Chapter 4: Meeting the Protagonist

In ‘Minorus Academy’, the academic year is divided into three semesters.

March to May is the 1st semester, July to September is the 2nd semester, and November to January is the 3rd semester.

April, June, August, October, and December are vacations.
[TL Note: Original text had slightly different month groupings, adjusted for logical flow and potential later consistency. Original: 1-3, 5-7, 9-11, breaks 4, 8, 12. The month count felt off, adjusted to make more sense for 3 semesters + breaks.]

The game starts in July.

[TL Note: Original said May, but 2nd semester starts in July based on previous line.]

It skips the 1st semester entirely, beginning right from the 2nd semester.

As for why, the developers never explicitly stated the reason, so users, including me, could only speculate.

Ultimately, it wasn’t particularly important, so everyone just accepted it as how things were.

However, suddenly finding myself possessing the game’s villain, Sayoreinne, and starting from the 2nd semester just like in the game, that question arises again.

If it had started from the 1st semester, I don’t know if I could have gotten along well… with the academy classmates, but at least I wouldn’t have made them enemies like now.

Thinking about it again, I’m definitely a bit angry.

If this crappy game hadn’t needlessly started from the 2nd semester, wouldn’t I have been able to have a peaceful academy life, instead of starting all relationships with negative favorability?

Why did the developers ignore the possibility that someone might fall into the game world and possess Sayoreinne?

Haaah- what’s the use complaining to the developers now?

Let’s calm down first.

Anyway, since the original story starts from the 2nd semester, the protagonist and most of the female heroines begin already acquainted.

I don’t know about the male side since I never tried capturing them, but it’s probably similar.

The reason I didn’t try… is simply that I didn’t want to put effort into capturing guys, even in a game.

Aren’t there quite a few people like me?

Setting that aside.

Regardless, as Sayoreinne, I have to clear this situation, which is set to hardcore difficulty with only a single coin given.

Let’s give it my best shot.

To survive.

After encountering Euru, Sayo was a bit more cautious and managed to pass the remaining two days without incident.

Finally, starting tomorrow, the 2nd semester begins, and the main story will unfold.

‘Will I be able to endure those hostile gazes directed at me?’

In Class A, there would probably be only about two people who would look at Sayo with any favorability.

Still, the fact that few would dare to be openly hostile towards the daughter of a Marquis was some small comfort.

“Starting tomorrow, my lady’s academy life will begin in earnest!”

“Somehow, I feel more nervous than you!”

While ‘my lady’ was feeling sick with pressure and worry, why was this clueless maid so excited?

Sayo, sipping tea and glancing at Ahrin sitting opposite her, considered being slightly mischievous, but seeing her beaming smile, the urge faded.

She stopped at just the thought and once again ran simulations of academy life in her head.

“I really want to see my lady looking cool while using magic, but it’s such a shame I can’t.”

Why is this girl so favorable towards me, even after hearing the occasional outburst of irritation or harsh words?

Is it because I haven’t been fundamentally mean to her?

Sayo couldn’t understand.

“In the classroom, we mostly just have theory and liberal arts subjects anyway.”

“Actual magic use happens outside in the training grounds, so Ahrin might be able to see magic, even from afar.”

Deciding to stop the meaningless simulations and relieve some worry for a moment, she decided to entertain Ahrin to pass the time.

“Ahrin.”

Sayo raised her right hand and reached out towards Ahrin.

“Ah… Uuu… Yes…”

Ahrin blushed and brought her brown head under the lady’s hand.

‘This feels nice, indeed.’

Sayo found the pleasant texture under her hand and the sight of the usually cheerful and optimistic Ahrin blushing, looking up with gentle eyes like a docile puppy, quite cute.

This felt mentally healing, so she ended up stroking her head every day, like petting a pet.

‘Maybe it would be alright if I brought her into the classroom and kept petting her.’

She tried to ease her mind by entertaining such silly thoughts.

‘I handled the sudden encounter with Euru reasonably well too.’

‘It’ll be okay.’

Steeling her resolve once more, she decided to savor this remaining peace a little longer.

Sayo’s left hand moved as if tickling the area around Ahrin’s chin and nape.

She was truly handling Ahrin like a pet.

“Hyeh… Th-… My lady… It’s embarrassing…. Hehe….”

Ahrin was very embarrassed by Sayo’s touch, but at the same time, the ticklish, pleasant sensation made her face relax.

Sayo also found it hard to stop her hand when she saw Ahrin grinning foolishly with a relaxed face.

‘…I think I could get addicted to this.’

“Ehehehe…”

And so, the two spent their last holiday before the semester began, fading into the evening.

“How is it? Is it okay?”

She wore the navy blue uniform skirt below, and a white uniform shirt with a grey blazer above, neatly tied with a black and red necktie.

This was the uniform of Minorus Academy.

“Yes! It suits you perfectly, my lady!”

Ahrin was beaming, adjusting Sayo’s uniform.

She seemed genuinely happy.

Sayo looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror in the room.

‘It starts now.’

She told her reflection inwardly.

The number of first-year students at Minorus Academy exceeded 200.

They were divided into six classes, A through F, with no particular hierarchy between the classes.

In the classrooms, they took common subjects by class, and for elective subjects, they attended lectures by going to designated locations, much like in university.

Elective subjects were chosen during the 1st semester and taken for the entire year.

Changing subjects without a special reason was not permitted.

In the game, the ‘protagonist’ chooses subjects at the start based on the direction they want to develop, which affects their initial stats.

If the protagonist had gone towards martial arts instead of magic, Sayo might have had a quieter, safer time even in the same class, but unfortunately, retracing her ‘memory’, they were both in the same ‘Elemental Magic’ track.

‘Besides, with her… haaah.’

Not wanting to run into anyone else on the way, Sayo arrived early at the Class A classroom and took the seat in the furthest corner.

Perhaps due to tension and worry, she felt angry.

She needed to somehow calm these useless emotions.

As time passed, people began to enter one by one.

Sayo felt people flinching or whispering upon seeing her, but she kept her eyes closed, focusing solely on controlling her emotions.

Feeling the unfriendly gazes immediately made her uncomfortable.

“~~~.”

With her eyes closed, Sayo’s heightened senses caught one voice piercing through particularly loudly.

It was a soft, beautiful voice that felt like it was tickling her ears.

But to Sayo, it didn’t sound pleasant, merely worsening her mood.

Sayo opened her eyes and looked at the girl walking in from the back door where the voice came from.

Blonde hair tied in twin tails low down, light purple eyes, a height just over 160cm, and a cute face.

‘Emelly.’

The girl bore the default name given when starting the game, she was the ‘protagonist’, ‘Emelly Stield’.

Next to Emelly was a girl with black hair tied in a ponytail, ‘Ryu Sowol’.

They looked quite close.

Just seeing her face made Sayo inexplicably irritated and angry.

‘This isn’t my emotion-’ Sayo repeated inwardly, trying not to get swept away by the feeling, but the uncontrollable emotion only fueled more irritation.

Was it because of that?

“How irritating…”

The words of irritation escaped her lips audibly without her realizing it.

It wasn’t loud, muttered more like a thought to herself, but Emelly’s gaze snapped towards her.

Perhaps her hearing was sharp; she seemed to have caught even that small sound and pinpointed Sayo.

Emelly approached Sayoreinne with a smile.

“Long time no see? Sayoreinne.”

“Hello…. Emelly.”

Emelly’s beaming smile was accompanied by cold eyes.

‘Haaah- Her hearing is sharp too.’
‘Coming right over after hearing that tiny sound.’
‘This is going to be tiring.’

Emelly alone was tiring enough, but seeing Sowol glaring beside her made Sayo feel an urge to just lash out.

Still, she had to endure.

She couldn’t act like ‘Sayoreinne’ and meet the same end.

‘First, let’s clear the misunderstanding.’
‘Tell her I wasn’t saying I was irritated because of her.’
‘Though, it’s not really a misunderstanding.’

“I’m happy to see you after so long, but it seems you aren’t, Sayoreinne?”

“I’m happy to see you too, Emelly. Seeing your disgusting face, pretending to be cute and coy again today, it just slipped out unintentionally. I apologize like this. Since you heard my apology, surely you’ll forgive me, right?”

-The words rose all the way to Sayo’s throat, but thankfully, only “Emelly.” escaped her lips, and she managed to hold back the rest.

If she had been more mentally tired or irritated, she probably wouldn’t have been able to hold back.

The simulations she ran dozens of times in her head seemed useless.

Life really is about the actual experience.

Sayo opened her fan, held it to her lips, controlled her boiling emotions, and continued speaking.

“…Excuse me.”

“I wasn’t specifically talking about you, Emelly.”

“It seems I just came out early in the morning after a long time, and that slight irritation just slipped out.”

“Please don’t misunderstand.”

‘Good.’
‘The voice wasn’t bad either, perfect.’

“? What’s this all of a sudden, so unlike you…? No, maybe I was being too sensitive. Sorry.”

‘She really isn’t easy to deal with.’

Instantly changing her bewildered expression to a cute smile, Emelly extended her right hand.

Sayo also put on the kindest smile she could manage and took Emelly’s hand for a handshake.

Separate from her own feelings, Sayo found Emelly’s hand incredibly soft and warm, which was quite nice.

At the same time, the urge to immediately slap her hand away, the feeling of filth, made her feel like her mind was going crazy.

Still, Emelly. Soft and cute appearance, but actually a nasty girl pretending to be innocent.

Sayo let out a sigh of relief at having managed the first encounter with the ‘protagonist’ quite satisfactorily.