Chow time~ Chow time~
Humming a little tune about eating, the white-haired little hamster marched forward with a swagger, carrying a basin-sized lunchbox in each hand under the bewildered gazes of the cafeteria staff.
Ugh... the morning exams were so annoying! E-Especially that guy!
Two tiny figures in her mind were currently engaged in a fierce brawl.
The pure white figure waved its hands. “No, no, no~ Little Irene, he treated you to a meal before~ How can you look at him through colored glasses just because he got good grades?”
The pitch-black figure glared with wide eyes. “Did you forget, Little Irene?! How did that guy betray our unbreakable alliance? Just like Pandora said, he’s a playboy who toys with women's hearts! We have to stay far away from him!”
Neither of the two figures backed down. The two supreme beings clashed, fighting until the very fabric of reality was worn away.
“Stupid jerk...” she mumbled, before letting out a long, relaxed sigh.
Hehe~ Now it was Little Irene’s favorite mealtime!
All those annoying exams and bad guys could get lost!
She smiled sweetly and was just about to sit down when her body suddenly froze.
Without her realizing it, a surging crowd had already surrounded her.
“Look! Isn't that the freshman who became the First Seat of the White Garden as soon as they enrolled!”
In the very center of the crowd, Irene clutched her piled-high lunchboxes, looking completely at a loss.
“I heard that during the first exam earlier, student Irene sat there until the very last second?” a boy said, his face full of admiration.
“To be able to persevere until the very last moment in the face of such difficult questions is truly admirable!”
Irene: “Ugh...”
If she revealed the fact that she hadn't solved a single question here, her life as the First Seat would be over, wouldn't it?
“She is the only one among the freshmen in the White Garden, after all!” another student chimed in, taking it for granted.
“Student Irene must have been checking her answers over and over again, striving for absolute perfection, right?”
“Or maybe the answers she wrote were too profound, and even the proctors couldn't understand them right away!”
The crowd grew more and more excited. One shiny, flattering hat after another was firmly placed on the young girl's silver-white head.
Irene opened her mouth.
“A-Actually, I...”
“There's no need to be modest, student Irene!”
“As expected of the hope of our Regal Department!”
“This year, we'll beat the Arcane Department and kick the Knight Department! We're all counting on you to show off your skills in the Grail Tournament!”
I... I only wrote down a few 'solutions' though...
The noisy chatter completely drowned out the girl's weak defense. Her small white head, along with her ahoge, drooped limply.
“Ugh...”
...
“Are they really praising her?” Veronica narrowed her beautiful eyes as she watched the scene from afar.
“Excessive expectations can sometimes be heavier than malice,” Anna said calmly, taking a sip of her tea. “Besides, this situation... is clearly being intentionally orchestrated by someone.”
“Did that First Seat offend someone so quickly?”
“Who knows~ After all, in this academy where competition is paramount, a person suddenly appeared and pressed down on everyone else. It's only natural for some arrogant people to feel dissatisfied.”
“But... it really is a clumsy trick...”
Looking at the fools who were being used without even realizing it, Veronica clicked her tongue in annoyance, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.
Imposing their own fantasies of a 'genius' onto someone else without their consent.
Once the day came when Irene could no longer meet these expectations—
this altar, built on hypocritical flattery, would instantly collapse into ruins.
When that time came, what kind of pressure and storm would the girl at the center of the public eye have to endure?
“What a pain.”
Veronica clicked her tongue softly and pushed back her chair, preparing to stand up.
Halfway through her movement, she suddenly sat back down, crossing her arms and narrowing her beautiful eyes in annoyance.
“Tsk~ It looks like a certain busybody... is about to start abducting another innocent maiden's heart again.”
...
Under her faint gaze, a blonde figure in the hall was quickly walking forward.
However, Lynn did not walk straight into the crowd.
He simply held his food tray and naturally stopped behind several people.
“Ahem.”
After clearing his throat, the youth wore a warm, breeze-like smile. “Excuse me, everyone. You are blocking the people behind you.”
“...”
The noisy chatter paused slightly.
The crowd turned around, only to realize that at some point, a whole row of students holding food trays had piled up behind them, their expressions growing increasingly unpleasant.
Even the cafeteria auntie in the distance, who was responsible for maintaining order, had slowly picked up her giant ladle—one large enough to swat a mature icefield wolf to death.
Danger!
The boy who had been praising Irene earlier gave a dry laugh. “We just wanted to ask student Irene a few questions. It will only take a moment.”
“I see.” Lynn nodded in sudden realization. “To not even care about eating just to seize every opportunity to consult the First Seat for the afternoon exam. I am truly moved by how diligent and studious you all are.”
The few of them subconsciously straightened their backs.
Before they could even show modest smiles, Lynn's tone suddenly shifted. “In that case—why don't I apply to the professor on your behalf in a moment? Professor Siss and I got along like old friends at first sight. He likes thirsty-for-knowledge, hardworking kids like you the most. I'm sure he won't reject the proposal to give you some private tutoring.”
“...”
The smiles froze on everyone's faces.
Let that Professor Siss tutor them? What a joke!
In just half a day, that old vulture who wandered through the exam halls, patrolling with a gloomy air, had already become famous among the freshmen.
I heard that guy loves catching half-baked slackers who only know a tiny bit. As long as you make eye contact with him in the exam hall...
He'll rush over to you, scan your exam paper, and then ruthlessly mock you with his eagle-like tongue.
“My dear student, your answers are highly imaginative. If you were to serve as the chief editor of a children's fantasy magazine, you would surely achieve great things.”
“Oh? So you wrote this much. This innocent parchment must have had a really hard time.”
“You only got one part of this question wrong—from the very first word to the very last punctuation mark.”
...
It was said that a freshman had once been criticized to his face for a full five minutes. When he walked out of the exam hall, his eyes were as clear as if he had just been reborn.
Of course, Lynn was just borrowing his authority on a whim. He had no real connection with Professor Siss; he had simply taken a glance at his panel earlier.
【Name: Siss Anger】
【Physique: 2.5; Mana: 7.3; Charm: 0.9】
【Title: Second Place in the Sacred Capital Academy's Most Unpopular Teacher Selection】
【Teaching Master (Blue)】【Eagle's Language (Blue)】【Rapid Chanting (Blue)】...
For an NPC with very little screen time in the game's plot, his basic stats were decent. Unfortunately, Lynn didn't find a single one of his traits appealing.
Sigh, just a mediocre mid-cup.
Just as Lynn was bluffing with a straight face, a gloomy voice suddenly echoed from behind him.
“Thirsty for knowledge, diligent and inquisitive. Not bad.”
“!?”
The smile on Lynn's face stiffened for an imperceptible fraction of a second.
Wait, bro, did the actual guy really show up?
A thin, bony hand slowly landed on his shoulder. “How could I bear to refuse such good students who take the initiative to seek progress?”
The crowd stiffly turned their heads. Unbeknownst to them, Siss was already standing there, holding a cup of coffee.
Under his gold-rimmed glasses, his sharp eyes flickered with the excited light of someone discovering a rare experimental subject.
“How convenient.” He slowly took a sip of his coffee. “I still have a few sets of graduation exam papers from previous years in my office. If you have enough time during your lunch break, I would be happy to explain them to you question by question.”
“...”
Mist-shrouded and awkward, everyone looked at each other, wishing they could find a hole to crawl into. Lynn cleared his throat and spoke. “As expected of the dutiful Professor Siss. You are willing to selflessly dedicate even your precious rest time to every student who thirsts for knowledge.”
Siss gave him a half-smile, his raspy, unpleasant voice sounding as if it were being forced out of his vocal cords. “Of course. After all, it is the request of student Lynn, who got along with me like an old friend at first sight.”
“...”
My, what lovely weather we're having today.
The expressions of the freshmen caught in a dilemma in front of him changed rapidly.
“Ahaha... there's really no need for that. How could we take up Professor Siss's precious lunch break?”
“Yeah, look at my memory, I still need to go back to the dorm to bring in my laundry!”
“Student Irene, let's chat next time!”
Within a few breaths, they scattered like birds and beasts, terrified that if they stayed a second longer, they would be dragged into Siss's office for some unspeakable intellectual torment!
The speed of their escape even made the cafeteria auntie in the distance, who had already raised her giant ladle, sit back down with a slight look of regret.
Once the surroundings fell completely quiet.
Irene stood frozen in place, still clutching her two basin-sized lunchboxes.
She first looked at Lynn, then timidly glanced at the gloomy-faced Siss. She bit her tongue and timidly shrank her small head.
“T-That...”
The young girl's fingers tightly gripped the edges of the lunchboxes.
A light blush gradually stained her round face, and even her silver-white ahoge, which had been drooping limply just moments ago, perked up bit by bit.
“Th-Thank you...!”
“I will repay you later!”
Her slightly stuttering tone grew faster and faster, and she even bit her tongue at the end.
Before Lynn could respond, the white-haired dumpling hugged her lunch tightly and bolted.
The two giant lunchboxes bounced up and down in her arms, her long silver-white hair and ahoge fluttering in the wind behind her. She looked exactly like a little hamster clutching winter rations as it dashed back to its burrow.
【Emotion Points +250】
Rate on N.U.
