After we descended the hill, we stepped inside Building D.
The interior of the school building had a distinctly Western feel, and it was impressively clean. It was worlds apart from the middle school I had attended until recently.
"Is this place new?" I asked. It didn't look brand-new, but still...
"The school buildings were renovated last year," Cedric explained. "The Magic Academy has a vast network of alumni, so the donations are quite substantial."
"Huh..."
I wondered if my family contributed too. The La Forge family certainly seemed the type. They were influential enough to get me in through the back door, after all.
"The classroom is right there," Frank said, pointing to a door ahead of us.
"Alright, let's do this."
I walked over and swung the door open. However, there were only about ten people inside.
One of those people was my sister. She was sitting in the very front row—an unthinkable position as far as I was concerned—resting her cheek on one hand. Toko shot a quick glance my way before immediately looking back toward the front with an air of complete indifference.
"Cedric, Frank, let's head to the back."
"Works for me."
"It's funny how you have absolutely zero motivation to study," Frank joked.
I made my way toward the back of the room, scanning my other classmates along the way. Once I settled into a seat in the final row, Cedric and Frank took the spots next to me.
"Hey, isn't it a bit empty in here? I heard there were supposed to be around thirty of us."
Even including the three of us, there were barely a dozen students present.
"Well, this is just Basic Studies," Frank said. "Plus, it's the first period of the day."
"There are twenty-eight students in Class D," Cedric added. "Ten of them are working adults, unlike us. People in that position have usually already completed their Basic Studies requirements."
I see. That made sense.
"What about you guys? Do you really need Basic Studies?"
"Of course. It’s the most important foundation," Cedric replied.
"Naturally," Frank agreed.
Were these two actually overachievers?
While I was feeling a newfound respect for my dorm mates, two girls who had been sitting near the front started walking toward us. One was a red-haired girl with sharp, determined eyes; the other had a much gentler aura about her. Naturally, both were dressed in the academy uniform.
"Hey, Frank. Who's this?" the red-haired girl asked.
"You could at least start with 'good morning,'" Frank sighed.
"Fine. Good morning. Now, who is he?"
Was she some kind of delinquent?
"He's a new student. Starting today," Frank explained.
"Hmm..." The red-haired girl studied me intently.
"Hey there," I offered a casual greeting.
"Hello... You look kind of like an idiot."
How rude.
"Bingo," Cedric said.
"You've got a sharp eye for people," Frank added, looking impressed.
"Hey, knock it off. That’s uncalled for."
"Do you know the capital of England?" Cedric asked me with a smirk.
"No clue."
"See?"
"Look, whether I'm actually an idiot is beside the point," I retorted. "If I called you an unpleasant, snobbish prick, you'd get mad, wouldn't you?"
"Actually, I just heard you say it..." Cedric muttered.
Did I?
"Have you guys already hit it off?" the girl asked.
"I'm a friendly guy. We're all brothers in arms."
"Sure... I'm Ilmera. Ilmera Henselt."
"And I am Noelle. Noelle Antoine," the brown-haired girl added softly.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Tsukasa Nagase. Nagase is the family name."
"Are you Japanese, like Yuika?" Ilmera asked.
"I haven't met this Yuika yet, but apparently so."
There didn't seem to be anyone else in the room who looked Japanese besides me and Toko.
"I see. You should look out for your own."
I was being told that again.
"Is that a rule among mages? Frank said something similar yesterday."
"Isn't it just common sense?" Ilmera replied. "I'm from Germany, just like Frank, so I naturally look out for him. Though, I suppose even people from the same country don't always get along..."
Ilmera glanced toward Noelle as she spoke. Noelle's expression turned slightly troubled.
"It's not as if we are on particularly bad terms," Noelle murmured.
"We"? Who was she referring to?
"Where are you from, Noelle?"
"Me? I am from France."
Another person from the same neck of the woods. Wait, again?
"Umm, so who exactly are you on bad terms with?"
"The Student Council President," Ilmera stated flatly.
"Ilmera! That isn't true!" Noelle cried out, trying to stop her.
"Huh..."
Wait, really? Was Sharleen such a troublemaker? I didn't get that impression from her at all.
"Well, there’s a lot of family history involved," Ilmera said. "I don't know anything about the Japanese mage families, but you should be careful too."
I'll keep that in mind. Technically, I was a member of the La Forge family now.
"So, where is this fellow countryman of mine, Yuika?" I asked, looking around.
"Sleeping."
"We did try to wake her, but she said she wasn't feeling very well," Noelle added with a worried look.
It sounded to me like she was the real problem child of the class, but would she be alright?
After chatting for a bit longer, the two girls returned to their seats at the front.
"Are you really from the same place as Ilmera?" I whispered to Frank, dropping my voice now that they were gone.
"Yeah. She’s the type to speak her mind, but she’s actually very caring. Don't take what she said to heart."
It seemed the "look out for your own" sentiment was genuine, given how quickly Frank defended her.
"I don't mind. The other girl was something else, though."
"I won't ask for specifics, but I know exactly what you mean," Frank said with a knowing nod.
Noelle was slender overall, but her chest was massive. She was even more well-endowed than Sharleen, whom I’d thought had a great figure yesterday. Western genetics were truly something else, I thought.
"But seriously, is the Student Council President really that much of a problem child?"
"She's not a problem child," Frank corrected. "If anything, she's a model student."
"You don't get to be Student Council President otherwise," Cedric added.
Well, that made sense.
"So why is she on bad terms with Noelle?"
"The President's family is the most prestigious of the prestigious, and she's the heir," Cedric explained. "Because of that, she's basically the personification of pride. It's only natural she'd clash with people."
Pride, huh? She'd seemed like nothing but a total klutz to me.
"I see..."
"Well, she's in a different class anyway," Frank said. "But we have someone similar in our own class."
"We do?" I asked.
Frank leaned in closer, lowering his voice.
"Do you see that black-haired girl sitting in the very front row?"
I did. The one resting her chin on her hand. The girl who shared my exact birth date.
"That one?"
"Don't point! That's the daughter of the La Forge family—another French house at the absolute top of the hierarchy. She's the President's rival, and the one we told you about yesterday... the Ice Princess."
Pfft.
"Heh... Hehehe..."
I couldn't hold it back. A laugh escaped me, and several students near the front turned to stare. They quickly lost interest, however, and turned back around.
"Hey, don't laugh!" Frank hissed.
"Was it really that funny?" Cedric asked, looking exasperated.
"Sorry... it's just..."
She's the Ice Princess?! That is freaking hilarious!
I'm definitely going to tease the hell out of her when I get home!