The way to the central square. The gazes of countless people were focused in this direction.
It was because the entire student council, and even the student council president, was involved, making it look like a student council procession.
And among them, there were certainly gazes directed at me.
The stares were clearly ones of disdain… but strangely, no one seemed to be coming any closer.
It was only natural. On either side of me were the princess and the student council president, and behind me, the second-year members of the student council had positioned themselves. If anyone approached recklessly, they’d be considered insane.
“Excuse me… could you give me some space?”
I asked this because it seemed like I was just out for a walk. Everyone began to move back without saying much. They backed away so awkwardly as a group, almost too obviously… It’s funny because these people are supposed to be the elite of the academy.
Even if they kept a distance and followed me like this, it would be the same. I told them to wait in a nearby café. Since the windows are made of glass, they’ll be able to see everything from there.
After isolating everyone in the café, I wandered around for a moment. Just as I was about to continue, someone approached…
“What is it? Why are you here?”
“…It’s you.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t someone starting trouble, just Lilith.
She briefly looked around before asking.
“Why are you walking around alone? Where’s Seria?”
“She’s nearby.”
“Why isn’t she sticking to your side like usual?”
Has it become natural for Seria to be attached to my side now?
Since she seemed curious, I briefly explained the situation.
“Oh, I see. I must have interrupted you.”
“Yeah, so go away already.”
“Wait a second. By the way, I’ve been followed by some weird people lately. Can you do something about it?”
It seemed like Lilith was trying to get involved in this situation too.
Weird people… They’re definitely following me from behind.
“Can you see them behind me right now? No, they’ve been doing this right after my class ended!”
“Get rid of them.”
“Hey, are you avoiding them because you’re scared?”
“I’m avoiding them because they’re filthy.”
I scolded her for acting like she didn’t know.
For now, it seemed like there weren’t too many, so I was just going to ignore them.
But they’ve already started following?
Maybe it’s because they’re appearing earlier than in the original work that the followers have started showing up earlier as well.
“Anyway, what are you going to do about it?”
Even if it’s a small group, it must be annoying for Lilith to deal with them directly.
But unfortunately, there wasn’t really a way to stop it.
If I had to suggest anything, maybe I could pressure the leader of the followers to make them stop?
“Just tell them no if you don’t want it. Why are you just staring at them in frustration?”
“No.”
“Yeah. I guess that’s the way it is. Sigh, I didn’t want to go through this even at the academy.”
“You’re taking it better than I expected.”
“Well…”
Lilith stopped speaking and suddenly turned around.
I saw one of the followers who had been chasing her quickly hide behind a tree.
It had been obvious already, but did they not realize they were caught?
“Did you see that? They’re so insignificant I can’t even bring myself to say anything. It’s just a little annoying, so it’s fine for now.”
“What are you going to do if it gets worse?”
“I’ll think about it when the time comes.”
She really just lives like this, huh?
She’s the kind of character who got scolded for only alternating between two saint outfits because she was too lazy to manage more, even though she could have managed several.
When the talk about the followers ended, Lilith slapped my arm lightly and smiled.
“Anyway, good luck. I heard some rumors, and they sounded pretty serious.”
“You really hear a lot of rumors, huh?”
“I’m not as narrow-minded as you or Seria when it comes to relationships.”
That’s true.
Lilith is good at expanding her social circle.
If I didn’t hang around with her, I wouldn’t have known. She probably already built relationships with everyone from the advanced class to mid-level students and seniors from other grades.
Since she’s been active as a saintess outside, she’s quite adept at expanding her social connections.
Does she not realize that every action she takes is a way of increasing her followers?
“Anyway, that’s not important. Everyone is hiding in that café, right?”
Having finished our conversation, Lilith glanced at the café I had mentioned earlier.
Since everyone had seated themselves in places where they could see this side, we could also see them well. Perhaps our eyes met, and Seria started waving her hand.
…Wait, she wasn’t waving, she was signaling for Lilith to leave.
Not realizing this, Lilith lightly waved back at Seria and said,
“Can I go over there and watch too?”
I just told her to go ahead. I don’t care. She’ll do whatever she wants. Adding one more onlooker won’t change much.
Or will it? Does this mean I’ll be involved with Lilith now too, making things bigger?
‘But in the end, it’s all the same.’
They’re all academy students, after all. If someone gets hooked, it’s the same goal for everyone, so I decided not to worry about it.
Finally, after being alone for a while, I walked around.
If I went too far, it was obvious that people would start making a fuss about not being able to see me, so I stayed within the range visible from the café.
Perhaps because the rumors had already spread, no one was attempting to approach.
If an argument broke out in a place like this and escalated into a street fight, it would immediately be grounds for a penalty, wouldn’t it?
Isn’t it natural? After all, rules are written in blood, right? The existence of penalties means that there are people who engage in such behavior.
And the academy students, despite their physical strength, are still in their prime years. This is a period when actions come before concerns about penalties, so it wouldn’t be strange if someone came up.
In fact, in the original work, there were plenty of events where the protagonist was provoked.
With that in mind, I continued to wander around, passing the time.
How much time had passed? The cups of the onlookers inside the café started to empty one by one.
I was beginning to wonder if I should stop, but just then, a huge shadow loomed over me.
“Are you Rudion?”
A well-maintained cascade of red hair.
Bright, shining golden eyes.
A soft and gentle voice and tone.
All of these elements pointed to the fact that the person standing in front of me was a woman.
But… I said a huge shadow loomed, didn’t I?
Beyond that, the person before me was far from ordinary.
She was a collection of features that went beyond what could be considered “ordinary.”
Her physique was so monstrous that it wouldn’t be strange if she were called a monster instead of a person.
With thick, bulging muscles and a massive mace to match.
Perhaps as part of her training, she wore a heavy belt instead of a waist belt, though I had no idea how much it weighed…
There was no way I wouldn’t recognize this unique, even eccentric person.
Seria’s fan club vice president. Rias Faizen.
Her nickname was the “All-strength Mage”… despite looking like this, she was actually a mage.
It’s comical that she can’t even use physical enhancement magic, but with a physique like hers, it seems unnecessary…
Anyway, I was expecting a big catch, but I didn’t think it would start with something this massive.
“Rias-senpai. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“What? You’re more polite than I expected?”
I was a newbie, and my appearance might have been intimidating, so when I greeted her respectfully, she looked surprised, as if it was unexpected.
They say first impressions are important, don’t they?
No matter how much I had heard about her, rumors are just rumors. When you actually meet someone and see them like this, you can’t help but be a little taken aback.
Her face is so beautiful, that probably helped.
I just wanted to avoid trouble, not make enemies of all the students.
If I had intended to win everything and be the only one left standing, I would have quit the academy and gone off to cause trouble elsewhere.
Since I’m enjoying this world to some extent, having the plot get tangled is one thing, but having human relationships or perceptions get tangled would be a painful matter.
“Is that how the rumors about me have spread?”
“Well…”
“You don’t have to deny it. I appreciate the consideration, but I already know everything.”
“Ah… I see…”
So, I lowered my stance a little more. It seemed that from the other person’s perspective, they couldn’t act too aggressively now.
But that didn’t matter. Now that she had come this far and started talking, she couldn’t just turn around and leave.
What would people think of us, when they couldn’t hear our conversation from around us?
“Wow, it’s Rias-senpai!”
“She’s really huge…”
“She’s even holding a weapon. That guy is in real trouble.”
“Look at the way he’s staring up at her, with his head held high. He’s not backing down either.”
I didn’t know for sure, but it was clear it would look like a power struggle.
I guess watching a fight is the most fun for some people. The atmosphere around us started to heat up.
“Ahhh! Sis!! You’re so cool!!”
I could hear someone shout from somewhere.
‘Sis, you’re so cool!’ It looks like she has her own fanbase.
Thanks to that, Rias, who had approached first, started to feel more awkward.
She briefly looked around, mumbling something under her breath, before, seemingly having made up her mind, she pointed the mace she was holding at me.
“You seem a bit better than I expected, but still, you’ve crossed the line. I’ll see if you really deserve to be next to the princess.”
“Well, it would be difficult to just go back now, wouldn’t it? I’ll accept it.”
“…”
Somehow, people had gathered around, and now we were surrounded in a circle.
As a result, the café couldn’t see us anymore, but by then, people had already mixed in and were watching from the sidelines.
‘Seria’s fan club vice president, huh…’
At this point, any minor characters would have fallen away like crumbs.
She had the nickname “All-strength Mage” due to her muscular appearance, but in reality, she’s also quite skilled in magic.
She’s a true hybrid human.
Among the few characters who appear in the latter half of the 4th year, Rias is one of them, and she’s highly recognized, having even become the vice president of Seria’s fan club.
There’s no need to say more; it would just be a waste of breath.
“Even if you’re a decent guy compared to the rumors, I’m not going to let you off. Prepare yourself.”
“Please take care of me.”
As I bowed, she swung the huge mace she was holding horizontally.
If she had slammed it down onto the ground, it would have shattered the floor, and I would have been dragged straight to the disciplinary committee by Alkine, who was watching. Naturally, this was a serious move.
It was a pretty fast swing, so I dodged it, and it seemed like not many had seen the dodge directly, as there were surprised voices all around.
“… This is just like the rumors.”
“What would have happened if the rumors were wrong?”
“You’re in the student council. You should be able to dodge at least this much.”
I was caught off guard by the sudden swing, but it seemed like she was acknowledging me in her own way.
Anyway, if I stalled any longer and got caught, I wouldn’t be able to avoid a penalty.
I had already received a penalty before for unauthorized outings, so I couldn’t risk getting closer to more community service.
Since I was doing this to show off to others, there was no need to drag it out any longer.
‘Sorry, senpai. I’ll bring you Seria’s autograph next time.’
Thinking that to myself, I took out the fork I had stolen from the student cafeteria.