The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy

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As soon as I flung myself onto the bed, I couldn’t help but think that my first day had already turned into a tiresome ordeal.

The daughter of the final boss suddenly transferring to my school, sitting right next to me, getting caught by her while searching for the World Tree’s fruit, and being pressured by her in a back alley—yeah, it was all a lot to handle.

Looking back, I’m not even sure if it was actually pressure. She didn’t really grab or shake me or demand anything.

Having been tormented like that a few times before made it feel even weirder. Her aura and expression radiated that distinct vibe of someone imposing pressure, yet if you looked deeper, she wasn’t asking for anything specific at all.

Maybe I just felt cornered by the atmosphere back then. After all, she was Onbyeolbi’s daughter, and there was indeed a semblance of pressure.

The more I thought about it, the more ambiguous her character felt—was she friendly or antagonistic?

Was it even right to call her a character? It felt odd referring to her that way when she didn’t even exist in the original novel.

One thing was clear: she was a dangerous element. Trying to woo her was like going all-in on a three-card hand in poker.

The evidence was scant, and if I failed, it would be game over. A full house would at least be worth a shot, but her behavior was too erratic to make any judgments yet.

Thus, it made me think that I needed to be even more cautious regarding Ho-yeon.

With just her presence, she could twist the narrative, and things were already skewed a bit because of her.

If possible, it would be best to keep her close, isolating the narrative, and leaving a good impression about this continent. But that felt like a pipe dream.

To see a happy ending, Ho-yeon couldn’t mess up her events with the heroines.

The main antagonist of Part One, Stephanie, could be dealt with using only Gloria and Camilla’s help, but Onbyeolbi was a completely different matter.

A thought flickered through my mind. It was foolish, but it was worth considering at least once.

What if we didn’t create a heroine at all? If we didn’t even plant a flag, would that count as having “wooed all the heroines”?

The author was known for wordplay. There could be a chance… but probably not.

It wasn’t even worth reconsidering.

Better to just go for Ho-yeon.

After all, I would be out of the academy by the end of my second year, so I wouldn’t need to care for her for four years, which was a relief.

With my weary mind seeking a solution about her, I realized I had no sharp ideas. The odd thought that crossed my mind just proved how exhausted I really was.

This also applied to magic. It seemed important somehow, but I had too little information.

I could go to the library or ask Georg, but ultimately, it would be better to ask Ho-yeon directly. From what she said, she didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding things.

My thoughts felt muddled, like a fog had settled in my head, preventing a smooth flow of ideas.

…Since it was the first day, maybe I should just keep it to this much for now.

Normally, I would plan to rest for about ten minutes before heading out to collect a few things or build minor connections with the heroines, but I was too tired right now.

After easing my fatigue a bit, I had intended to buy candy for Exipri or grab a scroll that functioned similarly to a status window, but for now, I just wanted to close my eyes for a moment.

The best course might be sneaking into the facilities while there were no night guards. It was unclaimed property, and I wanted to gather information early to know my own objective level.

But I quickly pushed away the pointless thought that if I were going to include an item with status window functions in the novel, it should have just been given to the protagonist from the start.

Going over the knowledge I learned today in my mind and engraving Georg’s teachings into my body was tough enough; I didn’t have any energy left after meeting with the final boss’s daughter multiple times.

As a reward to myself, I thought a little rest would be fine.

Just then, the bed felt pleasantly cool and had warmed nicely with my body heat. If I didn’t force myself to stay awake, I would fall asleep quickly.

It had been quite noisy outside, but once I entered the room, it became eerily quiet. Perhaps it was due to the academy’s facilities.

The door, enchanted like a locker, could only be opened by its rightful owner, and there was no noise at all, plus it even had a bathroom. It was likely better than a mediocre hotel. There was no TV or cellphone, but I wouldn’t have had time to use those anyway; all I needed was a comfortable room.

Yeah, just a little bit of sleep.

I knew I had to get up and tackle my tasks, but I was too exhausted to hold on any longer. I knew it was a promise I couldn’t keep, but I couldn’t help but say it.

“Then… just 30 minutes.”

– – – –

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

–…

I knocked on the door, but it seemed my friend was deep in slumber, showing no signs of waking. With only about twenty minutes left until dinner, I wondered if I should shout, but that would just be rude.

It felt like the dorm’s soundproofing wasn’t very effective. I could hear the noise from outside clearly, even in the room.

Still, my efforts had somewhat reduced the noise compared to when I was outside, but people usually only cared about the result.

…I couldn’t just barge in. If we were friends, I would have done it without hesitation, but we weren’t quite there yet, so I hesitated.

Were we friends, though? It didn’t really feel equal either. I racked my brain, but I couldn’t come to a satisfying conclusion.

I didn’t have any other friends to compare it to. That guy was my only friend.

It wasn’t that I had none; it was just that the people I met online were hardly what you would call friends.

Meanwhile, time was steadily passing. If I left now, I would feel bothered by him; if I took him with me, he wouldn’t wake up.

…If I woke up, then it wasn’t my fault he couldn’t wake up, right?

I tried to head towards the dining hall with a light heart, but my steps became heavy after just a few strides. He had helped me after all.

Ah, whatever. If he won’t wake up, I’ll just drag him by the collar or something.

I grasped and turned the doorknob of Room 445, and the door opened freely. I paused, surprised, thinking they must have been sleeping without locking it, and took in the sight of the room at a glance.

It was a scene furnished only with absolutely necessary furniture. I expected someone who was a social butterfly to have decorated their space nicely, but this was unexpected.

If they hadn’t unpacked their things, that’s because there weren’t really any to unpack.

In the middle of that bleak landscape was Dokan.

He looked blissfully happy, sleeping beneath the covers. For a moment, I thought about whether I should wake him, but I gathered myself and spoke to him instead.

“Dinner’s about to be served. Wake up.”

“…Five more minutes…”

“If you keep sleeping like that, I’m leaving you behind. Are you okay with that?”

“…Just five minutes…”

Seeing him weakly request ‘just five more minutes’ showed me this wasn’t his first time oversleeping. But if I kept letting him ask for five more minutes, we’d never get anywhere, so I decided on a firmer approach.

–Tap

I tickled his nose with my tail. I didn’t rip the blankets off him. I knew that would feel terrible, and he might be in his underwear.

Though there was a chance he might not even be wearing anything. Either way, my friend had slept like that before.

It used to seem strange to me, but after spending 19 years in this world, I quickly realized he was just weird.

“…Ugh, eh… A-choo!”

To my relief, the guy waking up wasn’t the kind of close friend I dreaded. He didn’t even bother getting dressed, sprawled out on the bed.

It seemed he still hadn’t grasped the situation as he kept swaying his head and couldn’t fully wake up. I almost thought it might be better to let him sleep even if it meant he’d miss out on food.

Nah, but he’s Korean. He needs to eat something to sleep well. I’m sure he’d appreciate it later.

“You—ah, no, how did the princess come to be here…?”

“I just told you. Dinner is about to start.”

I could have sworn he called me ‘you’ just now, but since he just woke up, I decided to let it slide. I had no intent to tease someone who was clearly exhausted.

“No, that’s not it… I clearly locked the door, how did…?”

He locked the door? It opened smoothly, though?

“You locked it? What are you talking about? You must be mistaken from being tired.”

He was mumbling something about having locked it, but there was no time to wait leisurely. Outside, sounds of people moving around started to emerge.

“Are you awake now? Then let’s go.”

“…Where to?”

“Where do you think? The dining hall. Lead the way.”

“But the dining hall isn’t even open yet…?”

“You seem to have your dumb moments, huh? If we’re late, we won’t get to choose what we want.”

If we were late, we’d end up grabbing whatever was left over. I wanted to leisurely pick and choose, enjoying my meals.

I wondered if the food could smell that strongly, but there were enough varieties that surely there would be at least one appealing dish. There couldn’t possibly be none.

“Ah, I see…”

“Do you want to wash up?”

“…No, I’m good. Shall we go?”

Once we stepped outside the room, I noticed a group of students huddled together, descending the stairs in the distance.

And far off, I spotted Anastasia staring at me.