Chapter Text
Couldn’t this world have been nice enough to drop Tsukasa off maybe a week before the academy exam? A single day is hardly enough to cram everything he needed to know! It’s like high school entrance exams all over, except he only had 24-hour notice before the test date.
And why was there only a practical portion to the exam? There’s no test on magical theory or history or even monster trivia. Do they just need warm bodies that know how to fight? Or maybe the author was too lazy to write it in.
"And say hello to Toya for me!" Saki said as she hugged him goodbye. Tsukasa hugged back, promising to visit on the weekends to share meals together again. Saki would be attending an all-girls academy soon, more focused on honing the fine arts rather than marital education. She had played the harpsichord for him after they had shared dinner together. He nearly shed a tear from how talented she was.
Tsukasa at least knew that the other Tsukasa was admitted with no magic prowess and next to no sword skill. Maybe he should count his lucky stars that he was transmigrated to a time before he did any irreparable damage to his reputation in the academy and was renowned as a bratty rich kid, all bark and no bite.
There was a carriage waiting outside their home, the trim done up in gold and the wooden body was either bleached or came from some kind of magical white birch tree. It was near blinding as Tsukasa adjusted the sword at his hip and climbed up into his ride. Guess the Tenma’s direct successor was expected to ride up in style. At least he didn't have to attempt to ride a horse to the academy, he’d likely miss the exam altogether.
The academy was just as ostentatious as expected. Rich fields of grass lined the paved stone walkways. Fancy marble fountains were scattered across the grounds and blooming flowers of every colorful, fantastical species were planted in beds. The building itself was a grand, beautiful castle, something taken right from a 3D asset store. Ezio couldn’t have found a better one to scale. Banners flew with a blue rose, the emblem of royalty, and glittering stained glass was etched with the same symbol. Tsukasa took in his fill of the sights as he stepped off the carriage and was guided to line up with the rest of the candidates at the training grounds.
He could hear a scoff coming from behind him, no doubt due to the extravagant entrance he had just made. Curiosity got the better of him and he turned to look for anyone eye-catching. Ah yes, there’s a redhead who stood out. He was likely Akito Shinonome, with the characteristic scowl and acerbic stare aimed at whoever was unfortunate to meet his gaze.
Of course, at that moment their eyes meet. Tsukasa put on his brightest smile and waved. Akito looked taken aback and immediately scowled, looking away to stare at the instructor in the front. Well, Tsukasa couldn’t begrudge the boy. Akito would later become one of the most skilled knights in the realm, joining the Royal Guard charged to look after the Crown Prince. Book Tsukasa hadn’t made Akito's life any easier, taunting him about his non-noble lineage and messy appearance. Shouldn’t the fact that Akito got here on his own merits make him all the more impressive? And Akito’s uniquely styled hair and casual clothes reminded him of those KPOP idols. Why did Book Tsukasa keep going out of his way to mock how the boy stood out?
Tsukasa decided to leave the poor boy alone for now and looked elsewhere. He glanced and saw a pop of long pink hair held in a high ponytail, very eye-catching and likely belonging to Mizuki Akiyama. A throat was cleared and Tsukasa finally looked to the front. A bespectacled man with well-groomed hair and a tailored suit stood in the front, looking out of place in the sea of applicants in practical clothing. Not like anyone was willing to call him out on it.
“Please wait until your name is called out. You will be expected to dispatch your targets with either weaponry or magic. No mana crystals or magically-automated armaments are allowed in this exam. No attacks should be deliberately targeted at another applicant. Anyone caught violating these rules shall be promptly asked to leave and forfeit their right to take this examination,” said the man with a stick up his ass. He didn't even bother to introduce himself. Tsukasa felt his nerves sinking in from the brief rules. They were given quite a lot of freedom in this test, otherwise. He caught sight of some people actually holding rifles. If they end up aiming those at another contestant wouldn't it already be too late to stop them?
Worry about yourself, Tsukasa! He shook off his nerves and finally looked to the side of the instructor. Oh that’s another incredibly important character, isn’t it?
Toya Aoyagi. Donned in a gray dress shirt and windswept two-toned hair, he looked just as princely as if he were wearing a crown and full regalia. He was there just to oversee the exam. The prince was already well known to have prowess with ice magic and would be attending the academy alongside the applicants who pass the exam. Saki had mentioned that he should say hi, but how favorable of an opinion could the prince have of him?
And like clockwork, the prince’s eyes met his and sparked with recognition. Tsukasa remembered Saki’s words and waved vigorously, mouthing hello with a smile. Might as well start off on the right foot.
The prince’s eyes crinkled, muffling a cough of laughter with his hand. Maybe they were on better terms than Tsukasa initially thought. Suddenly he felt a heated prickling at the back of his head. Tsukasa not-so-subtly turned around to find Akito glaring at him like he could reduce him to ashes with his stare alone. Oh no, calm down sir! Tsukasa won’t be stealing your best friend any time soon! In fact, he was planning on mending your relationship to the best of his abilities.
Toya and Akito, a prince and his most trusted knight. Well, they would’ve been if it weren’t for the boundless miscommunications throughout their interactions. If their relationship was a forest fire, Book Tsukasa was the convenient oil tanker truck that crashed right into it. Prince Toya would always try his resolute best to keep relations between nobility and royalty civil, and Book Tsukasa would always try his darndest to make it the biggest hassle for them all. Akito couldn’t stand within 10 feet of Tsukasa without getting badgered with annoying jabs and passive-aggressive taunts. It was like poking a feral wolf with a stick and expecting it not to snap. Toya ended up having to be the one to de-escalate, taking the side of nobility due to hierarchy and red tape. Akito would snarl back like a wounded wolf, determined to hide his hurt. With Toya having to maintain relations and Akito wanting to have nothing to do with nobility and politics, their relationship faltered. Tsukasa ruining a perfectly good friendship with his big mouth was just too depressing. They both ended up meeting their downfall in their own gruesome ways, without ever having the chance to reconcile. It was too cruel of a fate, Tsukasa hoped that they could get along now that Book Tsukasa wasn't around making fires that needed to be put out.
The examinations were carried out. Applicants were called on by test overseers to demonstrate whatever skill they had to take down the magical training dummies. Some of them took the form of a large golem, which was as terrifying as it was cool. Magic was real in this world; Tsukasa was actually watching someone throw lightning across the field to take out a fleeing dummy soldier. Tsukasa then watched as a cool-faced beauty took out several flying targets with a bow and arrow and was swiftly given a passing grade. He watched as less notable applicants failed due to being unable to conjure whatever magical beast or element or missing their target with their magically imbued playing cards they were hurling. Seto Kaiba remained safe on his throne, it appeared.
Akito was eventually called up. Tsukasa felt anticipation swell up as he watched the boy step forward, casually spinning his longsword like it was a mere baton. Tsukasa was pretty sure he couldn’t even replicate those moves if he had a baton. The test administrator narrowed his eyes at the display, not at all impressed at the flashiness coming from a non-noble. His hand glowed and the immobile training dummy morphed into a… that definitely wasn’t in the book. The dummy emerged as an intimidating, fire-breathing dragon. That couldn’t be fair at all, can it?
The black-scaled dragon stomped around, causing the training grounds to shake and distract plenty of other applicants trying to take down their own targets. Everyone was giving the dragon a wide berth, except for the man of the hour, who grinned cheekily and continued to spin his sword like he was in the final round of a national baton twirling competition. Focus, Akito, you’re about to be a roasted carrot!
The dragon didn’t seem to appreciate the routine, giving off an ear-shattering screech and flapping its wings. The kick-up wind blasted heated air currents across the field, forcing Tsukasa to shut his eyes to keep the dust out. When he opened them back up, Akito was already charging toward the dragon, sword out and laser-focused on its soft unprotected underbelly. The dragon seemed just as wary of this and beat its wings rapidly yet again until it flew up, up, far above the training grounds and away from anyone who didn’t have some sort of flying ability. Tsukasa looked over at the smirking administrator. Should you really be that proud about bullying a commoner boy this way? How could they expect one person alone to take down a whole dragon? The Akito from the book was only required to dispatch of some golems, which he did with a couple of sword slashes and a blast of fire, demonstrating his skill in both fields. What caused this drastic change in the plotline already?
Akito didn’t seem intimidated in the least. In fact, he actually sheathed his sword and plopped down on the ground. He made a show of it too, crossing his legs and lounging, resting the back of his head on interlocked fingers. Has the kid given up? Tsukasa was flabbergasted, looking back from Akito, to the enraged administrator, and to the other stunned applicants who were watching the whole display. The dragon was circling above like a scavenger bird waiting for the chance to scoop up a kill, and Akito was like a sitting Peking duck.
Suddenly the dragon dropped, nosediving toward the ground with its jaws open to expose its red maw. Shrieks of alarm sounded from nearby applicants, but Tsukasa was unable to take his eyes off the source of the pandemonium. Akito wasn’t just playing dead, he was performing.
Akito’s eyes snapped open the moment he was encased in red flames. The surrounding screams were pitched with terror as the audience believed they were witnessing a boy getting burnt to a crisp. The heat of the flames reached as far as Tsukasa, who continued to watch, enraptured.
An important ideology to keep for the magic system of this story was that one couldn’t make something out of nothing, just like alchemy. Any amount of mana put into a spell will cause a congruent amount of magic to manifest from it. A spellcaster can utilize mana crystals to amplify their overall mana input. But magical automatons, such as the training dummies, have a preset amount of power due to their mana crystal core. Their morphology is the only thing that can be adjusted. Therefore any training dummy turned into a fake soldier should have the same amount of magical power as a training dummy dragon. Tsukasa had forgotten such logic when he was blindsided by magic being cast before his very eyes.
Therefore he wasn’t shocked when he saw a sword pierce through the back of the dragon’s throat. The red dragon breath ceased, giving way to concentrated azure and fuchsia flames, Akito standing calmly in the center. The bright, colorful flames were dispelled as soon as the defeated dragon reverted into a faceless training dummy. Akito really just used his longsword like a javelin, hurling it through the open jaw of the dragon as it breathed out fire. Just how strong was his throwing arm?
All in all, it was a remarkable introductory fight by one of the main protagonists from the story. The exchange was dramatic, displaying Akito’s fortes such as his ability to keep cool under pressure and utilize his near-inhuman strength. It also couldn’t have lasted more than a minute.
“Akito!”
And the prince must have seen it as well. Here he comes now! And he was… visibly upset?
“Don’t you know how dangerous that was?” Toya walked over at a brisk pace, flushed and huffing like he’d just been sprinting. Akito’s little grin of satisfaction dissipated into a blank mask.
“Your Highness, to what do I owe the pleasure for such a visit?” Akito asked, giving a shallow bow that others might view as offensive but was probably as polite as Akito could possibly manage. That was stone cold. Tsukasa had forgotten that their relationship had already started to fall apart at this point. Toya’s parents, namely the King, had only grown more strict with the prince once he reached the age of being able to attend the academy. Therefore the two, who were once thick as thieves, were separated by their gap in station. Akito must have recognized why Toya had to follow formality but that didn’t mean it hurt any less.
“You know why, Akito,” Toya reproached, hands balled tightly and lips pressed in a line. The prince was perturbed by the aloof greeting and Akito didn’t seem like he’ll be more hospitable anytime soon. Time for Tsukasa to try his hand at some damage control.
“Your Highness!” Tsukasa cut in, catching the attention of both boys. “Wasn’t that an incredible showing from Akito? He went for the fastest method of catching his target off guard and dispatched of it in one go! He must’ve taken liberties because it was a training dummy, I doubt he would’ve gone for such a risky play if he were fighting a real dragon,” Tsukasa explained eagerly. He also had the foresight of Akito’s extensive talents as a fire mage. A training dummy dragon couldn’t really hold a candle to the control Akito had over his superheated, colored flames. Tsukasa turned to the knight-to-be for confirmation.
However, Akito stayed silent, neither confirming nor denying Tsukasa’s excuse. Not the greatest time to stay quiet, Akito. Toya crossed his arms, growing more doubtful by the second. Tsukasa patted Akito on the shoulder, much like one would slap a TV to get it to work. It only caused Akito to wrench his body away from the touch like he was trying to avoid getting dirty. Wow, if Akito was stone cold to Toya, he was like the Arctic to Tsukasa.
“Akito was very impressive, don’t you agree, your Highness?” Tsukasa said a bit desperately, trying again. Akito at least started to emote, baffled at the praise Tsukasa kept throwing at him, who was hoping at least something would stick. Toya blinked at the question. He then nodded like it was an obvious fact of life.
“Of course he was, Akito’s amazing. I just wish he didn’t literally just stand in the line of fire. He should’ve ceded and asked for a new opponent. In fact-” Toya promptly turned and flagged down the administrator observing Akito’s exam.
Tsukasa glanced over when he heard a quiet choking noise and noticed Akito’s face was flushed bright red. How strange, he didn’t think Akito had strained himself much during that fight. Maybe even fire mages can get too warm.
Toya was busy addressing the administrator, looking every bit like the royal that he was. “Administrator Otori, that was extremely irresponsible and negligent of you. You know that a dragon wasn't one of the recommended training models for the examination. What if it caused an actual panic? The other applicants could have been injured unnecessarily,” Toya condemned sternly.
“Your Highness, there isn’t any condition in the exam requiring that the chosen target could not be a dragon. The limited ruleset was implemented to not only test the range of an applicant’s skills, but their flexibility in handling unexpected situations. How could they be trusted to protect this kingdom if they aren’t prepared for any possible circumstance? If the applicants panic from something as minor as a fake dragon then surely they’ve already proven themselves unfit to serve our country,” Administrator Otori justified, tapping his fantasy equivalent of a clipboard with his feather pen. “Besides, applicant Akito Shinonome made a passible attempt in carrying out his task.”
Only passible? Akito took it out in one hit, didn’t you just watch? Toya seemed to think the same thing but thought better of responding.
“It’s good you’re making nice with the peasantry but you shouldn’t be so emotionally driven, or so obvious with where your favor lies, your Highness. If you would excuse me, I must continue with my assessments,” Administrator Otori dismissed them with a pompous smirk and walked off. Toya stared at the ground, body stiff with frustration.
“Toya.” A small gasp escaped the prince upon hearing his own name. His attention swiveled back to Akito.
Akito had a small, yet genuine smile on his face. “Told you rich people were fucking pricks.”
Toya laughed, the stiffness leaving him with the sound. “I told you, you can’t say that, Akito.” Akito walked over to join the prince, and they soon launched into banter like the best friends they once were. Oh good, they’re finally talking to each other again! Tsukasa could cry with relief.
“Tsukasa Tenma!” As soon as one incident was over, another must arise. A different administrator strode over and Tsukasa left the boys to it, not wanting to disrupt the tentative truce they had formed.
Tsukasa faced his administrator, who hummed as he probably recalled whatever spiel the school board had made about taking it easy on the Tenma kid. Tsukasa rubbed his sweaty palms on his fancy, pressed pants, one of the least ostentatious pieces of clothing he discovered in his closet. He went with the most practical outfit he could find, since most of the others looked like something straight from a renaissance fair. He didn’t want to know how expensive they were and was not looking forward to getting beat up in them.
His designated training dummy was transformed into a regular soldier, to Tsukasa’s relief. The fake soldier unsheathed its weapon and Tsukasa did the same. You got this, Tsukasa Tenma. Remember your training. Your 6-hour, last-minute training. All you have to do is defeat this man-sized magical being with a sword. Tsukasa decided to stop thinking and swing.
The dummy blocked the first blow and returned it with one of its own, albeit exaggeratedly telegraphed. Tsukasa stepped back to evade and threw a jab right at the chest.
The dummy was stabbed and allowed the momentum to throw itself backward, landing on the ground with a dead thump. And ceased moving. The administrator scribbled something on his clipboard.
…Even in a bout of fencing the opponent had to be hit 15 times. The dummy went down immediately after one hit. The power of nepotism was too much. Tsukasa looked over and saw Toya and Akito still talking with each other. Well, at least they were making up. Maybe the administrator had called Tsukasa over while the prince was distracted on purpose. Toya certainly wouldn’t have let such favoritism slide had he just seen what happened. The academy was blatant with their partiality for nobility while trampling over any chances the commoners had.
Without much else to do but accept his fate, Tsukasa stood by idly and watched as his administrator nodded to him and walked off. Should he feel thankful? He was mostly suffused with guilt, even if it wasn't up to him to cheat on the exam. But he needed to do this to save Saki…
"Wow what a show!"
Tsukasa jumped with a loud yelp at the unexpected voice, spoken right into his ear. He looked to the side and was met with effusive pink.
"Ah, the name's Mizuki! I'm guessing you're a well-to-do noble, right?" Mizuki grinned cheekily, taking a step closer when Tsukasa took a step back. "You don't think you could hook me up, could you?"
So someone else was watching, of course there was. His administrator couldn't have let him get beat up some before calling it quits, could he? Clearly, the school board wasn’t bribed enough to make his examination win “believable”.
In this type of situation, the best thing to do was feign ignorance.
"Hahaha, I think you’re charming enough to not need any help from me with that?” Tsukasa played off, which only caused Mizuki’s grin to grow.
“Aww thanks, pretty boy. You’re not so bad yourself, although that wasn’t exactly what I meant,” Mizuki rejoined, throwing an arm over Tsukasa’s shoulder and locking him in place. Tsukasa winced as he felt a muscle spasm under the unyielding grip.
Mizuki was another one of the knights that would go on to join the Royal Guard. Despite being more free-spirited than what was expected of a proper knight, Mizuki performed their job well and was a force to be reckoned with. It was alluded to in the book that Mizuki was hiding some sort of secret, possibly one bordering on treason, that they were using their illusion magic to cover it up. However, that subplot was never fully delved into.
Instead, Mizuki later defected from the kingdom, committing actual treason before their secret could be discovered. They were suddenly nowhere to be found after a brutal battle against the Book’s main villain’s deadly forces. It was only on the desperate insistence of Akito’s sister that Mizuki was alive somewhere that they weren’t ruled as a tragedy of war. She begged for a search party to help look for the missing knight, but they were never found over the course of the story. Although Mizuki wasn’t explicitly stated to have died in the story, being forgotten and not having a resolution to your character arc was in a way a tragic end. Tsukasa felt pity for the future knight, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t wary of them either.
“Tsukasa Tenma, right? That’s what that sleazy proctor over there called you. Anyway, you see, good sir, I saw something really interesting just now. And I tend to have loose lips around people who could help me out~”
Tsukasa was then locked into an intense staredown with his captor, a cold sweat started to break out as he tried to figure out the least incriminating thing to say. Nothing came to mind.
Mizuki then suddenly stepped back and sighed despondently. Tsukasa could already feel an ache in his shoulders building due to the intense pressure on them moments ago. Future knights of the Royal Guard really couldn’t be taken lightly. "Man, you really have no poker face. Lighten up, man It’s not like I was the only one who saw what just happened, and none of them cared. And even if I was, no one’s going to take a commoner’s word over a noble’s. They quite literally rule the world,” Mizuki shrugged.
Tsukasa felt like yelling. And so he did.
Mizuki jumped and stared at him wide-eyed. Then they laughed hysterically.
“HAHAHA, by Gods! You got quite a pair of lungs there, friend!”
“Then we’re even. Since you scared me earlier,” Tsukasa announced smugly.
Mizuki seemed accepting of his rejoinder. They gave an apologetic shrug. “Can't blame me for trying, it only gets tougher here on out," They then take up an inquisitive stance, holding their chin with their fingers. "Although your form was pretty interesting, much better than a lot of the sheltered nobles that pay to win through life."
Tsukasa tilted his head in question. "My form?" Tsukasa wondered if fencing existed in this world.
"It just seemed like such an understated style for a guy who stands out like you do. I wouldn't mind a little spar with you, once academy life starts up," Mizuki said, tapping the sheathed saber at their side. Something off to the side then caught Mizuki's attention. "Oh shit, gotta run, I'll catch you later Sir Tenma."
They slapped Tsukasa on his still-smarting shoulder, which nearly knocked him over, waved and ran off. Oof, if this is how it feels just to feel a friendly tap then Tsukasa had no idea how he'd survive a sparring round.
Soon he was once again joined by Toya and Akito.
“Tsukasa, I apologize for not greeting you earlier. Did you just finish up your examination?” Toya smiled as he inquired. He and Akito both were in much better moods, like some great weight was lifted from their shoulders. Akito nodded a greeting to him as well. He seemed to have a better opinion of Tsukasa after he enabled them to make up.
“Ah yes, my exam went by fairly quickly! I think my administrator went easy on me,” Tsukasa forced out a triumphant laugh. A bit too easy.
Toya nodded in acquiescence. "I'm sorry we missed it. The examinations should wrap up soon. Let's wait for the closing remarks together."
Once the results were finalized the day was finally concluded. The uptight head administrator came back out to give a half-hearted congratulations to the passing examinees and dismissed them. Tsukasa was finally allowed to go back home. They will be expected to pack whatever essentials they need to bring along with them and move into the barracks on campus later in the week.
Tsukasa had a couple of days to relax, dote on his sister, and ponder a bit at how Book Tsukasa and he were essentially raised the same way by their parents, which was not at all. That aside, he had a nice time putting his head on right about how he would handle his future school years. Maybe he should be putting more thought into how he could return home to his real world, but it was also just nice getting to see a smiling face as he ate dinner. Maybe Tsukasa was lonelier than he thought.
Besides, he imagined that once he ran the course of the novel’s story he’d probably be returned home. He needed to do his best to keep himself and his new acquaintances from dying, and the best route for that was to not stir up trouble. He just needed to keep his head down while keeping tabs on major plot points. Maybe he should write them down… The next one should be the academy's upcoming expedition, for hands-on experience in dealing with monsters.
The afternoon before the first day, Tsukasa had received a missive about enrollment and roommate assignments. It seemed that even the title of nobility doesn't get you a room to yourself. Or maybe his parents had cared just enough about getting him into the academy but after that he was left to his own devices.
After dinner, Saki offered to clean the dishes so Tsukasa could relax and read the missive. What did Book Tsukasa do to deserve such a polite, caring sister? Never mind that they could just ask a maid to prepare dinner and clean, they had both decided on their own that they’d prefer to do such chores together. Tsukasa effusively praised his lovely sister for being so considerate, which made Saki giggle as she took the praise with grace. Tsukasa finally undid the wax seal on the letter and read the message. And reread it. Oh no.
Oh, how could Tsukasa have forgotten? The main villain of the novel had gone on to carry out such grandiose atrocities, razed whole towns to the ground with a mere flick of the hand and bodied renowned knights with a sadistic smirk on his face. But such a man had humble origins, one of his first notable steps being his enrollment into the Royal Academy. Despite all his sins, he was Tsukasa’s favorite character in the novel, the one who he stuck through angst and turmoil with just to see how his journey ended.
And now he was Tsukasa's roommate.