While I was at it, I checked whether she was here too.
The other heroine in this class besides Milleia.
I casually glanced over my shoulder, letting my gaze sweep across the rows behind me.
"...?"
A few girls squeaked and turned away with red faces. Some of the guys straightened up like I had just challenged them to a duel.
I ignored all of them and kept searching.
…Wait.
Do I look like a creep doing this?
[
Oh.
There she was.
I found the girl I had been looking for.
She sat all the way in the back, like a butterfly surrounded by cockroaches.
I wasn't insulting the people around her. They looked normal enough. Some were even handsome or pretty.
But she was clearly on another level, just like Milleia.
Curly blond hair.
Sky-blue eyes.
A bored, detached expression.
Of course she would pick the last row.
Lyra Kertalir.
A [Sub-Heroine] of the First Game.
Daughter of Marquis Kertalir.
Look at my boy Jayden.
Two future members of his harem were already in his class.
As expected of the protagonist.
"What happened to your cheek?" I asked Jayden, pretending I didn't know. I had to at least look like a decent friend.
"Hmph! As if you don't know, Edward!" Milleia puffed her cheeks, still angry.
My useless heart skipped a beat again.
She was way too dangerous.
And, right on schedule, Jayden froze under her glare.
"Enough chit-chat. I'm starting."
Professor Almona cut in, glaring in our direction.
No.
Actually, she was glaring at me.
With my reputation buried somewhere beneath the academy's foundation, if anything happened, I'd always be the prime suspect.
"I will introduce myself again," she said, turning toward the board. "Almona Donner. You may call me Professor Mona if that is easier. I am the professor in charge of the [Basilisk Class]. The three other classes in your year are the [Phoenix Class], the [Dragon Class], and the [Pegasus Class]. Do not think too hard about the naming sense. They are merely names of mythological creatures that once appeared on this continent. Some still exist. We simply use them to distinguish each class."
Mona wrote the class names on the board with a squeak of marker.
"Each year is divided into four classes. Since there are three years in the academy, that makes twelve classes in total. This division exists partly to make our work as teachers easier, but the main purpose is to create a kind of 'war' between you."
A few students shifted in their seats.
"In the end, you all belong to the same promotion," she continued. "But this rivalry between classes is meant to create competition. Compete, improve, and push one another forward. Academically, physically, and personally."
I had to admit, it was effective.
Alfred had already started planning how to make the Dragon Class come out on top. Maybe he took it too seriously, but it did force group cohesion. Under normal circumstances, he never would have bothered trying to rein Ronald in if the latter's behavior and grades didn't affect the whole class.
"Class Points," Mona said, writing again. "Also called Royal Eden Points."
"There is a point system based on your overall performance. By that, I mean exam scores, participation, conduct, and performance in academy activities. You may also earn bonus points by successfully joining one of the academy's three main organizations."
"Professor."
Jayden raised his hand.
"Mr. Rayena."
"Um… what are the activities you mentioned?"
"Oh, yes. I was getting to that." Mona nodded.
"The activities are essentially clubs. There are many of them in this academy. Some exist for entertainment, some for training, and most do both. Depending on your performance, you may earn bonus Royal Eden Points for both yourself and your class. Since there is also an individual ranking, those points matter a great deal. There are clubs for all kinds of interests, so do not worry. It is not only dance or literature. Airbike racing or Sky-Ball, for example, will likely interest many of the boys."
"Hey, Edward, I bet you want to join the dance club," Jayden muttered.
Milleia barely managed to suppress a laugh.
Cleenah didn't even try.
[
"..."
Only Jarvis remained respectfully silent.
Traitors. All of them.
"Something funny, Edward?" Mona asked sharply. "Would you like to share it with the rest of us, so we may laugh too?"
Why me again?!
Jayden was snickering like this was the greatest moment of his life.
I forced a bright smile onto my face.
"Jayden was just asking whether men could participate in the Miss Eden competition, Professor. I couldn't hold back. My apologies."
"...!"
Jayden's smile died so fast it was like someone had unplugged his soul.
His face went white.
"Gahahaha!"
"Pfffft!"
"A guy in Miss Eden?! Good luck, man!"
"Aahahahaha!"
"Pffft! I-I'm sorry, Jayden, but...!"
Even Milleia gave up and burst out laughing.
I grinned at Jayden from ear to ear.
[
'Thank you.'
I smiled even more to myself. Cleenah sounded personally offended that I had reversed the situation so well. You might wonder on whose side this useless goddess was.
"...Mr. Jayden," Mona said with a neutral expression, "I am not one to judge personal preferences, but you should give up."
The room exploded all over again.
"N-No, I—"
"Give it up, man," I cut in, dragging him down further. "I know you trained hard for it, but it's useless. Have you seen the girls in this academy?"
Some of the guys were literally slamming their desks and nearly falling out of their seats.
"Edward, you…!"
"Enough," Mona finally said, raising her voice. "At this rate, we will never finish."
The laughter slowly died down, though a few scattered snorts and giggles remained.
"Now then… where was I?" She muttered.
"On the reason behind my laugh," I said helpfully.
"Edward! I will beat you—"
"Edward," Mona said dryly, "I appreciate your eagerness to answer, but do you not think your friend is pitiful enough already?"
I glanced sideways at Jayden.
His face was bright red.
Even his eyes were red.
Was he seriously about to cry…?
"I'm sorry, Professor. That was a poor decision on my part."
"Like hell it was," Jayden said under his breath, glaring at me.
Around us, I could feel even more stares landing on me.
My classmates were clearly shocked.
This didn't match anything they had heard about Edward Falkrona from rumors, news, or gossip. The most puzzled of them all was Lyra. As the daughter of a Marquis, she had met me a few times at noble gatherings.
And the Edward she knew was definitely not this one.
"Now then," Mona resumed, "I will briefly introduce the three organizations that handle security, discipline, and administration in the academy. The [Student Council], the [Executive Board], and the [Management Committee]. If you want more detailed information, you may visit their offices in the fourth building. I am not their spokeswoman."
The three organizations, huh.
If I remembered correctly, Jayden and Milleia would eventually join the [Management Committee].
Such a boring choice.
They handled event planning and academy logistics—things like the Miss Eden and Mister Eden competitions.
Not going to lie, though, I was a little interested in Miss Eden.
Back on Earth, I never really cared about beauty pageants. I mean, why would a man care about that unless he was… cultured?
I respected cultured men.
No offense.
Still, even if I had never watched the entirety of something like Miss Universe, I would at least look up the finalists. Who wouldn't be curious about the most beautiful girl in the world?
Here, the scale was smaller.
But somehow the stakes felt much higher.
This academy was overflowing with Heroines. Literal, world-class beauties. The Miss Eden contest would be brutal. And in the game, that event was actually important. As Jayden, your choices could influence the winner, and the one I had picked back then was another [Main Heroine] I still hadn't met in person.
I shook my head.
Not the time.
"Another thing," Mona continued. "I may be your class professor, but that does not mean you will only ever see me. You will also attend lessons taught by my colleagues, and there will be classes held with the entire promotion at once. In fact, you will often spend more time with your full promotion than with your separate class. Only the scores will be divided by class in those cases."
She paused, sweeping her gaze across the room.
"I ask you not to behave childishly," she said, "as though students from other classes are evil enemies while you alone are righteous defenders. You are all children of the Celesta Kingdom. Be proud of that. Defend your kingdom together. We already have enough problems beyond our borders."
She let out a soft sigh.
Sorry, Professor.
But your words wouldn't reach them.
The four classes would still fight like cats and dogs.
This rivalry had existed for decades. It wasn't going away anytime soon. Everyone already felt proud of their class after only a single morning.
I glanced down at the dark green snake embroidered on my blazer sleeve.
A competition against three other classes packed with [Main Characters], huh.
I smirked.
This was definitely going to be interesting.