Special Admission No. 1 and the Last-Train Princess
'Special Admission No. 1, Sasha Andrasil.'
A complete enigma — a presence whose latent talent could not begin to be measured. On paper, in classwork and theory, she showed every sign of a typical struggling novice necromancer, and yet in live combat she was uncannily brilliant. Even in the duel evaluations, she had been relentlessly overwhelming students from the upper squads.
More than a few of the elders remarked that she brought to mind last year's Special Admission No. 1 — Simon Polentia.
"……"
Sasha stared down at the fallen Molly with a blank expression, then held out a hand and said, "You okay?"
Molly's nose stung, but thankfully she wasn't bleeding. She nodded and pressed both palms to the ground. "I can get up on my own…… Kyaaak?!"
Suddenly something shoved hard against her back, and her body was half-forced upright. Her hand landed, quite by accident, in Sasha's outstretched one.
"Good, then."
With that curt remark, Sasha dropped Molly's hand and looked away. Molly hastily twisted around to see what had pushed her.
A plant?
Vines had spread across the floor and hoisted her up.
Dark magic potent enough to raise a person to their feet with a plant.
Aaang—
When she turned her head back, Sasha had her mouth stretched wide open toward an enormous three-tier cake.
Despite her demure appearance, her jaws opened impossibly wide and she was tearing through the cake with monstrous abandon, chomping away without pause.
'Wh-what.'
Molly could only stare, transfixed, as the massive three-tier cake vanished in the blink of an eye. Sasha, her mouth smeared with cake cream, reached out an arm and picked up a drumstick from a plate.
Chomp—chomp—she cleared away the food like some starving bandit, without a shred of dignity about her.
"What are you looking at?"
Sasha asked between frantic mouthfuls. Molly, who had been slightly frozen by the weight of the name Special Admission No. 1, turned her head away.
'Wh-what kind of club is this?'
The Gourmet Club was running a street-food stall out of its booth. Beyond Sasha, other students sat in chairs, laughing and chattering as they ate.
"Want some?"
Swish!
A drumstick stopped dead in front of Molly's throat like the tip of a blade. Molly stared at it, pupils trembling.
"For the apple you gave me earlier. My treat."
"……"
Molly's brows instinctively drew together. Holding a drumstick bare-handed like that and offering it to another person?
She tried her best to mingle with commoners without prejudice, but this wasn't a matter of rank — hadn't basic courtesy between one human being and another just been violated?
Besides, for Molly, who had eaten nothing but royal court cuisine her entire life, street food held precious little appeal.
That yellow sauce, that red sauce, and some strange powder. It looked violently spicy, salty, and overwhelming.
Worst of all, the hygiene was appalling.
"I'm…… not hungry."
"Oh, really?"
Sasha whipped the drumstick back into her own mouth in an instant, tore off a rough bite, and said, "You've got one of those blue-blooded faces, don't you."
"……!"
Molly's forehead creased faintly.
"Are you picking a fight with me right now?"
"I can't understand refusing food just because you've 'lost your appetite.'"
She gnawed at the drumstick as she spoke.
"I ate everything to survive. Dug through garbage cans, chewed on shoe leather, drank water pooled on rooftops."
A thick, meaty drumstick vanished from her mouth in moments, leaving behind nothing but gleaming white bone.
"When a moldy scrap of bread was rolling around on the ground, I cried to the heavens in gratitude — thought, this could buy me two more days of life. Ever since then I've never once turned down food. Whatever it is, I just eat it, thankful."
"……"
Molly bit down hard on her lower lip.
That very moment — as Sasha reached for the next drumstick —
Whap!
Molly snatched it away with a sullen expression, squeezed her eyes shut, and took a bite of the meat. The texture of the thick flesh hit her tongue, and fiery, salty spices flooded her entire mouth.
'I knew it tastes awful!'
Molly wailed internally. Sasha giggled at the sight.
"You didn't have to force yourself, you know."
"The hunger and starvation of the people is the crown's responsibility."
Molly said it through gritted teeth, chewing right down to the bone. "This alone cannot soothe your pain, but the path our royal house must walk is—"
"I'm from the Neutral Zone."
At those words, Molly's mouth fell wide open.
Only then did her nose begin to sting with belated embarrassment.
"Wh-what's wrong with you! Are you telling me you tested me on purpose just because I'm Dresden royalty, not a commoner?"
"Why would I do that?"
Sasha smirked. "Oh — that blue-blooded face. Now I remember. Molly Dresden. The Last-Train Special Admission No. 10."
Molly's entire face went scarlet.
"Wh-who-who's a last-train admit?!"
"That's what people call Special Admission No. 10, isn't it?"
"How dare you!"
"Whoa, royal speech at Kizen. Poor adaptability, maybe?"
"You! So you WERE trying to make fun of me from the start!"
Molly huffed and glared at her.
However much Kizen preached equality beyond rank and pedigree, Molly was, after all, royalty of an entire nation.
No one had the gall to say 'Last-Train Princess' to her face, but hearing it said outright, to her face, was a colossal shock.
"Thank you for the meal."
With that, Sasha hopped down from her tall chair.
"The Ultimate Gourmet Challenge full set — I finished all of it, so it's free, right?"
"Wow! You actually ate that entire amount!"
The 2nd-year club president who'd been manning the grill came dashing over. "You're the finest talent I've ever seen! Won't you join our club? If you make it to 2nd year, I'll even promise you the presidency—"
"I'm sorry, senpai."
Sasha lowered her head slightly.
"There's already a club I want to join."
"Ah, hahaha! I see. What a shame, though."
Clicking his tongue in pure disappointment, the Gourmet Club president shuffled back to his stall.
Just as Sasha unfolded the booth directory from her pocket—
"Apologize!"
Molly protested, bristling.
"For what?"
"You insulted me by calling me a last-train admit!"
"Oh, get over it. So petty."
"Pe-petty?! Apologize for that too!"
"Everyone calls you that behind your back anyway. Last-Train Princess."
"KYAAAAAAAK!"
Molly had gotten into Kizen through special admission, become a necromancer at the school of her dreams — and this was her one and only sore spot.
The fact that she'd drawn the lowest number of all: No. 10.
At first the happiness of just getting into Kizen had drowned out any thought of it, but lately the number was starting to gnaw at her.
Because this made it feel exactly like—
—like Kizen had quietly granted her a diplomatic courtesy for the sake of the crown.
Revered Lady Nephthys! Why am I No. 10, while a girl like THAT gets to be No. 1?!
She was half-tempted to march straight up and lodge a formal complaint with Nephthys herself.
Granted, Molly had been rather late to open her core — but then again, the student council president she admired most, Simon, and even this very Sasha, Special Admission No. 1, were both known to have opened theirs late too.
"Apologize right now!"
"Fine. Sorry."
"Pro-Properly! Say it like you mean it!"
"What kind of logic orders someone to apologize and then demands sincerity?"
GGRRRRAAAH!
Molly's face flushed to its absolute limit as she bellowed, "I will never, ever forget this humiliation! Do you know that the one who laughs last is the true winner? When we're 2nd-years, the top rank will be MINE!"
The corner of Sasha's mouth lifted slightly.
"Be grateful if you even hold onto a Top 10 spot."
As the two glared at each other, an invisible current crackled between their eyes.
Then, with twin huffs, they each snapped their heads away and opened their booth guides.
Thud. Thud.
Reading the same booth directory, the two began walking — at exactly the same time, in exactly the same direction.
Even after passing through the alley, the two were still walking in perfect step.
"Stop following me,"
said Sasha.
"YOU'RE following ME!"
shot back Molly.
At last they reached their destination, and the two stopped in their tracks at the very same moment.
The Mutant Club >
A bead of sweat trickled down Molly's face.
Whoa, this place is packed?
She'd assumed a summoning-department club would be quiet, but quite a crowd had turned out.
And at the very center of it all—
"The Student Council President, everyone!"
—was Simon, handing out flyers personally with a sheepish grin, and his presence was absolutely overwhelming.
"Ahaha, there's plenty for everyone, so no fighting over them."
"Two for me, please!"
"Sign my flyer!"
Was this a club recruitment booth, or a Simon Polentia fan club? His popularity — man and woman alike — ran deep among the freshmen, thanks to the legend of his rescue of the new admissions.
"……It can really happen this easily? After everything I've worked for……"
Membership forms were piling up, but the bespectacled club president looked less than delighted — if anything, he seemed sunk in a profound despair.
"Ah, hello there! Freshmen!"
As the two of them stood dithering, Toto came shuffling over nervously. "W-would you like to…… take a flyer? Of course, no pressure — only if you're okay with it!"
"Thank you."
Molly accepted it graciously with both hands, wearing a lovely smile. Sasha gave a small nod, took a flyer, and skimmed it.
- A necromancy research society, but any summon with personality is welcome.
- Current roster includes: Simon Polentia.
Having finished reading the flyer, Sasha looked up. "Excuse me, ma'am — is this club open only to summoning majors?"
"Wh-wh-wh-WHAT, ma'am?!"
Toto recoiled in shock and hastily covered his body, cowering. "I'm a man!"
"Oh. My apologies."
Sasha tossed it off as if gender were of no interest to her whatsoever, and walked on. Then she glanced back at Molly. "Molly. Are you joining this club too?"
Molly replied with the same sullen expression. "What's it to you?"
"Nothing, really."
Sasha said coldly, and kept walking.
Molly hurried to follow — when—
?
The girly-looking senpai from earlier was lying flat on the ground.
"I-I apologize for my rudeness! Your Highness the Princess? Or Your Highness? Whichever — I simply failed to recognize—"
"It's fine! Please don't do that at Kizen, senpai."
As Molly, alarmed, helped Toto to his feet, Sasha walked straight up to a certain someone and beamed.
"Hi there? Simon oppa!"
!
The boisterous surroundings fell into an icy, breath-held silence in an instant.
The freshmen crowded around Simon whirled around in horror, their faces screaming, Is she insane?
And yet.
Simon, looking at Sasha, was smiling brightly.
"Sasha! Glad you're here!"
He's actually taking it?
Sasha pushed straight through the stunned freshmen and grabbed his arm.
"I want to join your club too, Simon oppa."
"Oh, you do? Honestly, having you in would be a huge comfort to me."
"I just write my name on the membership form, right?"
"Hold it, hold it, HOLD IIIIT!"
Face burning crimson, Molly shoved Sasha sideways out of the way.
"What is the meaning of this disrespect! Addressing the Student Council President as o-oo-oo-OPPA? You're not some snot-nosed seven-or-eight-year-old!"
Sasha gave a soft laugh. "What's it to you? I've called him that forever."
Throwing Molly's own words right back at her, Sasha looked up at Simon. Right? Simon nodded and ruffled her hair like an older brother dealing with a beloved little sister.
"Sasha, I hear your puberty hit hard. True story?"
"Camille unni told you that?"
"No comment."
Sasha giggled — hehe — and for a moment the smile on her face was nothing more than that of an ordinary girl her age, one she hadn't shown at all earlier.
Ah.
These two.
They were unbelievably close.
"Princess Molly, welcome!"
While Sasha was signing the membership form, Simon came over to Molly. "Thank you so much for helping during the Tarados incident, Your Highness! Came to have a look at our booth?"
"Student Council President."
Her voice suddenly dropped low and heavy, and Simon blinked. "Yes? Please, go ahead, Your Highness."
"W-we're at Kizen now, so……"
Her face had somehow gone bright red. She lowered her gaze shyly and said,
"……Could you just call me Molly from now on?"