Chapter 24

　　With that, Simon and Meirin’s group was formed. The news spread like wildfire, and whispers erupted among the surrounding students.

　　"Whoa, those two are in a group?"

　　"Special Admission Number One and Class A’s top ranker on the same team? That’s practically cheating."

　　"I don’t know about that. I saw Simon’s scores earlier. They weren’t anything special."

　　As the students who had been watching the recruitment spectacle dove back into their own frantic searches, a few cautiously approached Simon and Meirin’s table.

　　"You guys still have a spot, right? I’m aiming for Jet-Black Dynamics. Could you let me in?"

　　"Happen to need a Combat Magic aspirant?"

　　"Simon! Simon! You remember me, right? We talked in class the other day…!"

　　A sudden mob of students swarmed their table, and Simon instinctively recoiled.

　　"Alright, excuse me! Passing through! Thanks!" Dick skillfully wove through the students, waving a hand with an easy grin. "Sorry, folks, all spots are taken! The last seat is already in negotiations, so you’ll have better luck elsewhere!"

　　"And who are you?" Meirin asked, her brow furrowed.

　　Dick flashed a confident smile and placed a hand over his heart.

　　"I’m also in Simon’s group! The name’s Dick Hayward."

　　"What?"

　　Meirin’s head snapped toward Simon.

　　"Hey, Simon. No one mentioned anything about a bumbling sidekick being on the team."

　　Simon scratched the side of his head, a sheepish smile on his face.

　　"I told you, didn’t I? That I wanted you to join our group."

　　So, he came with baggage. Meirin let out a soft sigh and lifted her gaze.

　　"What subject are you aspiring for?"

　　"Seventy-four in Jet-Black Dynamics, with an overall average of seventy."

　　"…Mediocre."

　　In truth, as long as her weakness in Summoning was covered, Meirin couldn’t care less about the other subjects. She had scores in the nineties for everything else; no one could surpass her. An aspirant score of seventy-four with an average of seventy meant he was a decent all-rounder. While he didn’t meet her standards, she could accept him as a support player.

　　"Fine, whatever."

　　As Meirin let it slide, Dick pumped a triumphant fist. He turned to Simon, his eyes shining.

　　"Man, you’re really something else!"

　　He looked at Simon as if he were a conquering hero. The two of them lightly bumped fists.

　　"You’re a real miracle worker! How in the world did you get Meirin to join?"

　　"The timing was just right."

　　"But are you sure you can handle that promise you made?"

　　Simon nodded. If he studied Summoning like his life depended on it, he figured he could pull something off by midterms.

　　"You two can save your tearful bromance for later," Meirin said sulkily, propping her chin on her hand. "Who’s going to be our last member?"

　　"We can get anyone you want! Just say the word!"

　　Dick was certain he could recruit anyone. Who would refuse a group with the ultimate ace, Meirin? If he played his cards right, he might even be able to poach students who had already formed groups, though that would surely earn him a few enemies.

　　"Hmm."

　　Meirin closed her eyes, considering.

　　"Our priority is to cover Cursology, Venomology, and Summoning. I’ll take Cursology."

　　"That’d be a huge help! So, out of Hemomancy, Enchantment, and Combat Magic, are there any you’re weak in?"

　　"There are no such things. I’m good at everything," she replied, tucking a strand of sky-blue hair behind her ear.

　　It was arrogant, but coming from the top student in Class A, Dick just smiled and let it go.

　　"But if you had to choose?"

　　"If I had to, I’d say we should find someone to handle Hemomancy. It’s heavy on calculations and takes a lot of time to solve."

　　"Hemomancy? Got it. I’ll bring someone back! You two just relax here!"

　　With a salute, Dick plunged back into the chaotic fray of desperate students.

　　Left alone, Simon and Meirin sat in silence. An awkward quiet stretched between them. Meirin, who had been feigning interest in her nails, finally stole a sideways glance at Simon.

　　"Hey."

　　Simon looked up.

　　"You said your name is Simon Polentia, right? I’ve never heard of your family. Which one is it?"

　　"A barony in the Baldwin Kingdom. We oversee Leshill."

　　She nodded. So he’s from Baldwin. She had never heard of a fief called Leshill.

　　"What about you?"

　　At Simon’s question, her pupils dilated.

　　"Uh, you don’t know who I am?"

　　"Nope."

　　Ugh. Her pride stung, but she could hardly get angry when she hadn’t recognized his family either. She forced a smile.

　　"I’m from a family in the Ivory Tower faction."

　　Simon mentally sifted through his knowledge of the Ivory Tower. He knew one thing, at least. The platinum-blonde girl who had taken the oath with him at the entrance ceremony was the heir.

　　"Ah, the Ivory Tower. Where Special Admission Number Two, Serne, is from…"

　　"I’m sorry." A glacial chill crept into Meirin’s smile. "Could you please not say another word? I’m asking you nicely."

　　"…R-Right."

　　She turned her head away, her expression frigid. What’s with her? Simon was baffled.

　　Meirin seemed to realize he hadn’t brought it up intentionally and didn’t press the issue, but she was clearly uncomfortable. He must have misspoken. Noble families really are complicated, he thought. Well, he would just have to learn and be more careful.

　　As Simon mentally filed away his new teammate’s sensitive topic, he saw Dick returning with a triumphant stride.

　　"Did I keep you waiting?"

　　A girl stood beside him.

　　…Huh?

　　She looked familiar. She was short, with the gentle, wide-eyed look of a puppy. Her shy gaze remained fixed on the tips of her shoes. He racked his brain, and then it hit him: she was the girl from Combat Magic class, the one he had helped onto the hippo when she couldn’t manage it herself.

　　"Turns out my first thought was wrong," Dick said, waving a notebook at Simon before introducing the girl to them. "This is Kamibarez Ursula. She’s a Hemomancy aspirant with a score of eighty-seven."

　　Eighty-seven points! Meirin let out an impressed whistle, and Simon smiled.

　　Kamibarez bowed her head.

　　"I-I’m Kamibarez Ursula! If my name is too long, you can just call me Kami. I know I’m still lacking, but I’ll do my best not to be a burden!"

　　"We’re in the same year. We can speak casually, right?" Simon offered.

　　Her face immediately turned bright red.

　　"…Ah. I’m sixteen, but since I was admitted to Kizen… and… um…"

　　Dick chimed in.

　　"What does age matter? I heard there’s a twenty-year-old in our year."

　　"…Ah, yes. If you all would prefer, I will speak casually… with you."

　　It seemed that for her, speaking politely was speaking casually. Simon and the others decided not to push it.

　　Having successfully formed their group, the four of them gathered around a desk. Only fifteen of the thirty minutes Jane had allotted had passed.

　　"Haaaah, I can finally breathe! I thought I was going to get a stress ulcer," Dick muttered, stretching his arms.

　　Simon’s head was throbbing, too, likely from the intense focus of the last half hour. Kamibarez, also freed from the stress of group selection, seemed to relax and began chatting with Meirin.

　　"Wow, of course! You’re the Ursula I’ve heard about, right?"

　　"Yes!"

　　"She’s incredible!" Meirin exclaimed. "The Ursulas are one of the great vampire families!"

　　Simon stared at Kamibarez in surprise. She’s a vampire? Looking closer, he could see the characteristically sharp fangs accenting her gentle face.

　　"I have wings, too," she added, her back twitching slightly. "You can’t see them under my uniform."

　　"Isn’t that uncomfortable?"

　　"It’s a little bothersome, so I asked the administration office to alter my uniform. I should be able to let my wings out starting next week."

　　"It’s a relief they can do that for you."

　　Dick, who had been listening quietly, crossed his arms.

　　"But it’s strange. If a young lady from the Ursula family came to Kizen, why haven’t there been any rumors?"

　　"Ah, that’s…" She blushed and hunched her shoulders.

　　Meirin shot Dick a glare.

　　"Hey, you can’t just ask things like that!"

　　"Huh? What’s wrong with it?"

　　"Ugh, seriously… You’re not a noble, are you?"

　　"I’m a commoner."

　　"This is why we can’t have a proper conversation." She crossed her arms and shook her head.

　　This time, Dick’s expression turned icy.

　　"Here we go again with the noble pride. What, you think your title means you’ve done me any favors?"

　　"You’re annoying. Don’t talk to me."

　　"D-Don’t fight!" Kamibarez cried out. As all eyes snapped to her, she clapped a hand over her mouth, as if realizing she’d been too loud, and ducked her head. "I-I’ll tell you. The truth is… my mother… was an ordinary human…"

　　That one sentence was all Simon needed to understand. She was an illegitimate daughter of a vampire family. Her father was a great vampire of the Ursula line, but her mother was likely a human concubine. As the son of a necromancer and a priest, Simon had more than his share of family issues and could deeply sympathize with her position.

　　"…S-Sorry," Dick mumbled, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I didn’t mean anything by it."

　　"No, no. I’m really okay! Hehe."

　　"It’s not much of a trade, but since you told us your background, I’ll share mine. I’m the son of the master of the White Sow Merchant Guild." Having said that, Dick glanced around with a hopeful expression.

　　Kamibarez gasped in surprise, but the other two had lukewarm reactions. Simon, lacking the context, was genuinely clueless, while Meirin, though inwardly a little surprised, refused to show it and simply turned her head away.

　　"To be precise, I’m the third of his eight sons." A hint of bitterness crept into Dick’s voice. "My father plans to pass the guild to my eldest brother. All of the family’s resources are focused on him. As for me and the rest… we’re nothing more than a backup plan, to be used as he sees fit."

　　"As he sees fit?"

　　"Yeah. I had a knack for black magic, so I was sent to Kizen. My mission is to understand the needs of necromancers and conduct market research."

　　This explained why Dick had said going to Rochest on weekends was more important than his classes.

　　"Of course, I haven’t given up! I’m going to graduate from Kizen, and I plan to start my own merchant guild in Rochest—one with my name on it, not the White Sow’s. Maybe then my father will finally see me differently."

　　Simon grinned.

　　"That’s impressive."

　　Kamibarez clapped her hands.

　　"I’ll be cheering for you, Dick!"

　　Meirin, with a pout, simply muttered.

　　"Do your best or don’t."

　　Simon and Kamibarez laughed.

　　"Oh my, getting along already, are we?" the teaching assistant chimed, approaching their table with a smile. As the four of them started to stand, she waved them back down and placed a sheet of paper on the table. "You’re Group Seven. Please write your names and aspirant subjects here."

　　"Yes!"

　　"You’ll also need to decide on a group name and a leader."

　　Simon blinked.

　　"A group name?"

　　"Yes, though it’s not very important. Professor Jane will just call you Group Seven. You still have some time, so think it over."

　　After the assistant left, the four of them exchanged glances.

　　"I’ll be the leader," Meirin declared. "Any objections?"

　　There was no way anyone would object. It was no exaggeration to say that Meirin alone accounted for half of Group Seven’s strength. The other three nodded, and Meirin signed her name in the leader slot with a stylish flourish.

　　"So, what should we name the group?"

　　"She said it doesn’t matter, so let’s just pick something," Dick said, leaning back with his hands behind his head and chuckling. "How about ‘Meirin’s Hard Carry’?"

　　Meirin’s face lit up, and she was about to write it down when Dick yelped that he was joking and stopped her.

　　"S-Simon! Got any ideas?" Dick asked desperately.

　　Without much thought, Simon offered.

　　"Team Seven."

　　"That’s just lazy!"

　　"How about… Pink Rabbit Girls?" Kamibarez suggested.

　　"We’re a co-ed group! Have some consideration for the guys!"

　　All eyes turned back to Meirin. Blushing slightly, she cleared her throat and said, feigning reluctance.

　　"W-Well, that idea Dick had wasn’t so bad, was it? ‘Meirin’s Hard Ca—’"

　　"Let’s just go with Team Seven."

　　"Hey!!"