Roll Call and Sweet Suspicions
Roll call is never easy. “Heheh… huheh……!”
“Tina? Are you listening?!”
“Huh…? Y-yes?!”
Tina, who had been staring blankly with drool trickling from the corner of her mouth, snapped to attention at the sound of my voice. She quickly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stood up straight.
“What was that all of a sudden? Were you dozing off?”
“Hup…? Ah, no! I was just thinking about the snack I ate earlier……”
“Oh? Snacks……? You haven’t finished them all yet, I see.”
“Yes…! I only took one bite of each……”
Tina trailed off with a wistful look on her face. Even if it tasted amazing, how could it make her space out like that? I felt a faint sense of unease, but seeing Tina back to normal, I chalked it up to her being young and weak to sweets.
“I see. Save the rest for after roll call. Next, we’ll conduct the dormitory inspection.”
“Ah, yes!”
I could have skipped this step, but Derke had been on my mind. I wanted to see for myself how the hardtack had helped her bond with her classmates.
That aside…… I’d never experienced such a warm and friendly roll call atmosphere in my life.
—Kyarrk, kyarrk……!
—Hehet, huheheh……!
Innocent laughter echoed from every direction. Laughter during what should have been a solemn roll call? It was an atmosphere I couldn’t have imagined back in the military. These freshmen really were no different from new recruits.
“This room’s headcount is fine……”
As I moved from room to room inspecting the first-year dorms, smiles bloomed everywhere. The numbers checked out, but the freshmen themselves were the problem. They were so bright and cheerful that it felt almost unnatural.
“Huht, I want more……”
“Dorm supervisor, thank you so much!”
Every single dorm gave the same reaction. It was cute in its own way, but their unusual behavior made it hard to get used to. They were all grinning like idiots, completely intoxicated by the sugar from the star-candy-covered hardtack I’d made. Anyone who saw them might think I’d actually drugged the treats.
And with white powder scattered everywhere, crumpled paper bags on the floor, and the girls giggling emptily, the scene really did look suspicious at a glance.
“……It’s fine to eat snacks, but make sure you clean up properly after roll call.”
—Rustle……!
I collected the paper bags scattered across each dorm while pointing out the messy state of their rooms.
“Aah, I’m sorry! Derke’s gift was so delicious that I……”
Tina answered after collecting herself. The other girls quickly followed suit. The sugar content must have been too much for the young hatchlings. There was no other explanation. It wasn’t like anything else had been mixed in besides the sugar.
“I understand. And direct your thanks to Derke.”
“Huh?”
“She’s the one who suggested making snacks for all of you.”
“Yeees—! Understood!”
Tina glanced over at Derke before answering loudly. I was glad I’d gone through with making the hardtack. She’d be able to get closer to her classmates starting today. There was no better outcome than everyone being happy.
“Then make sure you finish eating before bedtime.”
“Teacher? It’s so good I want to save some. What should I do……?”
“I don’t mind, but what do you think the upperclassmen will say if they see the state of your rooms?”
“Hik?! The seniors……?”
Tina immediately looked terrified. Taming the freshmen was easier than expected. Just mentioning the seniors they feared was enough to make everything go smoothly.
“Yes. The seniors won’t let it slide. So try to finish it all today if possible. And keep today’s snack a secret, too. Understood?”
“Yeeep…! Understood!”
Tina gave a sloppy salute as she answered. I accepted the salute and winked at her. After going to all that trouble to warn them, I was telling them not to get caught by the seniors no matter what—and to treat Derke well, too.
“First-year roll call complete. Stand by.”
““Yeees—!!!””
Even at the very end of roll call, the little ladies remained full of energy. They showed no resentment toward my instructions. The effect of the hardtack was greater than I’d expected. Most of all, seeing Derke’s happy expression put my mind at ease.
“Bye-bye—♬”
Among her classmates, she smiled happily for the first time and waved her hand.
‘But something feels off. Is it because I said Derke made the hardtack……?’
One disappointing thing was that no message about a successful rapport had appeared. It didn’t matter much anyway. I’d already gained proficiency in Gourmet Feeding. Even if a rapport acceptance window had popped up, I would have rejected it. It was just a passing thought.
—Step, step, step……!
I headed straight up to the second floor. I was determined to finish quickly today. The first-year roll call alone had drained all my energy.
“Second-year total: fifteen. No absences. Good work.”
The second-year representative was as cold as ever. The pink-haired girl muttered quietly. I understood—she was at a sensitive age.
“Understood. Roll call complete. Please stand by until it ends.”
I ended roll call right away and turned toward the third floor, skipping the dormitory inspection entirely.
“Huh? Already……?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
When I turned around coolly, the second-year representative hesitated as if something felt wrong.
“N-no, nothing. Good work.”
“Ah, yes.”
How odd. She’d been so reluctant yesterday, after all. I didn’t want to go through any complicated procedures either. There was no need to create trouble when we could both be comfortable. Even if the second-years had the most SSR ranks, I had far too many things to handle right now. More than anything, I just wanted to finish roll call quickly and go to sleep.
—Thud, thud!
I climbed another floor like that.
“Hello, old man. Third-year is all good?”
When I reached the third floor, Tiana with her black ponytail greeted me with her usual displeased expression—along with that strange nickname, “old man.”
“Huh? Ah, understood.”
“What? You don’t like the nickname ‘old man’? I thought hard and came up with it, but how rude.”
She must have felt her goodwill was being ignored. Her displeased face turned haughty. Besides, since when was “old man” a cute nickname? Who wouldn’t be surprised to be called that as a twenty-something with his whole life ahead of him?
“Ah……! I didn’t mean it like that. I was just surprised because it was so sudden.”
—Grin!
Tiana’s lips curled upward at my answer. Maybe I’d fallen into a trap. I’d wanted to get this over with quickly, but it felt like I’d just given her an excuse to nitpick.
‘Please, just let it go for today……’
The third-years seemed to have the strongest personalities. The fourth-years weren’t to be underestimated either, but since they were about to graduate, they didn’t seem particularly interested in me. Of course, they’d gone crazy over the desserts I made……
“Kuhuhu……! Hey, old man? You’re pretty popular, huh?”
“Huh? Are you talking about me?”
“Don’t play dumb. The rumor’s already spreading.”
Haa, I had no idea what she was about to say, but it didn’t seem like she’d let me go easily. Didn’t dragons ever get sleepy?
“I really have no idea what you’re……”
“You really don’t know? I don’t know what happened, but after lunch, the fourth-year seniors were all talking about you—”
“Tiana, you idiot! It’s not ‘old man,’ it’s ‘white pup’!”
“……?”
A clear, ringing voice cut through Tiana’s words. I turned toward the source and saw the SSR-ranked twin sisters standing side by side—the ones I’d seen before. Their hair colors, blue and red, contrasted so sharply that it was hard to believe they were twins.
“Raylin? Can’t you see we’re in the middle of roll call?”
“You’re the one dragging it out! And how many times do I have to tell you it’s not ‘old man,’ it’s ‘white pup’?”
The one who interrupted Tiana was Raylin, with her striking red dumpling-like hair.
“Old man or white pup, it’s the same thing!”
“They’re completely different, you dummy! And I came up with that nickname, so why are you using it so casually?”
“Ah, I can use it too! Besides, his hair isn’t even white, so why ‘white pup’?”
“Don’t question my naming sense! That nickname is for me to use only……!”
‘What’s going on all of a sudden……?’
Before I knew it, Raylin and Tiana were arguing while completely ignoring me. Their relationship didn’t seem very good.
“Pfft, why don’t you slip away while you can?”
In the midst of it all, Sairin smiled with her usual serene, half-closed eyes and gestured toward the stairs. She shook her head as if their argument was ridiculous.
“……You should hurry up and go.”
She kept waving me over, telling me to quickly head to the fourth floor. Sairin probably wanted to finish roll call soon, too.
“Th-thank you.”
I thanked Sairin in a small voice and took the chance to climb the stairs.
‘Whew, finishing roll call early isn’t as easy as it sounds.’
It had only been two days, but nothing was simple. Everyone had such strong personalities that it was exhausting. How could there not be a single normal character?
‘And suddenly “white pup”? Raylin, who’s barely even spoken to me, why would she give me a nickname like that……?’
—Shake, shake.
My head wouldn’t work properly from exhaustion. Shaking it made me feel a little clearer. It was nice that an SSR-rank was interested in me, but I couldn’t pursue all the girls at once. For now, I should focus on meeting Sofia’s conditions for rapport.
“Hey, Breeder! You’re late again today?”
“Ah, Miss Diora?”
When I reached the fourth floor, Diora with her short brown hair greeted me instead of Sofia. She had the overall vibe of a lively girl-next-door, but her sharp eyes gave her the impression of a troublemaking delinquent older sister. Her skin tone, closer to brown, only reinforced that image.
“Sofia had something to do today, so I came to report instead. You heard from her, right?”
“Ah, yes. I heard earlier this afternoon. Is everyone present?”
“Of course~! Who do you think is reporting?”
—Flop!
Diora casually threw an arm around my shoulder and showed me the green badge pinned to her shirt. It looked like the class representative badge. Sofia must have left it with her.
That aside, the tracksuit-like top she was wearing bothered me. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath, so the fabric clung tightly, clearly outlining the curves of her chest.
“Um…… Has Miss Raili not arrived yet today?”
I forced my eyes away from her chest and changed the subject.
“Ah, right! She still hasn’t shown up? I wish that kid would never come back. If she does, I won’t even get to be the temporary student representative like this……”
“I see.”
Of course there were no issues with attendance. I’d almost made the same mistake as yesterday. Diora wasn’t someone I could trust in many ways. I wanted to ask what kind of girl Raili was, but I had a feeling that talking to her now would make it hard to escape. Information was important, but more than anything, I really wanted to rest properly today.
“Anyway, I’ll be heading down now—”
“Wait! Where do you think you’re going?”
“Huh? Why?”
—Squeeze……!
I’d tried to leave quickly to avoid getting involved with Diora, but for some reason, the arm around my shoulder wouldn’t let go. Why couldn’t any of the dragons here leave me alone?
“It’d be a shame if you left already. I still have something to say.”
“Just a moment! If you suddenly pull me like this……?!”
Diora pulled her arm around my shoulder even harder. Her large chest was almost touching my face.
“You and Sofia…… seem suspicious, don’t you?”
Unfortunately, what touched my face wasn’t her chest. Diora pressed her forehead against mine and tried to create an atmosphere. Her breath was close enough to touch my face. As expected of a dragon, even her breath was hot. Diora raised her eyebrows suspiciously.
“Huh? Suspicious? What do you mean……”
“Don’t play dumb. You’re making a special dessert for Sofia, aren’t you?”
“……?!”
“I already know everything, so stop pretending and listen. That special dessert for Sofia…… You should share some with me too, don’t you think?”
“Even if you suddenly say that, I have no idea what you’re—”
“If you want to live comfortably at the academy for the rest of your time here, you’d better not ignore what I say. I could just gobble you up, you know.”
—Lick♥
Diora licked her lips right in front of me and smacked them. She lifted her head and suddenly brought her lips close to my ear. Then she whispered softly.
“……Depending on what you do, you might really get eaten—or I could eat you in a different way. I don’t really care about species, after all♡”