The freshman dormitory is an eight-story building located in the eastern district.
All first-year students, from the highest-ranking to the lowest, live together in this dormitory.
Since classrooms are scattered across multiple student buildings, there are many students one might only encounter within the dormitory.
“Ah.”
“Ah…”
Late at night, as I was descending the stairs, I ran into a female student stepping out of the left corridor on the sixth floor.
“Eriol Valencia…”
“…”
It was Charlotte from the upper-class, whom I had seen in the cafeteria not long ago.
Unlike before, she was wearing a red dress instead of her school uniform, which suited her golden hair well.
“Wait a minute, I went out of my way to greet you, and you’re just going to ignore me?”
“That was a greeting?”
“Ugh…”
Charlotte, who had already been frowning at the sight of me, furrowed her brow even further.
“Eriol Valencia, where are you going at this hour?”
“I’m hungry, so I’m heading out to grab something to eat.”
“Is that so? How very common of you.”
That was a new kind of provocation.
I decided not to pay her any mind and continued down the stairs.
“…”
“…”
But Charlotte kept following behind me.
Even after stepping outside the dormitory, she continued to trail me, so I finally turned back and spoke up.
“Why are you following me?”
“You said you were going to buy something to eat.”
“And?”
“I’m going too.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to follow me around like a shadow, does it?”
“Don’t mind me. It’s not like I’m bothering you.”
“…”
When I thought about it, she had a point.
So I decided to completely ignore her.
We entered a nearby convenience store.
At the academy, several 24-hour convenience stores were scattered around, allowing students to buy necessities even in the middle of the night.
Originally, these stores were established as a convenience for mages who stayed up late researching, but demand was unexpectedly high, leading to their expansion across the academy grounds.
“Welcome.”
The person at the counter greeted us absentmindedly.
It was probably a student working a part-time job to earn some pocket money.
Students who had yet to gain dungeon access had few other ways to make money.
‘Let’s see…’
I picked out the cheapest corn snacks and a bottled grape juice.
“…”
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Charlotte grabbing the exact same items as me, but I chose to ignore it.
“Thank you for your purchase.”
Even as I checked out, Charlotte continued to follow me, mimicking my every move.
What on earth was this?
A thought crossed my mind, and after leaving the store, I headed to a nearby park.
I sat down on a bench and opened my bag of snacks.
“…”
Peeking out of the corner of my eye, I saw Charlotte sitting on a bench one seat away, also opening a bag of snacks in the exact same manner.
This was definitely…
I was right.
“Charlotte.”
“What?”
“Have you never done this before?”
“…”
Charlotte flinched.
So my guess was correct.
She had gotten hungry in the middle of the night but didn’t know what to do. She must have wandered around hesitantly until she saw me and simply copied what I was doing.
“So what if I haven’t?”
After a brief pause, Charlotte spoke confidently.
“It’s not like I’m bothering you.”
“Still, following around someone you’re not even close with and copying them is a bit much. Don’t you have any friends in the upper-class?”
“I don’t.”
“What?”
“I said, I don’t have any friends in the upper-class division.”
“…”
I didn’t know how to respond to that.
“I don’t really get along with anyone there, and I’m not close with my roommate either.”
“…”
“That’s why I followed you. Got a problem with that?”
“…Not really.”
“Then it’s fine.”
Charlotte turned her head away and started eating her snacks.
“It tastes… common.”
“It’s the cheapest snack they sell at the convenience store. What did you expect?”
“I didn’t mean that in a bad way.”
“You keep saying ‘common’ over and over. Is your family that well off?”
“I’m from the Duke of Strasbourg’s family.”
The Duke of Strasbourg was an esteemed high-ranking noble.
If she was from that family, it made sense that she carried herself with such an air of arrogance.
Monarch Orson, from the top-class division, was also from a ducal family and was known to act superior because of it.
“Did you come to the academy to bring honor to your family?”
“Not a chance. My parents were against me coming to the academy.”
“What?”
“They were planning to marry me off in a political arrangement for the family’s benefit.”
“That’s… outdated.”
“Nobles are outdated by nature.”
“Well, I’m from a count’s family, too.”
“But unlike the Valencia family, who lived among commoners in the countryside, my family is different.”
Charlotte scoffed.
“If my parents think my grades are lacking, I’ll have to drop out of the academy and return home.”
“Then…”
“Since I was placed in the upper-class instead of the top-class, I already started with a penalty.”
“…”
Her situation was somewhat similar to Senia’s.
Senia had also mentioned that she would have to return home if she failed to get into the top-class.
“That’s why I don’t like you people who got into the top-class division ahead of me.”
“…”
“And I have no interest in getting along with the other upper-class students.”
Now I understood why Charlotte didn’t have any friends.
She was incredibly direct and bold.
She openly displayed her insecurities and treated everyone with an aggressive attitude.
With a personality like that, it was no wonder she had no friends.
And it was clear that she wasn’t the type to suppress her personality just to fit in with others.
“…Wait a second.”
“What?”
“Aren’t you at least close with Helios?”
“How could I possibly be close with that ill-tempered guy? Are you picking a fight?”
She wasn’t really in a position to call someone else ill-tempered…
“But when I saw you in the cafeteria the other day, you seemed to listen to him well enough.”
“That’s because…”
Charlotte scowled.
“He’s essentially the class rep of the upper-class division. And the other day, we made a bet.”
“A bet?”
“We dueled, and if he won, I had to cooperate with him from then on.”
“…”
“You can guess how that turned out.”
I could picture it clearly.
“I can’t stand that guy. So don’t misunderstand.”
“You just seemed to follow his words so obediently that I thought maybe you two were dating.”
“As if! Do you have a death wish?”
Charlotte made a face of utmost disgust.
“Still…”
“…?”
“That guy’s got serious skills. You’d better be careful.”
Charlotte said as she sipped her grape juice.
“You heard about the rookie tournament deciding final rankings through mock battles, right?”
“I did.”
They would select the top four from the preliminaries, and those four would compete in a tournament-style mock battle to determine the final rankings.
“If things go as expected, Helios and I will be in the top ranks from the upper-class. We’re at that level.”
“……”
“You’ll probably make it into the top four too. That means you’ll have to fight at least one of us.”
Charlotte seemed certain of the outcome.
“Just a heads-up. Neither I nor Helios will be easy opponents, so be prepared.”
“I didn’t expect advice from you.”
“I owe you one.”
“What?”
Noticing her snack bag was empty, Charlotte made a disappointed face.
“I did manage to fill my stomach thanks to you, so I should repay the favor.”
“……”
“Thanks.”
That was unexpected.
But then, it made sense.
Charlotte was straightforward and bold.
Showing gratitude when she owed someone was only natural for her.
Even if that someone was the annoying Eriol Valencia.
“But… what do we do with this trash?”
“Oh, that.”
I had just finished my snack too, so I tossed the empty bag and bottle into a nearby trash bin.
“You throw it in here.”
“That was a trash bin?”
She really knew nothing about the world…
‘Noble ladies who don’t understand common life appear in novels sometimes. Though I’ve never seen one quite like her.’
Without realizing what I was thinking, Charlotte approached the trash bin and attempted to toss in her snack bag and empty bottle.
But since it was her first time, she struggled.
The heavier bottle made it in, but the lightweight bag was caught by the wind.
“Ah…!”
Charlotte looked flustered.
“Hey, stop right there!”
Watching her foolishly chase after the flying bag, I couldn’t help but laugh.
‘Guess I have no choice.’
I subtly flicked my fingers.
Whoosh.
A gust of wind blew in the opposite direction, sending the bag back toward me.
“Huh?”
As Charlotte looked on in confusion, I caught the bag and tossed it into the bin.
“That’s that.”
“Oh… yeah.”
Charlotte nodded hesitantly, then turned her head and muttered under her breath.
“Thanks. I keep owing you.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“……”
She stared at my face for a moment, then let out a small sigh.
“I’ve owed you a lot tonight. I don’t plan on getting close to you, but… if I ever get a chance, I’ll repay the debt.”
“Didn’t your advice earlier settle that?”
“That wasn’t much.”
With that, Charlotte turned her back to me.
“Well, I’ve filled my stomach. I’m heading back.”
“Alright, I’ll stay out a bit longer. Go on ahead.”
“……”
Charlotte glanced at me one last time before heading toward the dormitory.
‘He didn’t walk me back to the dormitory.’
As she walked back alone, Charlotte became lost in thought.
In noble society, it was customary for a man to escort a lady home from a social gathering.
Of course, Charlotte found such traditions outdated and wasn’t expecting Eriol to escort her, but…
‘Well, he’s the son of a provincial lord. Maybe he just doesn’t know proper etiquette. Can’t be helped.’
As she entered the dormitory, two upper-class girls approached her.
“Charlotte, do you have a moment?”
“……?”
They were girls she barely spoke to.
Did something happen?
“You left the dormitory earlier with Eriol Valencia, didn’t you?”
“What?”
“Were you two… on a late-night date?”
“W-what are you talking about?!”
Charlotte’s face turned red as she shouted.
“No way!”
“Oh, I see.”
“See? I told you. They must’ve just left at the same time.”
One girl nudged the other.
“If they were really on a date, wouldn’t they have come back together? Why would Charlotte return alone?”
“Right… Sorry for misunderstanding, Charlotte. See you tomorrow!”
The two girls giggled among themselves and left.
Left alone, Charlotte could only stand there, stunned.
‘Wait a second.’
She recalled what they had just said.
If she had returned with Eriol, it really would have seemed like they had spent the night together in secret.
Even if she denied it, gossiping students would spread rumors, and things could get messy.
‘Could it be that Eriol Valencia… predicted this and let me go first on purpose?’
Charlotte swallowed hard.
‘Without saying a word… was he looking out for me?’
‘Finally, I’m alone.’
Once Charlotte was out of sight, I stretched lightly.
The real reason I left the dormitory at night wasn’t just to grab a snack.
I wanted to train alone during the quiet night hours, when few people were around.
‘Alright, then…’
In the silent midnight park,
I took a deep breath and focused my mind.
I began reading the countless elements that made up this world.
“……”
Endless polyhedrons.
Among them, I focused my consciousness on the floating octahedrons.
Recalling the contents of the magic book I borrowed from Professor Klein…
‘Blow.’
Whoosh!
A cool breeze lifted my body into the air.
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