An unexpected encounter with a chaotic scene

At the vast central plaza of the Fakelisen Academy, an enormous crowd stood in orderly lines.

After listening to the acting dean’s speech, the students began preparing to head toward their respective examination sites to show what they could do.

Cohen, also a student, was no exception.

Holding the exam venue list distributed by the academy instructors beforehand, he merged into the surging crowd.

“I’m looking for it… it should be this way, right?”

Cohen arrived beside a teleportation gate.

A mage stood on each side, maintaining the gate’s stability.

“All right! Before everyone enters the exam, allow me to go over the final precautions one last time.”

A familiar voice drifted into Cohen’s ears.

“Huh?”

“I am the Student Council President of the Physical Combat Department.
Please listen carefully to my explanation…”

Cohen was a little surprised that the imperial princess was the one explaining the precautions here.

Normally, this sort of thing was handled by ordinary student council members.

Yet lately, he hadn’t been assigned any tedious tasks at all.
To be precise, it felt like he’d been on vacation these past few days.

He had heard all this standard advice to death in his previous life anyway.
Now that it was being repeated, it went in one ear and out the other.

The explanation dragged on for several minutes.
Cohen was starting to feel annoyed, while most of the people around him listened attentively to Viola’s words.

“Hey, about the exam later—”

“Tch, don’t interrupt me while I’m listening to the president speak!”

Cohen had tried to ask a nearby student what they thought about the exam, only to be rudely cut off.

Cohen felt absolutely nothing about Viola’s speech.

Why did the people around him seem to be enjoying it so much?

“Don’t you think this is kind of boring?”

“How could it be boring?

The president hardly ever shows up.

Isn’t it great to look a little longer and feast your eyes?
Honestly…”

If you stared at flowers too much, did your taste really improve?

Cohen didn’t understand.

After being brushed off, he stopped bothering and instead reviewed the results of his training over the past few days.

Ever since sparring with Viola, she would seek him out for practice as soon as she finished work.

Cohen didn’t dare slack off.

With the exam approaching, he still needed to improve his strength.

“Phew~ Cohen, you’ve improved a lot.

Looks like you’ll become quite the formidable opponent for me in the future~”

“Your Highness, you flatter me.

This has been excellent training for me.

I should be the one thanking you.”

As he spoke, Cohen gave Viola a big smile.

Sweat streamed down his face from his forehead.

Cohen quickly grabbed a towel and wiped it away.

“This is a reward for myself too~”

Viola muttered the last part softly.

“Hm? What did you say?”

Cohen was busy wiping sweat and didn’t catch her words.

“Nothing. Let me help you wipe it.”

“Wait! Your Highness, I can do it myself—”

Before Cohen could finish speaking, Viola had already stepped in front of him and used the towel to wipe his sweat.

Faced with a flawless face at such close range, Cohen couldn’t help blushing.
Even his heartbeat sped up.

“Your Highness, you’re… too close!”

Seeing his reaction, Viola’s playful side flared up.

“What?

Mesmerized by me?

Or are you imagining doing that kind of thing with me?”

Viola’s breath was warm and fragrant as she spoke, brushing against him and making Cohen’s heart itch uncontrollably.

“Please don’t do this, Your Highness, I’m a bit—”

Viola pressed her advantage, deliberately closing the distance.

She shortened the space between them step by step, until her entire body was pressed against Cohen’s.

“Your Highness, I’m covered in sweat!”

Her unreasonable closeness made Cohen’s heart race even faster, his breathing growing heavier.

“If I said I like it, would you believe me?

And your heart… it’s beating pretty fast~”

Viola rested her head on Cohen’s shoulder and whispered weakly into his ear.

“I’m very interested in you~

You really look like a—”

“A virgin~”

“Waaah!!”

Cohen could no longer endure Viola’s teasing.

He hurriedly stepped back several paces and promptly fell to the ground.

“Mm… hahaha!”

Seeing Cohen in such a sorry state, Viola burst out laughing.

“What the heck, Your Highness, please stop messing with me!”

“You’re just way too interesting, haha!”

Cohen could only feel that he’d been thoroughly toyed with.

Yet he had no way to retaliate.

…

Damn it.

Why are all my impressions this bad?!

“All right, that’s everything I have to say.
Everyone, get ready.”

“Got it!”

The crowd responded in unison, signaling the end of Viola’s speech.

“Phew~ it’s finally over.
Then I should—”

“Cohen!”

“Hm?”

Hearing someone call his name, Cohen looked around.

Soon, he spotted a familiar flash of pink moving toward him through the crowd.

“Huh?

An-jie, why are you here?

Don’t you have an exam to take?”

Remiande shouldn’t have appeared at the lower-year advancement exam.

She was also a student and should have been preparing for her own test.

“No need, Cohen~

My grades are excellent.

I can directly apply for work already.

As long as it’s a place I want to go, I can go there.”

Cohen was momentarily speechless.

So this was the carefree life of a top student.

“By the way, An-jie, about you having a gun—”

“Shh!”

Remiande raised a finger, signaling Cohen to be quiet.

“Asking about a girl’s private matters is very rude, you know?”

After saying that, she lightly punched Cohen’s chest with her pink fist.

“All right, all right.
I won’t ask.”

This was a magical world anyway.

Cohen had long since stopped being surprised by strange things.

“And also, Cohen…”

Remiande took his hand and spoke to him with deep affection.

“The advancement exam may have protective mechanisms, but it’s still real combat.

If you’re unlucky, it can threaten your safety. Cohen, you have to be careful, okay?”

“Okay. I’ll be careful.”

Cohen didn’t realize that many people around them had already turned to look in their direction.

“Hey, isn’t that the Magic Department’s student council president?

Why is she with Cohen?And so close too…”

“I’m wondering the same thing.

There’ve been rumors lately that she’s been getting close to our department’s President Viola.

Could it be that…?”

“I’m jealous…”

The surrounding murmurs rose and fell, eventually reaching Cohen’s ears.

“An-jie, there are too many people here.

How about we—”

“Cohen~

Is there anything you can’t discuss with me?

I might be able to help you solve it.”

Another familiar voice sounded behind Cohen.

When he turned around, he saw the imperial princess standing there.

“I noticed the discussion here was getting loud, so I came to see what was going on.

And you just happened to be in the middle of the crowd.

I thought you might be in some trouble.”

Oh no.

Another one.

“It’s you again!

What are you trying to do to Cohen?”

Remiande pulled Cohen’s arm into her chest, pressing him close to herself.

“An-jie, wait, that’s too close!”

Your chest is squashing me, An-jie!

“Even if you’re royalty, I won’t back down!”

Remiande said seriously to Viola.

Cohen was shocked.
When did Remiande learn that Viola was an imperial princess?

Seeing how protectively Remiande was holding Cohen, an idea surfaced in Viola’s mind.

Viola also wrapped her arms around Cohen’s other arm, pulling him closer.

Facing Remiande head-on, she provoked her.

“I just like Cohen.
What are you going to do about it, Miss Remiande?”

She even increased her grip, pulling Cohen’s other hand deeper against herself.

“Y-Your Highness… President, please have some restraint.
Everyone is watching us.”

Tch—

The imperial princess isn’t any smaller than An-jie either, okay?

But Cohen had no time to think about that now.
The pressure was enormous.

“Hey, look!

Isn’t that our department’s president?

Why is she pressed up against Cohen?”

“They both look like they’re fighting over one guy. This is getting interesting!”

“I’m jealous.

Why does Cohen have such absurd luck with women?”

The two of them pulled at Cohen from left and right.

“I won’t hand Cohen over to you. Who knows what you’d do to him!”

“Likewise.
I’m quite interested in him too.”

An-jie!

Please stop making this worse!

I still have my dignity!

Can we talk somewhere else?!

And Your Highness!

Didn’t you say you were here to help me solve my problems?

Why do you look like the biggest problem right now?!

So this is a shura field?!

My god!

My social death power is maxed out!