CH 9

Chapter 09: The Imperial Academy

Translated by Hikaru

Edited by VampireKnight

“A transfer student is coming to this class today.”

Fukushima-sensei, who had entered the classroom earlier, told them. I then followed entering the classroom and greeted everyone in front of the blackboard.

“I’m Itsuki Nishinari. It’s nice to meet you.”

There was no applause or acknowledgment, but the looks and expressions of the students were friendly. I had never had a transfer student in the high schools I had attended, and if I had, I would have been excited about it, but the students in this class did not seem to be… somehow a mature and tolerant atmosphere is created.

“Nishinari-kun, please use the empty seat over there. Everyone…, I know you’re curious about the transfer students, but it’s class first. Please keep your thoughts,” said the teacher who stood at the podium and looked around the classroom.

I take a seat in the back, the second row from the window, and quickly pulled out my textbook from my bag. The first period is math.

“Now, let’s start the class. This time, let’s study the integration by substitution method.”

In my previous high school, I thought, you would learn something like substitutional calculus at the end of your third year…  At the Imperial Academy, it seemed that it would be learned in the spring of the second year of high school.

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“一That’s it for the first period. Don’t forget to review, everyone.” Fukushima-sensei said this as soon as the chime rang. After bowing, the students are ready for a break.　

“… I will have to thank Shizune-san.”

I managed to keep up with the class, but…the content was still too difficult. Even though the first period just ended, I felt as if I had studied all day. But now ― how is the young lady doing? Remembering my mission as a caretaker, I checked on Hinako’s condition.

“Konohana-san. I’m having trouble understanding something in the previous class…”

“If it’s okay with you, I’ll help you out.”

When she was in public, Hinako wore the skin of a perfect young lady. So far, there was no sign of that skin coming off.

“Yo, newcomer!”

A voice suddenly called out to me from the side. I turn around and see a large male student there.

“You’re new here, but you’re too cocky not to say hello to me. Come on, give me some tribute.”

“… Eh.”

What kind of entanglement is this? I didn’t even know if he was joking or serious… As I am puzzled, a short female student quickly approached from behind the boy.

“Hey!”

“Ouch!?”

The girl’s hand chop fell on the boy’s head.

“You’re scaring Nishinari!”

“I’m sorry. I was just kidding.” The boy said while holding his head down.

“It was Itsuki Nishinari, wasn’t it? I’m Taisho Katsuya.”

“I’m Karen Asahi. Nice to meet you~.”

When they said their names, I said, “Haa.” It seemed that the tribute he had just mentioned was a joke.

“Nishinari. You were struggling to keep up in the previous class, weren’t you?”

“…… How do you know that?”

“Ha-ha-ha! Don’t worry about it. That’s what happens to every transfer student.”

“Everyone… are there others besides me?”

“They may not be at the same time, but the transfer itself is not unusual. The students who attend our school are sometimes late in entering the school due to family reasons, and conversely, sometimes they graduate early. I’m sure you also transferred in at this time due to family reasons, right?”

“Well, that’s about it.”

Looked like that the students are aware of the fact that this school is unique.

“But I’ve never heard of Nishinari’s name. What does your family do?”

“It is an IT company. It’s not that big…”

I answered Asahi-san’s question, remembering the setting that Shizune-san had created for me. My family has a medium-sized IT company, and I am a candidate to be its heir. It was when Asahi-san and Taisho-san heard my reply, they looked at each other and nodded.

“I was expecting this, because you looked like you were having a hard time in class earlier… Nishinari, you’ve been living more like a commoner, right?”

“…that’s right,” I affirmed to Asahi-san, who smiled teasingly at me.

“There are two patterns of transfer students. First is a person who has already studied hard enough at other schools to gain more experience. And the second is a person who due to family reasons was forced to come to our school but didn’t study so much originally. In the former case, most of the students come from relatively wealthy families, while in the latter case, most of them are from the common people.”

“But for those who have spent their entire lives in normal schools, it’s hard to keep up with the curriculum of this school. That’s why the students who are in a similar situation gather together to support each other. Asahi and I are students who are more like the common people. I’m sure we can be of help to Nishinari.”

“I see…”

After listening to their explanation, I nodded my head. In short, they intended to teach me a lot of things as a newcomer, as a student who was more like a commoner. As expected, the students of the Imperial Academy… are very good-natured.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“Stop using honorifics. We’re classmates.”

“I have to talk this way for family reasons.”

“Oh, well, I guess we can’t help it… It’s a common story.”

In my heart, I already call him Taisho. I lived in the mansion, got three meals a day, and was paid 20,000 yen a day. For that, I will play the role of the heir apparent.

“By the way, I have a question for you, Nishinari,” said Taisho. His face showed a slightly mysterious expression.

“What’s your relationship with ― Konohana-san?”

The moment that question was asked. I felt as if the air in the classroom froze with a snapping noise. What’s that…? Now, for a moment, I had a vision of the scene where I had just been decapitated.

“Didn’t you go to school together today?”

“I’ve been in touch with her for a while now as she and I are related to each other’s parents. That’s why I asked her to guide me around the school.”

I am going to make use of the same excuse that Hinako used for the teacher this morning. There was a mysterious tension in the air.

“Is that really all?”

“That’s all…”

“Not like you’re engaged to each other or anything?”

“Betrothed… totally not right.”

For me, a commoner, a betrothed partner was an urban legend. When I shrugged my shoulders, Taisho shivered and smiled broadly.

“What the hell, you scared the hell out of me!!”

“Whoa!?” He slapped me on the shoulder and I let out a moan.

I wondered at Taisho, who had suddenly become more friendly. I could feel the tension that I had felt earlier had relaxed, and my classmates were once again chatting peacefully.

“Well, that was a tense moment.”

“What do you mean, Asahi-san…?”

“Well…, Konohana-san is a super famous person in our academy. After all, she’s the daughter of the Konohana group, has the best grades in the school, and has that beautiful look.”

This is in line with what Shizune-san told me. I nodded and urged her to continue her story.

“But Konohana-san has never had a romantic story with anyone before, so I was wondering if she had a fiance outside of school, today… Nishinari-kun came to school with Konohana-san. ‘You don’t think he’s Konohana-san’s fiance, do you?’ That’s what everyone was thinking.”

“…everyone?”

“Yes. But now the misunderstanding has been cleared up. You’re safe now.” Asahi-san said while taking a glance at the classmates around her.

“I didn’t know there was such a thing as a fiancé.”

“I don’t have one, though. But if your family is like Konohana, it wouldn’t be surprising if you had a fiancé.”

The conversation reminded me that I haven’t heard whether Hinako has a fiancé or not. Well, I feel like she did not, since she is in the process of considering who to marry. No…, maybe the issue of having a fiancé is troubling her.

“By the way, I don’t have a fiancé either. In the future, if Nishinari meets a cute girl, please introduce me to her.”

“I’ll take care of it.” I just smiled and let it go.

As I talked with Asahi and Taisho, I slightly feel relieve. I was wondering what would happen at first when I decided to transfer to the Imperial Academy, but… unexpectedly, I guessed I can do it better than I thought.