.｡.:✧ Chapter 12 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Five girls, each possessing a unique and extraordinary quality, gathered in this place.

First, there was Arni Duratan, the girl I had met before, known for her combat skills, a descendant of the dragon hunters who didn’t miss a beat until Ares arrived.

Then there was Elise with her striking golden hair and eyes. I didn’t know much about her, but her demeanor and actions exuded grace, making students naturally shrink in her presence.

Sen, the petite girl with bleached white hair, a member of the Chokugen Faction. Her agility and ability to kill her presence were likely unmatched among students at Aeos Academy.

Hayun, the skinniest with short hair. She had the same black hair as Rin.
Always carrying a blade at her waist, I didn’t know much about her, but Tana told me that she would surpass Arnie in terms of swordsmanship alone.

Lastly, there was Adriana, a girl with braided hair and glasses. If Arni Duratan held the top spot in combat, Adriana was undoubtedly at the pinnacle in the field of magic.

Teaching these very unique girls how to bake a pie in this gathering proved to be more challenging than I had anticipated.

“Did you tell me to put this in here?”

“Isn’t the filling a bit too thin? I think I can add more.”

“I’m hungry!”

“…”

“Haha, I’m sorry.”

Watching the chaos unfold among them, I decided to give up. I couldn’t teach each of them individually. Today would not be enough.

I banged the table and got their attention.

“I don’t want you to think I’m teaching you anything. I’ll just show you, and you’ll learn on your own.”

Complaints and grumbling arose from various corners, but I lightly ignored them and started making the pie. Some had notebooks and pens in hand, ready to take notes, while others had given up from the start.

“Wow.”

“It’s better than I expected.”

“It must be delicious.”

“It smells amazing.”

“You can set up shop.”

It had been a while, but I couldn’t help but smile when I saw the neatly made pie. I cut a small piece and tasted it. It had the same delicious flavor.

“Eat this and figure out how to make it yourselves. And Sen, come over here for a moment.”

“Yes!”

Leaving the debate about who would get the larger portion to them, I whispered quietly to Sen.
“Since I taught you how to make pies, I have a little favor I’d like your help with.”

“Hmm?”

It was a simple request, but one that could raise ethical concerns. However, Sen didn’t hesitate and instead nodded with excitement, saying, “Sounds fun! I’ve always wanted to try something like that.”

Well, worrying about ethics from someone who had grown up in the Chokugen Faction would be foolish. I thanked her and left the practice room.

From inside, I could hear exclamations of how delicious it was. Surely, they wouldn’t just eat everything I made without comparing it to theirs, right?

But then, at the end of the hallway, I spotted a blonde male student.

‘Ares?’

Although we acted like we didn’t know each other inside the academy, it seemed like he couldn’t resist speaking first since there was no one else around.

“I was wondering where everyone was.”

“…What’s going on?”

Was it because of my aggressive tone? Ares smiled bitterly as he replied, “Sorry, I know you were disappointed in me.”

“It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

If there were other people around, we wouldn’t even be friends.

But Ares shook his head, insisting that it wasn’t like that.

“I admit I was short-sighted. It won’t happen again in the future.”

Even with Ares’ apology, I sighed and nodded.

“Stop acting weird around those girls. They’re all learning how to cook for you, and they’re all interested in you. Don’t act like you’re in a competition, just pick one and date her.”

That way, the other girls wouldn’t unnecessarily hold on to false hopes and cause unnecessary trouble.

Ares had always been quick to catch on, so he must have noticed the direct and intense advances from these girls. They all had their own charm and seemed to have decent personalities, so he could just pick one.

However, Ares remained silent on that topic, and I realized that was his answer. I clicked my tongue and walked past him.

“Crazy bastard.”

Anyway, it seemed he hadn’t changed that habit from the old days.

Back then, I was so immature, thinking that Ares was amazing, so I followed him like everyone else.

“…You’ve changed a lot, Daniel.”

His words echoed emptily and irritated me more than I expected.

***
“May, is this for real?”

While Daniel and Ares were busy making pies with a bunch of girls from the fishery, May sighed as she looked at the ragtag group gathered around her.

“Do you know what my uncle said to me? he asked if I actually hired you guys to frame him.”

“Man…”

“Hey, I’ve been covering for you guys so much. Honestly, you’re the ones who went around beating up people for money.”

“But those seniors…”

The male student tried to make excuses, but when May shot him a glare, he finally shut up.

“Don’t worry, this time it’s legit. My uncle gave permission.”

“The Dean?”

The students were taken aback. They had no idea the Dean would be behind something like this, so they were surprised. May, on the other hand, wore a satisfied smile as she continued.

“That jerk insulted and cursed at my uncle, not knowing his true status.”

“To the Dean? He must be crazy.”

The girls next to May agreed, and they started to join in on the insults directed at Daniel, while the male students exchanged glances on the side.

“So, you guys should just make sure he can’t attend the academy anymore. He was going to get expelled anyway. Just finish him off.”

“Well, if you and the Dean are covering for us, it’s no problem.”

“He’s been kind of unlucky lately, hanging out with girls and all.”

“Should we ask the seniors for help too?”

The May gang started to discuss how to execute their plan with laughter. Various conversations were going on, and Daniel, who would inevitably get caught up in it..

“…”

On the rooftop where they were gathered.

Rin, Daniel’s childhood friend who had come to get some fresh air because of all the complicated matters, muttered quietly to herself.

“May, Jill, Annie, Roman, Ferris.”

There was a peculiar absence of life in the girl’s eyes.

***

“Go get some drinks.”

“I left something at the cafe.”

“…But do we really have to do it here?”

I asked Tana and Eve, who were setting up the sweets and food, if something was wrong, but they looked at me strangely in reverse and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Then where should we have the party? Should we do it in our room? You don’t want weird rumors to spread again, do you?”

“You guys coming into my room doesn’t seem like it would generate good rumors either.”

“It’s fine as long as we don’t get caught!”
Eve spoke boldly with her fists clenched.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic, wondering when she had become so confident.

“Do you know something? When a guy goes into a girl’s room, he can be mistaken for a pervert. But when a girl goes into a guy’s room, the guy becomes a legend.”

“Seriously, cut it out.”

“That’s how the world works.”

I shrugged and left with annoyance as Tana laughed. Still, the atmosphere had improved significantly compared to the days of being ostracized and harassed.

Lately, they had been spending more time together, suggesting that their friendship had improved.

Heading downstairs to the second floor, I encountered a group of male students blocking the stairs. I was about to tell them to move, but their faces belonged to May’s gang, and the atmosphere suggested they wouldn’t let me pass easily.

“They’re coming out in full force like this?”

They seemed pretty annoying.

“Step aside.”

I thought I might be able to reason with them, but, as expected…

They stood up and blocked the stairs.

“Is it okay to do this in the dorm? There seem to be many students around.”

Although the dorms were relatively empty due to some students participating in club activities or pursuing personal hobbies, there were still plenty of students around, and their eyes were not blind to what was happening.

There were certainly some boys sneaking past and looking at us.

“He’s acting tough because he’s scared.”

“Haha, hilarious. I wonder what he’s so confident about.”

“You bumpkin. Things are different here compared to your hometown.”

“From the start, it doesn’t make sense for a commoner to wear the same uniform as us.”

I wasn’t sure what made them so self-assured, but from their perspective, I had been a commoner from the start, and I had skipped grades to come to the third year, something they probably didn’t appreciate.

“Hurry up. I have errands to run.”

The fact that these guys initiated a confrontation with me first was already observed by other students. Moreover, they ere also those who had falsely accused me of violence, so there was no need to be gentle.

“Hey, don’t overdo it. Senior Fenil is coming too.”

“Senior Fenil? Wow, you’re in real trouble.”

I had heard of Fenil before.

Although he was a fourth-year student, he was a troublemaker who hung out with a gang and bullied students, but his skill was so impressive that his grades were always at the top. On top of that, his family was influential, so even the professors couldn’t easily touch him.

“Let’s get started with whatever we’re doing.”

If I delayed in bringing the drinks, I couldn’t predict what Tana and Eve might do in my room.

***

“Do we have to listen to these juniors’ orders?”

One of the delinquents grumbled irritably, but when Fenil shot him a glare, he quickly backed down and averted his gaze.

“Speak properly. We made a deal. May has the Dean wrapped around her finger, so she said she’ll erase my record of causing trouble by the time I graduate.”

“Really? Can she do that?”

“I don’t know, if not, we’ll make it happen.”

The group of hooligans, chuckling and laughing, continued toward the entrance of the third-year dormitory. However, as they reached the entrance, they spotted a girl with black hair sitting on the ground and whistled at her.

“Hey, who’s this?”

“I heard there are a lot of pretty girls in the third year.”

“I like it when a girl is innocent but has a good body.”

At the hooligans’ words, Fenil also glanced at the girl, and their eyes met directly.

In the nineteen years of his life, Fenil had committed numerous deeds. He knew that he would be pointed at by many people, but he didn’t regret it; in fact, he enjoyed the memories.

In the chaotic life filled with blood and screams that Fenil had led, there were cherry blossoms fluttering in his eyes, although they didn’t actually exist.

“She’s beautiful.”

She was not just beautiful, but incredibly so.

Perfectly his type. Fenil ignored the hooligans making crude remarks about her and cautiously approached the girl, who happened to be coming closer as well.

“Excuse me, are you Senior Fenil?”

“Huh? Yeah, that’s me. Do we know each other?”

As expected.

Considering his status, it was natural for juniors to know him. Had she been waiting here, knowing he would come?

Fenil’s mind began to drift into various fantasies, and the hooligans behind him were also whispering, but…

Thud.

Rin’s fist struck Fenil’s face directly, splattering blood from his nose.

“You bastard!”

“What the hell!”

“You’re insane! You picked the wrong person!”

If Daniel had seen Rin’s eyes at that moment, he would have sensed an eerie sense of authority similar to the one she had wielded as the Commander of Calamity in her previous life.
…

Rin silently clenched her fist and stepped forward.

***

“…Hey.”

“Yes, yes!”

“They said some guy named Fenil or Vinyl is coming.”

“Yes, that’s right!”

Male students lined up in the corridor, kneeling with their hands raised.

And I, sitting on the stairs with my chin in hand, waiting for that senior guy, expressed my annoyance and said, “He’s not coming.”

“He…he’s not coming.”

“So?”

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

“Hah.”

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