Chapter 45: Merged Class
Ailiya trudged into the classroom, her body and mind drained from last night’s ordeal, feeling hollowed out.
Her eyes immediately caught a familiar blonde head at her desk, grinning brightly.
“Ailiya! Over here!” Aurora waved excitedly.
Seriously… Ailiya sighed. That’s my seat. Why do you look more at home than me?
She hesitated, feeling odd about squeezing into one seat with Aurora in a classroom setting.
“Come on! I saved you a spot—we’ll share!” Aurora stood, grabbed Ailiya’s wrist, and yanked her down beside her.
Ailiya relented, their hips pressed together, the warm, soft contact making her squirm uncomfortably.
Glancing around, she noticed curious stares from noble girls and, worse, Liliane in the front row casting a probing, peculiar look their way.
Oh no, this feels weird! Ailiya panicked inwardly. Liliane definitely thinks I’m up to something strange!
Aurora, oblivious to Ailiya’s distress, leaned close, whispering like they were sharing secrets. “I stayed up all night thinking about that black mist.”
Ailiya snapped out of her unease, whispering back, “Any leads?”
Aurora’s expression turned sheepish. “Uh… just a theory, no solid proof.”
Ailiya gave her a “figures” look, but Aurora pressed on, undeterred, her voice low and persuasive. “Remember the game world I told you about? Think of it as a giant program. The original code is fixed, but what if someone injected ‘variables’ into it? What happens then?”
Ailiya pondered seriously. “It’d glitch?”
“Exactly!” Aurora clapped, eyes gleaming. “It creates ‘bugs’!”
“Bugs?” Ailiya blinked, confused. “Like those birds that say ‘hello, welcome’?”
“Don’t derail!” Aurora flicked Ailiya’s forehead in frustration.
Ailiya rubbed her head, aggrieved, as Aurora continued. “Remember, that mist infected everyone except us. Why?”
Ailiya thought hard, answering earnestly, “Because we’re healthier? Stronger white blood cells?”
Aurora nearly choked, tempted to flick her again, but Ailiya dodged. Scowling, Aurora snapped, “Think! What’s the biggest difference between us and them?”
Ailiya hesitated, then said slowly, “…We’re transmigrators.”
“Bingo!” Aurora slapped her hand, drawing classmates’ glances. Lowering her voice, she said excitedly, “What if the black mist, an unscripted variable, can’t affect us, also variables?”
Ailiya’s heart jolted, picking up the thread, her voice trembling. “And if these ‘variables’ keep multiplying, the game world heads toward collapse?”
Aurora clutched her head, anguished. “The problem is, I don’t know how to fix it! You’re Liliane’s maid, the joint ball became a coed trial, and now this unseen black mist? History’s spiraling, and I can’t stop it!”
She sighed. “At this point, these random events are unstoppable. There’s only one option left!”
Her eyes blazed with resolve. “The critical choice!”
She declared firmly, “Remember when I said we need to stop Sylvie from becoming the Saintess? If we pull that off, we can lock the story into the Prince Route. No matter what changes come, it won’t end in the ‘True Ending’ wipeout!”
Ailiya eyed Aurora’s dramatic fervor, muttering, “Did you burn that guidebook yet?”
“I did, thanks to you!” Aurora huffed, recalling the frozen underwear bags.
The class bell rang.
Aurora realized she was still in Ailiya’s seat and scurried to her own.
“Quiet, please!” the teacher called, stepping to the podium.
Behind her, a group of boys in St. Ross Men’s Academy uniforms filed in, lining up.
The girls erupted in excited whispers.
The boys’ black uniforms, adorned with golden roses, exuded grandeur.
The leaders stood out, drawing every girl’s gaze.
“First, let’s welcome our St. Ross classmates! Starting today, you’ll join us for a year-long coed trial!” the teacher announced cheerfully. “Now, please introduce yourselves!”
A tall, dark-haired boy stepped forward, his handsome face carrying a roguish smile. “Hello, I’m Felix von Capet. Pleasure to meet you, St. Freya ladies.”
A flaxen-haired boy, equally tall but visibly annoyed, cut in. “Oi, Felix, what’s with that sleazy tone? I’m Arthur von Oliver. Ladies, don’t lump me with this idiot.”
Felix bristled. “What’d you say, moron?”
Next, a towering, muscular boy, nearly two meters tall with a chiseled face, thumped his rock-hard chest. “I’m Marcus von Victor, St. Ross’s top magic swordsman! I’ll protect you all!”
A bespectacled, dark-haired boy followed, serious and textbook-precise. “I’m Alistair von Griffin, second-year head of magical engineering. If you have questions about magical devices, I’m your guy.”
A fiery redhead stepped up, visibly impatient. “Vincent von Rhine. That’s it.” He stepped back, exuding a “stay away” vibe.
When the last boy appeared, the girls squealed in excitement.
With soft flaxen hair and deep blue eyes like the night sky, he radiated refined elegance, his gentle smile straight out of a fairytale. “Greetings,” he said, bowing slightly. “I’m Leon von Tartaglia.”
Amid the class’s uproar, Ailiya slipped a note from her pocket, scribbled a few words, crumpled it, and tossed it to Aurora.
Aurora caught it, reading: These are the capture targets? In gal games, you get cute girls. Shouldn’t otome games have hot guys?
Before Aurora could reply, the teacher spoke again. “Three students are absent due to other commitments: Elias von Roland, a count’s son; Benedict von Mayfield, Leon’s childhood friend; and Gabriel von Howard, a duke’s son. They’re challenging the fiftieth floor of the dungeon, so they won’t be here today.”
Ailiya caught Aurora’s returning note, opening it quietly. Aurora’s handwriting was messy but clear: Only Prince Leon’s a capture target here.
Figures… Ailiya sighed, no longer surprised by the plot’s deviations.