Putting on my blazer, I wrapped my red tie around my arm like an armband and stepped out of my room.
It was, of course, completely against the rules to wear the tie that way.
Still, no one here had the courage to call me out on it.
Well… almost no one.
Professor Mona and Professor Katia definitely would.
But during their classes, all I had to do was take it off and act like a decent student for a few hours. That much, at least, I could manage.
After closing the door behind me, I paused for a second and glanced at the rooms to my right, to my left, and across from mine.
It was honestly strange.
Two whole weeks had passed since the academy started, and I had still never properly seen any of my neighbors. Not once. No morning encounters in the corridor, no chance meetings late at night, no familiar faces coming and going.
Nothing.
[
That was true.
My schedule was definitely different from most of my classmates.
But I couldn't help it.
I needed a lot of sleep, since I trained until late at night almost every day. By the time I dragged myself back to my room, most normal students were already asleep, and when they were up and about in the morning, I was still dead to the world.
Once outside the dormitory, I headed toward the fourth building.
All first years had been asked to gather there that morning.
We didn't have normal classes today, since the clubs officially opened from this point onward. The upperclassmen had prepared all sorts of presentations to attract juniors into their activities, and apparently the whole academy was treating it like a miniature festival.
Surprisingly enough, I wasn't late.
In fact, I could actually see a few students from my year hurrying past me in a panic, which meant I was somehow early by comparison.
A few minutes later, I reached the gathering area, a wide sandy field where the students of our year had already been organized into four blocks according to class.
At the front stood the four homeroom teachers of our promotion, speaking among themselves.
Professor Mona, homeroom teacher of the [Basilisk Class].
Professor Erwin, homeroom teacher of the [Pegasus Class].
Professor Walter, homeroom teacher of the [Dragon Class].
And Professor Katia, homeroom teacher of the [Phoenix Class].
At that very moment, Professor Katia was the one addressing the students about the clubs.
Of course, I took the chance to slip into my class as quietly as possible so she wouldn't notice my arrival too clearly.
Pushing my way through my classmates, I reached Jayden, Milleia, and Lyra.
"Where were you?" Jayden whispered the moment I arrived.
"Sleeping."
"You're always late, Edward," Milleia said with a giggle.
"He trains hard, that's why," Lyra added.
All three of them already knew I spent my nights training, so none of them seemed particularly surprised.
To be fair, Jayden, Milleia, and Lyra trained too. Just not with me, and not at the same time. It wasn't as if the academy had only one gymnasium or one practice hall for everyone to fight over.
Still, the truth was simpler than that.
I was avoiding training with them on purpose.
I had no intention of revealing Mary's ability or the Anathemas fire.
And to keep that from happening, I had very intentionally chosen a private training room and monopolized it whenever I could.
"I sincerely ask all of you to show respect to your seniors," Professor Katia said in her usual cool voice. "They worked hard to prepare proper presentations for you. Keep in mind that they invested their time and effort not only for themselves, but also for your benefit."
No one dared interrupt her.
"The Royal Eden Arena, located just behind this building, is where the clubs are being hosted today. The stadium is vast enough to accommodate nearly three hundred thousand people. Do not get lost. Be mindful of your surroundings. You may go."
The second she finished speaking, the neat arrangement of students collapsed into movement.
Everyone split apart and started heading toward the gigantic arena behind us.
I lifted my head and stared up at it.
I still couldn't see the top properly.
The Royal Eden Arena looked like a football stadium if someone had taken the original idea and fed it mana until it evolved into a monster. It was colossal. Tournaments, club competitions, formal exams, public matches, everything important happened there. On the exterior walls, four massive screens had been mounted high above the entrances, though none of them displayed anything at the moment since today was more of an internal event than a public spectacle.
"Which club are you going to join, Lyra?" Milleia asked, unable to hide her excitement.
"Hmmm…" Lyra tapped a finger against her chin. "The club where you fight and race with your familiar. It looks exciting."
Just like in the game.
Lyra had chosen the same club.
"Oh! You have a familiar, Lyra?" Milleia asked in surprise, and Jayden looked just as curious beside her.
"Oh, yes," Lyra replied. "I never really had the occasion to tell you, but I do."
A familiar was, in simple terms, a beast companion.
A mana beast, yes, but a naturally born one rather than an artificially altered creature. In most noble houses, families would capture suitable beasts and try to form bonds between them and their children while they were still young. Lyra's case was no different.
"You have one too, don't you, Milleia?" Lyra asked. "Why not join that club as well?"
Milleia had already mentioned that she possessed a familiar.
The problem was that things were not that simple.
"Ah… I'm sorry, Lyra," Milleia said with slumped shoulders. "I still can't control my familiar properly. She doesn't answer every time I call."
You can say that again.
Of course she wasn't answering.
She was only one of the most powerful mana beasts in the world.
Milleia simply wasn't strong enough yet to properly summon Ceatha.
Once she gained genuine control over that bond and fully awakened her bloodline, she would become the most complete heroine in the entire first game.
"Ahhh, what a shame…" Lyra said, sounding disappointed.
She really had grown close to Milleia.
But don't worry, Lyra.
You won't be alone.
I turned my eyes toward Jayden.
He had a conflicted expression on his face.
Jayden had a familiar too.
He just hadn't told any of us yet.
And there was a good reason for that. The moment he revealed it, certain people, his enemies, or future enemies, more accurately would start paying serious attention to him. And once they did, they would do everything in their power to get rid of him before he could truly grow.
So what was he going to do, I wondered.
Would he keep hiding like a coward?
Or…
Would he finally choose to let the world know he existed?
In the game, we were given a choice here.
Now, I was curious to see what Jayden would do on his own.
And if he refused?
I would force him anyway.
He needed to join that club.
Why?
Because four heroines were connected to it.
Yes.
Four.
Including Lyra, obviously.
It was the single best club for building Jayden's future harem, and naturally I would be joining it too. There were important events tied to that club, and I also needed to keep influencing Jayden to get closer to every heroine connected to him.
And that was not all.
If things unfolded like they did in the game, then Jayden would eventually join two other clubs as well, the ones tied to the remaining heroines. Which meant I would have to join those too.
Exhausting didn't even begin to cover it.
But I had no choice.
"Let's start with this one!" Lyra suddenly said, grabbing Milleia's arm and dragging her toward one of the club stands.
"Let's go, Jayden."
I snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Oh. Yeah."
….
….
We entered the Arena after going through a few security checks.
"Wooooow…"
Jayden and Milleia both stood there with their mouths open the moment they saw the interior.
To be fair, their reaction was justified.
The inside of the Arena was enormous, far larger than the outside already suggested. Since dozens upon dozens of clubs were holding demonstrations at once, the whole place resembled a giant bazaar, except far grander and far more chaotic. The atmosphere was lively, bright, and full of noise. Everywhere I looked, people were moving, shouting, laughing, showing off.
Some students were flying overhead.
Some were dancing.
Some were fighting.
Some were giving speeches.
Some were just trying to drag freshmen into joining before another club could steal them first.
It was vibrant.
Restless.
Almost festive.
And seeing it stirred a strange kind of nostalgia in me.
Back on Earth, I had once taken part in a bazaar too, with Ephera and some of my other friends.
It had been much smaller.
Much more ordinary.
But something about the atmosphere was the same, and for a brief moment the memory brushed against me with a quiet ache.
"Come on, Milleia!" Lyra said, already dragging her away to sightsee around the stands.
Jayden instinctively took a step to follow them, but I stopped him.
"Edward?"
"We'll join them later," I said. "They're probably going to look around the clubs for girls first. Do you want to stand there like a creep while they do that?"
"Ah, right. My bad."
Jayden scratched the back of his neck.
"I know an interesting club. Follow me."
With that, I turned and began walking in a specific direction.
My memories of the area were a little fuzzy, but I could still vaguely remember where the club I wanted was located.
"Sure! What is it?" Jayden asked, following close behind me.
"Skyball," I said. "You know it, right?"
"Yeah! Of course I know it!"
His eyes lit up instantly.
Just as I expected.
Skyball was his favorite sport in this world. There was almost no chance he wouldn't want to join it.
[]
'I'm not going there to enjoy myself… but I know I'm going to enjoy it anyway.'
[
'I don't care whether you like it or not! This is a matter of life and death, useless Goddess!'
[
'Like hell! My reputation is already at rock bottom. I don't need any more humiliation.'
Over the past two weeks, I had started to notice something.
The way people looked at me had changed, just slightly, but still enough for me to feel it.
Not by much.
Not enough to call it trust.
But different.
Less disgusted.
Less openly hostile.
If I kept going like this, maybe one day things would truly change.
Of course, for some people, like Miranda or Aurora that was probably impossible.
"It's here."
Fortunately, I didn't need to search long.
A practice match was already taking place in the air, clearly meant to show interested students what Skyball looked like in action.
Jayden and I both looked up.
Several students from our promotion were floating in the air using special boots, gadgets that let them remain aloft and they wore metallic bracers on both forearms as well. Two teams of eight were facing off against each other. A silver ball flew rapidly from hand to hand while circular goals hovered behind both teams.
Mana was allowed, but there were strict rules against using it to injure other players directly.
In a way, it resembled handball from Earth.
Except it was much more dangerous.
And much more fun.
I mean, come on.
You were literally playing a sport while flying in the air.
I wanted to try it.
Beside me, Jayden was completely absorbed, his attention locked on the match like a little boy staring at a miracle.
"Hey, guys! I can't believe I found you!"
The smile vanished from my face the instant I heard that voice.
Damn it.
I had forgotten that he was part of this club too.
Tyler.
For fuck's sake.
And it wasn't just him.
Miranda was involved here too.
And so was the last [Main Heroine] of the First Game.
Yeah.
This was definitely going to be lively.
[
Shaddap.