Five girls each had something uniquely special about them.
First was the red-haired girl, Arni Duratan, whom we had met before. As a descendant of a dragon-slaying clan, she had held the highest-ranking position in combat until Ares arrived.
Next was Elise, impressive with her blonde hair and golden eyes. I didn’t know much about her, but her dignified presence made the other students naturally shrink when she was around.
Then there was Sen. A Chokugen Faction member with slightly shorter stature and white hair, her agility and ability to suppress her presence was likely the best among all students at Aios Academy.
Fourth was Hayun, the only one with a bob cut and the thinnest of the group. With black hair like Rin, she always carried a sword at her waist. I didn’t know her well, but Tana hinted that she might surpass Arni in swordsmanship.
Lastly, there was Adriana. With braided hair and glasses, if Arni was the pinnacle in combat, she was unbeatable when it came to magic.
Teaching how to make pie in a gathering of such unique girls turned out to be harder than I had imagined.
“Did I say to put this here?”
“Isn’t the seasoning too little? I think we could pour a bit more.”
“I’m hungry!”
“……”
“Haha, I’m sorry!”
Watching them make a complete mess, I decided to give up. I couldn’t teach them everything; it would take the whole day.
Bang! I slammed my hand on the countertop to gather their attention.
“Don’t think I’m here to teach you anything. I’ll show you once, and you figure it out.”
Complaints and grumbles erupted, but I simply ignored them as I started making the pie. Some were taking notes, while others had already given up.
“Ooh.”
“You’re doing pretty well.”
“That looks delicious.”
“Such a nice smell.”
“You could open a shop with that!”
It had been a while, but seeing the neatly made pie made me smile too. Taking a small piece, the taste took me back.
“Try this and make your own. And Sen, come over here for a sec.”
“Yes!”
Leaving the ones bickering over who would get the biggest piece, I whispered to Sen in a low voice.
“Now that I’ve shown you how to make pie, I need your help with something.”
“Hmm?”
It was a simple task, but possibly morally questionable. However, without hesitation, Sen nodded, saying it sounded fun.
“Sounds fun! I’d love to try something like that!”
I guess worrying about morality was foolish for someone raised in the Chokugen Faction. Thanking her, I stepped out of the practical room.
Inside, I could hear screams of delight. They weren’t seriously comparing their creations to mine, were they?
But then I spotted a blonde male student at the end of the corridor.
‘Ares?’
He hadn’t acknowledged me inside the academy, so I thought I could just walk past him, but maybe because there were no other students around, he spoke first.
“I was wondering where everyone was.”
“……What’s up?”
Perhaps it was his aggressive tone, but Ares replied with a wry smile.
“Sorry, I know you’re quite disappointed in me.”
“Guess we were that close, huh?”
With other students around, I wouldn’t even consider us friends.
As I reaffirmed this, Ares shook his head as if to deny it.
“I’ll admit I was short-sighted. It won’t happen again.”
Despite Ares’s apology, I sighed and shook my head.
“Just quit giving girls mixed signals. Those girls over there are trying to impress you by learning to cook; don’t just lead them on. Choose one and go out with her already.”
Otherwise, the other girls would be needlessly pining after you.
I had always picked up on things quickly, so there was no way Ares was oblivious to their direct and fervent affections. Each had their own charms and seemed nice, so he could pick any.
“……”
But Ares didn’t say anything on that, and realizing that was his answer, I clicked my tongue and walked past him.
“You crazy bastard.”
He just couldn’t shake that habit, could he?
Back then, I thought everyone followed him around because he was exceptional; I was quite naive.
“You’ve changed a lot, Daniel.”
A meaningless comment from him rang oddly in my ears.
*
“May, is this really okay?”
While Ares’s followers surrounded Daniel, May sighed as she observed her group making the pie.
“Do you know what my aunt said to me? She asked if I genuinely had the kids frame him.”
“Hah.”
“Hey, how long do you think I’ve been covering for you?! Honestly, you’re the ones beating kids up because you needed money.”
“That was the seniors’ fault…”
The male student stammered, trying to defend himself, but when May shot him a glare, he finally shut up.
“Don’t worry; we have my aunt’s permission to thoroughly handle this.”
“The Dean?”
The students were shocked. They hadn’t expected the Dean to instruct such a thing, but May smirked, pleased.
“That guy went and confronted our aunt, cursing her out? He’s a lowborn who doesn’t know his place.”
“Against the Dean? He’s really insane.”
The girls by May’s side chimed in, throwing insults at Daniel, while the boys glanced around nervously.
“So, make sure he can’t attend the academy at all. He was bound to get expelled anyway. Just take him down.”
“Well, as long as you and the Dean have my back, it’s fine.”
“But it feels kind of off. Lately, he’s been strangely hanging around girls.”
“Should I ask the seniors for help too?”
The gang, chuckling, began discussing their plans, and soon they were plotting an inescapable scheme against Daniel.
*
On the rooftop, Lin, Daniel’s childhood friend, quietly repeated to herself.
“May, Jill, Anni, Roman, Ferris, and Demalico.”
The glow in her eyes seemed strangely absent.
*
“Go get some drinks.”
“There’s some at the café.”
“……Do we really have to do this here?”
I asked Tana and Eve, who were setting up snacks and food, but they looked at me as if I was crazy.
“Where else would we have the party? Should we do it in your room? You don’t want any weird rumors getting out.”
“I doubt having you guys in my room would lead to any good rumors either.”
“It’s fine; no one saw us!”
Eve said, clenching her fists. I wondered how she had become so bold; it made me a bit sad.
“Did you know? If a guy goes into a girl’s room, people think he’s a pervert, but if a girl enters a guy’s room, he’s considered awesome.”
“That’s just absurd.”
“Well, what can you do? That’s the way the world works.”
I said, becoming annoyed, and stepped outside. Still, considering the girls who had been bullied and harassed, the atmosphere had lightened considerably.
Lately, it seemed we had started hanging out more often and had developed a pretty good friendship.
As I went down to the second floor, I noticed a group of male students blocking the stairs. I wanted to tell them to move, but they were all part of May’s gang, and the vibe didn’t feel like they’d let me pass easily.
‘They’re coming at me directly now?’
Maybe I was quite disliked after all.
“Move.”
I thought maybe they would hear reason, but of course.
They stood up and blocked the stairs.
“Is this allowed in the dorm? Seems like there are some students around.”
While the dorm wasn’t too crowded with students engaged in club activities or personal hobbies, there were definitely eyes watching us.
I noticed some guys sneaking glances at us as they walked by, but…
“Look, he’s trembling in fear.”
“Ha, funny. I can’t believe he’s acting all cocky like that.”
“Listen, country bumpkin, you might have swung a fist or two back home, but this is a whole different level.”
“The fact that a commoner is even wearing the same uniform as us is ridiculous.”
I didn’t understand why they were so full of bravado, but they had clearly resented me since I transferred mid-year as a commoner skipping grades.
“Let’s wrap it up; I have errands to run.”
Since they had initiated things with me, other students had definitely seen it. Plus, I had also noticed those who falsely accused me of violence, so I had no intention of going easy.
“Hey, don’t go overboard. I heard Senior Fenil is coming.”
“Senior Fenil? Wow, you’re seriously done for.”
I had heard of Fenil before. A fourth-year student who led a gang of delinquents, he often bullied others but always ranked high academically.
And he came from a powerful family, meaning professors wouldn’t dare touch him.
“Well, let’s just get started.”
If I took too long to grab my drinks, who knew what Tana and Eve might do in my room.
*
“Should I really just take orders from juniors?”
One of the delinquents grumbled irritably, but Fenil glared at him, making him back down and lower his gaze.
“Speak properly. We made a deal. May has got the Dean in her pocket, and she promised that by graduation, she’ll sweep away any trouble I’ve caused.”
“Really? Can that actually happen?”
“Who knows? If it can’t, then we’ll make it happen.”
The gang chuckled and headed toward the entrance of the third-year dorm, but they noticed a girl with black hair sitting against the wall.
“Whoa, she’s hot!”
“Wow, there are seriously a lot of pretty girls in the third year.”
“That girl’s pure and has a nice body; just my type.”
As the gang made their remarks, Fenil glanced at the girl, and their eyes met.
Having lived nineteen years filled with chaos, I knew I’d been the subject of countless judgment.
But I had no regrets; those were all fun memories.
Fenil’s eyes sparkled with cherry blossoms that weren’t even there.
‘Gorgeous.’
She was too beautiful.
Perfectly on point. Ignoring the petty remarks of his gang, Fenil quietly approached the girl, but she happened to come closer too.
“Excuse me, are you Senior Fenil?”
“Uh? Yeah, do we know each other?”
Of course. If we’re on this level, the juniors must likely know us. Wait, did she know I was coming and was waiting here?
A series of assumptions raced through Fenil’s mind as his gang cheered him on from behind.
Thump!
Lin’s fist connected with Fenil’s face, causing a bloody nose.
“You bitch!”
“What the hell!”
“You crazy bastard! You messed with the wrong girl!”
If Daniel had seen the look in Lin’s eyes right then, he would have felt sick and mourned for Fenil’s group.
Because her eyes were eerily similar to that of the God of Calamity leading an army in her past life.
“……”
Silently, Lin clenched her fists and stepped forward.
*
“……Hey.”
“Yes, sir!”
“They said someone named Fenil is coming, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct!”
A line of male students kneeled with their hands raised in the corridor.
And sitting on the stairs, resting my chin on my hand while waiting for this so-called senior, I voiced my annoyance.
“He’s not here.”
“Y-Yeah, I guess.”
“Guess so?”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Sigh.
