After the Entrance Ceremony, the classes were announced.
Following that, we headed to our classrooms.
“I’m in the same class as Cain-san! Yay!”
Gald, who’s been next to me, has been rejoicing since a while ago.
There are 15 classes in total, so the probability of us being together was indeed low, but it’s been like this for a good 10 minutes now, so it’s getting annoying.
I gave him a dropkick.
“Be quiet, you’re too loud.”
With just that one sentence, he became as quiet as a cat.
He should have been like that from the start…
When we arrived at the classroom, most of the seats were already taken.
Moreover, at the very front was the Hero, Erna-san.
I don’t really want to get involved with her…
No, I need to get along with her to get into the Hero’s party…
I looked at the seating chart posted on the front blackboard…
Erna and I were seated one in front of the other.
I’m happy, but also disappointed, or rather, disappointed…
When I sat behind Erna-san, she glared at me.
Erna-san is a beauty by anyone’s standards.
If she looked at you with that face, most guys would be smitten.
But that’s only if she looks at you.
The intensity of her glare is terrifying.
“U-um, I look forward to working with you for the next year.”
I greeted her. First impressions are important for getting along. If I approach her politely with a smile…!
“…………!”
Eh, what was that just now…?
“…Come to the back of the school building later. Got it?”
S-scary…
I couldn’t refuse, so I had no choice but to go to the back of the school building after school as she said.
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………
“Alright, the self-introductions and school tour are done, so that’s it for today. Make sure to come to school full of energy tomorrow too!”
The teacher gave the signal to dismiss, so I started packing my things.
Then, Erna-san signaled with her eyes, ‘Follow me.’
Did I do something to get her attention…?
When we got to the back of the school building, the first thing Erna-san said was unexpected.
“Why did you refuse the Freshman Representative speech?”
“Huh!?”
“Don’t play dumb. You were this year’s top scorer, but the Freshman Representative speech was passed on to me. I heard from the teacher that the top scorer said, ‘Please, let her do it.’ What are you trying to do? Are you trying to gain favor?”
Ah, I see…
The school teachers didn’t even consult me in the first place.
But the fact that it’s being said that I said that means they thought the Hero was more suitable as the Freshman Representative than me.
Well, that’s understandable.
Eldina Academy is one of the most prestigious academies in the world, but Erna is from another country.
They don’t want her to leave.
Since the ‘Hero’ Skill was discovered three years ago, she’s been in this country receiving swordsmanship and magic instruction,
and since then, they’ve been giving Erna various special treatments to make her as comfortable as possible.
This is probably one of those things.
But, it’s bad to be disliked by the Hero here.
I have to clear up this misunderstanding…
“Um, I didn’t say anything like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I never even got the offer to give the Freshman Representative speech in the first place.”
“Are you saying… that the teachers of Eldina Academy all lied!?”
“Well, that’s what it seems like.”
“There’s no way! Stop joking around! I hate things that are twisted! It’s probably for some kind of political strategy! I’ve seen people like that many times.”
Even if she says that, it’s the truth…
What should I do… It doesn’t seem like she’ll believe me easily.
At that moment, a brilliant idea popped into my gray cells.
“Then… how about this? Let’s have a match between you and me in the next practical lesson.”
“………I see, if I win against you, it will prove that I was more suitable.”
That’s right, if I intentionally lose here…
“I’m telling you, if you try to lose on purpose, I won’t forgive you. I can kind of tell how strong someone is with my Skill. Like, how much effort someone is putting into a fight…”
What should I do… I’m in a big pinch all of a sudden.
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………
I was walking home with Gald.
“Um… I’ve been meaning to say this since this morning…”
Gald has been acting like he’s having trouble saying something since a while ago.
“Ah! That’s right. Don’t tell anyone about the Skill I used this morning, okay?”
“Ah, yes. No, it’s not that… well, that’s also concerning, but…”
“?…Then what is it?”
“Um… Cain-san, you’re a woman, aren’t you?”
“You didn’t know?”
Gald, who finally understood my gender after seeing me in a skirt, looked embarrassed.
“Um, I’m sorry. I even shared my ice cream with you…”
“…I don’t know why you’re apologizing… but it’s fine.”
From the next day, Gald became a little distant.
The novel has reached 17th place in the daily rankings by genre.
My writing is still immature, but I will continue to do my best, so please watch over my growth.
P.S. I’m writing this because it seems like there might be some questions, but the reason Erna knew what Cain looked like was because Tekuni, who was with her during the entrance exam, told her.
Erna, who was curious about who got a better score than her, loudly asked, “Who is this Cain? Someone tell me.” And it was Tekuni who raised his hand.