Last Class Standing - 5
They say that sometimes just watching someone eat is enough to fill you up. Either they dig in so heartily that the sight alone leaves you content, or the person eating is so lovely that merely looking at them brings a quiet joy. I had heard of such a realm existing, but I had never reached it myself.
And today, I stepped into a brand-new world.
They sure can eat.
Both Amelia and Olivia were putting away an absolute mountain of food. Amelia especially—it was a wonder how all of it fit into that small frame of hers.
Kids who eat this well…
And yet the best they had been getting was scraps of turnip. The older sister had even gone without so her little sister could eat…
From deep in my chest rose a wordless ache I could barely name. It was the first time I had felt anything like this since finding Yuris and Sophia starving to death in a back alley.
Olivia, bigger-built than Amelia, only ate faster the longer she went; she showed no sign of slowing. Meanwhile the food in front of them was steadily disappearing.
“Looks like we’ll need more.”
I stood to fetch more dishes, and Amelia shot to her feet after me in a panic.
“I-I’m fine! We’ve already eaten more than enough!”
“Your sister said she’s competing, didn’t she? She needs to eat her fill.”
I pressed Amelia’s shoulders back down and she sank into her seat, trembling.
Olivia simply stared at me with sparkling eyes at the news that more food was coming.
“Thang you shooo much!”
“…Sure.”
Her mouth was so full I couldn’t make out a word, but from the vibe I figured it was thanks. Even with an empty wallet, my friend still had manners in abundance.
I nodded to Olivia and quickly turned my back. If no one had been watching I might have shoved my fist into my mouth and wailed.
The Empire is sorry.
A society where even a commoner can succeed if they have talent. A society proud of its lively social mobility—wasn’t that the Kpelleofen Empire’s boast? And yet an Academy student, the very symbol of a capable commoner, was living like this.
It was the Empire’s sin. The Empire’s sin—and mine. If I had properly audited the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Relief, things never would have gotten this bad.
Swallowing the heavy feeling, I ordered a massive new round of food. This time I included dessert.
“Th-thank you soooo much…”
Watching Amelia tear up with a macaron in her mouth nearly made me cry too.
I’m so weak to this kind of thing.
Did these kids even know what happiness felt like?
Fortunately, it turned out I would not have to audit anyone down to their very souls.
Whether that was truly fortunate or not was debatable, but at least the Empire was not completely rotten.
“You have younger siblings?”
“Yes. Three more under Olivia.”
Whether a full stomach had loosened her nerves, or whether she had decided I was a nice person who gave food and so let her guard down, Amelia’s trembling had quieted quite a bit.
So when I carefully asked about their crushing poverty, she cautiously opened up. The money they received from the Academy was not small, but she sent every last coin to her siblings.
“They’re at the age where they’re growing fast, so they need a lot. And with Olivia enrolled now, we also have to hire someone to look after the little ones.”
The content of her words was anything but bright, yet Amelia’s face lit up at the thought of her siblings growing up healthy and strong.
A poor young head of household who starved herself to take care of her brothers and sisters. Damn it, I was so weak to this kind of thing.
“I-I’m sorry!”
Whatever she read in my expression made Amelia go deathly pale; she bowed so hard she nearly slammed her forehead into the table.
“I-I’m sorry for using money that should have gone to my studies on something else! But without me, my siblings have no real income…”
I squeezed my eyes shut at those words.
Saying that made it sound like I was interrogating her. A student was free to spend their scholarship or living stipend however they liked.
“Unnie didn’t do anything wrong!”
Ah.
Even the quiet Olivia had entered the fray. She must have found it impossible to stay still while her small, precious older sister trembled.
Olivia clung to Amelia—no, at that point it was more like she was cradling her in her arms—and even had tears welling up.
“I was the one who insisted we send the money! Unnie tried to stop me, but I made her!”
Please stop doing this to me. From a distance it looked like a noble was bullying two commoners. This was the kind of scene that belonged in a moral fable about good triumphing over evil.
No words came to me, so I simply stared blankly at the two poverty-stricken sisters. Before long Amelia was smacking Olivia’s back, scolding her for saying unnecessary things.
The Empire’s karmic burden…
If there had been a proper relief system so Amelia’s siblings could eat without worry, none of this would have happened in the first place.
A utopia was impossible, of course, but for now I decided to call it the Empire’s karmic burden.
“This isn’t something to blame anyone over. Quiet down.”
First I had to calm the two sisters who were actively chewing through my mental health in real time.
The story of them starving themselves to send money to their siblings was a beautiful tale worthy of commendation. What kind of deranged noble would hear it and shout, “How dare they privately spend the Empire’s money!”?
Even the Emperor, for all his deep suspicion of his retainers, possessed a genuine love for the common people. If anything, hearing that such a heartwarming story existed because of poor subjects would have him muttering “It is Our lack of virtue, Our lack of virtue” over and over.
Of course, “Our lack of virtue” was code for “I’m going to work my subordinates even harder,” but we would leave that aside.
“The moment the money reaches a student, it becomes the student’s money. Whether you give it to family or blow it on gambling, no one has any business interfering.”
Amelia nodded vigorously, looking relieved by my firm assurance.
“But the money is meant for the student… and yet the student ends up looking like this.”
She immediately stiffened again.
I was stuck. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Relief had already fulfilled their roles faithfully. They had given these sisters an appropriate support stipend, and the Academy’s delivery process had been flawless.
The problem was that the sisters, whom everyone had assumed were the final destination, turned out to be nothing more than a waystation. What could you do when every single coin that arrived was immediately sent somewhere else?
There’s no answer.
There was no way to help them like this. I could not order the departments that were already legally providing support to increase the amount, and even if I somehow managed to increase it, these sisters would just send the extra to their siblings as well.
So should I yell at them not to send money home? That felt wrong.
“Do you have a moment?”
After wrestling with it, one idea finally surfaced.
No matter how I looked at it, there was no other proper solution.
I was working after a light meal when Karl paid a visit. I had things to do, but nothing so urgent that I would send him away.
If anything, I was glad. It meant Karl was so smitten with me that he wanted to see me even knowing I was busy.
“Ah, Margeta, hello…?”
“Hello, Senior!”
But the combination I had never imagined left me blinking blankly.
The faces were not unfamiliar. Amelia was one of the relatively few commoner students and in the same year as me, so we had at least a nodding acquaintance. She had decent ability and a bright, diligent manner, so I had made a point of remembering her.
And Olivia was that same girl’s younger sister and also a commoner student, so I knew of her too. Her notes were a disaster, but she had entered the Academy on pure practical talent and ranked near the top. The head of the Discipline Committee had wanted her, but she stuck so closely to Amelia that they never managed to recruit her, or so I had heard.
“Hello, Amelia. Good to see you too, Olivia.”
The pairing was unexpected, but ignoring a greeting was rude—especially when the guests had been brought by Karl himself.
I offered them a light smile in welcome, then turned my gaze to Karl. He must have had a reason for bringing them, but I still wanted to hear it from him directly.
“You seem to know each other.”
“A little. I’m more surprised that you know these two, Karl.”
Karl laughed awkwardly at my words and rested a hand on Amelia’s and Olivia’s shoulders.
I felt a tiny bit put out. Putting his hands on other girls right in front of me? If it had been Lady Luise I might have understood, but still.
“I heard the Student Council is short on people.”
I hid my true feelings and nodded at Karl’s continuing words. The officer quota was only seven, so we had never had vacancies there, but the people who worked under the officers were always in short supply. The Student Council was not exactly a popular place, after all.
I looked back and forth between Amelia’s and Olivia’s faces. If he had brought these guests and started talking about the Student Council, the next words were obvious.
Not bad. Olivia was a talent the Discipline Committee head had wanted from the start, and Amelia also boasted excellent grades. Commoner students rarely lacked ability in the first place.
“We are short. Just two more and we would have some breathing room.”
“Perfect. What about these two?”
“Huh?”
“Hweh?”
The two of them looked more shocked than I did at Karl’s words.
So it was a unilateral decision.
Honestly, Karl. You could have at least explained it to them before coming. Doing it without the parties even knowing was a bit much.
His slightly clumsy air almost made me laugh, but there were eyes on us so I held it in. I could not turn Karl into a laughingstock in front of other people.
“The Student Council is always open.”
“Then all that remains is their willingness.”
Karl leaned in and whispered something short to the two of them—
“I’ll do it.”
“I’ll join!”
And just like that, we had new Student Council comrades.
I sometimes forget it myself, but my official reason for residing at the Academy is that I am an inspector. So of course I keep track of every bit of money and material consumed inside the Academy.
Thanks to that, I also knew about the Student Council’s extremely minor and meaningless privilege—one that most people outside the Student Council itself probably never even heard of.
“Student Council members may use campus facilities free of charge.”
“F-for free?”
“That’s right.”
“Th-then the cafeteria too…?”
“That’s right.”
At my whisper, Amelia and Olivia threw themselves into the Student Council with lightning speed.
Free use of campus facilities. It sounded grand, but in reality it was nothing special. How expensive could campus facilities even be?
Noble students naturally ignored it, and even ordinary commoner students received scholarships and stipends of various kinds, so they never gave the privilege a second glance. Telling someone with a wallet stuffed full of bills “Free vending-machine milk coffee!” was hardly going to make them care.
I never thought anyone would actually use it.
My tear ducts seemed to be working overtime today. Watching them cheerfully sign the documents Margeta handed over made my chest ache.
Giving them more money would only mean more money going to their siblings. This was better. Letting them eat as much as they wanted was the right call.
Honestly, they were human beings—of course they got hungry. They had eaten like there was no tomorrow when I treated them, and the moment they learned the cafeteria was free they looked like that again.
Poor kids.
I now had two more people I absolutely had to write recommendation letters for.