episode_0019

“Miss Yerena…?”

Feeling the strong self-assertion from the bulky sensation on my back, my mind began to stutter as if it had encountered lag.

No matter how I’ve lived as a girl for five years, my sexual identity still leaned more towards being a boy than a girl.

I preferred pretty girls over handsome men. I simply refrained from mentioning my preferences in this medieval setting where there would be no one to accept them.

Perhaps that’s why my mind was filled with strange fantasies. Not only in this life but even in my past life, I had never been so closely attached to a girl.

“Yes, Yerena…? You’re, you’re too close…”

It felt like my language ability had momentarily malfunctioned. Even in such a situation, I couldn’t help but sense the softness beneath Yerena’s clothes.

Unintentionally, I found Yerena’s body much softer than I had imagined. As I entertained impolite thoughts, I shook my head, trying to push out the strange imaginations filling my mind.

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Cyan?”

“Oh, it’s just… It feels too close.”

“…Is that so.”

Struggling to conceal my trembling, I replied in a casual tone. However, Yerena’s response caught me off guard.

“You were getting cozy with me yesterday, so I thought it was okay, but maybe it was my mistake. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

In her nonchalant Ice Princess mode, Yerena casually mentioned how I had hugged her in a public place, drawing the attention of some nearby students.

“Eek?!”

A foolish whimper escaped me involuntarily due to the overwhelming embarrassment.

Even between girls, making such ambiguous remarks with such an indifferent expression… If that continues…!

I felt like my mind would be filled with truly strange thoughts if things continued this way. I deliberately changed the subject.

“Uh, well… Anyway, did you do well on the class assignment test, Yerena?”

“Of course. I got assigned to Class A without any issues.”

“I see…”

I let my words trail off weakly.

I had never thought Yerena wouldn’t get into Class A, but if she did, I wouldn’t be able to attend classes with her.

Despite winning against Yerena in the mock exam and receiving good evaluations, the mock exam only accounted for 50 out of 100 points.

The remaining 50 points came from yesterday’s battle royale-style exam, where I ended up trapped in a dungeon with Regina and essentially disqualified.

Even if I did well in the class assignment, considering that I beat Yerena in the mock exam, it would probably be challenging for me to surpass Class B.

“…That’s a shame. I wanted to take classes with you, Yerena.”

Two years ago when I transmigrated, Yerena had held the position of my favorite character in my heart since the release of the Academy 3rd-year story.

If I could take classes with such a Yerena, I was confident I could focus throughout the lessons.

Make other friends? That was impossible for someone inherently awkward like me. The scariest thing during school days was creating a friend emergency contact list.

“Huh? Cyan, you got assigned to Class A though.”

“I did?”

So when Yerena casually mentioned that, I almost cheered without realizing it.

I should have been rejected from Class A. How did I pass? Did Ellen put in a good word for me? But no matter how skilled she was as a Swordmaster and a professor in the Department of Swordsmanship, arbitrarily raising a student’s class would be an abuse of power, right?

As if sensing my tangled thoughts, Yerena pulled me away from the crowd and continued speaking.

“It’s probably because of the dungeon you cleared. You received a D+ rank evaluation.”

“D+ rank…?”

Dungeons are typically divided into six grades, from A to F. For dungeons at the D+ rank level, one must reach the status of a royal knight or a knight commander of a territory to be capable of solo subjugation.

At that level, it’s a dungeon where large-scale “subjugations” take place. It’s common for adventurer guilds to gather ranks equal to or higher than D+ to conquer such dungeons.

Though still imperfect, was the ancient lich truly an ancient lich?

“Yeah. Originally, this academy exam is meant to assess the students’ abilities, like you and Regina. By subjugating the ancient lich, you both proved your practical skills.”

“Hehe… I’m relieved. I didn’t want to part ways with Yerena. She’s my first friend, you know.”

“First… friend?”

“Yes. Before entering the academy, I was always a wandering adventurer without a fixed path.”

I murmured as I looked up at Yerena. Despite her usual ice princess demeanor, there was a slightly warmer atmosphere around Yerena for some reason.

Instinctively, I could tell that Yerena was pleased with my words.

“…Yeah, I’m glad.”

Yerena replied like that and took my hand.

“Sian, do you know where classroom A of the Swordsmanship Department is located?”

“I do. I saw it when I roamed around the academy last time.”

Having spent thousands of hours playing [Arcana Academy], I had already memorized the location of the classrooms.

“Oh, I see. In that case, since the class starts in an hour, let’s go there early and wait.”

“Okay.”

Classroom A was more like an auditorium than a typical classroom, given its size, accommodating only thirty students. Moreover, there was a large training ground attached next to the classroom. It seemed that even the treatment received by Class A was different.

Despite having seen such scenes countless times in games, observing them through the screen and witnessing them in reality felt quite different.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Ellen Agnes, who will be in charge of the first-year Swordsmanship Department Class A this year.”

As I marveled at the classroom designed like a lecture hall, I glanced at the girl sitting next to me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just enjoy attending classes together. I used to live almost always alone, so I cherish this time of attending classes with a friend. I felt a bit lonely when I had no friends.”

“So, in the end, are we friends?”

Yerena pondered over my words quietly. To a girl who had run her whole life focused on revenge, perhaps such relationships were still unfamiliar.

In a way, Yerena seemed somewhat similar to Regina. Both girls seemed damaged in some corner due to their unfamiliarity with emotions.

Maybe that was why I wanted to strip away the mask of the Northern Duchess that Yerena wore.

Behind the occasional glimpses of Yerena’s mask, she appeared no different from an ordinary seventeen-year-old girl. I wanted to see that side of Yerena.

“Still, coming to the academy and making two friends makes me feel less lonely.”

My past school life wasn’t particularly bright either. While I didn’t have zero friends, I was a relatively cheerful student. Since that incident-

“Oh.”

As I tried to push out the strange thoughts from my mind, I focused my gaze on the teacher’s desk.

However, for some reason, I felt a strong gaze beside me. Yerena’s sky-blue mixed with silver eyes were staring intently at me.

Feeling a chill for some inexplicable reason, I cautiously asked Yerena, “Huh? Why…?”

“Two friends? The other one, is it the girl from yesterday?”

“Yes, Regina Strellachia. She’s the friend I met in the underground dungeon yesterday. She’s cute, and I find myself taking care of her a lot, like a younger sister. She gives off a slightly different vibe compared to you, Yerena.”

Yerena gives off a slightly cool older sister vibe, while Regina exudes a cute younger sibling aura. Despite my intentions, Yerena’s expression upon hearing my words was far from pleased.

Seemingly discontent, Yerena looked at me and asked, “Sian, do you like cute friends?”

My sexual preference… would naturally lean towards someone like Yerena, who exudes that cool older sister vibe. However, since Yerena, myself, and Regina are all women, it wouldn’t make sense to interpret it in that way.

The fact that I have a slight romantic interest in Yerena doesn’t mean she reciprocates those feelings.

Perhaps it was just a question about what kind of cute friend I prefer.

So, without much thought, I replied, “Well… something like that?”

“…”

But why? After hearing my response, Yerena asked with a subtle expression, “Is that so… I see. By any chance, can I meet this Regina?”

“Oh, yes! Of course.”

If even friends can grow closer, then their friendship must be quite strong. Besides, Regina seems to feel lonely in many ways, so she probably needs other friends besides me.

Moreover, since we had already made plans to meet Regina after class, it shouldn’t be an issue.

Therefore, as soon as the first day of martial arts department classes ended, I took Yerena back to the ward where Regina was waiting.

“Oh, Sian…!”

Regina, who had been waiting for me endlessly in the ward, greeted me warmly with a bright smile as soon as I returned. I responded with a smile of my own.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“Yes. But I didn’t wait too long, so there’s no need to worry…!”

To a girl broken by endless cycles of rebirth, a few hours might not seem like such a long time. I gently caressed Regina, who seemed fragile.

“Oh, but… behind you, there’s that person…”

Regina’s ruby eyes met Yerena’s silvery ones in the air, creating a slightly tense atmosphere. I reassured Regina, thinking that the tension was likely due to mood swings.

“Oh, this is my friend. Yerena, meet Sian.”