School Arc – Chapter 2
Besides when we’re in our dormitories and when I’m taking cla.s.ses for girls, I spend a lot of my time with Wolf.
I see Shade frequently talking with other people regardless of gender, (his male to female ratio of company was 1:9), but when he notices us, he’ll approach before I know it.
Today, for the sake of 『work』, the three of us planned to a.s.semble one by one later.
When I say work, it’s actually about the duties related to our dormitory positions. From the sixth years in their final year, both male and female dormitories have a single dorm prefect head – shortened to ‘dorm head’ – each. From the fifth years, two people each are chosen as prefects. Further down, the number of a.s.sociate prefects aren’t clearly defined. With the dorm heads and the dorm prefects consulting together, the nomination of a number of people deemed essential was possible. As a custom, generally around ten or so people take up those jobs.
Well in short, with the adolescent children who easily cause problems one way or another a.s.sembling within the dormitory, dividing the students into sections and making them an autonomous management was the intention of the school.
In fact, even though I say dorm head, usually, no work is imposed on that person. At best, once in a while, that person does things for the teachers; occasionally, that person would give a sermon paramount to saying「in order to not act shamefully as students of this glorious royal magical academy」for an event.
If I had to say, it’s the prefects who serve as the dorm heads’ helpers that were hectic. Because, since I also served that role last year, I knew that as a fact.
Today was a few tasks of the dorm heads — this day, to give a sermon of example at the opening a.s.sembly, Wolf and I were scheduled to go up the platform.
「Shade, don’t you have something you need to do?」
Shade was also appointed as a dorm prefect this year.
「Thing is, the other prefect is incredibly diligent」
「Is that why you’ve pushed all the work to that person?」
「The performance is much better like this than when it’s the two of us. That person… and I, something like attaining cooperation is probably impossible」
I glanced at Wolf with my eyes, however, it looks like he doesn’t have any desire to interrupt the conversation on Shade’s way of speaking. Wolf is pretty laissez-faire about his subordinates. Maybe the way men interact with their superiors and subordinates is just different.
Shade and the other prefect, to tell you the truth, don’t get along exceptionally well. Although it wasn’t to the extent that it was put out in the open, I have yet to see them make cordial conversation.
I’d love to say ‘Then don’t put the two of them together then.’ but it’s the school that elects the dorm prefects. Let’s just overlook the fact that parentage is a major factor on who they elect.
「Yesterday I ran around doing the lion’s share of the work, so for today at least, it should be fine to leave it to him」
Apparently, the two male prefects divide their work up instead of cooperating.
The freshmen’s dormitory registration started from a week ago and roughly ended yesterday. In that week, the degree of various pressing issues had been hectic enough to faint, but from today onwards, with the start of cla.s.s work, a little of the burden was supposed to decrease. Once the semester begins, which homeroom teachers are taking care of which students become clearly defined, and so the dorm leader and dorm prefects can just push all the woーーentrust the students to their respective teachers.
The sound of light footsteps drifted in. Even if it was considered a little improper, I wanted to give them leeway today. After all, the girls are busy.
The two female dorm prefects; in other words, the two who were being forced to be my gofers, ran hurriedly towards me.
「Onee-sama, we’ve finished checking the students roster! 」
「Although we’ve already gone to see the new students, at present, there isn’t any child complaining to be in bad shape. We’ve told them to stay quiet while you and Wolfgang-sama are talking!」
Don’t misunderstand.
Them calling me Onee-sama isn’t because of Maria Watches Over Us. It’s because of a tradition within the female dormitory.
Naturally, it isn’t imposed or anything, and the girls who are too embarra.s.sed to do it just call me Lycoris-senpai. But there are also plenty of girls who are happy to play along.
Back while I was a prefect as well, a number of my undercla.s.smen girls called me “Onee-sama”, so over the last year I got used to this ‘shame play’. (1) These days I can return their greeting without so much as a stiff smile.
「（Although I want them to quietly listen to the school chairman’s talk as well,）thank you. This one week was really hectic, but once this ceremony is finished, there will be time to relax, won’t there? Good work. You’ve been doing very well」
The two wore lovely, shy smiles, looking happy as they bowed their head; for some reason or another, I moved my body in order to conceal that from Shade’s eyes.
Either one of these two was meant to become the next year’s dormitory head, but I’m thinking there wouldn’t be a problem even if I left it to them right now. The two were both extraordinarily diligent – they were girls who spared no effort.
However, these girls don’t usually come near me too much.
Even now, I’d only just said it since they had finished their report to me, but with a position a little far away, the two settled down and had ended up starting their own pleasant conversation.
Although I don’t want to admit it.
In this school, I’m relatively alone.
It didn’t mean I was bullied. It’s not like they ignore me when I’m talking, and when we make any kind of group during cla.s.s and I ask “can I join?”, I don’t get rejected.
However, I don’t have any friends that I’m constantly, on a routine basis, together with.
To me, this had a big reason.
Five years ago. When I entered into this academy, I met a female student called Solana Brugmansia. (2) Brugmansia was one of the five duke families, and she had been the dorm head in those days.
I’d already known the other person’s name for some time now, but it looked like it was also the same in her case.
Having personally been called out by her, that was all it took to whirl me up. Rich pink-blonde and soft brown pupils, the lady-like her who was already elegant with every move she made, looked like a princess to me.
It was my first time having an older-sister figure, but once I tried talking to her, I realized she was a little absent-minded – how do I put it, she was the sort of person you simply couldn’t leave alone.
And so, under her patronage, I began adapting quite smoothly into dormitory life. Especially with the start of the school term, even more than the magic lessons, a lot of etiquette lessons on the school grade’s hierarchical structure ( The undercla.s.sman watched to learn the ways of her senior. The senior noticing her undercla.s.sman’s gaze, occasionally, offers guidance) was also attained, as a lot of the time was spent together with her.
With the combination of both genders, it was set that Wolf would join me in the magical study-cla.s.sroom lectures which was a lesson for the other grade in school.
And so, after a short time pa.s.sed, when I had time to look over my surroundings belatedly, I had a realization.
Groups that got along well had already been formed!!
I ended up missing out on it.
If this was all thus far, I still had the option to enter one of the existing groups. I discussed the considerations with Solana-sempai, the Onee-sama, that for the time being, I was going to be try to fit in with the children in the same year – don’t take it the wrong way – and thus changing my lifestyle of clinging to her.
However.
She… was extensively indulgent. She went around to help behind the scenes, giving out instructions 『You’re going to invite Lycoris-chan for lunch』and『You’re going to invite her into the group work』 to all the girls in the same year.
And as expected, of course, I noticed as well. I mean, they invited me to lunch on rotation after all.
When I realized it, I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself. Even if I thought about it now, honestly speaking, I should be glad they didn’t start to bully me instead.
And afterwards, well – after giving my spirit a good pounding, I had them stop that bothersome rotation and planned on improving our relations.h.i.+p bit by bit, but, the results were lacking. I don’t think Lycoris had actual friends in the game either, so perhaps this is already what you’d call destiny.
By sense of self-examination and restraint, I treated Solana-sempai as a 『senior』all throughout; but, I spent the two years visiting when there were invitations sent out by her.
Continuing after Solana-sempai, who served as the dormitory head, graduated, I had also served as a quasi-prefect and dormitory prefect as we went up the grades. That being the case, through the involvement of work, the chances of speaking with children of the same year also increased, gradually, the distance seemed to shorten. Although that were so, I was in a standstill since by no means could this also be called an affable relations.h.i.+p. Personally, I’m going through busy days because of a particular troublesome junior.
By the way, in Wolf’s case, actual friends came in better than in my case. Or perhaps I should say, he was sort of a little bit surrounded? Once in a while, it would become a conversation where he’d point out 「Aren’t those what you’d call a conversation between a boss and his subordinates?」, but the situation looked like companions joking around and making fun of each other. How enviable.
Among the three of us, it was Shade who was remarkably sociable. Although it looked like girls were fundamentally the only ones he talked to, I’ve also seen him talk to guys about stupid things. Well – it didn’t necessarily mean I knew what the contents of the conversations were, but, it sort of had the atmosphere of being stupid. It was definitely a conversation of the sort that ends up quickly stopping once a female student approached.
By the way, that Solana-sempai, just before graduating from school, left an inconceivable bomb.
It was a timed bomb, a bit later, it exploded, greatly surprising me.
This was what she said before leaving school.
『By next year, my brother will be coming here to enter the academy. Since my youngest brother is far apart in age, with everyone in the household doting on him, he ended up developing a little bit of a selfish personality… I’m worried. Lycoris, if you could, take care of my brother, okay?』
And so, on the preceding year’s entrance ceremony.
Came his arrival. Yellow’s, that is.
No, pardon me. The arrival was that of Arutad Brugmansia.(3)
One of the capturable characters of the『standard game』- the image character Yellow was a simple-minded idiot-cla.s.s of yandere.
For him, rather than『imbecile』, 『idiot』 is more appropriate in my opinion.(4)
(1) Este says it kinda means s.e.xual play…
(2) Solana Brugmansia. Solana was a name taken from Solanaceae.
(3) Arutad Brugmansia. It’s another poisonous flower. Flip the name of Arutad, and you get Datura. I feel so smart now… though the spelling is Arutad, the p.r.o.nunciation is “Arutado”.
(4) She’s trying to weaken the term stupid saying that oh well he’s not an imbecile(insult to a worse degree), just an idiot.(lower level of insult).