Chapter 14: Opening! Can Opener Pickup Event (2)

“Uh, I need to get in…”

A girl with striking pink hair, neatly tied into two pigtails, looked on the verge of tears.

However, despite her distress, no one made way for her.

It was a familiar situation, yet that didn’t mean she could suppress the sorrow welling up inside her.

Shoved by the crowd, she barely managed to reach the far end of the auditorium. 

There, she stood still, staring blankly at her designated seat.

It was the only thing she could do amidst the sea of people.

‘I-I have to get in…?’

Once again, she failed to hold back her tears.

——————

Cats are small.

Among the feline species, they are the smallest.

And though I, too, am a reincarnator, I am small.

Therefore, despite my conspicuous appearance, I could quietly climb along the walls of the auditorium.

“Nine, this is so high… I’m scared…”

“Going down is the easy part. Just follow me.”

If you hesitate, you’ll get caught nine times out of ten.

Some people might have already noticed us.

But since no one was stopping us, they probably didn’t think two cats sneaking into the auditorium was a real problem.

Well, it wasn’t just any ordinary place—it was an academy where the greatest talents on the continent gathered.

Even the faculty members were exceptional, comparable to the students. 

If two cats caused a ruckus, the real challenge would be to avoid getting caught within a second.

“Wow, Nine, there are so many people…!”

“Keep it down. If they find us sitting on this arch, we’re in trouble.”

The space was just about wide enough to fit two of my bodies side by side, so we wouldn’t be too noticeable. 

Still, I couldn’t underestimate the superhumans below.

“Nine, what if we fall from here?”

“Then we die.”

“Eek…!”

“I’m joking. Someone will probably catch us from below.”

Or, we could just land on our feet like proper cats.

I once heard that a cat had survived a fall from the tenth floor without issue.

Not that I had any intention of testing that theory myself.

I could already tell it would wreck my legs.

I always put safety first.

Every time I work, I chant “Safety first!” three times and even throw in a “Yarikiri!” for good measure.

But honestly, what does “Yarikiri” even mean? I have no idea—

[Ahem.]

Whoa!

A sudden burst of noise jolted my sensitive feline ears, breaking my pointless train of thought.

Barely suppressing my instincts, I stopped myself from springing up like a bouncy ball. 

Instead, I pressed myself against the arch and quickly checked on the brown-furred cat beside me.

“N-Nine…”

“Don’t start crying over this.”

This one gets scared too easily.

I turned halfway around and tapped the top of their head a few times with my paw. 

Gradually, the moisture in their eyes lessened.

“These humans are really noisy, okay? If your ears hurt, cover them with your paws. It’ll help a bit.”

“…”

Following my advice, the brown-furred cat covered their ears.

With that settled, I returned my focus to observing the entrance ceremony, swiveling my head back and forth.

[On behalf of Pelisec Academy, an institution with a proud thousand-year history, I sincerely welcome you all. I also extend my congratulations to the parents and guardians who have nurtured and supported you.]

The speech giver… must be the chairman.

Not exactly the most riveting speech, so I shut my ears off and started scanning the new students’ seats instead.

Five individuals.

A knight, a hunter, a mage, a priest, and a scholar—each representing their respective disciplines.

Their exact seats were hard to pinpoint, but given how eye-catching each of them was, it wouldn’t take too long to find them.

“…Found one.”

Of course, it was Orca.

She stood out.

I fixed my gaze on the top of Orca’s head as she sat with impeccable posture, staring straight ahead.

True to her nickname, “The Aloof Predator,” an invisible barrier of space surrounded her.

To an outsider, it might seem like an unfortunate disorder disrupting the seating arrangement, but since the cause was Orca, no one dared to complain.

After all, even adults struggled to handle a young heir of the fearsome Orca family.

One look at her eyes, and you’d think she’d step on your head without hesitation and sneer, “Bow before me, you fools!”

She had the aura of a perfect villainess.

Of course, in reality, she had not even the slightest intention of doing such a thing.

[Long ago, Sir Pelisec, who founded the academy, once said:]

Of course, I was well aware of Orca’s soft side, so I planned to take full advantage of it.

That’s why I had been working on it subtly for a week.

Next, my eyes landed on the priest.

Madison Solaris.

A towering figure that looked like he belonged to a different genre.

A face drawn in an entirely different art style.

A presence that seemed like he could declare, “You have angered me,” and beat someone half to death at any moment.

Yet, the only pacifist in this game.

And also the game’s greatest BE-violence advocate.

Once he completes his return to power, his abilities are so overpowered that people call him ‘that monster.’

Making a connection with him would be difficult… But is it even necessary?

Then, what caught my attention next was… not hair, but something that looked more like brown feathers.

Irina, the descendant of hunters.

She sat in a laid-back posture that made her look like a delinquent, but she wasn’t one.

…Probably.

She might be worth recruiting too.

But if things go wrong, she might decide I’m her destined partner and kidnap me. That’s terrifying.

I have no intention of—

Wait, did we just make eye contact?

As soon as I felt her gaze, I hid my body inside the arch.

Something told me that locking eyes for too long would be a bad idea.

I only peeked out again after a few minutes had passed.

“Nine, when will this be over?”

“Just wait a bit. I still have things to check.”

“Food?”

“Well… in a way, you could say that.”

After all, I was here to scout potential future can openers.

Let’s see, next… 

I’ll skip over the monster-slaying male characters for now. 

Where’s the mage?

He should be easy to spot since he has that ridiculous pink hair, but for some reason, I don’t see him.

[Dear freshmen, the student council president, Chris Mastermind, welcomes you as your student council president.]

Already? 

The president’s turn?

That means time is running out.

Since the student council president’s speech is always the last one.

Naturally, my head started moving faster.

Once the ceremony ended and students started leaving, it would be much harder to find the mage.

[…I promise you all. Once again, I extend my warmest welcome as your senior, and this concludes my speech.]

Wait, seriously, where is he?

Is he a Dark Templar?

Did he go invisible?

No matter how unnoticeable he is, he should still stand out with his unique hair color. 

So how come I still can’t see him?

In the end, the students and staff started rising from their seats.

“Nine, let’s go down now, okay? I’m scared…”

“Yeah, yeah, alright. Let’s go.”

I’ll run into him eventually while living at the academy anyway.

Silently, I slid down the back of the auditorium, using the arches and walls for cover.

Since I landed in a less crowded area, all I had to do now was leave quietly.

So, where should I go—

“Hello?”

“Meow?!”

What the hell?!

There was no one there just a second ago!

“What’s a cat doing here, I wonder~”

A small and light hand brushed over my fur, which had stood on end like a hedgehog’s spikes.

“You’re quite used to human touch, aren’t you?”

The girl, who looked like a middle schooler, kept stroking me until my fur lay flat again, clearly enjoying herself.

I wanted to push her away and run, but I had already realized who she was, which meant I couldn’t.

Luentri Guard.

The heretic of the elf race and the greatest mage of Pelisec Academy.

Should I be relieved or terrified that she was the one who found me?

“Nine…? A-Are we gonna get eaten?”

“What? Of course not.”

Have you ever seen an elf eat a cat?

“Ufufu, so cute~ I want to take you home and raise you.”

No, no, no!

If I get kidnapped, I’ll have to endure belly rubs all day!

At this point, there’s only one option left.

“Hey! Run!”

I pushed off the ground with all my might and bolted out of the auditorium.

“Aww, I wanted to pet you more—”

Ignoring Luentri’s disappointment, I ran for my life.

————

Fortunately, we were able to find our freedom without much difficulty.

There was no way that someone as prominent as a professor could have left the auditorium so easily, and the fact that no one paid attention to us played a big part.

Given that the children of influential figures were gathered here, their parents were likely too busy exchanging political pleasantries to notice.

Of course, I had no interest in such tedious matters.

I had simply come to take a look at the original characters in person.

“Nine, let’s go back quickly! I’m scared.”

“I got it, so stop whining.”

Since hardly anyone would head toward the garden on the day of the entrance ceremony, we could take our time walking there.

We strolled leisurely, enjoying the refreshing spring breeze, making our way back to the garden.

And then—

“Sob… sob…”

I hadn’t expected to meet her this soon.

With the appearance of the pink and dark girl, I let out a sigh.