"Excuse me…"
I stayed hidden at the corner of the corridor and watched.
Up to now, everything was unfolding exactly like in the game. Layla coming to see Alfred. Loid provoking Ronald. Carla showing up to argue with Layla.
It was surreal.
I knew all of them first as characters and dialogue boxes, and yet at the same time I'd known them since childhood in this world. Same faces. Same habits. Same voices.
Those guys hadn't changed at all.
I was probably the only one who had.
-Bam!
"Arghh!"
Right on cue, Ronald, already in a foul mood, punched Jayden. Caught off guard, Jayden was sent rolling and crashed into a couple of stunned bystanders.
"Who do you think you are?"
"Jayden!"
Milleia rushed over and knelt beside him, checking his face. His cheek was already red and swelling.
"Arh, it hurts…" Jayden grimaced, poking at the bruise.
This guy…
Why is he so calm about this?
Shouldn't he be furious?
No. He was just like in the game. Even the early 'choices' the player had with him were all spineless. The illusion of choice, nothing more.
Milleia's hands trembled as she inspected his injury. Then she bit her lip, stood up, and faced Ronald.
"Apologize!"
She shouted out.
Every head in the corridor turned toward her.
The noble girls present immediately bristled, shocked. A commoner and yet she was just as stunning as Layla and Carla, maybe even more approachable. It was pissing them off.
The boys, on the other hand, were delighted. Three top-tier beauties in one hallway. It was a feast for their eyes.
"What did you say…?" Ronald glared at her.
"I asked you to apologize!" Milleia said, voice shaking but loud. "Why did you hit him?!"
"He touched me."
"I–Is that a reason?"
Milleia stared at him, genuinely baffled.
She'd met nobles before, but extremely high-ranking, prideful ones like Ronald were rare in her world. His 'reason' might as well have been a joke.
Sigh…
She needed to get used to that fast.
I shook my head.
"Is that a reason, you ask?" Ronald snorted. "You're just commoners. Know your place."
"…!"
Milleia's eyes filled with tears at those cutting words.
If I didn't have emotional armor against girls like her, I would have wanted to run over and hug her on the spot. With tears streaming down her pretty, innocent face, she instantly drew the sympathy of every decent guy watching.
"W-Why do you despise us so much…? What have we done wrong…?" She asked, wiping her tears with the sleeve of her blazer.
Even Ronald's expression faltered.
As expected of Milleia.
Her tears could shake even Ronald Trueheart's stone heart.
And Ronald wasn't just some side mob either, he was a [Pretender], with a route where he could steal Milleia from Jayden.
But among all the men present, one was staring more intensely than anyone else.
Alfred Celesta.
Mouth slightly open, gaze locked on Milleia's crying figure.
Yeah. Just like in the game.
This was the moment Alfred developed a crush on Milleia.
I knew Alfred. He'd grown up surrounded by noble girls and pampered commoners who groveled at his feet.
A girl like Milleia, in tears, but still standing up to the Chancellor's son for the sake of another commoner was a revelation.
You might think her tears showed weakness. They didn't. The fact she was crying while resisting him, instead of shrinking away, was proof of strength.
I turned my eyes to Layla, who had stopped bickering with Carla.
Ah.
She was staring at Alfred with dark, narrowed eyes.
Not at Milleia.
Her amused smile was gone.
That guy is going to suffer…
I'll pray for his soul.
But he wasn't going to be the only one.
"Enough, Ronald."
Alfred finally moved.
"What?" Ronald snapped.
"You should not overuse your status in the academy," Alfred said, voice cold. "Did you forget the rules? You hit someone for no good reason and made an innocent girl cry. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"
His blunt rebuke sent a ripple of shock through the crowd.
"Alfred, yo—"
"Enough."
Before Ronald could explode, a tall golden-haired man stepped out from the corridor behind Alfred.
He looked a lot like Alfred, same hair, same eyes, but older.
Well, obvious.
"Uncle…"
"I'm not your uncle at the academy, Alfred," the man said calmly. "I am your teacher. The homeroom teacher of the [Dragon Class]."
This was Walter Celesta, the King's younger brother and a dangerous monster in his own right.
I sharpened my focus.
"Ms. Sophren. Mr. Rayena," Walter said, eyes sliding to Milleia and Jayden. "May I know the reason for your presence in front of the auditorium reserved for my class? Has Ms. Donner perhaps sent you out?"
"We weren't kicked out," Jayden said, glancing at Ronald. "We just got lost while looking for our room and when I tried to ask for directions, he…"
"The Basilisk Class is on the southern wing of the building," Walter cut in, ignoring the glare Jayden threw at Ronald.
"You should leave right away. Ms. Donner is not someone lenient about lateness."
""Y-Yes!"" They both answered.
Milleia hastily wiped her tears, helped Jayden up, and the two of them left at a half-jog.
"I don't think I need to remind you where the Pegasus Class is, Ms. Tarmias," Walter added, still not turning around.
"It's not necessary, teacher," Layla said through a tight, polite smile, then spun on her heel and walked off.
"You should also head to your own class…"
Walter's gaze shifted, directly toward the corner where I was hiding.
Where I was.
At least he didn't say my name out loud.
I met his eyes for a brief second, then turned away and left silently.
[
"Why should I?"
I answered in my head.
"I might've gained some Affection Points, but if I joined in, Jayden and Milleia's relationship wouldn't deepen the same way."
[
My face twisted when Cleenah threw the truth right at me like that.
But she wasn't wrong.
I needed to hand Jayden his harem to avoid the worst endings. Together, at full power, they were nearly invincible. I'd played that party at endgame. It was broken.
I say 'nearly' because even then, some people still died. This wasn't the kind of story where the protagonist suffers a bit then marries his heroine in guaranteed happiness. The brutality of 'reality' was very accurately portrayed.
I headed for the southern wing, where the Basilisk Class auditorium was.
I walked at a relaxed pace, not bothering to hurry.
I was going to be late anyway. An extra minute or two wouldn't matter.
…
…
-Knock.
I rapped lightly on the door with the snake emblem carved into it and waited.
"Enter."
A woman's voice.
I opened the door and stepped inside, immediately feeling dozens of eyes land on me.
To my left, rows of seats rose in a semi-circle. To my right, standing on the small platform in front of the board, was a stunning woman in her mid-twenties. Black hair coiled into a bun, sharp green eyes, long skirt and fitted shirt—the exact style she wore in the game, just different colors. Today, black skirt, pure white shirt.
"Mr. Edward Falkrona," she said, arms crossing, expression not at all friendly. "Late already on your first day? You're not the only one, but I had hoped you would be exemplary as a noble for your classmates."
"Professor Kornus stopped me to ask about you, Professor," I lied. "It delayed me on my way."
I dropped the name of the Pegasus Class homeroom teacher without blinking.
Don't judge me.
Anyway, I knew she'd buy it.
Why?
Because Erwin Kornus had a crush on our class professor, Almona Donner. Almona was aware of it but pretended she wasn't. Classic.
"Ah."
Understanding and exasperation flashed in Almona's eyes.
"That man…" She muttered under her breath.
Sorry, Professor Kornus.
But as a student, I had to avenge every poor soul, in this world and on Earth, who suffered under merciless teachers. Myself included. It felt good to snitch upward for once.
"You may take a seat," she said.
See? Called it.
"Thank you."
I turned toward the seats.
My smile died on the spot.
Only the front rows were free.
…Fuck.
Are there only dunces in this class?!
The first four rows were practically empty. The back rows were already filled.
Up ahead, Milleia and Jayden were waving enthusiastically at me from the second row, signaling for me to sit near them.
I pretended not to see.
[
'What fate?!'
Fate of being subjected to every question?
Fate of not being able to nap when I'm exhausted?
The nightmare of the front row.
"Mr. Edward?" Almona said. "Do you want me to choose your seat for you?"
"N-No need to trouble yourself, Professor," I said quickly.
Suppressing a groan, I trudged to the third row and sat directly behind Jayden and Milleia. Their heads blocked me from Almona's direct line of sight.
Maybe, with some luck, I'd be able to sneak in a short nap.
While I was at it, my gaze swept the classroom.
Let's see if she's here.
There was another heroine assigned to this class besides Milleia.
And I had every intention of knowing exactly where everyone was sitting.