittersweet memory.

Over time, the memory has faded.

Thinking about it for a moment is no big deal.

If I erased Rubya from my life, it would be like killing myself.

I don't want to die. Rubya would be sad.

Rubya would want me not to forget her. I feel the same. I want Rubya to remember me.

So, at some point, we became a pair who would never forget each other until death.

Rubya and I have known each other since we were eight.

When we had nothing to do and were bored on the wooden floor in summer, or when we wanted to build a snowman in the snow in winter, the first person we thought of was each other.

Being together made us so happy.

We were so happy together that our smiles never left our faces.

That's why.

When we were apart, we quickly became sad.

So, because we didn't like feeling anxious and sad, we wanted to meet as soon as possible.

When Rubya and I were young,

We were always together in that small rural academy.

We were teased by other kids, but we weren't embarrassed. Thinking back, Rubya might have been a bit embarrassed. I wasn't. If they were annoyed, they could join in and play with us.

Actually, a few tried to join us, but we secretly chased them away.

Don't call it petty jealousy. Rubya was more comfortable being with just me, and she felt awkward when other kids approached.

I was a nominal noble.

What should I call it? Just a fallen noble. The only son of the Crainil family, a baron in the Solar Empire, Edgio Crainil. That's me.

I wasn't particularly interested in the family lineage.

It's as ugly as it gets to parade around with the past glory of others as if it were your own.

Anyway, the family had no money.

So, I couldn't attend a good academy like other nobles. When I was born, we were wealthier than commoners, but by the time I was eight, we had moved to a rural estate on the outskirts.

"..."

I still remember the shock of seeing the small cottage-like house built on a vast plain.

I enrolled in the elementary division of the academy there.

How many students were there? Probably less than a hundred.

The academy I attended as a child was barely avoiding closure with government funding, a rural academy that could collapse and crumble at any moment.

Before enrolling in that academy, I met Rubya for the first time.

I was...

Young.

A kid on the verge of adolescence.

Even though my surname was attached to my name... I was, after all, the only son of a noble family.

But being a noble and a fallen noble at the same time, I was ashamed of myself.

I didn't like living in a much smaller house. I remember complaining, but after a few slaps from my father, I kept quiet.

Still, I was ashamed and pitied my situation, so every time I went out for a walk to think, I sighed deeply.

"Ahaha, I'm going out!"

Next door to me,

In a smaller, shabbier house,

A girl my age was waving goodbye to her parents with a bright smile, carrying a basket of fruit to go play.

...I thought she was radiant.

Well, she was a commoner.

She had lived in this rural area since she was young, so it was natural. Our living environments were completely different. I hid my envy at her ability to smile so brightly despite my ridiculous pride.

That day, my thoughts were mostly along these lines.

Are all commoners like that?

Do they just naturally accept living in such a house?

Is that it?

Will I, someday... be able to step out of my house with a carefree, bright smile, without any worries?

Will I be able to accept this small, shabby cottage as my own...

...I don't like that.

Why, I wonder.

My parents didn't seem to care much about their fall from grace. They even seemed happier than before. They had more peace of mind.

They quickly adapted to their new life.

With their incredible social skills, they gradually expanded their network.

They made neighbors, friends, and acquaintances.

And they brought their daughter to me.

It was the girl I had seen that day.

"This is Rubya. She lives next door. What do you think? Isn't she incredibly cute? She's also very well-mannered. ...Come on, Edgio. Say hello."

For some reason,

I couldn't meet her eyes, my face burning.

On the other hand,

The girl...

She greeted me with the same carefree smile I had seen, without any embarrassment.

"Hi, Edgio! I'm Rubya. Let's be friends, okay?"

...That smile.

I liked it.

#9

I could never forget that smile on her face.

No matter how different her radiant smile had become, I was certain of her identity.

...No doubt.

I kept staring blankly at Rubya, who was sitting down and straightening her disheveled uniform.

I couldn't be sure about the identity of the girl I suspected to be Miu, but I could clearly recognize Rubya.

...What is going on here?

My shoulders, stiff with shock, were lightly tapped and vibrated by someone.

"Hey, kid, you got a thing for girls? Huh? Staring like that is a nuisance, you know."

"..."

My scattered mind snapped back.

Looking to the side, I saw a green-haired man with a slightly mischievous look. He was a new student like me.

...If he hadn't warned me, I might have stood up without realizing it. Feeling grateful, I cleared my throat.

"...Ah. Was I staring too much? Hmm. It's not like that. I just thought I recognized someone for a moment."

"Hmm. Is that so?"

The man laughed, clearly not believing me.

"She is pretty. Nice to meet you. I'm Gabriel Lamaniaca. I'm from a country you probably haven't heard of, here on a study abroad program. Looking forward to working with you."

"...Yeah. I'm Edgio Crainil. Nice to meet you, too."

Then,

Something seemed to stir at the front.

...Am I imagining it?

Regardless,

I had been feeling intense gazes.

"...Oh?"

Gabriel showed interest.

The intense signal was coming from the blonde kid, who had messed up her hair earlier, glaring at me fiercely.

Gabriel poked my shoulder.

"Hey, Edgio. She seems to have a thing for you, doesn't she? No? Me? That girl is looking this way?"

"...Probably because of me."

"What? Really? Wow, you must be good-looking to already have a girl interested..."

"It's not that. Just, shh. The senior is looking."

The student council senior's gaze was on us.

He was friendly but talked too much and too loudly. Gabriel nodded in understanding, smiled, and sat up straight again.

—Ah, ah.

In the now quiet hall, an amplified voice buzzed.

—New students and distinguished guests, thank you for your patience. We will now begin the 61st term enrollment ceremony for the Royal Frontier Academy's Regular Epic Class.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap...

Thunderous applause filled the hall.

While a student council senior, substituting for the absent principal, gave a formal speech, I could only desperately suppress the sigh that was trying to escape.

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