The Top 10 Assemble
Simon brought the transfer students to the Student Council Room.
The moment they stepped inside, everyone let out a small gasp and began looking around in wonder.
"So this is Kizen's Student Council Room! It's dazzling in here!"
"At our school, they just stuck a sign reading 'Student Council' on an empty lecture hall."
"That's usually how it goes."
Camibarez, acting as secretary, sprang into action, ushering the transfer students onto the guest sofas and serving them tea. One sip in, another round of admiring sighs rose up.
But the peaceful tea time didn't last long. With twelve people crammed into a single room, a lively buzz soon took over, and students with common interests began breaking off into groups to trade stories.
"Vice President! That dark flame barrier you used in today's match was amazing."
Zetz, Sierra's representative, had struck up a conversation with Mayrin, who gave a haughty sniff.
"At least you've got an eye for quality."
"Improvising a fusion of pure magic and dark magic on the spot to counter your opponent—that was genuinely impressive."
"And you're an Original user, aren't you?"
"I am. Which means my repertoire is a bit narrow."
Zetz conjured a flickering green flame in his palm, and Mayrin's expression turned serious.
"Being an Original isn't automatically a good thing. In my opinion, the best approach is to build your foundation on versatile department classes, then branch out and customize them to fit who you are."
"Sure, that's the orthodox path. But isn't it cooler—more romantic—to become the absolute best with your own signature technique?"
"Does romance pay the bills?"
Camibarez, meanwhile, was chatting with Alizarin, whom she'd faced in today's match. Naturally, the main topic was blood.
"I want to apologize again for the way I spoke about you—about the Urschel family. People tell me I'm... rather twisted, personality-wise."
"Oh, no, no! It's fine, really! The dark magic that moves things with blood was incredible!"
"Want me to teach you?"
Simon sat alone at the President's seat at the back of the room, sipping his tea.
He was watching with satisfaction as the council members got along with the transfer students when Dick barged in with a loud 'Hey! Simon!'
"Been keeping busy?"
Dick threw a friendly headlock around Simon's neck.
"Three wins in the Transfer Evaluation Matches, huh? You never disappoint!"
"...My head hurts, Dick."
"Anyway, check out who showed up."
Dick gestured with his eyes toward one of the students.
A buzz-cut, powerfully built boy was turning his head with an awkward, sheepish expression. He was one of the male students from Aland who'd come in alongside Benz.
"Remember him? Little Rikon! Class B back in first year!"
"...Huh?"
According to Dick, Rikon had originally been a Kizen student—and not just any student, but the ace of the Summoning Department's Class B.
But he'd failed the very first exam of second semester and thrown a tantrum over it.
This has to be some kind of mistake! The evaluation says my performance was fine, and I ranked in the top hundred overall—why would they cast me out?
He raged and refused to accept it, until Bahil, who had been the Class B homeroom professor, subdued him.
And then, an unexpected turn of events unfolded.
Rikon is a perfectly decent talent. A school at the level of Moiran would gladly take him. Whether he pulls himself together there, rises to the top of his class, and returns to Kizen as a transfer student—or simply collapses—depends entirely on his own mindset.
Rikon took those words to heart and entered Moiran, where he worked like a man possessed. In the process, he awakened to a new talent: curses.
When Bahil heard about it, he transferred Rikon to Aland, where one of his own direct protégés was stationed—for learning curses, Aland's infrastructure was far superior to Moiran's.
There, Rikon climbed his way to the top of the Curse Department, and now he had finally arrived at Kizen as a transfer student.
"Talk about a human victory, right?"
Dick laughed heartily and clapped Rikon on the shoulder.
"Started as a Kizen freshman, then conquered Moiran, then conquered Aland, and now back to Kizen! He clawed his way up from the very bottom of hell!"
"Quit it. You're embarrassing me."
Hearing the whole story, Simon realized that even though he'd only seen the boy once, he did remember that face.
Back in first year, the kid had sported a bowl cut—and now his hair was cropped short and he'd shot up in height, which was why Simon hadn't recognized him at first.
"Anyway."
Simon smiled warmly.
"Welcome back to Kizen, Rikon."
At those words, Rikon's nose wrinkled, and the rims of his eyes turned red. Seeing it, Dick grinned slyly.
"Ohhh, he's gonna cry! Are you crying, buddy? Hey, everyone~"
"Don't you dare!"
HAHAHAHAHA!
Everyone who'd been listening to Rikon's saga burst out laughing.
Rikon hastily wiped his eyes with his sleeve and let out a great whoosh of breath, his face a tangle of conflicting emotions.
With that, tea time came to a close. Dick hauled in a blackboard on wheels and explained Kizen's systems and rules to the transfer students, along with the details of exams and practical assessments.
"What you're all most curious about is probably classes, right? You'll be enrolled in all the mandatory courses for your major, and for electives, you'll mostly be placed into classes with open seats. The school will have a clean, tidy schedule drawn up for you by tomorrow morning, so all you have to do is follow it. Any questions?"
One of the transfer students raised a hand.
"I want to take Professor Bahil's class."
"Ah, sorry—classes with the star professors fill up instantly, no exceptions. Even current students went through absolute hell to register. If you're not in that major, give up the dream."
The transfer student lowered his hand, crestfallen. Dick picked up a piece of chalk and marked a check on the blackboard.
"General elective subjects are the one area where you can freely choose, and registration stays open until the end of this week. Eight courses max. It's true you're starting at a bit of a disadvantage as transfer students—but the seats were already full, so there's nothing we can do about it."
The transfer students nodded. Honestly, they considered themselves lucky simply to have been accepted into Kizen at all.
"And that's it from me!"
Dick set down the chalk and continued.
"Oh, right—our Vice President apparently has something to say. Go ahead?"
"......Don't be a smartass, Dick."
Mayrin shot Dick a withering glare, then rose from her seat. Dick stepped aside, and she moved to stand before the blackboard.
"Nothing major."
She cleared her throat.
"Kizen looks impressive from the outside, I know. But it's still a place where people live, and where people live, the same old problems crop up. There are plenty of jerks here—territorial squabbling, ostracism, bullying. All of that can happen."
The transfer students' expressions hardened.
"But don't let it scare you too much."
Mayrin placed her hands on her hips.
"Our school doesn't really have a concept of 'transfers,' so when someone new arrives, everyone's genuinely glad to have them. And if you do run into a problem, come to the Student Council anytime. We'll help you."
"Understood."
"Thank you."
Mayrin puffed up her shoulders with pride.
"Fundamentally, this school is a strict meritocracy. Perform well, and the students here will acknowledge you in no time. Oh! And the third-year seniors are often out on external duties, so you won't cross paths with them often—but as long as you show basic courtesy, they won't give you any trouble. That's all from me."
The transfer students burst into applause, and Mayrin returned to her seat with a light laugh.
That should be everything the Student Council needed to do.
Simon, still seated at the President's desk, checked the clock.
The kids are running late, huh......
KWAANG!
Speak of the ogre and he shall appear. The doors of the Student Council Room burst open on both sides, and a massive leg thrust its way through.
The leg soon withdrew, followed by heavy, thundering footsteps. The transfer students stared ahead with faces drawn taut with extreme tension.
"......Those damn Student Council brats, getting cocky."
A man of enormous frame strode in, radiating displeasure from every pore.
"Who do you people think you are, summoning the department representatives around like errand boys on the broadcast?"
The 2nd-year Summoning Department representative. Rank 3 overall.
Hector Moore.
"HaaAAAAAM—"
Beside him came a long, drawn-out yawn. A tall girl with light green hair was rubbing her drowsy eyes.
"We just wrapped up an inspection and I'm dead tired, so why the hell did you call us?"
The 2nd-year Deadly Poison Department representative, Rank 6 overall—Merdiana N Sudden Death.
"......Cooool—"
And next to her was a girl who was actually asleep. Wrapped in a blanket like a robe, her head was nodding lower and lower.
The 2nd-year Curse Department representative. Rank 4 overall.
And the younger sister of former Student Council President 'Phantassus'—Merida Hugh Ikel.
"You idiots! Who do you think you are, yelling at the Student Council like that?"
Bursting out with a shriek was a petite girl with twin braids, an oversized white uniform draped over her shoulders.
"When the Student Council calls, you come running, pronto! That's just how it works! You think you'd have gotten away with acting this cocky if it were the third-year council calling you?"
After chewing out the other department representatives, the girl snuck a glance back at Simon and winked.
The 2nd-year Spirit Studies Department representative, Rank 7—Elisa Celine of the Ghost Ship.
"President, are you hungry? Want me to buy you some bread?"
"......I'm fine."
"I won't take no for an answer! We're comrades who take the same Sovereignty class, after all!"
Simon gave an awkward smile. What on earth was she buttering him up for?
Behind them, more and more big-name students continued filing in.
Dark Dynamics representative, second seat. Chatel Maer.
Hemomancy representative, Rank 9, Elysia Rosenfelt.
Battle Magic representative, Rank 10, the Demon Sword user Juhl Vincere.
Kizen's famous 'Top 10' had gathered in one place.
Every one of them was a name or family that even the transfer students had heard of at least once, and their eyes were practically spinning in their sockets.
"Good to see you all. I know you're tired, so thank you for coming right away."
And Simon, seated at the President's desk, welcomed them.
The one who commanded the seven departments and served as the bridge between the student body and Headmistress Nephthys—the Student Council President.
The transfer students gazed at him with shining eyes.
He's completely composed and confident in front of a lineup like this.
That's our President for you.
Simon spoke.
"I called you all here because of the transfer students."
"Right, we heard they'd arrived."
Hector furrowed his brow in displeasure.
"Then the Student Council should've whisked them straight off to their dormitories. Why go to the trouble of convening the department representatives to go pick them up?"
"Whine whine whine~ Waaah~ Here we go again."
Dick rose from his seat to provide covering fire.
"You haven't changed a bit since first year. We're following proper procedure—what's with all the complaints? You really must flaunt that expensive pedigree, don't you, young master of the Moore family?"
Hector's glowering eyes shifted toward Dick.
"This is no place for the likes of you to butt in, Rank 400."
Mayrin let out a stifled snort of laughter. Dick's face flushed a little at having his sore spot hit, but he quickly recovered his composure.
"Oh, and one more thing—so we're clear, it was Professor Jane's order to summon you."
This time it was Hector who flinched.
"Are you defying Professor Jane right now? Huh? You see this Memorial Crystal, don't you? Go ahead. Try cursing. Go on. Can't do it? Not a word, is that it? Endlessly polite in front of the adults, but tyrannical toward the students. A textbook case of 'strong to the weak, weak to the strong.' People like you are the most hypocritical of all. You know that?"
Fire lit in Hector's eyes.
"......Did latching onto Simon Polentia and landing yourself a position swell that pea-sized head of yours?"
"You're the one who sucked up to the third-years and snatched a department representative seat just to stand against Simon Polentia. That's rich coming from you."
"......Don't think that power will last forever. The moment Senior Eisel returns, I'll start by twisting off your neck."
"Ooh~ I like that. If you're going to twist it, why not do it right now? Can't, can you? No, you can't. So why exactly are you waiting until I step down from the Student Council? Because you're a textbook coward who's strong to the weak and weak to the strong, that's why! Honestly, watching a guy like this play alley boss with his little gang of lackeys is laughable enough to make me—"
Simon sighed and rose from his seat.
"That's enough. Both of you, calm down."
The two over-heated combatants glared at each other with murderous eyes.
The transfer students were utterly lost in the suddenly hostile atmosphere, darting nervous glances all around, while the other department representatives yawned and looked supremely indifferent to it all.
"If it's Professor Jane's order, then we follow it."
Elysia, Rank 9, spoke up.
"I'd appreciate it if we could proceed quickly, President."
"Yes, that's the plan."
Simon turned to the transfer students.
"The department representatives here will explain your department's rules, class content, and the supplies you'll need, then show you around the dormitory facilities. Mayrin has already submitted the paperwork for your outings, so if you need to purchase anything, you're free to head to Rochest this evening."
Simon smiled brightly.
"And of course, Rochest will be shown to you by the department representatives as well."
So that was the real reason they'd been called.
The department representatives smacked their lips in mild annoyance—but managing and protecting the students of their departments was, after all, part of their duty.
"And that's everything from me."
Simon smiled at the transfer students.
"I hope your first day at Kizen becomes a happy memory."
The transfer students rose from their seats and offered Simon their heartfelt thanks.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Late that night.
Jane's research office.
Darkness had fallen all around. Jane, who had been wrestling with paperwork by the light of a small desk lamp, set down her quill and heaved a long sigh.
Knock knock.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Professor Jane, the test results for student White have come in."
It was the voice of the Head Assistant, whom she'd put in charge of the task.
When Jane told her to enter, the Head Assistant respectfully opened the door, stepped inside, and stood before her desk.
"We commissioned a total of twelve component analyses—hair, skin, dark energy, blood, and more. The results just arrived."
Jane straightened in her chair and folded her hands together.
"And? What did they show?"