Chapter 17 - An Annoying Classmate
Ready, set...
""Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!""
""Tie, do it again!""
""Tie, do it again!!""
""Again!!""
"Scissors!"
"Paper!"
"I won!"
"I lost, aaaaaaaahhhhhh?!"
Cold, judging stares pierced right through us, practically screaming, What the hell are these two doing?
...Heh, it’s only natural they wouldn't understand. After all, "Rock, Paper, Scissors" is an original game brought over to this fantasy world by none other than yours truly, a reincarnated soul.
As of right now, it’s a decision-making method used exclusively between my sister and me.
"Alright, since I won, I'll be the one fighting~"
"Wait a minute! Isn't the loser supposed to be the one who does it?! Fighting is a total chore, so losing should mean you get stuck with the penalty!"
"Stop being a sore loser, Big Sis."
Having our Young Lady insulted had pissed off both siblings equally. The right to hand down a iron-fisted judgment should rightfully belong to the victor.
"Don't worry, winning or losing at rock-paper-scissors is a trivial matter. The real loser here is going to be her."
Up on the makeshift ring, the girl named More, who had been acting like a reigning champion just a moment ago, was already waiting for me with a demonic expression. Since we had completely humiliated her earlier, her desire for revenge was staggering.
"You bastards are mocking me...! Fine by me, you don't even have to choose who fights! Just come at me both at once!"
"My, what a foul-mouthed young lady."
With that kind of language, I’d lose all interest in ravishing her after knocking her flat.
"Choosing only one of us to fight is for our own sake. We want to strip away any excuses you might have."
"What did you say...?!"
"We won't give you an escape route like, 'They ganged up on me, so it couldn't be helped.' Your defeat will be purely due to a lack of skill. You are going to lose because you are weak. We are going to systematically eliminate any other pretext you might use to avert your eyes from reality."
And so...
"Instructor, I have a request. Can we make this match a best-of-three?"
"A best-of-three, meaning the first to secure two rounds wins? I see, that would certainly leave less room for chance to dictate the outcome, but..."
"No, that's not what I mean."
I corrected Instructor Whip's misunderstanding.
"We will fight three rounds, and if More wins even a single time, we can count it as her ultimate victory. No need for a first-to-two setup."
"What?!"
Hearing this, More flew into a rage exactly as expected.
"You think you're giving me a handicap?! Doesn't that mean you have to win three times in a row just to secure your victory?!"
"It’s not just a 'thought,' it is a handicap."
Regardless, this match was meant to thoroughly demonstrate the gap in our abilities. I was absolutely going to make her pay the price for insulting Lady Staff.
"If you're unsatisfied, we can make it a best-of-five. Or a best-of-ten? Either way, all you need is a single win."
"Don't screw with me! Fine then, I’ll beat you to a pulp in the very first round of this best-of-three! I can't wait to see the pathetic look on your face when you lose!"
She was fired up beautifully. The surrounding crowd held their breath, watching this bizarre turn of events unfold.
"Show no mercy, More!"
Her master, the theatrical beauty, was getting incredibly heated as well.
"For the prestige of our domain, crush this insolent fool! That is your duty!"
"I know that, Lady Bloom!"
More drew the sword hanging at her waist from its scabbard and took her stance. I had already confirmed in the previous match that it was blunted and lacked lethal force, but having the tip pointed at you still carried quite a bit of pressure.
"Allow me to educate my pathetic prey! My guard Clay More's Vocation is [Swordsman]! While most direct combat classes are proficient in handling blades, the characteristic of a [Swordsman] is that they are specialized specifically for it!"
Her master was happily blabbing away all of her secrets.
"The [Swordsmanship (A)] skill that More possesses represents the ultimate compatibility with a sword! Even [Warriors] or [Knights] cannot match her! Defeating More in a one-on-one duel is an nigh-impossible task!"
Is that so? Then I suppose I should take out my weapon as well.
"?!"
"What on earth is that?!"
The opponent facing me and her master backing her up were synchronized in their utter bewilderment.
What I held in my hand was my absolute strongest weapon: a pole. ...Except it was the shortest one imaginable.
A pestle!
"You bastard! What is that?! Are you mocking me?!"
"It’s a pestle. It’s very convenient for grinding sesame seeds."
After all, buttering up the master is a necessary act for a servant. What? You mean it's not that kind of "grinding"?
"You piece of trash... you really want to play me for a fool until the very end, don't you! You think you can properly match me with a tiny, short stick like that?!"
"That phrasing sounds incredibly lewd."
If I had even a shred of masochism in me, I might have gotten hard.
"Shut up! If that's how it is, I'll just have to make your body understand reality! Lose and regret your absolute stupidity, aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!"
More rushed forward, raising her sword in one swift motion. Her movement was exceptionally fluid and devoid of waste—the work of her specialized [Swordsmanship (A)] skill.
The trajectory of her blade was aimed squarely at the crown of my head, carrying enough momentum to crack my skull open and kill me on the spot, even if it was blunted...
"Up we go."
With a sharp crack, the iron mock sword snapped in half. It was the direct result of my pestle colliding with her blade.
"Wh-?!"
"And there."
In the next breath, I planted the tip of the pestle right in front of More's nose. If I applied force and pushed forward, shattering her soft nasal bone would be child's play.
"What happens when a [Swordsman] loses their sword, I wonder?"
"...?!"
The sword she held had snapped cleanly from the base, leaving nothing but the hilt. It could no longer even be called a weapon.
In that state, she was left wide open to a definitive strike.
"...The match is decided. The victor is Sao."
"What?! Wait a minute! I can still—!"
"What can you possibly do without a weapon? Knowing when to retreat is an essential trait of the truly strong."
Well, that's one win. Since I planned to see this through as a best-of-three per my initial declaration, let's move on to the second match.
Feel free to prepare a replacement for the broken sword; honestly, I wouldn't even mind if it were a real blade.
"No, that is enough."
Stepping up into the ring was the theatrical beauty, Bloom.
"This match is More's absolute defeat. There is no need to smear further shame upon ourselves by fighting a second or third round. Sao would simply win consecutive victories anyway."
"You admit it surprisingly easily. Don't you trust your subordinate?"
"Even if I trusted her, the result would not change. Just as the instructor mentioned, knowing when to retreat is what matters most."
Her judgment was certainly correct. Yet, even as her opponent, I couldn't help but feel a bit unsatisfied with how clinical it was.
"Please wait, Lady Bloom! I can still...!"
"Silence, you useless thing. Do not disgrace me any further."
At her harsh reprimand, More choked back her words.
"By contrast, Sao, your abilities are magnificent. It seems a rare class is truly not just for show. Possessing that level of strength, it is only natural that you chose to observe rather than participate in a petty game."
"Thanks."
"I sincerely envy the Zelisar Domain for harboring such talent. I must also apologize to Lady Staff. My thoughtless remarks toward you were a failure of my own virtue."
Receiving this somewhat subtle apology, our Young Lady didn't particularly change her expression...
"Lady Bloom, allow me to impart a secret on how to acquire useful talent."
"...And what might that be?"
"To trust them, and to care for them. Though our positions as master and servant may differ, outside of that, we are human beings just the same. We ought to be equals. Standing above others carries no meaning beyond bearing the weight of responsibility."
Faced with the Young Lady suddenly dropping an unexpected lecture, the opponent looked completely taken aback.
"Only when you trust them like a friend and care for them like family will they adore you in return. If Lady Bloom wishes to have useful people by her side, perhaps you should try acting accordingly?"
"...Your perspective is incredibly naive."
Leaving that parting shot, the theatrical beauty turned on her heel and departed.
"Ah, please wait, Lady Bloom!"
The boyish beauty hurried after her.
I guess that marks the end of the event?
"Mhm, that was a highly meaningful use of time," Instructor Whip said with a satisfied nod.
"We hold a new student exhibition match every year, but we have never had one of such a high level. To completely crush an A-rank specialized skill... as expected, an SS-rank is simply in a league of its own!"
"Analyzing is well and good, but I do think you should focus a bit of that energy on actual teaching," I thought to myself.
Is this teacher going to be alright?
Just like that, I had carelessly made myself stand out on the very first day of enrollment. I hope this won't cause problems for my student life starting tomorrow. It was a opening act filled with a mix of anxiety and anticipation.
In reality, once we actually got down to it, life at the Royal Academy progressed rather quietly without any major upheavals.
Well, that's just how it goes. No matter how much people romanticize student life as the pinnacle of youth, it’s actually far more peaceful than working-class life, consisting mostly of the same daily routine repeating itself.
...Or so says my reincarnated self.
However, since this school was operated directly by the Kingdom, the academics were brutal. The assignments were heavy, the tests were frequent, and keeping up was a monumental task.
Both the Young Lady and my sister returned to the estate every day groaning under the weight of their studies.
"Nothing but studying, there's no time for sex...!"
"If I'm going to pant and gasp, I want it to be exclusively on top of a bed...!"
They wailed while powering through their assignments.
The primary curriculum consisted of the knowledge and refinement required of the noble class. Learning history, memorizing etiquette, and mastering the management and calculation methods that would be required when they actually became Lords—there was simply an immense amount of material to absorb.
Even so, thanks to the knowledge from my previous life, I was having a considerably easier time compared to the other students.
On top of that, I helped my sister and the Young Lady with their studies. Once the assignments were finished, I’d receive internal ejaculations as a reward, making for quite a fulfilling daily routine.
There was just one point... a lingering sense of anxiety, or rather, suspicion...
It concerned that classmate named Bloom.
Ever since the exhibition match on the first day, she would seize any opportunity to try and cozy up to us.
——"Ah, Lady Staff! Which elective class are you taking today? Music? In that case, perhaps I shall head over there as well!"
——"Ah, Lady Staff! We were given quite a lot of assignments today. Don't you think it would be far more efficient if we cleared them together?"
——"Ah, Lady Staff! Are you free tomorrow?! ...Eh? You think that way of inviting you is crossing a line?"
She clung to us to a downright irritating degree. Because of their matching status as daughters of Governors, Lady Staff was always the first to be targeted. The persistence was so relentless that the Young Lady would eventually snap, screaming, "You are incredibly annoying!!"
"What on earth do those two want with us, anyway?" Big Sis muttered suspiciously. By "those two," she was referring to Bloom, though her appeal was mostly as a cross-dressing prince who charmed other women.
"It's certain she views us specially. On day one, we completely shattered her chance to seize leadership of the class. I imagine she thinks the only way to make a comeback is to somehow deal with us first."
Whether that meant eliminating us or wining us over. Judging by her recent attitude, it looked like she had steered firmly toward wining us over.
"What's the point of doing that anyway? We're just going to graduate from school in a few years, right? Becoming the top dog here doesn't mean a thing."
"Maybe it gives her some kind of advantage after graduation, who knows?"
The Royal Academy is, after all, an elite track, so securing as much dominance as possible here would likely connect to her future success. She was clearly a highly ambitious woman, exactly as she appeared.
"Whatever it is, other people's motives don't matter to me! Just don't drag me into it!"
As the one bearing the brunt of that influence, Lady Staff was the true victim here.
"It is entirely obvious that her real target is Sao! But because she can't directly lay a hand on another person's servant, she focuses entirely on me! I can't keep dealing with this, so from now on, Sao, you handle her directly!" "Noble interactions must be handled by nobles, Milady. A servant has no place sticking their nose in."
Therefore, My Lady, please continue serving as a shield against that aggressive, theatrical beauty for a little while longer.
"Ngu-aaaaaaahhhhhh! Damn it all!!"
"The Young Lady has broken down?!"
And so, while our student life proceeded without major incident save for a few exceptions... a single shift finally occurred.
Comments
Post a Comment