Why Can't I Drop This Class?
"Why can't I drop classes?"
"I... gotta go register for classes."
The day after the opening ceremony.
I woke up in the dorm, writhing on the floor from the pounding headache crashing over me.
"Gotta make it in timeee."
Course registration was first-come, first-served.
Popular classes filled up even if you lined up the night before—happened all the time.
Of course, I was only aiming for the unpopular ones, but even those could fill up if you were late.
"Don't wanna get up."
But I had to, so I dragged myself out of bed, showered, and changed clothes.
"Kinda lookin' sharp?"
I checked myself in the mirror, straightened my outfit, and headed out of the dorm.
Even early in the morning, the first floor of the academy's main building was packed with students all there for registration.
"Move it!" "Advanced Swordsmanship only has one spot left!" "Shoulda come earlier!" "There's still one spot! If you're not signing up, get outta the way!"
It was total chaos.
The thought of weaving through that mess to register made my head throb even more.
But skipping registration altogether wasn't an option.
That counter over there's less crowded.
Luckily, not every registration desk was swarmed.
The ones I was targeting—the so-called credit-padding electives—had way fewer students.
Well, not zero, of course. Even unpopular classes were still credits, so a few stragglers who hadn't filled their schedules were hovering nearby.
"Just grab some random classes."
My goal was graduation, plain and simple.
No passion for actually learning anything here.
Just graduate safely and quietly. That was it.
"This one's good."
I picked up a registration form from the desk.
Basic Fitness Class, held at dawn.
No one would bother with it—the early wake-up was a pain, and it was just basic stamina building anyway.
And if memory served, none of the main characters, including the protagonist, took this one.
"Registration here."
I signed the form quick and handed it to the clerk.
She glanced at it, fed it into some magic scanner device, and that was it.
"Approved."
Smooth as silk. Registration complete.
"See ya."
?!
I whipped around at the sudden familiar voice.
It was Lia.
She'd snuck right up beside me without a sound—didn't even notice.
After a few times, though, I was kinda used to it. No big shock anymore.
"Hey, yeah, good to see ya. You here to register too?"
Ignoring her would be awkward, so I tossed out a casual greeting.
"Yeah." "Cool, good luck with it. I'm outta here—busy."
No plans for a long chat.
Right as I turned to bail, my eyes caught the registration form in her hand.
Basic Fitness Class
The exact same class I'd just signed up for.
"You... tryin' to take that one?" "Yeah." "Why?" "No boring lectures. Just run. I like it."
Hmm. Alright.
Decision made.
I'm dropping this registration.
I spun right back to the counter.
"Can't cancel?" "Once registered, no cancellations. It says so on the form."
I didn't know.
That it couldn't be canceled...
* * *
In the end, dropping the class was impossible.
What was done was done.
I shrugged it off and picked the rest of my credit-padding classes.
Understanding Basic Life Magic. Intro to Herbalism. All the unpopular stuff.
"Basic Fitness. This way." "Yeah, lead on."
Lia took the front, guiding us.
We were headed to the Basic Fitness classroom now.
She seemed to know the way like she'd taken it last year too.
"Here. Classroom."
She pushed open the door, and two students were already inside, standing around.
As expected, low turnout.
Even with me and Lia, that made four total.
But... those two faces looked familiar.
Who were they again?
While I racked my brain, the brown-haired guy approached first.
"You guys in this class too? Nice to meet ya!"
He beamed, sticking out his hand without a hint of hesitation.
That friendly vibe clicked someone into place.
Derek.
The protagonist of that trashy romance my sister loaned me.
Lia, who went full cat-mom during the great magic beast fiasco.
Elisicia, always poisoning my drinks and sending assassins whenever she got the chance.
The prince's childhood friend he chased obsessively.
The guy with insane affinity who romanced them all.
And now he was in my class.
"...Hey." "Hi."
What the hell was going on?
If my memory was right, Derek never took this class.
I had no clue where things had gone off the rails when—
"Um, hi."
The pink-haired girl next to him mumbled a shy greeting.
Seeing her face left me speechless.
Sophia.
The commoner girl the prince dumped Elisicia over to get his hands on.
The novel's biggest headache was in my class too.
"......" "......"
How long did the silence drag on?
Derek, with his trademark cheer, finally broke it.
"Haha, I'm Derek. This is my friend Sophia. You guys?" "Lia Berge." "...Cain Ashubalt."
Bang!
The classroom door flew open.
In strode a burly middle-aged man, muscles bulging everywhere.
A diagonal scar slashed across his eye, giving him a fierce look.
"All here?"
He scanned us four and nodded.
"I'm Bern, your instructor. Straight to it."
No 'sit down' or anything—he just crossed his arms and barked.
"What's the most efficient way to build stamina? One at a time."
A brief silence.
Derek raised his hand first.
"Running? Steady daily runs build endurance and strengthen your legs."
"Not wrong, but not what I'm looking for. Next."
Sophia spoke softly.
"...Swimming. It's full-body, so it builds balanced fitness, I heard."
"Not bad. But not the answer. Next."
Bern's gaze hit Lia. His expression flickered oddly at her, then shifted to me.
"You. Speak." "Not asking Lia?" "Pointless." "......"
Couldn't argue with that.
Bern glared like answer now, so I gave in.
"Running with sandbags or a weighted pack."
Bern's eyes changed for the first time.
He stared at me, surprised, then asked.
"...Why?" "Carrying weight burns more stamina and strength than plain running. Better than just running or swimming for building fitness."
Silence hung for a moment.
Bern nodded slowly.
"Correct. Everyone, outside."
We followed him out to a wide field.
Bern tossed a big sack in front of us.
"Step up and grab one each."
Inside were sandbags.
"Strap 'em to both ankles and run the field. Got it?" "How many laps?" "Don't know your limits yet. Run till you drop."
Brutal method, but the most accurate.
You only know your limit by hitting it.
We each grabbed a sandbag.
Heavy.
Lighter than army gear, but still heavy.
This a basic fitness class?
Something felt seriously off.
"All set? Run!"
At Bern's shout, we bolted.
That was the whole first lesson.
Bottom line: Thought I was gonna die.
A few laps with the sandbags and my legs didn't feel like mine anymore.
"Hah... hah..."
I collapsed, gasping.
"...Wanna drop this class."
* * *
Late at night.
Elisicia Androsen stared down at a document.
The first page bore a name: Cain Ashubalt.
It was a report compiling his activities up to academy enrollment.
She flipped through it slowly.
[Delinquent.]
[Brawls with noble kids, bar riots, gambling debts, etc.]
[Ashubalt family's problem child.]
The more she read, the deeper her frown grew.
Cain...
She recalled his eyes on the train, facing down those thugs.
Cold. Precise. Emotionless.
Not the mark of some hotheaded delinquent.
The terrace too. The guy who'd grinned so innocently didn't match the report at all.
Elisicia closed the file.
Can a person change this much?
Too drastic for just 'growing up.'
Maybe that's why.
She wanted to know more about him.