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nAfter leaving the student dormitory──or rather, after having been taken outside by upperclassmen that were gathering the first year students, there was a stylish bar outside of the academy.

n“Eh, I’m quite glad that I can meet first year students of the same position this year.”

nThe one making the greeting was someone from a baron household who would be its successor.

nNot so wealthy upperclassmen from the countryside had invited underclassmen of similar circumstances like me to a welcome party they opened.

nI talked to a nearby first year student, Daniel Fou Darland.

nDaniel is a healthy boy with tanned skin. He looks like a pleasant young man with short hair, a tall height, and some muscles.

n“W, why are you guys doing a welcome party like this?”

n“You don’t know? People in the same group gather together to talk about their troubles and to exchange information. Things like marriages or other important matters, you see.”

nIt’s certainly sounds nice being with a group of similar people, but I’m thinking that it’s going to turn into a free-for-all when a favorable woman shows up.

nTilting his head, a boy wearing glasses sitting across from me, “Raymond Fou Arkin,” pushed up his glasses while explaining.

nUnlike Daniel, he seemed to have a bit of a rebellious personality with his intellectual glasses.

n“Even if it turns into a scramble for a woman, we’d get along as a group of similar people, so we wouldn’t do anything absurd. If there’s a dispute, we’ll negotiate it amongst our group. Well, moments where we would compete against each other will probably be rare though.”

nAfter coming to that understanding, the greetings from the upperclassmen finished, starting the party.

nIt seems this welcome party was a treat by our upperclassmen.

nThen next year, it seems that it’s our turn to do it.

nOne of the upperclassmen came over to me.

n“Well, since we’ve got a massively successful adventurer here this year, I’m looking forward to it. Oh right, I’m ‘Rukul.’ Nice to meet you, promising first year student.”

nRukul seems to be a third year student.

nHe’s already found a marriage partner, and I can see that he’s quite content, since all that’s left is for him to return home.

n“Promising first year student?”

nWhen I tiled my head, Raymond clicked his tongue.

n“I prefer if you didn’t play dumb. You’re the third son of a baron household and was quite successful as an adventurer prior to entering school, right? Talks about it have reached not just the royal capital, but even over at my home.”

nDaniel was surprised.

n“The one in that rumor was you?!”

nI cast down my face.

n“I had no choice. If I didn’t get money, then I would be on a course towards a marriage interview with a perverted old woman.”

nPerhaps sympathizing with what I had said, everyone didn’t pursue the matter anymore. It seems it really is easy to talk with them since we have similar troubles.

nRukul talked about the academy while smiling. He also listened to Daniel’s and Raymond’s worries, but they were really just zealous questions about marriage rather than about studies.

nIf us boys aren’t married by the age of twenty, we’re treated like a disgrace, so we have to frantically get married somehow while attending school.

nI also asked some things I was worried about.

n“Come to think of it, my eldest brother is the one that’s going to succeed my household, but perhaps he was in your group? Ah, his name is Lutart.”

nRukul and my second oldest brother are both third year students.

nI was thinking that perhaps he knows about him, but──

n“The upperclassman Lutart that graduated last year? He wasn’t in our group. He said that he wouldn’t be grouped with the lowest level.”

nLutart…you’re also part of that lowest level.

nRukul talked about what happened back at that time.

n“He mixed in with a rich group of people from viscount households and above. Though it seemed that he forced himself onto the group, it couldn’t be helped because that’s what he wanted. Were you close with him?”

nWhen I shook my head, Rukul said “I thought so,” and lifted a stein to his mouth.

nRukul then talked to us.

n“Since we have a few days until the entrance ceremony, I’ll show you around the royal capital in the meantime. So don’t mess around too much to the point that it would put your body into disorder.”

nUs three nodded our heads, and the smiling Rukul then made a somewhat serious expression.

n“Also, it seems that there’s a scholarship student enrolling in your year. I heard that they were letting someone enter, even though they’re not a noble, for the sake of picking up this talented person.”

nRaymond had a bit of an unpleasant expression when he heard that.

nDaniel didn’t seem to be interested.

nI suppose this reaction is normal for young nobles.

n“A scholarship student? For the regular class, right?”

nRukul shook his head in response to Raymond’s question.

n“The advanced class. Quite troubling, especially when His Highness the crown prince is entering too, isn’t it? I also heard that this girl is a commoner with no connections whatsoever, but…I don’t know if that’s actually the case. If you guys know anything, would you mind telling us?”

n…That commoner girl is going to be the center of the academy in the future, the protagonist.

nI wasn’t surprised, considering that I already know the scholarship student is a commoner, but the other two were astounded. They’re shocked at how she has no connections.

nI suppose they thought that she would be the daughter of a merchant or some other kind of girl with a similar background.

nI pretended to be surprised as well.

nDid she become a saint in the future? Anyways, I should probably keep silent about how she’ll establish a very grand bloodline and how the nobles will eventually change their attitude about her.

nEven if I did say it, nobody would believe me, and I don’t intend to get anyone involved in the first place.

nI’ll just let her enjoy her fun youth with the crown prince and the others.

nThat’s also for my sake too, after all.

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nIt was the day of the entrance ceremony.

nThis is quite the grand auditorium, isn’t it?

nAt any rate, the entrance ceremony began in a place that was like a large theater.

nThere were a surprising number of noble students present, some of which where yawning.

nThe combination of the scents from women’s perfumes created an overbearing smell.

nI suppose there’s no hope unless one gets used to this smell.

nAmongst the crowd, the crown prince “Julian Rafua Holfault,” with short navy blue hair, spoke greetings on behalf of the first year students.

nThe crown prince is first in line to the succession of the throne, but in the game, he’s the only prince that appeared, so he’s pretty much the prince that will rule.

nHe had a beautiful appearance. He was tall, lean, and had a nice body balance.

nHis navy blue eyes within his fair skin looked like they were sparkling.

nThe surrounding schoolgirls understandably sighed in affection.

n──It was a different story for the others, though.

nDaniel and Raymond were sitting next to me, but as expected, it didn’t seem like they were going to voice out their complaints. I silently listening in on their conversation.

nUpon which, from behind──

n“I finally arrived. I’ve already been waiting for the prince these ten years.”

nI turned my head around towards a voice I had heard, but I couldn’t find out who had said that. There were several girls around that were murmuring about the crown prince’s beauty, so I couldn’t pick out the one that did it.

nIt wasn’t a particularly loud voice, but it strangely got through to my ear…then my wandering gaze stopped when reaching at a certain girl.

nBlond hair and blue eyes.

nShe had gentle, long hair, and was a short girl that was looking at the prince with a sparkled gaze.

nShe looked more like a cute girl rather than a beautiful woman. However, it was her gaze that I was uneasy about. Within the surrounding gazes of yearning or of favor, it was obvious that the little girl’s eyes looked like an animal aiming after its prey.

nHer delicate body felt childish in some aspects. She looked younger than others of the same age, but the glint in her eyes was the only thing that was sharp…my impression is that she was very unbalanced.

nDaniel looked over at me.

n“What the, did you already find your partner? Oh, she seems cute. Do you like that girl?”

nI calmly shook my head towards Daniel, who was teasing me.

n“No, if I had to say, then…I dislike her.”

nI set my sight back to the crown prince and readjusted my posture, but this strange feeling wouldn’t settle down.

n“I, Is that so. I think she’s cute though.”

nWhat I felt when I first saw the girl was anger. I don’t know what I was angry about, but she was irritating for me.

nIt’s not hatred. It’s something more complex…and at any rate, I don’t think she’s someone I would view as a partner of the opposite sex.

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