-Driiiiiiing!
"...."
-Driiiiiiing!
"Shut up!"
I groggily woke up and punched my annoying alarm clock, breaking it in the process.
[<What that poor alarm clock did to you except trying to wake up at time?>]
"Shaddap," I grumbled, still trying to shake off my sleepiness.
Raising my tired body, I stretched out my arms.
Yesterday was a pretty eventful day. My Aunt Belle dragged me out for some shopping, where she forced me to buy a bunch of random stuff I didn't really need. Then we went to watch a movie that was a weird mashup of Iron Man and Spongebob. I couldn't even tell you what it was called, but it was definitely something that will haunt me for the rest of my life.
I can't see Tony Stark in the same way anymore…dammit.
Thankfully, Aunt Belle finally saved me from the torture, and we went out to eat at a fancy restaurant before she dropped me off at the academy at midnight.
Honestly, I enjoyed hanging out with Aunt Belle in the afternoon. We talked about my grades at the academy, and I tried to steer the conversation away from that topic as quickly as possible to avoid getting lectured. She even brought up the topic of romance in the academy, which was a bit awkward to talk about, so I tried to dodge that too. I mean, I could never tell what was I was doing exactly…it would be too pathetic.
At the end of the day, Aunt Belle surprised me by trying to give me her blessing, just like I had done for Jayden. I was touched by her gesture, but I couldn't accept it. It took me half an hour to persuade her to postpone it. I didn't want her to lose her blessing and suffer any consequences. She was important to me. It was my choice, so I should be the only one facing the consequences.
I also considered telling her the truth about having three legacies, but I decided against it. It was better to keep it a secret for now, so I could have more freedom to act without anyone trying to control or manipulate me.
After taking a refreshing shower and changing into a fresh uniform, I headed out of my room. As I closed my door, I noticed that the door to room S-5 opened at the same time.
'An annoying face right in the morning. My day is cursed.'
I groaned inwardly as I saw my neighbor exit his room. He was not the friendliest bunch, to say the least. Thomas, with his short green hair, scowled when he saw me.
I should have left late as usual so I wouldn't have to encounter any of those guys!
"Falkrona…" he said, his tone dripping with disdain.
You hate me that much?
Same for me.
I rolled my eyes. "Falkrona? Not anymore. You probably heard what happened," I replied, not bothering to stop.
As I entered the elevator, I could hear Cleena's confused voice in my head.
[<I don't know anymore if you are joking about his…preferences or it's just the truth…>]
Well, to be fair, Thomas was a bit of a pretender. He claimed to be into girls, but I honestly had my doubts. Regardless, it wasn't any of my business.
I pressed the button for the ground floor and leaned against the back of the elevator. From the corner of my eye, I could see Thomas walking with Alfred—his heart's desire, no doubt. That guy waited as expected for that idiot prince.
One day, I should ask him directly what he thinks of Alfred. If I could get rid of one pretender, it would just be easier for the future. Thomas might not approach any of the Heroines.
When they noticed me inside the elevator, they both grimaced at first but walked inside—or tried to—but before they could take a step inside, I pressed the door to quickly close the doors.
""He-!""
With an impassive face, I rejoiced at seeing their vain shouts.
Your curses won't open the elevator, guys.
Once the elevator closed and I felt myself descending, I grinned and pressed all the buttons on the floors below.
"A late Royal Prince is inept to become the next king."
[<Were you really raised as a noble?>]
"Shut up. That'll teach them to be too stupid. They can take the stairs as well, anyway."
I shrugged my shoulders.
As I observed Thomas and Alfred, they appeared to be the same as their in-game counterparts, which led me to cross them off my list of potential message senders. But that still left plenty of other possibilities, and the thought of having to investigate everyone in the academy made me feel overwhelmed.
I wondered if the person who sent the message could be a staff member or teacher, but my gut feeling told me that they were a student like me. Perhaps they had also played the game and recognized that I was different from how I was supposed to act in the story. This meant that they knew what was supposed to happen in the future, but with so many possible outcomes, I couldn't be sure which path we were heading on.
I couldn't shake off the feeling that something big was about to happen, and I knew that I needed to be prepared for anything that might come my way.
But if it was not them, then who could it be? It could be a teacher or staff member, but I have a feeling it's a student like me who played the game and knows what's going to happen. I just hope he's not one of those OP characters.
I stifled a yawn and turned on my phone, only to be bombarded with notifications.
"23 missed calls? 43 messages? What the hell?" I muttered to myself.
I scrolled through the messages and saw that they were all from Jayden and Milleia. I couldn't help but wonder if I had somehow ended up with yandere friends.
As for Lyra, after our altercation, our relationship had become superficial at best. She acted friendly in front of Jayden and Milleia, but otherwise, she avoided speaking to me.
I nonchalantly returned my phone to my pocket, without bothering to respond to the missed calls and messages. I knew I was going to see Jayden and Milleia anyway, so there was no rush.
Today's class with Professor Katia was a tedious one, covering the entire promotion of mana and legacies theories. It was so boring that even the thought of dozing off made me want to yawn. To make things worse, Professor Katia was sure strict, and sleeping in her class could lead to a substantial point deduction, affecting our class rank and overall grades.
"Sigh…"
Speaking of ranks, the four classes are currently ranked as follows:
[Phoenix Class: 101]
[Dragon Class: 97]
[Pegasus Class: 96]
[Basilisk Class: 89]
The standings were incredibly tight, making for a competitive environment. Well, after all, it was their goal.
Seriously…it was already a miracle that we weren't farther away from the other three classes. We were only that close thanks to Lyra, Milleia and Jayden. As for me, well…I wasn't studying since it was boring so I was one of the guys dragging down the class.
I really have to do something about it. I couldn't stomach that poor ranking of my class.
I went into the building for first-year students and made my way to the designated auditorium. I decided to take a different route, even though it was longer, because I was drawing too much attention.
I walked in the corridor with my hands in my pockets, leisurely
I knew Milleia and Jayden were probably searching for me, but I figured they'd eventually give up and avoid being late. As I turned to my right, I heard a giggling voice that was both flirtatious and beautiful.
"...Oh my, isn't that Edward?"
My attention was drawn to a bench for two, where I saw the most charming woman I had met after Ephera.
"Layla..."
She crossed her legs and rested her hands on them, revealing a good portion of her smooth, white legs. Her black hair was styled in a princess-like updo, reminiscent of Aurora's hairstyle, but Layla had opted for bold red lipstick that perfectly complemented her fair skin. Everything to catch Alfred's attention...
There she was, sitting elegantly on the bench. Layla, the woman I met a few times before, was as stunning as ever, with her red eyes and a bright smile on her lips.
"It's been a while, Layla. How have you been?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
She gave a small laugh and tilted her head. "Oh, I've been doing well. And yourself, Edward?"
"I've been keeping busy, as usual. It's always nice to see you, though."
She crossed her legs again and looked at me with a playful expression. "I bet it is. I remember the last time we met, you were quite eager to give me a hug, a lascivious one even, which I politely refused." She said with a giggle and my smile twitched.
She is sure good at this.
I chuckled, remembering the awkward encounter. "Yeah, I was pretty drunk that night. Sorry about that."
Layla shook her head, her hair swaying gently behind her. "No need to apologize. It was quite amusing, actually."
"Indeed. I'll never forget Alfred's decision to dance with Carla over you."
I said and sat next to her, not too close, of course.
"..."
Layla maintained her smile, but I could tell she was irritated by my retort.
After all, I struck where it hurt.
Layla and Clara had never gotten along well, but their rivalry had escalated at Alfred's birthday party last year. Although Clara had no interest in Alfred, Layla saw every girl who interacted with him as a potential threat. She had come close to becoming a full-blown yandere, but fortunately, she still had her sanity. If she were to fully awaken her yandere side, Alfred would be in serious trouble.
"Putting that aside. You've changed a lot. I nearly didn't recognize you," Layla said.
"I've been working out," I replied.
"No, that's not it," she said, approaching me.
She placed her delicate hands on my thighs and leaned in closer.
I immediately moved away from her until I reached the far end of the bench, trying to maintain a safe distance.
She's way too dangerous.
"Listen, Layla. I won't be a part of any plan you have in mind."
I said, trying to keep my voice firm and steady, although my heart was pounding like crazy. The aroma emanating from her and her alluring presence were already playing havoc with my senses.
Layla was surprised at my words for a moment before she let out a laugh.
"I thought you were already smitten with me."
Her narcissism reminded me a little of Kleah, but Layla's charm was far more potent.
She leaned forward, and her upper body was still close to mine. I couldn't help but stare at her red eyes and her captivating smile, which could make any man fall for her.
How did Alfred managed to resist her charms?