Reunion at the Entrance Ceremony
"Arian Liberin!"
"It's the princess of the Liberin Kingdom."
"This is huge."
When Arian Liberin approached me, I could hear the murmurs from those around us. Even while the chairman had been speaking enthusiastically and then I had gone up to speak, the students around her—both male and female—had been chattering similar things. For her, a famous figure as the princess of the Liberin Kingdom—a nation from another world filled with mana awakeners, one that no one alongside Korea was unaware of—it was inevitable. Especially with her innocent and pitiful appearance that possessed top-tier beauty in this world, it was even more so.
"Ah."
Seo Moon-min-hye, standing beside me, looked at Arian with slight surprise. Her gaze carried a strange hint of envy as it drifted toward Arian's ample breasts.
Her breasts are really big... I'm jealous... I wish I had breasts like that...
Seo Moon-min-hye's beauty was objectively no less than Arian's. However, while her hips were well-developed, her bust size did not exceed the average. Arian's breasts, visible even through the academy's female uniform, were something Seo Moon-min-hye could only envy as a woman.
"I heard a rumor that the heir of Yucheon Group would be the freshman representative this time, so I knew Seo Moon-jin would be on the podium. You're still as impressive as ever. I sincerely congratulate you on taking first place."
Arian's pink eyes held a soft smile. Her long, radiant golden hair swayed beautifully, and every movement carried an elegant grace that seemed habitual. To those who knew, it was clear how much this innocent-looking princess actually pursued strength and enjoyed monster hunting and sparring. Only those misled by her delicate appearance occasionally misunderstood.
"Is the person beside you family?"
Arian asked with a gentle smile and modest posture, looking at Seo Moon-min-hye.
"She's my younger sister."
I introduced Seo Moon-min-hye as my sister.
"I'm Seo Moon-min-hye. It's an honor to meet Princess Arian Liberin."
Since the other party was a princess of an entire kingdom and not merely a fellow academy student, Seo Moon-min-hye released her arm from mine and offered a modest greeting.
"Yes, I'm delighted to meet such a beautiful young lady as Seo Moon-min-hye as well."
Arian Liberin wore a soft, gentle smile as if painted in a picture.
She's truly beautiful. To think Seo Moon-jin has such a pretty younger sister. But blue hair and blue eyes... Could she be connected to the Seo family?
Unlike me with my black hair, who couldn't evoke the Seo family, Seo Moon-min-hye possessed clear physical traits that anyone could recognize as belonging to the Seo clan. However, since I had drawn a line denying any connection to the Seo family, Arian kept her questions about the Seo family to herself, leaving them as her own private doubts.
"Oh! Isn't that Cheon!"
A voice calling my name in an unusual tone, flowing like rolling jade beads, reached my ears. Seeing the commotion, Yee Eun-chae had also approached me. With her black hair tinged with purple swaying and her amethyst-like purple eyes brightly smiling, she too wore the academy female uniform. Like Arian, her well-developed bust was noticeable even in the academy attire.
"Hey, Eun-chae. How have you been?"
"Mm! I've been great! The academy entrance ceremony is finally over! I'm really looking forward to it!"
She smiled brightly, happy to be with me, her first friend. However, she soon noticed Arian and apologized with slight embarrassment.
"Ah! Um, sorry, Arian. I got so excited seeing my friend Cheon's face that I must have seemed rude while talking. I'm truly sorry. I, Yee Eun-chae, formally apologize to you like this."
With those words, she clasped her hands neatly and bowed her head respectfully to Arian. Outside, even as a princess, she received no special treatment based on status within the academy. No matter that Arian Liberin was the princess of the Liberin Kingdom, inside the academy she was treated solely as a student, so no one addressed her with "princess." Seo Moon-min-hye, being an outsider, had still treated her as royalty, but Yee Eun-chae was a fellow academy student. Arian, already accepting this, smiled gently at Yee Eun-chae's apology.
"That apology is more than enough. Please raise your head."
"Mm, thank you!"
Yee Eun-chae lifted her head and looked at Arian with sparkling eyes—not because of her status. Quite simply...
"Arian. I heard you're a princess—how amazing! Even just looking at you, you seem really strong!"
"You said Yee Eun-chae, right? You look really strong too."
Arian's pink eyes were smiling, but her gaze carried a similar air to Yee Eun-chae's. These heroines of this world had recognized each other's uniqueness and strength.
And these two have a stronger inclination toward pursuing strength than the other heroines.
If ranking those who pursued strength, Arian and Yee Eun-chae would be first, followed by Yoo Eun-chae, and finally Lee Se-na.
"Well then, I'll be going now."
Thanks to Yee Eun-chae's arrival, I had a reason to excuse myself. The timing was perfect.
"Ah, Seo Moon-jin. Are you busy?"
Arian asked with a hint of disappointment, but I nodded while looking at Seo Moon-min-hye.
"A bit. Classes start tomorrow, so I want to check again if the lodging Min-hye found nearby has any issues."
"Has your younger sister decided to live in this area as well?"
"Yeah. Not in the same lodging as me, though."
"I suppose that would be better, to avoid rumors."
Seo Moon-min-hye had understood the reason: living together while attending the academy might lead to annoying comments about it not being a dormitory but a household. She had chosen a place close to me yet suitable for civilians who weren't academy students. Since we could use spatial movement to visit anytime, Seo Moon-min-hye had accepted it without suspicion.
And not living together is necessary for the plan as well.
Feeling Seo Moon-hyun's presence not far away, I suppressed the anger that threatened to boil up again. Since I would be seeing his face every day once classes started tomorrow, I decided to keep this anger well contained and maintain my composure at all times. I would never foolishly ruin the plan I had prepared for so long by losing control and showing my rage.
With that resolve, I spoke to Seo Moon-min-hye in a gentle voice.
"Then, Min-hye, shall we go?"
"Yes, Oppa."
I bid farewell to Arian and Yee Eun-chae.
"Well then, Arian, Eun-chae. I'll be going now. See you tomorrow."
"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, Cheon."
After parting with the two, I moved with Seo Moon-min-hye toward the exit. Adjusting my pace, I came face to face with a female student who was about to leave through the exit.
This year's freshmen seem to have been selected based on looks for the girls.
Seo Moon-min-hye thought this to herself but couldn't voice it aloud, as it would be rude. The female student standing before me possessed beauty that was in no way inferior to Lee Se-na, Arian, Yee Eun-chae, or even Seo Moon-min-hye herself. It wasn't strange for Seo Moon-min-hye to think this way—four freshmen, all with top-tier beauty that might appear only once or twice among tens of millions of people randomly gathered from around the world.
The girl had long, radiant silver hair, blue eyes, a bust slightly larger than average, and a slender figure. She was the innocent and pitiful type in a different sense from Arian. If Arian was an innocent yet dignified and lively princess type, this one gave off an introverted impression, innocent and pitiful with much shyness and embarrassment.
Finally, I get to see her like this.
I already knew her name well. She was the only core heroine of this world with whom I had yet to make acquaintance.
Yoo Eun-chae.
Her name was Yoo Eun-chae. She stood there looking at me with a complicated gaze, as if she wanted to ask for something but couldn't bring herself to speak.
If I could get this person's help... maybe I could find Mom?
And I knew exactly what she desperately wished for in the original story. I also knew how it had ended.