Senior-Junior Exchange Match (2)
As soon as we stepped through the portal, the scenery flipped in an instant. A completely different world greeted Hint, Stelle, and Hina.
A village that had existed long before the heroes founded the academy here a thousand years ago.
Aprien Village.
Of course, it was now flooded with continental culture and bore little resemblance to its original form, but the fact that it had endured for a millennium spoke volumes about its significance.
Countless eras had passed, and countless cultures, races, and ethnicities had blended together to build its unique identity. Every slight turn of the head revealed buildings of entirely different architectural styles.
Humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, beastkin.
This was Aprien Village, where so many races lived together in harmony.
“Hey~ Students! We’ve got student discounts!”
“Fresh water buffalo meat from the northern plains just came in today! It’s all barbecued, so come and try some!”
Merchants were already crowding the area in front of the portal, aggressively calling out to potential customers.
The savory scent of grilling meat—something hard to come by at the academy—along with the fragrance of cosmetics and even the smell of tobacco, rode the breeze and began tempting the students who had just crossed over.
Knowing that Friday evenings brought a flood of academy students into town, the merchants were desperately pitching the unique appeal of their shops.
Stelle’s eyes sparkled at the sight.
“Whoa… It’s such a big town. Actually, this is basically a city, isn’t it?”
“It certainly seems that way.”
“Aprien sticks to calling itself a ‘village’ to honor its origins, but anyone can see this is a full-blown city.”
Stelle, who had grown up in a remote rural corner of the empire, was seeing a metropolis like this for the first time. As for Hint, while he had seen similar scenes countless times through a monitor, experiencing it in person felt entirely different. The two of them stared blankly at the cityscape.
“Ahaha! What are you guys acting so country bumpkin for?”
Hina laughed heartily and slapped both of them on the back. She agreed that the energy of this bustling street was intense, but having grown up in a ducal household, it wasn’t exactly a rare sight for her.
“Alright, I know an amazing meat restaurant. Follow me.”
Hina strode past Hint and Stelle, taking the lead. The two first-years, who had been grateful for her help but unsure what to do next, looked confused. Hina glanced back at them and pouted.
“What? You’re not coming?”
Oh dear. So the vice president really had been serious when she asked them to hang out with her and her boyfriend.
Unlike Stelle, who still hadn’t fully caught on, Hint—who was quick on the uptake—immediately fell into step behind her.
“Should I get my hopes up?”
“Haha. This is a place I’ve been going to for two years, even with my picky palate. The taste is guaranteed. It’s a bit on the expensive side, but don’t worry too much. My treat today.”
As expected from the bold student council president. No wonder she was such a popular character.
Wielding a massive greatsword that seemed far too large for her tiny 150-centimeter frame, her unique cute appearance paired with that rough, tomboyish personality created a gap moe that had charmed plenty of players. Of course, she was one of Hint’s favorite characters too.
Hint and Stelle—who had finally caught up with the situation—expressed their gratitude. After all, when someone offered to buy you meat, there was no reason to refuse. Hint barely had any money to begin with, and Stelle’s financial situation was obviously dire. They had originally planned to just grab some ramen, but now they could properly grease their stomachs with real meat. They were nothing but thankful.
“Hehe. Thank you.”
“Thank you so much!”
“Good. That’s more like it. It’s crowded, so stay close and don’t get swept away by the crowd.”
Hint and Stelle from the first-year F-class, along with Hina—the student council president who had maintained S-class for all three years and was known as the academy’s strongest. It was quite the unusual combination as the trio made their way into the bustling district.
Even though the student council president was walking openly through the busy streets, they surprisingly didn’t draw much attention. Maybe it was because her small stature was easily swallowed by the crowd—
“Ouch. What was that for?”
“Dunno. My gut suddenly told me to hit you.”
Ouch.
Hint rubbed his slightly swollen right shin.
He knew about Hina’s unique skill.
In-game: Automatic evasion and defense during combat.
In reality: Apparently reacts to anything it deems necessary.
His shin hurt, but Hint felt satisfied at discovering another variable.
I’ll need to think more deeply about the unique skills of other S-class students.
Wait. That made him wonder—how exactly would the original protagonist’s skill, the Blessing of the Stars, manifest in this world?
“Alright, you little runts. This is the restaurant I recommend.”
Before long, they arrived at the place Hina had suggested. Even standing outside the door, the sound and aroma of grilling meat vibrated from within.
“Wow… That’s the kind of smell you only get at village festivals.”
“To be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve had proper meat too. I’m really looking forward to this.”
The restaurant was tucked away in a rather secluded alley. Hardly any first-years were visible—only second and third-years passed by—which gave it a strong “hidden gem” vibe. Hina opened the door with familiar ease and stepped inside.
A man with a rather intimidating face greeted them.
“Welcome… Kgh. It’s you, Hina.”
“Yo! Boss. Got a table?”
“Tsk. Even as student council president, you’re still as rude as ever. There’s one open in the back. Normally I wouldn’t give a four-seater to three people, so be grateful.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be eating enough for ten.”
“I’ll bring out the usual.”
“Good. But since I don’t know these kids’ stomachs yet, start with eight portions for now.”
At the mention of eight portions, Stelle’s eyes widened. Hint, who already knew about Hina’s appetite, could only smile awkwardly.
In the game, Hina had demanded an absurd amount of food whenever they went on expeditions… Yeah, better not finish that thought.
Of course, since she delivered results proportional to what she ate, no players ever complained.
“Let’s go, runts. Be careful not to bump into anyone.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Following Hina’s gesture, they headed to the most secluded table in the corner.
Hm? That hair color combination…
On the way, he thought he caught a glimpse of a familiar hair color, but surely it was nothing. There was no way those two would be in a place like this, so he dismissed it as a mistake and kept walking.
Many students already grilling and eating inside kept glancing at the mysterious combination of two first-year F-class students and the student council president. Their mouths twitched as if they wanted to say something. But the second and third-years, who knew that causing trouble for Hina in town would result in a fist to the face, simply turned their heads away in silence.
They might ask her about it later at school, but everyone knew that Hina Lionhart hated having her personal time interrupted.
The moment she sat down, Hina let out a hearty exclamation.
“Whew~ You two sit down too, quick.”
Hint and Stelle took their seats. Hint looked around. It wasn’t particularly fancy—just like a Korean barbecue place back on Earth. Considering the game developers, it was probably modeled after a Japanese yakiniku restaurant. Still, the fact that it was packed despite its tucked-away location meant there had to be a reason.
“It has a very warm, homey atmosphere.”
“Really? You must be from around here then. This style is pretty rare on the mainland.”
“Hint, you’re from here?”
“Did I never mention it? Despite how I look, I’m actually a native of Arpia Island.”
After chatting about this and that, the food soon arrived. They had ordered eight portions, but what came out was easily enough for ten. A mountain of meat and towering sides.
Stelle was desperately wiping away the drool running down her chin.
“Here you go. Special D set. Eat up, kids.”
“Ha. You’re really going all out just because I brought first-years?”
“That’s right. Hey, first-year runts. This is a bribe so you’ll come often. And spread the word while you’re at it.”
The owner left after dropping that line. Hina grinned.
“How about it? Pretty good place, right?”
“Indeed it is.”
“I’m going to need to make a lot of money…”
“Waaaaah, this is so good!!!”
“Right? That’s why I never go to other meat places.”
“This… is truly worth it.”
The meat was incredibly delicious.
Stelle, of course, was loving it and devouring everything alongside Hina like a madwoman. Even for Hint, who had tasted plenty of upgraded modern beef in his previous life, this was revolutionary. Each piece tasted better than the highest-grade Korean Hanwoo.
Hint’s hands didn’t stop moving either. The two first-years kept reaching for more, determined to stock up on protein while they had the chance. Who knew when they’d get another opportunity like this?
“You two sure can eat~”
“Huh?! Are we eating too much…?”
“It’ll be another ten years before you need to worry about my wallet. Don’t hold back, runts. Eat as much as you want.”
They really were eating well.
That was what Hina thought to herself. Of course, what she’d said to her junior Stelle wasn’t a lie. There was no way one of the empire’s four great ducal houses would be so poor that they’d tremble at the price of a barbecue restaurant.
Still, what strange kids.
Hina had inherited the Lionhart bloodline thickly—born with a drive to pursue strength above all else—and had lived her life as a warrior. Mindless daily training, fighting, training, fighting, over and over.
Because of that, she generally didn’t like weak people. It wasn’t exactly hatred, but what was the point of keeping the weak close?
The fact that she was showing such great favor to two members of the academy’s weakest F-class was surprising even to herself. Sure, that Hint kid had nearly parried her attack, but why Stelle too?
It was like… she just couldn’t leave them alone.
Her instincts were screaming that these two would definitely entertain her.
“Now that I think about it, the senior-junior exchange match is next week, right?”
“Oh. You actually pay attention to the academic schedule. There are still quite a few who don’t even know about it.”
Hina’s instincts rang out.
A tingling sensation ran down her spine. Her heart pounded, and her eyes refused to leave Hint. In his gaze, she felt a burning heat that made the sizzling meat grill seem insignificant by comparison.
“In that case, Senior. How about we make a little bet?”
“A bet?”
“Yes. The winner gets to ask the loser for one favor.”
“Ha. I hate to say this, but you and I aren’t exactly on the same level, are we?”
A first-year F-class boy and herself, the student council president.
The stakes were too unbalanced for a simple favor bet. Her value was overwhelmingly higher, after all.
“You don’t need to worry about that. The bet itself will be asymmetrical.”
“Really? What is it?”
“At next week’s senior-junior exchange match…”
See? Her instincts were never wrong.
“Let’s fight. Senior.”
“Ahaha, ahahahaha!!!!”
So this is how you’re going to entertain me.
Hina burst into roaring laughter.