Waking Up Hungry

I have a Deja Vu waking up and noticing the Princess Knight sitting on my bed.

How many times does this make it today? It's almost like I already woke up before.

I'm not even surprised when I remember passing out during the morning practice.

The only difference is that my stomach grumbles, and the light stabs me in the eye.

The curtains are open only enough for a tiny sliver of light to sneak through.

And that's all it takes to blind me once I open my eyes. It must be noon already.

"You went and done it." The voice isn't her usual tsundere complaint, it sounds sad and disappointed. "It's lucky the dean didn't see your... Your thing in the morning, but—"

"So that was the dean." Yawning and stirring, I sit on the bed, feeling odd but refreshed.

My legs aren't sore, my mind is clear, and I'm hungry. I'm starving.

"I told you I need to catch up. Where is the challenge in it if I'm already strong?"

I question her but I have no idea where this confidence comes from.

I had a strange dream, and I'm still not convinced this isn't one.

"You didn't tell me you were this weak though." She crosses her arms, pushing her breasts together.

The uniform covers it all, but her mounds become more pronounced. She's an angel.

Her copper-blonde hair looks disheveled, and her clothes and face are dirty.

She must have finished the morning training and didn't get off as easy as I did.

Passing out was embarrassing.

"You have no stamina, and you had to collapse when the dean came to inspect you."

It feels like she's repeating herself, or could it be the result of that strange Deja Vu I'm having?

"Well, I'm weak. I'm a real human, and we aren't born overpowered like you, manga heroines. But I'm here to learn and get stronger." Again, it's strange how confident I am about this.

She's ready to put me in my place though, frowning at my good mood.

My uniform smells terrible, and I'm lucky to have a few more sets in my closet.

But she's right here, I can't change.

"You don't understand." She shakes her head, her copper hair flying with her movements.

She's still not her usual tsundere, but she's getting upset.

"This is an elite academy for girls."

I noticed that, but I can't tell where she's going with this.

I want to get rid of these clothes but I can't while she's here.

Why don't these Knights have more appropriate gear for training?

"Only the best of the Empire can attend. Even if it looks easy, the dean will kick you out in no time if you can't show your talent." She huffs and puffs, pacing around in my room.

Crap. I didn't think about that.

Why did the mysterious stranger show up in the manga?

There was no mention of it to add to the mystery. But what if the mangaka didn't think of it either?

Why would I, a guy, end up in a girl's elite academy? And who was that other one?

The girl with the pink skin attended our training too, and there is something about her but I can't recall.

"What will happen to my world, if you change things too much? I don't know, what role you play in these events, and I don't care if you can go home, but my life is on the line here."

"Oh? But you begged me to take you home to the real world." With eyebrows raised, I get out of my bed too. "I don't want to get kicked out, but you didn't say anything about this."

"I warned you. I said, don't do anything embarrassing." Okay, she did say that.

But she didn't elaborate, and now I'm in trouble.

My confidence evaporates fast, but I'm not done yet.

"So you don't know why I ended up here? Does the dean know? I don't know about the character in the manga because there is no information about him, but I'm not strong."

"Is that the only reason girls end up in this Academy? What about geniuses? Strategists? If strength is the only way I can prove myself, we're screwed." I pace opposite her.

"You, a genius?" She scoffs, and finally, her regular tsundere tone is back.

It's not the best moment, but I'm still glad to find something familiar. And I can shoot back too.

"I still have Odysseus' memories. Remember? I turned the tide of the Trojan War."

It should be something. Right?

"And your classes are easy. I already learned these in my world."

She pauses, her intense stare almost burning a hole into my forehead.

Her gray eyes light up with curiosity and give me this challenging look.

So this world isn't only for brutes. Good.

"Can you prove it?" She asks, her long fingers caressing her dirty chin.

She's a mess, how bad is that morning training? They threw me in the deep right away.

And did she go to the lectures like this?

She needs a bath as much as I do, but it's a mistake to think about it.

My morning wood is back when I imagine taking one together.

Focus, Max, this is a serious discussion.

"I'm confident I can pass every exam your Academy has, except history and magic."

This world has a strange history yet to be completely revealed in the manga.

And it's more than I could learn in three days.

They teach magic too, but it's one of the few lectures I can't attend.

The rest is basic high school-grade stuff I had to learn for my final exams anyway.

Aratsuki's eyes light up again. She's getting excited, and even her tsundere facade drops.

But she clears her throat, adjusts her messy hair, and gives me a challenging look.

"Hmm. When can you take those exams? And—" Her grin is almost scary.

"Can you beat the dean in a tabletop wargaming exercise?"