The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy – Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Midterm Exam (3)

As Stefania instructed, I closed my eyes and counted to ten.

When I opened them, I was standing in a forest I’d never seen before.

I glanced around, but there was no one in sight.

…Of course.

There was no way an academy-style test would proceed without a hitch.

“Is anyone out there?!”

Just in case, I shouted into the distance.

“Hoyeon! Are you there?!”

***

…Unexpectedly, I heard Dogeon’s voice. I perked up my ears and listened carefully. The sound of several footsteps was headed in my direction.

Most likely, it was Anastasia and Iris.

It seemed like those three were teleported properly. So why was I the only one thrown into this remote area?

Well, at least I wasn’t too far away from them.

Taking solace in that, I walked toward the sound of footsteps at a leisurely pace. Soon enough, I spotted Dogeon and the others.

But something didn’t sit right.

Why is that guy talking so casually to me in front of everyone?

I never gave him permission to do that.

“Hoyeon!”

Seeing Dogeon’s relieved face as he called out to me, I could tell he must have thought something had gone wrong when I didn’t appear with them after the teleportation.

“Don’t worry, as you can see, I’m perfectly fine. But I don’t recall ever giving you permission to speak to me so casually.”

“…Ah, about that. I figured, since this is a survival test, it’d be better if we dropped formalities and focused on working together as equals.”

Ah, so that’s it. Rather than worrying about formalities and risking complete failure, he wanted to prioritize survival.

It’s a reasonable argument.

For a brief moment, a cynical thought crossed my mind: Is he using this as an excuse to get closer to the girls?

But it was probably just my imagination. Dogeon was the type to take exams seriously.

“…Alright, fine. Did Anastasia and Iris agree to this too?”

Even if I was going to drop my imperial tone, I had no intention of discarding my dignity or proper decorum, especially in front of others.

“Y-Yes… But I prefer speaking formally, so…” said Iris in a reserved tone.

“I… I agreed with him. Y-Yeah,” Anastasia stammered, looking a little flustered.

So, they all agreed.

“Alright, let’s set our priorities. First, we should find a water source and a place to stay. Does anyone have a different suggestion?”

No one objected.

It wasn’t like I’d said anything unreasonable.

Anastasia stayed quiet, probably because she didn’t know much about camping.

Dogeon had agreed with me, so I understood his silence.

But why is Iris trembling like that?

In the end, we decided to follow Dogeon’s plan.

***

“Here.”

“…Huh?”

“Hold hands. If anyone gets separated in a place like this, it’ll be a huge hassle to find them.”

Wasn’t it obvious? If someone got lost, they’d have to scream for help, which could attract wild animals or enemies. It was much safer to avoid getting separated in the first place.

Since we’d already agreed to be more practical, I reached out to take Anastasia’s hand.

But the moment I tried to grab it, she flinched back like a startled kitten.

“H-Hoyeon! N-No matter the situation, you shouldn’t just grab a man’s hand like that!”

…Seriously?

I know some people think holding hands with friends is embarrassing, but this is a survival test. Was she seriously thinking about etiquette in a situation like this?

“This isn’t the time to be picky about that,” I said, shaking my head.

I turned to grab Iris’s hand instead, but she had somehow slipped behind Anastasia, using her as a shield.

So, it’s two teams of two now, huh?

That’s fine.

I noticed Dogeon looking at me with a bewildered expression, but I didn’t care.

He may not be my younger brother, but I’d teach him everything he needed to know about survival — like a proper big sister should.

With that resolve in mind, I grabbed Dogeon’s hand and led him forward.

***

“Hoyeon, where are we going?”

“Follow me. I heard the sound of water over there.”

I’d heard it while focusing my ears earlier. Alongside the sound of Dogeon and the others’ footsteps, I’d picked up the faint noise of flowing water.

It wasn’t much, probably a small stream, but it would be good enough for drinking water.

“H-Hoyeon… Are you sure? I’m pretty confident in my hearing too, but I don’t hear anything like that…” Anastasia muttered, looking unsure.

She sounded anxious.

Well, I suppose if someone suddenly claimed to hear water and started running off, I wouldn’t trust them either.

But I was sure.

If there was one thing I could trust, it was my hearing.

“You don’t need to worry. I’m certain.”

Hearing my firm conviction, Anastasia hesitated for a moment, but she followed.

Good. I knew she’d trust me.

We walked in the direction of the water sound, pushing through the undergrowth. Before long, a valley opened up before us.

It’s even better than I expected.

Instead of a small stream, there was a proper creek. It was large enough for us to bathe in if we wanted.

“…It’s real,” Anastasia muttered, astonished.

“Of course it is. Do you think I’d lead you somewhere pointless?”

She must have assumed I’d made it up. She needed to trust me more, just like Dogeon did.

He followed me without a single complaint, after all.

“…Well, I guess that’s one goal checked off. We’ve got water,” Dogeon said with a smile, clearly satisfied.

Having a competent teammate like me must have felt like a blessing.

“Praise me,” I said, looking directly at him.

“W-What? Out of nowhere?”

Dogeon blinked, clearly confused. Does he not understand how this works?

When someone does something right, they should be praised. Isn’t that common sense?

“Come on, hurry up,” I said, swatting his leg with my tail like a cat demanding attention.

After a few swipes, he finally caught on.

“…You’re amazing, Hoyeon. Seriously, you’re the best,” he said, clearly flustered.

As he should.

***

I glanced at Iris. She’d been oddly quiet for a while now.

Was she thirsty?

After I said the water was safe, she crouched by the creek and started drinking.

But something was off.

Every time our eyes met, she quickly looked away.

What’s with her?

It wasn’t like I’d done anything to make her avoid me.

The only time we’d interacted was on the first day during lunch, so unless some weird rumor had spread about me, I couldn’t think of a reason.

…Then again, this place is crawling with snobby nobles.

Since I didn’t exactly make a graceful entrance to the academy, it wouldn’t be surprising if some strange rumors had been spreading.

I’ll deal with it later. The test comes first.

And no, it’s not because I’m scared of finding out what the rumors are.

To be honest, I hadn’t expected much from Hoyeon.

First of all, her father was a warrior, not a survivalist. On top of that, she admitted she’d only learned camping skills by “watching from the sidelines.”

When someone says they learned something by “watching,” it usually means they have no real experience. It made me think I’d have to handle everything myself.

But she was way more competent than I expected.

She found a water source on her own, built a shelter using branches and leaves, and even managed to catch small animals. I have no idea how, but when she called them over, they just… came to her.

It was like something out of a fairy tale.

Of course, there were moments that left me flustered. She’d suddenly grab my hand, demand praise, or pout like a child if I didn’t comply. In the end, I had no choice but to go along with her whims.

Anastasia’s glare felt like she was looking at trash, but I tried not to let it bother me.

I figured I might as well play along.

By the time the sun was setting, Hoyeon had done everything we needed for our first day of survival.

Fire. Shelter. Water. Food.

She did all of it. I didn’t even get a chance to contribute.

Originally, I’d planned to do at least something to earn points with the group, but… well, this wasn’t bad either. It just felt like I was relying on Hoyeon too much, and that left me feeling uneasy.

“…? Why are you looking at me like that?” Hoyeon asked, tilting her head.

“Ah, it’s nothing,” I replied, shaking my head.

“Hm.”

Hoyeon glanced at me suspiciously but didn’t press the issue. Instead, she went back to roasting the rabbit over the fire.

The smell of the meat was enticing, but mixed in with it was a faint fragrance I’d smelled before.

It was the scent of her shampoo.

Did she wash before coming here?

But if she’d washed in the morning, wouldn’t she have gotten sweaty after moving around all day? So why did the scent still linger?

…Well, it’s a fantasy world. Maybe there’s some kind of magical shampoo that smells amazing all day long.

In the end, I didn’t manage to score any points with the heroines today.

But there were still four days left. That was plenty of time.

“…Dogeon, could I speak with you privately for a moment?”

As I was zoning out while watching the fire, Anastasia suddenly spoke up.

“Sure,” I replied without hesitation. There was no reason to refuse.

I noticed Hoyeon glance over at me with narrowed eyes, but she didn’t say anything to stop me.

I followed Anastasia away from the shelter. We walked for a while, far enough that our voices wouldn’t reach the others.

Then, she stopped and spoke in a low voice.

“Don’t you feel any guilt toward Hoyeon?”

Her words caught me off guard.

What is she talking about?

Was she talking about how Hoyeon had taken charge of all the camping-related tasks?

But Hoyeon had volunteered for that herself. I didn’t ask her to do it.

It felt like she was about to criticize me for being a guy and letting a girl handle all the work.

Anastasia did have some pretty old-fashioned views on gender roles.

“…Hoyeon did it because she wanted to,” I replied.

She had insisted on handling things herself, and frankly, she was better at it than me. I figured it was better to let a capable person handle things than to mess it up myself.

“…You think that’s really what Hoyeon wanted…?! Haah… Forget it. It was my mistake for expecting anything from you, even for a moment.”

Her voice was filled with disappointment as she heaved a heavy sigh.

Wait, what?

This conversation felt off.

I wanted to ask her what she meant, but Anastasia had already turned around and was heading back toward the shelter.

For some reason, I felt like I’d lost points with her.

…This is driving me crazy.

I returned to the shelter, feeling uneasy.

Hoyeon was still roasting the rabbit. It looked delicious, but I didn’t have much of an appetite.

“…Not hungry? Does it look bad?” she asked, glancing at me.

“No, it’s not that. I’m just not that hungry.”

“That won’t do. Here, come on. Say, ‘ah.’”

“H-Huh? No, that’s okay, really…”

“Ah, say it.”

Before I could resist, she tore off one of the rabbit’s legs and held it up to my mouth. She was looking at me with such determination that I had no choice but to take a bite.

The flavor hit me immediately. It’s good.

Anastasia’s gaze grew sharper.

I felt it piercing into my back like daggers.

In the end, I never figured out what I’d done wrong. I stayed clueless all the way until bedtime.

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