Diaros Academy is an educational facility located in the special administrative region of the academy.
The entire territory was filled with shops dedicated to the academy, among which were lodgings for examinees waiting to enroll in the academy.
Of course – as a great noble, I have no need for such things. I purchased an entire mansion within the academy’s territory. Not only did a count contribute, but a duke also lent a hand, making the mansion arguably the finest in the academy’s territory.
“But don’t students live in dormitories at the academy anyway?”
“Students with homes are specially allowed to commute.”
“Hahaha, Yuri. You still don’t know much, do you? The thrill is barely making it to class after living in the dormitory.”
“How would you know that, Kail?”
“…So I’ve heard.”
Yuri questioned how I knew about something I hadn’t experienced, and I quickly changed the subject. Come to think of it, I’m also a complete newbie who hasn’t enrolled in an academy like this before.
Although Yuri gave me a strange look as I talked about something I hadn’t experienced as if I had personally gone through it, I consistently played dumb until the end.
Knock knock-.
“Lord Kail?”
Just then, the maid of the mansion knocked on the door as if she had been timing it perfectly. As I called out for her to enter, the door opened, and the maid extended a letter she held in her hand.
“It’s from the academy.”
“Oh, finally.”
I quickly rushed over to take the letter from the maid. There were two letters; one was for me, and the other was for Yuri.
After handing the letter to Yuri, I immediately tore open the seal to check its contents. Inside the letter was the long-awaited notification of acceptance to the academy.
[To Cadet Kail Meyer]
[Congratulations on your acceptance]
[Please be sure to attend the entrance ceremony to receive your certificate of acceptance]
“That’s right.”
In a way, it was an expected outcome, but people tend to worry even about obvious facts.
Overjoyed by the news of my acceptance, I tilted my head upon seeing the two letters in Yuri’s hand. Two? I only had one.
“Yuri, what’s that?”
“The acceptance letter.”
“There are two?”
“Oh, this. Want to see?”
Yuri handed me the second letter, which I didn’t have. I swiftly scanned its contents.
My eyes widened upon reading the letter. To summarize its contents:
“I’m the top student.”
Yuri Grace, she was the top student of this academy.
***
After receiving the acceptance letter, the time until the academy’s entrance ceremony flew by like melting snow. I wanted to go to school with Yuri together, but—since she was the top student, she was called ahead for the entrance ceremony’s oath and other event rehearsals.
Ultimately, I had to enter the academy alone, so I headed there feeling rather lonely.
The day of the academy’s entrance ceremony. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who had been waiting for this day, as many people were heading towards the academy.
Hiiiiing-!
“Get out of the way! Do you know who’s riding here!?”
“And you, do you know who owns this carriage!?”
Of course, due to the nature of the academy, there were more nobles than commoners, and the nobles, finding it bothersome to walk even this short distance, headed to the academy in carriages.
With so many carriages converging at once, traffic jams formed on the roads. If getting stuck in traffic with human-driven vehicles was frustrating, how much more so with horse-drawn carriages?
Unable to bear standing still, the horses began acting up, and the already chaotic roads became even more chaotic.
‘Walking might be faster.’
Thinking that, I bypassed the congested road and headed toward the academy, where I soon noticed numerous cadets walking toward the academy like me in the distance.
The first thing that caught my eye was the sight of people flying off suddenly as they tried to pass through the entrance.
“Aaaaaaah─!”
“??”
At first, I was puzzled and alarmed by the sight, but it didn’t take long for me to understand what was happening.
Those flying off now were all unsuccessful applicants disguised as academy students.
People without an academy acceptance letter couldn’t even enter the academy. Such magic was in place.
That’s when I understood why it said attendance was mandatory.
‘Without it, you can’t even get in.’
Of course, I was different since I had the academy acceptance letter. Amidst the envious gazes of those who failed, I entered the academy and met the cadets checking each person’s acceptance letter at the main gate.
‘If they’re going to do this, why bother with that?’
Though I couldn’t understand it—I obediently lined up and had my acceptance letter checked. A cadet, two heads shorter than me, stared blankly upward at me towering above before asking for my details after seeing the acceptance letter.
“Ah, ah- um, name?”
“Kail Meyer.”
“Kail Meyer, Kail Meyer… Here it is. Yep, confirmed. You may go in!”
“Are you a senior?”
“Huh? Yes! Second year, Lil Pine. Nice to meet you, junior.”
“Ooh, nice to meet you too.”
I grabbed the hand she extended and shook it up and down. She was a cute senior, but I felt no ulterior motives.
That’s because…
‘She’s flat-chested.’
I’m not interested in women with smaller chests than mine.
Passing by the cute senior, I went inside where seniors in uniforms were guiding new students to the auditorium.
Following their guidance to the auditorium, the new students already inside were sitting on chairs, waiting for the entrance ceremony to begin.
After sitting in an appropriately empty seat and waiting for the entrance ceremony to start, someone plopped down into the seat next to me.
“Hi?”
I casually turned my head to check who sat next to me and immediately beamed with a smile. A rare platinum blonde beauty with a large chest had taken the seat beside me.
“Oh, hi.”
“You, you’re tall. Are you in the Knight Department?”
“Yes, the Knight Department. And you?”
“I’m in the Arts Department. Singing is my specialty.”
“Singing? Impressive.”
I’m cold to flat-chested girls, but warm to well-endowed ones. Back in Korea, there weren’t many women with bigger chests than me, so I was always angry—but this other world is different.
Since the original source is a game, there are more buxom characters than flat-chested ones. In this world, I could become a sweet guy.
As I laughed and chatted, I realized I hadn’t even asked her name yet.
“Come to think of it, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet. Your name?”
“Ariah.”
“I’m Kail Meyer. Nice to meet you.”
Smiling at her, I extended my hand. Ariah tilted her head curiously and looked at me.
When I looked back questioningly, she pointed to herself and continued her introduction.
“Ariah, remember?”
“Yeah, I heard earlier.”
“Hmm- pretending not to know? Or is it an act?”
“Are you famous or something?”
When I asked, Ariah burst into laughter. She laughed so hard that tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
Wiping away her tears while laughing uncontrollably, Ariah waved her hands, denying any grandeur.
“No, though I want to be famous, I’m just a regular student for now.”
“Hmm, keep working on it.”
“Hahaha! You’re really funny!”
Then—she explained why she had laughed so hard.
“Didn’t you notice I don’t have a surname? I’m a commoner.”
“So?”
“What do you mean ‘so’? You’re a noble. Wouldn’t it be weird for a noble to be friends with a commoner?”
“I don’t really care about that. Besides, this is an academy.”
An educational facility where all cadets are equal.
How equal? So much so that a player character who is a commoner can laugh and joke around with the empire’s prince and even date him.
However, Ariah seemed to view me as a diligent rule-follower and snorted dismissively while looking me over.
“Is that so— Hmm. I like you. Shall we be friends?”
“Friends sound good. I’ve always wanted a female friend.”
“Heh, not a girlfriend?”
“Ah, that’s a bit…”
I pointed to the front of the auditorium where sharp murderous intent had been directed at me since earlier. There stood Yuri glaring fiercely at us.
Pointing to Yuri, I explained to Ariah why she couldn’t become my girlfriend.
“She’s my fiancée. So, a girlfriend is a bit…”
“Wow, you’re quite the capable one? Having such a beautiful fiancée.”
“Nobles are all like that.”
“Sure, sure—feeding one more commoner wouldn’t be a big deal, right?”
“Probably not?”
Hearing my words, Ariah smirked and began to grope my arm.
“How about me?”
“Big-chested women are always welcome—”
“—but! Would a man with a fiancée get stabbed if he got touched?”
Ariah mischievously smiled as she looked at me. Anyone could tell from her face that she was teasing me.
I slightly hardened my expression and looked down at her.
“Take back what you just said.”
“Alright, if you buy me dessert.”
On the first day of entering the academy, I got scammed by my newly made friend.
If only she had been flat-chested, I wouldn’t have fallen for it…
***
Top student of the academy.
A position many nobles would envy—but Yuri Grace wasn’t pleased with it. She had to be separated from her fiancé, Kail Meyer, during the entrance ceremony.
“…What is he doing right now?”
Glancing—Yuri spotted a platinum blonde girl sitting next to her fiancé Kail.
She didn’t consider herself the type to obsess over someone sitting next to her fiancé, but objectively speaking, the two were unusually close.
“Move away.”
Yuri glared sharply at Kail. Whether he sensed her gaze or not, both of them turned their eyes toward her simultaneously.
Their gazes met in mid-air, and Yuri saw the platinum blonde girl smirking at her.
That unknown girl approached Kail. She caressed her fiancé’s arm and rubbed against his chest.
Anger surged sky-high, but what infuriated her more was Kail’s lack of action.
“…Kail.”
No matter how liberal nobles were about love affairs—did he flirt right in front of his fiancée? That was insane behavior.
Continuously clenching and unclenching her fists in anger, Yuri suddenly turned her head upon hearing someone call her name.
“—Miss Yuri Grace?”
“…Yes.”
“The entrance ceremony will begin shortly. Just follow what we practiced.”
“Understood.”
Even while responding to the professor in front of her, Yuri’s gaze never left Kail.
In the end, Kail didn’t stop flirting with the unknown girl sitting next to him until she stepped onto the stage during the entrance ceremony.
“Wow… How can you flirt in front of your fiancée?”
“…?”
And then, a woman standing behind her spoke up. Yuri turned around to see who addressed her.
Clearly, the academy’s second-place holder…
“Ah, do you not know my name? Hmm—I’m Kim Sera.”
“Kim Sera?”
“Yes. Ah, Kim is my family name, and my given name is Sera. Just call me Sera.”
“The Kim… family?”
“Kimhae Kim… What generation was it again…?”
Yuri tilted her head at the unfamiliar family name. With black hair and an Eastern appearance, she didn’t seem to be from the empire.
“Well—nice to meet you, Yuri Grace.”
“…Yeah, whatever.”
Thinking it wouldn’t hurt to befriend a talented noble from another country, especially one who ranked second, Yuri greeted her.
Subtly lowering her head, Yuri instinctively knew she wouldn’t lose Kail to Sera.
After all, Sera’s chest was far too small.
“By the way—Isn’t that going too far?”
“Who?”
“That guy, Kail Meyer. …Was Kail always that muscular?”
“Do you know Kail?”
“Of course.”
Sera confidently answered, giving a thumbs-up.
“From his birthday to his preferences—I’ve got everything memorized!”
“…Ah, really?”
Forget what I said earlier.
I shouldn’t get close to her.
Thinking that, Yuri subtly distanced herself from Sera.
