[2]: Chapter Two
Challenge
Following instructions.
Most students had lined up to enter the auditorium where the ceremony would begin.
Fortunately, however,
"Eh? Kamika-san?"
Hayato, who had lined up with his new friends before the door, noticed someone familiar.
The male he called blinked.
"Mm? Hayato, huh?"
Seems like I made it in time.
He muttered the last part to himself as the four gathered around Hayato stared at him.
Shion's eyes, however, quickly picked up on something.
Among them was a 'male' with white hair, clinging.
No, firmly locking arms, with Hayato.
The gesture was noticeably intimate.
Hou?
Snapping back almost instantly, he turned his gaze toward Hayato.
"Mind introducing us?"
Finally,
As if regaining his bearings, Hayato blinked and rubbed the back of his head.
With a nervous smile
"Uhm, guys, meet Shion. Kamika Shion-san, we knew each other back in Yamato."
He first turned toward them, introducing Shion, then shifted his attention back.
"Uhm, Kamika-san, this is Emile, Fritz, and Reitia."
The blonde-haired male casually raised a hand in greeting, which Shion returned.
Reitia, the shorter girl at the end simply lifted her hand and waved lightly.
Soon, it was their turn, and they stepped into the auditorium.
The space was dim.
However, faint lighting from the front guided them to their seats.
Everyone quietly moved and found their places.
"How did it go?"
Shion sat down first, followed by Haruto beside him, and then Emile taking the seat next to Haruto.
For a brief moment,
Shion suspected that the Emile boy might swing that way, but after a closer look and careful observation—
[Conclusion]:
[Individual Emilia Hermit is one hundred percent a girl.]
'Thought so.'
Shaking his head slightly, he turned toward Haruto with a half-exasperated sigh.
"Mah, the girl called Queen is a—err…"
How should he put it?
Shion paused, thinking.
"An unreasonable person?"
Before he could finish, a soft voice completed the thought for him.
Shion tilted his head slightly forward.
Sure enough, it was Emile Hermit, tapping her chin as she spoke.
From her tone, it seemed she didn't particularly like the Queen.
Regardless…
"Well, yes."
Relaxing his brows, he let out a soft breath and nodded in agreement.
But just as he did, a faint grumble reached his ears.
"Hmph! As expected of a big-chested woman."
The words came with a pout, one Shion didn't even need to see to imagine.
He had already judged that she was pouting.
What surprised him more, however, was that the guy beside him didn't seem to notice at all.
And letting her stay this close… what if she were actually a guy?
In the end,
Shion gave up.
He wasn't really in any position to question another guy's preferences.
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
Bim~
A light chime echoed throughout the auditorium. From the wings of the stage, two girls stepped out.
They were the same girls he had met earlier.
Liddie Steinberg and Erika Candle.
The green-haired girl walked forward positioning herself where everyone could see her.
Clearing her throat, she began,
"Dear freshmen, welcome to Little Garden!"
As her voice rang out, the noise in the auditorium gradually faded.
Everyone turned their attention to the stage.
"I am the vice president of Little Garden Bugeika High School's student council."
"Likewise, I am also the person in charge of the freshmen's training, so keep that in mind."
She gave a brief bow before continuing.
"Now, let me introduce you all to the student standing beside me."
As she spoke, the brown-haired girl with glasses stepped forward.
Holding a microphone in her hands, she raised it toward her lips.
"I am Erika Candle."
"My fellow students, first and foremost, I'd like to congratulate you on your entrance."
After delivering her introduction, she bowed politely.
Then, placing a small chest onto the podium, she flipped it open and reached inside.
From within, she carefully took out a triangular badge.
Lifting it up, she presented it to the freshmen.
"From this point forward, you are all entitled to wear this badge."
It was a symbol that marked one's status as a student of Little Garden.
Looking closer,
The students could see identical badges already fastened to the uniforms of the vice president pair.
"Each student will now be called by name. Please step forward and claim your badge."
Seeing this, however,
A certain male slowly shut one eye.
They were calling people onto the stage based on their compatibility with a Hundred.
However,
One person stood as an exception.
It wasn't that he possessed exceptionally high compatibility.
Unlike the male beside him. Never mind that for now.
"Nngh? What's with the look?"
"Well, I was wondering…"
Shion cast a languid glance at the male beside him, who gave a nervous smile.
The unease was clearly written across his face.
But to begin with, he wasn't even officially a student here.
However,
The position he had been granted gave him the privileges of one.
Maybe that was why.
'So, it was calculated, huh?'
Leaning back,
Shion placed both hands behind his head and rested against them, glancing upward.
His brows subtly furrowed.
Though he hadn't really thought about it this way before, but now…
It seems that there was no avoiding it.
'...I was played?'
Certainly, it felt like something Judal Harvey would do.
That man always knew what he wanted, and because of that—
He had sent him here with a purpose.
In simple terms,
Everything hinged on his relationship with Claire Harvey.
'Judal… is he trying to set me up?'
Thinking it through,
It wouldn't be surprising if that man did whatever it took to keep him here.
Even manipulating his own sister if necessary.
Then what was his true aim?
Judal wanted his power.
That much was certain, since controlling him directly was pretty much impossible.
So his only option was to exploit what he desired.
As Shion sank deeper into his thoughts, the proceedings came to an end.
Everyone gradually returned to their seats.
On their chests, a badge was now firmly attached.
The others by Hayato's side cast a few curious glances, but he quickly shook his head.
In short—
Though they didn't understand,
Since Hayato trusted Shion, they let it go and turned their attention back to the ceremony.
"Now then, since that's done."
"Next, a word of greeting from the Captain of the Academy Battleship, Little Garden."
The moment those words were spoken,
A tense energy quietly spread through the auditorium. Most of them couldn't be blamed.
The Queen in question was not only the captain of Little Garden,
She also held authority akin to the headmaster across the elementary, middle, and high school divisions.
Her position was closer to that of an owner of an entire institution.
Yet despite being called "Queen,"
She was still a young girl, not much older than those seated below.
That alone left many stunned.
Mostly… because of her beauty.
As she stepped up to the podium,
Silence fell almost instantly, the audience waiting expectantly for her words.
Just then—
"Excuse me―!"
"I'm sorry for being late!"
The sharp sound of the door swinging open echoed across the hall.
Two voices followed, breaking through the silence.
In an instant, everyone's gaze shifted from Claire on the stage to the entrance.
There, two girls in uniform stood, slightly out of breath.
Worse,
Both had no badges on them.
"Arriving late on your very first day… you two are quite bold."
From the stage, Claire cast a cold, piercing glare at them, making their bodies stiffen.
"Um… we went out earlier this morning to pick up a few things at the shopping center."
"But… it took longer than we expected—"
It was around that moment Shion stirred from his thoughts, slowly tilting his head back.
Seeing the situation unfold,
An odd sense of déjà vu washed over him.
Just as he thought,
A wry smile slowly formed on his lips, accompanied by a rather evil plan.
"I didn't ask for your excuses."
Called it.
"You were warned in advance about the need to be punctual, no?"
As expected of the rigid Queen.
Her cold response matched exactly what Shion had anticipated.
Claire's voice cleanly cut through the girls' attempts to explain as she continued.
"Little Garden has no need for those who can't keep their word."
Flicking her neatly styled hair aside, she shifted her gaze away from them.
"Promptly pack your belongings and leave."
Hearing that, the girls looked on the verge of tears.
Naturally,
Every freshman in the room froze in shock.
They were completely caught off guard by how quickly things escalated.
However, not everyone remained silent.
One person stood apart.
Despite being female, she wore a male uniform just to remain close to the one she loved.
She clenched her fist tightly.
Just as she was about to speak—
Pah!
"Well, well, let's calm down."
Accompanied with a light clap, Shion rose from his seat.
A smile rested on his face as his eyes met Claire's.
"You…"
"While disciplinary action is warranted, expelling them outright is just unreasonable."
A wave of gasps rippled through the hall.
Immediately, Liddy turned and shouted,
"Watch your tongue—"
But before she could finish, Claire silenced her with a simple wave.
Once again, her gaze locked onto his.
"Special Advisor, Kamika Shion, is that what you call yourself?"
Without changing her expression, she folded one arm beneath her chest.
"To begin with, someone with zero compatibility with a Hundred…"
"What grounds do you have to challenge my authority?"
Another chorus of gasps spread across the room as all eyes fell on Shion.
Beside him, Hayato lowered his head, nervously tugging at his sleeve.
Shion could have let Hayato take the burden for him, but…
Now, he had been directly challenged.
"Hou? Is this a challenge?"
Shion lifted his right leg and placed it on the top of the chair's backrest, leaning forward.
Then, with a firm push, he climbed up and stood on it.
Claire's brows tightened.
"Earlier, you asked on what basis your brother appointed me as an advisor."
Tauntingly, he motioned his hand in a challenging manner.
"Fine then, I'll show you that there is more to the universe than a meager Slayer."
Naturally, it was stupid to challenge the top-ranked in the entire school.
But of course, that's too much for any other student.
Emile, on the other hand, cheered in agreement; she already liked him.
"Yeah!"
But then again, she had concerns.
Fritz and Reitia beside Emile cast glances toward Hayato, who sighed.
It has come to this.
That whisper left his lips, loud enough for only them to hear.
"What do you mean, Hayato?"
Emile was the one who asked, leaning in towards him.
Normally, he'd have shrunk away from her, especially when she was this close.
This time, he wasn't even looking at her.
"You guys, you've heard of the Yamato battle, right?"
Haruto asked.
The three stared at each other for a brief moment before nodding.
It was a battle that was classified as a legendary operation.
Savages ran rampant across some lands in Japan, pushing their defenses thinner.
The only land safe from them was the Yamato Empire.
Of course, only due to having the military strength of many Slayers.
But even then, they wouldn't attempt a cleanse of that level.
On paper,
The Yamato Empire, accompanied by a Special Advisor, won the battle with timeless strategy.
However, in reality,
Only one person laid waste to the Savages there, and it wasn't a Slayer.
"W-wait, huh?"
Shakingly, their eyes turned towards Shion, who had a grin across his face.
"Yes, that person is Kamika Shion."