A Plan That Cannot Be Kept Secret
“…So all it takes is a pretty face? Get out already! You’re just a human servant~ You’re ruining my mood♥”
A lively voice echoed through the second-year’s first dorm building. Sonya’s roommate was hurling that arrogant tone straight at me. She scolded me sharply and ordered me to leave the room at once. Her deep violet hair was half-tied in a braid, and that sulky expression paired with her insolent way of speaking burned itself into my memory.
“Pfft, that dumb look on your face is completely pathetic♡”
Her delicate features were filled with an odd mix of mischief and defiance. What on earth was this girl? Because she was a second-year, she looked much smaller than me, yet being talked down to by someone like her didn’t feel great at all.
‘Third- and fourth-years never showed their displeasure so openly… What was her name again?’
—Rustle…!
I pulled out the dormitory assignment chart to check her name. As far as I recalled, Sonya’s roommate was also SSR-rank. Even so, I’d never paid her much attention, so her name had slipped my mind.
[Second Floor – Dorm 1: Sonya (Class Representative, SSR) / Z■ros (SSR)]
Ah, right. It was Zeros. Seeing the name on the chart jogged my memory. Still, something about it felt off. The print quality was poor, as if someone had deliberately blacked out the first character with a pen and rewritten it. I was the one who had jotted “SSR” beside the name, but the “Z■ros” part wasn’t my doing.
Anyway, all I knew about her was that she was SSR-rank. Naturally, I had no idea what she specialized in or which attribute she possessed.
‘And those horns… I’ve never seen anything like them before.’
Looking closely at Zeros’s face, the two small horns sprouting in a ┗○┛ shape stood out. They weren’t large—just small enough to fit in one hand, almost cute in their size. Unlike the other girls, her ears were slightly pointed as well. Combined with the horns and her prickly personality, she gave off an almost demonic impression. I could easily imagine black wings and a long tail completing the picture.
Her outfit was unusual too. It barely qualified as clothing at all. With her still-developing figure, the loose, overly revealing garments…
“H-How long are you going to just stand there staring—?!”
Had I been too obvious? Zeros’s face flushed as she glared at me, her voice rising even higher than before.
“…Even if it’s roll call time, this is too much! Who barges in while someone’s changing?! You pervert—!”
“Ah…?”
So that was it. No wonder she’d been so prickly—she was still in the middle of changing. She wasn’t wearing revealing clothes; she was actively undressed. Half-stripped for a fresh outfit, of course it looked excessive.
“E-Excuse me…!”
—Click!
Only then did I grasp the situation. I shut the door and stepped back without a word. Since I’d committed a breach of etiquette, I retreated without argument.
“Hm? Whitey, what’s wrong?”
“Ah, well… She was still changing, so she kicked me out.”
Raylin tilted her head and approached after I quickly closed the door and came out, pausing Sonya’s ongoing “mental education” in the process.
“What? Roll call started ages ago and she’s still changing?”
“Well… she definitely wasn’t in uniform…”
“Hwa…? Let me see. I’ll handle this.”
“Ah, yes.”
I stepped aside without complaint. Normally I would’ve just skipped the roll call, but having someone powerful backing me up felt surprisingly reassuring.
“……”
Even Sonya, who had been watching us, now looked noticeably more respectful after Raylin’s scolding.
—Bang!
Raylin muttered, “All second-years are gathering after roll call tonight,” and flung the dorm door wide open again. The moment it opened…
“You pervert! Pathetic—!! I told you to get out—”
“What did you just say? Want to repeat that?”
“Eeeeh—?! S-Senior, why are you…?!”
Zeros’s heated voice cut off abruptly. She had been about to lash out, thinking it was me again, but instantly fell silent like a mouse.
“Hwaa~? Zeros, have you lost your mind? What exactly do you think you’re doing right now? During solemn roll call time? And a second-year wearing casual clothes instead of uniform?”
Raylin didn’t shout. Instead, she spoke in a low, quiet voice that carried far more weight, as if scolding a cheeky junior wasn’t even worth raising her voice for.
“R-Raylin-senior…? That’s not it… I mean…! And my name isn’t Zeros, it’s Eros…”
“Nope. I’m still calling you Zeros this year too. How long are you planning to keep acting however you want, huh?”
Huh? So her real name was Eros? Now I understood. Someone had deliberately blacked out the first part of her name on the chart and rewritten it as a nickname!
‘But why go that far?’
It seemed excessive for a simple prank—more like the petty teasing children did by calling someone by a mocking nickname instead of their real name.
“I-I’m sorry…”
“Let’s do better, shall we? You’re not planning to score zero on every subject again this semester, are you?”
“Well…”
“Why aren’t you answering? Do you want to keep carrying the disgrace of being called Zeros?”
“K-Kh…!”
At Raylin’s scolding, Zeros couldn’t say a word. She simply bit her lip and glared at the floor in frustration. So that was why they called her Zeros—because she scored zero on everything? Apparently rank and grades really were separate things.
Hiding a chuckle while eavesdropping from behind, I had to press my lips together tightly.
“Who was it that stopped you from almost receiving the ‘Interest Hero’ badge back when you were a first-year?”
“I-It was you, Raylin-senior…!”
“Right. So is this the kind of disappointing sight you’re going to show me?”
“No. I’ll correct my behavior…”
Zeros hung her head. Or should I say Eros? Either way, having a third-year intervene during roll call made the atmosphere incredibly tense. Third-years really did hold real power when it came to managing juniors. Fourth-years, on the other hand, were probably like senior soldiers who had already checked out.
“Of course you will. How can the Dragon of Holy Love keep straying like this?”
“I won’t. I’ll do better from now on…”
“I’m not asking for anything big. I just want you to open up a little and adapt to academy life. Pay attention in class too.”
“Yes. I’ll try my best.”
“Haa… Then I’ll take that as a promise and head out. Don’t let me catch you doing this again.”
—Click!
With those words, Raylin turned away, her expression far from pleased. She looked bitter, as if she’d been betrayed by someone she trusted.
Dragon of Holy Love, huh? So it wasn’t just elemental attributes. That explained why her real name was Eros. I wasn’t entirely sure, but I made a mental note of it.
“Whitey? We’ve already wasted too much time. Let’s skip the rest of the second-years and head up. The fourth-years are waiting.”
“Yes. I was thinking the same thing.”
“Uhehet, and you won’t have to deal with second-year troubles anymore, right?”
“Pardon? What do you mean…?”
“I just gave Sonya a proper talking-to. Starting tomorrow, she’ll listen to you.”
“Ah, thank you so much for going out of your way!”
When I offered a sincere thank-you, Raylin flashed a grin, revealing her shark-like teeth. Then she gave me a warm, friendly smile, clearly pleased with my reaction.
Yeah, this was what real backing felt like. This was the kind of reassurance I’d wanted all along. It already felt like academy life had become much easier. And we weren’t even contracted yet—what would it be like once we succeeded?
—Thud, thud…!
“Whitey? Let’s skip the third floor too.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll handle the third-years, so go straight up. If you head right to the fourth floor, the timing should be perfect.”
“Ah, thank you for everything.”
She really was an angel. She kept thinking about me until the very end. Raylin was just as kind to me as Sofia was. I still couldn’t figure out why.
“It’s nothing~ Just make sure to look forward to tomorrow night, okay?”
“Ah, of course. I won’t disappoint you.”
“Good. You promise? Then have a nice night.”
Raylin waved brightly from the third-floor landing, sending me off with a cheerful voice. Her role as a third-year ended here. Naturally, she couldn’t handle the fourth-years.
—Tina? I’m back from training practice.
—What? Where’d the old man go? Why are you the only one here?
—It’s not “old man,” it’s Whitey!
—Oh please, what’s the difference between old man and Whitey?
—Shut up. There’s a clear difference.
—Hmph, no matter how much he resembles your little brother, how could you… a mere human…
Even as I climbed to the fourth floor, the third floor remained quite noisy. From the sound of it, Raylin and Tina were bickering again. Their voices echoed loudly down the hallway, making it hard to catch every word. Still, the long-awaited fourth-years awaited. Barring any surprises, Sofia would finish roll call quickly too.
“You’ve finally arrived, Breeder. Come here quickly.”
“Ah? Sofia?”
The moment I stepped onto the fourth floor, Sofia greeted me. Uncharacteristically, she stood in her open doorway, beckoning me over.
“Breeder? Let’s talk inside first.”
“Yes? What’s this about?”
—Whoosh…!
The moment I approached, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me inside. She backed me against the wall of her spacious private room and pressed close.
“Hup…?!”
She placed a finger to my lips, signaling me to stay quiet.
—Click…!
Only after gently closing the door did she speak again. Her lips trembled with a strange excitement.
“Haa… Breeder? When exactly will I get to try that mint dessert you promised?”
Ah, so that was what this was about. The mint-chocolate dessert. The most important matter to Sofia right now. Her goal was as firm as ever. I’d been startled when she suddenly clung to me, but up close, Sofia’s presence remained as noble as always. There was a mature quality about her that the younger first- and second-years simply didn’t have.
“Ahem…! Don’t worry too much. I can serve it to you by lunch tomorrow at the latest.”
“R-Really…?! F-Finally…!”
At my answer, Sofia bloomed into a radiant smile like a flower in full bloom. Her bright expression shone with a pure white light, reminiscent of a magnolia.
“Yes. Though there’s still the matter of finding the right time and place. I can’t exactly serve a special dessert only to you, Sofia…”
“That’s certainly true. In that case—”
We were in the middle of secretly planning for tomorrow when—
—Knock knock knock knock!
“”……?!””
An unexpected knock from outside shattered the secretive atmosphere.