I'm the Top Student? (1)
Not too far from the academy lay a city shrouded in a perpetual fog so dense that even the sun struggled to pierce through, even during the day.
It was known as Leukiye, the City that Never Cried.
It was the largest slum in the entire Empire.
The eerie atmosphere, coupled with the lack of sunlight, had naturally fostered an environment teeming with crime, turning it into a haven for all things illicit.
Leukiye was a sanctuary for the wicked.
– All dirty money passes through Leukiye.
Though it was ostensibly a slum inhabited by the poor, in reality, it was a living hell crawling with assassins, dark mages, and murderers.
Even the Empire's guards were hesitant to patrol its shadowy streets.
As such, it was a breeding ground for all sorts of villains.
Countless criminal organizations had taken root in the city, but the most notorious among them was…
– I hear the slums are in an uproar again.
– Is it those ‘Astros’ causing trouble again?
– Indeed.
– The world’s ending, I tell ya.
The Astros. Sometimes called the “Stars Without Light.”
What had started in the slums of Leukiye had now become a threat to the entire Empire.
They had appeared like a comet roughly two years ago, swiftly taking control of the slums and establishing themselves as the new power behind the scenes.
For some reason, though, their activities had recently ceased.
– Speaking of the Astros, haven't heard a peep from them lately.
– You think another gang got to them?
– I heard they skipped town, left the Empire entirely.
– The rumor I heard was that they had an internal split.
Speculation ran rampant, but the truth remained shrouded in mystery.
They had always operated under a veil of secrecy.
All people could do was pray that these nightmares wouldn't resurface.
“…”
Meanwhile, in a building located in the heart of the city…
A lone girl sat at a desk in a basement cloaked in darkness.
Her long silver hair was a tangled mess.
Her empty eyes reflected nothing but a chilling void.
This girl was the vice-captain of the Astros, the second-in-command of the criminal organization that had consumed the Empire’s slums.
She sat motionless.
A living corpse. Breathing, but just barely.
To her, nothing in the world held meaning anymore. Breathing was merely a function to prolong her meaningless existence.
She resembled a marionette with its strings cut.
“…I miss you, Captain.”
The girl suddenly muttered, tears welling up in her eyes.
Her vacant gaze seemed lost in a distant memory.
[This is but a temporary farewell. Please take care of yourselves.]
A short message hastily scribbled on a piece of paper.
That was the last they had heard from their captain before he vanished without a trace.
The girl clutched a small bell, her only memento of him.
“Where could you be?”
Nearly half a year had passed.
He had always been elusive, but never for this long.
‘Could he have… abandoned us?’
A terrifying thought crossed her mind. She quickly pushed it away.
The mere thought of it was enough to shatter her heart into a million pieces. Tears streamed down her face.
“No, he would never abandon us… I shouldn't doubt him…”
She tried to calm herself.
But despite her best efforts, a deep sense of grief lingered in her silver eyes.
As she sat there, drowning in a cold loneliness, a commotion erupted outside, breaking her out of her thoughts.
Bright, boisterous laughter echoed from beyond the door.
The source of the noise soon barged into the basement.
“Neria!!”
Bang!
The door swung open with a loud crash.
A middle-aged man with fiery red hair stood in the doorway.
He had clearly been drinking. He grinned at the girl, his eyes glazed over.
“Neria! There you are!!”
“…What is it?”
“He finally contacted us! He’s back!”
“I don't know what kind of trouble you've gotten yourself into this time, but please try to calm down.”
Neria glared at the man.
Whatever the news, she didn't appreciate him barging in and making a scene. Especially not while the Captain was away…
“He sent word! The Captain, I’m talking about!!”
“…What?”
The silver-haired girl froze.
She replayed his words in her mind, making sure she had heard correctly.
Light slowly returned to her vacant eyes.
“Are you serious?! When, where, how?!”
“Easy there, calm down. Here, look at this.”
“Give it to me!”
Neria snatched the letter from the man’s hand.
He smiled, pleased to see her excitement.
“It's a simple message. He's asking us to take care of some kids. Ten of them, all fox beastkin.”
Neria quickly scanned the letter.
The handwriting, the style, the structure, even the way the periods were dotted—it was undoubtedly the Captain’s.
Elation surged through her silver eyes.
“I’ve already taken care of it. I’ve dispatched our most elite men to escort our guests.”
“Ha… ha…”
“What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”
Neria was practically burying her face in the letter, inhaling deeply.
The scent was faint, but it was there—the Captain’s scent, clinging to the thin paper.
Her shoulders trembled with a mixture of joy and relief.
After a long moment, she finally looked up and issued a command.
“…Get ready. The Captain will need us soon.”
Her silver hair seemed to shimmer with renewed life.
Clutching the letter to her chest as if it were a sacred relic, she bowed her head.
“Everything is according to his will.”
It was a prayer offered solely to her god.
***
The snake and the fox walked side by side.
It didn't take us long to reach the academy gates.
The sheer scale of the building was breathtaking, even more impressive up close. Even Irene couldn’t help but stare in awe.
I was going to spend the next three years of my life here.
A strange mix of excitement and nervousness bubbled inside me.
And so, we stepped onto the academy grounds.
As we made our way towards the main building where the entrance ceremony would be held, we spotted a familiar face.
I offered her a friendly greeting.
“Lady Regia! It’s been a while.”
“…Young Master Snakus?”
Her emerald eyes met mine.
Her pink hair, swaying gently in the spring breeze, resembled blooming cherry blossoms.
The pair of aviator goggles resting on her neck were like her trademark.
‘Regia Pilots.’
The heroine of the original story.
And my favorite character.
Regia froze the moment our eyes met. Perhaps she was still uncomfortable interacting with nobles.
I gave her a reassuring smile.
“How have you been?”
“Ah… Y-Yes, I’ve been well.”
“My, my, you’re so stiff. I thought we became quite close the last time we met.”
“I-I apologize.”
“Was I mistaken, perhaps?”
“N-No… It’s just… I have this condition…”
Regia stammered, clearly worried about offending me.
She didn't even know how to voice her discomfort.
It was just like her, the protagonist.
I stepped closer to her.
“I’m glad I could keep my promise.”
“Pardon?”
“I told you we’d meet again when we enrolled together.”
“Ah… I just remembered.”
“I was starting to feel a little hurt.”
I teased her with a playful grin.
“Congratulations on entering the academy, Lady Regia.”
It might have sounded like a casual congratulatory remark, but it meant a lot more to me than that.
‘I always wanted to say that to you.’
Regia had no family.
She had lived a nomadic life, never staying in one place for too long. It was only natural.
So, no one had ever congratulated her on entering the academy.
1943 times. That's how many times I had witnessed this scene in the game.
Every single playthrough, she stood alone in the entrance ceremony line.
She tried to put on a brave face, but I could always sense the underlying bitterness.
And every single time, I wanted to tell her:
“Let’s enjoy our time at the academy.”
I just wanted to offer her a few kind words.
Regia was taken aback, her emerald eyes widening in surprise.
For a moment, she just stood there, speechless. Then, a bright smile bloomed on her face.
It was a pure, untainted smile.
“Yes…!”
“Haha, well then, shall we?”
We started walking again.
Perhaps my words had eased her tension because Regia seemed more relaxed now.
Her usual cheerfulness returned, and she turned her attention to the fox by my side.
“Wow…! I’ve never seen a fox beastkin before!”
“W-What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’ve met all sorts of beastkin in my travels, but never a fox! C-Could I… Could I possibly touch your tail?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Aww…”
Irene bared her teeth, hissing at Regia.
The girl, who had been practically sparkling with excitement just a moment ago, deflated like a punctured balloon.
It was quite an amusing sight.
As I was enjoying this unexpected interaction between two of the most popular characters from the original story, we arrived at the main building.
The entrance ceremony would be starting soon.
“Shall we head to the waiting area? They seem to be giving out some instructions over there…”
The hall was bustling with new students.
As I was looking around for the line, I heard someone call my name.
“Student Judas.”
“…?”
“Judas Snakus. Is that you?”
I turned around to see a man in a staff uniform looking at me expectantly.
I tilted my head, a bit confused, but answered nonetheless.
“Yes, that’s me… Can I help you?”
“Your seat is this way. Please take the first seat on the stage.”
“Excuse me?”
He gestured towards the stage, stopping me from joining the rest of the students.
His words caught me completely off guard.
What do you mean, stage? First seat?
I was utterly bewildered.
“The entrance ceremony is about to begin. Please hurry along.”
“Hold on, could you at least explain what’s going on…?”
“As you were informed beforehand, you, Student Judas, will be giving the freshman representative speech as this year’s top student.”
“I’m… sorry?”
Top student? Freshman representative? Speech?
What in the world is he talking about?
I stared at the staff member, utterly flabbergasted.
“You are the top student of this year's incoming class. The speech you prepared as the freshman representative…”
“…?”
Top student? Me?
His words hit me like a ton of bricks, leaving me utterly blindsided.
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