The primary duty of a student is to study.
Anyone who denies this is either someone who has completely abandoned studying or just an idiot who doesn’t understand what school is for.
And the way to test the results of that study is through exams.
Only by getting through the double gates of midterms and finals can you finally reach vacation.
Of course, given the nature of the academy, even during vacation, you have to keep busy, but at least there are no exams, right?
You can even visit your hometown.
“This place seems nice.”
You can lie back and relax, and it’s a spot where students can easily see you.
Lying on a rock at the entrance of the forest, I started watching the students wandering around in the distance.
There’s nothing to do yet.
Since midterms ended today, they probably won’t gather until the afternoon.
At times like this, it’s best to stick to my main job and patiently wait.
“Nine, look at that! Something tiny is flying around!”
“Don’t chase after it. You might get lost and that would be dangerous.”
“I’ll just watch!”
No matter how you look at it, she seems like she’s about to burst out running any second.
I sighed as I watched Momo twitch her body while staring at the flying butterfly.
She’s still just a kid.
I guess I used to be like that too… or did I?
My sense of self as a human was so strong that I rarely let my instincts take over.
Even looking back, I’m sure there were hardly any times like that.
Well, that’s not really important.
“Oh, it’s the cat from the garden!”
“Was it this big before?”
“Maybe it has grown since then?”
“Maybe?”
They’re so oblivious.
Or maybe they just think it’s cute so it doesn’t matter.
Either way, it’s not my concern, so I scratched my neck with my hind leg and watched as one of the girls took something out of her pocket.
“Meow.”
“Do you want to eat this?”
If you’re offering, I have no reason to refuse.
I swallowed the snack the unnamed girl handed me in one bite.
It’s sweet and tasty, but eating stuff like this is a sure way to get fat.
Wait, no.
At this point, I’m already defying the laws of physics, so saying that is meaningless.
“Me too, me too!”
“I’ll give you some too!”
Following the girl’s gaze, I saw Momo slowly nibbling on the snack the girl had given her.
Unlike me, her mouth is small.
Actually, it’s more that I’m too big.
Where else would you find a cat as big as a tiger?
If I grow just a bit more, I could probably take down a tiger with sheer size.
“Mary! Touch her! She’s so fluffy!”
“Your hand sinks all the way to the wrist… Is it all fur?”
Ah, this is what they call a long-haired breed.
Very fluffy.
I half-watched, half-ignored the two girls rummaging through my fur as I groomed myself.
Cleanliness is always important.
Besides, I have nothing else to do.
If I just pass the time like this…
“Um, excuse me…”
What, when did you get here?
I looked up at Alice, who was fidgeting behind the girls.
Only then did the girls notice my reaction and turn around.
“Eek!?”
“Uh, um… sorry.”
“Oh, no, it’s fine. But, um…”
“I-I’m Alice Darkmoon.”
“Oh, a junior? Hi~ I’m Mary Glass. I’m in second-year~”
“I’m Theodora Scarlett. I’m this troublemaker’s friend. You can call me Teddy, senior!”
“Y-yes…”
“You’re so cute! I can’t believe I didn’t know we had such a cute junior~ Did you not come to any department meetings?”
“I-I did…”
Mary, completely unfazed, invaded Alice’s personal space and started pinching her cheeks.
Alice froze like a deer caught in headlights, just watching as Mary played with her cheeks.
“Hey, hey, you’re scaring her.”
“Oh, really? Sorry. You’re just so cute-“
“N-no, it’s fine.”
“I was disappointed that there weren’t any cute juniors, but now that I know you exist, I feel like I’ve missed out on half the semester.”
“O-oh, really?”
Should I intervene or not?
After a brief moment of hesitation, I decided to leave Alice be.
It would be weird if I stepped in, and Alice needs seniors like this.
Otherwise, she might completely lose the concept of communication.
I mean, she can’t spend her whole life with just Orca and Irina.
It would be nice if she could make friends with her classmates too, but… with her tendency to fade into the background, it’s going to be tough.
Even now, if I hadn’t pointed out that Alice was here, they wouldn’t have noticed her.
“So, what brings you here?”
“I-I came to see Nine…”
“Nine? Oh, is that this cat’s name?”
“Y-yes…”
“Did you name her?”
“N-no… everyone else calls her Nine too…”
“I see-“
“Mary, it’s almost time for practice. Let’s go.”
“Oh, is it that time already? We’ll be off~ Have fun with Nine~”
“Y-yes… take care…”
Alice weakly waved her hand, her energy drained, as she bid farewell to the lively seniors.
“Rough day, huh?”
“My cheeks hurt…”
“Now you know what I go through every day.”
“S-sorry…”
“What are you apologizing for?”
Alice, looking sullen, stared at the ground as Momo approached and rubbed against her feet.
Since I’ve vouched for her, Momo doesn’t feel any hesitation in getting close.
“Momo… have you been well?”
“Meow.”
Momo, nestled in Alice’s arms, purred happily and rubbed her head against Alice’s arm.
Seeing her hug Alice’s arm with her front paws, it seems she really likes being held.
It’s good that they’re close, but it feels a bit… off.
Like when you poop and forget to cover it with sand.
“When are the others coming?”
“I-I don’t know…”
“Speak comfortably. It’s not like we just met.”
“O-oh, right…”
“Yeah, that’s better.”
Are you going to keep mixing formal and informal speech because you’re not sure how to act around me?
“I guess I was like that…”
I didn’t even realize it.
“Well, anyway, when the others get here-“
“Did you call?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s with that lukewarm response? Show a little more enthusiasm!”
“Is that any way to talk to your superior?”
“Since when are you my superior?”
Irina tilted her head, genuinely confused.
What am I going to do with this blockhead?
“Now that I’m the guardian spirit of the Hunting Department, of course I’m your superior. The fate of the Hunting Department rests on my paws. Got it?”
“So, you’ll do the promotions, be the department head, and teach the classes too?”
“Why would I?”
“Huh?”
“I’ve already done my part by just lying here.”
Huh?
I went to the conference room and saved the Hunting Department, so you should handle the rest.
I don’t like the “do it for me” attitude.
“From here on out, you handle it.”
“Tch. Then I’ll go do some promotions~”
“Where do you think you’re going? Wait until Orca gets here.”
Are you sulking?
I stopped the golden child, who doubles as a can opener, and looked in the direction of the Knight Department.
“She’s here.”
“Long time no see.”
“Has it been three days? Did the exams go well?”
“Yes. They weren’t that difficult…”
At the most prestigious academy on the continent, known for its tough exams, and you say they weren’t difficult?
Is this what a genius is?
“Well, as long as you did well. Let’s head in. It’s a bit awkward talking out here in the open.”
I got off the rock and headed towards the nest deeper in the forest.
——————————-
“Is this the new house?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“It looks cozy…”
“So, this is where you were? I couldn’t see you in the forest.”
“What, did you think you’d be living with me?”
“Why wouldn’t I?!”
A home is a place to relax without anyone bothering you.
But if I lived with you, it would be noisy and annoying, so why would I?
If I had to choose, I’d rather live with Orca or Alice… no.
Living with either of them would be a bit… off.
Living with Alice would mean another clingy person, and Orca… well, she might be better.
Since she said she’d live as a servant in a noble house, Orca might be the better option.
Of course, I have no intention of living with any of them.
Being touched is only for business hours.
“Aww… that’s a shame. If I lived with Nine, I could sleep on your belly every day.”
“T-that sounds nice…”
Do you think I’m some kind of pillow cat who’ll let you rub my belly like Momo does with Alice?
“Am I a pillow? Stop talking nonsense and let’s get to the point.”
“The point being…”
“What else? Infiltrating the library.”
“Shouldn’t Senior Kazenin be here too?”
A valid point.
Kazenin is part of this plan too.
“He’s already hard at work. He’s figuring out the route.”
“Sounds like things are coming together.”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
It’s not like I was just lounging around while you guys were taking exams.
“Alright, everyone, listen up. The operation is…
…in three days… at night.”