After Entrance Ceremony
And so, after the entrance ceremony…
"Ugh…"
Rudell returned to his dorm room and let out a low groan as he stretched.
The entrance ceremony had lasted a grueling four hours.
For Rudell, who had to stand still for nearly three of those hours, it was nothing short of torture.
He took off his coat and, with a face etched with exhaustion, approached the bed.
"Haaa…"
Following that, he threw himself onto the bed with a drawn-out sigh.
The soft touch of the bed relieved his weary body, and as a drowsy sensation washed over him, he felt his eyelids getting heavy. Rudell slowly closed his eyes.
“I shouldn't sleep…”
Just as Rudell's consciousness began to fade, he heard a sound.
-Knock. Knock. Knock.
"…?"
Rudell lifted his head at the sound that reached his ears.
A tapping sound, like someone knocking.
"Ugh… What is it…?"
He rubbed his eyes, got up, and looked outside through the peephole in the door.
However, the hallway beyond the peephole was empty.
"…?"
Was he so tired that he was hearing things?
Shaking his head vigorously, Rudell lay back down on the bed.
-Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Seriously, what…"
But the moment he lay down, the knocking sound returned.
Grumbling, Rudell got up again and turned his head towards the direction of the sound.
And what he saw was a completely unexpected person.
"Over here, over here."
"Le, Leje!?"
A startled voice escaped Rudell's lips as he saw Leje waving from outside the window.
To be honest, her being outside the window wasn't that surprising.
Even back in the viscounty, she would often climb into his room through the window.
"What are you doing there?"
Rudell, seeing her hanging upside down and knocking on the window, spoke in a disbelieving tone.
What if someone saw her?
Of course, considering that Rudell's room was more than ten floors above the ground, the chances of someone noticing were low.
But there was always a possibility, however slim.
"No, wait a minute. I'll open it for you."
Thinking that, he shook his head vigorously, walked over to the window, and opened it.
"Heave-ho."
"Use the door next time, it's dangerous."
Leje came in through the open window, and Rudell narrowed his eyes at her.
"Dangerous? What danger? This is nothing."
"Have you ever heard the saying, 'Even monkeys fall from trees'?"
Leje's physical abilities were extraordinary, but Rudell's room was located on the 8th floor, which was quite a height.
Even for Leje, falling from that height…
'Would she get hurt?'
Probably not.
With that thought, Rudell narrowed his eyes.
"You know, I think you just had a very rude thought."
"Huh? Oh, no? Absolutely not."
He avoided her gaze as he feigned ignorance.
She's always so perceptive…
Thinking that, Rudell looked at Leje, and she shrugged, throwing herself onto the bed where he had been lying.
"Haaa… I'm so tired…"
"If you want to lie down, go to your room."
"But it's boring to be alone."
"Sigh…"
At her teasing gaze, Rudell felt a headache coming on and rubbed his forehead.
"…Want me to make you some tea?"
"Yes, please."
When she nodded at his question, Rudell lightly waved his hand in the air.
Simultaneously, white steam began to billow from the kettle in the corner of the room…
"The entrance ceremony, you did well."
Pouring the steaming hot water into a white cup, Rudell spoke.
Given that it was an event watched by countless students, the pressure she must have felt must have been considerable.
"Did well? It was nothing special."
"If it were me, I would have been too nervous to speak properly."
"Really? I think you would have done quite well."
Leje's eyes widened in surprise at Rudell's answer.
"Your tea-making skills are terrible."
"I'm terribly sorry about that."
Rudell retorted at her playful remark and poured tea into his own cup.
For a brief moment, only the sound of sipping filled the silence…
"Everything else was fine, but the Headmaster was a bit much… How can a person talk non-stop for three hours?"
"I know someone even worse…"
Rudell said, recalling a certain baseball player from his previous world, and Leje frowned in disgust.
"So, what are you going to do now? Have you thought about it?"
"I didn't sleep well last night, so I was planning to sleep from now on."
Because of someone, I still haven't been able to sleep.
When Rudell looked at Leje with that look in his eyes, she giggled and put down her teacup.
"Really? Then shall we sleep together?"
"What!? What are you talking about out of the blue?!"
What nonsense is she spouting now…
Rudell was startled, and Leje giggled, linking her arm with his.
"Why? What's wrong with that?"
"You don't know?!"
Even if they were childhood friends, a man and a woman who weren't even dating sleeping together in the same bed…
It was something Rudell's common sense couldn't comprehend.
"Pfft! What's with that reaction? Don't tell me you took me seriously?!"
"Ugh…"
Just then, Leje burst into laughter at his reaction, and Rudell let out a low groan as he watched her.
He felt inexplicably frustrated.
'I can't just keep letting her win.'
They were both fifteen now.
Usually, one would only be considered a full-fledged adult after graduating from the academy, but they had at least gone through their coming-of-age ceremonies.
Rudell thought he couldn't just keep letting Leje have her way.
"I, I wouldn't mind."
"Oh?"
Leje narrowed her eyes at Rudell, who cleared his throat and said that.
It was a look that resembled that of a predator eyeing its prey.
"Alright. Then it's okay to sleep together, right?"
"O-Of course!!"
If a man draws his sword, he has to cut something, right?
Although he didn't feel okay about it at all, Rudell answered with a forced nonchalant expression and lay down on the bed.
As they say, the first to act wins.
The bed was already cramped, and if he was lying there, she wouldn't be able to easily squeeze in.
'Let's see if you can squeeze in here.'
With that thought, Rudell gave a faint smile.
However, that was purely Rudell's miscalculation.
"Well then, I should sleep too."
"Wh-What!? Wait a minute!?"
"Huh? What's wrong? Are you embarrassed?"
"E-Embarrassed? Who's embarrassed?!"
Someone once said,
A strong denial is an affirmation.
"Let's not worry about trivial things!"
That's not trivial at all!?
Those words rose to the tip of his tongue, but Rudell couldn't bring himself to utter them.
Sometimes, a man's pride was something he couldn't trade for anything.
And so, Leje snuggled into Rudell's arms, and he could only let out a silent scream.
"It's a bit cramped."
"Th-Then, how about going back now…"
"No. It's a bother."
"..."
Why is she so persistent today?
Thinking that, Rudell looked at her.
'She smells nice.'
The strawberry scent emanating from her hair.
Strawberries were one of her favorite snacks since childhood.
"Huh…!?"
But that thought was fleeting.
With a short gasp, Rudell shook his head vigorously.
Get a hold of yourself, Rudell.
Now's not the time for such leisurely thoughts.
He chanted that in his mind, trying to calm his racing heart.
And then…
"Kuu…"
"..."
A faint sound of breathing reached his ears, and at the same time, Rudell wore a dumbfounded expression.
She fell asleep?
Really?
In this situation?
"Sigh…"
As all sorts of thoughts filled his mind, a short sigh escaped Rudell's lips.
This stubborn girl, who could control her?
"Haaaa…"
Perhaps because he was watching her sleep,
He felt his eyelids getting heavy and let out a short yawn.
'It can't be helped…'
He couldn't wake her up when she was sleeping so soundly.
With a short sigh, Rudell got up from the bed and headed to the table by the window, leaving the sleeping Leje behind.
Recalling the memories of sleeping on his desk during his school days, he slowly settled down at the table…
"Good night, Leje."
Looking at the sleeping Leje, Rudell slowly closed his eyes.
And so, Rudell's academy life began.
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cute
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ReplyDeleteD!ckless eunuch MC trope, with a helping of "eww girl cooties."
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