The Year-Top Student and the Delinquent
Bam! Ronari Sharino's merciless fist slammed down on the principal's desk. The principal, Teresa, scooted her chair back, trying to inch away, but Ronari's shadow only loomed closer with every move.
"C-Calm down, Ronari."
"Do I look like I can calm down right now? Why do I have to share a room with a guy? And not just any guy—a total delinquent like that!"
Ronari was pointing straight at me. The blonde year-top student clearly wasn't thrilled about having me as her roommate. It was obvious she wouldn't like me anyway... but thanks to this, here I was, dragged to the principal's office when I was already half-dead from exhaustion.
Yawn. I let out a massive yawn.
Teresa, shrinking into herself, tried to explain. "But there's nothing we can do about it~? The number of boys and girls is exactly even, and there are no extra rooms..."
"Put me in another year's dorm, or the staff dorms! There have to be other options!"
"Those are full too. I swear, if there was another way, I'd use it in a heartbeat~ But there just isn't."
"Fine! Let's say for argument's sake that we have to have one co-ed room. But why does it have to be me? And with that delinquent punk!"
She'd called me a "delinquent-like guy" earlier. Already evolved to straight-up "delinquent punk." I was quietly impressed by my own unexpected growth when Teresa kept making excuses.
"If you get to know him, Ilsea might actually be a decent guy... maybe? And there are unavoidable circumstances here..."
"You're telling me to believe that every dorm from first-year to fifth-year is packed, the gender ratio across all years is perfectly even, and that's why the only leftover spot—the staff lounge—has to house one guy and one girl?!"
I wouldn't buy it either.
Ronari's point was spot on. But Teresa's response was...
"...That's exactly what happened."
And with that, Ronari's volcanic rage finally erupted. I quietly plugged my ears.
"You call that an explanation?!?!"
Ronari's shout shook the entire office. Teresa scratched her head awkwardly. "Ahaha... my ears are ringing. But I'm still the principal here..."
"You pull this ridiculous stunt and still want principal privileges?!"
"Look, Ronari. Like I said, if there was another way, I'd have tried it. But there really wasn't."
"Then you shouldn't have let it get to this point! Don't over-enroll past dorm capacity! Expand the dorms ahead of time! What have you even been doing as principal until now?!"
Perfect logic. I almost wanted to applaud. Teresa bowed her head deeply.
"You're absolutely right. I have nothing to say."
Her tone was starting to turn servile. "It's all because of repeats, transfers, and a bunch of other factors piling up... We can't just kick out students we've already accepted, right? It's not their fault."
"What about my fault then?!"
"Uh... the crime of losing the draw?"
"You picked who goes in the leftover room by lottery?!"
That's when Vice Principal Aurelia chimed in. "I guarantee the fairness."
"You mean it wasn't a joke... Ughhh..."
Overcome with fury, Ronari swayed like she might faint from dizziness. I grabbed her collar to steady her as she started to collapse.
But she immediately snapped back with a cold voice. "...Don't touch me."
I raised both hands and stepped back like nothing happened. But even that backfired.
"And you—say something instead of just sitting there! Don't you have a mouth?"
...This girl's a real pain.
Tsk. I clicked my tongue and turned to Teresa. I did have something to say. I was already dying from lack of sleep thanks to the magic beast hunts she kept assigning me every night. And now this hassle too?
I said to her, "Even so, we're not actually sharing a bed, right?"
Teresa's face lit up like she'd been waiting for me to speak. "Of course not~ We do have some conscience."
"Had...?" Ronari muttered under her breath, but Teresa ignored it and pressed on.
"This used to be a lounge, but it's way bigger than a standard room—it's a proper three-room setup. So don't make such a fuss and just check it out first, okay? Okay~?"
And just like that, Teresa shoved us toward the staff lounge. It was tucked away on the second floor corner of the old lecture building, in a quiet spot with hardly any foot traffic.
"Here we are."
Vice Principal Aurelia opened the door for us.
"...?"
Stepping inside, the first impression wasn't bad at all. Spacious living room. Bathroom and toilet seemed to be one each, but true to Teresa's word, there were three rooms. Two doors side by side off the living room.
Not a bad setup. Livable, at least.
Ronari stopped grumbling too. Quiet suits her. And this old building. If only it could stay that way.
But wishes like that are beautiful precisely because they're fleeting.
"Hup...!"
Ronari opened the inner room's door and suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth. Something weird in there? I ignored her and opened the outer room's door.
That's when I realized what she'd seen.
"Figures."
Between the inner and outer rooms, there was no wall—just a single sliding door. I stepped into my room and slid it open. Naturally, I locked eyes with Ronari, standing dumbfounded at the threshold of her room.
"So this is the room they gave us."
I stepped out and looked for Aurelia, but she'd already bolted. Principal and vice principal—a perfect duo in dodging responsibility.
No helping it. I flopped onto the living room sofa. It smelled a bit musty, but it was comfy enough. Sleepiness hit hard.
"Hey."
Here we go again. I forced my heavy eyelids open.
"What."
Her icy voice flew back instantly. "Get out."
Doesn't she ever get tired? After all that yelling earlier, she still wants round two?
I just turned my head away. No response from me, so she spoke again.
"Let me make this clear: I wouldn't live with a shady delinquent punk like you even if I were dying. So I'm asking nicely—leave."
"Nicely," she says, but the vibe screamed incoming argument. I asked her,
"Why am I a delinquent punk?"
Ronari started counting on her fingers. "You skip classes, and when you do show up, you just sleep through lectures facedown. Last year, you ditched every group event. Always getting into fights, face covered in scars. I don't even know if you plan to actually attend this academy."
I didn't care what misconceptions she had. But I had my reasons for staying at the academy.
"Why don't you just drop out if you're done with it here? I can at least do you that last favor before I go."
"No."
"Why? Wanna keep being a nuisance to everyone till the end?"
"I have reasons to stay at the academy. Don't ask what they are. I don't owe you an explanation, and I don't plan to give one."
I said it in a weary voice. I really was exhausted.
"Attendance is my choice, and no academy rule says skipping gets me held back or expelled. I'm still a student here. If you hate sharing so much, you leave."
"What...?"
She heard me fine—why ask again? I got up from the sofa and headed to the rooms.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!"
I ignored Ronari's shout. The two rooms separated by the sliding door were different sizes—the outer one was narrower. Felt a bit drafty too. Two exterior walls—probably why the wind leaks in. Fine for me, but if she caught a cold, I'd be hearing coughs all day. That'd tank my already crappy sleep even further.
"I wasn't done talking!"
Ronari chased me into the inner room and yelled through the sliding door.
Slide. I shut it from the outer room. Then lay on the bed.
"Hey!"
...Yeah, zero soundproofing.
"Why'd you just barge in like that?!"
"It's bigger. Good enough. I'm tired—leave me alone."
With that, I closed my sleepy eyes. Drowsiness crashed over me. Work tonight too. Wonder if I'll even wake up properly.
"..."
Ronari glared at the sliding door in dissatisfaction. Should she barge in and settle this with that jerk once and for all?
...The thought crossed her mind, but she decided against it. She'd been raging all day—now she was the tired one. Not in the mood to chew anyone else out.
And... he looked exhausted too.
A moment ago, when he'd stood up from the sofa, they'd been less than an arm's length apart for a split second. Ilsea's face had looked so worn out that her resolve softened a bit. Even now, it hadn't been long since he'd lain down, but she could already hear his steady breathing from beyond the thin door.
Probably from pulling all-nighters causing trouble every night. Whatever—maybe she'd let it slide for one day.
"This room is... definitely bigger."
Ronari wandered around, checking out the space. Not bad for a rushed lounge conversion. Better than standard dorms, and the heating seemed decent enough.
Doesn't change the huge problem of that delinquent punk being right behind this flimsy door, though...
At least Ilsea didn't seem like the type to try anything with her. Sure, he'd turned into a total delinquent, but not that low.
Ronari flopped onto the bed. Listening to his breathing made her drowsy too.
...He wasn't always like this.
She glanced toward Ilsea's room and slowly closed her eyes.
......
How long had she been asleep? In her half-dreaming state, she heard a faint rustling.
Alertness hit her like a shot—Ronari's eyes snapped open. It was pitch black; full night now.
Rustle.
There it was again. Ilsea tossing in his sleep? No, didn't sound like it. The faint noises from beyond the door suggested he was awake.
Ronari held her breath, staring at the sliding door. Then—
Creeeak.
The old hinge groaned. Had he gone to the living room? Bathroom? She strained her ears, but no more sounds followed.
She got up quietly and peeked into the living room. No Ilsea. Just dim moonlight spilling through the cracked terrace door.
Where was he going at this hour? Curfew was long past.
Ronari clenched her fist. "That jerk's at it again..."
He must sneak out every night like this for shady stuff. When he got back, she'd give him hell first thing in the morning.
But Ilsea didn't return to the room even by morning.