Entrance Ceremony (2)
Rustila scratched her cheek and said, “I’ll go.”
“Eh?” I was surprised instead. Rustila’s hand gripping mine. I never dreamed she’d express her intentions so proactively. But if I thought about it the other way around… A daughter who wasn’t even an adult yet holding hands with some unknown man in front of her parents? Would those parents just sit there without their eyes popping out?
“Let go of that hand right now, Rustila!”
Her parents leaned forward at the same time, trying to pry our hands apart. We simply stood up to dodge it.
“Eh? Look at this kid.”
“This is your father’s final warning. Let go of that guy’s hand while I count to three. Right now. One, two……”
“Father!” Rustila shook her head vigorously. “Idel is my friend. He’s a little eccentric, but he’s a good kid. I’m fine.”
“Since when do boys and girls stay just friends?”
“At least…… I think they can.”
“You’re saying that because you don’t know any better. Guys who look like that always have something shady behind them.”
“Mother!”
“Rustila.”
“Both of you…… Please stop. Just stop.” Rustila ground her teeth and glanced around. Whispers. People were already gathering like ghosts drawn to a fight. The situation was about to become humiliating. No point raising our voices and causing a scene. I grabbed Rustila’s hand and pulled her along. A cute little “Eh, eh?” slipped from her lips. Our distance closed to a single handspan. I leaned in and whispered into her ear.
“Go sit at the top seats. Ask Seti where my seat is and just sit there.”
“……What about you, Idel?”
“I have to go up on the podium.”
Rustila smiled brightly. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Rustila walked away before her parents could say another word.
“Rustila, where are you going!”
“Honey, hurry and chase her!”
The two of them moved in a frenzy. But who was Rustila? A martial arts prodigy with thighs forged from secret home training. No ordinary person could catch up to her movement technique.
“Ha, no way! Why is she so fast……!”
“Stop right there! Rustila!”
It was like watching a cop-and-thief chase where the thief was ridiculously fast. Either way, we’d somehow escaped the crisis.
“Lucky break.”
All that remained were the four androids sprawled on the floor. While I was wondering what to do with them, I soon turned and walked away. Someone would clean them up eventually.
The world was full of dreams. When the interviewer asked what her dream was, Rustila answered with sincerity.
‘My dream is to protect the Federation.’
When asked what she wanted to do as a job, she replied:
‘I want to become the highest-ranked swordsman. I want to become a soldier. Every time I swing my sword, I hope one more person survives.’
When asked why, she answered:
‘Why, you ask? The planet I lived on as a child was invaded by an Avatar. That’s when I realized there’s no safe place in this universe. So I thought…… if only I could make even one corner of this universe a little safer.’
Some might mock it as a foolish dream. Still, she wanted to clash with it using her sincerity. The result of giving it her all wasn’t contempt or ridicule, but acceptance into Stellarium. It was thanks to Idel. Because of him, she could step even a little out of her parents’ shadow. She could gather her courage and voice her own opinions. Rustila had clearly felt that change just moments ago.
“Haa, haa.”
She’d done it. She’d really done it. The two words filling her mind: rebellion. Her heart pounded wildly. It was the first time she’d openly defied her parents. A strange sensation raced through her body like lightning. Her chest ached as if she’d committed a grave sin.
“Huu……”
Calm down. Rustila closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath. Seti sat beside her with a bright smile.
“I never thought that Idel would give up his seat for you, sis.”
“……”
Rustila opened her eyes, fidgeting with her fingers. The podium was clearly visible. It really was the top seat. She was endlessly grateful for Idel’s kindness, but at the same time, doubt crept in. Was it really okay for her to sit here? Was it right to keep receiving from Idel like this?
“Sis, are your parents still not able to come this way?”
“I shook them off halfway.”
Because Rustila’s legs were so fast, her parents seemed to have lost their way. The open-air theater was also simply enormous. What was even more bitter was the fact that her parents hadn’t bothered to properly learn the layout of the area in the first place. In other words, they had never considered from the beginning that Rustila would actually get into Stellarium. That fact left a bitter taste. She had passed because she genuinely admired swordsmen, yet it felt like that hadn’t been acknowledged.
[Next, we will have the freshman representative oath.]
“Wow, it’s starting. Sis, look over there!”
Seti poked her, and only then did Rustila snap out of her thoughts. A single scene reflected in Rustila’s azure eyes. A tall boy was stepping onto the podium, bowing to the principal and vice-principal. On that stage-like podium, the boy looked incredibly neat. And handsome. He gave off the strong impression of a model student.
“That’s supposed to be my brother.”
Seti repeated the words with a dumbfounded expression.
[Freshman representative, Idel von Rheinland.]
Idel on the podium raised his hand and scanned the surroundings.
[Oath. As students of the prestigious Stellarium Academia, we will always conduct ourselves with integrity, cherish friendship with our peers, and devote ourselves to our studies……]
His clear voice began to fill the open-air theater. Top-ranked student. The fact that a boy who studied that well was her friend made Rustila’s heart race noisily. Seti seemed to feel the same.
“I can’t believe he’s standing up there.”
That was when it happened.
“You’re telling me.”
“……?”
An unpleasant voice suddenly rang out. Turning toward the sound, a silver-haired, golden-eyed girl was looking down arrogantly at Rustila and Seti.
“You’re…… that kid from back then?”
Rustila had met the girl before. It was none other than in a park on the planet Stellarium. If asked whether she liked her or not, the answer was obviously no.
“My family is the Adelbein. If it’s not on the level of the Rheinland family, you should quietly bow your head and give up that seat.”
“Who do you think you are? Is the Federation a class-based society?”
“Huhu, you can’t even take a joke as a joke.”
Normally, Rustila would have avoided conversation with someone she didn’t like. But this time, she wanted to confront her. She had already gone against her parents’ words; shrinking back in front of a complete stranger would be inconsistent.
[……With that, the student representative oath concludes.]
“Oh dear.”
On the other hand, Zernya paid no particular attention to Rustila. Her gaze was almost entirely fixed on Idel on the podium.
“That seat was originally mine……”
Tsk! Zernya clicked her tongue. Not only had she been acting arrogant since last time, she also harbored great hostility toward Idel.
“……”
Rustila made a resolution in her heart. If this girl tried to make things difficult for Idel, she would step in at least once and give her a proper scolding.
“Haa, honey. We lost her. What do we do now?”
Rustila’s mother, Ada Kersil, bit her nails and urged her husband. Her husband, Lloyd Kersil, was just as anxious. She was their hard-won only daughter. They had to pass down the family business no matter what. The tradition of the Kersil family must not be broken in the next generation. They had already decided many things. The ideal career path, the ideal lifestyle, even the ideal son-in-law.
“For now…… let’s just go back to our seats.”
Lloyd said, breathing roughly.
“She’ll have to come back to her seat eventually. Whether it’s after class assignments or after today’s entrance ceremony ends.”
“What if she doesn’t come? What if she stays at a hotel under the excuse of sleeping over at a friend’s house……”
“Then we’ll have to discipline her severely.”
Lloyd had already made up his mind. He would soon wage a full-scale war with his daughter.
Right after the entrance ceremony ended, class assignments were announced. Classes were divided according to entrance exam rankings. The very top and very bottom went to the elite class and the remedial class respectively, while the rest were placed in regular classes. Since Seti and I were scholarship students, we were in the elite class, but Rustila was not. She was placed in the remedial class.
“That’s a shame.”
“Yeah. If she’d just done the practical exam properly, she’d be in the elite class with us.”
“So you think the same as me, oppa?”
Seti smirked and glanced at me.
“Ah, this is annoying.”
Anyway, it was obvious that Seti and I would be together. That guy was also in the elite class.
“You two are always stuck together.”
Zernya von Adelbein. Speak of the devil.
“You’re the same age, right? You siblings get along so well.”
The moment she appeared, she started picking a fight with us.
“Well, I guess you could call it birds of a feather.”
Her level of provocation was quite artistic. Still, I was genuinely curious what her goal was. Inferiority complex, maybe? Whatever. The best response to this kind of thing was no response.
“Hey, let’s sit over there.”
“Sure, why not.”
We passed Zernya and headed to the back.
“Little brother, what do you want for dinner tonight?”
“I’m craving sashimi for the first time in a while.”
“……Are you two ignoring me right now?”
She deliberately came all the way to our refuge to attack. Zernya adjusted her white scarf and spoke menacingly.
“Hey, do I look like a joke to you?”
“What now?”
“I just can’t understand how you became the top student no matter how hard I try.”
Zernya, who had pulled her scarf all the way up, widened her eyes. Beneath her Pacific-wide forehead, two pairs of brilliant grape-like eyes sparkled like fluorescent lights.
“You can’t understand how I became the top student, huh……”
Seti and I looked at each other and grinned.
Zernya continued her offensive with an air of superiority.
“Both of you, you’d better enjoy the moment while it lasts. Luck doesn’t come around twice.”
“Right.”
“Right.”
“Do you know this isn’t the official class but a temporary one?”
“Of course.”
“We do.”
“The practical evaluation you couldn’t take during the entrance exam will start soon.”
“Yeah.”
“Got it.”
“Anyway, when the time comes, you should start thinking about packing your bags and leaving this class……”
“You first.”
“Good luck with that.”
“……”
A joint torpedo attack from the delinquent siblings. No ship could withstand it. The heavily damaged Zernya ship hastily retreated.
“Your level is too low.”
That was her excuse.
“High-five.”
Watching Zernya flee with flushed cheeks, we lightly clapped our hands together.
This was more fun than I expected.
— Notification: The ‘SAN Parameter’ skill has leveled up to 2 after being used a certain number of times!
— Notification: From now on, you can perceive the other party’s emotions in greater detail.
In addition, the level of the psychological insight skill had risen. It was truly killing two birds with one stone.
The amount of information had certainly increased. However, what bothered me was that this wasn’t entirely my own achievement. It was Cartesia’s ability to read others’ mental states and, depending on the situation, manipulate them to her liking. That was what I found dissatisfying.
— ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ has taken interest in your reasonable question.
— Mental Erosion (G) has been broken!
— 500 Fron has been granted.
I would have to be careful whenever I used it. While thinking about this and that, I was chatting with Seti when—
“Ah!”
Along with the sound, something caught on the threshold. The commotion came from behind. Turning around, I saw a girl with dark green short hair rubbing her waist while her books spilled everywhere.
“Aigoo.”
She was smaller than even Seti or Zernya. The uniform she wore was too loose, and the sleeves weren’t properly aligned. It felt like an elementary school student had come to high school.
“I knew this would happen!”
Then another girl entered. She was well over 175cm tall with a mature face; if she hadn’t been wearing a uniform, she might have been mistaken for a teacher. She quickly picked up the fallen girl’s books and helped her up.
“Merlen, are you okay?”
“M-My lumbar! I think I sprained my 8th lumbar vertebra!”
“See, I told you! Let’s split the books! Why do you always try to do everything alone……”
“Everyone treats me like a kid. I can handle at least this much by myself!”
Hair color, eye color, physique, speech patterns. Combining all the results, I guessed their identities.
“I’m really sorry for causing a disturbance.”
The tall girl bowed repeatedly and apologized. Her name was Kristin Herset, daughter of a famous legal family like the Kersils. As expected, Kristin was a girl who pursued a proper lifestyle.
“Aah!”
Then Kristin made eye contact with me and suddenly pointed her finger, exploding with righteous indignation.
“You!”
“What, me?”
“Yes, you! You were the student on the podium earlier, right? Your name was definitely……”
“Idel von Rheinland.”
“That’s right! Idel von Rheinland! The problem child of the universe!”
I let out a sigh. Of course. It would be strange if the daughter of the Herset family, a long line of prosecutors, didn’t pick a fight with me.
“On my way here, I saw several articles about your antics! You’ve committed far more evil deeds than I imagined. How could someone like you! Get into such a prestigious academy! And even as the top student?”
“Ah, that’s……”
“Suspicious! It reeks of something fishy! Did you bribe the entire school? Or do you have connections with the chairman? No matter how I think about it, it’s strange. I should contact the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office and launch a thorough investigation……!”
“Listen when someone’s talking.”
Kristin’s machine-gun-like speech didn’t last long. A man holding a thin blackboard poked the back of her head from behind.
“Kyaa! W-Who are you?”
“Hmm, who could it be?”
“Ah, don’t tell me…… the homeroom teacher?”
“Hmph, go sit wherever you want. The orientation will start soon.”
“Understood……”
As if nothing had happened, the girl lowered her head and went to sit by the window in the distance. The green-haired girl sitting next to her was still holding her waist and groaning.
Tap, tap.
The man who had introduced himself as the homeroom teacher soon walked to the teacher’s desk and looked down at us. His black hair was slicked back, and he wore sunglasses. He had something like a white cigarette filter in his mouth. He wore only a dress shirt and black slacks. Perhaps because he was tall, he had an overwhelming presence. Gulp. Several students swallowed. I was also nervous because I hadn’t had time to find out who the homeroom teacher of Academia was.
However.
“Congratulations on your admission, everyone. My name is Welton Yusford.”
Upon hearing the name, I couldn’t help but feel deflated. Damn it, it was you.
“Let’s get along well for the next year. Some of you might not see each other again after the class reassignment evaluation, but I’ll continue to be in charge of this class. I hope you all do your best to avoid transferring classes if possible.”
“Um, I have a question.”
“Go ahead. What’s your name, student?”
“Zernya Adelbein.”
“Alright, Adelbein student. Ask anything.”
Zernya glanced at us and continued.
“What’s the topic and schedule for the reassignment exam? Has there been any prior notice?”
“Ah, that? I don’t know either.”
“……?”
The entire class froze over.
“Y-You don’t know?”
“Don’t tell me it’s going to be a surprise attack?”
“I see. As expected……”
The students each reacted differently. Some frowned in disbelief, while others nodded as if they understood. As for me…… I was neither. “Kuk.” I was just leisurely observing because the situation was funny. Rattle. The door opened then. The person who entered through the front door was none other than Teacher Kendra Hammington. A veteran teacher in charge of mathematics who was nosy but also diligent. She had been the main proctor of the exam hall I was in, so I recognized her. The moment Kendra saw the boy posing at the teacher’s desk, she glared and asked.
“Student, what are you doing at the teacher’s desk?”
“Eek.”
Our class’s homeroom teacher…… no, student Welton Yusford immediately came down from the podium and fled to the very back seat. It didn’t take long for Zernya to explode.