Academy’s Second Seat

"Alright, everyone, put away whatever you're looking at!"

The entrance examination for the new students had begun.

All the freshmen sat in their seats, looking forward.

A tense silence filled the room.

Assisting Professor Gracie, I began distributing the exam papers.

As I did so, murmurs started spreading through the hall.

"Is that Rudy Astria...?"

"Shush, keep it down..."

Given the events I've caused, it seemed I had inadvertently become a bit of a celebrity.

Before, few recognized me on sight.

Only when I introduced myself as Rudy Astria, or when it was clear I belonged to the Astria family, did they recognize me.

But lately, more and more people seemed to recognize me at a glance.

It made sense.

I heard that recently, I am the most talked-about figure in the capital.

Blocking Vice Principal Oliver, being the object of Ian Astria's jealousy, and being cherished by the Royal Court.

The rumors were quite exaggerated.

All twisted tales.

Robert had stopped Vice Principal Oliver, not me.

Ian Astria wasn't jealous; he merely wanted to cut down any potential nuisance.

And as for being the most cherished figure in the Royal Court?

I had no idea where that came from.

Sure, I was on good terms with Rie, but being the most cherished figure?

Thump, thump.

As the students continued their whispered discussions, Professor Gracie tapped her podium a few times and spoke.

"Everyone, stop chatting with your neighbors. If you continue to talk, it will be treated as cheating."

Hearing Professor Gracie's stern words, everyone stopped their conversations and focused ahead.

I took a moment to watch Professor Gracie, then resumed distributing the exam papers.

Once I finished handing out the papers and returned to Professor Gracie's side, she quietly asked,

"So, when do we start the exam?"

I sighed.

How could a professor not know this?

That was Professor Gracie for you.

Exceptionally skilled in magic, but lacking in almost every other area.

Gently, I informed her,

"Professor Mcguire will announce the start soon."

Upon hearing this, Professor Gracie nervously nodded.

"Oh, right. Understood."

The reason I was assigned to assist Professor Gracie?

Initially, I was supposed to enter the exam hall with Professor Robert.

-Why am I paired with Professor Gracie?

-Well, Gracie is a bit clumsy, so you should help her out. You're pretty familiar with this, aren’t you?

I scratched my head.

What exactly was I familiar with?

I'm just a regular student, and I’ve never supervised an exam...

All I had was the experience of taking midterms and final exams.

But, what choice did I have?

I prayed that nothing would go wrong as I entered with Professor Gracie.

The clock began to glow.

Professor Mcguire signaled the start of the test with a magic tool.

"......"

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

However, Gracie didn't even glance at the clock, merely tapping her fingers on the podium.

I stared at Gracie with disdain before speaking up.

"Alright, the test will now begin."

"Huh?"

Gracie looked at me with a surprised face upon hearing my words.

I gestured toward the clock with a tilt of my head.

"The... manual..."

Gracie spread out the paper with the instructions on it, letting out a sigh of realization.

"Ah..."

She gave me an awkward smile.

"Ahaha... Times have really changed... Back in my day, the teaching assistant in the hallway..."

I cut off Gracie's words with a stern look.

"Please be quiet. The test is in progress."

"Yes..."

Gracie, deflated, took her seat as the supervisor.

"Alright, well done everyone. You can have your lunch now and return to your original seats afterward."

With those words, Professor Gracie announced the end of the first exam.

I approached her, asking,

"Did you gather all the test papers properly?"

"Of course!"

Professor Gracie confidently replied, handing me the envelope filled with exam papers.

However, as she began to turn away, I walked past her and pointed,

"Then what is this?"

"Huh?"

A stray exam paper lay on the floor.

It was smaller in size compared to the others.

Since students took multiple tests during the first examination, the sizes of the papers varied.

In the process of collecting and organizing them, it was common for a few sheets to get lost in between and fall.

Clearly, this fallen test was one that Gracie had accidentally dropped while collecting them.

"If you had missed this, it could've been a problem..."

I commented.

"I'm sorry..."

Professor Gracie replied with a defeated expression.

With a sigh, I picked up the stray paper and placed it inside the envelope.

"Let's go and submit these papers."

"Yes, let's..."

As we exited the classroom, I saw Professor Mcguire chatting with Luna.

"Hello, Professor Mcguire!"

Professor Gracie greeted with a smile.

He turned to acknowledge her, asking,

"Ah, Gracie. Did supervising go well?"

"If it weren't for Rudy here, there might have been a slight hiccup. Ahaha..."

Walking over, Gracie began chatting with Professor Mcguire.

Luna approached me with a bright smile,

"Rudy! How was supervising? Wasn't it a bit fun? Reminded me of the old days!"

"It was interesting, I guess."

Seeing Luna's cheerful face, I couldn't help but smile in return.

Luna had taken up an assistant role beside Professor Mcguire.

Given the limited student volunteers for the supervising role, and since Professor Mcguire was also participating, Luna filled in.

Some might view it as unfair, but Luna seemed quite content with the arrangement.

And looking at Luna recently, I had to admit, she seemed to be doing well.

She was earning money and receiving valuable lessons from Professor Mcguire.

It seemed like a win-win situation.

It might not be the same in the future, but for now, it looked promising.

Still, I thought,

“If I were in her shoes, I might not feel the same way...”

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Ah, it's nothing."

Luna tilted her head curiously but soon flashed a playful grin.

As we followed behind Professors Mcguire and Gracie, Professor Mcguire glanced over his shoulder,

"You two should grab some lunch and return soon."

"Yes! Understood!"

Luna cheerfully responded.

I gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, and we headed to the cafeteria.

The dining hall was bustling with new students.

"It's been a while since I've seen the cafeteria this packed,"

I remarked.

"Yeah. By the way, where's Rie today?"

"Oh, Rie said she'd sleep in. She finds it tiring to come out when it's this crowded."

It made sense.

If Rie had come to the cafeteria, she would undoubtedly have been the center of attention for all the freshmen.

Just like over there.

Upon entering the cafeteria, a group of students immediately caught my eye.

Right in the center was Yuni Von Ristonia, Rie’s younger sister.

A face similar to Rie's.

While Rie had long hair, Yuni sported a short bob.

I wondered why they were all huddled together like that, but it was good for us.

Everyone's attention was diverted from us, allowing Luna and me to eat in peace.

We casually got our meals and settled in a corner of the cafeteria, chatting as we began to eat.

However, the murmuring around us gradually grew louder.

And when I looked up, the reason became clear.

"Rudy, what's going on?"

Luna tilted her head in confusion as she saw my frown.

I had a reason to frown.

That person was approaching our table.

"Hello there?"

Yuni.

She walked over with a gentle smile and greeted us.

As Yuni approached, not just her but even the people around her started moving towards us.

In an instant, we were surrounded by a crowd.

"Wha... What's this all about?"

Luna looked around, clearly taken aback.

"Rudy Astria, right?"

Yuni leaned in slightly, speaking in a playful tone.

It reminded me of when I first met Rie.

Seeing my silent stare, Yuni continued.

"Pleased to meet you. I am the Second Princess, Yuni Von Ristonia. May I join you for a meal?"

Her introduction was impeccable, radiating dignity and grace.

After being accustomed to the more casual Rie, seeing her younger sister's formal demeanor made for a stark contrast: the carefree older sister and the courteous younger one.

Of course, Rie also acted gracefully when she needed to.

"Sure, have a seat."

"Yes, then..."

As Yuni began moving with her tray from Luna’s side towards me,

Thud.

Luna pulled out a chair next to her.

"Why not sit here?"

“...Excuse me?”

Luna responded with a smile.

While it looked like her usual smile, there was an uncanny edge to it.

Yuni locked eyes with Luna.

"Why are you going all the way there? Here is closer, isn't it?"

“I wanted to sit next to Rudy.”

"Just sit here."

At Luna’s words, Yuni frowned.

"Who are you, exactly?"

Before Luna could reply, I intervened.

"She's my friend, Luna Railer. Do as Luna suggests. Why would you want to sit next to me anyway?"

Wouldn't it be better to face someone directly if you wanted to talk with them?

Yuni responded with a sly smile.

"You see, I have a crush on Rudy."

“…What?”

“Huh?”

After making her declaration, Yuni briskly walked over and sat next to me.

And once seated, she spoke again.

"I fell for you at first sight, Rudy. Will you go out with me?"

Luna sat on the bench, looking up at the sky.

-I have a crush on Rudy

She confessed.

-I fell for you at first sight, Rudy. Will you go out with me?

She said, wearing her heart on her sleeve.

Of course, Luna knew.

She knew Yuni most likely had ulterior motives.

Still, hearing someone else confess to the person she liked weighed heavily on her heart.

"Sigh..."

While she could somewhat cope with the shock of Yuni's confession, Rudy's response was even more jarring.

-I'm sorry, but I can't accept your feelings. Let's remain as senior and junior.

Such a practical and gentle rejection.

Luna would have preferred it if Rudy had been more blunt in his rejection; it might have lessened the shock.

The reason this felt so jarring to her was that she believed Rudy might respond in the same manner if she ever confessed her feelings to him.

She could vividly imagine herself in Yuni's shoes, confessing... only to be met with the exact same words from Rudy.

Luna imagined it.

Her confession... and Rudy rejecting her with those exact words...

It played in her mind like an echo.

"Rudy..."

With a heavy sigh, Luna whispered Rudy's name.