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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Early morning.
As always, I woke up at the designated time.
I couldn’t simply create muscle fibers, so I’d started a morning exercise routine. Being cooped up in my room had atrophied what little muscle I had, and I’d always been on the weaker side physically.
I was working up a sweat when I heard Ella stirring.
She emerged from her room, apologizing profusely for waking up later than me. Knowing she’d fret about it all day, I reassured her and left for class.
But something was different about my usual routine.
From the academy hallways to the path leading to the classrooms, there wasn’t a single quiet spot. The usual noble decorum was gone.
Students huddled in groups, their conversations revolving around a single topic.
“Join my team…”
“You should join our team…”
“Let’s team up…”
The midterm evaluations were mandatory, conducted separately for each grade level. The professors announced the theme, and the students prepared accordingly. Teamwork was allowed, and most students formed teams.
Hence the current scramble to recruit talented individuals.
No one approached me. Some had witnessed my improved combat skills during the duel, but others dismissed it as luck. No one believed a commoner, with no family backing, could possess such power.
I didn’t mind. I was used to working alone.
Lost in thought, contemplating how I’d approach the midterm evaluations, the classroom door opened, and Professor Oliver, Class 1-B’s instructor, entered.
“Why is he in our class?”
“Ah, your professor is unable to attend due to personal matters.”
“I’ll be announcing the midterm evaluation theme, and a different professor will take over from next time.”
A different professor? Not bad. I wasn’t fond of our usual professor, who did little more than yell.
“Anyway, the theme for this year’s midterm evaluation is…”
“F… Finally!”
“Last year’s theme was team combat, right?”
“The year before that, it was Gate clearing.”
“P… Please let it be something easy…”
The students leaned forward, eager to hear the announcement. Professor Oliver paused for dramatic effect, then spoke.
“Survival.”
Survival?
Where? How? From what?
The vague theme sparked a flurry of questions. Professor Oliver continued.
“The academy owns an island. Your task is to survive on that island for as long as possible.”
“The island is inhabited by monsters and poisonous plants.”
“Your evaluation will be based on your survival time.”
“Professors will be monitoring the situation, so your safety is assured. However, fighting amongst yourselves is not prohibited.”
He concluded his explanation and opened the floor for questions.
Hands shot up.
“Are there any rules?”
“No. Just survive.”
“Are there any penalties?”
“Attacking your own teammates or attempting to kill another student will result in disciplinary action.”
“How will you determine if a student is still alive?”
“You’ll each be given a watch that ahows the number of surviving students.”
Professor Oliver patiently answered their questions, as if reading from a script.
Some students pondered his answers, others smirked confidently, and a few discreetly contacted someone outside the classroom.
Professor Oliver scratched his head and added,
“Team applications are due in a week, so finalize your teams by then.”
He left as abruptly as he’d arrived.
A week…
That was enough time to find at least one teammate. Surviving alone, while avoiding everyone else, would be difficult. A teammate would lighten the burden.
I could convince someone in a week.
I started considering potential candidates.
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I’d been too optimistic. I’d assumed finding a teammate would be easy. I figured I could just pick someone who was planning to go solo.
But I’d overlooked something. In noble society, reputation was everything. No one would team up with a disgraced commoner.
I began searching for a commoner teammate, and after much difficulty, I found one.
Lianna.
The girl I’d been “bullying” in exchange for financial support. Even though I was no longer able to provide for her, she seemed to feel indebted to me and readily agreed to be my teammate.
When I asked why she’d accepted so easily, she said,
“…I… I feel bad…”
“About what?”
“About the rumors… and… for not being able to stop the others after you left your family…”
She was worried about that? She was more sensitive than I’d realized.
The bullying was manageable, and she couldn’t have stopped the rumors.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m fine.”
“R… Really?”
“Yes. And I was the one bullying you.”
“B… But! It wasn’t that bad, and… you sometimes helped me…”
That was true. My “bullying” had been mostly taunts and pranks. But my followers had been much crueler, stealing and defiling her uniform, insulting her publicly.
I’d felt guilty and had discreetly helped her, replacing her stolen uniform, intervening when she was being harassed.
I hadn’t wanted to be seen as hypocritical, considering I was the one who’d initiated the “bullying” arrangement, so I’d kept my actions subtle. I hadn’t realized she’d noticed.
Perhaps that was why she’d agreed to be my teammate.
Whatever her reasons, a perceptive teammate was a valuable asset. I accepted her offer.
But the other students hadn’t noticed my subtle acts of kindness. Seeing us together, they assumed I was bullying her again. Rumors spread that I was dragging a female student around with me.
Lianna tried to defend me, but they just assumed she was being coerced, their disdain for me growing.
I ignored their stares and headed for the student council office with Lianna to submit our team application.
The student council members were hunched over their desks, dark circles under their eyes, stacks of paperwork before them. They looked at me with a mixture of disgust and pity.
It was unsettling, but the vice president asked for our business, and I snapped back to reality.
“What do you want, you scoundrel?”
“We’re here to submit our team application.”
“…A team application? Someone actually joined your team?”
“Yes. Here.”
I gestured towards Lianna, and he looked at her, a knowing expression on his face.
“Look, I don’t know what he’s holding over your head, but we can…”
“That’s quite rude, Vice President.”
What was he saying to my teammate? I’d worked hard to recruit her.
He scowled, clearly annoyed that I’d interrupted him.
“…Team applications are handled by the president.”
“Where is she?”
“Further inside.”
He pointed us towards a more opulent-looking room, a nameplate on the door clearly identifying it as the president’s office. He then returned to his work.
I knocked on the door.
“We’re here to submit a team application, President.”
“…Come in.”
She hesitated slightly, as if recognizing my voice, but I opened the door and entered.
A woman sat at a desk, signing documents.
Long, flowing blue hair that cascaded down her back. Calloused hands from countless hours spent writing. Sharp, cat-like eyes. Slender arms and legs, but a surprisingly ample bosom.
The daughter of the empire’s wealthiest family, the president of the student council, the academy’s true power broker, and the younger sister of my only friend, Albert.
Despite being twins, they were quite different.
She looked at me with cool indifference, unlike her brother’s warmth.
Sophia Iris, the student council president.
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