Chapter 8

Chapter 7

Academy Entrance - 2

As the carriage jolted over the bumpy road, Kai was on the verge of being forced to check what he had eaten, and the vice-principal, unaware of this, was nervously guiding Kai. At that moment, the sun was rising, and it was time for the students to wake up and head to the academy.

Outside, people were moving about to open their shops or go to work, while inside, students were preparing to attend their classes. A new day at the vast academy had begun.

The sunlight filtering through the curtains tickled the girl's face. She turned her head this way and that, but eventually gave up and opened her eyes. The sunlight was like an alarm, telling her it was time to get up.

The girl, who had been wrapped in a white blanket, rolled over and shivered as the cold air hit her body. It was mid-March, about ten days after the opening ceremony, and the weather had not yet fully warmed up.

"Haaaam~"

The sudden chill seemed to have woken the girl up more effectively, as she carefully sat up and stretched. There was still some time before class, but if she moved too leisurely, the time would pass quickly.

She had almost been late twice in the past ten days, so she needed to be more careful. The girl quickly but thoroughly got dressed, checked her appearance in the mirror, and nodded in satisfaction before getting out of bed.

"Let's do our best today too!"

The girl had an energy that was hard for others to match, and she possessed it in abundance.

"Hehehe, hehe♪"

Though it wasn't quite a tune, the girl hummed something as she walked lightly. Her long pink hair swayed with each step, like cherry blossoms dancing in the wind. Her bright eyes were a clear blue, like a cloudless sky.

Passersby who heard the mysterious sound turned to look at the girl and nodded, acknowledging that they had heard a tune. After all, the face is the completion of the tune.

"Luise!"

The pink-haired girl, Luise, turned at the sound of her name and smiled widely when she recognized who had called her.

"Irina!"

Luise ran to Irina, her long-time friend, and linked arms with her. Of course, they had seen each other just the night before, but they acted as if they hadn't seen each other in ages. Their combined movement slowed them down, and their group gradually grew larger.

Whenever someone called out to Luise, she greeted them warmly and added them to the group. This reduced her speed to 1/3, 1/4, 1/5. It was as if she was moving through a field with a speed reduction debuff. However, no one in the group of five complained about the reduced speed. For friendship, even being late was acceptable.

"You'll be late if you keep this up. You were almost late yesterday too, weren't you?"

Despite this, Luise had a shield that prevented her from being late, which had helped her so far.

"Ah, Erih! Good morning!"

"Good morning."

Erih, who had called out to Luise, smiled and greeted her. As he naturally approached Luise, Irina, who was closest to Luise, subtly made room for him. Erih, despite feeling a bit embarrassed, took his place next to Luise.

Irina and the other three girls, who were watching closely, giggled and whispered to each other. While one's own romantic affairs are a fierce battle, watching someone else's can be quite entertaining. Unfortunately, it was still a one-sided interest, but sometimes that made it even more interesting.

To turn this one-sided interest into a mutual one, Erih would need to put in a lot of effort, but that was something the onlookers didn't need to worry about. The desperate one would take care of it.

The group had grown to six, but with Erih's presence, they moved faster than before. The frequency of their conversations also increased, which was a skill in itself.

"Erih has a cowlick."

"That shouldn't be showing already."

"It's a lie. It's just a thread."

Luise, who had pulled out a white thread from Erih's black hair, laughed and let the wind carry it away. Erih's face was gradually turning red, and Irina, to protect his remaining dignity, turned her gaze to the direction the thread was flying and tilted her head.

"Who is that person?"

At her words, everyone's attention turned to Irina, and then to the person she was looking at.

"Who is that? They're not a student or a faculty member."

"That's strange. Are they an outsider?"

"Can outsiders enter at this time?"

The person was not wearing a school uniform, so they were not a student, and they did not have a blue cloak, so they were not a faculty member. As the mystery spread, Erih, who had just calmed down, also turned to look.

"Huh?"

Erih, who was close enough to see the person's face, frowned and spoke with a hint of confusion. The person, who had seen Erih, started walking towards him.

"Erih, do you know them?"

Since they seemed to recognize each other, Luise asked Erih. Erih's reaction suggested he knew the person, and the person was approaching him.

Even though Luise asked, Erih couldn't answer. He knew the person, but there was no way they should be here. How could someone who complained about not having enough time to go home be at this distant academy? The shock of seeing someone who shouldn't be there was overwhelming.

The mysterious person stopped in front of them and spoke to Erih.

"It's been a while. How have you been?"

I managed to find a bathroom just before the climax and the forced conclusion. After a good release, I felt much better. I've never been called weak before, so why is this happening?

I had been cooped up in my office for a long time, hadn't seen the sun in ages, and hadn't ridden in a carriage for a while. The road was in terrible condition, and the carriage jolted severely. I had to eat despite feeling unwell.

Well, that's a good enough reason.

After some self-reflection, I stepped outside the main building and looked around the academy. Whether I liked it or not—no, I really didn't like it—I had to stay at this academy for a few months. Since the academy was quite large, I needed to familiarize myself with its layout.

It would be embarrassing to get lost and have to ask for directions, and the news would likely reach the minister, leading to a reprimand. A chief inspector who can't find his way around. Just thinking about it made me angry.

I combed my hair and moved towards the nearest building. If I had to imagine it, it would be even worse to hear it in reality. I wanted to understand the layout as quickly as possible. It would have been perfect if I hadn't run into the students' arrival time.

'What should I do?'

I could hear the students whispering as they passed by. It's a natural reaction to see an outsider. I decided to return to the main building to avoid the students during their arrival time, and that's when I saw an impressive scene.

"What is that group?"

When others usually travel in pairs, this group of six stood out. The gender ratio was disastrously imbalanced. 1:5, whoever the guy is, he must be something...

'But that's my brother.'

That bastard. While I'm struggling, my brother is enjoying life and even dating. More annoying than the second division chief. Erih also noticed me and his expression hardened. Good, let's have a talk.

I walked towards Erih with a lighter step. As I got closer, I noticed his pupils trembling. He's always been intimidated by me, even though I've never bullied him.

"It's been a while. How have you been?"

"U-uh, I've been fine. How about you?"

"Same as usual."

I wanted to say, "I've never been fine," but with so many eyes and ears around, I kept it to myself. It would be embarrassing to complain about my job in front of new students.

I turned to the group of five and awkwardly bowed. They must have realized I was Erih's brother from our conversation. One of them, however, didn't seem awkward at all.

"Hello! You must be Erih's brother?"

The friend who popped out seemed to have a lot of energy. If this were a manga, there would be a sparkle effect next to her eye.

With her blue eyes and pink hair, she was a style that would attract attention anywhere.

...

...?

But why does she seem familiar even though I've never met her?

I looked at the pink-haired girl, who seemed to give me a sense of déjà vu. Pink... blue... something was familiar, but it was hazy. Maybe I saw a photo in a list during work?

"Right. I'm Karl Krausius. You're Erih's friend?"

It's common courtesy to introduce oneself when the other person does. If I don't recognize them, hearing their name should help. At least their family name would give me a clue.

"Yes, I'm Luise. Luise Naiad!"

"I see."

'Shit.'

My body nodded calmly, but my mind was in a state of emergency.

I recognized her name. Luise Naiad of the Naiad family. Pink hair, blue eyes. A human capybara who leads people like a piper, or a human catnip. In any case, a character who is loved for her appearance and personality.

'The protagonist.'

I glanced at Erih, who was tense but still looking at Luise. His cheeks were slightly flushed. That bastard.

"Five, not four?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind. It's nothing."

I had spoken my thoughts out loud. Well, it was a reasonable reaction.

My eyes, filled with subtle sadness, turned back to Erih. Erih flinched under my gaze, but I couldn't look away.

'Poor guy. You're the weakest.'

One prince, two princes, and a powerful candidate for the Holy Knight. Despite the status difference, they can compete equally at the academy. But a second son of a baron? That's a bit much.

I patted Erih's shoulder affectionately, comforting my brother who was destined to lose before the race even began.

On the first day of my assignment to the academy, I met the protagonist. And not just as a friend, but as my brother's friend.

And it seemed like the "Let's remain good friends" ending was the most likely.

Author's Note:

I thought about adding the "Academy" tag since I've entered the academy.

However, the typical academy story involves a student protagonist enjoying school life. Karl, being a non-student hero, is quite different from the typical academy story...

Still, since I'll be staying at the academy for a while, it seems appropriate.

So, I compromised. Anyway, it's an academy.

Thank you for reading this chapter!