After parting with Lene, I used a magic circle to teleport in an instant.
As light enveloped my body, I felt a sudden sense of buoyancy, as if I were breaching the surface after being submerged deep underwater. It was a strange, fleeting sensation.
When my vision cleared, I was standing in a corridor on the upper floors of the school building, right outside the S-Rank classroom.
The silence here was so absolute it felt like the earlier commotion had never happened. Sunlight streamed through the windows, reflecting off the polished floor. Several portraits hung along the walls, with the achievements of those depicted recorded in small print beneath their frames.
(...Reached the Main Core of the Primal Labyrinth. So she was the one from five hundred years ago...)
It was a portrait of a single student in a golden frame.
She was a beautiful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a gentle expression. Though she gave the impression of a refined noble lady, her recorded feats suggested she had possessed terrifying strength.
I passed the portrait while silently paying my respects and arrived at the classroom door.
"This is it," Elysia said simply before pushing the door open.
As we stepped inside, a dozen or so pairs of eyes turned toward us in silence.
Based on the color of their ties, most of the boys and girls appeared to be older than us. The gazes from my new classmates felt less like curiosity and more like they were sizing me up. It was a stiff, formal atmosphere—the quintessential "elite group"—which made me feel a bit out of place.
"Ah! I knew you'd come!"
Just as I was feeling the pressure of their scrutiny, a girl dashed toward us from the window side.
She wore a white lab coat and had a pair of leather goggles perched atop her dark brown hair. Judging by her yellow tie, she was likely only fifteen.
She rushed over with a toolbox that rattled with a loud clatter. Stopping right in front of me, she looked up with emerald-green eyes and a beaming smile.
"You're here, Strongest-kun! I knew you'd be assigned here! I mean, obviously! You destroyed Grandpa's prized golem in an instant! Hey, do you have any idea how crazy that is?! That golem was imbued with Reinforcement Magic! It was built so it wouldn't break for anything! And yet, you just—!"
A volley of words followed, fired like bullets.
As I stood there, bewildered by the breathless torrent of speech, Elysia stepped in front of her. Only then did the girl finally close her mouth.
"Rio. I understand your excitement, but calm down. He doesn't even know your name yet."
"—Ah, right. Sorry! I haven't even introduced myself."
She took a step back and gave a polite bow. Her long ponytail and white lab coat swayed softly with the movement.
"My name is Rio! Rio Krausel! My dream is to one day become a great Magic Engineer and surpass my Grandpa! Nice to meet you!"
With an energetic flourish, she thrust her hand out.
When I accepted the handshake, her grip was unexpectedly firm.
"I'm Rai. It's a pleasure, Rio."
"Ehehe! Likewise, Rai!"
She laughed with satisfaction, her toolbox clattering noisily again.
(...Rio. Right, she’s Albert’s granddaughter...)
While shaking her hand, I reflected on my knowledge of the original game.
Albert Krausel was the genius who had built the foundation of magical civilization, the man responsible for creating numerous Magic Apparatuses and Magic Tools. The game had always hinted that he had a grandchild.
In the story, whenever Albert spoke of her, he sounded gentle and proud, often boasting that she would one day surpass him. In fact, many of the Magic Tools she conceived ended up saving countless students' lives from the mid-game onward.
Rio Krausel was destined to achieve feats that would leave her name in the annals of history.
However, despite her importance, the character Rio Krausel never actually appeared in the original game, "CHOICE//MAZE," outside of her name. By the middle of the story, she was already dead.
(...If I remember correctly, they had a falling out.)
There was a quest requested by Albert after the player deepened their bond with him: "Search for my beloved grandchild."
The story involved looking for the grandchild who had left home after an argument and never returned. The conclusion, however, was hopeless.
The setting was far from the Primal Labyrinth.
In the lower layers of an ordinary dungeon, the player would find only her personal effects.
Magic Tools that showed signs of use. Notebooks filled with research. A blood-stained white lab coat, and a toolbox with its contents scattered. Despite the presence of her belongings, the girl herself was nowhere to be found.
Upon receiving the report, Albert had simply nodded in silence. He hadn't shown anger or tears, but I remembered thinking his back looked smaller than usual in that moment.
"What's wrong? You have a very serious look on your face."
I had gotten a bit too lost in my memories of the game. Rio, very much alive and standing right in front of me, tilted her head as she looked up at me.
"Sorry. I was just... thinking about the future for a moment."
"The future? Right now? Huh? Why?"
I gave a wry smile to Rio, who looked genuinely puzzled.
She was bright, energetic, and loud—but it wasn't an annoying kind of noise. She was the type of cheerful girl who made you feel like being around her would be fun. I could see why Albert had been so proud of her.
"Rio."
"Yeah?"
"Don't go overboard with any dangerous experiments, okay?"
"Eeeh?! What's that supposed to mean all of a sudden?!"
Rio puffed out her cheeks at my warning. She stared at me as if I had said something unthinkable.
"I do my safety checks properly! Probably!"
"Don't say 'probably.' Be thorough about it."
"Ugh, you sound just like Grandpa...!"
Faint laughter rippled through the room. The tense atmosphere from moments ago seemed to relax slightly, and I felt a small sense of relief.
Following Elysia’s lead, I moved toward my seat. It was in the very front, right in the center. Elysia sat directly next to me.
"We're neighbors," she noted.
"So it seems. ...I'll ask just in case, but this is a coincidence, right?"
"Fufu. I wonder."
Elysia gave me a meaningful, teasing smile.
"Sitting next to each other is convenient for many reasons. For instance, if one of us forgets our materials, we can share. And..."
Just as her smile deepened, I felt a warm, soft sensation on my right hand.
I looked down to see Elysia’s slender, white fingers enveloping mine. Before I realized it, she had interlaced our fingers, holding my hand in a lover’s grip.
"When I'm yearning for someone's warmth, we can touch like this."
Elysia whispered those words with perfect composure, but her ears were flushed bright red.
"—Ahem. Could you please refrain from creating such a saccharine atmosphere in the classroom?"
A small cough and a dry voice echoed through the room.
At the podium stood a teacher who looked like the quintessential wizard. He was peering down at us, his brow furrowed in a troubled expression.
"...My apologies."
Elysia smoothly let go of my hand. Her face remained calm, but as usual, her ears stayed red.
"Even the Student Council President is just a girl in front of her fiancé, it seems. A heartwarming sight."
The man at the podium cleared his throat again. He wore a long robe and a large hat, with a silver badge on his chest signifying his position as an academy teacher.
Through his silver-rimmed glasses, a quiet, sharp gaze locked onto me.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lloyd Vanshield. I will be the homeroom teacher for S-Rank. I look forward to working with you—Rai-san."
Mr. Lloyd finished with a polite smile.