episode_0013

Even after the new student representative’s speech ended, the entrance ceremony continued a little longer.

There was nothing particularly special.

Simple announcements, faculty introductions, facility tours, etc… These were the typical things informed on the first day of school.

If there was anything worth listening to, it was probably the part about dormitory assignments.

The news that it was possible to move in starting today was quite useful.

It meant that I no longer needed to stay at an inn and could settle down at the academy.

The original story is really beginning.

It was the moment it truly sank in.

[With this, we conclude the entrance ceremony of Gallimard Academy.] [I wish you all good luck.]

With the Dean’s encouragement as the last note, the event concluded.

Students gradually exited the auditorium.

I, too, entrusted myself to their flow.

As I moved, my head turned at a voice that suddenly called out.

“Snakers Young Master-nim!” “Over here.”

A pilot with pink hair, and a fox with scarlet hair.

They were Regia and Irene, respectively.

It seemed they had been waiting for me, as they were lingering around the auditorium.

I smiled broadly and waved my hand.

“Both of you waited for me. How touching this is…!”

The unexpected top student title.

I had been slightly annoyed by the unforeseen situation, but seeing the two of them, that feeling washed away.

My favorite characters from the game were welcoming me.

Isn’t this what a successful fan is?

“What are you talking about? You told us to wait.” “I didn’t know you cared for me so specially! Are we all friends after all?” “No, earlier you…” “Of course, Irene-yang! I’m so grateful.” “…Never mind.”

There was a somewhat impure attempt to ruin the touching moment, but I largely ignored it.

“Shall we head back now?”

The dormitories were open now.

I was planning to look around the room I’d been assigned. Because if there were any issues, I needed to know in advance.

Since the academy itself was as vast as a small city, it was a good idea to figure out the path leading to the dormitories.

It was a distance that would be inconvenient without taking a carriage.

The three of us walked towards the nearby carriage stop.

Regia and Irene. Perhaps because they had just met today, an awkward feeling still lingered between them.

I broke the ice with small talk.

“So… how was my speech for everyone?”

A casual question.

I thought it was a pretty good speech, something that might appear in a youth drama, so I was curious about others’ impressions.

“Eh, eh? Yes?” “Why are you so flustered? I asked without any hidden intention, so feel free to answer comfortably.” “Ah, yes, yes. Th-that, Young Master-nim’s, sp-speech, you mean…”

Regia’s reaction was strange.

As soon as she received the question, she stuttered like a broken person, even stammering her words diligently.

What is it? Is there some problem?

“Regia-yang? What’s wrong?” “Uh, uh… it was w-wonderful! Young Master-nim’s speech, it completely, m-moved my heart, you could say!” “Haha~! It’s an honor to be praised like that!”

They say praise makes whales dance [a proverb about the power of compliments].

Well, I don’t know about whales, but it seems it can make a little snake dance. I felt like I could break into a tap dance right then.

As I hummed a pleasant tune, Irene looked at me with a fed-up expression.

“You really are…” “Yes? Why, Irene-yang?” “…It’s nothing.”

“Hmm?” “Never mind, just watch where you’re going. What if you fall?” “Goodness, you’re worried about me. Are you finally opening your heart to me!” “Absolutely not.” “How could you be so cold-hearted…!”

Childishly continued banter.

As we walked, exchanging such idle chatter, I suddenly felt a gaze.

“……?”

Someone was standing, blocking the path.

What is it, suddenly? When I looked up with that thought, what I saw was none other than a brilliantly shining girl.

I let out a dumbfounded sound.

“…Oh.”

It was a quite familiar appearance.

Platinum-blonde hair falling to her shoulders. Blue eyes that transparently reflected the world.

“Hello.”

A greeting that fell lightly like fluttering leaves.

Even her voice held a mysterious aura. It was calm, like the dawn seashore.

I knew the girl.

Another protagonist of the original game ‘The World Seen by the Little Prince’.

The best playable character chosen by users, and a character modeled after the Little Prince.

‘Charlotte.’

The Empire’s First Princess, Charlotte von Little Staufen.

In the original story, she had entered the academy as the top student, but she was the girl who was pushed to second place because of me.

I immediately knelt.

“I greet the Star of the Empire.” “Mhm, nice to meet you.”

Charlotte nodded.

A somewhat free-spirited way of speaking. It was a passage that highlighted her characteristic as an eccentric girl.

I quietly racked my brain.

Charlotte was not the type to show much interest in others.

It was rare for her to approach someone first like this.

Is something wrong? Surely, she’s not trying to pressure me because I took her top student spot?

‘…That can’t be.’

Charlotte didn’t particularly care about grades.

No, to be precise, I should say she didn’t care about anything in the world. Except for her precious ‘Rose’.

‘Then why on earth?’

She was such an unpredictable person, it was difficult to infer her reasons.

Just as I was frozen.

“I just came. Out of curiosity.”

Charlotte spoke first.

She tapped my head a few times, then stroked my hair as if it were nothing.

Everyone stared with question marks at her sudden action.

“Your hair. It’s soft.” “Excuse me?” “Well, goodbye. See you later.” “……?”

Immediately after, she turned her back as if her business was done.

The girl who suddenly approached, only said hello, and then left again. My thoughts stopped at this never-before-experienced flow of conversation.

What was that…?

What just happened to me? A sudden appearance and disappearance?

It happened so fast that I didn’t even have time to feel flustered. Is this what the ‘Little Prince’ style of speaking is like?

I remained frozen in the bewildered situation for a moment, but Charlotte was already walking far away.

“I wonder… was I too slow-witted to follow the flow?” “Eh? Th-then, I-I guess I’m slow-witted too…”

It seemed the fox and the pilot were just as flustered.

I, who had been kneeling still, soon let out a hollow laugh.

It was supposed to be a historical moment meeting a new character, but she left before I could even feel touched.

“Well… I guess this kind of demeanor is her charm.”

I dusted myself off and stood up.

I felt glances from around, but I decided to pretend not to notice.

“Shall we go now?”

I quietly took a step.

Then, the two people who had been immersed in confusion also snapped out of it and followed behind.

‘By the way.’

What exactly was Charlotte trying to say?

She said she was curious about something… but I didn’t hear it clearly, so I don’t really know. It would have been better if she had told me everything.

I pondered the bland question as I walked.

***

The dormitory building we arrived at by academy carriage.

What awaited us was a row of buildings comparable to… no, perhaps even grander than ordinary mansions.

Facilities of a quality incomparable to ordinary academies.

Everyone couldn’t help but marvel, perhaps because it was their first time at Gallimard.

Regia was openly staring blankly out the window, and while Irene pretended not to, she seemed very interested in the surrounding scenery.

Yes, such a magnificent sight is hard to see anywhere else.

It’s a semi-city-level academy capable of accommodating up to 5,000 people.

‘My chest swells with awe.’

Of course, I was no different.

Although it was a background I had seen many times in the game, the impression of seeing it in reality was on a different level.

I felt instinctively overwhelmed.

Clatter clatter-.

After driving for a little more time, we were finally able to arrive at the dormitory we were assigned.

More precisely, it was the space where Irene and I would stay.

The building Regia was assigned to was located a bit further away.

Because of that, we got off the carriage first. I lightly raised my hand to say goodbye.

“It was a pleasure today, Regia-yang.” “If it weren’t for Young Master-nim, I think I would have been lonely by myself at the entrance ceremony. Thank you very much.” “Hoho… I look forward to our continued interactions.”

I casually spoke a lie.

“Let’s meet again. My friend.” “F-friend…?” “Yes. Friend.”

Aren’t we inseparable friends who have been together since the entrance exam?

As I leisurely whispered those words, Regia’s initially blank expression gradually brightened.

It was a line for building affection, and fortunately, it seemed to be a success.

Regia nodded, trying to hide the corners of her mouth that kept turning up.

“Yes! See you next time…!”

Neigh neigh-!

Coinciding with the girl’s greeting, the carriage set off again.

As I watched her receding figure for a moment, I felt a poking gaze from beside me.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Irene-yang?” “No… it just seemed like you were smiling particularly ominously. I wondered if you were plotting something.” “What on earth do you take me for?” “An untrustworthy person.” “Oh dear. My tears are blinding me from the unfairness of it all.”

I wiped my eyes, putting on a crying act. Of course, it didn’t work at all.

“By the way… what did you think?” “What are you talking about?” “I mean Regia-yang. Isn’t she quite a nice person?” “She seemed naive.” “That’s because she’s still young. She hasn’t learned how to hide her true feelings, so her innocent side is transparently visible…”

“You’re young too.”

Irene tossed out a blunt remark. I replied to the fox.

“I may be young… but I don’t look naive, do I?”

Only a sinister smile lingered on my twisted lips.

The girl glanced at my face for a moment, then slowly turned her head as if she understood.

“…Definitely not.”

What the heck. That secretly hurts.

Of course, I threw out that line expecting such a reply, but it still pained me when the answer actually came.

Who criticizes people based on their appearance?

A dirty lookism-filled world.

I’ll overturn it all someday.

As I mulled over my sadness for a moment, a fact suddenly occurred to me.

“Something just came to mind.” “What is it?” “The room I’m assigned will probably be the largest in the academy.”

Gallimard Academy fundamentally operates on a rank-based distribution system.

The higher one’s rank, the broader the benefits one can enjoy, and the quality of life also improves.

The dormitories are no exception.

“As the top student’s room, it’s bound to be incredibly spacious. So there’s an advantage!” “An advantage?” “It means there will be a lot of cleaning to do in the future. It’s a task that Irene-yang will have to handle entirely, by herself, with enthusiasm.”

“…Where on earth is that a good part?” “It doesn’t concern me. I’m not the one doing the cleaning.” “……”

The blatant teasing continued without batting an eye.

Irene’s expression soured. We continued walking, bickering for a while.

***

After the bustling entrance ceremony ended, there was a week of free time.

All academy schedules would begin after the class assignment exam. In other words, there would be no particular schedule for a few days.

The new students were still unfamiliar with the academy.

It was the academy’s consideration for them to have a light period of adjustment.

I welcomed it with open arms.

My body had been itching to explore the academy anyway.

The space I had longed for most over the past three years.

Excitement surged at the thought of finally achieving my wish.

As I was wandering around the academy, feeling like I was on a picnic…

“You! Did you understand what I said?” “……” “I don’t know how someone like you became the top student, but I’m telling you not to act arrogantly!”

Who is this one now?