Hero Gear and the Hot Potato Engagement
One of the major early events in the hot potato game, the dungeon practice, had finally wrapped up. The session dragged on for a full six hours, and unlike me—who bailed early—some students stuck it out almost to the bitter end. Anyway, with that out of the way, the initial events were done.
"That's how it is. So, please prepare the new academy uniform."
I said this as I handed over my academy uniform, tattered in spots, to Annette. She looked at me with clear distress.
"What are you going to do without this now...?"
"Didn't we send some uniforms to be laundered last time?"
"There are parts that need mending, so they're not ready yet."
"Then I'll just wear casual clothes..."
Even for the special class, academy uniforms were mandatory by regulation. But what could anyone do about unavoidable circumstances? I asked her to prepare some casual outfits I'd wear going forward as well.
"Understood, miss. If that's what you say..."
"Ah! Miss! Let me help you pick out clothes!"
"Not right now. I'm exhausted. Just sort some wearable options and set them aside."
Yuna eagerly approached, offering to shop together, but all I wanted was to crash. With that, I jumped onto the bed, burying my face in the pillow as my mind wandered.
The next event should be the academy sports festival...
The academy sports festival. It was one of the events I'd been waiting for. First off, all the female students would be in gym uniforms. A prime chance for some serious eye candy. Of course, that was just a tiny bonus.
The real draw was the raid. Naturally, the "academy sports festival" was a pivotal event in the story, where the final mastermind group launches a terrorist attack. It also sparks conflict between commoners and nobles. The duel between Millon and Glan happens here too.
Millon bullying commoner students gets exposed, kicking off the rift...
The terror attack glosses over the factional tensions for now, but it plants the seeds for the academy splitting into "noble faction" and "commoner faction." Just as the final antagonists planned, cracks start forming from within.
"I'll look into that step by step..."
Of course, my goal was dopamine. Nothing noble like capturing the big bads for the world, nation, or family—I couldn't care less. What was a terror attack? A golden opportunity to get cheered.
So this time, I'd prepare meticulously, crush the enemies spectacularly, and bask in the adoration.
-"Celestia, you're amazing!"
- "I love you, Celestia! Kyaa!"
-"How can she be so strong!? So strong and beautiful!"
I could already hear the voices praising my dramatic entrance. My lips twitched upward in a grin. Perfect. Time to get cheered. Show off my strength, revel in superiority. That was the plan moving forward. Flawless, no holes.
"You special class folks probably couldn't care less, but in a week, the academy sports festival kicks off. There'll be inter-class competitions, plus all sorts of events and tournaments. Our special class counts as a class, so anyone interested can sign up for the inter-class matches."
"..."
"Yeah, figures... Pretend this never happened. Carry on with research today."
With that, Professor Edn wandered off somewhere. Shockingly, not a single person showed interest in the sports festival. I wasn't into the festival itself but the events unfolding that day. Eldrin and Ranta were my-way-or-the-highway types with zero interest in such things from the start. Shariel looked a bit wistful—the only one—but too timid to raise her hand alone. That's why indecision is a killer. You miss out on what you want.
Time for me to prep too. Gotta research ways to look even cooler...
First, hit the adventurer's guild for some human blood. Smear it on the Black Demon Sword for dramatic effect when needed. Plus, stock up on other props—like a cape or smoke bombs.
Nothing beats comics for this.
I flipped open the comic I'd brought. That's when Eldrin from the next seat stood and approached.
"Celestia. Got a minute?"
"What is it?"
Eldrin initiating? The world really was full of wonders.
"Remember that talk from before? Your brother?"
"Right. Yes."
I'd totally forgotten. Cedric had promised to sabotage my engagement if I introduced him to Eldrin...
I nodded.
"About that. I wouldn't mind meeting him once."
"Oho... For real? He's got the looks of a salmon half-chewed by a bear, and a personality like a monkey who stepped in shit. You sure?"
"Don't siblings always bicker like that?"
"No. Just our family, apparently."
"Anyway, I'll meet him once. Not seriously dating or anything. It's just... I've got an engagement proposal."
"Hmm, intriguing."
"But it's from the Roishutent family. Yeah, that pig who always lurks around here. I'd rather die than get sold off to him, so I need to fake seeing someone ASAP."
Eldrin explained, asking me to set her up with Cedric. Ah, so that's how it circled back... Long story short: I beat up Millon, word reached the Roishutent family, soured relations between Fredericia and Roishutent, they bailed on my engagement talks, and now before my prime marriage age, they're trying to pair Millon with the Aristia family instead. Classic hot potato.
"What a shame..."
Millon. Obviously, he had every trait women hated. Fat and ugly. Repulsive. Struts on daddy's money. Total creep. Personality too... A commoner girl from a poor family might overlook it, but why would noble ladies—who had it all—fall for him? The Roishutent name had appeal; Millon didn't. That was it.
"Got it. I'll set it up."
I nodded again. Arranging a Cedric-Eldrin meetup was no big deal. I laid out the details: tomorrow at lunch, café near the bakery. Central academy café was too crowded. I scribbled the time and place on a note and handed it over.
"Remember: Be here at this time, no excuses."
"Got it. I'll remember."
With that, the Eldrin chat wrapped up smoothly. Next: my personal errands.
To get cheered, I listed the items I'd need. An idea hit me, so I headed straight to a general store near the academy to make it real.
"Party masks? Over there."
"Thanks."
Jackpot: masks. The final antagonists advertised their shady vibes with drab masks. A mask was perfect for theatrics. Plus, my current look lacked gravitas, so a mask could compensate.
"One of these, please."
Black symbolized the big bads, so I went for the contrasting white one. Flat-faced, no eye slits. Clearly impossible to see through.
"Student, isn't this dangerous? You can't see a thing."
"I'll take it anyway."
"Hey, it's my money."
This mask felt custom-made for me. Score—one item down... I also grabbed smoke bombs and flash potions from the Aristia potion chain. After snagging various props and snack macarons, I was broke, hands full of shopping bags.
Should've brought Annette...
Heading back to the dorms loaded up, I spotted Cedric in the distance. He recognized me and approached.
"Celestia. You always show the pinnacle of overspending."
"Rational purchases. Anyway, isn't it still work hours? What are you doing out?"
"Work's over. After hours."
"Oh right, brother. Perfect timing—I had something urgent to pass on."
"What?"
I slipped the note into his hand, then pressed a finger to my lips with a smile.
"Eldrin Viola El Aristia. Date set. Handle it yourself."
"What? For real!? You pulled it off?"
"Brother."
"Yeah?"
"I'm broke from all this 'rational spending'... I hear good siblings support each other warmly~"
I forced a pitiful look. Cedric's face lit up like he'd won the lottery, but his hand was already pulling out his wallet.
"Please, Celestia. Take this and stop the overspending."
He pressed a gold coin into my hand. Sweet. Macarons incoming.