I'll Take Last Place
I'll take last place.
Thankfully, I hadn't been late.
But arriving late had still created one problem.
"Ah, Reina! There's a free seat over here!"
The Original Protagonist waved his hand.
Right.
If there was a problem, it was the seating.
The classroom had desks prepared for exactly the number of students. So of course there would still be seats left for me and Ceryll.
For the record, the original Reina had walked to school with the Original Protagonist, so they had ended up sitting one in front of the other.
"I didn't think of that…."
I had already decided to put distance between myself and the Original Protagonist. Physically closing that gap was the last thing I wanted.
No choice, then.
In the end I sat in one of the other remaining seats instead of the one behind the Original Protagonist. Front row of the third column, right in front of the teacher's desk.
Honestly, it was the kind of seat any student would want to avoid. With the desk so close, you couldn't help catching the teacher's eye even if you tried.
And behind me—
"Y-you…."
The slap girl from yesterday was sitting there.
Why were all the leftover seats like this?
"Huh? I didn't expect Reina to sit here…."
Ceryll looked at me as if it were a surprise. Even in the original story she had known that Reina and the Original Protagonist were childhood friends. So that reaction wasn't strange.
"…I thought a front seat would help me focus on my studies."
"So Reina cares about grades."
Not really, but….
"Yeah. So is it okay if I sit here?"
I was too lazy to argue, so I just played the model student. Normally a commoner like me choosing a seat first would have been unthinkable. A few people nearby were already whispering about it.
Let them.
"Sure, it's fine."
Ceryll smiled and accepted. She was acting a little differently from the original—showing interest in Reina, oversleeping—but her kind nature seemed unchanged.
Now the only seat left was the one in front of the Original Protagonist.
I didn't plan it, but this actually works out better.
Ceryll and the Original Protagonist needed to get close if they were going to handle the crises waiting in the future. They already knew each other from the past.
So even the smallest spark should be enough to make them friends quickly.
With that thought I watched Ceryll walk toward the Original Protagonist.
And then—
Clack.
She sat down without a word. The Original Protagonist just kept staring quietly out the window.
"What the hell."
Why wasn't anything happening? Shouldn't they at least say hello?
Don't tell me… by erasing the meeting that was supposed to happen yesterday, I've made it so the two of them can never become friends?
No. That couldn't be. Ceryll had received help from the Original Protagonist in the past. She would definitely take an interest in him.
Yeah. She would.
She had to.
Creak.
The door opened and a woman with striking red hair walked in.
"I'm Anin. Starting today, I'm in charge of this class."
She introduced herself briefly as the teacher and took her place at the lectern. Then Anin launched into a concise explanation of the academy's history and its good points.
Since I was sitting right in front of the desk, I had no choice but to meet her eyes whether I wanted to or not.
"Alright, that's enough of the long, boring lecture. Now we'll assign seats."
Students had assigned seats. In the original story, Reina and the Original Protagonist ended up sitting one behind the other. Original Reina had been thrilled about it.
I was not.
I am absolutely not sitting next to the Original Protagonist!
I didn't want to get tangled up with him!
"Teacher, are seats decided by drawing lots?"
The slap girl asked.
"No. Seats will be assigned by ability."
"By ability?"
"We're going to start a practical evaluation right now. That's where you'll display your talents."
Everyone who entered the academy possessed something called a "talent." A talent was exactly what it sounded like. Say someone was born with a talent for magic. That person would learn any spell far faster than others. Their starting point was simply different.
For the record, someone without a talent could never even become second-rate in that field no matter how hard they tried. I always thought that was a pretty sad setting.
"Distinguishing talent is difficult. Someone weak now can still achieve greatness later."
Anin slammed both hands down on the desk and continued.
"So in this evaluation we'll only measure the power you currently possess."
In other words, she would judge present strength, not potential. The same progression as the original—I almost felt relief….
No.
I couldn't feel relief.
If things continue like this….
The Original Protagonist could copy the talent of anyone who held romantic feelings for him. A ridiculous cheat ability befitting the hero. He could snatch what others had worked so hard for, then grow even stronger and faster than the original owner.
But that wasn't the important part.
Right now the only talent the Original Protagonist has copied is Reina's.
In short:
Reina's current strength = the Original Protagonist's current strength.
In the original they received the exact same score. Out of respect for the original owner, Reina had been ranked a tiny bit higher… but in the end she still sat in front of him. And that seating arrangement lasted until graduation.
Having decided to put distance between us, I naturally found the situation infuriating.
…Still.
The good news was that they were judging current ability, not potential. So getting a low evaluation because of bad condition wouldn't look strange.
The Original Protagonist wasn't last place in the original….
I just had to deliberately finish last. Then everything would be solved.
First place is hard, but last place is easy.
The practical evaluation took place not in the classroom but on the outdoor training grounds. Freshly enrolled students of course had no idea where that was, so we followed the teacher. Since numbers hadn't been assigned yet, we lined up and walked in the order of the first row.
At least I don't have to walk side by side with the Original Protagonist. Lucky.
The evaluation itself would also proceed in the order we stood in line.
"So the Original Protagonist goes first."
In the original, Reina and the Original Protagonist had gone last. As a pair of commoners, no one had expected much, but they had performed better than anticipated and surprised everyone. Of course, compared to Ceryll it was nothing.
"Next, Ceryll."
At Anin's call, Ceryll stepped forward.
"Ohh. Ceryll's talents are swordsmanship, dagger arts, and spear techniques."
Normally a person was born with only one talent. Possessing three made the attention she received natural.
"Do I have to demonstrate all three?"
"No. Show me the one you're most confident in."
"Then swordsmanship."
"Is that so."
Anin picked up two wooden swords that had been lying on the ground and handed one to Ceryll.
"Am I fighting the teacher?"
Anin nodded at Ceryll's question.
"I don't think I could gauge your skill just by watching you cut a scarecrow or perform a sword dance."
The two faced each other, then their swords clashed.
Ceryll possessed the talent of swordsmanship. That meant she carried the potential to perfectly learn and wield any sword style. Someone without that talent needed years—sometimes a lifetime—to master a proper technique. But Ceryll was different. With the sword, she could make any style her own within months.
Kang! Tak! Kiiiiiing!
A few exchanges of steel against steel. The movements flowed into each other as if they had been choreographed.
"Amazing…."
A few voices of admiration rose. I didn't say anything, but I agreed.
"That's enough."
Anin withdrew her sword. This was an evaluation, not a duel. Once she had a clear measure of Ceryll's level, stopping was correct.
"Ceryll's evaluation is finished. Next."
"Yes."
Ceryll answered and walked over to stand beside me.
"I wonder if that was alright."
Was she talking to me? We weren't close enough for that kind of conversation, were we?
"……."
When I stayed silent she kept staring. Attention was gathering around us, so I had no choice but to speak.
"I think you'll take first place without any trouble."
Can you leave now?
"Haha. That would be nice."
"Someone who can perfectly use the kingdom's sword style couldn't possibly fail to take first."
Even royal knights struggled to master the kingdom sword style completely. Those who could were few. Ceryll had done it at a young age. An achievement worthy of being called genius.
"Hm? How did you know I used the kingdom sword style?"
"?"
"Unless someone has real knowledge of swordsmanship, they couldn't identify a style perfectly after seeing it once."
"Ah…."
I knew nothing about swordsmanship. But I had read the novel, so I knew exactly what Ceryll had just done and what she was capable of. I had accidentally let original-story knowledge slip.
"Could it be that Reina also has a sword talent?"
Ceryll's eyes sparkled with expectation. Come to think of it, she had been thrilled when the Original Protagonist demonstrated swordsmanship. Did she just have a thing for people who used swords?
"I don't use a sword. I can use a bow, though."
"A bow? Impressive. I've roughly tried most weapons, but the bow always felt tricky."
No matter how hard she tried, Ceryll would never become good with a bow. Long-range weapons were the domain of the childhood-friend heroine, Reina.
"I'm not good enough to deserve praise."
"If you could see through my skill like that, you must have excellent technique yourself!"
"……."
I never should have mentioned the kingdom sword style.
"I can't wait to see Reina shoot. I'm looking forward to it."
She really shouldn't look forward to it. Because I was planning to take last place. If only to avoid sitting in front of or behind the Original Protagonist.
I looked ahead and saw the Original Protagonist's back.
"I possess a talent called Copy!"
"Copy?"
"Yes! It's the power to use the talent of someone who has cleared certain conditions."
"Ohh."
Anin, who had shown no reaction until now, finally displayed interest.
"Then do you currently have any copied talents?"
"Yes! I can use the archery talent."
"Archery, is it…. Then try hitting that distant target."
"Yes!"
The power the Original Protagonist was about to display was my own skill. Reina's archery was not bad. Not outstanding, but not mediocre either. He should finish the evaluation without trouble.
Creak.
The Original Protagonist drew the arrow.
Thwip.
The arrow flew—and buried itself in the ground.
Huh?