I've Memorized Your Name
I’d memorized the name. I’d remember you.
“Did you sleep well?”
A gentle voice pulled me awake as I slowly opened my eyes. The refreshing feeling was like I’d slept for five whole days. Nothing beat a good nap, after all. I yawned and sat up, only to find Sien much closer than I’d expected. Had she been trying to wake me?
“You were already up.”
“…Yes. I was worried you might not wake up on time.”
Of course she was.
“Even if I slack off like this, I still get everything done.”
“Ah, that’s not what I meant…!!”
“Pfft—. I know. You don’t have to panic like that. Thanks for worrying about me.”
I smiled at the flustered Sien and stretched my arms wide. The sunlight was stronger than it had been that morning, but instead of glaring it felt like the sky had been sprinkled with extra brilliance. It gave the world a completely different feel from when I’d fallen asleep.
She must have drunk the juice I left.
The grape juice I’d set aside just in case was completely gone. It wasn’t worth commenting on, so I casually picked up the empty bottle, but…
Smooth. Real smooth~.
At this rate, maybe I could be called an expert on Sien. If I took a test on her right now, I was confident I could scrape together at least thirty out of a hundred.
…Which would still be failing, wouldn’t it?
“Shall we head out soon?”
“Yes.”
Sien, who had been kneeling neatly, rose with graceful composure. Every single movement screamed noble.
“Sien?”
“…Can’t I stay close?”
What was this about? Even my brilliant mind couldn’t process it, so I decided to trust my instincts. Sien’s arm was wrapped around mine like a vine. Thanks to that, I was unintentionally experiencing some very primal sensations—softness, warmth, and a sweet fragrance.
Yes. Sien was linking arms with me.
…Why?
“Ah, no. I was just wondering why you suddenly came this close.”
“Do you dislike it?”
“I didn’t say that…”
“Then is it okay?”
Her face flickered rapidly between sadness and joy. I was at a loss for words. I had to accept that the Sien of this parallel world was a different person from the one I’d known, but erasing the image of Sien that lived inside me was something else entirely. In other words, this expressive, emotional Sien felt incredibly awkward to me.
And above all, the guilt.
After what I did to you…
Living a good life, living quietly, even helping him—everything was for the sake of washing away my sins. Atonement. I had never been given such a gracious opportunity, and even if I were, I didn’t deserve to accept it. It was self-satisfaction. In the end, this was all just self-satisfaction to ease my guilt.
By saving her, I was punishing myself for sins that had already disappeared, trying to erase even a little of the guilt that had piled up. Even so—
“It’s more than okay. I’m grateful.”
If my twisted self-satisfaction could save someone.
If my hypocrisy could rescue her from misfortune.
“Thanks for indulging my selfishness, Sien.”
I would return this life I owed her—back to her.
“…Me too, Rain. Um…”
For now, that was enough.
“I should be the one saying that, Rain…!”
Protecting that smile was enough.
The large indoor testing hall located in the northern part of campus—Forum. The enormous stands that could seat eight thousand people were impressive enough on their own, but what made the atmosphere solemn and noble was the two hundred and sixty-five people gathered in the center.
“Whoa, I almost showed up late.”
That included me and Sien, who had just arrived. I let out a small sigh and looked around. Every single person here really did look like a noble—standing in perfect, orderly rows. It was quite a sight. I was about to return to my own class formation when—
“Sien…?”
“Can’t you stay with me…?”
What kind of emotional shift had happened while I was sleeping that she’d changed this much? Did you have a nightmare?
No matter how much of a shameless troublemaker I was, I wasn’t about to ruin such a neat formation.
“I’ll stay with you. But shouldn’t we return to our spots for now?”
“…My spot is next to you, Rain.”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller as she mumbled. She wanted to stay beside me, but if I told her to go somewhere else, she would reluctantly obey… The desperate look in her eyes and the tone of her voice that clearly said she wanted to stay glued to my side left me speechless.
“If it’s causing trouble, I’ll go…?”
“…Because I don’t want to do anything Rain dislikes.”
Are you a puppy?
The pitiful look in Sien’s eyes made me imagine I’d heard a little whine.
“…Can’t we stay together?”
Her relentless attack made my thoughts spin. I didn’t want to separate from her either if possible, since keeping her next to me made it easier to protect her. But people were already starting to whisper about the two of us walking arm-in-arm.
The daughter of the Northern Grand Duke and a rootless commoner boy. It was more than enough material for gossip.
Never thought I’d have to deal with this kind of worry in my life.
I was deep in thought about what to do with this puppy when I started noticing the stares around us.
“Rain~!”
A blonde girl waving her hand brightly as she called my name. Roselia walked over in quick strides.
“Ugh! Why didn’t you answer my messages!?”
“…Messages?”
I hurriedly reached for my terminal, but Roselia waved her hands saying it was fine now.
“Anyway, the person next to you is…”
“Alencia. The Sien Alencia you’re thinking of.”
“…I see.”
Roselia’s red eyes looked completely lost on how to process my introduction. Even though she stood at the peak of the magical social world, this situation seemed difficult for her to accept smoothly.
“…Rain, my arm hurts?”
It seemed the same for Sien; anxious, she squeezed my arm even tighter.
…No, it actually hurts?
When I made a pained face and lightly tapped her arm, Sien finally loosened her grip with an apology.
Wow… If it had lasted even a little longer, my arm might have snapped.
“So how did you two meet…?”
“…We just happened to run into each other during a walk last weekend.”
“A walk?”
“Yeah. That was our first meeting, and we even had lunch together today.”
“…W-wait? So the friend you said you had plans with today was Lady Alencia?”
“That’s right.”
I was fully aware how absurd it sounded for a commoner like me to claim he’d gotten close to the daughter of the Northern Grand Duke just by meeting her on a walk. Still, I didn’t want to mention that Sien was being ostracized.
“Let’s head back for now. The professors will be here soon.”
Roselia’s expression said she’d decided to accept the situation. I thought it would be best to join the formation too, so I glanced carefully at Sien. She was already pouting, looking disappointed.
“…I don’t want to let go.”
“You still have to. It’ll only be for a little while.”
“Even a little while is too much.”
“…Our Sien seems to rely on me a lot, huh?”
I gave a warm chuckle and gazed into her eyes. Considering everything she’d been through, it wasn’t strange that she’d lean on me, but… this level of dependence was heavier than I’d expected. I truly meant to make her happy, but I couldn’t protect her every single moment. I had things I needed to do too.
“Don’t worry. I’m planning to do something amazing today.”
“…Something amazing?”
“Remember what I told you when I made that promise?”
“Yes… I remember everything.”
“I’m going to do one of those things today.”
The moment the strength left her linked arm, I gently unhooked it from mine. Sien’s lips parted in a small sigh, but—
“So here’s the promise. After this is over, let’s go buy bread for tomorrow together?”
“Yes…! You have to…!”
When I held out my pinky and smiled, she smiled back happily. Her finger, which had held a sword countless times and bore calluses, was still undeniably delicate.
“See you later, Sien.”
After finishing our promise, I turned away first, waving.
“Let’s go, Roselia.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah…”
Roselia, who had been watching the two of us with a bewildered look, finally walked beside me after I spoke.
Once we’d put some distance between us and joined the formation, Roselia glanced around before speaking.
“…What exactly is your relationship?”
“Doesn’t look normal, does it?”
“That’s why I’m asking…”
“…Well. Not sure how to explain it.”
It was a one-sided relationship where I clung to her to achieve my goal. For Sien Alencia to live happily. Once that was accomplished, I planned to leave her side immediately and live quietly. But since I couldn’t achieve it right away, the name for this relationship was…
“The kind where we’ve sworn our futures to each other?”
I tilted my head with a playful grin. I waited for Roselia to respond with a sly smile, but—
“Hic…!?”
Her cheeks flushed bright red as her cat-like eyes widened. She was so shocked she even started hiccupping intermittently. It must have been too stimulating a joke for an innocent young lady. I was about to apologize when—
The blatant mockery rang out through the loudspeaker. Since I knew perfectly well that the target of that mockery was me, I turned my head to look straight ahead.
Intense red hair and contrasting blue eyes. The Blair family, which stood at the peak of the martial world alongside the Northern Alencia. The woman who had inherited that blood stood on the podium, smiling sweetly at me.
She pointed at the spot where she stood with her finger.
“What do you think? I’m giving you a chance to protect your own safety.”
“Could you come up here and talk?”
She gave a mocking smile and tilted her head. At a single word from the woman on the podium, most of the students looked at me with expressions that barely held back their laughter.
Yeah. I’d forgotten what kind of place this was. The Academy, where the kingdom’s greatest geniuses gathered. At the same time, it was a filthy gathering for nobles to flatter each other and build meaningless connections.
“…What is this.”
Roselia looked at me, who had instantly become the target of everyone’s ridicule, with an anxious expression. The moment our eyes met, she seemed to make up her mind and tried to step toward the podium, but—
“Don’t worry about anything and leave this to me———!”
I was faster. I grabbed Roselia’s shoulder and stopped her.
“This is interesting.”
“…What?”
“I’ve actually been waiting for a good opportunity.”
“……What are you talking about?”
“You’ll see.”
I smirked and walked toward the podium. Since the spot where I stood happened to be right in the center between the Knight Department and Magic Department formations…
“Ah, doesn’t it smell dirty over there?”
“Seriously, I wish they would stop with those ridiculous policies like commoner priority and quotas.”
“It’s because these kinds of people keep sneaking in that the Empire and the Federation laugh at us.”
“Kyaa! Breathing the same air as a commoner. It’s so uncomfortable I’m going crazy!”
I got to witness the ridiculous sight of knights and mages, who usually looked at each other with distaste, warmly uniting to bash a commoner.
I reached the podium. The moment I stepped onto it, most of the students poured out voices mixed with condemnation, contempt, and ridicule, but…
“Pfft.”
How should I put it.
“Thank you so much for preparing a place like this.”
“It’s the heart of a senior who loves their juniors.”
To me, it was just funny.
“By the way, may I ask your name, senior? I’m rather insignificant, you see.”
“Oh my~. It’s fortunate that even a commoner knows basic etiquette. I suppose your name is worth telling.”
If I had to describe it further, it was like a pack of dogs in heat barking desperately because they wanted to mate. How could a place called the harmonious gathering of nobles and the world of geniuses look so vulgar?
“Yura Blair. That is my name.”
“Yura Blair…”
Our unknown Blair student council president from the Knight Department who had given me this entertaining spectacle.
…No. Miss Yura Blair.
“What a very pretty name, senior.”
I’d memorized the name. I’d remember you.