* * *

Thump, thump.

As the back door slid open, my heart tingled for some reason.

Judging by the way everyone squirmed in their seats, I wasn’t the only one whose heart fluttered at the sound of footsteps.

“Okay, okay. We’re still in class, aren’t we?”

Yuta, who had been teaching Class 1, spoke gently.

“Then I’ll give you exactly one minute. Turn around quickly, take a look, and after that one minute, let’s all focus.”

His green eyes curved like crescent moons.

“I’ll even end class five minutes early. The cafeteria’s going to be packed today, and I need to hurry out and grab a seat too. Mealtime must be protected, right? Anyway, your one minute starts now!”

At Yuta’s words, everyone turned around.

And then…

‘No way!’

Just as I expected, Julian had shown up.

But…

‘W-what the hell!’

My jaw dropped.

With his unusually tall height and long legs on display, Julian stood proudly right in the middle of the classroom.

‘What is that getup!’

He was wearing an all-white suit that screamed “drenched in money,” his hair slicked back and stiff with product, and the bouquet in his arms was studded with actual jewels.

He even had a thick gold necklace and earrings…

His foot was still wrapped in bandages, and maybe because of that, he gave off the air of a gangster.

On top of that, his eyes were already sharp and slanted, making his expression even harsher.

‘You—you’re way too flashy! It’s overkill! You look like someone here to claim a prize!’

Naturally, all eyes were glued to Julian.

Back at the count’s estate, he’d always dressed sloppily, and his hair was usually just a mess, so I hadn’t expected much from him…

‘And what’s with that nervous expression!’

But the most ridiculous thing of all was his face—he was trembling, even his hands were shaking, and he was snorting like a bull.

‘One thing’s for sure.’

I slumped my shoulders.

“Ugh.”

Then I fiddled with the hairpin Julian had given me in the past and thought:

‘He still hasn’t gotten his memories back.’

If he had, there’s no way he’d show up dressed like that from head to toe.

“Alright, everyone, eyes forward. Class is starting.”

Yuta smiled and lightly tapped the chalkboard.

“We were studying the duchy’s Divine Beast, weren’t we?”

Like the others, I straightened my back more than usual and placed my hands neatly on my knees.

“A Divine Beast chooses the person whose disposition most closely matches its own. That way, resonance occurs properly and the Divine Beast’s power amplifies. And that person becomes the heir of the duchy…”

Ray was also sitting up properly and listening to the lecture. But his expression wasn’t good.

“Usually, when the master either passes down the title or becomes seriously injured and unable to move, the Divine Beast selects the next master.”

We had only one minute to turn around earlier.

Julian stole all the attention during that minute, so I hadn’t seen the person from the Lavendal Duchy.

‘Who came with him? Wasn’t it his parents?’

Ray’s stiff expression bothered me. I kept glancing at him throughout the class.

Ray, clearly nervous, kept fidgeting with his personal water bottle and drank more frequently than usual.

“Or in some cases, there’s a forced resonance in an unavoidable situation. Though that’s not exactly… natural.”

And finally, when Yuta ended the class five minutes early—

“Ahem, hem! Hem hem hem!”

Julian charged across the classroom faster than anyone else. He puffed up his chest and shouted with all his might:

“Little raaaaat!”

Honestly, I consider myself quite shameless and not easily embarrassed.

Since regressing, I’d stopped caring much about how others saw me.

But at that moment…

“Congratulations on being first plaaaaaace!”

I was mortified.

“B-brother…”

I gave him an awkward smile as I took the jewel-encrusted bouquet.

Julian lifted me up and spun me around.

“You’re a genius just like me! Hahahaha! What kind of dog’s name is ‘first place,’ huh? Hahahahahaha! You’re just like me! I’m a genius too! Ahahahaha! I’m so freaking proud of you! Wahahahahahaha!”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Once again, everyone was staring…

He was attracting so much attention that even Yuta, who said he’d leave early to grab a cafeteria seat, was just standing at the front of the room, staring blankly at us.

Yuta’s face, which usually wore a constant smile, looked slightly different.

‘What is it? That looks… kind of bitter?’

Just then—

‘…Huh?’

Someone approached Ray, who had been standing still.

“Ray.”

It was a young man who looked a lot like him. Probably his older brother.

And perched on the man’s arm was the Divine Beast of Water—an owl.

Its round face and intelligent eyes were striking.

“Ah, Brother. Did you come alone?”

“Yeah. Something urgent came up in the territory early this morning, so Father and Mother couldn’t come.”

Ray’s brother spoke gently.

“But I brought Athena with me. I figured you’d want to see her.”

“A-Athena!”

The owl named Athena fluttered toward Ray as if happy to see him—then met eyes with me.

‘Ah.’

It was the first time I’d seen a Divine Beast other than Fire.

With Fire, only the simplest communication was possible. But with Athena… could I manage a little more?

‘Then… maybe I can stop today’s rampage?’

Athena’s round, alert eyes stared at me.

Our eyes met.

And then—

To my surprise, I could read her thoughts exactly.

‘…What?’

My eyes widened as I understood Athena’s thoughts.

Then, as if to prove a point, Athena broke eye contact and fluttered over to perch on Ray’s arm.

As Ray naturally stroked Athena’s feathers, his brother said:

“If you’re not too hungry, want to head to the cafeteria a little later? The lines are probably awful. Remember how long we had to wait on assembly days?”

At that, Ray nodded calmly.

“Sure. Then is there anywhere you want to visit in the meantime? You’re an alum too, right?”

“I want to see the expanded dorms. They were terrible when I was here.”

“Okay, Brother.”

It was like watching the friendliest pair of brothers in the world—Ray answered with a smile.

Their conversation was natural, but it also seemed a little too self-conscious.

Almost like I was watching a well-rehearsed play.

With a bright smile, Ray gripped his water bottle and said:

“Then let’s head to the dorms first, Brother.”

* * *

“Alright! Let’s go eat lunch!”

Julian laughed heartily as he scooped me up again.

“Our little runt hasn’t grown a bit! You’re twelve already, but if I can still lift you this easily, what are we gonna do, huh?”

“Brother, your leg! Be careful! What if you get hurt again?!”

“It’s fine. I just can’t run fast, that’s all. This much is nothing.”

“Really? Then let’s swing by Class 2. We need to grab Zahid.”

I leaned my face as far back as possible, afraid of getting stabbed by Julian’s stiff, spiky hair.

“Knowing him, he probably bought a lunchbox alone at the snack stand and is holed up in his dorm room eating like some pitiful loner.”

And just in case Julian made that petty face and said no, I quickly added:

“Brother, you’re not the kind of heartless jerk who’d ignore a poor abandoned kid just because he’s your sister’s fiancé, right?”

“Don’t worry. Grandpa went instead.”

My eyes widened.

“Huh? Grandpa did?”

“Yeah. He lost at rock-paper-scissors. That’s how I got to come to Class 1! Wahahahaha!”

Julian snickered gleefully.

“Still, we have to go meet that guy. Didn’t he place dead last on the entrance exam? I have to tease him about it.”

“Wow…”

I stared, jaw dropped, at how genuinely excited Julian looked.

“Mocking an eleven-year-old with infinite potential for growth over test scores… What’s wrong with my brother’s morals…?”

Anyway, hearing that Grandpa was there put ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) me at ease.

Still in Julian’s arms, I cut through the crowded hallway full of parents and students and headed toward Class 2.

And just as we arrived, Grandpa’s booming voice rang out:

“Wahahahaha! It’s fine! It’s fine even if you’re last! Wahaha! I’ll donate a whole bunch to the Academy! You can walk around with your shoulders high!”

Thanks to that, every single parent now knew Zahid placed last on the exam.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep