[No title provided]
The student council room, which I was entering for the first time, was truly a scene from hell itself.
And rightly so—what else could you call a place where beings no different from zombies roamed about so openly?
"Uuuuugh……."
Of course, they weren't actual zombies; they were the student council executives.
It felt like looking at modern-day graduate students—faces and under-eyes blackened to death, groaning or screaming something unintelligible as they shuffled around. To an innocent soul, it would've been enough to make them flee screaming that the academy had become a monster den.
In reality, they were executives dying from overwork, but half-dead flesh wasn't all that different from zombies, so calling it that wasn't much of a stretch.
"Impressive…… Hiring temporary Aura users during busy times like this might not be a bad idea after all?"
Lady Cassandra, the princess's close friend and the student council vice president, couldn't hide her admiration at the speed of my document sorting beside her.
For me, it was just a matter of focusing my eyes a bit more and grouping similar contents—not a particularly tough task. But to those who'd been doing it all by hand, it must've seemed like a godsend that shaved off precious work hours.
Not just Lady Cassandra; the others around us were eyeing my quick hands with envy as I separated the papers.
"It'd be possible, but students might struggle. Concentrating Aura just in the eyes requires quite a bit of focus, so you'd need at least Expert rank."
If it looks easy, it means the one doing it is a true master.
Someone might point out it's just about channeling Aura into the eyeballs to boost dynamic vision, but eyes are among the body's most delicate parts. Unlike sturdy bones or tough muscles, they're made of jelly-like lenses, so too much Aura would make them pop like balloons.
"Uh…… R-right."
Lady Cassandra shivered slightly at the unexpectedly brutal explanation. Even if her own work was hellish, she probably didn't want to burst some poor soul's eyeballs.
Continuing the sorting, I finished organizing most of the documents in under an hour.
"Ooooh!!"
"Amazing!"
Seeing the executives gaze at me with shining eyes stirred a pang of pity in my chest.
"It's been a while since I did this, so it was a bit tiring. Glad I could help, though."
"Help? You've more than doubled our processing speed by handling the heaviest part."
As she redistributed the sorted stacks to the team, Lady Cassandra didn't skimp on the praise.
"……A-hem!"
"Ah, of course, our president who brought in such talent is amazing too~"
When the princess let out a small noise at the ongoing compliments toward me, Cassandra quickly caught on and tossed some her way.
"What nonsense. Noctus just hid his talents well; I don't deserve praise for it."
She deflected the flattery aimed at her with a hint of bashfulness, but I could see she was secretly pleased. It was a far cry from her initial cold, rigid impression—a refreshing change that hit me with a wave of nostalgia.
"Anything else I can help with? Things wrapped up quicker than expected……."
"No need. What you've done is more than enough~ Stay and have some tea and snacks while you rest."
Lady Cassandra said that and directed the other executives to prepare an array of tempting pastries and tea before me.
Soon, appetizing treats were laid out, and the fragrant black tea soothed my fatigued eyes a little.
"It's good for eye health. We keep it stocked since we're always staring at papers."
"I see. Thank you; I'll enjoy it."
Sipping the tea—bitter yet sweetly aromatic—I noticed the princess wrestling diligently with her documents.
She'd received top-tier education as the empire's heir, but it was only natural she'd struggle in such a frantic situation.
Her eyes and hands moved busily, but the clumsiness and urgency beneath were plain to see. I set down my tea and approached her side.
"Hmm…… Cassandra? If you have something to— Eek! M-Mars?!"
Coming up behind her as she leaned close to the papers in concentration, she sensed my presence, turned, and showed clear surprise.
I brushed past her reaction and peered at the document in her hand.
"N-no…… Not here where everyone can see…… Uuugh……."
"For the Martial Arts Festival swords, skip buying them outright and get sponsorships from nearby workshops. Put their names in the announcer's script or pamphlets for advertising—it'll be a win-win."
"!! You're reading the documents?!"
"I'm a noble's son, after all."
Sure, I wandered around swinging swords and chasing skirts all day, but I was still the well-educated second son of a noble house. No vast estates like some, but I'd been taught how to review paperwork and manage accounts as befitted my station.
Plus, with my unique reincarnated knowledge—even if not specialized—handling a school festival budget was a breeze.
"But would workshops go for sponsorships? Selling for cash seems more profitable for them."
"Obviously not the big ones. Consumable swords like these? Scout a mid-to-small workshop, offer ad space, and bring 'em in. They get exposure; we get decent blades."
The princess listened intently, then began checking for suitable small workshops.
It'd need some fine-tuning, but it wasn't a tough proposal—contacts would exist.
"Um, Mars? Could you look at this one too?"
"The performance lineup's too stacked. Bring in acts with fewer gigs lately; fewer offers mean better rates."
"H-here too!"
"What do you think of this part?"
As I started advising on the executives' stuck spots one by one, calls for help grew louder from all sides.
In the end, I spent until evening helping with their tasks, darting about busily.
* * *
I wandered the student council room, reviewing the executives' papers, offering apt advice and directions to resolve issues.
Not perfect, but it opened solid paths forward—stagnant work progressed swiftly.
"We're off!!"
"I get to go home staring at the night sky!!"
With good progress, the princess declared early dismissal, and they bolted out like madmen.
"Such agility for work……."
"Ahaha…… Ah, President, you should head out too?"
"Mm, I'll finish this last one. Kara, you go ahead."
"Got it. Then Mars……?"
"I'll wrap up the president's docs and go. Got something to discuss anyway."
Cassandra paused at my words, then smirked slyly—recalling something—as she left.
"Ahem~ Then I won't cramp your style~ Have fun~"
Have fun with what? Was it some high-noble code?
"That girl…… Sigh."
The princess glared at the fleeing Cassandra, sighed deeply, then stretched languidly.
"Ugh…… Aaaah……."
Sitting buried in paperwork all day would stiffen anyone. Seeing her pour her all into it from such a high seat stirred respect—or awe—in me.
"Not tired? You look fine."
"Physically? Nah. Mentally, though……."
"Fair enough. Whew……."
She stared at me intently, then approached the sofa where I'd been resting.
"Princess? Issue with the papers?"
"Today's done. No worries."
Then why say you'd leave last? She could've gone with the VP.
Plop. She sat beside me, stared, then laid her head on my lap.
"……Princess?"
"Staring at text all day made me dizzy. Let me lean a bit. A man should do this much."
"Uh, sure……."
When royalty asks, you deliver. I ended up giving her a lap pillow.
"……Hard."
"Lie down fully. I'll move."
"Nah, this is fine. So clueless……."
Her doing this showed how overburdened she'd been. Should I drop by more often?
"So…… what'd you want to say?"
"Oh? Ah, that."
Her tone carried an oddly excited lilt. Seizing the moment, I shared what I'd been mulling.
"We should bolster security for this Martial Arts Festival."
"Suddenly?"
"Got some concerns……."
How to naturally explain enemy raids are a festival cliché? As I pondered, she sighed deeply and grumbled.
"That damn fool. Consistent to the end……."
"Pardon? What?"
"Quiet. Fine, since it's you, I'll do it. You must have your reasons."
Irritated tone and all, she accepted. But sulky, she kept her head there for 30 minutes. Unable to touch it, I stayed statue-still, lap-pillow-bound for half an hour.