Crisis

“Lilo V. Watch?”

The student filling in at the admissions office double-checked the identity information.

After suppressing the urge to complain about such a bizarre, emoticon-like name, he immediately followed the established procedure to process the enrollment.

“Will you be staying on campus?”

“Commuting.”

“Would you like to apply for a meal and boarding card?”

“No need.”

“…Do you need to apply for the school bus service?”

“Yes.”

[Right, this guy is another pauper from the middle of nowhere,] the student internally labeled the new recruit before crossing him off the list of people worth sucking up to.

“Whew, well then, remember to pick up your uniform inside. If it gets damaged or lost, you can come here to get a new set. Of course, they’re all ‘free,’ but don’t come running here just because you’re too lazy to wash a dirty one. You’ll get scolded.”

Thump!

Once the freshman left the room, the senior girl standing nearby dealt a heavy blow to the substitute student’s head.

“That hurts… What was that for, Senior?”

“That ‘free’ comment just now was unnecessary. You were mocking him again, weren’t you?”

The senior rolled her eyes at him.

“Honestly, this is the highest institution in the Empire. If people see how narrow-minded you are and you scare off the freshmen, just wait for the Board of Directors to discipline you…”

The junior, dared not talk back, awkwardly stuck out his tongue.

Looking at the freshman’s data still on the computer, he quickly changed the subject.

“B-but, that guy was really strange. You saw it too, right, Senior? The difference between the photo and the real person was huge. I almost thought he was a…”

Mid-sentence, the senior quietly pressed her hand over the back of his, guiding his palm to gently stroke her cheek and the pair of fluffy… beast ears at her temples.

“A substitute? A fake?”

A complete departure from her dignified and majestic image a moment ago, she now wore a playful smirk.

“Don’t forget who fished you out of the back alley in the first place. I feel like you’ve been a bit restless lately. Has my discipline slipped? Or… do you want to go back to ‘that place’?”

“N-no, that’s not it.”

The slight shift in her tone served as a perfect deterrent; the junior, who had briefly held the initiative, immediately lowered his head and allowed himself to be toyed with.

“Good boy.”

“Just be obedient. Follow my ‘orders’ and do your job. As for the others…”

The senior cast a lingering glance at the freshman profile on the screen, staring at the portrait with a meaningful expression.

“A stray dog without a master to leash him… won’t last long here.”

“Waaaah!”

A clumsy young girl bumped into the mountain of papers, textbooks, and lecture notes on her desk, nearly causing a spectacular avalanche.

Though she sat behind an office desk, she was likely shorter than the desk itself.

However, she was the genuine homeroom teacher for the first-year class—a true adult.

Despite frequently being mistaken for a child needing hand-holding or child-priced tickets in public, no one found it strange once they knew her race.

A Halfling.

A demi-human race that stops physical growth at a certain stage and possesses a shorter lifespan than humans; they were not rare in this academy or the Empire.

“You’re making things very difficult for me, Student Lilo.”

Sitting across from the little teacher, Lilo V. Watch, who had been enrolled for three months, was staring at her intently.

Underneath thick lenses were extremely heavy dark circles.

He looked severely sleep-deprived; his half-dead, “rotting fish” eyes were enough to make anyone shudder.

He looked like he belonged in a hospital more than a classroom.

“Teacher, I just want to know what happened with this list…”

Despite looking like a gloomy loner one shouldn’t provoke, his speech was surprisingly polite and his voice soft.

He handed the list marked with the word [Scholarship] to his teacher.

The little teacher, who had already known—or rather, guessed—this would happen, let out a helpless sigh.

“Um, Lilo, I really tried my best to fight for you, but I’m just an employee too. There are many things I can’t decide…”

“Oh? Teacher Xiaohuo, are you still not planning to tell him?”

A teacher poked their head out from another office cubicle and interrupted.

“D-don’t add ‘Xiao’ in front of my name! It’s very rude, okay?”

“Yes, yes, Teacher Xiaohuo.”

Ignoring the little teacher who was cute even when her fur was ruffled, the other teacher walked over to Lilo and stuffed the list back into his arms.

“Since Xiaohuo doesn’t want to be the villain, I’ll do it. Your name is Lilo, right? I remember you. A special student who tested in from a remote town, a rising star who ranked at the top for three consecutive monthly exams. Quite an impressive little guy…”

Lilo looked up at her.

He seemed the same with everyone; his gaze neither flickered nor held any edge, making one wonder if this guy actually possessed emotions.

“But unfortunately, you don’t fit in here.”

Suddenly, the teacher’s tone shifted, leaving Teacher Xiaohuo beside her somewhat flustered.

“This is the highest institution in the Empire, located in a city second only to the capital. It was never meant for someone as rootless as you. Surely you’ve witnessed the luxury and decadence of this place over the past three months?”

‘But, do you have the fortune to enjoy it?’

“…”

Lilo’s eyes still showed no emotional fluctuation.

“Just covering this semester’s tuition must be enough to make your head spin. Have you ever attended a class party? Have you ever lived it up at a club on the weekend? Have you ever eaten a high-end meal… No. That’s why you need this scholarship. I’ve seen many students like you who hope to stand out through hard work, but the reality is… without exception, they all end up transferring.”

“Do you know… why?”

“There is no spot for you on this list. It’s useless even if you squeeze your head off trying. Being good at studying isn’t enough here. From the moment you stepped onto this campus, the doors to your future were locked by the ‘rich kids’ you look down on.”

At this point, any further argument was futile.

But…

“Even so, I will not give up.”

Lilo showed no sign of discouragement.

This reaction was within the teacher’s expectations—after all, everyone thinks they are special when they are young and hot-blooded.

However, he felt a bit different.

Lilo V. Watch…

Do you have some reason why you must stay here?

Just as Lilo turned around, his hand about to touch the doorknob to leave, the door was pushed open from the outside.

“…”

The newcomer happened to come face-to-face with Lilo.

She had shimmering, shoulder-length hair that looked both gold and silver.

Though her face hadn’t entirely lost its youthful innocence, her features radiated a confidence far beyond her years.

This made her straight nose and beautiful lips even more distinct, highlighting a transcendent beauty like that of a porcelain doll.

Dazzling…

What was even more notable was that her uniform had gold embroidery that other students lacked, making her look exceptionally unique.

Those violet eyes lingered on Lilo’s face for only a moment before looking away as if he were a stranger.

Lilo didn’t stay either, brushing past her.

“A-Ah! It—It’s the Student Council President!”

This time, the startled Teacher Xiaohuo wasn’t so lucky; the “mountain” finally collapsed, nearly burying her.

Inside the office, the teachers all seemed very wary of this Student Council President.

Despite being the girl’s superiors, they all fell silent, their very breathing seemingly slowing down.

It was the polar opposite of the treatment Lilo had received…

“President Livia, is something the matter?”

The new generation of the Student Council had only recently been established, and there were many matters to handle.

No one knew exactly how much power this team—directly under the jurisdiction of the Board of Directors—actually held.

Therefore, silence was the best response.

“I’m here to collect the club lists. It’s almost time for the freshmen club recruitment event…”

The President’s voice was soft yet commanded authority.

Truly a chosen girl; her poise and temperament were flawless, immediately making the teachers on the scene sigh in relief.

Just then…

“Speaking of which, has the Student Council not selected a Vice President yet…?”

A new hire always seems to speak out of turn when it’s best to remain quiet.

Though the intent was good—wanting to recommend a few suitable candidates to the President—his head was immediately pushed back down by a senior.

“…”

The President simply turned her head to look at him and replied with a smile.

“Thank you for your concern.”

“However, the candidate for Vice President is decided internally. This has always been the Student Council’s tradition. It would be best if you did not interfere too much.”

It was a suggestion, but also a warning.

Just when everyone thought the matter would end there…

The President suddenly moved to the side of Teacher Xiaohuo, who had just crawled out from the pile of papers.

“Eeeek?!”

“Shouting like that doesn’t suit a teacher’s image. Are you feeling unwell? Do you need me to arrange a few days of leave for you?”

The President asked politely.

Teacher Xiaohuo, however, seemingly saw the tragic scene of her writing a resignation letter and quickly straightened her back.

“N-no need! But, President, did you need something from me?”

We shouldn’t have any reason to interact, right?

“That student…”

Eh?

The President used her index finger to poke at the scholarship list Lilo had left crumpled on the desk—still retaining a hint of his warmth.

She narrowed her eyes, a smile faintly playing on her lips.

“Regarding that ‘Human’… can you tell me more about him?”

Returning to his seat, Lilo did not plan on giving up on the academy because of those words.

Although it was lunch break, he was already mentally calculating how to pinch pennies to save up for his tuition.

Today’s lunch was a hot dog bun paired with milk.

Of course, since they were obtained for free, they tasted exceptionally delicious—enough to sustain his energy for the afternoon.

While he was eating…

A group of so-called “rich kids” actively approached him.

“Yo, Watch. Got a minute?”

A blonde-haired, blue-eyed rich boy brought two lackeys to find Lilo.

Honestly, his polished leather boots were shiny enough to hurt Lilo’s eyes.

“…”

Seeing the other party approach him, Lilo naturally had his own strategy.

He had spent the last three months like this and was long since used to it.

He skillfully pulled his “secret weapon” from his desk and spread it out before the noble youth.

[Homework writing and note copying. Perfect imitation of personal handwriting. Accuracy guaranteed. Charged per night. Weekly and monthly packages available. No discounts for returning users. No haggling.]

That’s right.

Even at school, Lilo did odd jobs for a living.

These services were naturally popular with the “rich kids” who wanted to save trouble; otherwise, saving enough for this semester’s tuition would be an impossible dream.

As the saying goes, time is like water in a sponge—there’s always more if you squeeze.

If you convert time into money, it’s a decent fortune.

If there were truly magic that could turn time into money, Lilo would hesitate for not a second before mortgaging fifty years of his future.

He was a realist to that extent.

“Ugh…”

The rich boy’s brow twitched.

He seemed to have been mistaken for something by this guy, which irritated him.

“Don’t you recognize me?”

“Hmm? It’s written clearly. No discounts for returning users…”

“I’m not a returning user! Can’t you even remember the face of your own classmate?”

“Dutch?”

“It’s Kent! Not a single syllable was right! There isn’t even a ‘Dutch’ in our class!”

Kent was clearly annoyed.

He had heard Lilo was a freak, but he didn’t expect the guy to be so talented at getting under people’s skin.

“Whew…”

Kent calmed himself and extended an invitation to Lilo.

“Look, Lilo, I’ve heard about your situation. You must be really short on cash, right?”

“We’re having an event tonight where you can earn a lot of money. Do you… want to join?”