Finally, the bell rang.
It was time for a recess.
It had been three hours - in those three hours, our homeroom teacher had told us all about Acoment and what to expect.
About the rules and a thick overview of curriculum, grading standards, inter-class evaluations, and the quiet but unmistakable reminder that Acomet Academy did not coddle anyone - noble, talented, or otherwise.
I listened. Mostly.
The girls sat straight.
Catherine was the one sitting right next to me, and they discussed among themselves that they would rotate every day who would be sitting closest.
She was sitting and watching the room like a hawk.
Juliet was next, and there was a perfect smile on her face, almost like a mask.
Elizabeth was kind of bored, however; she tapped her finger against the desk.
Io took notes with perfect penmanship. She took her work very seriously.
I got through the class by being just an average student, also writing down things I thought I should - just doing the things expected of me.
I stood immediately when recess came around.
That was a mistake. Four chairs scraped back at once.
I paused.
They paused.
I turned slowly.
"Yes?" I asked, already knowing this was a mistake.
"We're heading out," Catherine said smoothly.
"So are we," Juliet added.
Io rose last, composed as ever. "We can walk together."
I opened my mouth.
Closed it.
Nodded, because what else was I supposed to do?
The hallway was worse.
Students poured out of classrooms in waves, filling the corridors with noise and motion. And there I was, walking at the center of a small, very noticeable orbit of girls.
I feared whispers or rumors might start.
I didn't want a band of girls, and I sure as hell didn't want to be known as some sort of floozy. This situation sends all the wrong kind of signals.
I kept my eyes forward.
We reached the open courtyard where students gathered during recess. I stopped short, unsure where to go next, heart sinking as the four of them stopped with me.
Then-
"Well, this is an unexpected pleasure."
The voice came from my left.
I turned.
Shadowboon stood a few steps away, posture relaxed, expression politely amused. He was flanked by three girls of his own - Medea, Regan, and Morgan - and I could see that he was bothered the same way I was. Everyone, except for Medea, the fox-girl, kept a respectful distance from him.
His gaze flicked over the situation in a single, efficient sweep. Princess. Three girls. Me.
My eyes screamed, Save me!
He smiled and bowed.
"Princess Io," he said warmly.
"Edward," Io greeted back.
"And you must be the one I was mistaken for," he said, extending a hand. Polite. Formal. Perfectly normal. "I'm Edward Shadowboon."
I took it.
"Caleb Lightbane. Nice to meet you, Edward," I said, playing along.
"Well," Shadowboon said, straightening and gesturing casually between us, "since we're both new, I was thinking we might get to know each other a bit. You know. Boy things."
He smiled at the girls.
The kind of smile that said this was already decided.
"Things that," he continued, "I suspect wouldn't be very interesting to girls."
Io frowned. "I was hoping that I could speak with Caleb."
"And I wouldn't dream of interrupting," Shadowboon said smoothly. "But you wouldn't want to deprive him of male companionship on his first day of the academy?"
He placed a firm hand on my shoulder.
"How about you all get to know each other?" he told the girls, all of them, his own included. "I'm sure you'll make great friends."
That did it. As a gentlewoman, she couldn't deny that one boy wanted to have time with another.
And before the other girls could protest properly, he turned and steered me away, walking with easy confidence as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
We didn't stop until we reached the far edge of the courtyard, where the noise softened into a background hum.
He released my shoulder, and we stood there for a moment.
Then we sighed deeply.
"This isn't going at all like I expected it would," he said.
We sat there through the rest of recess, talking quietly. Just two boys killing time.
I leaned back against the low stone wall that ringed the courtyard garden and let my shoulders drop for the first time since morning. The tension drained out of me in a way I hadn't even noticed building up.
Shadowboon mirrored me, sitting beside me with his elbows braced on his knees, looking out over the grass like we were just another pair of students enjoying recess.
"How long do you think it'll take for some rumors to spread?" he asked.
"About me or you? I guess it's you more likely; after all, you got the attention of the princess. Bold opening move, though."
I groaned. "She sat down. Right next to me. On purpose."
"Of course she did."
"I was trapped."
"So," I said after a moment, lowering my voice, "you good?"
"My class is… intense."
"That bad?"
"Historically significant," he corrected dryly. "Plus, I got three - to use a slightly insulting word - monster-girls following me like ducklings."
I nodded. That tracked.
"At least your girls weren't arguing with royalty," I said.
"Yet," he said.
He glanced at me sideways, the corner of his mouth twitching like he was debating whether to say something or not.
He decided to say it.
"You know," he began, staring out at the courtyard, "I wouldn't actually mind if you ended up with Io."
Slowly, I turned my head to look at him. It was a sort of betrayal.
"…Excuse me?"
He lifted a hand immediately. "Before you say it - no. Not like that. I'm not suggesting anything gross or manipulative. I'm not talking about grooming a princess or scheming your way into a crown."
I crossed my arms. "What're you suggesting, then?"
"What I am saying is that, hypothetically, if you and Io ended up together naturally… that wouldn't be a bad thing. You are fourteen, remember."
I waited.
He sighed. "Okay, first - purely practical angle. In this world, marriage into royalty isn't impossible. It's rare, but it has happened. And having direct ties to the throne of Asolar would be… useful."
"Uh-huh, and?"
"But," he continued, "that's not what I actually meant. It's just another thought. In this story - in the story of Io's life - you are her childhood friend."
"Right?"
He waved a hand vaguely between us. "Think about it. You've known Io forever. Grew up around her. All of that stuff, and in every story, there's a childhood friend. Usually kind. Usually reliable. Usually an obvious choice until another girl arrives in the story. And as princess, Io is clearly the main character."
I frowned. "Yuh?"
"And they never win."
There was a sort of understanding that built between us.
Shadowboon glanced at me again. "In this world, and in the story of Io's life, you're the tanned tomboy childhood friend in this story."
"I'm not that tanned."
"You are."
He held out an arm and compared it to mine. He was pale as a ghost, while I had a sort of farmer's tan going on.
"…I see what you mean," I said. "But tomboy?"
"In this world? Kind of, aren't you? You clearly have more muscles than the average boy. You're not interested in much that is considered 'manly' in this world, like fashion or make-up, and you like sports - sports in this case being martial arts and stuff like swordsmanship. You did train with Maren and fought with Io when she visited, didn't you?"
"So, let's check again.
Childhood friend? Check.
Opposite sex? Check.
Tan? Check.
Sporty and athletic? Check.
Last of all: romantically oblivious? Check.
You don't even see her attention as romantic, do you?"
"Not really."
Shadowboon shrugged like I made his point for him. "So when I say I wouldn't mind, I don't mean I'm pushing you toward her. I just mean that it'd be nice to see the childhood friend win for once."
"It's still kind of wrong, isn't it?"
"You don't have to. I'm just saying. Rules of the genre say you lose anyway. Trying or not wouldn't change the ending. You won't win the Io-bowl."
"What about you?" I asked. "Don't you have a stake in it? You could be a romantic rival or the ojo-sama type."
"Me?" he said, pointing at himself. "No way. And besides, I already love someone else."
"Wait. You do? Who?"
He put his hand to his heart and looked up into the sky, then confidently stated. "I love Emilia."
There was a moment of silence between us.
"Who?"
"Emilia Fullmore? Haven't I told you about her?"
"I don't know who that is."
"The green-haired, tired-looking lady I hired a few years back."
"Oooh. The Christmas-cake lady?"
"Yes."
"How's it going there?"
"It isn't. I'm fourteen and she's in her forties."
"That's rough, buddy."