The Capybara on Campus
I followed Ms. Sienna up to the second floor.
“This is the room that student Dorn will be using.”
A small room at the end of the right corridor.
Through white curtains on the windows, sunlight streamed into a modest interior where a desk, bed, and closet were already placed.
“I like it. It suits me.”
“The soundproofing isn’t terrible, but please don’t shout or run around too loudly.”
“Of course.”
Next to the room was a bathroom combined with a toilet.
There was one more room beside that, occupied by a second-year male student.
“I’ll see your face at dinner later. Oh, speaking of which, I should mention the meals too.”
Meals were served—breakfast and dinner on weekdays, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner on weekends.
“If you’re going to be late, just let me know in advance and I’ll set aside your portion. Don’t worry about it.”
With a place here, I wouldn’t have to worry about going hungry.
After listening to the rules and precautions I had to follow while staying at Ms. Sienna’s boarding house, I signed the contract.
Apparently, landlords in Tomeron who rented rooms to students at the Cradle didn’t charge deposits.
I had already paid a month’s rent in advance.
“Welcome, student Dorn. I look forward to working with you from now on.”
“I look forward to working with you too.”
“Oh! Did you eat lunch? If not, I can quickly make you a sandwich…”
“Thank you, but I have plans.”
“I see. Be sure to eat dinner with us later!”
“Yes. I’ll see you then.”
After leaving the boarding house, I went to look for the room Casher had moved into.
“Dorn, you’re late.”
Casher had already claimed the room early and seemed to have finished unpacking.
A fragrant, feminine scent already hung in the air from her room.
“Did you find a room you liked?”
“I just signed the contract and came out.”
I told Casher about Ms. Sienna’s boarding house.
“It’s really great! I wish I could’ve come in with you…”
“When I was looking around, only one room was left.”
“Aigoo, well, I wouldn’t have gotten in anyway. Too bad~”
I would’ve loved to give her a tour if I could, but I didn’t want to cause trouble for the other boarders.
“Did you eat lunch?”
“Not yet.”
“Then let’s go eat now.”
Since Casher had been waiting for me without eating, we found a nearby restaurant and had a late lunch together.
“I have to unpack my things, so I’ll head back. Okay. See you later!”
After picking up Casher’s bags and returning to the boarding house.
By the time I finished unpacking, the sun had already set.
“Student Dorn, come down for dinner!”
I went down to the first-floor kitchen and found the residents already gathered around the dining table.
A large pot of thick stew sat in the center, and beside it was a basket overflowing with bread for sharing.
“Come over here and sit down.”
Ms. Sienna patted the seat beside her.
“All right, before we eat, let’s do introductions. This is student Dorn, who just moved into our boarding house today.”
“I already said hello.”
The woman who had been staring at the stew was Olga.
“What a waste of expectations.”
This time she was properly dressed.
“Then we’ll skip Olga, and this is the second-year student I mentioned earlier.”
The person Ms. Sienna pointed to was a man shorter than me.
“Nice to meet you, senpai. I’m Juno. I’m also a second-year like Olga.”
Being a gnome, he looked small and youthful, and unusually friendly for a demon.
“If you have any questions about life at the Cradle or need help, just ask anytime.”
“Thank you, senpai.”
We finished the greetings and started eating.
*Ms. Sienna really is a good cook.*
Even though I wasn’t particularly hungry from skipping lunch, the stew went down smoothly.
Of the four at the table, Olga was the one who ate the most.
*Is this her third or fourth bowl?*
She had mentioned being a famous combat race—Barbarian.
No wonder the tomboyish aura had been so strong even back on the first day.
She ate with a fierce, warrior-like intensity.
“Among the professors, the guy named Zegerof is someone you should watch out for. As the head of student guidance, he treats students… especially male ones—like exterminating rats.”
Juno gave tips about Cradle life between bites and kept the conversation going.
I listened carefully, ears open.
Information was information, and it would be useful.
“Freshmen are in for a rough time.”
As dinner was winding down.
The senior who had already finished four bowls of stew was rubbing her stomach and saying something.
“Rough time? Are the classes that hard?”
I asked, and she shook her head.
“It’s because you’re a guy. For a while you’ll probably just be tired.”
Tired from being a guy?
*Is there even gender discrimination at the Cradle?*
I wanted a more detailed explanation, but Olga just grinned.
“You’ll find out soon. As a piece of advice, keep your head straight for a while.”
I looked at Juno because I couldn’t understand English, and he just laughed and cheered me on.
Those nosy seniors were irritating, but when I woke up the next morning, I naturally understood what she meant.
“Hah! You sure about this?!”
I entered the lecture hall wearing my uniform for the first time, my heart pounding.
Inside, it looked like a late-night bustling street.
“Don’t just run your mouth—come at me!”
Male students with messy uniforms were facing off against each other like drunk partygoers, shirts ripped open.
It was a familiar yet nostalgic sight that reminded me of the alleys in my hometown, Broccolin.
*She said I’d probably be tired for a while.*
That was exactly what Olga had meant.
When group living first began, male dominance struggles were inevitable.
Having attended middle and high school in my previous life, this scene was nothing new to me.
In my old world, boys became savage and cruel by middle school.
Of course, the spirited demon youths behaved differently.
*Thud!*
“Gah?!”
“You bastard… disgusting, you’re making me sick.”
The madmen rushed at each other like hyenas the moment they locked eyes, throwing punches first. One sigh escaped me at the sight.
*Even if we all received blessings, there’s nothing we can do about this basic savagery.*
They were all old enough, having gone through the coming-of-age ceremony.
*Well, thanks to that, it was clear that character had nothing to do with the blessing criteria.*
*Don’t get entangled.*
I quietly took a seat at an empty desk by the window, away from the violence.
I had been staring out the window, hoping no one would notice me.
Despite my desperate efforts, this cramped community refused to leave me alone.
“Hello, friend.”
I looked up slightly.
Two male students were staring down at me.
The one speaking had a carefree smile. A piercing stud was in his lower lip.
He seemed unusually sociable to start a conversation right away.
I replied politely and asked what he wanted.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing special. If it’s okay, could you give up your seat?”
“…?”
I wasn’t sitting in the back row, and plenty of empty seats existed. Why me?
As I tilted my head, I soon understood his intent.
*He thinks I look easy.*
He wasn’t sociable at all—he was a sly, opportunistic guy.
After living two lives, I could spot that type immediately.
*This piercer was the kind who only showed cruelty to the weak and efficiently carved out his own spot.*
I hadn’t noticed at first because it was more common on Earth than in the Demon Realm.
*That’s why Olga told me to keep my head straight.*
What should I do?
Stepping aside might seem simple, but it wasn’t.
Having endured countless harassments in both lives, I knew this type all too well.
*These bastards, once they get a whiff of weakness, keep poking until they smell blood and then try to devour you.*
Because they were cautious, their harassment only escalated over time—the most dangerous opponents.
After a moment of thought, I told the piercer, “I like the window seat, so I can’t.”
“Hm?”
With a firm refusal, the piercer’s face hardened slightly.
He was probably calculating options in his head.
As a cautious guy, he should’ve backed off here, but…
“If you want to move, move. You’re not listening.”
The guy beside the piercer stepped up.
This one was an ordinary demon youth.
He had no brains—he just threw punches without thinking.
Honestly, I didn’t get along well with guys like him.
Their confidence that they could easily chew me up was written all over their faces.
*How low must I have looked?*
I really had.
In any real fight, the height difference would have ended it quickly with me getting beaten senseless.
The piercer even smirked like he’d gotten the better end of it.
*Even if I used my ability, it wouldn’t help much in this situation.*
Should I back down with my tail between my legs, or show guts even if I got beaten?
Just then, a sweet, innocent voice cut in.
“There are plenty of empty seats.”
A first-year female student with a choker around her neck stood beside me.
“Can I sit here?”
With twin tails of golden hair and a cool forehead, she smiled brightly and plopped her butt right into the seat next to me.
The surprisingly heavy breasts that jiggled with her movement made my eyes wander.
Smiling sweetly, the girl locked eyes with the piercer with clear turquoise eyes.
As if asking what his problem was.
“Hmph.”
The piercer clicked his tongue, whispered something to his friend, and left without a word.
He probably gave up on causing a scene with a girl there, since it would draw too much attention.
I exhaled in relief and thanked the girl beside me.
“Thanks. You saved my life.”
“I just felt like being nice. If I helped, great.”
“I’m Dorn.”
“I’m Yuli.”
She looked around the lecture hall, shook her head, and said, “First day and already chaos. You guys really have it rough.”
“Tell me about it.”
Guys.
While chatting with her, meaningless fights broke out all over the classroom.
“You bastard, you’re finished… Hey, just come to the roof with me.”
“You think I’m not coming?”
Among them, two especially heated male students were about to storm off to the roof for some fresh air.
“The roof door is locked.”
All eyes turned to one place.
The lecture hall entrance.
There stood Professor Morgan in her exact same suit from yesterday, arms crossed.
The moment she appeared, the lecture hall went deathly silent, as if doused with cold water.
“If you really want to go, go get the key from Professor Zegerof. Of course, after my class ends.”
“Ah, yes…”
The boys who had been raging like there was no tomorrow fell silent at Morgan’s words and sat down.
Their rebellious spirit vanished because of her overwhelming presence.
“I’ll explain the class. Everyone, please take your seats.”
Even the boys with bruises and bleeding noses were openly shown, but Morgan didn’t seem to care.
The teacher who always sat at the desk instead of a normal chair faced the blackboard again.
Morgan scanned the entire lecture hall once and spoke.
“You who are sitting here are noble beings blessed by the Demon God.”
A standard opening.
Even the intro told me everything.
As the first class, it was a classic way to boost students’ pride and learning motivation, but effective…
“—but you’ve gathered only low-grade, ignorant fellows.”
What…?
The students’ faces, pumped up by the test variation, dropped flatly.
Morgan continued without a care.
“Simply crossing the threshold of the Cradle doesn’t mean your intelligence or culture suddenly grows. Regardless of whether you received a blessing or not, you are mostly useless, ignorant drifters like the average demon.”
Morgan looked at the students with a cold, slightly disgusted gaze, as if she truly believed it.
For a moment, I felt a tingle of thrill from the beauty teacher’s piercing gaze.
“So from now on, during my class, we’ll do ‘Basic Education.’ It’s an important class to fill your empty heads with at least some culture and knowledge. Pay attention.”
Basic Education consisted of linguistics, mathematics, sociology, geography, and history, and would be taught at the students’ average level.
Since the students were demons, the difficulty was manageable.
Looking at the handouts, the content wasn’t hard for me, who had received higher education in my previous life.
*Even math is at most middle-school level?*
The other subjects were fine too, because I had been reincarnated as a demon and forced into the library since childhood.
To avoid harassment from my peers.
At that time, I had read plenty of books about the Demon Realm’s history and geography, so I already knew most of the info.
I only needed to pay a little attention to linguistics and sociology.
Thanks to that, I had finished ahead of schedule and had time for other problems.
*Here, I need to find a way to survive.*
Just moments ago, if it hadn’t been Yuli, I would’ve been in trouble.
To survive among energetic demon youths in this small body, I had to use my head and tongue to the fullest.
Building connections was always the best option, but…
Having many friends and being easy to get along with naturally lowered the chance of being dragged into pointless fights.
*Time to max out Thought Encroachment.*
My ultimate goal was to become a capybara-like existence among Cradle students and secure my survival rights.
I quietly scanned the lecture hall, looking for friend candidates.