Entrance Ceremony (2)
Contrary to my worries, Vice President Han Seo-hee did not scold me any further. She simply offered me a gentle smile and spoke.
"Judging by that suitcase, it seems you were just about to check into the dormitory."
"Ah—y-yes!"
"If it isn't too forward of me, might I ask which dormitory you've been assigned to?"
"O-of course! I'm in Lily Hall!"
Private Acacia Academy had three dormitories in total.
Acacia Hall to the east, Hydrangea Hall to the west, and Lily Hall, tucked away at the northern rear of the academy grounds.
Acacia Hall, which shared its name with the academy itself, housed the highest-ranking students. It was home to the daughters of the truly untouchable—the political elite and the ultra-wealthy—and its scale and splendor far outstripped the other two dormitories. Of course, given that their parents were the academy's greatest patrons, such preferential treatment was only natural.
Opposite Acacia Hall stood Hydrangea Hall, reserved for high-achieving students and members of the Student Council. It could not quite compare to Acacia Hall, but it was still a lovely, elegant place in its own right.
Lastly, Lily Hall took in every student who belonged to neither of the other two. In sheer size it rivaled Acacia Hall, but when it came to actual standing, the difference in class was unmistakable.
As far as I was concerned, though, Lily Hall was far preferable to either Hydrangea or Acacia. The name alone—Lily—was enough to set my heart fluttering, wasn't it?
Ah, this was no time for daydreaming. I yanked my wandering attention back into place and called out.
"V-Vice President, you live in Hydrangea Hall, don't you?"
"Yes. I'm a member of the Student Council, after all. Though—Vice President? Isn't that a bit stiff?"
"E-excuse me?"
"Please call me Seo-hee sunbae. We're connected by fate now, after all."
"Really? Hah—!"
The word slipped out before I could stop it. I clapped a hand over my mouth at once, but it was already too late. Fortunately, Vice President Han Seo-hee only chuckled softly.
"Yes. A cute junior like you, Ha-eun, is more than welcome."
"Th-thank you…!"
I bowed my head without even trying to hide how overwhelmed I felt.
It might have seemed like an overreaction—being allowed to call someone by their first name and "sunbae"—but that was only because one didn't yet understand Private Acacia Academy.
Here, even classmates were required to use formal speech, and names had to be spoken in full, surname included. In other words, I was going to hear things like, "Miss Yu Ha-eun, have you been well today?" from my peers every single day.
If that was the standard among equals, the gulf between underclassmen and upperclassmen was even wider. A single year of seniority was enough that a junior could barely make a peep in front of a senior. When addressing an upperclassman, one always used the full name plus "sunbae-nim," and if the senior held an official title, that title replaced the honorific entirely.
And most critically, unless something was truly egregious, an underclassman was expected to obey an upperclassman without complaint.
Of course, in a school packed with young ladies, such rules were largely a dead letter in practice—but to someone like me, a commoner who had only just become a young lady, they were terrifying.
All of which is to say: being granted permission, at a first meeting, to address an upperclassman so casually was no small thing. And when that upperclassman was the Student Council Vice President? It was extraordinary.
While I was turning that over in my mind, Seo-hee sunbae stepped a little closer and spoke lightly.
"Aren't you going to call me that?"
"Huh? C-call you what?"
"I said you may address me casually, but if you don't actually use my name right away, I do find it a little disappointing."
"Ah!"
I scrambled to open my mouth at once.
"S-Seo-hee sunbae…"
"Hehe. That's right, Miss Ha-eun. When an upperclassman grants you the use of her name, the proper etiquette is to use it on the spot."
She was right—that was the custom. I had nearly botched such an important point of manners. A cold sweat prickled down my spine.
Whether she noticed my panic or not, Seo-hee sunbae simply smiled and continued.
"I'll escort you to the dormitory myself. And as a bonus, I'll teach you a few points of etiquette that a brand-new young lady like you might not know yet."
"Thank you, Seo-hee sunbae!"
I answered brightly and hurried after her as she took the lead.
During our conversation I had been too busy realizing she was a senior—and too tense—to notice, but Seo-hee sunbae was remarkably tall. Granted, I myself was only a hundred and fifty-two centimeters, but even accounting for that, she was a great deal taller than average. I had to quicken my pace just to keep up with her stride.
I followed the gentle sway of her high ponytail for some time, and before long I was already short of breath. Seo-hee sunbae, still mid-conversation, must have caught the sound of my panting; she turned with a puzzled look.
"Miss Ha-eun? Are you unwell? Why are you breathing so hard…?"
"Hah—well—huff—you see…"
I caught my breath and explained carefully: that my short legs made matching her stride difficult, and that a childhood fever had left me with weak stamina.
Seo-hee sunbae looked me up and down, then her expression shifted into one of belated understanding and apology.
"I'm sorry, Miss Ha-eun. I hadn't considered that at all."
"N-no, it's my fault for not saying anything…"
If one were to assign blame, there really wasn't any. Even with a smaller frame, average stamina would have been enough to keep pace with her. More than anything, I didn't want this beautiful senior—who was already being so kind to me—to feel guilty, so I deliberately put on a cheerful tone.
"Besides, I've already recovered!"
"Well, that's a relief… but Miss Ha-eun? I believe I mentioned that one must conduct oneself with composure at the academy?"
"Ah—I-I'm sorry…"
I had raised my voice on purpose to lighten the mood, and once again I'd broken a rule without thinking.
My shoulders drooped—and then I heard a soft, stifled laugh. Looking up, I found Seo-hee sunbae dabbing at the corners of her eyes.
"Seo-hee sunbae?"
"Ah, forgive me. You looked just like a little puppy. How should I put it… it may be rude of me to say so, but I thought you were adorable."
"A-a puppy?"
Unbidden, an image flashed through my mind: myself with dog ears, being thoroughly petted by Seo-hee sunbae.
Huh. That… might not be so bad? Being kept by a beauty like Seo-hee sunbae actually sounded rather welcome.
"Hehe…"
"Miss Ha-eun?"
"Ah—yes!"
I'd been entertaining such shameless thoughts about her that simply hearing my name made me jump. Was this what they meant by a thief's guilty conscience? I pressed a hand to my racing heart, trying to calm it, and looked up to find her smiling as she spoke.
"We've arrived. This is Lily Hall."
At her words I lifted my head and took in the building that had appeared before us.
"So this is Lily Hall…"
The exterior was extremely clean. Pathologically clean, even. White walls studded with windows—if you added bars, it would have looked unnervingly like a psychiatric hospital. That was only a first impression, of course. Once you took in the carefully tended gardens and the fountain, the place revealed a quiet, refined elegance. It was a very fine dormitory.
If Lily Hall—rated the lowest of the three dormitories at Acacia Academy—looked like this, how magnificent must Hydrangea Hall and Acacia Hall be?
While I was thinking that, Seo-hee sunbae spoke again.
"Miss Ha-eun. Shall we exchange LINE contacts?"
"Ah—yes."
Right—this world used Naver, not Kakao. The realization struck me afresh as we finished exchanging contacts, and I immediately sent a message.
A reply came almost at once—a message very much in Seo-hee sunbae's style. Not that I knew her well enough yet to say so with any real confidence. She laughed softly as she spoke.
"This is rather amusing, isn't it? Standing right in front of each other and still communicating by text."
"Hehe…"
"Well then, let's see each other often, Miss Ha-eun."
"Yes, of course! I'll come say hello several times a day!"
"That won't be necessary."
She declined with practiced ease, left me with a "I'll see you later," and walked away.
I started to wave my arm high after her retreating figure, then noticed the young ladies passing by and settled for a demure little flutter of the hand instead.
"Haa…"
Only once she was well out of sight did I let out a long breath of relief, my whole body shuddering.
To think that on my very first day at the academy I would end up on friendly terms with a heavyweight like the Student Council Vice President. I had never imagined it.
At the same time, a chill ran through me. What if this had been First Academy instead of Acacia, and I had run into that Student Council Vice President? Just picturing it was horrifying.
The vice president there had been one of the heroines in the original game. If I had gotten close to her, the protagonist's clutches would have reached for me without a doubt.
"I'm really… so glad I came to Acacia."
At least I wouldn't have to be swept up by those sinister claws. Light on my feet, I stepped into Lily Hall.
"Let's see… what room number am I again?"
I tapped at the smartphone I'd pulled out for the LINE exchange and found the note I'd saved. Ah—there it was.
"Room six… so that should be on the first floor."
They wouldn't give a new student a room on the upper floors, after all. In a regular school building the higher floors often belonged to the lower grades, but in a dormitory—a living space—the upper floors were the domain of seniors. The lower floors saw more foot traffic and noise; it only made sense. I dragged my suitcase along, counting off the room numbers as I walked.
"Room six… ah, here it is."
I knocked on the door bearing the plaque for number six. A voice answered from inside: "Come in!"
So my roommate had already checked in ahead of me. I stepped inside and found a young lady with a striking short bob.
"Ah—are you my roommate?"
"Y-yes. I'm Yu Ha-eun."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Yu Ha-eun. I'm Hong Su-ryeon."
"Yes, nice to meet you too, Miss Hong Su-ryeon."
The young lady who introduced herself as Hong Su-ryeon was, at a glance, clearly the energetic type. When someone radiated that much vitality from every pore, it would have been stranger not to notice.
Put another way, she didn't quite fit the usual image of a young lady. Most of them tended toward a quieter, more subdued temperament rather than such open liveliness. Of course, simply being admitted here was proof enough that she had the makings of one.
In any case, after a brief exchange of introductions with Hong Su-ryeon, I went over to the bed and wardrobe that would be mine and began unpacking. I was tucking underwear into a drawer and carefully hanging spare uniforms when I realized Su-ryeon had drawn close, eyes shining.
"…Is something the matter, Miss Hong Su-ryeon?"
"Um, if it isn't too rude—may I ask you something?"
"Yes, of course."
I couldn't imagine what kind of question one would ask a person they'd only just met, but I nodded readily all the same. Su-ryeon leaned in even closer.
"Actually, a little while ago I saw you walking over with the Student Council Vice President. This may be presumptuous of me, but… are the two of you dating?"
…Excuse me?