“It’s not that I requested a room change. In fact, I was forced to move out of my previous dormitory,” Alice shrugged helplessly in response to Stella’s question.

“I am a maiden, after all. At first, the administration agreed it would be better for me to share a room with a girl.”

“Forced to move?” Stella was puzzled.

Even Ikki became curious. He and Alice had only just met, and he had no idea his new roommate had gone through such a convoluted process to end up here.

“Who has that kind of power? Even when I argued with the Chairwoman, she absolutely refused to let me change rooms!” Stella couldn’t help but ask with a hint of resentment, feeling she had been treated unfairly.

“It was the student ranked third among the incoming freshmen this year, a girl named Shizuku Kurogane.” Alice sighed. “I didn’t even get to see her face. I was just told to pack my things and move in with Ikki instead.”

“However, I suppose I should thank her. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have met such an outstanding boy as Ikki,” Alice added, casting a flirtatious wink.

Ikki physically shuddered.

“Third place? The Chairwoman’s allocation policy is to pair students of similar strength. Alice, your scores must be high!” Stella said in surprise.

“Don’t let my delicate appearance fool you. I am ranked fourth among this year’s freshmen!” Alice smiled confidently.

“That Shizuku Kurogane… she has the same surname as you. Is that a common name in Japan?” Stella looked at Ikki with a trace of doubt. “Or is there some kind of relationship between the two of you?”

Ikki nodded bitterly. “She is actually my younger sister.”

“I didn’t expect Shizuku Kurogane to be your sister!” Alice wasn’t angry. Instead, he seemed delighted. “Being kicked out of my room, only to end up sharing a room with her brother… our fate is truly intertwined, Ikki.”

“That… I don’t think that has anything to do with fate,” Ikki forced a smile, desperately wanting to avoid having any special fate with Alice.

“But how did she persuade the Chairwoman to change the room assignments?” Stella was genuinely curious.

“She probably didn’t go through the Chairwoman. She likely bypassed her and manipulated the administration system directly through the board of directors,” Ikki said after a moment’s thought. Knowing Kurono’s stubbornness, she would never have agreed to the change herself.

However, Kurono didn’t have absolute control over every facet of Hagun Academy.

Given the massive influence of the Kurogane family in Japan, pulling a few strings on the board of directors to change a dorm assignment was child’s play.

“Through the board of directors? She has that kind of pull?” Stella looked shocked.

“Kurogane? Ikki, do you really come from the same Kurogane family as the Samurai Ryoma?” Alice widened his eyes in surprise.

Hearing the title Samurai Ryoma, Stella suddenly realized. “Wait, that Kurogane family?!”

During World War II, thanks to the existence of a single transcendent Mage Knight, Japan had managed to secure a place among the victorious powers, maintaining its international status.

That knight was the Samurai Ryoma, whose real name was Ryoma Kurogane. Because of his legendary exploits, the Kurogane name was world famous.

Even Stella, far away in the Vermillion Empire, knew of it.

“I may be from the Kurogane family, but I have nothing to do with them anymore,” Ikki said with a wry smile.

Seeing Ikki’s expression, Stella and Alice wisely chose not to pry further.

“Well, if your sister is using the Kurogane family’s influence, then changing a dorm assignment really would be effortless for her,” Alice said helplessly.

“Is Japan really this corrupt? To meddle in the affairs of a Mage Knight Academy so casually?” Stella said indignantly. The Academies were affiliated with the International Mage Knight League, not solely under the jurisdiction of the Japanese government.

Because of this international oversight, the Kurogane family couldn’t just directly expel Ikki. They could only pressure the previous administration to make his life miserable, hoping he would make a mistake so they could expel him legally according to school rules.

“The power of the Kurogane family in Japan is simply too massive,” Alice sighed.

“I’m sorry. Even when we were at home, Shizuku hated being around strangers. That’s probably why she forced you out of the room,” Ikki apologized.

“I’m not angry. After all, she is Ikki’s sister. And who knows… maybe one day she’ll be my sister-in-law too,” Alice smiled sweetly, batting his eyelashes at Ikki.

For a moment, Ikki’s face cycled through a spectacular array of colors.

“So, your sister went out of her way to kick Alice out, forcing him to room with you? Does your sister have a bad relationship with you?” Roy asked.

He remembered the anime perfectly well.

Shizuku Kurogane was a massive bro-con. Driving Alice straight into Ikki’s room was essentially throwing her beloved brother to Alice!

“Huh? No matter how much string pulling she did, Shizuku couldn’t choose to share a dorm with me,” Ikki said, finding the idea strange.

In his eyes, co-ed dorms were still completely unacceptable.

Furthermore, Ikki knew that while Shizuku could use the family’s influence to kick Alice out, she could never use it to room with Ikki himself.

The moment she tried, the Kurogane family would instantly block it. Ikki was considered the family’s greatest disgrace.

They would never allow Shizuku to associate so closely with an F Rank failure. It would damage the family’s prestige.

Of course, they couldn’t completely stop normal interactions within the school grounds.

“Shizuku and I… at least back when I was still in the family estate, our relationship was pretty good,” Ikki scratched his head. “However, we haven’t seen each other in four years. I don’t even know if she still acknowledges me as her brother.”

“You’ll find out as soon as the term officially starts,” Roy smiled.

Knowing the anime, Roy figured Shizuku hadn’t arrived at academy yet. If she had, she would have already tracked Ikki down.

Ikki was clearly looking forward to reuniting with her. After all, Shizuku was the only relative who had ever treated him with genuine warmth.

“It’s getting crowded. Let’s not stand around chatting. Let’s go grab some food first,” Alice reminded them.

It was peak lunch hour, and students were flooding in. Alice and Ikki took the lead, while Roy and Stella followed closely behind.

“Roy…” Stella deliberately slowed her pace, letting Alice and Ikki pull ahead slightly.

She tugged on Roy’s sleeve, leaned in close, and asked in a low, highly concerned whisper.

“You… you aren’t interested in men, are you?”

—

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