I Shouldn't Have Peeked
The Imperial Academy's curriculum was, if I had to compare it to something from my past life, much like a typical university. Aside from a few mandatory lectures, you could take any courses you wanted within a certain credit range. The main differences were the strict separation between martial and magic departments, plus rigid grade restrictions. Naturally, this led to frequent gaps in the schedule.
Most students spent those empty periods in the library, training grounds, or club rooms. In that sense... I was in a rather unusual position among the club advisors. What made me stand out was how often I dropped by the club room. It served as a lounge and social hub, much like a college clubroom in my previous life. For the children of nobles, it doubled as a salon, so it might even have been more important than back then.
Imagine a professor—especially an active-duty officer who might one day be their superior—popping in unannounced. How awkward would the atmosphere get? Professors had a reputation as heartless creatures oblivious to students' feelings, but even they had a modicum of tact. Most were nobles themselves, and some were even academy graduates.
So why did I keep visiting, knowing full well how it looked? To accommodate the club members' requests, that's why. Riley's case went without saying. Sure, she'd been egged on by some shadowy manipulator, but joining the academy had been largely for her country's sake. As for Beni... she was the type who cherished every single acquaintance like they were irreplaceable. She wasn't great with words and got nervous easily, but she didn't seem to hate interacting with people.
She enjoyed talking to others but just wasn't good at it—an unfortunate mismatch of hobby and talent, you might say. Riley was always around, but as I'd mentioned, classes were elective, and their majors differed, so their schedules often clashed. That left Beni alone in the empty club room, which seemed pretty tough on her. She even overcame the barrier of me being an active soldier and faculty member just to beg for someone to chat with.
Come to think of it, last time she'd complained that the library was too quiet to focus. The academy library maintained a constant chill by clashing mana to freeze the space. It was a hit with studious types, but not everyone vibed with it. Plenty of people concentrated better amid a bit of background noise. If I'd been in her shoes, it wouldn't have been the silence—it would've been the overwhelming excitement I couldn't contain...
Not that the library matters right now.
Before I knew it, I'd reached the Cultural Exploration Club room and stopped in my tracks. I raised my hand to knock, peering inside first. The door had a glass panel for visibility, though a small curtain hung for privacy. Neither Riley nor Beni bothered much with it. What they did in there was just sit around and chat, anyway. Oh, and occasionally Riley would whip up ice cream with her new toy and share it—that was about it.
Nothing different today, I figured. Riley was off at her bare-handed combat lecture, so Beni would be studying quietly alone.
"...?"
As I checked, my eyes met Beni's—right in the middle of doing the Omani-kko dance in one corner of the room.
Silence stretched out. Physically quiet, and my brain circuits froze solid.
What the hell? No, seriously, what the actual fuck?
'Okay, calm down first...'
Logically, no one would pull that in a place where anyone could see. Riley might get away with crazy stunts, but this was timid little Beni. I had to be mistaken, seeing things wrong. I tamped down my shock and calmly scanned the room. Assess the situation first.
Beni stood in front of a desk, hunched awkwardly, arms outstretched gripping it with both hands. Not so much gripping as propping herself to avoid toppling forward—yeah, that fit better. Knees bent mid-squat, legs splayed wide, heels slightly raised in a precarious pose. And in that position, she twisted her hips vigorously back and forth—wait, why does it still look like the Omani-kko dance no matter how I squint?
"...".
"...".
The silence dragged on. Finally, I tapped the door lightly with the cane in my right hand. Blue aura bloomed from my forearm, coiling around the cane and seeping through the crack.
"At ease. Sorry to barge in."
Whoosh. The blue serpent slithered up the door's far side, drawing the hallway-connecting curtain shut. Beni vanished from view.
"L-Lieutenant?! No, it's not something weird...!"
A clatter erupted inside, and the door flew open with a bang. Beni, who'd flung it wide, was beet red, her face oddly damp. The air around her felt steamy—not cold sweat.
"No need to explain. You're at that vigorous age..."
"It's really not! I was just practicing for riding class because it's so hard...!"
"...Ah."
Horseback riding practice. Made sense—it was a similar stance. No wonder terms like cowgirl or riding position existed. Only then could I exhale in relief. I'd worried her ironclad virtue had crumbled into secret vulgar dances where anyone might walk in. One pervert in the club was enough—me.
"Still... that's a pretty unique training method, isn't it? How'd you end up doing that?"
"Uh, w-well, you see..."
× Croi-Treta United Kingdom Second Princess Saki Barina.
Visiting a training ground with a few retainers for magic practice, she spotted a female student sprawled on the floor.
'That 4th Circle commoner?'
The academy's official uniform was rarely seen due to lax plainclothes rules. Soft, bright blonde hair tied in low twintails. She'd been a murmur since enrollment, but the recent incident—though Beni hadn't hidden her skills—had spread her name further. Saki, who'd briefly harbored vile thoughts like 'A mere commoner surpassing me?', certainly hadn't forgotten her.
"Hey, commoner! Our princess is using the training ground now!"
One girl behind the princess strode forward, jabbing a finger at Beni.
"Get out of the... Gyaack?!"
...She didn't finish before a whip from Saki's sleeve lashed her, sending her tumbling.
Not your standard riding crop—it could stretch to adult height.
"...Ugh?"
As the whip slithered back like a snake, Beni lifted only her head from her prone position, eyeing her new floor-rolling companion. A familiar white twintail caught her eye. Then she shifted gaze to the princess.
"P-Princess?!"
"...You can stay down. It's fine."
Realizing belatedly, Beni tried scrambling up, but her legs buckled, and she plopped back. Saki waved it off—her hand had moved on instinct.
'Can't even stand properly, yet she panics like that...'
And she'd seriously envied this airhead? The sloppy sight drew an involuntary chuckle.
"But is that girl okay? I heard a hit just now..."
"Don't worry. I whipped her."
"...Huh?"
"Just giving her a scolding for talking smack to Miss Beni."
Beni glanced worriedly at the girl.
"Y-You didn't have to go that far..."
"It covers her past mistakes too—no need to feel burdened."
"Past mistakes..."
Beni murmured it, then ventured cautiously:
"Um... could you maybe forgive her a little? For whatever happened before, Riley probably doesn't even care anymore..."
Wrong was wrong, but constant whippings for every gap seemed excessive. Overstepping or not, she had to try. Beni wasn't the one scolded anyway, so she might lack standing to beg forgiveness...
"...Hmm."
Saki's reaction was oddly neutral—not accepting, not annoyed. Just perplexed, like she didn't know what to do.
"Not that—it was recent. She got caught illegal gambling by Lieutenant Konstantia."
"Oh... uh..."
So that's who. I'd heard via Riley but hadn't checked names.
"Anyway, why are you here, Miss Beni?"
"Ah, well..."
Beni smiled awkwardly, explaining roughly. She knew mounted combat wasn't easy, but even basic mounting and walking was brutally hard—beyond imagination. To build stamina, she'd run alone, then rested here. Makes sense; riding's no cakewalk for newbies.
Saki nodded, convinced.
Some might think clinging tight works. Not wrong... if you sacrificed spine and pelvis. Slow walks? Maybe. But at trot speed, rider and horse must sync perfectly, or pain ensues. For the rider, it's endless mini-squats. Beginners tire fast—especially klutzy ones like Beni.
"Building stamina's good, essential even, but targeting specific muscles would help more. Immediate results, too."
Her effort was admirable, so Saki offered advice.
"Specific muscles?"
"Riding isn't that taxing overall. People wouldn't bother otherwise. Lack of finesse plays in, but unused muscles are the real issue."
Train those, and it's more efficient than blind running. Beni beamed, nodding vigorously.
"Thank you, Princess! I'll train hard as you advised and get great results—ah!"
"Yes. I'll look forward to it."
Saki smiled warmly. If she'd known Beni—ignorant of targeted exercises—would ape the form blindly, it'd never have been that wholesome grin.