Welcome to Kizen
The freshmen filed into the Great Auditorium behind their TAs, ready to change into their brand-new Kizen uniforms and take part in the entrance ceremony.
Simon stayed behind to chat with the assistants for a while. They explained that the delegation from Langestin had arrived late, which was why the event had been pushed back a little — but apparently it was nothing to worry about.
"So what should I do in the meantime?" asked Simon, who suddenly found himself with time to kill.
"Hmm... well, why don't you just have a look around the area? If you spot any freshmen sneaking off, we'd appreciate it if you sent them back to the Great Auditorium. The meal will be starting soon."
"Got it."
Having parted ways with the TAs, Simon strolled leisurely around the first-year campus on his own. Everything was quiet, and not a single freshman was in sight. He figured he'd do a quick sweep of the area and call it done — he was just turning a corner when a familiar voice rang out.
"You can't do that! Understood?"
Cami?
Simon broke into a run straight toward the sound. There stood a girl with light-violet hair, a Student Council armband on her sleeve, scolding at the top of her lungs. Facing her were three boys in Kizen uniforms — and judging by how stiff and unwrinkled the uniforms were, they had to be freshmen.
And in their hands were cigars.
"You can't smoke those on campus! No — wait, before that, we're minors! Smoking isn't allowed at all!"
Watching Camibarez flutter her bat wings and lecture her juniors, Simon felt his chest tighten with pride.
Atta girl, Cami!
The girl who used to be so shy she could barely meet anyone's eyes was now standing up to a group of boys twice her size with genuine courage. Anyone who remembered how she'd been at the start of the semester would have been moved to tears.
Still silently cheering her on, Simon turned his attention to the three freshmen. They seemed somewhat taken aback by Camibarez's sudden appearance, awkwardly holding their cigars as they endured her scolding. Though from the look of it, the lecture wasn't exactly landing the way she'd hoped. Rather than being intimidated by the tiptoeing, squeaking senior, they were blushing and scratching the backs of their heads.
"Are you even listening to me?"
When she flung both arms up in a huff, the two freshmen in front flinched and glanced nervously at the one behind them. Back there stood a dark brown-haired boy, bigger than most second-years, regarding Camibarez with cold eyes.
"Sh... should we just go?"
"Y-yeah, let's! I think she's a senior."
The two murmured to each other, but the brown-haired boy simply smirked and stuck his cigar between his lips.
"I'll take one quick drag and head back quietly."
A low, overbearing voice, as if to say don't touch me.
But Camibarez didn't back down.
"No! Back to the Great Auditorium, right now! The entrance ceremony's about to start!"
She marched up to him and reached for the cigar in his mouth, but the boy dodged her arm with nothing more than a tilt of his head.
This little pest is getting on my nerves.
The brown-haired boy put on an openly defiant expression.
"Argh, seriously! I said I'd just smoke a little and go—!"
Mid-sentence, the boy froze. Camibarez, thinking her scolding was finally getting through, puffed herself up even further — but the freshman's gaze wasn't on her at all. It was fixed on something behind her.
Grrrrrrrrrr!
A blue-haired boy, half-hidden behind the wall, was staring at him with expressionless eyes. But for all the blankness of that face, the hand gripping the wall was trembling violently.
Crack—
Fissures spiderwebbed through the wall under his palm, dust crumbling to the ground.
Wh... who the hell is this guy?
Every instinct in the brown-haired freshman's body was screaming alarms. Those pupils brimmed with a chilling menace, like a beast baring its fangs in fury. Cold sweat trickled down the back of his neck. He'd prided himself on being the resident lunatic back home — but Kizen really did play in a different league.
That... that one's an actual maniac.
Gripped by terror, the brown-haired boy's mouth fell open, and the cigar slipped from his lips and dropped to the ground. Camibarez snatched it up and let out a piercing shriek.
"Back to the Great Auditorium, NOW!"
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
"We're so sorry!!"
The delinquent freshmen bolted for the Great Auditorium as fast as their legs would carry them. Once she'd watched them all the way inside, Camibarez pressed both hands to her chest and let out a long, relieved sigh.
"Hey, Cami."
Just then, a welcome voice came from behind her.
"Ah, Simon~!"
She turned to find Simon waving, wearing the gentlest smile in the world. She came scampering over like an excited puppy, the little bat wings on her back flapping in delighted little bursts.
"Did you see? Did you see? I sent the freshmen back!"
"I did! You were amazing, Cami."
The sight of Simon washed a fresh wave of relief over her, and she sighed softly once more.
"Honestly, I was scared the juniors wouldn't listen to me. Some of them are my age, you know... B-but I'm on the Student Council now! I might have to manage juniors, so I practiced scary expressions in my dorm mirror over and over!"
"Scary expressions?"
"Yes!"
She demonstrated her self-proclaimed "scary expression." Hands on her hips, brows furrowed, she declared:
"You can't do that!"
Simon's mind went briefly blank.
"Well? Scary, right?"
Scary he couldn't say — but her cuteness was quite possibly heart-stopping. Blushing furiously, Simon nodded again and again.
"That's our Cami! No wonder they ran."
"Really? Thank you, Simon. Ah!"
Camibarez's head whipped around. Two more freshmen — girls this time — were slinking out of the Great Auditorium.
"Simon! Duty calls!"
She thundered off toward them, shouting for them to get back inside. The two girls reluctantly trudged back toward the auditorium, and Camibarez came skidding back to Simon's side, eyes shining like a puppy expecting praise.
"Simon! I did it!"
This is genuinely doing a number on my heart.
Simon barely suppressed the overwhelming urge to ruffle her hair right then and there. At last, he could understand how Meilin felt — always grabbing Camibarez in a hug and clinging to her like glue.
But what she was after here wasn't so much cute as respected. As a senior, she deserved her dignity.
"I think you're going to be the best senior anyone's ever had, Cami."
At those words, she beamed like a flower in full bloom.
"Thank you, Simon!"
With some time still to spare before the ceremony, the two of them walked side by side, keeping a casual watch on the surroundings and chatting away. Simon told her about the kidnapping of Heidi back in Langestin, and she listened completely absorbed in his story.
"Ah!"
Camibarez's ears perked up.
"Someone's playing hooky again! I hear voices over there!"
"Let's take a look."
Hahahaha!
Tee-hee-hee!
Laughter drifted over from the side of the building — one man, two women. One of those laughs was, of all things, remarkably familiar. Simon slipped behind the wall and quietly poked his head out; Camibarez popped hers out right beneath his.
Three people sat on a bench. Between a second-year boy with a red badge pinned to his collar, two freshman girls were laughing raucously.
And the boy was none other than Dick.
"Ah, you kids enrolled at such an easy time. Back in my day, we had to survive the pre-exam curriculum, you know~"
"Oh my, the pre-exam?"
"What happened?"
"You don't know a Saintess infiltrated Kizen last year?"
The two freshmen clapped their hands over their mouths in shock.
"Th-that's terrifying! D-did you see her too, senior?"
"Of course I did!"
Dick puffed himself up self-importantly.
"She was absolutely terrifying. Loose white hair whipping everywhere, slitted eyes, and her mouth split open like a monster's, going RAAAAGH—"
"Kyaaaaaa!"
"The kids fled for their lives, but I didn't back down! The Saintess's goal was Kizen's downfall and the lives of every first-year. I strode right up to her, drew my sword, and shouted—!"
Just as Dick was deep into his wildly embellished tale, he froze mid-word.
"......"
"......"
Simon and Camibarez were glaring at him with eyes gone ice-cold. Sweat beaded down the back of Dick's neck.
"Ah, Simon! Cami! Hey there! Hahaha! So, this is, umm... you see..."
Simon pointed a finger toward the Great Auditorium.
"Freshmen. Back to the Great Auditorium. Now."
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Sorry!"
The startled girls scurried away. Once they were gone, Camibarez narrowed her eyes at Dick.
"Dick! I'm disappointed in you! Making things up to fool the juniors!"
Dick scratched his head sheepishly.
"Ahem, sorry. I was trying to play the part of the wise senior, and a little bit of bravado just slipped in, you know?"
"Save it."
Simon gave a wry smile.
"Even if other second-years get away with it, someone from our Student Council should have been sending them back."
"I know, I know. I apologize!"
Dick rose from the bench.
"Now! Come on, the meal's about to start. Let's hurry back and get ready!"
He shooed Simon and Camibarez along, pushing them by the shoulders.
By the time Simon returned to the Great Auditorium, people had packed the hall all the way up to the third floor. It was only fitting for one of Kizen's grandest occasions.
On the ground floor, freshmen in their crisp new uniforms glanced around with flushed, excited faces. Simon understood exactly how they felt, and smiled quietly to himself.
The seats for Simon and the Student Council officers were at the very front of the first floor. Meilin, who had settled in first and was waiting for the rest of them, waved. "Over here~!"
"How's the ceremony prep going?" Simon asked, taking the seat beside her.
"Perfect, obviously! Who do you think I am?"
She swept her hair back with a smug little flourish, then rested both hands on her knees and gazed at the stage with sparkling eyes.
"I can't wait. Our Student Council's first-ever event is about to begin!"
"I hope everyone enjoys it!" added Camibarez.
Pop!
Pssht!
One by one, the auditorium's lights began to go out. Hanchimen serving directly under the Student Council, acting on Meilin's orders, swiftly drew the curtains across the windows, and the hall was plunged into darkness so deep that nothing a hand's width away could be seen.
Even the murmur of the crowd fell silent.
Moments later, a cascade of light bloomed atop the stage. The lights spread and assembled themselves into countless shapes, putting on a dazzling spectacle like a fireworks display.
FWOOSH!
Then, in the air above the center of the stage, a jet-black flame roared upward. From within it, scraps like pieces of paper rained down, then gathered and snapped together in midair, arranging themselves into letters.
Welcome to Kizen!
The first-years — still giddy from changing into their new uniforms — erupted in awed gasps. Meilin clapped along, giggling.
"Honestly, that man. He just loves this sort of thing."
Soon the lights around the hall brightened one by one, the stage curtains swayed, and a man stepped into view.
Ahem—
A tall man in a fine suit and a top hat bowed with gentlemanly grace.
"Welcome, everyone! I have the distinct honor of serving as Master of Ceremonies for Kizen's entrance ceremony! I am Seywir Griezmann!"
"It's Seywir!!"
As one of the hottest stars in Langestin these days, he was greeted with roaring cheers from the freshmen.
When Seywir spread his arms wide in a grand gesture, flower bombs burst in that direction with a resounding pop, showering petals down over the stage.
WAAAAAH—!
Seywir soaked in every moment of it, overcome with emotion. To receive cheers he'd never gotten even in his necromancer days — and here of all places, in Kizen, the heart of the necromancer world, and as a mere MC, no less — the irony was not lost on him.
His gaze drifted toward Simon and the Student Council members applauding in the front row. For the people who had forgiven his grave mistakes and given him a second chance, he fully intended to give everything he had to this stage.
"And now — let the Kizen entrance ceremony begin!"
Seywir's emceeing exceeded all expectations. He kept what could easily have become a stiff, formal affair light and lively with his silken banter and quick humor, and conjured special effects all across the hall with his own abilities, leaving no room for a dull moment. The fact that they'd brought in the trendiest star of the day left the freshmen utterly delighted.
"Simon, it's almost time to get ready for the Student Council President's inauguration."
Dick stood up from his seat.
"It starts right after the freshman pledge. I'll head up to the second floor and wait."
"Got it."
The speeches from outside dignitaries were wrapping up quickly, and soon the pledge Dick had mentioned was at hand.
"Our gratitude to the Elder for those wonderful words! Do keep them engraved upon your hearts! Now, next up is the pledge by the representative of the incoming freshman class! All freshmen, please rise from your seats!"
The first-years rose. At that moment, Simon slipped off to the side to prepare for the inauguration ceremony as well.
Come to think of it...
Simon paused mid-stride and glanced back.
Maybe I should stay long enough to see who Special Admission No. 1 is.
"Now then! The named students, please make your way up to the stage!"
Just then, the buzz of the freshmen's whispers reached Simon's ears.
"Special Admission No. 1 has to be the 'Mercenary King,' right?"
"Yeah, no doubt about it."
"I'm curious who No. 2 is, though. There's someone from the Kagrek family, and Princess Molly too."
Seywir, MC's list unfurled in his hand, opened his mouth.
"Special Admission No. 2 — Arthur Bleman!"
Murmur, murmur, murmur!
A wave of stunned whispering crashed from every direction. The Mercenary King, whom everyone had assumed would be No. 1, was No. 2.
Then who on earth was No. 1?
"Ah."
Just then, Simon spotted a familiar brown-haired girl already rising from her seat. She was looking at him, too.
Hey there, Simon Oppa.
Her eyes curved into a bright smile. Then came Seywir's resounding call.
"Special Admission No. 1 — Sasha Andrasil! Please come up to the stage!!"