First Day of School (1)

Leaving the dormitory, I started recalling the contents of the game and jotting down some notes in a notebook I brought along.

The notebook had some names of boys with notes like: "Prince Luthar, despite being cold and harsh, clearly likes gentle girls deep down. (PS: Maybe I have a chance with one of the six! Kyaa)."

I decided to tear those pages out and throw them into a nearby trash can or a bin near the school. A waste of time anyway, Luthar doesn't like girls in general.

The "six" she had written about weren't just a personal thing. This title really exists within and outside the game. It signifies the hardest targets of the game: the royal princes.

Unlike many other games, the princes are truly difficult to win over. Players often have to dedicate an entire run to one of them. Just one wrong step means you've failed the route.

To "conquer" them, you can't just click the "talk" button. If you do that, you've either wasted time that could have been used to improve your magic or earn money, or you might rarely notice a trait that would make the prince change his preferences.

What I mean is: these borners with silver spoon in their mouth deserved their cool title.

Now, back to the backstory about the game dating sim part of the story...

The game starts simply. A commoner girl from a small village, loved by everyone there, decides to gain the nobility's support to help her village's dire situation. This commoner then walks to the capital.

A small detail often overlooked in this part of the story is that the distance between the capital and the "village" is no less than 2,000 kilometers.

It's said she walked for twenty-six days to reach the capital, which makes me wonder about the sheer size of this world if this kingdom alone is bigger than my entire country.

Another detail, the "village" was just a few cities away — Yes, the village is a semi-modern city like the capital and other cities, but the narrative calls it a village due to its size — from the kingdom border with the neighboring kingdom.

Leaving this off-topic aside, when she finally arrives at the capital and pays to enter, she's shocked by the city's state. With her pure protagonist heart, she helps an old lady being attacked for being slow.

But in the midst of the verbal beating by the eighteen-year-old girl, Prince Luthar, with no intention of helping, orders the other shop owners to stop harassing the old lady.

Luthar's intention had nothing to do with romance or altruism. It was purely a political move. The six princes were and are in a succession dispute.

However, luckily for the protagonist, Luthar applies the law that girls should be in school. And once again, coincidentally, all other schools are full, so she is placed in Burialle by pure coincidence.

Since the prince didn't know she wasn't from the capital, he managed to force her to study there.

Normally, it wouldn't be possible for a girl from outside the capital to have any type of job or study in the luxurious institutions of the capital.

That's how the protagonist managed to enter Burialle Academy despite not having a surname. And she got to stay because of her talent and appearance.

Of course, here, hair colors denote magic. Since she excels in two elements with maximum mastery, her hair color is half golden yellow, half ocean blue, with a thick line of pure white absorbing the colors slightly at the edges.

Her appearance alone screams: "I am the protagonist!"

Dragging myself out of this narration, I bumped into someone.

"Ouch... are you okay, um..." The girl with heterochromatic eyes, one yellow and one blue, glanced at the right side of my uniform. "Lady Geevolaince."

"Ah, yes, I'm fine, thanks," I replied, looking back at the girl who appearance seemed to scream, "I AM THE PROTAGONIST!"

Wait a minute...

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit late, so, bye-bye!" She quickly picked up her fallen books and skipped away to the other side.

The games don't show how beautiful this girl is. My goodness. Her eyes seemed to shine, matching the vibrant color of her hair, which matched her eyes.

"How I wish I had a girlfriend like her..."

'I just appeared like a loser in front of my only possible waifu...' I mentally collapsed like those dramatic characters, but only in my mind. I'm not a loser!

I shook my head, better not think about that practically and clearly coincidental encounter. I walked to my classroom, 1.410, which means first floor (year), fourth group, and tenth room.

Arriving there, I was faced with a bunch of extras (from the game) and one I knew all too well. Ah, and I can't forget the teacher either.

The one I knew was obvious, the character most like my style (except for the part where he lacks endurance), one of the three chosable action characters. Dorian Stormkeep.

Well, I can't just stand here admiring the guy and describing him since it's not the best time.

As I suspected, the teacher, who came covered in his coat and pants not letting a single cell of his skin exposed below the head, quickly moved to the center of the board and started a speech.

"Well, as some of you might be gossiping, today is the day to choose your magical swords. As you all know or should know, magical tools are essential for us mana users. Can anyone explain why to save us some time?"

This is my chance to gain acknoledgement with the teachers and get to stay in the academy!

"Over here!" I frantically raised my hand as high and fast as I could.

"Yes, go ahead, Dorian," said the teacher, pointing to Dorian, who was on the other side of the room compared to me.

Ah, right, this otome game has a problematic theme... How am I supposed to fix this, damn it! And what about my survival?

"Professor Lang, magical tools are essential for us collectors and even for the rare producers, because mana is a very uniform and stable energy. So, we need to use magical tools to make mana flow and be processed to our will."

"Very good, as expected from a genius, but your answer is still too long, young Stormkeep."

"Still?! But I reduced it to one paragraph and in one breath?"

The teacher placed one of his hands on his forehead and sighed heavily, then glanced in my direction with a smirk.

"You there, could you show young Stormkeep how he should answer?"

This old man must not be thinking of anything good to give me permission while smiling this intensely.

"Of course, Professor Lang. The reason is that magical tools are one of the only ways humans can use mana. And consequently, magic. Obviously."

"Very good! Two lines. Do you see, young Stormkeep?"

The lilac-haired boy clicked his tongue and turned to the window beside him.

"Well, continuing, as you are in the sword arts faculty, we will give you more sword options than others." Okay now I noticed how the professor's voice is somewhat weak and emotionless. The game really is accurate huh.

"Now, the part many may not know, we at Burialle Academy will give you the magical tools, but choose wisely because once chosen, you can't change them unless you awaken a new talent or have a similarly convincing reason."

The professor started to head out but stopped and said, "Also, one of the first-year students will duel with one of the second-year students. It might be a good duel to observe, so I request your presence. Goodbye."

With that, the students, in a 6:1 ratio between boys and girls, left the room. Among them, I was particularly anxious. Since in this school, if you still remember... It's elitist. Everything is based on talent and nothing else.