7 S.M.R.T!

Strutting across the courtyard with a wide grin on my face, I had survived yet another ordeal, all thanks to my amazingly brilliant mind!

'I am so smart! S.M.R.T!'

It was to the point where I hadn't even minded the fact that I barely understood anything of Ms. Brighton's lecture about mana and its modern applications.

To be honest, I would have found it quite interesting that this world had so many modern conveniences such as toilets and showers if it wasn't for the fact that I knew that the creator of this world lived on Earth.

*Tap*

'Wait...'

My feet stopped as I realized something.

How could some random author create a whole world?! That makes even less sense than the fact that I was somehow sent here!

'He can't have been human, can be? But if so, what is...'

"Alex, do you have a moment?"

Interrupting my pondering, a bright and cheery voice reached out to me. A voice that I already knew belonged to:

" Samantha? I'm sorry, but I was just about to head to the cafeteria to get something to eat..."

"Then, please allow me to treat you to some food at the café!"

I could already see in her eyes that she wouldn't take no for an answer. Thus, I caved in as I didn't want to risk wasting our lunch break without eating something.

"Alright... But I don't have any money..."

"Haha, didn't I say that I would treat you? Come, let's go!"

She was such an energetic young woman that my old heart was having a tough time keeping up.

Not that I had been old in terms of physical age on Earth. I was still not even 30 years old, but I had an old soul.

Which was ironic as I was now inhabiting a body that was 20 years old. A body that couldn't help but react a bit as I followed the pink-haired woman to the café.

Entering the small building, I found it pretty funny that the interior looked exactly the same as the Starpucks that I knew from Earth, with the same green and brown theme permeating the whole space.

Just like that, I was suddenly sitting down at one of the many tables with the princess in front of me, still wearing a very amicable smile.

Yet, I couldn't help but feel like she was forgetting something.

'Wasn't I supposed to get something to eat?'

Sadly, she completely ignored my inner complaints. Worse yet was the fact that even though she was smiling, she let out words that carried a crystal-clear sharpness to them.

"Who are you, Alex?"

'What's going on? Wasn't she grateful that I helped her out?'

Somehow, I had ended up in a situation where the princess of the nation was now for some reason suspicious of me.

Obviously, it had something to do with the incident that went down earlier this morning, but I had a hard time wrapping my head around why she was acting like this.

But I had no choice but to try and appease her.

"Didn't you just answer your own question? I'm Alex, Alex Winter. Just a normal freshman."

"Fredrick Esta."

"...who?"

"My brother. Are you telling me you truly aren't working for him?"

"I have no idea who he is."

"You have no idea who the crown prince of the nation is?"

'I fucked up...'

Her little trick had worked, although it didn't seem to have had the effect she wanted. In hindsight, it was pretty obvious that she threw out her brother's name in an attempt to see if I would react and, as a result, give away the truth that I was working for him.

This was what was supposed to have happened, but instead, I had just somehow told her that I had no idea who her brother was. Which, for all intents and purposes, either made me out to be an extremely bad liar or the biggest fool this world had ever seen. And for the sake of survival, and not wanting to get on the princess' bad side, I decided to act like a fool.

"No, I don't... In fact, I didn't even know you were a princess until you said you were during roll call."

"Really?"

"Really."

Forcing myself to look as serious as I possibly could, I had no choice but to wait and see how she would react.

"Ha..hahaha! That's so weird, isn't it? How can someone attending Stellar Academy be that clueless?"

"Sorry for being clueless..."

Fortunately, she believed me. Unfortunately, that meant that I had now cemented the belief that I was an idiot in the princess' head.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, Alex. It was just so... unexpected. I mean, the way you acted in the classroom... I was sure that if you didn't work for my brother, then you had to have been some kind of genius with a hidden plan or something. I just didn't expect you to not even know who my brother is."

I could see on her face that she was genuinely apologizing, but as a result of the way she phrased it, it didn't make me feel less bad.

"So, what do you want to eat?"

"Hmm?"

"Didn't I tell you before? That I would treat you to something?"

'Oh right.'

Having forgotten the reason why we were in the café in the first place, it took a moment for me to understand what she was talking about.

"The chicken sandwiches here are supposedly really good. Or, so I heard at least."

"Really? Then I'll have a chicken sandwich then."

"Alright!"

Samantha rose from her feet and quickly made her way to the counter of the café, where I could see her giving the order to an employee. While she was waiting for our order to get ready, I checked the time on my wristwatch. One of the few things that had been prepared for me in this world.

Clothes, a credit card without money, a wristwatch, and study material. Those were the only things I owned in this world.

'11.24? I guess we still have some time.'

Our next lesson wouldn't start until twelve o'clock, so there was no reason for me to stress. Meaning I could probably just enjoy my food with the princess in...

'Come to think of it, aren't I about to have lunch with the princess of Estaria...? Is that really something a commoner should do?'

Before I got the chance to run away, the pink-haired girl had returned, now holding a tray filled with two plates of food and two coffee cups. This meant that not only was I about to eat with the princess, but I had also made her get the food for me.

"Hmm? Is there something wrong?"

"No. Everything is completely and wholeheartedly fine. There is absolutely nothing wrong.", I said as I quickly stuffed my mouth with a big bite of the chicken sandwich that she had brought me.

"You're... a bit weird, aren't you?"

"I guess?"

"But I don't dislike it. I actually find it pretty refreshing to meet someone like you. Someone who doesn't seem to care at all that you are in the presence of a princess."

Washing down yet another bit of food with the content in one of the cups, which happened to be very, very hot coffee, I answered her with confidence. Confidence that was slightly ruined by the burning sensation on my tongue.

"What doesh that mather? Arn't we all the shame inshide the academy?"

"Pfft!"

"Pleashe don't lausgh at me..."

"Yes, yes. Here, maybe this will help."

I had no idea where she got it from, but she quickly gave me a glass of water to help me cool down my mouth. And it did. It actually helped a lot.

"Thank you..."

"You're welcome."

Leaning her head against her hand, she looked at me similarly to how one would look at a small child, something I didn't notice as I was too busy stuffing my face as efficiently as possible so that I could get out of there.

****

[Mike's Pov]

Too angry to eat, I was currently walking around the academy while trying to sort my thoughts out about that despicable commoner who had acted completely out of line.

'Who even is that guy?! He completely ruined my plan of getting closer to the princess!'

It had been a perfect plan. Using the fact that Samantha was the class president and I was the co-president as an excuse to spend time with her privately. Something which in turn would lead to opportunities for me to try and charm her.

Yet, my golden ticket had been stolen by some no-name commoner who didn't know the word common sense! And now I was instead stuck working together with the wimp Robert!

'Unforgivable!'

I had no idea how I would do it, but there was no doubt in my mind that I would make him pay for what he had done to me!