I'm the Top Student? (1)
In a location not far from the academy stood a city shrouded in thick fog that blotted out the sun even at midday. Known as the city that never weeps, Rukiye was the largest slum in the entire empire.
Its perpetually gloomy atmosphere and lack of sunlight had turned it into a breeding ground for crime. Rukiye served as a sanctuary for all manner of shady characters. All the empire’s dirty money flowed through its streets. Though people called it a slum where beggars gathered, in reality it was a hellscape ruled by assassins, dark mages, and murderers. Even the imperial guards avoided patrolling its depths. Naturally, countless villains flocked to such a place.
Astro. They were sometimes called the “star without light.” In just two years they had risen like a comet, swallowing the slums and claiming the throne of the underworld. Now they ranked among the most dangerous organizations in the entire empire. Their activity had gone quiet recently, sparking all sorts of rumors.
All sorts of speculation swirled, but no one knew the truth. From the beginning, Astro had operated behind an impenetrable veil. The only thing ordinary people could do was pray that those nightmares would never return.
“······.”
Inside a building at the city’s center, a single girl sat at a desk in a basement sealed with blackout curtains. Long, disheveled silver hair framed a pair of hollow eyes that reflected only emptiness. She was Neria, vice-leader of Astro and the second-in-command of the criminal syndicate that had devoured the empire’s slums.
The girl remained completely still. A living corpse. She breathed, but that was all. Nothing in the world held any meaning for her. Breathing was merely an act that prolonged life. She resembled a puppet whose strings had been cut.
“······I miss you, Leader.”
Suddenly the girl murmured words that made no sense. Tears had already gathered at the corners of her eyes. Her deeply sunken pupils were recalling a certain scene.
This is only a brief farewell. I hope you are all doing well.
— The Leader
A single sheet of paper with hasty handwriting. After leaving that note, the leader had vanished from the organization. The girl fiddled aimlessly with the paper.
“Where exactly are you?”
Nearly six months had passed. He had always been elusive, but this was the first time contact had been severed for so long. Could it be… that he had abandoned them? The horrifying thought rose unbidden. She frantically pushed it away. Just considering it felt like her heart was being torn to pieces. Tears fell with soft plops.
“No, he would never abandon us… I mustn’t doubt him…”
She forced herself to calm down. Yet the terrible trembling in her silver eyes still carried a deep longing. As she sat there, drowning in cold loneliness, a sudden commotion erupted outside the door. Bright laughter rang out, followed by the door bursting open.
“Neria!!”
Bang! The door slammed open with a violent kick. Beyond it stood a middle-aged man with red hair. He must have had a few drinks. The moment his eyes met the girl’s, he broke into a foolish, sloppy grin.
“Neria! So this is where you were!!”
“······What is it?”
“He finally contacted us! He’s back!”
“I don’t know what trouble you’ve caused this time, but please calm down first.”
The girl shot him a glare. Whatever the news was, she clearly disliked how he had come barging in making such a fuss. The leader isn’t even here. What could possibly make him this excited…?
“The leader sent word!!”
“······Pardon?”
The silver-haired girl froze, stunned. She seemed to be double-checking whether she had heard correctly. Light gradually returned to her previously vacant eyes.
“Is that true?! When? Where? How did it arrive?!”
“Whoa, easy there. Here, read this letter.”
“Give it to me!”
Neria snatched the letter at lightning speed. The man smiled warmly, as if he had expected her joy.
“The message was simple. He wants us to protect some children. All ten of them are fox beastmen.”
The girl scanned the letter quickly. The handwriting, tone, structure, even the way he dotted his periods matched the leader’s exactly. Ecstasy bloomed across her silver eyes.
“I went ahead and handled the arrangements. I selected only our elite troops to escort the guests.”
“Haa… haa… haa…”
“You’re not even listening.”
The girl had buried her nose in the letter, inhaling its scent. Though faint, the leader’s scent definitely lingered on the thin paper. Her shoulders trembled in rapture. After breathing it in for a long while, she issued a command.
“······Prepare yourselves. The leader will need us soon.”
Her silver hair fluttered brilliantly. Clutching the letter tightly to her chest, the girl bowed her head as if in prayer.
“Everything shall be according to his will.”
It was worship offered solely to her god.
A snake and a fox walked side by side. It didn’t take us long to reach the academy’s main gate. No matter how many times I saw it, the building’s overwhelming majesty never failed to impress. Even Irene couldn’t stop marveling for a while.
We would spend the next three years here. A strange mix of excitement and tension swirled inside me. And so we stepped into the academy.
On the path leading to the main building where the entrance ceremony would be held, we ran into a familiar face. I greeted her without hesitation.
“Miss Regia! It’s been a while.”
“······Young Master Snakers?”
Emerald eyes turned toward me. Pink hair danced in the spring breeze like scattered cherry blossoms. The flight goggles hanging around her neck were practically her trademark.
Regia Pirates. The girl who played the protagonist in the original story. At the same time, she was the character I had cherished most.
When our eyes met, Regia stiffened. Was she still uncomfortable around nobles? I let out a small chuckle.
“Have you been well?”
“Ah… Y-yes.”
“My, my~ You’re so tense. I thought we had become rather close last time.”
“S-sorry.”
“Or was that just my misunderstanding?”
“N-no, it’s not… I-I have this chronic condition…”
Regia frantically offered excuses, worried she might have offended me. It was fine to just say if she felt uncomfortable. Her inability to even voice dislike was, in my opinion, perfectly in character for the protagonist. With that thought, I moved to stand beside her.
“I’m glad I could keep my promise.”
“Huh?”
“I told you we would enroll together and meet again.”
“Ah… I just remembered.”
“I was almost hurt, you know.”
I added with a mischievous smile, “Congratulations on entering the academy, Miss Regia.”
A light congratulatory greeting. To others it might seem like mere courtesy, but to me it carried special meaning. I really wanted to say this to her. Even if it was just these words.
Regia had no family. She had lived as a wanderer without a home, so it was only natural. No one had congratulated her on enrolling. I had seen that scene 1,943 times in the game. The girl standing alone in the entrance procession, pretending to be cheerful while clearly hiding bitterness behind the screen. Every time, I had wanted to tell her:
“Let’s enjoy our school life together.”
Just a single warm sentence. Regia looked stunned, as if she hadn’t expected it. Her green eyes trembled for a moment. After freezing briefly, she broke into a bright, genuine smile. It was the purest curve of happiness.
“Yes…!”
“Haha, shall we go then?”
We started walking again. Perhaps the tension had eased a little, because Regia’s demeanor seemed much more relaxed. The lively girl soon turned her attention to the fox beside me.
“Whoa…! This is my first time meeting a fox beastman!”
“W-what? What’s with you?”
“I’ve met all kinds of beastmen while traveling the continent, but never a fox! C-can I touch your tail?”
“Absolutely not?!”
“Hiiing…”
Irene hissed fiercely. Regia, who had been sparkling with curiosity, wilted at the harsh response. It was quite an amusing sight. While I enjoyed the two-shot of the original story’s popular characters, we soon arrived at the main building. The entrance ceremony was about to begin.
“Should we join the queue? It looks like they’re giving instructions over there…”
The interior was packed with students. As I looked around for the line, someone called my name.
“Student Yuda.”
“······?”
“Yuda Snakers. Is that you?”
When I turned, a man was looking at me. From his attire, he appeared to be a member of the faculty. I tilted my head but answered politely.
“That is correct… Is something the matter?”
“Your seat is over there. Please take the first chair on the dais.”
“Pardon?”
The man stopped me as I headed toward the general seating and pointed toward the stage. The sudden instruction left me blinking in confusion, but the faculty member simply pushed my back firmly.
“The ceremony is about to begin. Please hurry.”
“Wait a moment? Could you at least explain what’s going on…”
“It is exactly as you were informed beforehand. Student Yuda, as this year’s top scorer, you are scheduled to deliver the new student representative speech.”
“Excuse me…?”
For a second I thought I had misheard. Top scorer? New student representative? Speech? What kind of nonsense was this? Considerably flustered, I asked the faculty member with a hint of disbelief.
“······You’re saying I’m the top student?”
“That is correct. Were you not informed?” The faculty member finally paused. “Student Yuda entered as the top scorer of this intake. The representative speech has been prepared accordingly.”
“······?”
Top student? Me? The completely unexpected news made my vision swim.