Chapter 437
“Hey!!!”
Maelyn, her face bright red, shrieked loudly. Simon chuckled as he greeted.
“Welcome, Dick.”
“Hey!”
Dick hopped right over the park bench and high-fived Simon. Smack! A lively sound rang out.
“How’ve you been, my roomie!”
“We’re not roommates anymore.”
Simon shook out his stinging palm.
“Heh! You never know. Maybe we’ll end up roommates again in the second year.”
The awkward atmosphere broke apart. Dick had that knack, making his surroundings noisy and cheerful just by being there.
Dick waggled his eyebrows at Maelyn with a sly grin.
“So why’s our number eight in the rankings sulking all by herself again?”
“......Hmph.”
Maelyn clenched her teeth in warning. Dick just shook his head.
“A whole year living together and you still don’t get it? That timing you think it was, that wasn’t what you—”
“Shut up!!”
Maelyn shouted, raising ice, but Dick lightly stirred up Darkness, planted a foot on a nearby tree, and tumbled away with ease.
“So.”
Thud.
Dick dropped down from his move and shrugged his shoulders.
“Go on, Simon! What were you about to say?”
“.......”
As expected, Dick was sharp.
Still, without prior info, he wouldn’t know what kind of proposal it was going to be. Simon scratched his head.
“Since it turned out like this, I’ll tell you later, once Kami gets here and we arrive at the dorm.”
“Oh, I see! Sounds like the kind of story best told after a drink or two, huh?”
While he was speaking, Dick’s head turned.
“Speak of the devil.”
Simon and Maelyn’s gazes followed.
In the distance, a girl with pale violet hair was waving as she ran toward them.
“Simon~ everyone~!”
Cute, fluffy frills, short shorts, and with her hair let down for the first time in a while, Kamibarez looked bursting with energy.
The three’s faces lit up. Especially Maelyn, who hopped in place excitedly.
“Kami!”
The next moment, the two girls embraced. Maelyn hugged Kamibarez tight, as if she wouldn’t let go, rubbing against her.
“Sniff sniff! I missed you so much all break, Kami! I’ve been dying to pinch these plump cheeks to my heart’s content!”
“I, I missed you too, Maelyn.”
Watching their fierce reunion, Dick spread his arms wide.
“Our brotherly bond of hot friendship can’t lose out!”
“Go away.”
With his energy running high, Dick draped his arm over Simon’s shoulders, laughing boisterously. Kamibarez, while receiving Maelyn’s affectionate assault, glanced over at Simon and giggled.
“Hello~ Simon!”
“Long time no see, Kami.”
Then Dick stepped back a little, staring at Simon.
“Wait, but the angle of my arm on your shoulder feels kinda different from usual. Did you get taller?”
“Did I?”
He didn’t really keep records of his height, so he wasn’t sure.
Maelyn, curious too, came closer with a thoughtful hum.
“You did, you did. Back in the first semester of year one, you and I were about the same, but now it feels like I’m looking up at you.”
Blushing, Maelyn compared their heads with her palm, then suddenly smacked Simon on the arm.
“Congrats?”
Simon rubbed the spot she hit, letting out a weak chuckle.
“......Why are you guys so excited, anyway?”
“Hey, hey! Simon! Let’s measure our height right now! I can’t accept that you’re the only one who grew!”
Without warning, Dick pressed his back against Simon’s.
“Now, Maelyn! Check who’s taller, quick!”
“Dick, put your heels down.”
“Wow, acting like it’s a hassle but suddenly dead serious!”
“I just don’t like cheating.”
Amid the uniquely lively mood of teenagers, Kamibarez fidgeted with her hands, watching the two boys.
“......I envy you guys.”
“Hm?”
“Because you keep growing taller.......”
Simon and Dick flinched, stepping apart in a rush.
“K, Kami, you’ll grow taller too.”
“Yeah! Of course! Everyone remembers Kami’s dad’s huge frame, right? Give it a few years and she’ll be—”
Smack!
Dick flailed dramatically as he was smacked on the back. Maelyn’s voice was icy.
“There are things you can say and things you can’t. Every word out of your mouth is crude.”
Dick grinned crookedly.
“So you’re greeting me with violence, huh? Guys, wanna see the Langerstine local paper I clipped? The pride of the Langerstine Grand Theater! The heavenly voice, Maelyn Villene!”
“Hey!!”
Simon watched the three of them joking, laughing, bickering, and felt his heart settle.
This was the atmosphere he’d missed.
* * *
The four boarded a large cruise ship at the harbor.
Their destination required travel by sea, which Dick said would take about a day.
“We could just hang around Langerstine for a few days. Why bother with a ship?”
Maelyn grumbled.
“Man, you’re so impatient! Just trust me and wait a bit.”
Dick said confidently.
“Have I ever let you down when it comes to picking spots? I lined up a perfect travel destination.”
“Yes! I believe in Dick!”
“Sniff sniff! Kami’s the only one who takes my side!”
Though it meant a whole day at sea, it was still fun. There was a mountain of stories piled up from vacation.
As soon as they’d dropped their bags in the assigned cabin, the four gathered in one room, chattering noisily.
They shared what happened during break, memories from first year, and anticipation for Keyzen’s second-year schedule. Only Simon sat nervously, watching their reactions.
‘When would be the right time to bring up the student council proposal?’
The conversation kept bouncing too fast, leaving him no room to bring it up.
At the moment, the topic was about second-year “department selection”.
“Seven Departments, sixty seats each.”
Dick folded his fingers as he explained.
“The top 1 through 400 in the year get to pick their major in rank order. The popular ones, Katarology and Darkness Dynamics, fill up the fastest.”
Kamibarez tilted her head.
“What if all the seats are taken?”
“What else? You gotta pick a different department.”
“Oh.......”
Her pupils shook anxiously. Maelyn smiled and brushed aside her bangs.
“With rank ninety-five, I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
“......R, really?”
“Ah! Of course!”
Dick cut in.
“As long as you’re in the top two hundred, you can usually get your choice. It’s the mid- to low-ranked kids who should worry about Katarology or Darkness Dynamics.”
“Nope~”
Maelyn interrupted.
“The one who should worry most is that one person at rank four hundred, with no choice at all.”
Dick made a sheepish face, while Simon and Kamibarez burst into laughter.
Dick sighed with a resigned grin, leaning back.
“Eh, whatever. It’ll work out somehow. No way Toxicology fills up, right?”
“Dick.”
“Hm?”
Simon gave him a sly smile.
“Summonology is always open.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha!”
They all laughed loudly together.
For reference, according to Dick, Summonology hadn’t filled its quota in years, making it the least popular department. Anyone could get in if they wanted.
“Well, fine! If Toxicology fills up, I’ll just follow Simon into Summonology!”
Kamibarez beamed.
“If you come to Haematology, I’ll take good care of you, Dick!”
“Ughh! Now even Kami, the one I trusted, has betrayed me.......”
“If you don’t like it, you should’ve worked harder back in the first year.”
Maelyn, for the first time in a while, was beating Dick down with her sharp tongue.
As the topic turned unfavorable to him, Dick quickly changed the subject.
“Ah! But who do you think will really become the next student council president? What do you all think?”
Simon’s heart dropped.
He had been off guard for just a moment, and yet the topic suddenly shifted this way!
“Isn’t it obvious? Of course it’ll be Senior Aizel, the strongest of the third years.”
Maelyn said as she crossed her legs.
“I heard from my club, that vice-president Valak-senior is also amazing!”
Kamibarez chimed in.
Simon anxiously studied the three of them. Naturally, among the candidates, his name did not appear.
‘Still, since the student council came up, this is my chance.’
Before making a proper proposal tomorrow at the dorm, he wanted to sound out their true feelings. Simon opened his mouth.
“What if, say, you got an offer to join the student council as a member, how would you feel?”
“.......”
Suddenly, the three of them fell silent, and Simon panicked.
Was that too blunt a question?
“I, I think I would decline.”
Kamibarez finally said, making Simon’s chest sink.
“Of course, it’d be an honor and I’d be very grateful! But, um...... I’m not sure if I could take on such an important position, and I think my ability would fall short.......”
Inside Simon’s eyes, an earthquake was raging.
“I wouldn’t do it, even if they gave it to me.”
Maelyn said flatly.
‘......Wouldn’t, even if they gave it to you?’
Simon felt like coughing up blood.
“From second year onward, it’s real major coursework, right? We step into professional territory as specialists, and above all, second year is when Keyzen students learn the most in all three years. Even if you focus only on studying, it’s not enough, so I think student council life would just be a burden.”
Simon, trembling inside, turned toward his last hope, staring desperately at Dick.
“Well,”
Dick scratched the back of his head.
“Honestly, don’t I look way more like the sneaky villain type, who gets dragged into the student council office to get scolded, than an actual member of it?”
Maelyn and Kamibarez burst into laughter.
Their reactions fueled Dick, who carried on.
“But really, it’s just daydreaming! Why would the third-year student council president bother bringing in second-years when they’ve already got their own close aides?”
“Exactly.”
The three laughed and chatted, but Simon just couldn’t bring himself to smile.
‘I, I shouldn’t have asked.’
Now he was even more confused about how he should bring up his proposal tomorrow.
‘Not that I’d get an offer anyway.’
Of course, Simon had no idea that their true feelings were different.
* * *
The next morning, they finally arrived at their destination, the Pharonna Peninsula.
As the murmur of the crowd grew louder, Simon and Kamibarez—early risers—went up to the deck.
“Wow......!”
“It’s so beautiful!”
After endless ocean, land had come into view.
Blue flowers bloomed everywhere. As the wind blew, petals fluttered through the air, covering the surroundings in breathtaking beauty.
Simon and Kamibarez stared, spellbound.
“This is the Pharonna Peninsula.”
Just then, Dick walked over with a yawn.
“These moonflowers that bloom so thickly here in this season are pretty enough, but the real sight is something else.”
“The real sight?”
“Yeah. I’ll explain once we get down.”
Dick pointed casually with his finger.
“But more importantly, we’re about to land. Let’s change clothes.”
The Pharonna Peninsula was a landmass jutting into the sea, belonging to the Dresden Kingdom.
Travel between kingdoms was fairly free under the Dark Alliance Treaty, but because of local territorial issues, the Pharonna Peninsula enforced strict identity checks.
Of course, Simon’s group had free-pass privileges.
‘It’s been a while since I wore this.’
Simon pulled on black trousers, buckled his belt, draped a jacket over his white shirt, and tightened his tie.
Lastly, he checked that the red badge, symbol of the second year, was fastened properly, then picked up his things.
“Let’s go!”
Simon and Dick left the room, with Maelyn and Kamibarez joining them soon after.
Voices buzzed all around.
“Keyzen!”
Within the Dark Alliance, the authority carried by a single stiff black Keyzen uniform was overwhelming.
It felt like being a celebrity.
Everywhere they walked, people’s eyes followed them, and passersby stepped aside to clear the way.
“Ahhh, this is the life!”
As they left the ship and walked toward the immigration office inside the port, Dick struck a satisfied pose.
“See those envious, awe-filled eyes? Power, strength, honor, it’s all mine! I am Keyzen!”
Dick turned back.
“Don’t you—huh?”
Simon, Maelyn, and Kamibarez had already distanced themselves from him.
“Hey, you’re embarrassing. Hurry up.”
Maelyn frowned.
At last, they reached the immigration checkpoint. The people waiting in line tried to move aside, but Simon smiled warmly and told them it was fine, then stood in line.
Before long, it was their turn.
“Hello.”
Simon greeted cheerfully.
“Yaaawn.”
But what came back was only a yawn.
Whether from overwork or boredom, the port official didn’t even look up at them, scribbling on papers.
“Ticket, name, nationality.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, are your ears plugged? Ship ticket! Name! Nationality! And proof of identi—huh?”
Only then did the worker notice their uniforms, and sensed the unusual atmosphere from the murmuring crowd.
“Y-you’re really Keyzen......?!”
“This guy still hasn’t read the room.”
Dick stepped forward as if to say, leave it to me. He snatched the papers from the man’s hands.
“This immigration office is a mess, isn’t it?”
Though the opening ceremony hadn’t been held yet and they weren’t official second-years, even first-years at Keyzen had investigative authority. Once they became second-years, they would also gain wartime command rights.
The official straightened up stiffly, trembling.
“I’ll correct this at once!”
“Correction is your superior’s job, not yours.”
“U-ugh!”
“Someone really needs to clean this place up, or—ack! Ow ow ow!”
Finally, Maelyn, her face flushed with embarrassment, grabbed Dick by the ear and dragged him away.
Beside her, Kamibarez bowed repeatedly.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Our friend was being rude.......”
“P-please, what are you saying, Keyzen students! It’s me who should apologize!”
Once outside the checkpoint, Maelyn let go of Dick’s ear and sighed with a laugh.
“Did you enroll just to bully civilians? Seriously.”
“Hey, it was just a joke!”
Dick rubbed his ear.
“To be honest, that guy was being rude to us, thinking we were just kids. He changed his attitude depending on who he thought we were, so I changed mine too.”
“Mmhm. But since it felt satisfying, we’ll let it slide this time.”
After Kamibarez, Simon was the last to step out.
“So, Dick. Where are we headed now?”
“Well.......”
Dick glanced around. More and more tourists were gathering, eager to catch a glimpse of the Keyzen students.
“Maybe we should change clothes first?”
Maelyn and Kamibarez nodded quickly.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters