CHAPTER 27 – GATHERING (2)

January 13, 2023 — 1 Comment

As Rina mentioned, the academy announced that a freshman gathering has been scheduled.
I’m sure no students are unaware because the notice has been posted on the bulletin board in the hallway like a poster.
I also read the notices posted on the bulletin board one by one and quickly checked the detailed schedule and location of the event.

The gathering will take place next Saturday in the auditorium where the entrance ceremony was held.
It is entirely up to me whether or not to attend, but I believe it is in my best interests to do so due to Rina’s pressure.

“What? You’re thinking of going to the freshman gathering?”

“Yes.”

Time flew by and the weekend quickly approached.

After doing some simple calisthenics, then doing more writing, I headed to the training hall to meet up with Nicole.
She had just finished doing lots of sparring and her whole body was covered in sweat.

At my words, Nicole wiped away her sweat using a towel and asked in a slightly uncomprehending voice, “All of a sudden? I thought you’d hate that?”

“Something happened and I, ah, just decided to attend.”

“…what happened?”

For a moment, Nicole’s voice became a little cold.
At the same time, her golden eyes visible through the moving towel wiping her face turned fierce.
Since she’s my big sister and she adores me, she knew something had happened to me.

I opened my mouth quickly when I saw Nicole’s dangerous expression.
I felt compelled to be cautious with my sister with my every word, explaining, “Noo-noona, there’s nothing to worry about.
I’m attending out of curiosity.”

To my hasty lie, Nicole replied in a tone that she still didn’t believe me, yet she moved on anyway.
“…That’s all right, then.
Is the reason you came to me because you wanted to ask about the gathering?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm… The gathering, huh…” Nicole began to think as she wiped more sweat off her face.
I waited for her to say something.

“Hey~”

“Yes?”

As I stood there waiting, a familiar voice entered my ears.
It had a husky but boyish tone to it.
When I turned my head, I saw Nicole’s friend, Adelia, approaching us from a distance.
She, too, appeared to have finished all her sparring and sweat was pouring down like rain.

“What were you talking about? Let me in, too.”

“Eh.”

Adelia soon arrived, wrapped one sweaty arm around my neck, and began treating me in a friendly manner.
I was more than embarrassed by the sudden skinship.
The reason for this may be skinship, but Adelia’s outfit was also the problem.
Currently, Adelia was wearing a so-called sleeveless shirt.

Not only could I feel the soft touch of her bare skin, but the subtle body scent mixed with sweat stimulated my sense of smell.
It was extremely stimulating for me, who had no contact with people of the opposite sex other than my family.

It was even more embarrassing in my previous life because I didn’t interact much then either due to the shock of my parents’ deaths.

“Hey! What are you doing? Get away from my brother right away!” Nicole yelled at Adelia’s unexpected closeness with me and pulled me away from her.
My neck was freed from Adelia’s possessive grasp thanks to her, but I couldn’t stop my face from heating up.

Despite Nicole’s condemnation, Adelia laughed and shrugged.
“Are you afraid I’m going to do something stupid to your dear brother? Don’t worry.
Your brother is cute, but he’s not my type.”

“Noisy.
In my eyes, you’re just a danger.
Could it be that you’ve erased the memory of throwing that ball at Isaac?”

“…That was a real mistake.
I’m sorry.” When Nicole mentioned the incident that had occurred two weeks ago, Adelia immediately apologized as if she had nothing else to say.
And after that, Adelia hurriedly changed the topic, as if she was a little embarrassed when Nicole shot her a ferocious gaze.

“What were you talking about anyway? I was just curious.”

“…No big deal.
Isaac is going to the freshman gathering.”

“Freshman gathering?” Adelia’s eyes widened and she shifted her gaze to me.
There was a deep intrigue in her light blue eyes.
Eh? “It’s a freshman gathering… It reminds me of the old days.
It was really fun back then.”

Adelia glanced at Nicole, then turned to me and admitted, “You don’t know, but back then I was the worst sort of troublemaker.
Nicole knows all about it.”

It seems that Nicole and Adelia also attended the freshman gathering in their first year.
Also, Adelia was smiling, apparently having quite a bit of fun remembering, while Nicole had a disgusted expression.
Hers was a polar opposite reaction.

Nicole explained, “Anyway, the freshman gathering has many similarities to a normal social gathering, but it’s not the same.
The freshmen and seniors can get together and laugh and talk and play.
It’ll be a lot more fun than Isaac thinks, okay?”

“Is that all there is? Isn’t there a political back-and-forth like most social gatherings these days, or a ball?”

“What kinds of politics do kids like us know? It’s a meeting to get to know each other, that’s all.”

“Um…”

Is Nicole really not aware? That nothing less than the Imperial Princess, with a close relationship to this nation’s politics, Rina herself, has duped me into going? However, I won’t say this out loud because I think it will cause unnecessary worries.

I listened silently to Nicole’s explanation and started asking questions.
“Are there only freshmen present?”

“Apart from a few selected seniors and teaching assistants, there will only be freshmen.”

“Okay.
What should I wear? It’s not even in the notice.”

“It doesn’t matter if you wear the school uniform, but it’s better to dress up neatly.
There’s a saying that clothes are wings, right?”

“Apart from us aristocrats, what about the commoners?”

“The clothes here are pretty cheap.
And Halo Academy also gives scholarships to commoners.”

Nicole answered every single question I had, then clapped her hands with satisfaction that the school seemed to be taking care of everything properly.

“Okay! I’ll take this opportunity to buy Isaac’s clothes.
The sparring sessions ended just in time, so the timing is good.”

“I already brought something from home.”

“You’re going to wear the stuff you had at home? Absolutely not.
This older sister will dress you up, so keep quiet and follow me.”

It seems that the development has abruptly shifted to shopping.
Still, it’s not too bad; I’ve been shutting myself away at home, so Nicole should be more fashion-savvy.

Nicole told me with the look on her face that she was looking forward to going shopping.
“Just wait here until I go wash up.
I’ll be back soon.”

“Sure.”

“Adele.
Do you want to go shopping with us too?”

“I pass.
I want to sleep now.”

So, Nicole and Adelia went to wash up.
I sat on the ground as I watched the two of them walk through the dark passage.
The cool stone floor sensation passed through my buttocks.

While I waited, I imagined how the meeting would go.
‘Is it like a welcome party for freshmen?’

I don’t think there will be a talent show or anything resembling my previous life’s freshmen’ welcome party at the university.
The play culture here isn’t particularly developed, and they may think it is shallow.
After all, if they have an emcee, he or she will host the show first, followed by free time.
To spice things up, a band may be invited to play background music.

I’m half-forced to attend the gathering because of Rina, but I’m secretly looking forward to it.
Maybe it will help improve my limited skill at interpersonal relationships a little.
‘Now that I think about it, aren’t all of my acquaintances women?’

Cecily, Marie, Rina, Cindy, and Adelia.
These five girls are the first people I met after entering the academy and with whom I have maintained a cordial relationship to this day.
It wasn’t even that I was the first to approach them; they were.

In my previous life, after my parents died, I lived almost disconnected from my surroundings, and even after my reincarnation, that point did not change.
My current parents were worried about my insular personality, but I’m actually living well.

‘Looking at it this way, it appears that there is something wrong with my personality…’ Rather than making many friends, I prefer to have close relationships with just a few.
Also, instead of me approaching them first, I want the other side to approach me.

I lacked the courage to approach strangers first, and I lacked the skill to forge a strong bond and make friends within seconds of meeting like some people.
To be honest, I was grateful to those who approached me and made it look so easy.

My reticence sometimes gets me in trouble, but that much can be overlooked.
Unless it has anything to do with my writing, like Xenon’s Saga.

“Isaac?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you spacing out so much? Let’s go now.” While I was lost in my thoughts, Nicole came back after changing her clothes.
I awoke from my trance and stood up.

“Did Adele-noona go back first?”

“Yeah.
She thought about following us, but she went back first because she’s too tired today.
But when did you start calling Adele your ‘noona’?”

“That’s because Adele-noona told me to call her that.
We talked about it when you went over to spar for awhile.”

“Hmm… Really? By chance did she say something useless?”

“Not really.
Other than pinching my cheeks or asking what my ideal type is?”

“You two…”

I shouldn’t have said that.
I couldn’t help but notice Nicole’s expression starting to distort like a demon.

“Phew… never mind.
I’ll think about it later.
Anyway, Isaac, do you have any clothes in mind?”

“Something like a formal suit?”

“A suit…”

Nicole glanced up and down at me at my response.
Then she nodded and said as if she had a rough idea, “Certainly you are thin, so a suit would be perfect for you.
Overall, a plain style that is not flashy?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Hmm… Still, it would be nice to have a patterned waist-scarf, maybe.
Let’s pick a suit that matches your hair color.”

“Red? Really? Won’t it be too conspicuous?”

My hair is red, and to be specific, it is a bright red that stands out even from a distance.
Not to mention that my eyes are golden and gleam like those of a beast, so once you meet me, you will never forget them.

Despite my question suggesting denial, Nicole flicked her index finger and opened her lips.
“There’s something that you are mistaken about.
It’s that you stand out everywhere with just your red hair, regardless of your clothes.”

“……”

“Early on, Dave was known for his red hair before he became famous for his skills.
Even those who didn’t know Dave’s name recognized him by his red hair.”

Oh really? If so, there is nothing left to say.
I’ve thought about it before, but it seems that red hair is rare in this world as if it’s almost non-existent.

“Come to think of it, do you know what Big Brother is doing right now?” I asked.

“Oh? I sent him letter, but he’s probably still training.
I don’t know the details.”

“Do you plan to join the Navy Knights too?”

“I’d love to, if possible, but the Navy Knights aren’t something ordinary so it’s not easy to enlist.
The competition rate is 1 to 100, and a lot of them transfer to other places because it’s too hard.”

Hearing this, I believe I have a better understanding of how strong my father was.
He was not just a member of the Knights, but the Knights’ commander, so he would have been treated as a tactical weapon in the Minerva Empire.

After all, the Knights of the Navy fight other races more than their fellow humans.
These days Father has been quiet, but in the past, he clashed with beastmen who crossed our borders without even breaking a sweat, and even fought elves.

I wondered briefly if my father was the stereotypical reclusive master warrior that you read about in fantasy novels, and then I moved on to another question.

“Did sister really once attend the freshman gathering too?”

“Yes, of course I did.”

“Did you happen to wear a nice dress?”

“I wore a dress for the first time in my life.”

“Aha.
What happened then?” As a younger brother, it’s a bit strange for me to say this but my older sister, Nicole, resembles our mother and has a very attractive appearance.
Furthermore, she has a healthy body as a result of the consistent training she has received from our father since childhood.

A beauty like this attended a meeting while wearing a fancy dress? It was basic for her to receive all kinds of stares, and there is a high probability that she received countless introductions from men in particular.

And my predictions were right.

“…I don’t have a very good memory.
The men were so attached to me that I couldn’t even enjoy the event properly.
I didn’t attend any gatherings from then on.” Nicole’s expression darkened slightly.
Her voice was full of annoyance and regret.

“Um.
As expected.
Is there anything else besides that?”

“I have no intention of telling you, so take care of yourself.”

“Heh.
Okay.” I gave up right away because it would be difficult to dig deeper and upset Nicole’s heart.
Besides, the struggles of beauties like Nicole were something I, as a man, can’t understand.

Nicole smiled mischievously when I stopped asking questions, then asked softly, “Why? Do you want to see your sister in a cute dress?”

“No.
Not at all.
I think I’ll have to throw my eyes away if I saw that.”

“Hahaha.
Our Isaac is good at jokes, isn’t he?”

“Ouch!” She pinched me! She may have been pinching me weakly, but her basic grip is terrifying and it hurt a lot.

Anyway, after this brother and sister friendly conversation, the two of us were able to arrive at the clothing store before long.
It was an apparel store located in the downtown area of Halo Academy, so it was quite large.

“Welcome.
How can I help you?” As we walked inside, the receptionist welcomed us with a friendly business smile.
I was a little hesitant because it was my first time in this world’s version of a clothing store, but Nicole took it skillfully.

“I’m looking for a man’s formal dress suit, where can I go?”

“Ah, yes.
You can go over there for the men’s dress section.” The receptionist pointed.

“Thank you.
Let’s go.”

“Right.” I was able to reach the men’s formal wear section after exploring around the area a bit.
Various types of formal attire were lined up as if to fit the term ‘men’s formal wear’ in a corner.

I was hesitant coming here because it reminded me of a department store, which were often crowded, but I forced myself to enter saying it was a fantasy.
It won’t be too busy inside, will it? Nothing is more stupid than using common sense from a previous life to predict the future in a world like this, however.

A dissatisfied voice from nearby said, “Haa… This is also not good.
Is there anything else besides this?”

“I… Guest.
I’m sorry, but this is the last one.”

“What? Are you kidding me? Is this the only thing?”

After arriving at the formal-wear corner, it seemed that there was already a customer looking around.
However, things were a little strange.

The dissatisfied voice continued, “There are more clothes than these in our mansion! Does it make sense that this is all you have?”

“I’m sorry, but these clothes are everything in our store.”

“Sorry? That’s it for an apology? Shouldn’t you bring more styles of clothes here somehow?!” A man who appeared to be a guest was yelling, and it was clear that the sales lady was at a loss for words.

Nicole and I went in the direction of the voices to probe the scene.
After all, I needed the assistance of an employee in order to get a suit fitted.
When we arrived at the source of the commotion, my eyes widened.

‘That guy…’ A total of three people stood in front of a full-length mirror.
A younger man yelling, a helpless maid next to him, and an older man standing farther away with clothes dangling from his arm.
In addition, the young man who yelled was dressed in a lavish robe.
Even for someone unfamiliar with the world of fashion like myself, the robe exuded an exorbitant price like it was proud of itself.

But the younger man’s appearance drew even more attention.
He was attractive, but his expression had become stern and arrogant enough to reduce his attractiveness to zero so I didn’t want to take a good look at him.

“Damn… Should I have brought something from the mansion? I thought Halo Academy was good at supplying everything needed for its students, but that wasn’t the case at all.”

“……”

“…Huh?” The young man who had been muttering something looked this way, perhaps feeling Nicole’s and my gaze.
And when he met my gaze, his eyes widened and he looked slightly surprised.
“You…”

“……”

Jackson was the name of the young man in the colorful robe.
He was the son of a count, and he had been trying to work his wiles on Cecily and Rina since the first day, but his hopes were always dashed.

He’s also the one who hates me because I managed to get Cecily’s and Rina’s attention.
I could see that much as he stared at me with ferocious eyes every time I attended the same class.

I was uninterested in him, however.
I was too preoccupied with school to pay attention to just one childish person.
Anyway, I thought about what to say in the moment of silence—I quietly opened my mouth.

“Hi.”

“……”

Jackson’s face contorted at my grave-sounding greeting.

 

– – – End of Chapter – – –

 

Translator’s Notes:-

I FAILED…AGAIN…
life fuckin feels like a rollercoaster of failure to me at this point…man I’ve literally wasted more than a year of my life passing this exam and if I don’t pass it, my past 4 years of studies and effort will all be worthless….damn it…life sucks…

I know I kind of promised bonus chapters when we reach 150 ratings (and we are currently at 155) but I am trying to sort out my personal life atm and that’s why there was a delay for this chapter too…But I promise once I sort everything all together, I will compensate for all the lost bonus chapters…I promise…

also, thank you ‘SKY’ for your support.

thank you, and love you y’all…