Chapter 62: Decisions and Delays

Since I had finished my business in Dephel, I returned to the academy the very next day.

There probably wouldn’t be another chance to visit Dephel for the next six months, as there was rarely any reason to leave the academy during the semester.

If she has the ability to run a general store in the underground world, she could probably investigate the Frentz family in detail during that time.

The academy I returned to was honestly so quiet that it was easy to become lazy in such an environment.

There was no need to attend classes, so I could sleep in as much as I wanted. My friends, who I always spent time with, had gone home, so if I wanted, I could stay in my room and lounge around all day.

With no dormitory supervisor, I could even read novels late into the night.

I didn’t even have to pretend to be a proper lady like I usually did.

There were only a few people left in the dorm, and I wasn’t particularly close to them.

But even though I acted casually, there were times when, without realizing it, my behavior as a noble lady would slip out.

When that happened, I would be taken aback and then chuckle to myself.

Even so, I made sure to maintain a minimum level of propriety.

Although it was a short time, the experience of visiting my friends’ homes was very helpful to me.

Even now, when I think back to those memories, I can feel my swordsmanship slowly improving.

Because of that, no matter how late I sleep, how much I laze around in my room, or how much I waste time late at night, I never skip my daily training.

It may be impossible to surpass Celian and take the top spot right away, but at least before graduation, I should catch up to her once.

And besides training, there’s one more thing I don’t neglect.

It’s the part-time job where I help Presia with her magic research.

Though it’s called magic research, lately, Presia seems to have lost interest in it, and she rarely experiments with magic on me like before.

Sometimes, when Presia calls me over to Magic Building 707, I simply have a cup of tea and chat with her.

In this way, I spent my summer vacation for a few weeks—slightly lazy, but still managing to stay somewhat diligent.

Gradually, students began to return to the dorm one by one.

“It’s been a while, Celie.”

“Yeah. I really missed you; it was hard without you.”

Celian arrived right on time without any delays, as stated in the letter I had sent her earlier.

As soon as she got off the carriage, Celian hugged me in greeting.

I was a little surprised by her warm embrace, but considering the distance she usually keeps from me, I didn’t think it was too out of place.

After a few pats on the back, I was finally able to pull away and get a good look at her face.

“Huh? You’ve got some really dark circles under your eyes.”

These weren’t the kind of dark circles you get from just a day or two of tiredness.

From my experience as an assassin, I could tell these dark circles had been caused by at least a week of sleepless nights.

“Have you been reading novels late into the night during break?”

“Y-yes. During the break, I couldn’t control myself and ended up staying up late…”

I never imagined Celian, who always set a good example, would be like this.

After only half a year of knowing her, there are moments like this when I see new sides of her.

“Still, for dark circles to come down this far, the novel must have been really interesting. Can you lend it to me once you finish reading it?”

“Of, of course! I’ll pick the best one for you, so please wait a moment.”

“No, there’s no need to pick. I’m sure whatever you’re reading now would be fine…”

“Ah… that’s right. Yes. I’ll lend it to you once I’m done.”

“Thanks. But try to cut back on staying up late.”

Celian was so beautiful by nature that even the dark circles couldn’t diminish her charm. If anything, they only added to her allure.

She’s showing her charm.

But habits that harm your health aren’t good.

“Haha… I never thought the day would come when I’d say this to Celian.”

Originally, if Celian’s problem was staying up late, mine was the opposite—being too lazy—but let’s keep that a secret from Celian.

“Don’t worry. I’ll probably be able to sleep well from now on.”

It seems like she’s almost done with the book. She’ll probably lend it to me soon.

Celian returned to the dorm, and the application and correction period for the second semester was nearing its end.

I had offered to help her pack, but for some reason, Celian strongly refused. I left her behind and took a seat at a table in the dorm lounge, lost in thought.

I was still undecided between a double room and a four-person room; each had its pros and cons.

If I had to choose, though, I was leaning toward the four-person room.

As long as I’m careful about my secret, I should be fine. The chances of it being a problem are lower in the double room, but in the end, the parts I need to be careful about are the same in both.

So, I thought, maybe the four-person room would be better since it would save me some money.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

Had I been pondering for too long, or was there not much to pack? Celian had come down and asked me.

“I was just about to fill out my second-semester application.”

I casually held up the paper and shook it.

“It seems like I won’t have much time in the second semester, so I should probably go for a double or four-person room. I’m leaning toward the four-person room…”

“That’s great!”

“Huh?”

I was startled by Celian’s loud voice and turned around. She was grinning and started explaining what she meant by “great.”

“The thing is, my butler accidentally applied for a double room for me in the second semester.”

“Well, since it’s the correction period, don’t they usually take care of it right away if you ask?”

Most students who use single rooms are well-off, so the academy handles things like this quickly and efficiently. Even though it’s an academy, when money’s involved, they can’t neglect VIP customers.

While it’s not exactly VIP treatment, it’s still fast and diligent when it comes to handling things like this.

“That’s true, but… I feel like it might be troublesome for the staff.”

“But it would be uncomfortable to share a double room with a stranger…”

“That’s why I was wondering. Would you want to share a double room with me?”

Before I could even finish my sentence, Celian interrupted with her suggestion.

If I could share a double room with Celian, it would be far less stressful than living with a stranger.

Plus, we had already shared a room before, so I wouldn’t feel as burdened.

“But can we really just apply for a double room and choose the roommates ourselves…”

“I checked the rules, and apparently it’s possible. A lot of students actually apply that way in the second semester.”

Though it was an accident that she applied for a double room this time, normally Celian would only use a single room. I was surprised that she even looked up the rules for shared rooms.

Is this something that model students do—being prepared for everything?

“Hm… really? I’m fine with it, but Celian, are you sure you’re okay…?”

“I’m definitely fine! Now, shall we go apply right away?”

Maybe it’s because I hadn’t seen her in a while, but today Celian seemed especially excited.

She picked up my application form from the table with one hand and grabbed my hand with the other, pulling me along.

Since I was just going to keep worrying about whether to choose the double or four-person room, it wasn’t a bad idea to just follow someone else’s suggestion.

I was half-forced to walk toward the academy office, led by Celian’s hand.

On the last day of the application and correction period, Anne and Yuri returned to the academy, having fully enjoyed their vacation.

After quickly unpacking their things, the four of us sat around a café table outside the academy, enjoying drinks.

“Wow, vacation is really over now.”

“Yeah. Ugh… I have to start that dreaded studying again…”

Anne, already distressed, grabbed her head and groaned.

But Anne, you didn’t really study that hard, did you?

Of course, I didn’t say that out loud, even though it was true.

“Oh, right. Now that I think about it, I should’ve done some packing while you two were unpacking.”

The thought suddenly came to me.

After the application period ends and the grace period passes, I have to go to the double room I applied for with Celian.

Of course, it won’t take long since I don’t have much stuff, but it’s better to do things like this when I remember and have some time left.

However, Yuri looked puzzled by my statement.

“Huh? Packing? What do you mean?”

“Oh, I guess I didn’t tell you two. Actually, in the second semester, I’ll be sharing a double room with Celian…”

“Wow! This coffee tastes really good. Here, El, you should try it.”

“Huh? I’m having the same drink as Celian… mmm!”

I was sure Celian had ordered the same drink I did, but she didn’t seem to remember. She forcibly put her straw into my mouth.

When I took a sip, I realized it was the same coffee I had just been drinking.

“Celian? I really want to hear more about this…”

“Well, um… haha…”

In the meantime, for some reason, Yuri was pressing Celian for answers, while Anne, uninterested in their conversation, was staring at the straw I was holding.

“Huh? Anne, do you want to try it?”

I pulled the straw from my mouth and offered it to Anne.

It was Celian’s coffee, but it was just one sip, so it shouldn’t matter.

“Ah! Well…”

“You don’t have to drink it if you don’t want to.”

Seeing Anne hesitating, I was about to bring the drink back to me, but Anne, with her small frame, nearly climbed onto the table, grabbed my hand, and stopped me.

“No! I-I’ll drink it!”

Although I was taking it back, her reaction made it seem as though I was snatching it away from her, which made me feel a bit flustered.

Moreover, because Anne was so small, I felt a little guilty, as if I were stealing something from a younger sibling.

Anne, who had taken the drink from me, took a deep breath for some reason and slowly started sipping the drink through the straw.

“Celian? Can you not cut in line again next time?”

“Yeah…”

When I turned to look, Celian was, for some reason, slightly pouting with her head down, as if she were being scolded by Yuri.

What could they have been talking about while Anne and I were talking? From what I overheard, it seemed like it was about the dormitory.

“Wait… until what time can we make dormitory corrections?”

“As far as I know, it’s until 5 PM when the staff leaves…”

Before I could finish speaking, Yuri abruptly stood up. Her gaze shifted to the clock on the café wall.

It was 4:30 PM.

Could Yuri have also accidentally applied for a double room like Celian? It would take about 20 minutes to return to the dorm, so we had to hurry.

“Celian! Anne, hurry up and follow me!”

Yuri, whose personality was anything but shy, gave a commanding voice to Celian.

Without understanding what was going on, I started running, being pulled along by Yuri’s hand. Anne, who seemed to like the coffee she had been given, kept the straw in her mouth and followed behind us, led by Celian.

Even though she had lost her coffee, Anne still had the straw in her mouth.

“Yes. Your application has been received. All four of you have been assigned to the same room in a four-person dorm.”

Without realizing how it had all happened, when I came to my senses, Celian, Yuri, Anne, and I were already in the process of being assigned to a four-person dorm.

Panting…

After running for a while, Yuri, who was the least physically fit, was catching her breath. Celian still had her lips pouted, and for some reason, Anne still had the straw in her mouth.

Sigh, I don’t know. It’ll work out somehow.

“Is there a first-year student in the Swordsmanship Department named Elysia Frentz?”

Presia asked the assistant in the faculty office. Since Presia was a professor in the Magic Department, the assistant was also part of the Magic Department.

After briefly checking the list for other departments, the assistant was able to find Elysia’s name.

“Yes, she’s in the Swordsmanship Department, Class 1. Is there something wrong?”

At the assistant’s words, Presia recalled the incident that had occurred two days ago in Elysia’s room.

“Meow, from tomorrow, I won’t be in this room anymore. I’m going to share a four-person room with my friend.”

Just as she had said, the next night when Presia visited Elysia’s room, another student had already taken the spot.

According to Elysia’s lamentations about being a cat, it seemed that financial reasons were the cause.

“Can I provide a single dorm room for that student at my discretion? Just call it a scholarship.”

“Well… the school’s scholarship program is already fully funded, and the selections have been made…”

“I don’t mind paying for it out of my own salary.”

Since Presia didn’t indulge in luxuries, the cost of a single dorm room wasn’t a burden at all. If spending a little of the leftover money could secure a single room for Elysia, it would be nothing.

“Wait a minute.”

However, Presia’s wish was soon shattered.

“Ah, the correction period has already ended. It seems impossible to change dorms. You’ll have to look elsewhere.”

That night, the sound of a cat’s wailing came from the outside of the four-person room where Elysia stayed, but that’s another story.