Freshman Welcome Party
—Ding!
The contract target has temporarily suspended the conditional contract.
No penalty will be applied, as this is due to the target's unilateral change of mind.
After Eros vanished from her seat, only the system message floated up out of nowhere. At first I thought I must have misread it. After all, it was suddenly claiming the conditional contract was on hold. The more I looked at it, the more absurd it seemed. I had never seen a message like this before. I was used to contract prompts appearing, but for someone to just decide on their own that it never happened?
‘Come to think of it, was canceling even possible? I thought once the contract window popped up, you couldn’t take it back.’
The conditional contract had nothing to do with my will in the first place. It was something I had no choice but to accept. If I had refused, a hell gate would have opened automatically, so it was basically a done deal.
—Shhhk…!
The message window disappeared on its own as time passed.
“……”
It had all happened in an instant. I hadn’t done anything at all. The translucent hologram window had simply appeared and vanished by itself. That Eros guy really seemed like the unpredictable type. No, I could confidently say he had the most willful personality of anyone I had met so far. How willful did someone have to be to even mess with the system messages?
‘Still, it said it was on hold, so…’
Maybe if I waited here, he would come back? More importantly, what exactly had he been trying to ask me for? There were other SSR-rank students in the second year, so I didn’t necessarily need to form a contract with Eros, but his arbitrary personality had piqued my curiosity.
—Clatter…!
I cleared the table while waiting for Sonya and Eros. But no matter how long I waited, there was no sign of the two who had disappeared. Was it because of the embarrassing scene earlier? If so, there was nothing I could do about it. I would just have to look for another chance.
—Clink, clack…!
As I stacked the empty plates and utensils, I also cleared the clutter from my mind. She had looked pretty embarrassed earlier—would she really come back to find me? With that willful personality of hers, probably…
—Shake, shake.
Just imagining someone as proud as her coming to ask for a favor made me shake my head without thinking. ‘Yeah, no way that’s happening.’
The conclusion came immediately—it was impossible. In a way, it was for the best. Handling two people at once was already too much for me. Originally, I had planned to deal with both Sonya and her together. Since refusing a conditional contract was impossible, I had wanted to get it over with in one go. But now the situation had changed. For some reason, it had been canceled.
Normally, failing to win over an SSR-rank would have been worrying, but…
“Phew, actually, this might be a good thing. Looks like they really aren’t coming back anytime soon.”
If anything, it felt like a weight had been lifted. No matter how important conquering an SSR-rank was, handling two at once was still too much. Besides, I barely had enough time to focus on the three I had already contracted with. Missing the chance was a shame, but right now it was actually better this way. Everything had its proper order. No need to rush. I should focus on Sonya first tomorrow. They seemed pretty close earlier, so if I win Sonya over, Eros should be easier to approach afterward.
‘Alright, let’s do that. It’s not like I’m that disappointed just because Eros isn’t here right now.’
My mind settled on tackling Sonya step by step.
—Clatter, rattle…!
I continued clearing the table. Empty plates piled up on the cart. At the same time, I dumped the tangled thoughts from my head along with them, glancing around the second-year tables just in case they came back.
“Breeder! Time to head back now…!”
“Hm?”
Just then, a voice called out from the corner of the banquet hall. A high-pitched tone that sounded like it could tear through the air. Just hearing it made me think of a rodent. Like it was about to go “squeak!” any second.
“Oh, Ram-Ji. Haven’t seen you in a while.”
“If you’ve cleaned up this much, help with the finishing touches…!”
“Finishing touches? Isn’t it just the dishes?”
“Nope…! We all have to do the dishes together!”
Ram-Ji twitched her large front teeth and made a gesture like she was washing dishes.
‘Ah, right… I was originally dragged here for restaurant duty.’
Between the duel with Maruti and the conditional contract, I had momentarily forgotten my situation. On the surface, my identity was nothing more than a servant.
“Fine, let’s just get it over with quickly.”
I rolled up my sleeves with a half-resigned voice. My mindset was just to endure today. After all, proper days off would be guaranteed starting next week.
2. The highlight of weekend worship activities—the tea party. It served not only as a way to relieve the week’s pent-up desires but also as a channel for communication between seniors and juniors who normally had little chance to talk. The time allotted for the tea party was usually just over an hour. Considering the return trip, we had to prepare for bed right after getting back to the dorm, so the schedule was extremely tight.
—The desserts today were pretty good, right?
—I was disappointed it was all chocolate, but it wasn’t bad.
—I wish there had been more. Do you think we’ll get to eat it again next week?
—Oh, by the way, are you guys going to check out the new freshmen?
—I don’t know, not really interested…
Yet the young ladies didn’t seem particularly concerned about the tight schedule. Instead, they chatted leisurely with relaxed attitudes and tones while enjoying the remaining tea and desserts. After all, fixed schedules meant little to them. Because it was the weekend, both faculty and professors were eager to leave early. Thanks to that, the academy was almost completely empty at this late weekend evening hour.
“Senior? The contract finally went through.”
“Really? Are you sure it actually went through?”
“Yes. She said she had something urgent to take care of and teleported away. She told us to finish up on our own and not cause any trouble.”
The fourth-year table. Tina reported to the fourth-year student. With the vice principal gone, it was now free time. This was another reason why students looked forward to the tea party so much. It gave them unlimited freedom without roll calls on weekends, away from the professors’ eyes. Even in the prison-like academy life, there was always a ray of light. They always found ways to enjoy some freedom despite the packed academic schedule.
“Alright, Tina, you take charge of this welcome party.”
“Me? Really?”
“Yeah. Sofia’s still at the temple, and Dior is away being treated, right?”
“Hiyuki-senpai? Even so…”
“I’m really fine. And you know me—I’m not good at that kind of thing, right? So I’m counting on you to handle it instead.”
The girl with light-green hair and eyes a deeper green than Derke’s, seated at the fourth-year table, entrusted the task to Tina. She was temporarily handing over the authority of class representative that she had received from Sofia. The fourth-year called Hiyuki wore a wide-brimmed bamboo hat pulled low. She was also dressed in a loose, robe-like outfit, with the top cut so daringly low that her cleavage was completely exposed.
Hiyuki was Sofia’s closest friend and had been her roommate since their first year. Though they now had separate rooms as fourth-years, their bond remained as close as ever. Because of her naturally quiet personality, Hiyuki wasn’t part of the inner circle, but since she was closest to Sofia, Tina had been reporting to her instead.
“…We fourth-years aren’t interested in the freshmen anymore. So you guys, who’ll be seeing them longer, should take good care of them. Ah, when Sofia comes back later, you can just show your faces for a bit then.”
Hiyuki revealed her green eyes from under the bamboo hat and gave a friendly smile.
“Yes, if that’s what you want, senpai…”
“Then I’m counting on you.”
“Ah! By the way… would it be okay to bring out some alcohol today?”
“Alcohol…?”
“Yes, just a little for such a special day?”
“Hmm, fine. Whatever… We’ve always done it that way anyway…”
Hiyuki hesitated at the mention of alcohol but ultimately couldn’t refuse the request. She simply nodded reluctantly and moved her lips.
“…J-just don’t force it on the kids too much. Sofia isn’t here, so if something happens, I won’t be able to take responsibility.”
“Understood. I’ll be as careful as possible.”
—Spin!
With that answer, Tina turned around cheerfully. Her long ponytail swayed like a cat’s tail. She walked lightly away from the fourth-year area toward where the juniors had gathered.
“All first- and second-years, assemble!”
She raised her voice in the middle of the banquet hall and gathered the juniors. The desserts were almost gone, making it the perfect time to begin. The freshman welcome party and initiation ceremony.
—Rumble…!
At Tina’s voice, the first- and second-years quickly gathered. The first-years had also adapted to academy life over the past week.
“Good. Everyone sit in a circle on the floor. Second-years, you already know what to do without me explaining, right?”
““Yes—!””
“Alright, then while you teach the first-years, get the seats ready. I’ll go grab the drinks.”
Tina, her mind completely filled with thoughts of alcohol, hummed as she left her spot. The freshman welcome party. And the initiation. An unofficial event not on the academic schedule. It was created to foster camaraderie between grades. A place where seniors and juniors could talk, juniors could show respect to seniors, and seniors could show interest in juniors.
“First-years! Move quickly! Sit in a circle! Don’t you know what a circle looks like?!”
“And if a senior asks your name or touches you a little later, you’d better introduce yourselves right away, got it?”
“If you mess up, we’ll get scolded too, so be ready if that happens!”
“…And even if you’ve never had alcohol before, just drink whatever the seniors give you. Dragons don’t die from drinking, after all.”
“If it’s really too much, just hold it in and throw up later, okay?”
Once Tina left, the second-year seniors gave advice to the first-years, recalling the welcome party they themselves had gone through 150 years ago.
—Hoo-eet……?
—A-alcohol……?
—That thing only adults drink?
—I don’t like bitter things……
On the other hand, the first-years were already terrified at the mere mention of “alcohol.” Even though they were hatchlings who had lived at least 200 years, it was unfamiliar to those who had grown up sheltered.
—Slosh, slosh…!
Once the first- and second-years had formed a neat circle, a massive sake jar came walking from afar. More precisely, Tina was lightly carrying the entire jar as she approached.
—Thud…!
She soon stepped into the center of the circle formed by the first- and second-years and set the large jar down on the floor.
“Now, no need to be too scared. It’s not that strong, and I just want to get to know you all better.”
—Glug…!
Tina flashed a bold smile and scooped clear liquor from the jar using a floating ladle inside. It was a type of clear sake commonly made in the eastern part of the continent.
—Gulp…!
The first- and second-years could only swallow dryly. They stared at the sake jar with fearful expressions, as if looking at poison. Most of them kept their heads down to avoid meeting Tina’s eyes. If they accidentally made eye contact, it was obvious they would be the first to have to drink straight from the ladle.
“Hmm~♪ Well, the first one should be the star of the year—the first-year, right? Let’s see……”
Tina paid no mind and searched for a suitable sacrifice, maintaining a playful smile.
“Oh, right! You were here!”
Before long, Tina pointed at an appropriate target.
“You, come out here first!”
Tina’s bright red eyes came to a stop on……