As July approached, the final selections for the tournament representatives concluded.
With the actual Lion King Grand Festival drawing near, the students became more restless than ever. Even at this prestigious academy, private conversations during class began to stand out. When young men and women gathered, such excitement was inevitable regardless of how many nobles were among them, and the teachers mostly overlooked it with an air of weary resignation.
They all look like they’re having fun, Ren thought.
During the lunch break, he walked down the hallway, watching the scene from the sidelines. Everywhere he looked, students were talking about nothing but the Lion King Grand Festival. Even those not participating in the competitions were making plans about which events to watch or which stalls to visit.
Suddenly, a scene flickered through his mind. The memory melded with the current view of the academy hallway.
"Vane, do your best. I lost, after all."
"...But let's enter together next time. You stayed in until the very end of these preliminaries, Ren. You’ll definitely be a representative next time."
"Thanks. I guess I'll have to work hard for that."
During a lunch break just like this one, Ren Ashton and Vane had been talking as they walked down the hallway. In The Legend of the Seven Heroes, the two had developed a friendship so deep they were practically brothers. They spoke to each other constantly, and this particular interaction was one of the game's scripted events.
"Hey, Vane!"
"Oh, Upperclassman Kaito."
"I've been looking for you! Jeez, I thought we'd grab some food together—oh? You there, I'm sure you're the one who fought in the selection... Ashton, right?"
"Nice to meet you. My name is Ren Ashton."
"Yeah! Nice to meet you, too!"
Kaito had spoken boisterously, throwing a heavy arm around Ren Ashton's shoulder with gusto. That version of Ren, having his shoulder suddenly grabbed, was different from the current one; he had seemed quiet and reserved, though not quite timid.
"You were really strong! I've been wanting to meet you again! How about it? If you'd like, why don't you both come grab a meal with me!"
"Ren, what do you think?"
"That sounds good to me. Lord Leonard, if you would have us."
"Nwah-hah-hah-hah! That's too formal! Just 'Upperclassman' is fine!"
"Th-then, Upperclassman Leonard."
"That’s the spirit! Well then, let's go, you two!"
The memory of the game’s Ren Ashton faded, replaced by Ren's own reality.
Currently, Ren spoke with Vane enough to be considered a friend, but their bond had not reached the level of intimacy depicted in The Legend of the Seven Heroes. Ren had not participated in the representative selection for the festival, and their lives differed in many other ways. He earnestly hoped those differences would steer him away from the tragic future he had originally intended to avoid.
In a world where the future was already shifting, he couldn't help but pray for that outcome.
Suddenly, someone tapped Ren on the shoulder from behind.
"Ren."
It was Vane, the very person he had just been thinking about.
"Vane? What's up?"
"I happened to spot you, so I thought I'd say hello. If you haven't had lunch yet, I was wondering if you wanted to go together."
As they started walking, the two began discussing the Lion King Grand Festival. Surrounded by the bustle of their fellow students, they talked animatedly about the upcoming events.
Then, a voice called out from further down the hallway.
"Hey!"
Standing there was the second-year, Kaito Leonard.
"I've been looking for you! Jeez, I thought I'd grab some food with both of you!"
"Vane and I were just about to head to the cafeteria," Ren replied. "Shall the three of us go together?"
"Yeah! Well then, let's go, you two!"
Sometimes, the scenes that played out were different yet strikingly similar. Ren found the coincidence amusing and bit back a smile.
After arriving at the cafeteria, Kaito stuffed his belly with a portion that easily exceeded what Ren and Vane ate combined. Watching him eat with such gusto was actually quite heartening. However, after finishing his meal, Kaito suddenly froze as if a cold realization had just struck him.
As the two boys wondered what was wrong, Kaito went limp in his chair and stared up at the high ceiling. In that vast, luxurious space, he looked utterly defeated.
"What's the matter?" Vane asked.
"...I forgot about the afternoon class. I forgot to do my assignment."
"Oh... that's rough."
"I don't understand Herbology at all... why is this amount necessary? Why is it bad if it decreases? My brain starts to evaporate with all these nonsensical formulas..."
Beside the wryly smiling Vane, Ren thought back to the second-year Herbology curriculum. It was true that the academy’s classes were advanced, but in Kaito's case, it was mostly because he had never been much for studying.
"Upperclassman Leonard."
"Nnh? What is it, Ashton? Did you want to laugh at my pathetic state?"
"No. There's still about thirty minutes left in the lunch break, so I thought you should try to do as much as you can."
"Haha!" Kaito barked a desperate laugh. "I'm not bragging, but Ren, are you seriously underestimating how bad my grades are?"
"No, I am well aware of—I mean, it'll be fine."
"Oh? Setting aside what you almost just said, what do you mean it'll be fine?"
"I'll help you."
"...For real?" Kaito leaned forward over the table. He brought his face close to Ren's, his eyes wide and blinking. "...For real!?"
"For real. So let's hurry," Ren said, remaining perfectly calm as he stood up.
He intended to return the dishes, but Kaito was faster.
"Meet me in front of the library! I'll take care of yours!"
Without waiting for an answer, Kaito gathered the trays for all three of them and dashed off, putting his strength to use in a very mundane way. Ren and Vane shared a shrug.
"Sorry, I can't come," Vane said. "I have a promise to meet Sera. Besides, I'm not exactly an expert on Herbology, so I wouldn't be much help anyway."
Ren told Vane not to worry and headed toward the library. Shortly after he started walking, Kaito dashed past him like a gale of wind. "I'm heading out first!" he shouted. A teacher immediately yelled at him for running in the hallways, but Kaito was already long gone.
Just before the lunch break ended, Kaito emerged from the library, having successfully finished his assignment. This time, he didn't run. Instead, he leaned in and whispered a quiet "Thanks" before heading to class.
That went better than expected, Ren thought. He was pleased to find that his own knowledge was sufficient to handle the second-year Herbology material.
He was scheduled to work for the Executive Committee in the afternoon, but since his body felt stiff from sitting for so long, he decided to take a short detour through the Academy Garden. When he reached the garden, he spotted Radius sitting at a terrace table in one of the corners.
"Oh? Radius?"
"Hmm? Ah, Ren."
Until the moment Ren spoke, Radius had looked deep in thought.
"Thinking about something?"
"Yeah. Something a bit concerning."
Radius didn't seem inclined to elaborate. For a moment, he looked at Ren and opened his mouth as if to say something else, but then he thought better of it.
"I'll head over to the committee room after I meet up with Mirei. Sorry, but could you tell those two to wait for a bit?"
"Yeah, got it."
"My apologies. I'll make it as quick as possible."
Ren left Radius's side and headed toward the Executive Committee Room. Radius remained there for a few more seconds before walking toward a secluded area of the garden surrounded by high hedges.
"It's me, nya."
In response to the voice from the shadows, Radius said, "I've been waiting," and joined Mirei. She handed him a single sheet of paper containing the results of her investigation.
When Ren arrived at the Executive Committee Room, the two girls were already waiting.
"Ren, you were studying with someone unusual today," Licia noted.
"We saw you on our way here," Fiona added. "We were quite surprised to see Ren-kun studying with a member of an Archduke family."
"Ah... Upperclassman Leonard seemed to be in a lot of trouble."
Setting the talk of Kaito aside, Ren brought up the events of the other night. While he had already shared the news with Lezard, he hadn't had the chance to discuss the specifics with Licia and Fiona yet.
"Do you remember me mentioning that Lord Ulysses might call for me during the Lion King Grand Festival?"
Seeing the two girls nod, Ren continued. He spoke about their discussion at the top floor of the Arnea, focusing on the latter half of the conversation.
"—So, that’s the situation. I'll likely be meeting a Merchant of the Sky Continent alongside Lord Lezard."
Hearing this, Licia and Fiona exchanged a glance. They both giggled, thinking how typical this was for Ren.
"Hey, Ren," Licia teased. "When you talk with this guest, will you be telling him about your time in Clausel?"
"It seems so. He apparently wants to hear about our village and our recent history."
"Then I wonder if the incident with Viscount Given will come up," Fiona said.
"Maybe... it's a bit embarrassing to think about."
"Hehe, why? It’s a wonderful story about Ren being a hero," Licia said with a smile.
As they were talking, the door opened to reveal Radius and Mirei. Radius had Mirei place a thick bundle of papers on the central work table.
"Here it is, nya."
"Um... Mirei-san? This is..." Fiona started.
"Wait, isn't this the work we were all supposed to finish today?" Licia asked.
Mirei glanced at Radius.
"As you've all noticed, this is the work that was scheduled for today," Radius said.
Licia and Fiona both turned their gazes to Ren, silently urging him to ask for an explanation.
"It looks like it’s already been completed," Ren noted.
"It is. I finished it at the castle this morning. For now, please pay attention to this."
Radius walked to the blackboard and began writing out the upcoming schedule. He didn't even consult a notebook; he clearly had every detail memorized.
"The Lion King Grand Festival begins soon. Our workload as the Executive Committee is laid out here. As you can see, we have a grueling list of tasks packed in until the day of the event. I intend to submit a proposal to the faculty to improve the administrative support system for this, but putting that aside..."
He began drawing X-marks on specific dates. They represented the days he predicted would be the most chaotic. It was clear that from today until the festival's conclusion, they would have almost no free time.
However, today was apparently an exception, as he drew a large circle around the current date.