[User] "And you need to stop hiding it—you must introduce it to everyone." Claire was talking to me like a mother would talk to a child. Was this what they call motherly instinct?

[Assistant] "But," she continued, "pick a name besides Ralaire. Don’t use my name without asking."

[User] "Oh, it’s too late now."

[Assistant] "Too late?!" Once a familiar recognized its name, it never forgot. That was why their names couldn’t be changed in the game.

[User] "Let’s keep being good friends, Ralaire," I told the slime.

[Assistant] "I object! I object to that name!" I was ready to introduce Ralaire to everyone the next day, but ultimately, her namesake stopped me. Come on, really?


[User] Lorek Kugret, the current commander of the Academy Knights, speaks in the Academy lecture hall on Saturday. "And so, the Academy Knights selection test will be held again this year, for those who are interested."

[Assistant] "I'm going to take it, of course."

[User] "I'll take it, too."

[Assistant] "Thane, you too."

[User] "Honestly… It just sounds like a pain." Rod smacks Thane on the behind, and Thane raises his hand begrudgingly.

[Assistant] "I appreciate the participation of the princes. Anyone else?"

[User] "I want to try, too."

[Assistant] "Miss Claire, perhaps the load is a bit too heavy for a woman?"

[User] "How prejudiced. I may not have as much muscle as the boys, but given the prerequisites of wielding magic and performing daily clerical tasks, I am more than qualified to take the test as well." Claire was dignified in her justification.


[User] Commander Lorek seemed a bit reluctant, but as a capable commander, his hesitance was short-lived, and he agreed.

[Assistant] “Then I’ll take it, too.” I volunteered. If Claire was going to try, I had to join her. For love. Incidentally, in the game, it was possible to be selected even without taking the test.

[User] Claire’s irritation when I raised my hand was blatant, “You can’t.”

[Assistant] “Huh? How can you say that after you lost to me in every test subject except etiquette?”

[User] “Argh! I won’t lose to you on the next test, you watch!” Cute as ever.

[Assistant] “Misha, you take it, too. If this peasant passes, someone will need to reel her in.”

[User] “I’m not Rae’s keeper…” Misha said, but she raised her hand, as did a number of other students.

[Assistant] Lorek jotted down all the names. “The test will begin tomorrow morning. There will be two subjects: clerical and magic. Now, excuse me.” Lorek said and left the room.

[User] “Hmph. Someone as lowly as you could never become an Academy Knight.” Claire stuck her nose in the air.

[Assistant] “It’s exciting that all three of you will be taking the test.” said Rod.

[User] “We’re going to have to work that much harder, huh, Thane?” said Yu.

[Assistant] “I don’t care.” All three princes had come over to us. Rod had confidence to spare, Yu had just enough, and Thane just looked depressed.

[User] “You’re very loyal,” Misha said to me, “but you don’t really want to be an Academy Knight, do you?”

[Assistant] “Mmm. I just want to be with Miss Claire.”

[User] “I thought so.” Misha sighed, knowing she couldn’t change my mind.

[Assistant] “Master Rod, do you know what we will be tested on? All he said was that there were clerical and magic components.” Claire said. It was common knowledge that all generations of royalty had belonged to the Knights, so she probably figured he might know.

[User] “You know I can’t tell you that. But you’ll find out tomorrow, and anyway, you don’t really have time to prepare.”

[Assistant] “I suppose that’s true.”

[User] I, of course, knew what was coming since I had played Revolution. The exam was divided into a written and a practical portion. The written section covered Academy rules and clerical work. The Academy rules were common knowledge, and the clerical problems weren’t very complicated, making this a simple test of intelligence. The real challenge was the practical section. This portion had previously tested students’ handling of weapons like swords and spears but had since shifted to assessing magical power. As I said before, innate magical power was unrelated to family status, but since most commoners didn’t consider being a member of the Academy Knights as great an honor as the nobles did, not as many bothered to take the test. Commoner students were far more concerned with the official government examination, which was more profitable than honor. While I was recalling all this, Claire was glaring at me.

[Assistant] “Commoner, this will be our battle!” I’d been expecting this.


[User] "If you don’t make the Academy Knights, then you will leave the Academy."

[Assistant] "What? No, I don’t want that."

[User] “Just think about it for a minute!”

[Assistant] "Fine. Then let’s use the same conditions as the last test."

[User] "Wait a minute. Are you going to trick me again?"

[Assistant] "No, I wouldn’t be that mean. How about this? If I fail, you lose. If I pass, I win."

[User] “Okay… Wait! That would mean I lose either way? !"

[Assistant] "Fine, then. If I fail, you win. If I pass, I win."

[User] "Can’t it be that I win if I pass?"

[Assistant] "But you’ll definitely pass, Miss Claire. That would make it too easy for you to win."

[User] "Fine. So, what if you win?"

[Assistant] "The same as before. You will grant me one favor."

[User] "Fine."

[Assistant] "Then the battle is on." Just like last time, we swore to God in front of Misha.


[User] "Good morning, Miss Claire. Let’s do our best today!" The following day, the Academy Knight candidates returned to the classroom.

[Assistant] "Shut up, peasant. I have no intention of failing."

[User] "Oh? So you’re worried about me? Thank you!"

[Assistant] "I said nothing of the sort!"

[User] Commander Lorek appeared and dropped a stack of papers, which seemed to be the test sheets, on the table at the front of the classroom with a thud. "Everyone, thank you for your application. This year we are planning to accept five new candidates. Please do your best."

[Assistant] There was a buzz among the applicants. Five was fewer than had been generally expected. I’d already known, of course.

[User] "First, the written test. Please note that this is an elimination round. Those who fail to pass will not be invited to take the practical test, but are welcome to take the test again next year, so we will be waiting for your return."

[Assistant] As the commander explained, a hazelnut-haired boy who seemed to be part of the Academy Knights passed out the test sheets, face-down. The lecture room had become so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The air was tense.

[User] "You have sixty minutes. Begin!"


[User] Q18 Say you have taken over a position from your predecessor. Select the task that you should prioritize out of the following options: 1. Confirming the details of the job requirements 2. Brainstorming with your superior 3. Processing petitions from students 4. Notifications to outside parties These kinds of questions didn’t give students of any background an advantage. If anything, they could be slightly advantageous for transfer students, who tended to have more experience with chores and practical life skills. Once again, though these were multiple choice questions in the game, I had to answer them in essay format now. I had them all memorized, so I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be eliminated, though I didn’t know if I could score higher than Claire. I was more worried about making careless mistakes, so I reviewed my responses carefully once I was done.

[Assistant] "Time’s up. We will now collect the answer sheets.”

[User] I could finally relax. The students immediately began chattering about the questions and how difficult they had been.

[Assistant] “Please wait until we have your scores. A list of those who have passed will be posted on the bulletin board before the afternoon, so make sure to check for your outcome. The practical exam will take place this afternoon. You are excused.”

[User] The students scattered in groups of twos and threes.

[Assistant] “Miss Claire, how did it go?”

[User] “Who do you think I am? I would never shame the François name by being eliminated.”

[Assistant] “I expect nothing less, Miss Claire. But these are the sorts of tests where you often get sidetracked by tangents.”

[User] “I-I’m just fine. I would not…" She was looking around frantically.

[Assistant] “Are you okay, Miss Claire? Do you think you’ll be able to eat lunch?”

[User] “Don’t worry about me! Forget about it. Let’s go to the cafeteria!”

[Assistant] “Miss Claire, are you inviting me out for a meal? Is this a date? A school meal for our first date?”

[User] “Why would I go on a date with a pathetic maid? !”

[Assistant] Lene joined us for a quick lunch; the practical test was that afternoon, so we didn’t want to eat anything heavy enough to make us sluggish. By the time we arrived at the bulletin shortly before noon, it was surrounded by a crowd of people. It looked like the results had been posted.

[User] “Excuuuse me. A François is coming throoough. Let us by, pleeease.” I announced.

[Assistant] “Would you please not use my family’s name in that way? !” Claire complained.

[User] But the François name proved effective, and a path to the board opened for us like the Red Sea had parted for Moses. I bowed at the people that made way.


[Assistant] Written Test Results

[User] 1st Rod Bauer

[Assistant] 2nd Yu Bauer

[User] 3rd Claire François

[Assistant] 4th Rae Taylor

[User] 5th Misha Jur

[Assistant] 6th Thane Bauer

[User] - - - In total, the list had the twenty names of those who would be permitted to take on the afternoon test.

[Assistant] Hmm, fourth place. Not too bad.


[User] "Oh ho ho ho! Look at that, no peasant can beat me!" Claire laughed, looking cattily satisfied.

[Assistant] "It looks like you girls made it past the written test, too."

[User] "That’s good." The three princes had also arrived to check the results. They had passed without difficulty, of course, though the lowest-scoring among them was Thane. I suspect that bothered him; he had that old grim expression on his face.

[Assistant] "If I’d just failed this round, I’d be off the hook." Misha sighed.

[User] "Oh, Misha, you passed, too."

[Assistant] "Well, it wasn’t too bad." Misha was acting nonchalant, but as a transfer student, fifth place was excellent, especially considering that I’d technically cheated to get my results. Although Misha had attended the Academy in kindergarten, her house had only fallen into ruin after.

[User] "I don’t mind saying this, but anyone who couldn’t pass that test has no business being an Academy Knight."

[Assistant] "That’s right. The questions were so basic." Only Thane was silent. The princes (well, two of them) made it sound simple, but of the fifty students who took the exam, more than half had now been eliminated.

[User] "Those who passed the written test will now take part in the practical. Gather on the athletic field!" Lorek announced to the remaining candidates.

[Assistant] "Let’s go, Miss Claire."

[User] "You will not give me orders, peasant."

[Assistant] "Heh heh. I can’t wait." Already knowing the details of the practical test, it was hard for me to keep from laughing. I was going to enjoy this.


[User] "The practical exam will be conducted as a one-on-one mock battle." Commander Lorek explained. The students before him stirred, perhaps recalling the slime they had faced a few days ago. Mock or not, actually fighting another person took courage.

[Assistant] "Those who prove they have what it takes to join the Academy Knights will be accepted, irrespective of whether or not they win their bout. Likewise, simply winning your battle will not secure a pass."

[User] "If there are no requests, I will assign your battle opponents based on the results of the test you took after starting at the Academy. Does anyone have an opponent they want to fight?"

[Assistant] "Yes. I want to fight Rae Taylor." Claire called out in her typical manner.

[User] "Are you sure, Miss Claire? The opponent you have chosen secured historical results on the magic portion of the test."

[Assistant] "That’s fine."

[User] "Okay then. Rae, do you have any objections?"

[Assistant] "None." I was so excited I couldn’t sit still.

[User] "Anyone else?"

[Assistant] "Fine, I want to fight Misha. I wanted Rae, but Claire beat me to her." said Rod, who had ranked ninth in the magic test.


[User] "Then may I request to fight Thane?" Yu asked.

[Assistant] "That’s fine…" Yu was ranked ninth, the same as Rod. Thane was eighth, so that would no doubt be an exciting match. Incidentally, it was too dangerous to hold even mock battles using actual magic without protection, so a special barrier was set up around the athletic field through use of an expensive magic tool. The tool was primarily used for protective purposes during war and was extremely rare; furthermore, only a few people could wield it.

[User] “Now, let the first match begin. Competitors, take your places.” The mock battles proceeded solemnly. A number of nobles among the combatants had taken magic courses before secondary school, but that did nothing to improve their innate aptitude, so none of the matches were particularly spectacular. For fairness’ sake, the only magical tool allowed was a magic wand. Finally, it was time for Thane and Yu’s battle.

[Assistant] “Competitors, are you ready?”

[User] “Yeah…”

[Assistant] "Yes."

[User] “Then on my mark… Begin!”

[Assistant] Thane stomped his foot at the signal to start, punching the air with his fist while simultaneously closing the gap between them.

[User] Yu generated an ice shield to block Thane’s approach.

[Assistant] "Huh? !" The ice shield shattered into pieces. Yu’s dignified expression wavered.

[User] Thane’s fighting style was close combat, driven by his wind auxiliary magic, and it was dubbed the Magic Warrior style. He didn’t wield weapons and could generate power with his bare hands. Conversely, Yu’s battle style was long-range, driven by his offensive water magic—though since his attribute was water, he could also use recovery magic. More importantly, his nickname was the Prince of Ice, though his aptitude was only moderate, he was versed in ice magic. If his opponent had been anyone but Thane, his barrier could never have been broken with a bare fist. We watched in silence as, still expressionless, Thane took another step forward and released a magic-fueled kick. Yu realized he was at a disadvantage in close combat and tried to put distance between them, but it was no easy feat to shake Thane, who boosted the speed and power of his movements with magic. Determining he couldn’t dodge the kick, Yu quickly generated a barrier of water instead of ice.

[Assistant] “Ergh!” Although the water barrier wasn’t as solid and strong as ice, it softened Thane’s kick. Yu fell back, freezing the ground as he retreated, making it harder for Thane to get closer.

[User] “Heh… You’re so impatient, Thane. I think I’ll take my counterattack, now.”

[Assistant] Thane didn’t say a word.

[User] Yu lifted his hands, manifesting a number of razor-sharp ice arrows in midair. "Go." The ice arrow barrage rained down on Thane at his command.

[Assistant] “Master Thane!” called Claire, watching from the sidelines, as if she thought he was in genuine danger.

[User] Ahhh, a girl in love! But— “Eh?


[User] “!” The ice arrows bypassed Thane as he rushed forward, colliding into the ground behind him. He had surrounded his body with a wind barrier.

[Assistant] “But the ground!” Claire worried.

[User] Thane ran across the frozen ground with sure footing—in fact, he had created a solid footpath out of wind. He closed in on Yu once more.

[Assistant] “Argh!” Yu’s expression stiffened… But only for a moment. “Did you think you had me?” Once Thane was a mere step away, icicle spikes burst from the ground under his feet. He may have dodged the airborne ice arrows, but a wind barrier couldn’t hold back these, rooted in the ground.

[User] “Hmph…” Thane’s strategy was to kick down the ice blades. He then kicked up shards of ice, obstructing Yu’s vision and temporarily blinding him.

[Assistant] “Argh? !” Once the shards of ice had cleared and Yu could see again, there was no sign of Thane.

[User] “Over here.” He was in the air, directly above Yu. Thane dropped down behind him and held his sword to his brother’s neck.

[Assistant] Yu smirked. “You win.”

[User] “That’s it! The winner is Master Thane!” The match had been on an entirely different level from the others that had taken place so far, and the spectators roared with approval. Claire’s cheeks were flushed, and she looked like she was wiped out.

[Assistant] “You’re strong when you put your mind to it, Brother."

[User] “You weren’t even trying though, right? And it’s like you’re saving your healing magic for a special occasion, come on.”

[Assistant] I listened to the princes bantering after their match. They were so cool. I mean, you’d expect as much from the game’s love interests. Many players decided to take Thane’s route after seeing this battle and then regretted it later. Though, in my opinion, Thane had a ton of great qualities. I was sure they would both be asked to join the Knights after that battle. Well, I already knew what the results were going to be…but it was something else to see people actually using magic as they moved about. Hurrah for this fantastical world!


[User] “The Ninth Match is Master Rod and Misha. Take your places.” Rod, lordly as always, and Misha, cool and composed, walked out to the center of the athletic field.

[Assistant] “Competitors, are you ready?”

[User] “Yes.”

[Assistant] “Ready when you are.”

[User] “Then on my mark… Begin!”

[Assistant] Rod moved at once. He took several large steps back and spread his arms wide toward the sky. “Bring it!” As his voice echoed through the air, the temperature of the athletic field increased a few sharp degrees. Fire spread across the field at about knee-height. Upon closer inspection, the flames were shaped like small soldiers, about thirty in number. This was Rod’s battle style, called The Flame Troops. As I mentioned before, he had a medium aptitude for fire magic, which wasn’t very high.


[User] However, Rod had an abundance of magical power, and he utilized that power to create a small army of flames to fight for him. “Charge!” At Rod’s command, the army of flames rushed Misha.

[Assistant] Her expression remained unchanged, even though this was the first time she’d seen Rod’s Flame Troops.

[User] “Eeeeeeek!” A high-pitched sound, like nails on a chalkboard, resounded across the field. At the same time, every single one of Rod’s thirty fire minions exploded. Misha didn’t move.

[Assistant] “Huh? !” Rod, who’d gone into the match full of confidence, couldn’t help but lose his composure. However, he faltered only for a moment and called up a fresh batch of minions. “Charge!” The exact same thing happened again, as if we were watching a GIF loop. There was the strange sound again, and once it stopped, all the minions were gone. Misha had crushed the army of flames.

[User] “So this is your wind magic.”

[Assistant] “Indeed.” Unlike Thane, Misha’s wind magic was a rare offensive sub-type. She used magic to attack through sound, which had earned her the nickname Siren. “This is annoying, isn’t it? Well, I’m not going to change what I’m doing.”

[User] Rod summoned his army for a third time. “Charge!” The army charged again. This was the annoying thing about Rod’s magic; he had so much power that he could just keep making more minions, no matter how many times Misha struck them down. Furthermore, Misha couldn’t get close to him with the army in the way. There was another reason she was sticking to defensive tactics. Unlike me, Misha had absolute respect for the royal family. I was sure she would rather fail the exam than take the initiative to attack Rod. “This is boring…” Rod snorted after his minions had been eliminated for the third time. “You’re not fighting seriously, are you? Are you trying to go easy on me?”

[Assistant] “My blade is not worthy to be pointed at the royal family.”

[User] “That attitude is far more disrespectful to me than any blade…”

[Assistant] “No matter what you say, this I cannot change.”

[User] “In that case, I’ll force you to fight me for real.” Rod created thirty minions again, but this time, the soldiers surrounded Misha. “You really won’t stop holding back? Well, I’ll make you’ll regret that.” He snapped his fingers, and the minions started to explode one by one, setting off a chain reaction that engulfed Misha. Rod laughed arrogantly, but then—

[Assistant] “You’re…unscathed?” The flames dispersed, and there was Misha, smoke swirling around her. “A wind barrier? But…that shouldn’t be enough to block out heat.”

[User] “I used a vacuum rupture.”

[Assistant] “Eh? !” The same principle as a thermos, in other words. By creating a vacuum fault line in the space around her, Misha had been able to shut out the heat. “Heh… Interesting. I wasn’t expecting that.


[User] "You certainly aren’t boring."

[Assistant] "Thank you very much."

[User] "But we’re not done yet. We’ve only just begun."

[Assistant] "Take as long as you need."

[User] For the fifth time, Rod summoned his flame soldiers. He really had an incomparable reservoir of magic. Just as before, the minions surrounded Misha, keeping a certain distance from her.

[Assistant] "Explode." Rod snapped his fingers as the minions burst in a chain of explosions as soon as. He then summoned more minions directly around Misha, instead of in front of himself, continuing the series of detonations without a break. There were so many explosions that the wave of heat even reached the spectators. Rod was childish, but I did admire him a bit for not pulling his punches even though his opponent was a girl.

[User] "I surrender." Misha said with a meek voice among the explosions.

[Assistant] "That’s it?!" Lorek hurried to halt the match.

[User] Rod stopped snapping his fingers, and the sounds of explosions subsided.

[Assistant] "What happened? Why did Misha surrender?"

[User] "Probably lack of oxygen." I explained to Claire, whose confused look represented what all the spectators felt. Misha’s vacuum rupture created a severe lack of oxygen, and Rod’s flames burned up the rest. In the end, the sheer force of his power had squashed Misha’s technique.

[Assistant] "Well, that sounds about right."

[User] "I was completely defeated." Misha sighed.

[Assistant] "Don’t be stupid. If you hadn’t waited it out, it wouldn’t have ended that way."

[User] "I did my very best."

[Assistant] Rod and Misha walked back to the spectator area, the crowd parting naturally for them. When you thought about it, the two of them could have taken down the water slime easily—if not for the Hateful Cry, which could immobilize opponents and drastically change the tides of battle. Meanwhile, Mr. Torrid and I had kept it at bay by nothing but sheer luck.

[User] "Well, next up, the title match. This should be even more interesting."

[Assistant] "Please, Master Rod. Stop making me nervous."

[User] "But you don’t plan on losing, right?"

[Assistant] "Of course I don’t."

[User] "I’m rooting for you. And Rae, too." Rod told us with a charming smile.

[Assistant] "Heh…"

[User] "Rae, stop being disrespectful." Misha chided me for my casual reply. I didn’t really care, because next was—

[Assistant] "Match 10, Miss Claire vs. Rae."

[User] —my turn with Claire.


[Assistant] "Oh ho ho! I’ll give you what you deserve." Claire cackled.

[User] "No, c’mon. Let’s have some fun." I responded with a smile.

[Assistant] "Fun? I don’t believe a commoner can take me down."

[User] "Heh heh. Do your best." Claire was so easily provoked. She was going to give me a cuteness-induced heart attack.

[Assistant] "Competitors, are you ready?"

[User] "I’m good."

[Assistant] "Yes."

[User] "Then let the final match…begin!" Neither Claire nor I acted on the signal to start. We were both waiting for the other to make the first move. Given her personality, I’d thought for sure Claire would go first, but she looked pretty calm. And me?


[User] I was biding my time because I wanted to play with her for as long as possible.

[Assistant] “Aren’t you going to come at me?”

[User] “I was going to ask you the same.”

[Assistant] “I have plenty of time.”

[User] “Oh, is that so?” A wave of silence fell over the crowd.

[Assistant] “You really aren’t going to make a move? Then there will be no battle.”

[User] “No. I’m just happy gazing upon you, Miss Claire.”

[Assistant] “Are you trying to bait me? !” Claire ground her heel in frustration.

[User] “Well, I can start it off, if you insist.”

[Assistant] It had to be done. I raised one arm in Claire’s direction.

[User] “Shut.” Claire disappeared into a shell of rock that suddenly burst from the ground. I had confined her through use of an earth attribute barrier, but the rock was soon shattered from within as Claire popped out in a cloud of dust.

[Assistant] “Hmph. Is that all you’ve got?” The rock had melted into sludge. No matter how weak the earth attribute was against fire, the melting point of rock was at least 700 degrees Celsius and could be as high as 1,200 degrees. Claire’s magical fire power had to be extremely high to be able to melt rock so fast.

[User] “Just more teasing.” I created a number of small stone arrows to send toward Claire.

[Assistant] “Useless!” The stone arrows were completely blocked by the flame barrier she conjured. A fire barrier without solid components didn’t provide much protection, but Claire could make one hot enough to dissolve stone in an instant. Her fighting style was standard for magic wielders, an all-purpose approach in which she controlled fire at will, favoring neither defense nor offense. For her skills, she was known as the Red Lotus Queen.

[User] “I’m coming for you this time.” Claire deftly raised her hands, summoning the same massive flame spear she’d used against the water slime. It was shaped like a lance used by medieval knights on horseback.

[Assistant] “That’s great, Miss Claire! You have superb instincts and unparalleled skill at controlling your flames!”

[User] “Shut up!” Claire let out a cough. “Disappear!” She launched the flame spear.

[Assistant] I responded by creating an earth magic barrier.

[User] “Fool! Did you forget how I just melted your magic? !” Claire laughed, sure of her victory, but then…

[Assistant] “It’s not melting?! Why? !” Earth barriers in this world were often built of stone, but I had devised a tungsten carbide barrier. Tungsten carbide was twice as strong as steel, and its melting point was actually 28,800 degrees Celsius. Even Claire couldn’t melt this wall. I admit it: science wasn’t advanced enough in this world to people to know about tungsten carbide. I was cheating—just a bit—by drawing on modern Japanese knowledge.

[User] “So even a pathetic peasant can have sufficient aptitude. But how long can you keep it up?” Claire generated another massive flame spear and launched it. It passed me, missing by a long shot.

[Assistant] “Turn!” The flame spear turned sharply and hurtled toward me from behind.


[User] I raised a tungsten carbide barrier behind me as well.

[Assistant] “Burst!” Just before the spear hit the barrier, Claire snapped her fingers.

[User] Claire snaps her fingers as the mass of flames turned into a shower of small bullets that whipped around the barrier. "I win!" She kept saying such ominous things.

[Assistant] “Oh, so close.” I repelled the flame bullets with tungsten carbide bullets that I’d created with a flick of my wrist.

[User] “Whoa, that was fast.”, Rod sputter.

[Assistant] Well, I was kind of cheating even more, because I also knew all of Claire’s tactics. No matter how much she tried to surprise me, I could tell what she was going to do next.

[User] “Argh… You’re just a peasant…”

[Assistant] “Huh? What happened? Are we done?”

[User] “No way,” Claire magicked up a small army of fire bombs. “Master Rod, thank you.”

[Assistant] “Huh?”

[User] The fire bombs careened toward me, but I held them at bay with a barrier. “It’s not over yet!” Claire kept hurling fire bombs nonstop, each exploding one after another against my barrier.

[Assistant] “I see,” Yu says, finally understanding what was going on.

[User] Okay then, how about this?” I moved my barrier outward, pushing back the fire bombs and securing space and oxygen. Then I expanded the barrier even farther and tried to use it to capture Claire.

[Assistant] “That’s not going to work, you know?” Claire was quick on her feet and dodged the barrier. Even without a wind magic boost, she was impressively strong for a young lady, having been trained in not only literature but martial arts.

[User] “It’s not quite as exciting as our battle, but this match is incredibly impressive on a technical level.” Rod analyzes the match as a commentator.

[Assistant] “Yes, you’re absolutely right.” Misha analyzes the match like a commentator.

[User] “Okay, Miss Claire. What are you going to show me next?”

[Assistant] “The insolence,” Claire stretched her arms out to her sides. Four glowing crests appeared in the air and floated around her—the crest of the François family. “I can’t believe I’m using this on a commoner… Shine!” As Claire spoke, heat rays lanced out of the four crests.

[User] I rushed to throw up a barrier but didn’t make it in time.

[Assistant] “This is a warning,” Claire said as the heat rays flew past, searing the ground around me—actually, vaporizing it. This was her trump card, an ultra-high-powered beam weapon called the Magic Ray. It launched so fast that it was almost impossible to track its path with the naked eye. “I can only shoot it a limited number of times, but do you realize my power, now? You won’t survive a direct attack unscathed. Surrender.”

[User] “Well, you’re right. But…”

[Assistant] “But?”

[User] “Surrendering would suck, so I’m going to win.” I snapped my fingers. The soil under Claire’s feet disappeared.


[User] "Aaagh!" Claire let out an adorable scream as she fell, unable to do anything.

[Assistant] I continued hollowing out the earth beneath her, digging a pit about sixty feet deep.

[User] "Hey! Stop it! Stop it with that simple magic!"

[Assistant] "But it’s effective, right?"

[User] Unless your opponent could move through the air like Thane, this pitfall was surprisingly effective. You couldn’t build a scaffold with fire attributes, and if the shaft was narrow, vertical flame propulsion could collapse the walls in on you. Someone with a water attribute could float up slowly, but it’d be hard to rise faster than your opponent could deepen the hole.

[Assistant] "I will not accept this outcome!"

[User] "Then escape."

[Assistant] "Wait! Use your magic to make the hole wider!"

[User] "Claire…give up." Thane, who had been silent so far, finally said.

[Assistant] "What are you saying, Master Thane?! I’m not done yet."

[User] "You haven’t noticed…? Rae still hasn’t used her water magic, which is most effective against your fire."

[Assistant] I heard Clare gasp. Thane was right. The fire attribute was terribly weak against water, so I could have dominated Claire from the beginning if I’d wanted. But that wouldn’t have been any fun, now would it?

[User] "You…were going easy on me?"

[Assistant] "Yes!"

[User] "Argh! You’re making a fool of me!"

[Assistant] "So, Miss Claire, do you want to keep going?"

[User] "Of course I do!" Claire wasn’t giving up. She set about removing the soil around her with spells and fire magic, trying to escape by widening the pitfall into a basin.

[Assistant] "Miss Claire, keep going!" I encouraged.

[User] "You really are insufferable!"

[Assistant] My task was simple: all I had to do was keep replenishing whatever soil Claire had removed.

[User] "Argh!"

[Assistant] "Miss Claire, I’m very sorry, but I’m going to call this match."

[User] "The winner is Rae. Good work, ladies."

[Assistant] And just like that, the curtain came down on the mock battle between Claire and myself. I brought Claire up to ground level.

[User] "I hope you know that I don’t accept this result!" Claire was furious and covered in dirt, but I found that unutterably lovely, too. I wasn’t shallow enough to only want her when she was beautiful.


[Assistant] In the end, six students passed the Academy Knights Exam, not five, and they were the ones who had participated in the last three battles: Rod, Thane, Yu, Claire, Misha, and I. We received the crests proving we were Academy Knights and that marked the end of the selection test. But I still had business to take care of.

[User] "Misssss Claaaaaire!"

[Assistant] "I know, I know. What do you want this time?"

[User] I had won our wager again. I already knew what my request would be. "My favor is the same as before."

[Assistant] "Huh?"

[User] "Whatever happens, please don’t give up."

[Assistant] "Hey, what is this about? I already promised that last time."

[User] "It’s fine. The same thing. Please promise me again."

[Assistant] "Okay, but… That’s really all you want?"

[User] "Yes."

[Assistant] "Fine then… I, Claire François, swear to God to never give up."


[User] “I promise never to abandon hope and to keep going until the end.”

[Assistant] “That’s great.” This was truly the end of all our competition. “Miss Claire, I’m hungry. Let’s go to the cafeteria.”

[User] “You’re shameless! After beating me in such a pathetic way.”

[Assistant] “Thank you so much! I did my best!”

[User] “I’m not praising you!”

[Assistant] “Please never change, Miss Claire,” I said.

[User] “Huh? What prompted this?”

[Assistant] “It’s nothing. Let’s go, Miss Claire.”

[User] “Hey! Don’t just touch me whenever you want, peasant!”


[Assistant] Claire didn’t need to know what was coming. It would happen eventually, no matter what we tried to do. * * * The Academy Knights sounded cool, but the truth was that, much like a high-school student council in present-day Japan, they had a bunch of work to do. We had to deal with every little complaint submitted by the student body. Starting with this one: it seemed there were multiple reports of ghost sightings in the girls’ dormitory at night. Claire complained about being paired with me to investigate the matter, but I was her maid, so it was a moot point. Today, we were questioning witnesses, one by one. I didn’t remember this event occurring in the game, so I was super curious to find out what was going on. “Where did you see it?” I asked the girl student we were talking to.

[User] “My friend said she saw it between the second and third floors, but I saw it in the kitchen.”

[Assistant] I scribbled down a note. “And what did it look like?”

[User] “Well…I didn’t realize it was a ghost at first. I just thought it looked strange, but then it got closer, and it splashed water on me.”

[Assistant] “W-water?”

[User] “Yes. It might be the ghost of the girl who drowned in the Academy’s river.”

[Assistant] “Er.” Claire took a deep breath.

[User] “What’s wrong, Miss Claire?”

[Assistant] “I-It’s nothing.”

[User] “Thank you for your information,” I told the witness.

[Assistant] “Please get rid of it!” As the girl left.

[User] I turned to Claire. “Let’s go check out the scene of the sighting next.”

[Assistant] “Don’t you mean you’ll go check it out?”

[User] “What are you talking about? Two sets of eyes are better than one.”

[Assistant] “Y-yes, that’s true…”

[User] I started off toward the kitchen, and Claire reluctantly came with me. As is probably obvious by now, Claire didn’t care for ghosts. There was an annual summer event called the Undead Hunt in the game, and Claire was always so charming during it, being all genuinely afraid of the ghosts. As we went about processing these spooky complaints, she quivered in fear and I danced for joy. “Here we are.”

[Assistant] “Oh dear, it’s locked. How unfortunate. I suppose we’ll have to come back.”

[User] “I borrowed the key.”

[Assistant] “O-oh…”

[User] I opened the old-fashioned cylinder lock, letting us into the kitchens. Various cooking utensils were neatly tucked away in their respective places.


[User] A subtle, sweet scent hung in the air. Maybe someone was baking? The three main meals of the day were served in the cafeteria, so the dormitory kitchen was mainly used by the maids of noble students baking for their employers or transfer students making themselves a snack.

[Assistant] “Miss Claire, please look around the entrance. I’ll look in the back.”

[User] “You will not give me orders!”

[Assistant] “Okay then, do you want to look in the back?”

[User] “It’s fine… I’ll let you do it.”


[Assistant] We investigated the premises separately for some time, and then—

[User] “Ah?! Peasant! You! Rae!”

[Assistant] “What is it?”

[User] “Ah… Um… Why are you giggling?”

[Assistant] “Oh, sorry. You’re just so precious.”

[User] “This is no time to play the fool! Stop that and look over there!”

[Assistant] I looked where Claire was pointing; she had found a gel-like substance spilled on the floor. “What is it…?” I got closer to try and take a sample.

[User] “Don’t touch it! What if something happens? !”

[Assistant] “What? Are you worried about me?”

[User] “I don’t want to get caught up in any trouble you invite!”

[Assistant] “Okay, fine. Let’s leave it for the research department.” The Academy was an academic institution, yes, but it was also a state-of-the-art research facility with a setup similar to modern-day Japanese universities. The research department used to specialize in natural history, but since the discovery of magical stones, it had switched over to analyzing magical phenomena. Some of the researchers also specialized in the study of monsters.

[User] “It looks like this is the only clue here.”

[Assistant] “Then let’s hurry up and go.”

[User] “Yes, you’re right. Let’s come back tonight.”

[Assistant] “What? !” Claire looked like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

[User] “Once night comes, we might be able to see the apparitions ourselves.”

[Assistant] “B-but. What will we do if a ghost really does show up?”

[User] “Then we’ll just catch it, won’t we?” I teased the petrified Claire.

[Assistant] “I-Isn’t that the army’s job?”

[User] “Unless it’s a bona fide undead, the Academy Knights are strong enough to take care of a ghost.”

[Assistant] “Th-that may be true, but we did find that gel-stuff, and…”

[User] “Fear not. I will protect you.”

[Assistant] “Don’t treat me like I’m stupid! I am perfectly capable of protecting myself!”

[User] “Okay then. We’ll come back tonight.”

[Assistant] “Ahhh… Why do you look like you’re enjoying this so much?”


[User] Once midnight came around, Claire and I returned to the kitchen together. We unlocked the door and crept inside.

[Assistant] “There’s nothing here…”

[User] “It certainly looks that way.”

[Assistant] “See, the ghost-sightings were just mistakes.”

[User] “Just in case, let’s keep watch tonight.”

[Assistant] “Here? !” Claire looked at me like I was crazy.

[User] “It’s fine. I told Lene what we were up to, and she prepared bedding for us.” She had left a pair of futons folded in the corner of the kitchen. Leaving Claire to panic alone, I began laying out one of them. “Okay, sleepy time.”

[Assistant] “You’ve only laid out one futon! There are two! Put them both out!”

[User] “Huh?


[User] "But then I won’t be able to sleep on the same futon as you, Miss Claire.”

[Assistant] “That’s fine by me!”

[User] “You’re so selfish.”

[Assistant] “Me?! What have I said wrong? !”

[User] Alas. There was nothing I could do but give in and lay out both futons. “Miss Claire, please lie down first."

[Assistant] “And what are you going to do?”

[User] “I thought I would make a midnight snack.” I had permission to use the kitchen, after all. I started pulling ingredients from the drawers and cabinets, and measuring out portions.

[Assistant] “So…you can cook, too?”

[User] “Of course. I’m a peasant.”

[Assistant] “Oh…that’s true.”

[User] “But lately, I’ve been trying new recipes. It’s actually pretty fun.”

[Assistant] “Well, that makes sense. It’s a very peasant-like pastime.” Claire sounded like her normal self again, since nothing spooky was happening.

[User] “But you’re always right by my side. When do you have time to cook?”

[Assistant] “I do it in the middle of the night, when no one is looking.”

[User] “Oh, is that…so…” Claire stopped short. “In the middle of the night… In the kitchen?”

[Assistant] “Yes.”

[User] “Does that mean… You are the kitchen ghost?”

[Assistant] “Yes! I think it’s me!”

[User] “I’m going back to my room!” Claire rolled off her futon and started to leave—only to find her path blocked by a blue object.

[Assistant] “Agh! There it is!”

[User] “Look again, Miss Claire. Say ‘hi,’ Ralaire.”

[Assistant] “Huh?” Ralaire was quivering, trying to look cute. I couldn’t keep an eye on her when I was cooking, so I let her out of my bag to roam freely.

[User] “And that gel-like substance?”

[Assistant] “Yes, I think that was likely from Ralaire.”

[User] “You and your pet really are a nuisance,” Claire moaned with a frustrated expression.

[Assistant] “I am sorry for not telling you. Please accept this as my apology.” I held out the dish I made.

[User] “What is this?”

[Assistant] “It’s a kind of baked good. I hope you like it.”

[User] “What are you talking about? That you would think I would like anything less than Broumet—” Claire said, but she did take a bite for me. Well, maybe she was just planning to taste it and then spit it out.

[Assistant] “Huh?! It’s delicious! What is this? It’s like cake but thick and creamy inside…”

[User] “It’s called fondant au chocolat. It’s chocolate cake with warm, melted chocolate inside.”

[Assistant] “Chocolate is a novel new ingredient that even Broumet has only recently acquired. How do you know how to cook with it…? Who are you?” Claire looked at me suspiciously, narrowing her blue eyes.

[User] “Why, I am nothing but a slave to your love, Miss Claire.”

[Assistant] “Stop trying to trick me!”

[User] “Come now. This dish isn’t very good once it cools down, so please finish eating it quickly. I’ll make some tea.”

[Assistant] “Ugh… Still, this cake is divine. I offer my compliments.”

[User] “Thank you very much.”

[Assistant] Once Claire and I were done with our special little tea party, we got to talking. In the end, we wound up sleeping in the kitchen, after all.


[User] I rejoiced to myself as I watched Claire sleep.

[Assistant] "Shut up…" she mumbled. Even in sleep, her face was angelic.


[User] "Foundation Day Fair…?"

[Assistant] "That’s right," I answered. I was with the other Academy Knights in an office about the size of an elementary school classroom in Japan. It was furnished with desks and chairs, and the bookcase on the wall was lined with documents and manuals.

[User] Lorek sat in the commander’s chair, which wasn’t adorned in any specific way or positioned higher than others.

[Assistant] However, Rod and the other princes sat in raised seats—one of the telltale signs that this was a school for aristocrats. I was, of course, sitting next to Claire. And, of course, she wasn’t too pleased about it. I remembered the Foundation Day Festival from Revolution. The event, which commemorated the founding day of the Royal Academy, was like the school festivals held at schools in Japan. Each class prepared something to show off, and outside guests were welcome to visit. It was so similar to Japanese school festivals, in fact, that it made it clear the game was created by a Japanese production company.

[User] “We should be quite busy making preparations for the fair—approving class requests for goods, loaning out equipment, and such. Each of you will be assigned certain tasks, so if there’s something you don’t understand, please ask."

[Assistant] “Commander, the Academy Knights are going to prepare something for the fair too, right?” Rod asked once all the duties had been delegated.

[User] “Yes. Normally the Knights set up a café.”

[Assistant] “That’s boring. Let’s do something more unique.” He really couldn’t tolerate boredom.

[User] “What do you have in mind, Rod?” Yu sounded interested.

[Assistant] “I think normal is better.” Thane clearly didn’t want to take on too much.

[User] “Cross-dressing cafés have become pretty popular in the capital lately. What do you think? We could do that.”

[Assistant] “What is a cross-dressing café?” Misha balked at the term.

[User] “It’s simple. The waitstaff boys dress as girls, and the girls dress as boys. It’s just switching clothes but still more interesting than normal, right?” Rod smiled, his eyes shining.

[Assistant] “What do we think…? Master Rod, that means you’ll have to dress as a girl, you know? Is that…allowed of royalty?” Claire wondered.

[User] “We just have to make sure we don’t get caught,” Rod said, laughing.

[Assistant] “Setting aside girls dressing as boys, I don’t know if I want to see boys dress as girls… Then again…maybe it could work.” Claire seemed to change her mind as she took a long look at the princes. Personalities aside, all three boys were beautiful. They would probably look pretty good in women’s clothing.

[User] “Don’t forget that we’d have to be part of the operation, too… Right, Lambert?” Commander Lorek turned somberly to the man next to him, but as he did, his face suddenly grew stern.


[User] "Oh, I see… So the only laughingstock will be me." Lorek held his head in his hands.

[Assistant] "So, no objections?" Rod ignored Lorek.

[User] "It’s fine by me."

[Assistant] "If that’s what everyone wants, then…" Thane passively agreed.

[User] "I have no objections."

[Assistant] "It’s fine with m—" Claire began.

[User] "Miss Claire will wear men’s clothing… That will be precious…"

[Assistant] "I changed my mind. One vote against."

[User] "I also object…"

[Assistant] "Give it up, Commander." Lorek’s modest attempt to rescue his dignity ended with Lambert consoling him.

[User] "It’s decided, then. This year, the Academy Knights will host a cross-dressing café called Cavalier."

[Assistant] "Cavalier?"

[User] "It’s the official name of the Academy Knights. ‘Cavalier’ means knight." Lambert went on to explain that the term was rarely used anymore because it sounded pretentious.It reminded me that, back in my school days, my liberal arts teacher had taught us the difference between the words.

[Assistant] "If I remember correctly, doesn’t ‘cavalier’ have the nuance of maintaining elegance, while also showing a lack of concern?"

[User] "That’s correct. But I prefer to preserve an air of elegance, if possible, even when showing a lack of concern." Lambert chuckled.

[Assistant] "So, Miss Claire, you are a lady of the cavaliers. That almost sounds like a lady of the cabaret!"

[User] "I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I don’t think you’re complimenting me."

[Assistant] "Of course I’m complimenting you! I would come watch you every day!"

[User] "What are you talking about?"

[Assistant] "Miss Claire, let’s put your hair up!"

[User] "What do you mean, put my hair up?"

[Assistant] "A special hairstyle that only cabaret performers wear!"

[User] "Special… Hmph! Whatever. You can do anything, as long as it’s special."

[Assistant] She could be a little simple, my dear lady.


[User] After the meeting, we ate dinner and adjourned to Claire’s room. "What are you doing, Rae?"

[Assistant] "I want to turn Miss Claire into a cabaret dancer."

[User] "Huh?"

[Assistant] "Okay, Miss Claire. I’m going to begin." I proceeded to work on arranging Claire’s hair into an updo. Luckily, I had a ton of hairpins at my disposal.

[User] "So this is what it looks like?"

[Assistant] "Mm-hmm."


[User] "You make a foundation with half of the hair in back and hold it in place with pins.”

[Assistant] Lene seemed really interested in the hairstyle and enthusiastically asked questions.

[User] I wasn’t an expert, but I excitedly taught her what I knew. The hardest part was getting the pins in right. “At least Miss Claire’s hair is already curled nicely. It’s the curling that takes up the most time.”

[Assistant] “Lene took care of that.”

[User] “Much obliged.” After a few more minutes, it was done. "Wow! Miss Claire, it looks wonderful.”

[Assistant] “It does look pretty good.” Claire seemed satisfied, checking her reflection from the front and on both sides. “It’s great, Miss Claire! You look exactly like a cabaret performer!”

[User] “I-I do?” Claire looked proud. She’d definitely be mad if I told her what it really meant.

[Assistant] “Miss Claire, do you want to keep this hairstyle for a bit?” Lene asked casually.

[User] Claire, who had been delighted up to that point, lowered her voice, “No… My normal hairstyle is fine. Can you fix it, Lene?”

[Assistant] “Oh, is that so? Yes, Miss,” Lene answered in her usual soft voice, not making it clear whether she had or hadn’t noticed the change in Claire’s demeanor.

[User] Claire’s corkscrew curls were an imitation of her deceased mother, who had always worn her hair that way. One might say she had mommy issues. “I love that about you, too!”

[Assistant] “What are you going on about?”

[User] “Sorry, my love was just overflowing a bit.”

[Assistant] “That’s enough… You go back to your room.”

[User] But there was one more thing I had to say. “I can’t wait to see you dressed in men’s clothing!”

[Assistant] “Hurry up and go to bed!”


[User] “Hmmm…”

[Assistant] “What is it, Lene?” The three first-year Academy Knights—Claire, Misha, and myself—were in the dormitory kitchen with Lene, coming up with recipes for the cross-dressing café. The boys weren’t with us, not because they thought women were inferior or anything, but because the princes had never cooked a day in their princely little lives, making them useless for this project. I personally thought they should at least stop by, though. “This flavor…I think I’ve tasted it before.”

[User] “Really? Well, I think she makes pretty good food for a commoner.” Since we wanted something simple, I’d started by making some sandwiches, which were easy to iterate on. I began with a standard egg salad sandwich, which was what Lene was contemplating. “Have I cooked for you before, Lene?”

[Assistant] “No, I don’t think so. But the sauce on this sandwich reminds me of something I’ve had before.”

[User] Oh no.

[Assistant] “Oh, this must be mayonnaise,” Claire said smugly.

[User] “You know what this is, Miss Claire?” Misha asked her.

[Assistant] “It’s the new sauce they announced at Broumet. It has a nice mellow taste with a moderate acidity.”

[User] “Why would Rae know how to make something like that?” Lene peered at me, mystified. I had been careless.


[User] I made the egg salad just like I always had in my previous life without giving it a second thought. “Er, umm. I think I just happened to make something similar.”

[Assistant] “Really?”

[User] “Yes, yes,” I desperately tried to convince them. Sharper readers might have suspected by now that it was I who gave the chocolate and mayonnaise recipes to Broumet. While the plan to make a fortune from conditioner hadn’t enticed me, I had still been transported to a medieval-Europe-inspired world that lacked what I considered basic amenities. The salary I got as Claire’s maid was by no means meager, but the profits of selling a recipe to a fine-dining restaurant, where the price of a full-course meal was half a year’s salary for a commoner, was far more than I could make working any other job. I was trying to save money in preparation for the future. If I was here to stay in the game world, the best-case scenario was that Claire would go bankrupt, and the worst-case scenario was that she would be executed. I had to prevent that either way, and so I needed money. Money that Claire couldn’t know about. “Next, we have sandwiches with a bunch of different fixings.” To cover for my mistake, I moved on to the roast beef sandwich. I’d added thinly sliced vegetables and basil sauce on top, as well as a bit of spice.

[Assistant] “This is delicious. The egg sandwich was nice and simple, but this tastes much fancier.”

[User] “You’re doing good work for a commoner.”

[Assistant] “Thank you very much.” Both Misha and Claire enjoyed it. I had them try ham sandwiches and vegetable sandwiches, too, and they seemed to like all of them. But Lene appeared to be thinking hard.

[User] “What is it, Lene?”

[Assistant] “Rae, can I speak to you for a minute?” We stepped out of the kitchen together. “The new recipes at Broumet are coming from you, aren’t they, Rae?” Uh oh. This was a problem.

[User] “What? Of course not. I told you. The mayonnaise was just a coincidence.”

[Assistant] “That’s not all. Everything you make is extraordinarily similar to the dishes Broumet serves.” Lene wasn’t giving up. Unlike me, Claire had bought her Broumet dishes to taste before.

[User] “You’re imagining it.”

[Assistant] “You used something that gave it a little kick, didn’t you? That was pepper from the Eastern country, wasn’t it? Miss Claire mentioned it before.”

[User] “Well, I heard about it from Miss Claire, too,” I was sticking to my story. But Lene didn’t give up.

[Assistant] “It was the same for both the egg and vegetable sandwiches. The way you crush the eggs is so precise, but the way you cut the vegetables is not.”

[User] “What’s wrong with that?”

[Assistant] “The things you spend time on and the things you rush through are the same as in the Broumet recipes.” I was starting to get nervous. I had given the restaurant advice on its existing recipes, too, but most people wouldn’t notice such details.


[User] “Then how about the way you cooked the roast beef? The meat is customarily cooked all the way through, but you made the roast beef rare, right?”

[Assistant] Phew, at least that wasn’t true. “That wasn’t rare. It’s called pink. When it’s freshly cooked, it’s a light pink, but as time passes, the hemoglobin changes the color of the meat.”

[User] “See, this is what I’m talking about. Ordinary people simply do not have such knowledge.”

[Assistant] “Oh…” I’d been overconfident and fallen into the trap she set for me. Lene was shrewd.

[User] “Why must you hide it?” she asked. “I think providing recipes to Broumet is amazing.”

[Assistant] After such an intense interrogation, it was a relief to hear her say that. Maybe I could tell Lene my plans? They wouldn’t come to fruition till far in the future, anyway. “I admit it. I’ve been giving Broumet recipes.”

[User] “I knew it!”

[Assistant] “But please keep it a secret.”

[User] “Why?” Lene cocked her head to one side, puzzled.

[Assistant] “I can’t tell you more, but it’s for Miss Claire.”

[User] “For Miss Claire?”

[Assistant] “Mm-hmm. Please don’t tell anyone.”

[User] “That’s fine, but…” Her face made it clear she didn’t understand my reasons for secrecy.

[Assistant] “I have secrets, just like you do.”

[User] “Wh-what are you talking about? !”

[Assistant] “I wonder?” I mused. My expression was serious, so Lene would know I was warning her, but I think she understood I had no intention of letting her cat out of the bag, either.

[User] “Fine. I’ll keep quiet.” Her face softened.

[Assistant] “Thank you,” I said. “In return, teach me some recipes. I want to make them for Miss Claire.”

[User] “Hm, okay. Do you have any requests?”

[Assistant] “Hmmm. I want to make sweets.” Were sweets really that much of a delicacy?

[User] “Then come back to the kitchen tonight. I’ll teach you a recipe.”

[Assistant] “Thank you. I’ll ask for permission to use it.” Right, Lene was a maid, not an Academy student. She wasn’t allowed in the dormitory after curfew unless she was with Claire or got permission to enter on her own.

[User] “Heh heh. I can’t wait.”

[Assistant] “Hey, you two. What are you talking about behind your boss’s back?” Claire came out of the kitchen, either impatient or worried about us.

[User] “We’re having a secret discussion. Right, Rae?”

[Assistant] “That’s right.”

[User] “You are not funny.” Claire had too much pride to come out and say she didn’t want to be left out.

[Assistant] “Okay, Lene. See you tonight.”

[User] “Yes.”


[Assistant] “Why are you here, Miss Claire?”

[User] “She insisted on coming, no matter what I said.” Lene had showed up at the promised time, Claire in tow.

[Assistant] “Are you going to make something? I’ll taste it for you,” Claire said, dressed in her pajamas and fighting back a yawn. She was obsessed with getting her beauty sleep and would normally be in bed by this hour.

[User] “Hey, Lene.


[User] “I thought we were supposed to keep this a secret from Miss Claire.”

[Assistant] “I’m sorry. I couldn’t fool her.” We had stolen away from Claire and were whispering. Well…as long as Claire didn’t find out I was working for Broumet.

[User] “Miss Claire, will you be able to stay awake?”

[Assistant] “I’m not a child. I can stay up as late as I want.”

[User] “Okay then. You take this chair, Miss Claire.” I took off my jacket and draped it over Claire’s lap.

[Assistant] “Huh?”

[User] “It may be spring, but the nights are chilly.”

[Assistant] “Hmm…” Claire turned her head as if she were uninterested, but she probably was cold, because she left the jacket on her lap.

[User] “Now then, Lene, let’s start.”

[Assistant] “Yes.”

[User] “Tonight, we’re making crème brûlée. Lene, you can make pudding, right?”

[Assistant] “I can.”

[User] “First, put milk and cream into a small pot. Add the vanilla beans, turn on the heat, and bring it to a boil. The vanilla beans can be left whole or chopped a bit.”

[Assistant] “So you use not only milk but fresh cream as well?”

[User] “Mm-hmm.” The fact that she’d noticed these differences so quickly was testament to her long years of service as a maid.

[Assistant] “In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until it foams. Add this to the pot with the cream and mix well, then pour it into another bowl, straining it through a colander. Next, put the bowl over ice and mix while cooling the mixture.” I checked to make sure Lene was keeping up and confirmed she was following my instructions while taking notes. As an aside, paper was a valuable commodity in this world. That was how dedicated Lene was to learning the recipe.

[User] “Pour into ramekins and then bake in an oven preheated at 100 degrees Celsius for seventy minutes. Jiggle the brûlée, and if the center is just trembling, it’s done. Let them cool, in the refrigerator if possible.”

[Assistant] “The ingredients are slightly different, but it really is just pudding, right?”

[User] “Lene, we haven’t reached the important part yet. Watch carefully.” The last step was to toast the colorful top of the crème brûlée, but I wouldn’t find any convenient culinary blowtorches at this time in history. I could use the magical oven, but there was a better method. I fetched some sugar and liquor.

[Assistant] “Just before serving, sprinkle sugar over the top and add a little liquor. The liquor should be as high proof as possible.” I took out a match, lit it, and moved it closer to the brûlée. It caught fire.

[User] “I-It’s on fire!”

[Assistant] “Relax, Miss Claire. This is a cooking technique called flambé,” I said in a flurry. For someone with the fire magic attribute, she was pretty sensitive to fire. Or maybe it was because, as a wielder of fire, she was all too aware of its power.

[User] “It turns out best if you let it cool and repeat the process.


[User] "Then let it cool again, and it’s ready.” I presented Claire with one of the ramekins. “Now, Miss Claire. How about a taste? Lene, you try it, too.”

[Assistant] “Thanks…”

[User] “Thank you.” Claire hesitantly reached out with her spoon. Then the spoon flew back.

[Assistant] “It’s hard.”

[User] “It’s been caramelized. Break it open with your spoon and eat it with the cream.”

[Assistant] Claire carefully tapped the top with her spoon, and the caramel surface broke easily. She scooped the crème up with her spoon and tentatively put it in her mouth.

[User] “This—”

[Assistant] “It’s delicious! It’s really good, Rae!”

[User] “Oh, I’m glad,” I took a bite myself. It was pretty good. “It’s richer and moister than normal pudding. The crunchy part on top is amazing, too.”

[Assistant] “This crispy top is delectable. The last part… Flambé? That was so eye-catching, and fun, too!”

[User] “You could use your fire magic to toast the top, Miss Claire.”

[Assistant] “I can’t imagine myself ever making this. I’ll leave the cooking to you, Lene.”

[User] “Lene, did you get everything?”

[Assistant] “Yes, I think so. Thanks, Rae.”

[User] “You’re welcome. You can have this, too.” She looked puzzled as I handed her a folded piece of paper. When she looked at what was written on it, her expression went from puzzled to surprised. “This is mayonnaise!”

[Assistant] “Shhh. Don’t let Miss Claire hear you.”

[User] “Are you sure?”

[Assistant] “Mm-hmm. But please wait until I tell you it’s okay to make it.”

[User] “Huh?” Lene’s expression changed to suspicion. I understood. Objectively, I was acting very strangely. “This is insurance.”

[Assistant] “Insurance?”

[User] “You’ll understand eventually.”

[Assistant] “I don’t really understand… But I will take good care of it.”

[User] “If possible, please memorize it and destroy the paper.”

[Assistant] “Okay.” Claire had finished her brûlée.

[User] “I want another. Make it.”

[Assistant] “Miss Claire, eating too many sweets at this time of night will make you fat,”

[User] “Just one more. I’ll start a diet tomorrow.”

[Assistant] “But…”

[User] “It’s fine, just make it. That’s an order.”

[Assistant] “It’s okay, Lene.”

[User] “But if Miss Claire gains too much weight, she won’t be able to face her father.”

[Assistant] “Just the once is fine. We can do night-time exercises in Miss Claire’s room after this.”

[User] “I will do nothing of the sort.” I loved Claire’s look of utter irritation.

[Assistant] “Oh, would you prefer we do it in my room?”

[User] “That’s not what I mean!” I was pretty sure she knew what I was implying, too.


[Assistant] We went through the process of making the crème brûlée again. It turned out so delicious that it was hard to believe Lene had never made it before, though she did get a little burned during the flambé. "I’ll fix it for you. Hold out your hand.”

[User] “It’s fine, this is nothing. I have ointment for it.”

[Assistant] “I want to fix it,” I said and forcefully took Lene’s hand so I could heal the burn.

[User] “Thank you.”

[Assistant] “You don’t need to thank me. I can’t allow a woman to have a burn on her finger.” This was my art.


[User] “You two sure are close…”

[Assistant] I couldn’t let such a comment from Claire go. “You’re jealous, aren’t you Miss Claire?! What a predicament!”

[User] “I am not! Don’t push your luck, peasant!”

[Assistant] “Oh my.” It was an ordinary, happy day. I wished we could always be like this.


[User] “Now, Lene will give us a lecture on service.”

[Assistant] “My name is Lene. Thank you for having me.” When I introduced Lene, she smiled and bowed her head.

[User] The Knights weren’t quite sure what to do, but they applauded her.

[Assistant] Except for one person. “Hey, peasant. Where do you get off using someone’s servant without permission?” Claire rushed over.

[User] “Oh, sorry, I requested her.”

[Assistant] “Well then… That’s fine,” Claire reluctantly sat back down.

[User] “We’re all yours, Lene.”

[Assistant] Lene smiled and took the measure of her charges. “I have one request before I teach you all how to serve and cook.”

[User] “Hmm? What is it?” Yu asked, relaxed.

[Assistant] “Unlike all of you, I am a commoner. I understand there are some commoners in the Academy Knights, but they are still among the elite and have passed a rigorous selection test. I’m sure many of you aren’t pleased to be learning from someone like me.”

[User] “And?” Thane prompted Lene.

[Assistant] “I know it is bold of me to ask this, but I would like to request that when I am teaching, we disregard all distinctions between royalty, nobility, and commoner. You cannot serve customers if you cleave to such particularities.”

[User] “Hmm. I think it’s fine. It’s fine, right?”

[Assistant] “Thank you very much. Starting now, and until the Foundation Day Fair, please call me Ms. Lene.” Lene’s words sent a shock through the meeting room.

[User] “Lene, don’t get too haught—”

[Assistant] “Ms. Lene, please.” Lene interrupted Claire’s rebuke with a soft but unwavering tone.

[User] “Wh-wh…”

[Assistant] “Claire, please address me correctly. Go ahead.”

[User] “Argh…”

[Assistant] “Ha ha! She’s funny. Claire, do it,” Rod joined in, thinking it a hoot.

[User] “Argh… Ms.…Lene…”

[Assistant] “Louder, please.”

[User] “You!”

[Assistant] “Heh heh. Claire, you gotta say it,” Yu chuckled.

[User] "Ms. Lene…"

[Assistant] “Very good, Miss Claire. Please address me in that way from now on.”

[User] “I will remember this for later…” It seemed there was a lot Claire was holding back. Well, she’d probably say it all later, but Lene was surely prepared for that.

[Assistant] “Now, Ms. Lene, what do we need to learn?” asked Misha, who was adaptable and never had such baked-in class biases in the first place.

[User] “First, you need to prepare yourselves.


[User] "What do you think the Way of the Maid is?"

[Assistant] "Th-the Way of the Maid?" Claire cut in, suspicion in her voice.

[User] "Yes, that’s right. What I’m going to teach you is called the Way of the Maid." Lene maintained her soft smile, but she was giving off a different vibe than usual. It was kind of scary. "There is a great deal to this discipline. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to master this method in a mere week."

[Assistant] "Don’t worry, none of us are planning to master the Wa—"

[User] "However!" Lene stopped Claire mid-sentence by raising her voice. "It is my desire to share our dedication and service with aristocrats and commoners alike. That is why I am here." I could almost see the wall of flames burning behind her. Uh-oh. Some ominous switch had definitely been flipped. "Yes. Dedication and service are fundamental to the Way of the Maid. I’m sure these are unfamiliar concepts to you, but they are integral to keeping the world going around." She continued with passionate words. In the end, Lene held our feet to the fire for over an hour. "Now, then. I think that should give you an idea of what the Way of the Maid is."

[Assistant] "Yes, Ms. Lene."

[User] "A very good response, Miss Claire. Let’s review. What is the essence of the Way of the Maid?"

[Assistant] "Dedication and service, Ms. Lene."

[User] "That’s right. Well done."

[Assistant] "Thank you very much, Ms. Lene." Claire’s voice was flat and robotic. The sparkle in her eyes had disappeared, too. And it wasn’t just her…

[User] "Now, Master Rod. Where do the basics of the Way of the Maid begin?"

[Assistant] "With a greeting, Ms. Lene."

[User] "Good. Next, let’s try it all together."

[Assistant] "Welcome home, Master!" everyone called out.

[User] "Louder, please!"

[Assistant] "Welcome home, Master!" everyone shouted again.

[User] "That’s right. I think you’re starting to get it. Your teacher is very happy." Lene smiled, looking deeply satisfied. When had this turned into a brainwashing seminar? I was starting to feel like I was at the recruitment drive for a cult.

[Assistant] "Um, Lene?"

[User] "Ms. Lene, please."

[Assistant] "Ms. Lene, are we perhaps taking this in a strange direction?"

[User] "No, not at all. I just would like everyone to understand the beauty of the Way of the Maid."

[Assistant] "I-I see…"

[User] "Now you, Rae. Welcome home, Master?"

[Assistant] "W-welcome home…Master." There was nothing I could do. This room was currently under Lene’s complete and absolute control. Well, everyone would surely go back to normal once we left the room…wouldn’t they?

[User] "What are the basics of the Way of the Maid?"

[Assistant] "Devotion and service!"

[User] "And a strong greeting?"

[Assistant] "Welcome home, Master!" everyone called out again. Would nobody come to our rescue?


[User] "That was terrifying…" Claire declared as she returned to her room.

[Assistant] "I am so sorry. I got carried away." Lene was smiling sweetly, but Claire was keeping her distance. This was the first time she’d ever stuck closer to me than to Lene.


[User] “I don’t even have the energy to get angry… I didn’t know you had that in you, Lene.”

[Assistant] “It’s certainly a rare sight to see.”

[User] “I would be happy never seeing it again,” Claire said, flopping onto her bed.

[Assistant] “You can’t sleep yet, Miss Claire. You need to take a bath and change.”

[User] “I’m tired…”

[Assistant] “You cannot. Please stand up.”

[User] “Mmm…”

[Assistant] “Stand up.”

[User] “Yes! Ms. Lene! Ah…” Claire shuddered at own her reflexive reaction.

[Assistant] “Oh, an unexpected side effect…”

[User] “Or perhaps an aftereffect? !”


[Assistant] While the Academy Knights would be hosting a cross-dressing café, the other students were devising their own shows. The work of overseeing it all took up the majority of our time.

[User] "Thane, did you get the supply application form from Year 2, Class B?”

[Assistant] “I thought it was submitted yesterday…”

[User] “It hasn’t come in yet. Check again.”

[Assistant] “Okay…”

[User] “Rod, there is an inquiry from Year 1, Class A as to whether their application has been approved or not.”

[Assistant] “I just approved it now. You can take this approval certificate to them.”

[User] “Got it.”

[Assistant] “Misha, Year 3, Class C—”

[User] We were all stuck doing paperwork. Rod was in charge, and under his supervision our operation ran without a hitch, which forced me to admit he might really have the qualities of a true-born king. It didn’t make me like him any better, though.

[Assistant] “Claire, this ledger for Warehouse 1 is out of date. Please return to the site and revise the list.”

[User] “Understood.”

[Assistant] “Let’s not have you do it alone… Rae, can you go?”

[User] “Of course.”

[Assistant] “I can do it alone.”

[User] “Don’t say that. All right now, get it done.” Rod says before he moved on to the next instruction.

[Assistant] “Fine, then,” Claire sniffed.

[User] “Just don’t get in my way.”


[Assistant] I got the old ledger from Lambert, picked up a notepad and pen, and went with Claire to Warehouse 1. It was a massive building located outside of the Academy, and it was packed full of a wide variety of supplies, everything from spare desks to things I couldn’t even identify. We collected a key from the staff room and went to the front of the warehouse.

[User] “By the way, did you hear, Miss Claire?”

[Assistant] “Hear what?” Claire asked while opening the padlock.

[User] “They say that in this warehouse…there are sightings.”

[Assistant] “You’re teasing me with that again? There’s no such thing as ghosts!”

[User] “No, it’s true. The ghost of a schoolgirl who got locked in the warehouse during a horrible cold snap and froze to death inside—”

[Assistant] “I-I don’t want to hear it! Just get in!” Claire interrupted me by dashing into the building.

[User] An A+ response! Our instructions were to catalogue everything within, but the warehouse was so packed that—despite Claire’s protest—it would have been impossible for one person to tackle alone. Even with the two of us working together, we were going to be stuck here a while.

[Assistant] “Still, we have to get it done.”


[User] "I’ll start from this end, you start over there."

[Assistant] "Are you sure you’re okay alone? What about the ghost?"

[User] "Hurry up!"

[Assistant] "Yes, ma’am."

[User] Teasing Claire would have to wait; I got to work. We updated the items on the list one by one, starting from the entrance and the back respectively, and worked to meet in the middle.

[Assistant] "There are far fewer desks than previously listed."

[User] "And it seems there are extra black curtains."

[Assistant] We traded idle conversation as we updated the ledger. It felt like it took us three years to finish, by which point the fading sunlight shone in through a high west-facing window.

[User] "Let’s go back."

[Assistant] "Yes, let’s."

[User] We returned to the entrance, but for some reason, the door was closed.

[Assistant] "That’s weird. I’m pretty sure we left the door op—"

[User] "Oh." I swallowed a gasp. This was it. I remembered this event from the game.

[Assistant] "It won’t open!" Claire, who had no way to know that, was upset. One of the patrolling teachers had found the open warehouse door, assumed it had been left open carelessly, and shut it. In other words, we were locked in. In the game, the player character got trapped in the warehouse with her target prince, but I was locked in with Claire. It was perfect.

[User] "Hey… Somebody? Is anyone there?!" Claire cried out as she pounded on the door.

[Assistant] I shrugged. "No one comes out here unless they have a reason to."

[User] "Why aren’t you freaking out? We’ll be stuck here all night!"

[Assistant] "Well, if we’re not back by curfew, someone will come looking for us."

[User] "That may be so, but…" Claire was fidgeting.

[Assistant] "Huh? What’s wrong, Miss Claire?"

[User] "I-It’s nothing…"

[Assistant] "Are you sure? You look restless."

[User] "You’re imagining it! Someone! Is anybody there?!" Claire kept pounding on the door. There was an unlocking spell, but it required the wind attribute, which neither of us possessed. We could just bust through the wall, but as members of the Knights, we were both reluctant to destroy school property.

[Assistant] "Unnnh!"

[User] "Miss Claire, let’s just wait."

[Assistant] "I will not!"

[User] "Why?!"

[Assistant] "Why? Well…"

[User] "Well?"

[Assistant] Claire blushed and said nothing. That was when it hit me.

[User] "Wait, do you have to go to the bathroom?"

[Assistant] "Yes, I do! Do you have a problem with that?!"

[User] Hmmm. All right, now this was a problem. "You can use that shaded area over there."

[Assistant] "I can’t do that!"

[User] "Yeah, you’re right." If even I would hesitate to do it, there was no hope for aristocratic Claire. "Is it urgent?"

[Assistant] "Very…"

[User] Oh dear. "Okay, how about this?" She watched intently as I went to a corner of the warehouse and touched both of my hands to the ground, activating my earth magic. In just a moment’s time, I’d built a cube as tall as a grown man.

[Assistant] "What in the world is that?"

[User] "A toilet. It’s simple, but I made it using my earth magic attribute."


[User] “Would you like to look inside?” I opened the door.

[Assistant] “Well done, peasant!”

[User] “Much obliged.”

[Assistant] “Well then, I’ll just—” And with that, Claire rushed into the bathroom. She closed the door, and I heard the lock fall into place…and then, silence.

[User] “Hey, I need sound!”

[Assistant] “I can’t help you with that.”

[User] I understood she was embarrassed by the sound of doing her business, but this world didn’t have the convenient white-noise machines Japanese bathrooms came equipped with. "Can’t you just run the water while you go?”

[Assistant] “Y-yes, I suppose I can.”

[User] Thanks to my water attribute, the magic toilet’s plumbing was more than up to the task. I heard the sound of running water, followed by a sigh of relief…and then a cry of surprise.

[Assistant] “Ah… Ahhh? !”

[User] “What is it?”

[Assistant] “What is with this toilet? Ahhhh, warm water!”

[User] “Ohhh, that’s the bidet.” In the spirit of maidly “dedication and service,” I’d used my water attribute magic to add some bells and whistles. “You can’t afford to waste paper in a situation like this, right? So wash thoroughly and come out when you’re dry.”

[Assistant] “O-okay… Oh? !”

[User] I could see how a bidet would give you a fright if you weren’t used to it. Wait a second. Could I use this to make money? Bidets would be hard to mass-produce, since both earth and water magic were needed in to create them, but maybe they could be luxury products aimed at aristocrats? While I was counting my unhatched eggs, Claire finally emerged.

[Assistant] “Ugh. Such a weird feature…”

[User] “But it’s hygienic!”

[Assistant] “That may be true, but still!”

[User] Ryouma and Claire fell silent for a moment.

[Assistant] “Hey, don’t just clam up." Claire muttered.

[User] “I was just thinking how cute you are when you’re embarrassed.”

[Assistant] “You peasant! Do you know who you’re talking—”

[User] “I am speaking to the Lady of the François, rescued by a peasant when she was about to wet her pants, right?” I could almost see the steam rising from Claire’s ears. She narrowed her eyes, summoning a magical spear of fire.

[Assistant] “Ah… Heh heh. That’s fine, then. Let’s just incinerate this black spot on my history.”

[User] “Miss Claire, I apologize! Please put that away. We’re in a warehouse—just look at all the things that could catch fire.”

[Assistant] “If it’ll help me discover your weaknesses, I’ll burn everything to the ground.”

[User] “Think about having to redo the ledger from scratch! It would be agony.”

[Assistant] “I’ll have new supplies delivered. Then the moving company can make the list.”

[User] “Stop, Miss Claire! It was just a little maid joke.” Just as Claire was about to literally explode, we heard Lene’s voice calling for us from outside. Well, that was what I got for taking my teasing too far. I needed to be more careful. Well…maybe just a little more careful.


[User] "Okay, everyone, please stop what you’re doing and pay attention for a minute." Lene clapped her hands in the front of the room.

[Assistant] At the sound of her voice, the Academy Knights froze in place. It seemed the results of the Way-of-the-Maid boot camp were long-lasting. "What is it, Le—Ms. Lene?"

[User] "What is it, Le—Ms. Lene?" Even Rod called Lene by her preferred title. After all, as far as the café was concerned, she was in charge.

[Assistant] "The costumes you will wear at the fair are ready. Please try them on." A number of merchants from the Aurousseau Company brought in boxes of clothes at Lene’s instruction. "The men will dress as maids, and the women will dress as butlers. I had them tailored slightly large to be safe, but if they’re too big, we can take them in." Lene said as she handed out the costumes.

[User] "We need a place to change… The guys can change here, and the girls can change in the empty classroom next door." Rod suggested with a laugh. The room we were presently in was a bit of a disaster zone, so he likely considered this chivalrous.


[Assistant] Following his directions, the guys and girls split off into their respective rooms.

[User] "How ever does one wear butler clothing?"

[Assistant] "Oh. I’ll dress you."

[User] "I’ll ask Lene to do it…" It seemed Claire thought I was overeager, and she was right. Then again—

[Assistant] "Lene is dressing the guys in the conference room."

[User] "I suppose I have no choice, then…"

[Assistant] "It works…" Rod looked at himself and then at us.

[User] "It does work."

[Assistant] "It does work."

[User] "Something’s up with Rod…" Thane said with a sigh.

[Assistant] "Rod’s always like that." Claire answered, shrugging.

[User] "I hope this skirt stays up." Yu chuckled.

[Assistant] "The butler outfit is more comfortable than I expected." Misha said, looking satisfied.


[User] black and white with a long skirt, designed with an eye for practicality, and just a few embellishments to the apron. When the guys put on their white-brimmed bonnets, they looked just like English maids, even though this world had no relation to England. The butler costumes were also Victorian in design. They consisted of a black jacket, white shirt, gray waistcoat, and red tie, and the final effect was also reminiscent of an old-fashioned English steward.

[Assistant] "My lords… They look wonderful on you."

[User] "Ha ha, really?" Rod gave a strange laugh in response to Claire, who seemed stunned. He hadn’t skimped on the makeup, and with his natural good looks, he made a striking girl…though he could stand to tone his expressions down a bit. In contrast, Thane was having the grump to end all grumps. He had beautiful features, too, and in this getup, he looked startlingly like Misha. Which was to say, icy. Claire was peering at him with a complicated expression.

[Assistant] "Hey, Misha, do I look strange?" Yu said, but he was clearly having fun.


[User] "I think you look lovely…" The pleasing princes were pleasing, even dressed as girls. When Yu noticed me staring at him, he winked. It was surprisingly cute, but completely ineffective, as I only had eyes for Claire.

[Assistant] "When we first talked about wearing men’s clothing, I had trouble imagining it… But it’s not bad." Misha sounded almost a little too pleased by her costume. Her reserved personality had translated all too well into donning the mantle of a full-fledged butler. The nape of her neck peeked through her tied-back hair, which was, ahem, quite sexy.

[User] "Why do I have to wear men’s clothes…and servants’ clothes at that…?" Claire looked sullen. "And you—you really are a peasant to the core! Servants’ clothes suit you perfectly."

[Assistant] "Well, I am your servant, Miss Claire."

[User] "Hmmm… But this was unexpected."

[Assistant] "What is it, Master Rod?" Rod said, dissatisfaction in his voice.

[User] "When I suggested a cross-dressing café, I was imagining gaudier outfits that would look funny and make us laugh. No one’s going to laugh at this."

[Assistant] "If that’s what you want, you don’t need to worry." The speaker was Lambert, a pretty boy himself, who also looked gorgeous in the maid outfit.

[User] "Ah ha ha ha!" Rod exploded in laughter.

[Assistant] "Master Rod! Please don’t!"

[User] The reason was Commander Lorek. The sight of that rugged warrior dressed as a woman fulfilled all of Rod’s expectations. It looked like Lene had tried really hard to do his makeup, but there was only so much she could do.

[Assistant] "I told you I didn’t want to do it…" Lorek was crying, which only made his makeup run.

[User] "Lorek… You pass. Actually, you’re the star of the show." Rod continued to chuckle uncontrollably.

[Assistant] Everyone else wore expressions that suggested they wanted to join in but didn’t dare.

[User] "I’m not going to serve any customers!" Lorek declared that he would be holed up in the kitchen.

[Assistant] "Why?" Rod was completely bewildered by subtlety.

[User] "Rod… That’s enough. Poor Lorek." On the other hand, Thane was more emotionally savvy than his brother.

[Assistant] Thanks to his graceful intervention, Lorek was allowed to take charge of the kitchen.

[User] "But what’s the selling point of Cavalier, then? What’s the point of a cross-dressing café that’s not funny?"

[Assistant] "Master Rod, I believe you will find there is demand for a café where beautiful boys and girls are the servers. And that this will prove especially true if the servers are royalty and nobility." Lene raised her hand.

[User] "Is that so?" Rod still had his head cocked to the side, but I thought Lene was correct. Commoners would be attending the Foundation Day Fair, too. These were the princes of the kingdom, and tons of folks would jump at the chance to be waited on by them—for a variety of reasons.


[User] "Whatever, then. Just brace yourself for the day of the fair, I suppose.” I wished he would change his attitude. I detested the way he talked.

[Assistant] "What’s wrong?” Claire looked at me quizzically.

[User] “Nothing. I was just trying to get a bad taste out of my mouth.”


[Assistant] “Table three, order up.” “New customers seated at table five.” “Table one, check.” “Your total comes to 1,480 Gold.” Lively voices echoed back and forth. We had carried a number of tables into the classroom rented by the Academy Knights, and they were all full. A queue ran outside, meaning the cross-dressing café was a qualified success. The Foundation Day Festival happened to fall on a public holiday that year, leading to record attendance numbers. Our flow of customers hadn’t ever dwindled since the opening ceremony, and actually, it seemed like the lines were just getting longer.

[User] “Excuse me, Miss? Is that right? You’re very pretty.”

[Assistant] “Ha ha ha! Thank you very much.” Rod laughed as he served the customers, clearly in a good mood.

[User] “Wow, Master Yu! You’re so cute!”

[Assistant] “Apparently, I’m much cuter as a lady,” and an elegant smile to boot.

[User] “That one’s a bit dark, though.”

[Assistant] “But also so beautiful. Though I suppose a bit creepy?”

[User] Thane was silent, plagued by a confused expression.

[Assistant] “Hey, I wonder who that is.”

[User] “Looks like a cold but gorgeous nobleman!”

[Assistant] “Are you ready to order?” Misha was playing her role to a T, her face cool and composed.

[User] “Did you see? Miss Claire is serving people.”

[Assistant] “Yeah. I never thought I’d see the day that selfish brat welcomed customers.”

[User] I held myself back from cutting in. There was one person in our crew who was faking a smile, but that couldn’t be helped.

[Assistant] “There are so many customers. I haven’t been able to put the frying pan down once!”

[User] “Busy is good. Here’s the next order, Commander Lorek.” The kitchen was also going full-steam ahead, mostly run by Lorek and Lambert. Overall, it was safe to say the Academy Knights Cavalier Café was a hit.

[Assistant] “If this keeps up, we could easily be voted first place.”

[User] Visitors to the fair got to vote on which show they’d liked best, and the class or group that took first place won travel vouchers they could use at resorts during summer vacation. In the game, this translated into unlocking snapshots from special events. I personally didn’t care whether or not I went on vacation, as long as I got to go (or stay) with Claire.

[Assistant] “Master Rod, get back to work. You’ve been summoned to table six.”

[User] “Oh, is that so? I’ll be right there.” With a light step, Rod went off to serve.

[Assistant] “What were you talking about?” Claire asked me.

[User] “He was saying we might win first place in the popularity vote.”

[Assistant] “We shouldn’t be beholden to travel vouchers,” Claire complained.


[User] "As members of the Academy Knights, we ought to be able to organize our own vacation trips." That might have been true for the nobles, but commoners like me couldn’t really afford to go jet-setting off to resorts.

[Assistant] "Come now. Back to work. Le—Ms. Lene is watching."

[User] "Erk!"

[Assistant] "Rae, you’ve been summoned to table two." Misha says to me as she brought some empty dishes to the kitchen.

[User] "Huh, me?"

[Assistant] "Yes."

[User] "Oh, lucky you. I wonder what kind of eccentric would want to share a meal with a commoner, though?" Claire chuckled.

[Assistant] "If you’re going to abuse me, I’d rather it be in the bedroom."

[User] "What in the world are you talking about?"

[Assistant] "Just my true desires. I’m going now." I took a tray and headed to table two. When I saw who the customer was, I felt my stomach drop.

[User] "No problem. Closer." They were foreigners, speaking a broken form of the kingdom’s tongue. The embellishments adorning their clothes made it clear they were noblemen. Furthermore, the well-built gentleman in the turban was unmistakably royalty. "Graciously, this is His Royal Highness Marcel, Prince of Loro. He graces you with his company."

[Assistant] I was thrown off because I’d suddenly remembered this was one of the events in the game. "Will you please take our order?"

[User] "Please excuse me. What can I get for you?"

[Assistant] "Hmm. Get him something with dodo bird. His Imperial Highness is fond of dodo bird."

[User] "I’m very sorry. Unfortunately, we do not have anything with dodo bird."

[Assistant] Prince Marcel frowned.

[User] Seeing this, his attendant stood. "This is extremely disrespectful. Prince Marcel has placed his order; you must fulfill it."

[Assistant] "Please forgive me. The dodo bird is rare and not easy to source in the Bauer Kingdom." I tried to explain as politely as possible, but His Highness Marcel shook his head.

[User] "This is what he wants. You will do something about it." It took everything I had not to sigh out loud. When this event occurred in the game, the prince whom the heroine was closest to stepped in to save her. But I wasn’t close to any of the princes. While I was standing there, my face about to twitch, wondering what to do—

[Assistant] "Please excuse me for interrupting your conversation, Your Highness Marcel." Claire had stepped in to take care of Prince Marcel, addressing his Highness in perfect Loronese. "Unfortunately, we are unable to prepare the dodo bird that Your Highness enjoys so much, but I am sure royalty such as yourself would enjoy sampling some special new ingredients." She gave Prince Marcel a bright, sweet smile I’d never seen on her before.


[User] "Y-yes. You speak excellent Loronese. What is your name?”

[Assistant] "My name is Claire François, Imperial Highness Marcel of the Empire of Loro. It is my pleasure.” Claire looked genuinely pleased to have met him.

[User] Prince Marcel frowned harder. “Claire, are you saying you will serve me something I will find satisfying?”

[Assistant] “I guarantee you will enjoy it.”

[User] “Good, then. I leave my order to you.”

[Assistant] “Thank you very much.” Claire respectfully and subserviently took my hand and led me to the kitchen, where she lowered her voice so the prince wouldn’t hear her and let out a deep sigh. “Ugh… Just talking to a pig like that is exhausting. A pig from a porcine, new-money empire…” Claire looked at me. “You were useless, too. You can’t behave like that in front of a person like His Highness Marcel. You have to flatter him.”

[User] “O-oh…”

[Assistant] “Well, I suppose it would be impossible for a commoner who has never spoken to such royalty to learn,” Claire said haughtily. As the daughter of the Minister of Finance, she undoubtedly had experience managing the moods of foreign diplomats. “Peasant. Go into the kitchen and make that mayonnaise dish.”

[User] “Mayonnaise?”

[Assistant] “That’s right. They definitely don’t have it in the Loro Empire yet. If we serve him that, I’m sure the pig will go home satisfied.”

[User] “Oh, I see.”

[Assistant] “Hey, don’t just stand there!”

[User] “Right! Um… Claire?”

[Assistant] “Wh-what is it?”

[User] “Thank you very much!”

[Assistant] Taken aback, Claire said, “I-It’s not for you! If this becomes a diplomatic incident, it’ll be terrible for my father.”

[User] “Thank you very much for playing at being cold.”

[Assistant] “Stop saying silly things I don’t understand and get to cooking!”

[User] “Yes ma’am.”


[Assistant] "I would hate it if Miss Claire was the losing character," I murmured to myself.

[User] “What did you say?”

[Assistant] “Nothing. I love you.”

[User] “Stop saying stupid things and clear the dishes.”


[Assistant] “I just got back… Rae, time to switch.”

[User] “Good work. Now I’m off.” I was trading shifts with Thane, who had just gotten off his break, so I could take my two-hour one.

[Assistant] “Two whole hours… What should I do?”


[User] But the closest thing I had to those here were Misha and Lene, and they were both working. “Bad timing,” Roux sighed as I took off my butler’s costume in the empty classroom next door that we were using as a changing room.

[Assistant] “Ugh…” Roux looked up to see my beloved Claire enter the room.

[User] “Good work. Are you on break too, Claire?”

[Assistant] “That’s right. I still don’t understand why I had to do vulgar things like serve customers,” Claire muttered as she unbuttoned her jacket. Roux offered to help, she refused, and then Roux helped her change anyway.

[User] “But Miss Claire, you’re so good at it. I was really surprised.”

[Assistant] “I’m used to stitching things up on the surface. Don’t forget that I am the daughter of the Minister of Finance.”

[User] “I like the normal, honest Miss Claire.”

[Assistant] “What about me is honest? Just quit it with the flattery. I’m perfectly aware I have a difficult personality.”

[User] We’d had a similar conversation before, but it was really hard for me to watch Claire be this self-deprecating. She had such a reputation for being selfish, high-handed, and prideful; I was sure Revolution’s players could never imagine her speaking like this. “You’re certainly not easy to handle, but that’s true in some way for everyone, isn’t it?”

[Assistant] “Are you telling me I’m nothing special?”

[User] “Not at all. It just makes me sad to see you put yourself down.”

[Assistant] “Put myself down? I’m not…” Claire trailed off, probably realizing there was no other way to interpret what she’d just said. “Ahh, I must be tired from doing all this unfamiliar work. To think I would blurt out something like that in the presence of a peasant.”

[User] “I’m glad you did. You’ve shown me your vulnerable side. May I capitalize on that?”

[Assistant] “Idiot. Come on, I’ll wait for you. Hurry up and change.”

[User] “Huh?”

[Assistant] “Why are you looking at me like I fell out of the sky? I’m telling you to come and help distract me,” Claire said, looking away.

[User] Roux stopped in the middle of changing my clothes. “Miss Claire.”

[Assistant] “What is it?”

[User] “How do you think I look in this?”

[Assistant] “I told you already. They make you look like a servant, just like a peasant should.”

[User] “So you mean they look good on me?”

[Assistant] “So what? !”

[User] Roux held out his white-gloved hand to calm the squawking Claire. “If only for a short time, I will serve as your escort,” Roux said, looking Claire directly in the eyes and smiling in my most gentlemanly fashion. “Where shall we go?”

[Assistant] “I don’t want to go somewhere with food. It will undoubtedly not be worthy of eating.”

[User] “Isn’t food what a school festival is all about?”

[Assistant] “I have the right to decide what I put into my body.”

[User] Such was our conversation as I escorted Claire down the Academy hall. We passed a number of people, some clearly nobles, and others that were unmistakably commoners, judging by their clothing.


[User] It was a refreshing change from the usual sights of the Academy, where both nobles and commoners dressed to the nines. Claire frowned occasionally at the sight of the commoners but didn’t ultimately complain. “How about here?”

[Assistant] “What is this?”

[User] “It’s a haunted house.”

[Assistant] “Absolutely not!” Claire tried to run away, but I held her hand. “Hey, Miss Claire. Are you scared of ghosts?”

[User] “N-no, that’s not it. I’m just not interested in childish tricks!”

[Assistant] “Okay, okay. Sorry. Two Academy student tickets, please.” Brushing off Claire’s complaints, I signed us up to go in. “Miss Claire.”

[User] “Wh-what do you want?”

[Assistant] “If you get scared, you can hold on to me.”

[User] “Don’t be stupid… Agh!” But Claire was already clinging to me. Mission successful. “That was terrifying…”

[Assistant] “Thank you for letting me witness such an adorable side to you, Miss Claire.” As we emerged from the haunted house, I was supporting Claire, whose teeth were chattering.


[User] We headed to the rest area in the courtyard, where a number of guests were taking breaks next to flower beds blooming with the colors of spring. “Let’s sit for a minute. I’ll get us something to drink.”

[Assistant] “Don’t get anything weird. I just want water, got it?”

[User] “Your wish is my command.” I grinned at Claire, who never missed a chance to give me a tongue-lashing, and went off in search of water. I got enough to share at a snack stand, and immediately returned to her. Almost immediately. I spied something interesting at a store I passed on my way and bought two. “You sure took your time.”

[Assistant] “Please excuse me. Here is your water.” Claire was still weary, but she put the water to her lips and took a sip. Life returned to her eyes. “Miss Claire, I also got this for you. It’s not much, but…here you are.”

[User] “What?” It was an amulet with a magic stone set in the center of intricate silverwork. It wasn’t just an ornament but a good luck charm. The stated effects included… “Luck in love?”

[Assistant] “I hope things go well with you and Thane.” If this were Japan, I would buy something like this at a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine, but the closest thing this world had was the Church. The booth I’d stopped by was manned by the Academy’s chapter of that organization.

[User] “You really are strange.”

[Assistant] “Why is that?”

[User] “I know you’re just teasing me, but even so. You’ve been professing your love for me, right?”

[Assistant] “I’m serious.”

[User] “And yet you support Thane and me. That’s strange,” Claire said, playing with the amulet in her palm. I thought she looked almost lonely, though I wasn’t sure why.

[Assistant] “I care more about your happiness, Miss Claire, than having my love returned.”

[User] “That’s a hypocritical comment.”

[Assistant] “Well, that’s a fair opinion. But it’s the absolute truth.”

[User] “Why are you so obsessed with me?” Claire looked at me, her eyes flickering.


[User] "Because you saved me." To put it bluntly, my previous life had been completely devoid of hope. I was employed by a corrupt company that worked me so hard I only went home to sleep. The only things that made me want to keep living were my games, and there was no game I immersed myself in more completely than Revolution. I even gave up on sleep to write fanfiction. It was no exaggeration to say that Claire had given me the will to live.

[Assistant] "You’re teasing me again. I saved you? That’s stupid."

[User] Of course, Claire couldn’t understand. She wouldn’t believe me if I told her about my previous life or being transported to this world, and there was no helping the fact that she only ever thought I was teasing her. "Well then, save me now. Specifically by hugging or kissing me." So I just teased her, like I always did. That was all I could do. Nothing more.

[Assistant] "Stop saying stupid things. Our break’s almost over. Let’s go back."

[User] "Yes ma’am." I held my hand out for Claire, but she didn’t take it.

[Assistant] "Your time playing at being a gentleman is over. I am me, and you are you. I am a noble, and you are a commoner. Nothing more, nothing less."

[User] "That’s too bad. That means I’ve lost my excuse to hold your hand, Miss Claire."

[Assistant] "You really are…" And we were back to our usual selves. But there were two things I didn’t notice at the time. First, that Claire had accepted the amulet I gave her. And second, that her expression bore a hint of sadness.