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Chapter Text

Just another school day had ended for Tsukasa. He packed his belongings into his bag and headed to the school gate while changing his shoes by the lockers. You might ask, "How was his day?" The answer would be "average," just like Tsukasa himself. He didn't have many friends, to be honest, he had none. His grades were average, and his parents were not super famous, just a normal couple. His father worked as a manager in a technical company, and his mother was a piano teacher, to whom he must thank for teaching him to play the piano, his only distraction from the stress of living in this world.

He also had a younger sister named Sachi. To be honest, their relationship was not the best. Their mother got pregnant with her when Tsukasa was 6. During that time, his parents showered him with love, but after Sachi's birth, it was as if someone replaced him. They would ignore him to fulfill every need of his newborn sister. No, just because his parents ignored him because of Sachi didn't mean that he would hate her. It hadn't been that way, or so Tsukasa hoped. With all the doting from their parents at the age of 6, Sachi was already a spoiled brat. Each time Tsukasa remembered that period, he questioned how he hadn't become a spoiled brat himself when their parents also doted on him as much as her. A fast thought would run across his mind, 'Maybe I'm just lucky.'

As you may have guessed, because of Sachi's spoiled personality, she and Tsukasa clearly could not get along. She would try to mock him, saying that their parents were only her and they didn't love him anymore. How funny it was when their parents also turned a cold shoulder to her. After Sachi's 6th birthday, their parents drastically changed, just like 6 years ago. ‘Were we like some toys to them? Toys with an expiration date after which they throw away? Or did their desire to be loving parents end when the child reaches 6 years old?' That thought would always linger in Tsukasa's mind when he was in silent places. So Tsukasa would start tapping on any vertical surfaces, like he would tap on the keys of the piano, to create noise to distract himself from that thought. So, when Tsukasa got into high school, which had dorms on its grounds, you wouldn't need to ask him twice to get a room in this dorm. For Tsukasa, it was a chance to finally leave that place where he felt only hopelessness and sadness. His family didn't react much to his moving; no one cared enough to react to this.

Back to the present time, Tsukasa was heading to the dorms. After 10 minutes of walking to the school gates, he turned left just in front of them and went down the road to the back of the school where the 6-story building resided. Tsukasa's room was on the 3rd floor, so it didn't take long for him to get to the front of his room's door. Tsukasa searched his bag for keys, and after he found them, he opened the door and entered his room. The only benefit of being a 3rd-year student, in Tsukasa's eyes, was that for his last year of studying, he didn't need to share a room with someone. All the exams and sleepless nights because of the fear that he would not pass the exams and join a good college that awaited him turned plain when he finally could come into his room, put off his shoes, and jump face-first onto his bed without hearing angry shouting directed at him.

After lying for 15 minutes, gathering enough strength and will, Tsukasa rolled onto his back so he could look at the ceiling. He quickly scanned his room to find where he had thrown his bag. Not even a minute had passed before Tsukasa found it with his eyes, lying near his bed. 'Luckily, I don't have to get up to get it.' he thought as he stretched his leg and hooked his foot into the straps of his bag. Then he pulled it towards himself, and when his bag was resting on his stomach, he started rummaging through its contents. Tsukasa didn't plan on doing his homework right now after all the classes , he just wanted to relax and do some brain work later. After he found his phone, he gently put his bag onto the ground next to his bed, near where he originally found it. Tsukasa swiftly turned on his phone and entered his password '090613,' which was the date when he, his parents, and even his sister were not cold to each other and went together to watch a show at the theater. The play was about a moving circus and had a lot of magic tricks in it. That was probably the happiest day Tsukasa had in his life. He and his family were happily smiling, just like the rest of the audience. The most memorable thing for Tsukasa was the final scene where the main character played the piano, while all the friends he walked along with during the performance sat around him and happily listened to him play a happy melody. After the performance ended, he and his family walked home, Tsukasa got an idea to also play the piano for his family. But when they got home and Tsukasa asked them to listen to him play, each family member denied or even ignored him. This left Tsukasa feeling bittersweet because he couldn't make his family as happy as the actors on the stage.

He checked his messages and found that he got an email. He clicked on the message to open the email itself. Just as he expected, maybe his day would turn from 'average' to something more interesting: a notification that the final 10 chapters of the novel he had been reading since the start of high school was released and could be read on the site. The novel had the most cringe-worthy name a person could create, so Tsukasa won't even repeat its name in his head. The novel was about a magic school, knighthood, and so on. In short, the novel was the typical fantasy novel with a bunch of short stories with the same plot and twists. The only difference from any other fantasy novel was that it had beautiful characters. Yes, Tsukasa was serious! Even without looking at the cover of the novel, which featured all the character’s beautiful faces, the author himself wrote paragraphs describing their beauty. Tsukasa didn't actually care much about fashion or beauty in real life, but he just needed to add this point to his review because it only had two points, and the second one is that this novel contained a lot of gore, really a lot. The author mercilessly killed characters and seemed to enjoy describing their deaths as much as describing their beauty. Well, actually, for Tsukasa, the novel had three points, but the third one was just his favoritism. The third point was that the novel had a character, The Dark Alchemist. So, the third point wasn't really valuable because the novel can't be rated just because it has a character and not by its plot. But Rui, the name of the Dark Alchemist, which the author refused to just say and hid behind riddles in the text, can only be discerned if you read carefully and, in principle, smart. Needless to say, after Tsukasa found out about the riddles, he reread the novel a few times from the very beginning and hadn't slept for some days just to find out the Alchemist's name. Rui was, sadly or not, the main antagonist of the novel. A powerful human in magic, technology, and alchemy, a genius one would say. Some people in the comments below the novel would write that Rui should be nerfed because he's too overpowered, and Tsukasa would delete their comments with the moderator privilege he got from the author himself as thanks for reading from the beginning when the novel hadn't even finished its first volume and promoting his novel on different websites for free. In Tsukasa's defense, he thinks that a villain should be this powerful, or it will not be interesting to watch how the protagonist tries to defeat him.

Back to the new chapters. These 10 chapters were the final ones, which would end the 8th volume and the novel itself. Tsukasa could feel how his palms were getting sweaty and how his heart rate quickened. Three years he waited, and now he can finally find out what ending the author prepared. He tapped on the screen to be sent to the website and started reading. 

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☆

After 3 hours of reading, Tsukasa finally finished, and the ending, in the softest way to say, left him surprised. 

"HOW THE HELL CAN A NOVEL END WITH THE PROTAGONIST DEAD AND THE VILLAIN WINNING!?!?" Tsukasa screamed with his full lungs. Needless to say, this ending left Tsukasa incredibly shocked. 'Author, I know I write a lot, I mean A LOT, of comments, you can say, "simping" Rui, but it doesn't mean I want the main characters to die!!!' Tsukasa thought and decided not to scream despite wanting to because it's already late, and students from rooms beside him can complain about him being loud to the teacher. But really, Tsukasa wholeheartedly loved Rui's character and sometimes didn't want the novel to end because by all stereotypes, the protagonist wins and kills, or something similar that will make the antagonist pay for his wrongdoings, the villain. 'BUT THIS ENDING!?!' Tsukasa couldn't get out of his mind the last paragraphs of the novel, which left him the most confused.

' And now, when the last knight and the last hope of the kingdom had died, nothing could stop the Alchemist. A lonely figure with purple hair stood in the destroyed dining room of a noble's household. Through a broken wall, one could see the ruined magical academy that this figure had attended and later been expelled from, and nearby, the ruined castle of the royal family stood lifelessly. The figure had a blank look on their face. They didn't know whether to feel happy or sad, to laugh or cry. No one was left alive; all humans had either been buried under their house, eaten by monsters, or unluckiest of all, killed by the Alchemist himself. 

After a long moment of silence, the figure started to mumble something. The only things one could hear were, 'If it all ended... that means... he'll... stop reading..."'

And the paragraph abruptly ends here. 'What Rui means by that!?!' Couldn't stop asking Tsukasa.

After a long minute of silence and staring at the ceiling, Tsukasa decided to write a message to the author to ask if the file that he uploaded was damaged because after Rui's incomplete line, there were blank pages afterward. Tsukasa lifted himself to sit on the bed and lean against the wall and started to type a message.

'Hello, Author-san! Could you please check if the file containing the last 10 chapters is damaged because there are some problems with it!'

Tsukasa decided not to start a conversation with complaints about the ending. 'I can ask the author later on why he chose this type of ending, plus there were 3-4 blank pages so maybe there will be an explanation, no need to confront the author himself.' While Tsukasa was thinking about what could be in these blank pages, a reply message arrived.

'REALLY?ヽ((◎д◎))ゝ,IS IT REALLY DAMAGED (´；ω；｀)?'

'Ah, again with his emojis...' Thought Tsukasa with a sigh. Whenever Tsukasa would contact the author, he would always use a lot of emojis during their talk.

'AH! IT'S TRUE! THE FILE IS DAMAGED (｡ŏ﹏ŏ) . DON'T WORRY! MAYBE IN 2 HOURS I CAN TRY TO FIX IT!!!!!'

' It's okay, luckily, I checked it when it just came out and it is the middle of the week, some people maybe will leave this chapter to read for the weekends because of work or school so you don't need to hurry too much.'

'Ah, Tsukasa-kun, you're the best!(*꒪ヮ꒪*) What would I do without you.'

"Probably would get depressed and stop writing the novel because of hate comments and forgetting about updating..." Mumbled Tsukasa with a sigh. It was true, as a moderator, Tsukasa really would delete those hate comments, not the comments which had good critics and sense but the ones that would just talk shit about the author and characters. He would also repeatedly remind the author of the update schedule because by looks, he would forget about it every time. 

'Since you are so reliable, Tsukasa-kun, can i tell you a secret? ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ'

It piqued his interest, what secret could the author have? By talking for 3 years with him, Tsukasa got the impression that the author is the type of person who would ask a question and then answer it themself or they will tell you everything about themself even if you didn't ask for it. Overall a very extroverted person who can't hold himself from rambling.

'Sure... I guess? But only if it's about the novel.'

'Of course! It's about the novel! (◕ᴥ◕)'

'So I got a request from redactors to rewrite some side characters for the novel to improve the plot (灬º‿º灬). I'm kinda bad at writing the side characters ʕ´• ᴥ•̥`ʔ, BECAUSE IF I WRITE A CHARACTER I WANT TO SHOWER THEM WITH LOVE!!(*＾3＾)/～♡ But later, redactors say that I overpowered them and now they need to be one of the main characters cuz side characters don't have that much power.....'

'Well it's true. All characters that were given at least some screen time were either powerful or super beautiful, only the main characters had both.'

'I think it's a good idea! But it's true that you, Author-san, tend to make every character too powerful to let them be side characters...So what will you do?'

'Oh! OoOh! I think I can try to find some other writers and ask them to try writing some side characters for me.(＾∇＾)ﾉ'

'Meaning the novel will have a co-author soon?'

'YEAH!!!!!(つ≧▽≦)つ╰(⸝⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝⸝)╯'

Tsukasa smiled, maybe getting a co-author will be a good thing. The plot would change with the appearance of some side characters who won't be overpowered. 'Maybe then, there will be a better ending for Rui!'

'Oh Tsukasa-kun! Finally, the art commission that I ordered is finished! ╰(＾3＾)╯ Since you helped me a lot, you can check it out earlier than other readers! Psps, this one features Rui from head to hips in the left side of the art!( ˶ ❛ ꁞ ❛ ˶ )'

Just as Tsukasa finished reading the message and after a minute processing what it said, Tsukasa jumped and straightened up, thereby accidentally causing his phone to fly up. But Tsukasa quickly reacted and caught it in the air. With a blushing face, he began frantically typing a response message.

'REALLY!?!?? CAN YOU SEND IT TO ME THROUGH EMAIL TO GET IT IN THE BEST QUALITY?????!!'

'OF COURSE OF COURSE!!(/^-^(^ ^*)/ I'LL SEND YOU!!'

After he saw a message he sighed with relief and got a gentle, happy smile on his face. He collected all possible official arts and fan arts with Rui, he even had a folder with Rui's pictures. This was one of the privileges and advantages when communicating with the author. The author apparently had a lot of extra money because he liked to order art not only for covers but also just for fun which he would just post on his account. After their communication began, the author began to order art from Rui more often and always sent them to Tsukasa first, then posted them on his account. Once, the author even wrote a mini fanfic which was about Tsukasa and Rui acting as a married couple as a gift on Tsukasa's birthday. Needless to say that was the best birthday ever, and while reading this fanfic Tsukasa had his face as red as a tomato. In it, Tsukasa was from a nobel family and he went to the same academy as Rui and it just told about their usual life.

'I want to thank you again, Tsukasa-kun, for staying with me from the beginning of the novel to the end(◍•ᴗ•◍)❤ I hope you will like how the story ends!'

'No need to thank me so much. I'm also happy to read this novel and see how the popularity of this novel was rising. And yeah I'm waiting to read the not damaged file and see the ending. '

' Oh! It's so late already! Author-san, I'll be going to bed, and you also head to bed! You'll need the energy to get the perfect co-author!!!!'

'Oh, okay! Goodnight, Tsukasa-kun! ꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡'

After finishing reading the message, Tsukasa put his phone on the nightstand near the bed and went to the closet to get a towel and pajamas, then he headed to the bathroom. He decided to wash himself and go to bed, because of all the excitement from the chapters, he kinda got a little sweaty. 

About homework, he didn't forget! He just decided to wake up early and do it then, it's not like he didn't do it before.

After a quick shower and changing clothes, Tsukasa turned the lights off and went to bed. Before drifting to sleep, a thought ran across his mind. 'I hope the new co-author won't be some asshole who just decided to change a whole plot. And he better give Rui a better ending or at least more screen time.' 'But who am I kidding? Rui is the main antagonist, he already has a lot of screen time, but we sadly don't know much about his past...' on this thought, Tsukasa fell asleep.

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☆

After Tsukasa went to bed for a few hours, a message from an unknown sender was delivered to his phone. In the message, it writes: 

'Hello-hello lucky one! I congratulate you for being chosen as the co-author of the novel you've been reading (つ≧▽≦)つ! I hope that you will work hard to improve the plot of this novel(◍•ᴗ•◍) I wish you the best of luck @$#_@$#!!'

Suddenly the phone screen lit up and a white figure crawled out of it. After a few moments, it was already standing near the bed, no longer glowing. Light purple hair with a blue streak glistened under the moonlight coming from the window. A monocle was worn on the left eye, and the eyes themselves were yellow. At first, they walked around the whole room, but then they stared only at one point, on a sleeping figure on the bed. The stranger's eyes softened, a gentle smile appeared on his lips. He quietly sat down on the bed next to the sleeping man and slowly extended his palm to his cheek, gently and almost weightlessly, the stranger stroked Tsukasа's cheek. From the outside, one could see how much love was put into this movement and in the very eyes that looked at the sleeping person. He said with a smile and a carefree voice "We finally met each other, my number one fan.". After these words, the smile turned from gentle to cunning. While one hand was still stroking Tsukasa's cheek, the other hand reached for the phone on the nightstand. Taking the device in hand, after examining it, the person once again turned to look at the sleeping face. "I'll show you a very interesting world, my dear..."

After those words, the phone's screen lit up even more and engulfed both humans in its light. Barely a second later, the light disappeared just like the two figures on the bed.

Chapter Text

Tsukasa's consciousness began to slowly appear, but he did not open his eyes. Tsukasa had a habit where he always woke up a few minutes before the alarm, as if his body knew that a loud noise would soon sound and it was better to wake up in advance so that he would not get scared by it. A minute passed but the ringing noise didn't break the silence. And with the minutes passing, Tsukasa's consciousness became more clear. Lying on his stomach with his face buried in the pillow, Tsukasa began to remember yesterday's events and understood the reason for the silence. He probably forgot to set the alarm after his shower, but he won’t blame himself too much because a lot happened yesterday and it’s easy to forget such a small thing. Overcoming his drowsiness, which instantly disappeared when Tsukasa remembered about his unfinished homework, he raised his hands and turned to the side where the bedside table stood. As soon as he opened his eyes, Tsukasa froze. Slowly, he began to turn his head and look around the room. When he had shook his head around several times, he dropped his hands and fell face first into the pillow.

"WHAT THE HEEEEEEEEEELL!?!?!" Tsukasa screamed at the top of his lungs but the pillow muffled his voice. Then he just froze, some passerby would have thought that he died from the lack of air, but in fact, Tsukasa started frantically thinking about all the possible reasons of how he could get into this luxurious room, covered with gold at every corner? He very quickly rejected the possibility that he could have been kidnapped for blackmailing his parents, because the kidnappers wouldn’t put their victims in this fancy room without any measures of being sure that the victims won't escape. And the second reason was that the room resembled a style of Italy? 'And I think its name was Barrocco', Tsukasa remembered that they seemed to have gone through this style in some lessons, meaning he was nowhere near Japan.

Another possible reason that quickly came to mind and was the most absurd. This is the one which said that maybe he got isekaid into some kind of novel, and by all principles, he should have isekaid to the novel he recently read...

After he remembered which novel he had read for the last time, to be more precise, only its cringy title from which he caught second-hand embarrassment, Tsukasa began to think about what character he could become. Rui is immediately out of the question, although we know almost nothing about his past, it was clearly shown that he hates rich people, so the whole fandom and Tsukasa himself decided that Rui probably did not come from a prosperous family. Akito also isn’t the answer, but he is not from a poor family, he’s simply from an ordinary family. 'So it must be Prince Toya?' Tsukasa thought. Without hesitation, Tsukasa simply decided to get up, find a mirror and see who he had become without all these guessing games. Tsukasa got out of bed and walked to the door that probably led to the bathroom, noticing along the way that his clothes had changed, which once again supported his second theory about getting isekaid. Tsukasa opened the door to the bathroom with a sharp movement of his hand and quickly walked to the mirror, which stood sideways to the door. Approaching the mirror, Tsukasa expected to see any face from the cover of the novel, but not his own...

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It seemed to Tsukasa that he had been standing in front of the mirror for an eternity, looking at his unchanged face. 'Then who am I?' The thought suggested itself. When he was able to look away from the mirror, he heard as if some heavy door was open. 'Oh, maybe it's the door that was opposite the bed. That is probably the entrance door to the room' After that sound, there were sounds like someone was jumping towards the bathroom, humming some kind of melody. And as soon as Tsukasa saw this person, it was a girl with bright blue hair, two long tails on each side of her head. Where there should have been elastic bands that would hold the hair in place, there were something like cat ears, but the girl did not have a tail. There were stars in her eyes, Tsukasa is serious right now. Instead of black pupils, the girl had golden stars, one for each eye. 'What else could I expect from a fantasy novel?'. 

When the girl already noticed him standing near the mirror, her smile, which was already wide, only became wider. She said in a clear voice: “Oh Master Tsukasa! Are you feeling better yet? How lucky that it is today! This will become even better!” When she finished her sentence, she was already standing in front of him holding both his hands in hers.'So my name is still Tsukasa? Maybe I ended up in the wrong novel that I thought about.'

One would think that the girl noticed the guy's confusion, so she said: "Tsukasa Tenma, heir to the Tenma family, which can be considered almost the richest family in all Mikulandia. Since childhood, you and your sister have had poor health. The other day, you fainted and could not come to your senses for a whole week. This made the whole house worry, your younger sister and your mother were especially worried about you. They thought about delaying your entry into the academy, but your father was against it and said that they had to wait until you woke up. I am Mika, your personal servant who is always here to help you. "

The first thing that came to Tsukasa's mind after the long "Mika"s monologue, is that it's somehow suspicious that she gave almost a part of his biography instead of just saying that he fainted for several days. Before Tsukasa could think more deeply about this topic, in a second, he forgot what he was thinking about just now. Quickly gathering himself as Mika was still standing in front of him, who seemed unconcerned that he still hadn't said a word, he began to ponder about the key information. 'Mikulandia is the kingdom in which the plot of the novel unfolds with Rui as the antagonist, so I guessed right which novel I ended up in. The next thing is that the Tenma family actually existed in the novel, but was only mentioned as the richest family in the kingdom and the very first family that was attacked by Rui's army of monsters. Tenma's name was never raised again so I don't know if the son of this family is truly called Tsukasa.' Tsukasa decided that he had processed enough information for the present time, and finally decided to answer the figure standing opposite to him. "I-" His speech was abruptly cut off by a cough and a dry throat. " Oh, you just laid there for a whole week and didn’t drink a drop of water!” Mika exclaimed. “Let me make you some warm tea for your throat.” Mika then pulled Tsukasa back by their still entwined hands into a room with the bed, she sat him on a luxurious golden-colored sofa in front of which there was a small table. “For now, sit down, and I’ll make your favorite tea right now.” So Mika let go of Tsukasa's hands on his lap and walked away from him. Out of the corner of his eye, Tsukasa noticed that she went towards the lockers and began to look for something there. 'Perhaps I will at least recognize the tea preferences of the former owner of this body' 

Mika quickly returned with a tray, there was one cup and a teapot from which a little smoke flowed through the neck. Mika elegantly took the teapot by the handle and just as elegantly poured tea into the cup. Although it was an ordinary action, when the blue-haired girl performed it, it seemed like you were watching a whole show. When the tea had almost reached the brim of the cup, Mika stopped and gently moved the cup towards Tsukasa. Tsukasa had almost forgotten that he was actually here, rather than watching the performance as a spectator. Tsukasa took the cup by the handle and brought the cup to his face to take a sip. His eyes widened in surprise, not because the tea could be so tasty, but because it would be 'Peach...my favorite type of tea'. Noticing the surprise on the guy’s face, Mika said, “As always, I added to your favorite peach tea...” "2 teaspoons of sugar and three drops of lemon juice..." Both people finished their sentences. At this, Mika smiled even more: “I’m glad that you have already begun to recover from your sleepy state.” Mika started to walk towards the front door, but right in front, she turned to face Tsukasa again. “Now is the time for all the servants to gather together and give a report to the head butler. After the report, I'll come back and bring you something for a snack. Along the way, I can tell your sister and mother that you woke up and they-” "WAIT A MINUTE!" Tsukasa interrupted Mika with his shout. Mika had already stood in place, but now she stood with a look that said she was listening. “Umm...I don’t want to tell anyone yet...that I woke up...” At this, Tsukasa’s voice died. Is it because of tea? Or is it because of unknown reasons, Tsukasa could not think of a single reason why it should not be known that he woke up. 'Probably the sister and mother of the real Tsukasa are really looking forward to the message about “his” awakening, but I’m not the same Tsukasa... In addition, the last time anyone worried about me was when I was little and got sick very badly, it seems that I was still admitted to the hospital then, so my parents remembered me. I don't know how I'll react when they come, so I want to put off their visit as long as possible.'

When Tsukasa was lost in thoughts, he did not notice that he had not given a good reason and was already to realize now... “Okay, Master Tsukasa! I will quickly return to you with food and will not say anything to anyone. And do you perhaps need something else, Master Tsukasa?" Tsukasa hesitated a little, then replied, “Books... bring me books about the aristocracy of our kingdom and about the customs and manners of our kingdom... Um, I need this because if I go to the academy then it’s better to revise everything so as not to disgrace the Tenma family!” Tsukasa said the last part of the phrase louder and a little faster than the beginning. 'You have to be careful and always come up with plausible excuses.' Mika smiled, "Okay, Master Tsukasa." making a small bow before she turned around to face the door. When she had already reached her hand to the handle halfway, she stopped, hesitated. Tsukasa just raised a questioning eyebrow at this.

Mika suddenly moved, standing a few seconds ago near the door and now directly in front of Tsukasa and abruptly hugged him into her arms. Needless to say, Tsukasa was stupefied before he heard Mika mumble something under her breath but he couldn’t understand, so he asked again and she said, “I’m just really glad that Master Tsukasa woke up.” At this point, she let him go, but Tsukasa was still frozen and all of this was because of Mika's eyes . They really showed so much happiness and a little excitement that Tsukasa even felt a little embarrassed because these eyes had to be shown to the real Tsukasa. ‘Since we're in the world of a novel, there would probably be something like the 'My servant is my childhood friend' trope between Mika and the real Tsukasa.' The thought ran through Tsukasa's head. 'Well, if I'm now 'Tsukasa', then I should try and play him' "DON'T WORRY MIKA! I feel great after your tea!" Tsukasa spoke in a loud voice, but after that, he became worried. 'Why did I think that the real Tsukasa is loud?' But Tsukasa's worries instantly disappeared when he saw Mika smile happily. “Uh-huh!” Mika replied and with more confidence than before, she went to the door. "I promise I'll be back quickly!" She said goodbye before leaving the room.

Now Tsukasa was left alone again. Sitting down comfortably, placing his elbows on his knees and holding his palms together, he buried his chin in them and began to think. 'Okay, let's start with the information I know. I am 100% in the novel with Rui, I am the heir of one of the richest families that was mentioned at most twice. My appearance and voice remained the same, and even my tastes in tea coincided with 100% accuracy with Tsukasa from the novel. As for the appearance, it’s possible because we’ve never seen Tsukasa in the novel, so we can consider him an unseen a.k.a faceless extra, and perhaps that’s why the one who sent me here decided to give Tsukasa from the novel my appearance. I apparently have a caring family, I can only say that to my sister and mother, because what kind of father still wants to send his son to the academy when he fainted and no one knows when he will wake up?!?!'Tsukasa thought angrily, 'Okay, now we can think about the theories. If this is truly the world built on the plot of said novel, then I must follow it. Presumably, I found myself at the beginning of the novel itself, when the main characters entered the academy.' Tsukasa tried to guess 'The plot...if the world is built on it, then probably I shouldn't change it because it will lead to consequences unknown to me.' After thinking a little more, Tsukasa angrily scratched the back of his head, 'What will happen to this world when the world reaches the end of the novel? Unknown. What happens if I change the plot itself? Unknown. Although it is partly possible to understand that the ending will change, but if it changes, then I won’t know what it will be and when it will happen!?' Unconsciously, Tsukasa sighed heavily and extend his right hand towards the table and began to tap the melody 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' as if on the keys of a piano. 'Maybe when the ending of the novel happens, this world will cease to exist and I will be returned back to my body and world...?'

Tsukasa hardly ever thought that he would ever think about the destruction of the world and about transmigration into bodies. A sharp thought appeared in Tsukasa's head: 'Rui...I can see him...' After the thought passed and Tsukasa became fully aware, he blushed sharply. 'Foolish Tsukasa! Now is definitely not the time to think about Rui! We need to think about how I can return back to my world!' But thoughts about Rui only began to take over his mind even more, or rather the most intrusive. 'We didn't get a description of Rui when he was still in the academy... I'm sure the white academy uniform will look good with Rui's bright hair...' Tsukasa's face turned even redder at the image of Rui in a white uniform in his head. Tsukasa sighed and fell sideways onto the other part of the sofa, picking up a pillow at the same time. Pulling the pillow to his chest and covering part of his face so that only his eyes and above were visible from behind the pillow.

"I want...see...see Rui in uniform..." After Tsukasa said this, he had already completely buried his face into the pillow. But one thought made Tsukasa feel like he had been doused with cold water. 'I can’t make Rui a positive character...if Rui changes for the better, then in this world created based on the novel, the main antagonist will disappear and won’t the world become unbalanced...?' This thought quickly made Tsukasa's mood drop. 'It's okay...Rui is just a character from the novel.' For some reason, it was this thought that hurt his heart the most.

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After Tsukasa lay on the couch for some more time, he sat up and finished his tea. Soon, Mika returned and brought books and treats. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t bring you anything more filling, but you wanted to hide the fact that you had already woken up, so it would be suspicious if I asked the cook to prepare soup or something similar." It was clear from the girl’s face that she really was sorry, but Tsukasa just chuckled, “It’s okay, it’s more important for me to keep the secret that I woke up than to eat.” Tsukasa said with a smile, yet one could see that this smile was not sincere but more forced. Unfortunately, after all those thoughts, Tsukasa's mood dropped greatly and in order not to bother Mika, he decided to pretend that everything was fine. It was possible that Mika guessed that the smile was fake, but apparently she decided to remain silent. For the next few hours, Tsukasa read the books that Mika brought, drank tea and ate cookies in between. In general, Tsukasa learned a lot from the books, despite the fact that he read the novel, all because the author only focused on the main characters and his world-building was lame.

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When it started to get dark, Tsukasa decided that that was enough for today and he could go to bed. He turned to the left side where Mika stood, he suggested several times that she sit next to him or went and did something else, but she refused both options, saying that she was his personal servant, so she should always be nearby and that the servant could not sit next to their master. 'I need to somehow learn how to persuade her, because if she always stands next to me while I sit, I will feel like some kind of tyrant…' The thought ran through Tsukasa's head. "Mika, I'll probably go to bed early" on that Mika perked: "Then I should go and prepare a bathroom for you to bathe in and some new clothes, I should probably change the bed linen since you’ve been sleeping on it for a week now..." The end of the sentence was more like a mumble. “Master Tsukasa, give me 5 minutes. I’ll prepare everything for you.” Mika finally said. "Fine" Tsukasa replied neutrally.

It seemed that not even five minutes had passed before Mika had already returned from the bathroom and said that the bath was ready, that while Tsukasa was washing, she would change the bed linen. Tsukasa entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him, and leaned on it. Now, behind closed doors and without prying eyes, he can finally exhale heavily. This whole situation with moving to worlds, as expected, had a stressful effect on Tsukasa.

After standing at the door for a little while with his head down, looking at his slippers, Tsukasa raised his head and saw in front of him a ready-made bathtub from which a little steam was rising. With a calm step and along the way taking off his clothes, Tsukasa walked to the bathroom and climbed into it. The water was not as hot as it seemed because of the steam but was at a warm temperature. Warm baths always helped Tsukasa relax, but later, as Sachi grew up, he could no longer stay in the bathroom for a long time because some people started beating like a mad person on the door and asking him to hurry up and empty the bathroom. 'Sachi...mom....dad' At the same time, there was a deathly silence in Tsukasa’s head, a lot of noise from voices that spoke and did not stop talking. After sitting for a little longer in the warm water, doing nothing and looking into space, Tsukasa decided that it was time to speed up his bath because if he stayed here for too long, Mika might start to worry.

'Wow, how quickly he accepted something that does not belong to him and never will. These feelings of caring are not directed at him——'

Tsukasa slapped both of his cheeks with his hands at the same time while standing in front of the mirror. “I didn’t accept anything and I’m not going to, I have my own world with my people and I don’t need someone else’s. I’ll just have to pretend to be another person for a while. Like actors on stage, I will only play the role of Tsukasa Tenma, not myself. I already know that taking someone else’s things will not make you happy...." The beginning of his sentence seemed to be directed at Tsukasa in the mirror or Tsukasa from the novel, but the last sentence sounded more like a whisper; it was more like a reminder to Tsukasa himself.

Tsukasa pushed himself away from the sink he was leaning on while he was talking to Tsukasa in the mirror and headed towards the doors.

Opening the door, Tsukasa noticed that the bed linen was different and Mika was standing next to the bed. Hearing the sound of the door, Mika turned around to face him. There was still a smile on her lips. “Master Tsukasa, the bed is ready! You can go to bed,” Miku said and moved to the side as if to show.

Tsukasa nodded and walked over to the bed and lay down under the covers. Before Mika could turn off the lamp on the nightstand, the only light left in the room and leave, Tsukasa said, "You can address me as 'Tsukasa’” at the end of sentence, Tsukasa's voice became uncertain. At first, Mika had a blank face but quickly changed to a face with a very big smile. "Okay, Tsukasa-kun!" Tsukasa was surprised that she immediately started using the suffix '-kun' with his name but didn't pay much attention. "Good night, Mika" "Good night to you too, Tsukasa-kun." Tsukasa closed his eyes but could hear Mika turn off the lamp and leave the room. Sleep quickly overtook Tsukasa and he fell into a restful slumber.

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On the other side of the door, the girl leaned against the door and had a gentle smile on her face until she heard footsteps. She straightened up and removed the gentle smile from her face, replacing it with a tense, business-like one. The door that the girl was guarding was at the very end of the corridor on the right, and next to it, there was a large window where the light of the moon shined through. When the intruder came close enough that the light fell on them, the girl could see her. She stopped when the distance between them was 5 large steps. She had blue eyes and light dusty rose hair, worn on the side ponytail, on the right side of her head and tied up with a blue scrunchie. For several seconds, they were both silent, as if they were playing a game of whoever spoke first would lose. And the winner will not be the girl with the ponytail. "Mika-chan, what are you doing here almost in the middle of the night?” The girl said with a small smile on her lips. "Nothing, Mochizuki-san." one could notice that the girl felt uncomfortable when they addressed her in such a polite tone, but she didn't say anything. So they continued to look at each other until Mika’s smile suddenly disappeared. Just as abruptly she turned and began to walk towards Mochizuki, but she wasn’t walking towards her, she walked past her. Mika would have left the girl standing there if she hadn’t taken her hand. She turned to look at Mochizuki, she had a look of surprise on her face, as if she herself did not expect that she would grab her hand. Mika quickly came to her senses and blessed the girl with her usual smile "It's really all right, Honami-chan!". After Honami heard her name, she visibly relaxed. “It’s just that I’m really worried about when Master Tsukasa will wake up…” Mika said in a slightly melancholy voice. After these words, Honami felt an emotion of understanding run through her at the lyceum, then a sympathetic smile appeared. "Mika-chan, you are in no way to blame for what happened. Young Master Tsukasa had poor health since childhood, just like his younger sister Saki." After thinking for a while, Honami suggested, “Let’s go and have tea together in the servant’s room. Shiho-chan recently sent you a new type of tea-" Before Honami could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Mika, “Really!? I want it, I want it!” Honami just giggled and pulled Mika by her hand into the servant’s room to drink tea.

Chapter Text

When Tsukasa opened his eyes, he was no longer surprised by the sight in front of him. Still, he spent the whole day yesterday in this room, reading books, and had already almost memorized the entire interior of the room, so Tsukasa sat up on the bed. As soon as he rubbed his eyes, someone entered his room. He turned his head towards the door and saw Mika standing there with her already familiar smile. "Good morning, Tsukasa-kun! How did you sleep?" The girl asked in a joyful voice. To this, Tsukasa replied “Ah, everything is fine, yesterday I fell asleep very quickly, probably because I was reading without a break.” But he hid one thing, and this is that before he fully went to sleep, he heard some kind of sound, but it was so unclear that he could not even recognize what it was. 'It's probably not that important...' Tsukasa thought to himself. "I am very happy about it!" Mika answered sincerely. “And Tsukasa-kun... I have some bad news..." Mika said, quickly changing her behavior from cheerful to a little sad. Tsukasa focused his attention on these words. "What is it, Mika?" He answered back with some apprehension. 'Has it already been revealed that I'm not Tsukasa from the novel!?' Tsukasa thought nervously to himself. 

But his fear disappeared as soon as he heard Mika say, “Today, the family doctor was supposed to come and examine you because everyone still thinks that you didn’t wake up, but they didn’t say the exact time when he would come, because of this, we won’t be able to prepare anything to pretend that you haven’t woken up yet, so... I told them that you woke up. Forgive me Tsukasa-kun! I didn't keep my promise not to disclose that you are awake! "T

o this, Tsukasa only sighed with relief, of course only to himself. “Mika, when I asked you not to tell anyone, it was not a promise, but only a small request,” he calmly answered with the hopes that this will calm the girl down. 'It seems to me that her 'ears' are drooping more than before?' Tsukasa thought to himself. "Y-you're not mad at me?" Mika asked with big sad puppy eyes. "Of course not! " The guy answered with a soft smile, "Anyways, I thought today I would reveal to everyone that I had already woken up. I don't want people to keep worrying about me!" To be honest, Tsukasa wouldn’t even think about it, if it would be his will, he would want people to think that he fell into a coma for several years but.. 'It’s unlikely that Mika will be happy if she hears that I want to lock myself in my room forever, just to let the plot follow the canon and wait for my end from my favorite character, so this can be considered a white lie'. The girl was still sad, but later when she realized that Tsukasa was sincerely not angry with her, she became cheerful and happy like her usual self. "Then, Tsukasa-kun! We need to start getting ready!" The girl said and began to approach Tsukasa, pulling his hand so that he would get out of bed. "Getting ready for what...?" Tsukasa asked hesitantly. “For a tea party with your mother and little sister! Since you only woke up yesterday, and they think it’s tonight, they asked me to prepare a place for you to enjoy your tea party in your garden, Tsukasa-kun! So that you don't strain your body.” After processing everything Mika said, Tsukasa exclaimed 'WHAT!?!?" 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?! I AM NOT READY TO SEE MY RELATIVES!!!!' This phrase almost slipped out of his mouth."A— Um.. Mika, I’m somehow not feeling very well... Should we cancel the tea party...?" Tsukasa asked nervously while trying to pull his hand out of Mika’s steel grip. Mika stopped for a second from pulling Tsukasa by the hand so that she would get up and looked at Tsukasa for a long time, trying to discern in him whether he was telling the truth or not. Then a smile appeared on her face again and said, “Don’t worry, Tsukasa-kun! The tea I’ll brew and just fresh air will help your health! ” After this phrase, she resumed her actions in attempts to lift Tsukasa from the bed, but only now even stronger. 'Nooo Mika! Please have mercy! I thought we got along so well yesterday~...' You could see small tears collecting near the corners of Tsukasa's eyes when Mika finally succeeded and he had to prepare for the tea party.

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Of course… to say that Tsukasa did a lot of things to prepare for the tea party would be the biggest lie, because Mika did everything and she rejected all of Tsukasa’s attempts to help. Well, all the same, Tsukasa felt tired, as if it was true that he did everything, and not only the organized aspects, but also the tables and chairs, and the rest, he brought into the garden himself. Tsukasa could only dream of how he would sit in his room reading some books, drinking tea and talking with Mika, but these were all dreams in which Tsukasa hovered while sitting at the table in a luxurious garden. 

Tsukasa decided to take a break from his dreams and explore the garden which he was in. Looking around the garden, one could notice that there were many different flowers, but most of all, there were red carnations, the reason why there were many of them was unknown. 'This is Tsukasa's garden from the novel, so he probably liked them the most.' Tsukasa made up the reason on the fly. By the time Tsukasa had been trying to remember the meaning of this flower for more than 5 minutes, Mika had already arrived in the garden. "Tsukasa-kun? Is there something you don't like in the garden? We can change everything right now!" the girl said, noticing the complex expression on Tsukasa's face. As soon as Mika called the other servants to change something, Tsukasa quickly came out of his trance and stopped her. "NO! I LIKE EVERYTHING, I’M JUST ADMIRING THE FLOWERS!" Tsukasa said quickly and accurately. To this, Mika just smiled and dismissed the servants. "They should be arriving soon anyway... so we wouldn’t have time to change anything." Tsukasa muttered, placing both hands on the table but folding his right into his elbow and propping his face up. Tsukasa thought he said it quietly enough, but apparently Mika heard it, so she came up and stood behind Tsukasa, "Tsukasa-kun, I would do anything to make you happy even if in your eyes, it's impossible!" To this, Tsukasa only mentally quipped, 'Well, getting into the world of the novel was also previously impossible in my eyes.' ignoring the words about making him happy.

After a few minutes of calm silence, Mika interrupted: "They came". After her words, Tsukasa turned his head towards the entrance to the garden. Indeed, after a few seconds, he could see three people entering the garden. One of them was dressed in the same uniform as Mika, identifying that this was probably one of the servants. And two other people... 'Wow...' Tsukasa thought inside his head. The other two people were a woman and a young girl. The woman was dressed in a luxurious gold-colored dress, and her red peach-colored jewelry was the same color as the end of her hair. A woman could be given at most 30 years old because she looked so young. While the girl was also in a dress, but not to the floor but to the knees, and in addition to the gold color, there were blue and white colors. The only jewelry she has is a pair of star-shaped earrings and a chain with small blue stones. The ends of her hair were a brighter pink than the woman next to her.

Both guests walked side by side and one of the maids walked behind. It seemed that they were looking for someone with their eyes. " Welcome to Young Master Tsukasa's garden, Duchess and Young Lady Saki." After Mika's words, their heads turned in her direction as if they had not noticed her before. Two pairs of eyes rushed to see who addressed them, then they found a man sitting next to her and fixed their gaze on him.

Perhaps Tsukasa was staring at the beautiful faces of the guests, because he did not notice how they both quickly approached him and hugged him from both sides. From the beginning, this scared Tsukasa because he doesn’t remember the last time he was hugged so tightly, and probably with the thought that if they loosen their grip for a second, he’ll disappear. But then when he heard the muffled sounds of crying from both people, he could only silently place both hands on their backs and draw circles on them in an attempt to calm them down. "I-I'm so glad you woke up!" the girl said with tears in her eyes but you could hear the joy in her voice. Tsukasa could feel how after these words, the girl and the woman squeezed him even more tightly. Suddenly, Tsukasa froze, but not because they were squeezing him too hard, but because instead of them, other... familiar people appeared in his eyes. In Tsukasa's eyes, he saw how his real mother and sister Sachi hugged him like never before while he was in his world. He saw how they apologized for their cold behavior and asked how he was doing, how his school day was and all the ordinary questions that a family is interested in. The sight of his family finally starting to notice him made something in Tsukasa shrink and he didn’t notice how he started crying. Big tears filled with pain and happiness that his family finally needed him, rolled down his face. The hands that were lying on the back of the two stopped moving in circles and squeezed to pull them closer to him.

Tsukasa felt a warmth that he had not felt for a long time, a childish joy and most importantly — hope that now everything would be fine in his family.

As Tsukasa began to imagine how he would live with his happy family, his dreams were interrupted by an unfamiliar voice that said, “Big brother! Did we hug you too hard? Does something hurt?" The girl's voice said nervously. After hearing this, Tsukasa sharply opened his eyes, without even noticing when he closed them, and looked around him. There was no mother or Sachi nearby, only unknown people who should now be his “new” family. Something tingled in Tsukasa after this thought, but he did not show it; instead, he gently smiled at the worried faces. "It's okay, Saki, I'm just glad to see you and mother after sleeping for a long time." Lie. He wanted to see the others' faces, but he wouldn't tell them. 'They will be upset if I say that I wanted to see the faces of other people, so again, this is a lie for the greater good.' "Son, do you still want to have a tea party? We can move it for another so you can gain strength." Finally, the woman said something, and to this Saki just nodded and offered Tsukasa to reschedule their gathering. "Yes, I still want to" The boy said with false confidence. 'I think that at the next meeting, I will burst into tears again and so the eternal circle of rescheduling the meeting will begin…' At Tsukasa's words, Mika seemed to come to life "Duchess, young lady Saki, sit down at the table, I’ll pour you some tea, it really helps you relax and calm down." After Mika’s words, the duchess and Saki hesitantly but still moved away from Tsukasa and sat down at the table. The chairs around the table were arranged so that the Duchess sat opposite to Tsukasa and Saki sat next to her. When everyone sat down and Mika poured everyone a cup of tea, she returned to her place, behind Tsukasa.

At first, there was a long silence, no one interrupted it, everyone drank tea in silence. After several minutes of awkward silence, Saki abruptly began to explain how she spent her days while Tsukasa was passed out. Her monologue cleared up the atmosphere around her and everyone listened with pleasure to how she spent her days. Later, the Duchess began to tell something about her days, meetings with other aristocrats, transactions, and so on. Conversations in which he did not speak a word helped Tsukasa calm down and very soon he listened with interest to the stories of his relatives.

Halfway through the story of how Saki and her maid were trying to make the cupcakes themselves, another person entered the garden. He was wearing the uniform of the servants of the Duke's house. He had blue hair and eyes of the same color.

When he approached the table and greeted those present, he began to say, “Young Master Tsukasa, your father congratulates you on waking up and feeling better. "At the end of his sentence, Saki muttered, “How can you know if he’s feeling better if you haven’t seen him..." The servant with blue eyes did not show it, and the duchess looked sternly at Saki, but one could see that she also agreed with her daughter by the way her hand clenched into a fist. After Tsukasa looked at the interaction between the Duchess and Saki, he nodded to the servant to continue. "The Duke apologizes for not being able to say this personally. He also wanted to remind you that now you have woken up, you can begin preparing for the beginning of the year at the academy and wishes you good luck." After the man’s words, there was a deathly silence. And it was sharply broken by Saki, who stood up and slammed her hands on the table. "Are you kidding me!?! Brother only woke up and you already wanted to send him to the academy!?!! Yes! You know that only monsters study there!!" "SAKI!!!" The Duchess exclaimed. "What!? This is true!! Only people whose strength is comparable only to monsters study in it, and I’m not even talking about those who can use magic!!” Saki replied angrily. While Saki and the Duchess were arguing, Tsukasa's only thought was, 'This is expected. If the Duke's son were to study at the academy, it would only bring more respect to the Duke himself. Because only talented people get into the academy and someone lazy or stupid won’t get there, but I have a question…if Saki described the students like that, doesn’t that mean that I’m not that talented? Unless she thinks her brother is a monster too, she just doesn't say it.' Having to finish wondering when the argument between the girl and the duchess ended. Tsukasa decided to ask, “What profile did my father put me in?” 'It's the most important. The academy has 4 profiles, and these were: profile of knights, profile of magicians, profile of inventors and profile of healers/alchemists. I wonder where I'll end up, I prefer an alchemist and maybe an inventor. I remember that in the novel, it was mentioned that it was fashionable to take two profiles, but few people did this because there were no favors and you have to indulge in learning two profiles like everyone else who took only one. I am 100% sure that Rui took two profiles and that being the profile of magicians and inventors. In the novel, he was a crazy genius, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he took 3 or all 4 profs. By the way, some of the main characters also took a second profile, but this is only in their second years of study and not all of them did it.' Tsukasa's thoughts were stopped there by the following words. “Young master, you will begin your first year at the academy in the knight profile." 'Tch, as expected.' But apparently, not everyone expected this like Tsukasa. At the new words of the servant, Saki got wound up again and now she had to be calmed down not only by the duchess, but also by Mika and the maid who came with them. While Saki expressed her disapproval, Tsukasa became thoughtful again. 'The most anticipated profile, the profile of knights, is the most popular and it is believed that only noble people go there. The profile of magicians is not far behind, but everyone can learn to control a sword but not everyone are born with enough mana in the body for casting magic and spells. The profile of inventors had just begun to gain momentum in popularity due to the technological revolution that took place relatively recently. And here is the alchemy profile, this profile is not popular at all. Unlike other profiles where you cast spells, swing a sword or create robots in the eyes of people, alchemists and healers only memorize recipes and then simply repeat them and make potions. Unfortunately, alchemy in this world has not gone so far, and it’s a pity, I would like to get into this profile' Tsukasa thought sadly. 'I asked the author to add a character with an alchemy profile because we didn't learn about it at all in the novel!'

While Tsukasa was throwing mud at the author for not adding such a character, the second wave of indignation subsided. Unfortunately, Tsukasa didn't hear what conclusion they came to, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

Instead, he turned to the blue-haired servant. "Then, I can ask to hire a teacher to teach me swordsmanship, right?" On this, the servant with blue hair perked: "I'm glad that the young master accepted this so quickly and yes, of course we can hire you a teacher. But I'm not sure that you'll be able to finish a full course in 2 weeks before the start of the academy's year." Said the man with a sympathetic smile. Needless to say, the third wave of discontent arose not only at the head of Saki, but also to the duchess herself. While everyone was expressing their dissatisfaction, Tsukasa had one thought: 'I wish these two weeks would pass quickly.'

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Around the same time, in the castle in the room with the piano, there was a guy with half-colored hair. He looked sadly at the balcony, as if expecting someone to climb up it, or more precisely, someone with orange hair. But no one climbed in and greeted him with their usual grin, however, someone entered the room through the door. It was one of the royal family's servants. The servant bowed and said, “Your Grace, the owner asks you to go to his office.” Looking at the balcony again, the guy replied, “I’ll be there right now.” With a sad look, he got up from the piano bench and headed towards the door.

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At the same time, a guy with orange hair was training hard with a sword in the backyard of his house. With each blow to the dummy, he took out his pent-up anger. Or rather, anger at one person. If it weren't for this man, he could calmly communicate with him... After the orange-haired one noticed that he had stopped, he began to swing his sword with double force.

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Next to the house where the guy trained in the backyard, there was a workshop in which the artist lived. And right now a man with light pink eyes and hair, slightly curled and worn in a side ponytail tied with a ribbon. Following the man who was knocking out, a female voice from the workshop shouted. "Don't forget that you are due in 2 weeks to go to the academy!" They only laughed and shouted back, “Yes, yes, mommy!” And he continued to run in an unknown direction.

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Even though the window was small, sunlight still entered the basement room. In the room, a guy with bright purple hair and two strands of bright blue was sitting at a table. In his hands was a yellow box with a star shape. You could see that he was pleased with his creation. Taking off his glasses and turning towards the window, he said: “I wish these 2 weeks would pass quickly…”

Chapter Text

For some people, these two weeks have been different. They were easy and carefree weeks, while for others, their weeks were filled with work and work. For our Tsukasa, it was two weeks of excruciating torture that is not even used in hell to torture sinners. At the end of every day when Tsukasa went to bed, he prayed to all the gods that he would wake up again in his world and be able to avoid this torture.

The reason for this was the schedule of the day that Tsukasa had to abide by, and it consisted of:

1. Wake up and have breakfast.

2. Three hours of reading books on etiquette and history in the library.

3. Five hours without a break in swordsmanship.

4. Lunch then compatibility reading more books but about the geography and fauna of the kingdom.

5. Another 3 hours of training but just to strengthen the body.

6. And now the last 2 hours of class with personal teachers in various subjects.

7. Dinner then go straight to bed.

Tsukasa had to live with such a hellish schedule for 2 weeks.

It turned out to be quite difficult for him, since in his world he had problems with studying. It was already enough for him to listen to the teacher in class and read the textbook, and he was given this or that topic. Now they demanded that he learn in two weeks what aristocrats usually learn for several years, or rather, since their childhood. Needless to say, Tsukasa was furious at the dishonesty, but he still learnt stubbornly. And there was no reason that he was afraid of his new father, whom he still had never seen, but because of Saki. His new little sister. She always came and taught him material that was too early for her or didn’t need to be taught at all. She even offered to learn to wield a sword with him, but after a mountain of persuasion, she finally agreed that she would just come and watch his training.

Saki's behavior confused Tsukasa. He wondered why she followed him like a duckling after a mother duck. She praised him when he answered the teacher’s question correctly, when the answer should be known to everyone who at least has some brain. But most of all, Tsukasa felt unusual when Saki could hug him out of nowhere and tell him what a smart and great brother she had. Later, it turned out that Saki thought that Tsukasa was not happy that he was going to the academy and tried to somehow cheer him up, but even when Tsukasa explained that everything was fine and he was not upset, Saki continued to follow him and hug him.

That's how two weeks of quick training passed for Tsukasa and the day came when he had to go to the academy.

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Tsukasa stood near the carriage that was supposed to take him to the academy. It was very large and of many shades of gold, on it was the crest of the Tenma family, a golden pegasus standing on its hind legs with its wings spread and looking up. The carriage had large windows through which Tsukasa hoped to see the city during the ride. Next to him, Mika ordered the servants what to do and where to put certain things. In truth, Tsukasa had no idea what kinds of things he'll be taking to the academy because Mika collected the bags and when he asked what was in them, Mika answered that there were everything that was necessary.

While Tsukasa was watching the servants loading the carriage with luggages, he heard footsteps and turned his head towards the sound. 

There he saw the Duchess and his sweet little sister running towards him.

Out of habit, Tsukasa extended his hands, and when Saki approached him, he hugged her and twirled them together in place.

As usual, Saki just giggled at this. "Today is your day to enter the academy!" The girl said while still hugging Tsukasa. "You're right, my beloved little sister! This is the day I've been waiting for a long time." Tsukasa said happily in response.

While Saki and Tsukasa were talking about how much they would miss each other while studying, the second figure finally approached them.

"Son, don’t forget that upon arrival, you must first check into the dormitory and then when the sun begins to set, go to the ceremony for the beginning of the new school year." The Duchess spoke with elegance. 

And yes, the ceremony took place when sunset was beginning, it was some kind of symbol. It’s like when the sun sets, first-year students begin their studies and fourth-year students are bidding goodbyes to their academic lives. So, with sunset every year, the academy said goodbye to their old students and welcomed new ones.

This is the first time Tsukasa has heard about the reason why the ceremony takes place at this time, since it was not mentioned in the novel, but he thinks that it is quite romantic. 

"Of course! I won’t forget Mother! Especially when Mika is next to me." And Tsukasa found out that Mika was going with him only this morning when she finished packing his luggage and said that now she needs to pack hers. As it turned out two weeks ago, during that same tea party, while Tsukasa was flying in the clouds, the Duchess ordered Mika to accompany and serve Tsukasa even while studying at the academy, referring that this is the first time Tsukasa has gone out in public alone and for such a long period. Don’t forget that from birth he is not the healthiest child and you never know when he gets sick and there will be no one around to help him. 

Has there been any pushback from the academy? No, they easily accepted that the Duke's son would arrive with his servant and even prepared a room for Mika next to Tsukasa's. Tsukasa thought that they only agreed to this because of the money. 

"Don't worry Duchess! I will look after the young master for you and make sure that this school year goes smoothly and without any problems." Mika said as soon as she heard her name. The Duchess only chuckled at the girl’s joyful tone. "Then I completely trust Tsukasa under your supervision."

As these two talked about Tsukasa as if he didn’t stand right next to them, the boy himself could only sulk to himself because they didn’t trust him enough to go on his own without a 'nanny'.

As soon as Saki noticed Tsukasu’s dissatisfied face, she pulled away from the hug, thereby envying Tsukasa to return his attention to her. Calling the servants, Saki handed Tsukasa an envelope and a green brooch. “Brother, I prepared a gift for you in honor of your entry into the academy.” Tsukasa looked at the envelope in surprise. "And this is the letter that I wrote for you. Just read it after the ceremony! And don't forget to answer it!" Saki said with a stern tone. To this, Tsukasa just grinned and nodded. "Of course I will answer your letter, my dear little sister!” After his words a smile appeared on Saki's face again.

Apparently having finished talking with the duchess, Mika turned to Tsukasa. "Young master, everything is ready, we can go." 

"Okay, Mika." Tsukasa hugged Saki for the last time and was walking to hug his mother when Saki said, “And father... he won’t come to see brother off? ”.

After these words, Tsukasa froze. During the two weeks since he got into the novel, he never saw his father, but from rumors, Tsukasa learned that he is a very respectful and busy person. Yet for Tsukasa, he was more like a cold and indifferent person, because what kind of father never visits his son who had previously fainted and before he went to study at the academy and they wouldn't be able to see each other for a long period of time.

Tsukasa just shrugged and said, “Probably not, but it’s okay, I know that he is very busy with the affairs of the duchy.” After his words, Tsukasa still hugged the duchess and then went to get into the carriage. Mika followed him and sat down in the opposite place, closing the door to the carriage at the same time.

Tsukasa looked out of the open window of the carriage and said goodbye to his family with a smile: "Bye mom, bye Saki! I’ll write to you and tell you what’s new, maybe I’ll even send you some gifts if I can walk around the city." When Tsukasa finished speaking, Mika signaled to the coachman to start driving. Saki and the Duchess stood and waved goodbye to Tsukasa until his carriage drove out of the estate gates.

And so began the journey that was supposed to take several hours to the academy. Tsukasa was looking forward to seeing an area that he could only read about in a novel. He only hoped that he could study at the academy without drawing attention to himself and without changing the plot.

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During the trip, Tsukasa was like a small child who, with open and surprised eyes, looked at the view outside the carriage window.

Only in the middle of the trip did Tsukasa remember that he was not alone and looked towards Mika, but he saw that she was also looking out the window with the same look. Glad that Mika did not notice his awkward moment, Tsukasa decided that it would be better to spend the other part of the trip remembering parts of the novel about the academy in order to prepare.

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Very soon, their carriage was approaching the gates of the academy.

Tsukasa still could not contain the wave of delight, the same one at the beginning of the trip and clung to the window of the carriage.

The gate was huge and made of gold; on its top there were three stars, one large in the middle and the other two smaller, on both sides of the first. But what surprised Tsukasa more was not the luxurious gates, but what was behind them.

No, it was not the academy building itself, but a statue. Yes, a statue. The only peculiarity of this statue is that there was not a word about it in the novel. Tsukasa did not believe that there was not a word in the novel about such a large statue in front of the academy that the main characters went to, as if it did not exist.

While Tsukasa was trying to look at the statue from a distance, the carriage stopped and the driver stood up to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, Tsukasa flew out of the carriage seat and headed towards the statue.

Having to take several large and fast steps, Tsukasa was already standing in front of the statue.

In front of Tsukasa stood a statue of a girl who seemed to be floating as she stood only on the toe of one leg and the other was bent nearby in the air. The girl was wearing a luxurious and fluffy dress, the front of which was long to the knees and the back was so long that it probably would have been lying on the floor if not for the hem of the dress being in the air.

Now if you think about it, the girl was in a pose as if landing on the ground, or more precisely as if a bird was landing if you notice that she had her wings spread behind her back. The hair was braided into two ponytails on the sides of the head, and in the middle of her head, there was something like a crown. But the most striking thing was that the statue did not have a detailed face, or rather, it was only visible that the statue’s eyes were closed.

From the beginning, Tsukasa thought that he had problems with his vision and with every second, he believed it more and more because he could not concentrate on her face at all. He could see all the details of the dress like the musical notes painted on the skirt but could not see the face.

After a long attempt to finally see her face, Tsukasa began to have a very bad headache and felt nauseous. He abruptly looked away from the statue and all the pain instantly vanished. 

Without having time to move away from the quick appearance of Mika and the disappearance of the pain, Mika asked Tsukasa: "Tsukasa-kun, what happened? You've turned pale..." Mika asked worriedly.

"Everything is fine, Mika. I just looked at the statue for a long time and the light of the sun was reflected from it, so my eyes hurt." Tsukasa said while scratching the back of his head. "By the way, whose statue is this?" After the question, Mika fixed her gaze on the statue. " Oh! It's the statue of our kingdom’s goddess Miku-no-Kami." Mika spoke and after noticing confusion written on Tsukasa's face, she continued: "Miku-no-Kami is a benevolent and joyful deity, encouraging innovation and artistic expression.

Miku-no-Kami presides over the realms of music, technology, and creativity. There's also saying that She can manifest as a holographic entity to inspire musicians and creators, providing them with inspiration and guidance." Mika added to her answer.

As soon as Mika finished explaining, Tsukasa felt himself suddenly sweating from nervousness. Is it normal that he doesn’t know about this goddess? Is faith divided between believers and atheists? Because he certainly never heard it.

When Tsukasa was nervously thinking about what to do next and whether he had been discovered, Mika suddenly said, “Well Tsukasa-kun, to you, she is little known since our dukedom is not associated with artistry."

After Mika’s words, Tsukasa inwardly sighed with relief. 'So it's okay that it's my first time hearing about her...' "But why is her statue here?" Questioned Tsukasa.

"Well, creative children study at the academy and the directors of the academy hoped that the goddess Miku-no-Kami could help the students along the path of learning."

"Oh, now I understand" Tsukasa didn't dare try to look at the statue's face a second time and instead asked Mika. "Can we go to the dorms already?" To his words, Mika replied, “Oh wait, Tsukasa-kun. Now several servants will come and help you carry your luggage to the room. Wait here for a couple of minutes, okay?”

“Okay! You don’t have to rush, there’s still a lot of time before the ceremony starts.” After his words, Mika again headed towards the carriage to show the servants where to carry the luggage.

While she was doing this, Tsukasa decided to take a look at his surroundings. Several students could be seen going about their business; they were probably at least second-year students, since the uniforms should be issued closer to the beginning of the ceremony. 

While Tsukasa was watching the students go somewhere, he heard some strange sound.

Realizing that the sound was coming from above, Tsukasa raised his head. Some sort of robot, which was a round form and was in a purple and white color. It also had something like cat ears on top of it, flying in the sky.

As if noticing Tsukasa, it flew down and sank to Tsukasa’s eye level. At first Tsukasa was perplexed as to what was happening, but then he suddenly jumped up when the robot extended its arm to Tsukasa.

There was a box lying in a star shape. Tsukasa was confused and after waiting a few seconds, as if he was waiting for it to do something more, Tsukasa thought that maybe it wanted him to take the box.

Tsukasa extended his arm and took the box in his hand. After Tsukasa took it, the robot flew away in an unknown direction. Tsukasa switched his attention to the box in his hands.

He cautiously opened it, and its contents surprised him.

Inside the star-shaped box was laying a chain with a little star and a note which said 'Good luck!' in very beautiful and calligraphic handwriting. Tsukasa was once again confused.

Who would send him a gift as soon as he stepped on the academy's ground? But one thought came quickly in his mind. 'Maybe it's a gift from the director of the academy, something like congratulation for entering the academy'. That was the only explanation Tsukasa could muster.

After thinking, Tsukasa took out the chain and decided to put it on.

After putting it on Tsukasa switched his attention to the note. 'Good luck... Well, I sure am in need of some good luck'.

After this thought, Tsukasa looked to the sky. 'Well, Miku-no-Kami, now that I know about you, please look after me too and guide me to the right path'.

Chapter Text

  When Mika finished giving orders to the servants and came up to tell Tsukasa, they went to the dormitory together. If you look at the academy territory from above, you can see where everything is and make a map.

 There was a statue in front of the gate and behind it, there was a cafeteria and the main building with dormitories. On either side of the statue were a laboratory and a training ground. The building of the academy itself was separated from the cafeteria, and behind the academy there were three tower-dormitories. Using the map, it was possible to understand that Tsukasa and Mika must go through the cafeteria, enter the academy building and go to the tower in the middle to get to their dormitory. 

And yes, the academy accepted commoners. 

At the present time, there are equal numbers of commoners and aristocrats who attend the academy, but this still does not change the opinion of some aristocrats that commoners do not have the right to study here. Therefore, there is still a division into the dormitory. 

 There are three towers and therefore three dormitories. First one for lesser nobility with it's name "Dormitory of Lily Elegance" (Lily symbolizes purity and refinement). Second one for high aristocraty with it's name "Château de Rose Etiquette" (Rose represents love and luxury). The last one for commoners with it's name "Commoner's Garden Haven". Should you ask Tsukasa if he sees the difference in naming, then he would say he CLEARLY sees it. 'The high aristocraty picked for themselves the most extravagant name with the most popular flower as their representative. Lesser nobility was a bit modest and the name of their flower added "elegance" and that's all. But what’s wrong with the commoner's dormitory's name!?! Why they don't even have the name of the flower in it!?!' Tsukasa thought angrily, but then remembered what was said in the novel. It was said that the high aristocraty refused to accept any names for commoner's dormitory that included in it the name of ANY flower. They explained it as 'lowly people are not the flowers of the kingdom, but the nobility are'. So to comply with high aristocrats' complaints, directors had to name commoner's dorm as "Commoner's Garden Haven" which didn't include any flower's name in it. As if saying that commoners are just a spectators in the garden in which grows the beautiful flowers a.k.a nobility.

 When Tsukasa first read the reason for it, he was shocked by this whole absurd. Yet now Tsukasa has to live in the dormitory which caused almost all scandals to happen in the novel. Tsukasa only hoped that he will not be included in them.

 Tsukasa learned from the books from this world that in high aristocraty include: duke, marquess, earl, viscount, baron. As for lesser nobility: families that have owned land - not just a single farm but an estate with tenants - for centuries, and have the status and wealth associated with being in the nobility, but without a title. He doesn’t need to explain the commoners. As the son of the duke, Tsukasa will be forced to live in the "Château de Rose Etiquette" with the children of other dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons. He was not going to become friends with them for the sake of connections, so Tsukasa already mentally apologized to his father because he probably wanted him to befriend some nobels. Tsukasa planned to simply study for a few years at the academy and not attract attention to himself, so he did not expect that he would make any friends. Though loneliness was not unknown to him, he spent almost all his school years without friends, so he can survive a few more years.

 But Tsukasa had one goal, and this is to see all the main protagonists from the novel alive! And maybe one purple-haired villain, but under no circumstances should he interact with them! Tsukasa doesn't know how much action there should be that could change the plot, so he shouldn't risk it.

 Finally, Tsukasa and Mika reached the entrance to their dorm. Since Duke was the highest title that could be given, Tsukasa's room was on the top floor, on the same floor as the royal family's room. Of course, the fact that Tsukasa would live next to the prince bothered him a little, but he just hoped that they would not intersect so often. 

 After climbing a bunch of stairs, Tsukasa and Mika arrived at the top floor. The door to Tsukasa's room was the third closest and Mika's room was supposed to be nearby, but when they arrived at the academy they said that, unfortunately, they could not allow Mika to be in this dormitory, so her room will be in "Commoner's Garden Haven". When Tsukasa only heard this, he was ready to tear and throw everything because they had promised and now they are giving up. But Mika stopped him, saying that everything was fine and she would only need to get up earlier to come to Tsukasa to wake him up. He was upset by how Mika easily agreed to move her room but he couldn’t do anything. Tsukasa was not going to inspect the room and decided to put it off until later, now he wanted to explore the academy more and find the protagonists. Quickly glancing at the room, Tsukasa began to search with his eyes. Finally, having found the item, Tsukasa went to the closet. The academy uniform hung on the closet door. The uniform consisted of cream-colored pants and jacket, a blue shirt and a white tie. The uniform also included a pair of gloves in a choice of white or black. Tsukasa chose the black ones. By the way, the uniform included a vest, but almost no one wears it since it’s only summer, so Tsukasa didn’t dare to wear it.

 After looking at the uniform and mentally praising the design decision, Tsukasa turned to Mika who was silently watching him. “Mika, I think we should change clothes already since the ceremony will start soon, but I would like to inspect the school before it. Don’t worry, you can calmly go and get settled in your room, I can inspect everything myself and come to the ceremony on time." To be honest, Tsukasa was not sure whether Mika would agree to this, but he really hoped for a positive answer. And the reason was that he didn't want to look like a madman in front of Mika when he secretly looked out for the main characters . He didn’t have to wait long for an answer, Mika answered almost immediately "Okay, Tsukasa-kun!" And after her words, she turned around and headed to her dorm. 

If Tsukasa was a cartoon character then now he would have his mouth opened that wide that his jaw would be lying on the floor. 'That's it? Nothing more?' Tsukasa expected a refusal or at least what Mika would think and then agreed, but not an instant agreement. After Tsukasa recovered from his stupor, he decided not to hesitate and immediately change his clothes and go to the gates of the academy. Why exactly the gate? But because one of the characters should appear there soon.

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 And just like that, Tsukasa was standing behind bushes near the gate. Luckily, if Tsukasa crouches down a little bit, no one will be able to see him, which is important because he doesn't want to be seen as a crazy man. So Tsukasa started to wait and it didn't take to long to finally see the ginger head coming through the gate. The boy with ginger hair was wearing clothes that were worn by commoners and he had this pissed expression on his face.

 'Well, I'd too have that expression if before I even went inside the academy someone mocked me for being a commoner' Tsukasa thought .Now that the boy was walking past Tsukasa, he was able to see more details in the ginger's appearance. From what he observed, apparently the ginger has olive-green eyes and messy orange hair with a dyed yellow streak on the left side of his center bangs. Tsukasa confirmed he could 100% say that this is Akito Shinonome. One of the main characters and from whose pov the novel will be told. If Tsukasa had to say a few words about him then he would say "Akito appears to be an easygoing guy at first. However, his personality drastically changes when he takes a sword in his hand, becoming hot-blooded and passionate to the point where people find him scary. He respects anyone who is passionate about their interests and hates half-hearted people. He acts polite towards acquaintances and strangers, but when in the presence of people he is familiar with, he drops this act, showing his true gruff personality. Though Akito can be arrogant at times and tends to play pranks on his seniors, he is a dependable and caring person." Yeah, a few words turned into a little essay, but Tsukasa could not make it shorter because it's the only way to describe Akito's character without mischaracterizing him.

 As Akito finally passed him, Tsukasa could feel his aura. The aura of future captain of the knights and the 2nd strongest knight in the kingdom. To be honest, Tsukasa couldn't say that he didn't admire Akito while he was reading the novel. It's just hard not to admire Akito's passion and his hard work that he did and that was shown in the novel. But as Tsukasa was watching Akito's back he could not forget about the owner of this back's ending. He could even see how the words from the novel appeared in his head.

 'Now that the city is silent forever. He will never again hear the laughter of children, the inviting voices of sellers, or simple conversations between locals. But the most important thing for him was that he would never again hear the nagging of his sister, nor the gentle laughter of his mother, nor the voice of his father. 

 He'll never hear it again.

 Akito fell to his knees from fatigue and sadness. His sword with which he had been fighting for several years now, defending from monsters, fell from his hands. He took his head in his hands. 

 Voices. Voices that he'll never hear again. Voices that were repeating in his head by memory.

 He could not stop the tears that started going down his face. Soon, you could hear the loud sobs from the boy, because of the tears, it was hard for him to breathe. 

 The last time Akito raised his head and looked over the ruins of his hometown, he turned his head down and let out the loudest scream that could possibly be heard from the city's walls.

 He lost. He lost everything for which he fought. Why does he need to fight now? For what or who he needs to fight? He has nothing now...'

 After remembering that detail, Tsukasa couldn't help but feel pity for Akito. An arrogant flament boy turned into a sad and sobbing boy. It broke Tsukasa's heart the first time he read his ending.

 Tsukasa decided to move on because if he won't then he will start crying. After sitting in the bushes for a few more minutes, he stood up and headed to his next destination. The area between the academy's building and cafeteria where the ceremony would be going. Sadly, only Akito's whereabouts before the beginning of the ceremony were revealed in the novel so Tsukasa's only option was to visit the ceremony and just look out for the other main characters.

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 Well, when Tsukasa said he just needs to look out, he didn't think that it would be THAT hard. Yet seeing hundreds or even thousands of students standing in a chaotic manner, his hope for finding them reached 0. How can he find people in this mess if he even can't see the stage where the director would say his speech? Seriously, Tsukasa hasn't thought that he was a short fellow but now he doubts it.

 When Tsukasa thought that it was the end and he wouldn't be able to see anything during the ceremony, a robot which gave him the necklace once again appeared in the air. As if it finally found Tsukasa, it flew down to him. Tsukasa was surprised and turned to look around to see other student’s reactions, but no one cared about this robot. Looks like everyone got used to the flying robots and adding to this, Tsukasa noticed a lot more robots flying in the air. They are here probably to record the whole ceremony. He turned back to the robot. "Hello..?" Tsukasa said hesitating. To his words, the robot, as in the past, moved its hands forward and there was lying an object that had a rectangular form with glass... 'WAIT! IS IT A PHONE!????' Tsukasa freaked out and quickly took the phone in his hands.

 After inspecting the object Tsukasa concluded that it looks like a phone, but it didn't turn on so he can't be 100% sure. As Tsukasa thought to give it back to the robot, the screen lit up. A picture appeared on the screen and Tsukasa stood on it, looking at the rectangular object in his hands, so he sharply raised his head. The flying robot had a red dot on its right side. 

 As soon as Tsukasa began to realize what was happening, the robot took off into the sky again. Tsukasa turned his gaze back to the screen. Now he could see the stage! Unfortunately, the robot flew up too high and focused on the stage so that Tsukasa could not see the other students in the crowd, but it's better than nothing.

 As Tsukasa watched the screen with childish joy, he didn't notice the second robot that was watching him. The one who controlled the second one chuckled when he saw on his screen how Tsukasa excitedly waited for the ceremony to start.

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 When the ceremony began the sun had already begun to set. And by the end the sky was already colored orange and pink. Tsukasa couldn't take his eyes off the stage where the director was making his speech. But Tsukasa seemed to be one of the few who truly listened to him. As his speech came to an end, Tsukasa was filled with excitement. Surely every person at least once dreamed of studying in a magic school and now Tsukasa can make it happen!

 The students began to slowly leave and go to the test exam for their department. What is a test exam? To put it simply it's when you after the whole ceremony go and take an exam for teachers to see your current strength and skills. So students from the magician department have to show some simple magic spells, the Alchemy department has to show how to conduct a potion, etc. 

 Now the problem is that Tsukasa was in the knight department. And he was learning how to use a sword for 2 weeks. So the question. How long do you think he'll be able to hold in the battle? The most obvious answer is not even 5 seconds. And no, Tsukasa was not that bad in swordsmanship. He actually did pretty good during his training sessions, but let's not forget that other students were more talented and had more experience than blondie. So Tsukasa prayed to pull out as his opponent someone not so strong or a magic dummy. In the novel during the test exam in the knight department the student had to pull out a slip of paper from the box and whose name was written on the paper would be your opponent. But! Sometimes the number of students would be uneven so directors decided to put magic dummies as possible opponents. 

 To explain what a magic dummy was: Magic dummy — a normal training dummy but it's controlled by one of the teachers, and no it's not super strong or skilled. By strength, it could be compared to Tsukasa, so it was pretty weak. Now Tsukasa had to fight and not make a fool of himself. Unwillingly, Tsukasa dragged his legs to the training grounds where the test exam will take place

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 Now standing in formation before the area where the fight will take place, Tsukasa started to sweat. He really didn't believe that he would be able to win against even a dummy! Adding to this since he stepped on the training ground, all eyes were turned on him. Tsukasa still can hear whispers from other students.

 "Wow, is it really him? ""Damn, I haven't seen him even once before!" "The son of the great duke will be studying with us." "Wait, isn't he sick from birth?" "Oh my god! You're right, will he be able to hold a sword?" "Hey, what was his disease called?" "I think it was..."

 Tsukasa sighed, which caused some people to flinch and then they continued to whisper. He hoped that the exam would begin sooner so he could lose and go back to his room. Looks like his prayers were heard as the teachers finally entered the training ground. The silence engulfed the area. 

 "Our future knights! I announce the beginning of the test exam. I believe everyone's already aware of what you have to do. So we'll call names of the students and when you're going to hear your name step forward and pull the paper from the box and then announce what is written on it. Then you'll have to fight your opponent. There is a time limit which is 10 minutes for one battle. Remember, whether you won or lost, it doesn't matter. What matters is the skills that you showed during the fight. Now let's begin!"

 'Oh, finally.' Tsukasa nervously thought. 'Now, what number will I be called...' "Tsukasa Tenma, you're the first" The voice of the teacher snapped Tsukasa from his thoughts. As his name was said all people present turned their heads to look at him.

 Tsukasa started to sweat. He could not feel his legs but somehow they were walking to the area to pull out the paper. Now he was standing before the box. He slipped his hand in it and pulled out the first paper he touched. With trembling hands he opened the paper and saw what was written on it 'Magic dummy'. Tsukasa cleared his throat "My opponent is a magic dummy" announced Tsukasa and after this another wave of whispers began. "Silence! Tenma, you can go and prepare for the battle" said the teacher. Tsukasa noded with his head and headed to take the training wooden sword and go stand in the battle position.

 Tsukasa, stood ready with his sword in hand. Across from him, a magical dummy, conjured to test his skill, appeared and loomed ominously. The teacher went in the middle of the area and pulled his hand up. "When my hand falls, the battle will begin. Now when everyone's ready. The battle begins!" With his last words, the teacher pulled his hand down.

 As the duel commenced, the dummy's movements were swift and precise, forcing Tsukasa into a defensive stance. He clumsily parried the initial strikes. His limited two weeks of sword training left him ill-prepared for the strong strikes that were coming on him. The sweat started forming on his brow.

 The minutes ticked away, and Tsukasa continued to struggle, dodging and blocking the dummy's relentless onslaught. Frustration and exhaustion began to weigh on him, he even started to think if he should just fall down and end this battle but something inside him made him refuse to give up.

 Midway through the ten-minute test, Tsukasa's frustration, about not even being able to make a single strike, turned into a spark of determination. He decided to cast aside all his hesitations and decided to throw away all senses and begin to attack. With newfound resolve, he changed his posture and decided to start to attack, because of it, the dummy's sword hitted him but he didn't care about the pain. With each new swing of his sword, Tsukasa's attacks became more graceful and his movements started to resemble a dance. He attacked with precision and power. The once overbearing dummy found itself on the defensive. Tsukasa's strikes were like a whirlwind, each blow landing with accuracy. He was relentless in his pursuit of victory, his confidence and strength growing with each passing second.

 As the final minutes of the duel unfolded, Tsukasa's fierce onslaught wore down the magical dummy. With one last, powerful strike, he shattered the dummy. The training ground fell silent as the broken dummy was laying on the floor, and before it, Tsukasa stood victorious, his chest heaving and now he could feel the bruise from the hit, formed on his shoulder. Despite getting injured, Tsukasa felt extasic. He never thought he would feel like that after winning a fight. But what surprised him more was his last strike, the last strike was not as clumsy as the others were. It was firm and a pretty strong strike.

 And it looks like Tsukasa was not the only one who noticed that. At least 3 people who were watching him actually got surprised when he did the last strike. Tsukasa picked some of their interest and these people were determined to see what's more the sick son of the great duke was hiding.

Chapter Text

  Unfortunately, after the sparring, Tsukasa felt nauseous and a little dizzy, so he had to leave the training ground immediately after his victory. Mika had long since approached the place and helped Tsukasa, holding him.  

 The most unpleasant thing for Tsukasa was the looks the other students gave him. At first, after the end of the battle and Tsukasa was declared the winner, everyone was in shock, as if they did not believe that he could win. But then, when Tsukasa fell ill, their looks changed. One could read them as: “That’s what I expected.” It was the last look that infuriated Tsukasa the most but because of the pain, he could not do anything and return to his dorm room.  

 That’s how Tsukasa’s first day at the academy ended. Unfortunately, he was not able to see the battles of other students, including the battles of the main characters, but he was not very sad about this because he was sure that he would be able to see them on the school campus. So Tsukasa went to bed with peace of mind.

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 As the sun rose, the second day of school began. Mika, as promised, came in the morning and woke Tsukasa up to help him get ready. 

Although it was only the second day, classes were not canceled, and they will continue in full swing. Actually, just because you are in the knightly faculty, this does not mean that you will not learn at least a little magic. So all the students studied all the same subjects; only some studied some subjects more deeply, and these subjects appeared more often in their schedule. All subjects can be divided into categories:

 Humanities

History of Magic

Animal Languages

 Science

Alchemy

Astrology

Biology

Magical Potions

Poison Making

 Mathematics

(Unspecified)

 Magic

Practical Magic

Magic Analysis

Ancient Curses

Defense Magic

 Kinesiology

Physical Education

Swordsmanship (other weapons included)

Swimming

 Other (can be chosen)

Music

Art

Cooking

Knitting

 Mechanics

Design and manufacture.

Electrical and information engineering.

Engineering mathematics.

Structures, materials and dynamics.

Quite a long list, right? That's what Tsukasa thought when he first saw it. Even though in the novel there were some arcs where the main characters were studying and just describing their normal academy days, Tsukasa had never thought how overwhelming it would be to actually study all these subjects, but now he has this opportunity. Tsukasa can even feel the future headaches and sleepless nights he's going to have.

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When Tsukasa had already finished memorizing today's schedule, he had already finished getting dressed by putting on his gloves. Tsukasa had already let Mika go after he learned that she would not be attending classes with him, and instead she was offered to help in the cafeteria. In general, Tsukasa did not understand why it was necessary to send Mika with him if she would essentially be doing something else and not how his parents wanted to “help” him. But it is possible that the directors wanted to suck up to the Duke, but then, when they were allowed to carry out his request, they realized that they could not do it and began to change some things. 

In general, Tsukasa didn’t really care that he would be without a servant all the time, since in his world he didn’t have one. He was more upset that Mika had to work. Tsukasa had thoughts about how he and Mika could study together, and in general, he really liked the girl’s company; it seemed that they were really childhood friends.

After Tsukasa checked his appearance in the mirror, he turned and headed to the exit of his room. After closing the door, Tsukasa got out of the dorm and went to the main building of the academy. There was supposed to be, well, that's what one of the directors said in their speech yesterday, hanging a map in which were described the placements of all classrooms on the campus.

 As Tsukasa turned on the corner he saw a big group of students standing in front of the wall. Tsukasa right away understood that there must be hanging that map. As Tsukasa was getting closer to the group their talking became quieter and quieter until there was silence. How Tsukasa had already approached the group of students and thought that he would have to be pushed in order to at least see something, how the group split in half, making way for Tsukasa to pass through. At first it surprised him but Tsukasa didn't show it.

Now, when Tsukasa was standing right in front of the map, he quickly found and memorized the way to the needed classroom and just as quickly left. Tsukasa didn't want to think about the strange behavior of other students. 'It's my second day at the academy; can I just ignore it and continue to live a peaceful life?' That's what Tsukasa thought.

Now about Tsukasa's next destination. The next place Tsukasa's heading to is his classroom, where his first lesson will take place. Classroom number 028 is the classroom for astrology lessons.

When Tsukasa saw that his first lesson would be astrology, he sighed with relief. Astrology was interesting for Tsukasa. He liked to listen to the stars and planets. If in his world astrology was an interesting subject, then how much more interesting can it be in a world full of magic? 

 So Tsukasa happily went to the classroom, awaiting the beginning of the lesson.

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Unfortunately or not, not all of the students were as excited as Tsukasa. And one of those was a student who passed Tsukasa without him noticing them.

This student had light pink hair. Their hair was put in a side ponytail and adorned with a red ribbon. On their faces was an expression as if they had eaten a lemon.

"Astrology? Why would I need that?" they muttered. Despite their sister telling them to attend all classes at least the first week, they decided to skip the first lesson. Maybe other ones they'll attend, but it depends if the subjects will be interesting enough to choose them over a good nap.

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As Tsukasa was nearing his classroom, he saw what he did not expect. Purple. A student, judging by the uniform he was wearing, had purple hair and two cyan streaks. On his left side of the face was a monocle. He was standing before his classroom. 

Tsukasa didn't realize that, as he saw him, he froze on the spot and was staring at this student. But to call him just a student would not be right because Tsukasa knows his name. And it's 'Rui Kamishiro'. 

Tsukasa continued to stand and just stare, but it looked like Rui noticed that someone was staring at him because he turned to Tsukasa and started walking to him.

Finally, Tsukasa snapped out of shock as Rui was closing the distance between them. When Tsukasa understood the situation, the first thought he had was 'Run'. So he listened to it. He spun 180 degrees on the heels of his shoes and began to run. But he didn’t even have time to take a step when someone grabbed his wrist from behind. 

Tsukasa prayed to not see the face he was thinking of seeing as he turned his head. But sadly, Tsukasa saw a person he was expecting to see. On his face, there could clearly be confusion.

 As Tsukasa understood that he won't be able to escape now, he turned to face Rui. After Tsukasa turned around and despite showing no signs of running away Rui still held his wrist in his hand. It actually didn't bother Tsukasa, he means he probably would too still be cautious about the person who just now tried to run away from him.

"Sorry if I scared you by unexpectedly coming to you," Rui said. For a few seconds, Tsukasa was admiring his voice and saying in his head how this voice suited him. When he understood that he'd been silent all this time and judging by the look on Rui's face, he was waiting for Tsukasa to say something. "O-oh! It's okay! It was unexpected, but you did not scare me!" In the beginning, Tsukasa stuttered, and in the middle, his voice cracked, which made Tsukasa's face go red from embarrassment.

Seeing Tsukasa's face getting redder with each second, Rui chuckled, which brought Tsukasa back from his thoughts.

"Fufu, then I'm glad that my speculation was wrong," said Rui with a gentle smile on his face. "Actually, I would like to ask you for help since we have already started talking."

 "S-sure, what do you need help with?" Tsukasa immediately answered but again stuttered in the beginning. It looks like Tsukasa's stuttering was amusing to Rui because his smile became wider. "I actually kind of lost myself; I'm bad at finding my way around, so can you help me get to my classroom? Of course, if you're not busy and have time." The last part was quickly added.

 After hearing the request, Tsukasa can say that it surprised him. The author never mentioned that Rui has topographic agnosia. But Tsukasa was happy because he learned something that was not written in the novel. So he happily replied, "Sure, I can help you! What number does your classroom have?". "Fufu, thank you for helping me. It's number 078," Rui said.

Tsukasa started to remember the placement of that classroom, and as he remembered, he adjusted his hand the way it would be him who holds Rui's hand. And just as Tsukasa started walking and Rui walked beside him, Tsukasa said, "You really are bad at finding a way around because your classroom is on the other side of the campus." In his words, Rui only smiled.

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After not a very long walk, Tsukasa and Rui finally arrived at classroom number 078. Finally, Tsukasa let go of Rui's hand. "Here we are! Classroom number: 078!" Happily exclaimed Tsukasa. "Thank you for helping me, Tsukasa-kun," Rui replied, entering his classroom. Tsukasa couldn't understand if he actually heard some disappointment in Rui's reply. As Tsukasa was standing in front of the classroom that Rui had entered not a while ago, he remembered. 'Tsukasa-kun?' After a second, Tsukasa exclaimed in his head, 'WAIT WHAT!?! HOW HE KNOWS MY NAME!?!?'

 Sadly, he didn't have time to dwell on this topic more as he heard the announcement, from the academy's speaker, of the beginning of the lesson. So Tsukasa had to run to his classroom to not be too late. 

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 Tsukasa was lucky and wasn't too late. Before going to class, Tsukasa decided to sit at the back of the class. Tsukasa liked to sit at the back more because, from the back of the class, you can see everything that is happening. In addition, teachers are paying little attention to the back desks.

Sitting down on the last desk near the window, Tsukasa noticed how the teacher entered the classroom. The teacher had long pink hair and blue eyes. As for her clothes, she wore a plain black skirt and jacket with a white shirt underneath. What stood out in her outfit were her gold earphones and the bangles on her arms.

After entering the classroom, she went to the board, which was hanging in front of the students, and started to write something. After finishing writing, she turned around and moved to the left to show what was written on the board. 

It was written in casual handwriting, 'Megurine Luka'. As Tsukasa finished reading, he heard Luka start speaking, "Good morning, dear students! Welcome to the academy! On a personal note, I want to commend you for your efforts." One would not understand what Luka meant in the last part, but Tsukasa understood. Luka said that many people want to get into this academy, but according to statistics, out of 1000 applicants, a maximum of 500 will be able to enter. Since the academy is not only looking at your knowledge but also at your talent, Yes, you heard correctly; they still look at talent. So for ordinary people without some important talent, the gates to the academy are closed. 

Unfortunately, Tsukasa cannot accept Luka's praise since he did not undergo any tests or checks before enrolling. His father simply told him to go study at the academy, and that’s how he ended up here. In truth, Tsukasa is even a little ashamed in front of other students. He ended up here without talent and with an average level of knowledge due to connections, while others had to go through a lot of preparation to get here.

"Now to the introduction. I'm Megurine Luka, your astrology teacher. You can address me as Ms. Megurine. For your information, I also studied at this academy and was the best student in astrology, so I assure you, I'm quite knowledgeable despite looking very young." It's true, Luka really looks young, but after saying the last part, you could see her seriousness.

"Now, I would have liked it if you could all introduce yourself too, but knowing that there could be some shy kids, I won't make you do it." After her words, you could hear some sighs of relief from some students. "All I ask from you is that you'll make a badge with your name and wear it on your jacket; later, when I'll remember your names and faces, you'll be able to remove them. Did everyone understand?" "Yes, Ms. Megurine!" All the students in the classroom replied. 

"Okay, now let's start our lesson."

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When the bell rang, it was a sign that the first lesson was over. Ms. Megurin decided not to detain the students and dismissed them, wishing them good luck with their other lessons.

Tsukasa liked the lesson. Miss Megurin knew how to explain the lesson material, so it wasn't boring. Now he should have a history of magic in classroom number 078. '078?' Tsukasa repeated in his head. Then it struck him! That's where Rui's first lesson was! Tsukasa decided to go quickly and see if Rui was still there. It's not like he'll talk to him; he'll just take a peek in the classroom and check if he is there or has already left.

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And there Tsukasa was. Standing in front of the classroom, number 078. There was no one near this classroom, and there were no sounds coming from it, so the lesson's over. A little hesitantly, Tsukasa pulled the door's handle and took a peek.

There was no one in front of the board or near the teacher's seat. There is no one at the front desk either. To look at the end of the classroom, Tsukasa still had to go in. As he began to look around the back of the classroom, Tsukasa noticed that someone was sitting on the last desk near the window. Or rather, he was sleeping because his face was lying on his hands so that his face was not visible. But Tsukasa didn’t need to see the face to recognize who it was. Judging by the purple hair, you can immediately tell that this is Rui.

Tsukasa froze in place. He didn't know what to do. Wake up or leave because there is still a break and the lesson will not start earlier than 20 minutes. But Tsukasa had no choice because, while he was standing and thinking about what to do, the man who caused this dilemma raised his head, smiled, and called out to Tsukasa.

"Tsukasa-kun, I fancy seeing you here! Have you missed me already?". At Rui's words, Tsukasa froze, and all the thoughts in his head too. Tsukasa turned his head towards Rui. 

There was a sly smile on Rui's face and there was something in his eyes that Tsukasa couldn't decipher, but what Tsukasa could definitely understand was how he felt his heart speed up and how his face began to heat up.

 As long as Tsukasa continued to overheat, Rui wasted no time. He stood up from his seat and began to approach Tsukasa. When he was already standing in front of him, Rui's eyes fell on Tsukasa's neck, or rather on the jewelry on his neck, gold chain with a star. Smiling, Rui took the stars in his hand, thereby drawing Tsukasa's attention back to him.

Fiddling the star in his hand, Rui mumbled something incomprehensible, but then turned his gaze to Tsukasa. Tsukasa felt the air freeze in his throat as he watched Rui lower his head and kiss the star. When Rui tilted his head he closed his eyes but after the kiss he raised his head a little and opened his right eye. In this state, Rui said, “Unfortunately, Tsukasa-kun must miss me a little longer. Wait a little longer, my dear star.” After his words, Rui moved away and headed towards the exit. “Bye-bye, Tsukasa-kun.” Rui said, and left the classroom.

 After the sound of the door closing, Tsukasa was left alone in the classroom. The exact number of minutes during which Tsukasa stood and did nothing is unknown, but it can be said with certainty that he snapped out of his trance when other students began to enter the classroom.

Chapter Text

 The bell sounded, signaling the end of the second lesson, but for Tsukasa it meant nothing since he did not even notice how the lesson was going on. His thoughts were on Rui and how he was acting. Rui was the main villain of the novel and in it he presented himself as a mad genius, but he appeared when he was already older than he is now. But how could he become cunning and crazy like in the novel if in his youth he behaved like some kind of flirt? Needless to say, Tsukasa didn’t actually think about this when Rui was in front of him, but rather thought about how to stop his heart so that it wouldn’t jump out of his chest.

 With a sigh, Tsukasa stood up and walked towards the exit of the class. It is unlikely that he should fool his head with these thoughts. Moreover, Rui really could have changed since the plot where he is first shown to the heroes will occur in 3 years. During this time, not only the character will change, but also the appearance. Appearance. For a second, Tsukasa's mind flashed images of Rui with an older face. Because of his thoughts, Tsukasa was unable to suppress the blush that spread across his cheeks.

 While Tsukasa was trying to stop thoughts of Rui from appearing in his head, he reached the place where the next lesson would be held. To do this, he had to leave the building and walk across the academy square and reach the building that was to the right of the statue. It was a laboratory. The laboratory was a separate building and several subjects are processed there, but for Tsukasa, potion making will now take place in it.

 Looking around Tsukasa saw many new faces. This was expected since there were no such “classes”. There were simply first-year students, second-year students, third-year students and fourth-year students. Of course, the students went to different faculties, but as was said, everyone learns the same subjects, the only difference is how much more and in more detail they study one of the blocks of subjects. So Tsukasa could learn potion making with students of all faculties except healers/alchemists. But in physical lessons, Tsukasa will study only with students from the knight faculty like him.

 Because of this, Tsukasa may have different "classmates" in each subject. If Tsukasa remembers correctly the reason for this which was in the novel, then the reason was that the directors felt that students should get to know students from different faculties so that in the future we will work together and we should start respecting each other from the academy. In short, this is so that, let’s say, knights don’t put down alchemists for their lack of physical strength, and let’s say magicians don’t hate mechanics because they’re trying to reduce magic to mechanisms.

Entering the laboratory and finding the room in which he would have his lesson, Tsukasa began to wait for the start. Of course, he was a little nervous because in the novel it was written that in a potion-making lesson you should always work in pairs and this pair was assigned by the teacher. In part, Tsukasa was glad that the teacher would assign him a pair because when he studied at his school he had to find a pair for himself, but no one wanted to be with him and as he would finally gain strength to invite someone to be his partner for the project, as this person said that they were already paired with their friend. Therefore, over time, Tsukasa stopped trying and simply asked the teacher to work alone.

 Finally, the bell rang and Tsukasa entered the office with other students, and at the end, a student with hair of two shades of blue exactly in half came in. 

 Having entered the laboratory room, one could see the teacher’s place, it stood in front of the blackboard and on the table there was a medium-sized pot and next to it a bunch of ingredients, the same composition could be seen on another 15 tables that stood in front of the teacher’s place. These were places for students, or rather for 15 pairs of students. Tsukasa and other students did not go to sit at these tables and stood in the middle of the office waiting for the teacher to appear.

 The students did not have to wait long before a woman entered the classroom. She was wearing a red skirt, the back of which was below the knee and the front above. She wore a black leather jacket and a white robe over it. On her feet were boots with open toes, thigh-length. 

 Entering the classroom, she noticed students standing in the middle of the class and smiled at them. Having reached the teacher's place, she turned to the students and said “I’m glad to see you all and I’m even more glad that you didn’t go straight to your places to inspect what was there, but gathered in the middle and waited for me. I think that it’s not worth wasting time on pleasantries since probably other teachers have already congratulated you on the beginning of the year, but I don’t like wasting time because it’s like leaving coffee to cool, so let's get started right away. You can address me as Ms. Meiko and, as you may have already understood, I will be your potion-making teacher. Now I will go through the list and with your name I will name the number of the table at which you will work all this year, as well as the pair with whom you will also work all year. Okay, the first..." 

 That's how Ms Meiko began to go on the list and with her words of students standing in the middle of the class became less because more and more students were in their place. 

 Tsukas simply stood and waited when it would be called and finally it happened "Tsukas Tenma No. 12" after the words of MS Maiko Tsukas immediately headed for the table with a number 12. Nobody sat at the table and this meant that his pair had not yet defined. Tsukasa sat down at the table and immediately stared out the window. Honestly it would be more interesting for him to look what's outside the window than to work in a pair, but unfortunately the Tsukasa has no luxury to choose something. As soon as Tsukasa seemed to see how someone was sitting on the tree, he heard the noise next to him. He immediately turned to the sound, and in his thoughts thought she was probably his partner. Turning and putting his look at the student near Tsukas froze. 

 In front of him stood a guy with grey eyes and a mole under the corner of his left eye. His hair is short and bicolored, the right side a dark blue, the left a light blue. Tsukasa didn’t have to look at the guy a second time to guess who it was. 'WHAT IS TOYA AOYAGI DOING HERE!?!??' 

 Even though the sirens were ringing in Tsukasa's head, he didn't show it. He just smiled at Toya, and in his thoughts was 'How "lucky" am I to have Toya Aoyagi, the crown prince, mister perfect and one of the main characters as my partner for the whole year in making potions?' 

At Tsukasa's smile Toya brightned. "I'm glad you'll be my partner for this year, Tsukasa-senpai!" Despite only having small smile on his face you could hear happiness in Toya's words. 

 This confused Tsukasa. 'Senpai? But we are learning together...' To save himself from the question, Tsukasa decided to just ask. "Toya, you shouldn't call me senpai, we're in the same year." 

 Toya was surprised by Tsukasa’s words, but quickly pulled himself together and replied, “No! Tsukasa-senpai could have already been a second year if it weren’t for your health! That’s why I consider you my senpai.” 

 'Oh, it turns out I'm older after all. Health problems? Of course, the original Tsukasa was unlucky here' Having finished thinking, Tsukasa decided to answer Toya, “Well... If you really want to call me senpai, then fine.” After his words, Toya’s serious face returned to calm. "I hope that we will successfully complete this year of training in potion making." Tsukasa decided to cheer up. "Yes, Tsukasa-senpai" answered Toya with a soft little smile.

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 At the end of the lesson, Tsukasa felt that he had not just gone to study herbs and what would happen to them if they were mixed and turned into liquid, but had gone to create a new type of plant. And no, there was nothing complicated in the lesson, Tsukasa just felt tense and nervous, as if he wasn’t just drying sprouts and then stuffing them into a pot, but doing something beyond reasonable. And the reason was something, or rather someone. In truth, Tsukasa did not expect that Toya would act this way.

 To be precise Toya Tsukasa listened carefully throughout the lesson and did everything he said to do. And Tsukasa only repeated what was written on the piece of paper! Well, to be more precise, there was some information missing on the sheet and you had to think for yourself what to do. 

 In general, according to Ms. Meiko’s idea, students could start making a potion, and then when faced with a lack of information, they could go and find books where they could find the missing information. There were a lot of books in the laboratory building. Well, quite a lot! There was what you might call an archive where all the information about plants and much more was stored. Thus, with the help of this, Ms. Meiko wanted the students to learn how to find the necessary information in a short period of time and simply get comfortable in the building. 

 But who could guess that there would be a student who won't need to search for any information to complete the potion in the first try. And it’s not difficult to guess that it was Tsukasa. And you can't blame him! He read more than 5 times where Akito tried to make this potion. Of course, he didn’t manage to do it the first time, but still, in the end he was able to recreate the correct recipe. And so it happened that Tsukasa remembered him.

 Tsukasa just wanted to end it all as quickly as possible and didn’t even think that with the help of his actions a lot of attention would be paid to him. But at the end, when Tsukasa and Toya finished, Toya said, “I knew that Tsukasa-senpai knows a lot because he has read a lot about fauna since childhood.” Thus adding information to the collection of information about the original Tsukasа.

 This is how the lesson went roughly after it, Tsukasa said goodbye to Toya as they had different lessons later. The next lesson for Tsukasa was mathematics, but since he would not learn anything new during the lesson, Tsukasa could wander in his thoughts. What bothered him was that Toya, one of the main characters, in the novel never mentioned og. Tsukasa. Like never. But looking as he acted with Tsukasa that's very strange. Also! Author described Toya like a slightly depressed character at the beginning of the novel, but then he became the same as he is now. Tsukasa thought that perhaps something that should have upset Toya did not happen. And this bothered Tsukasa.

 Tsukasa didn't do anything that would change the plot before going in academia, so why it didn't happen? Unfortunately, Tsukasa was unable to come up with a reason until the end of the lesson, and when the bell rang, he just sighed heavily and decided to put this topic off for later.

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 Finally, after the 4th lesson, what many students were probably waiting for came. Lunch time! Tsukasa headed to the cafeteria. He hoped that he would be able to see Mika, but apparently fate was against him since he could not find her, so he just had to take his food and go sit down on empty table. 

 Tsukasa had no intention of sitting where there were other students and trying to make friends with them. Tsukasa just wanted to live a quiet life and wait for the story to end and with the hope that with the end of the story Tsukasa will return to his world. With these thoughts, Tsukasa looked at the other students who were in the cafe until his eyes fell on one person. The girl has light brown eyes and blonde hair which was in two low twin-tails and she wore round glasses. 

 Tsukasa immediately recognized her Azusawa Kohane. Another character from the novel, but she didn't appear that often. Kohane was An's best friend, An is another character, but then An made Kohane friends with Akito and Toya so they could sometimes go out together. But when Rui's whole mess started, they became a team that fought together to stop Rui. 

 Of course, now it cannot be said that Kohane will be able to calmly be on the battlefield and not start to panic, since she now even has problems with public speaking. But the reason for all this is that she still has not met An. Only with the help of meeting and starting a friendship with An was Kohane able to overcome her lack of confidence and become who she became at the end of the novel. 

 Now Kohane was just an ordinary girl from lesser nobility, who is very shy to start speaking with someone. Tsukasa noticed that Kohane was also sitting at an empty table. There was just a difference between them: Tsukasa didn’t want to sit with others, but Kohane wanted to, but was embarrassed to ask to sit with others.

 Tsukasa was about to look away and continue eating when he noticed Kohane's expression. Tsukasa knew that Kohane even now wanted to make friends but because of lack of self-confidence she couldn't do it so in her expression one could read loneliness and longing for friendship. 

 She appeared isolated as she sits alone at an empty table. Her sadness is evident, stemming from her shyness, which prevents her from approaching other students and making the connections she desires.

 Tsukasa did not notice how his face became unreadable and also did not notice how he took his tray of food and headed towards the table where Kohane was sitting.

 Hearing footsteps, Kohane raised her head. Walking up to the table, Tsukasa asked with a gentle smile, “Can I sit with you?” The question took the girl by surprise, but she quickly came to her senses, “O-of course, Tsukasa-san!" "Wow, you don’t have to be so formal and on top of that, you still know me?” Tsukasa was surprised "But Tsukasa-sa...” “You can call me senpai, after all, I’m a year older and it’s less formal.” Tsukasa interrupted. "Okay...I know you, Tsukasa-senpai, you are the son of a duke and it is said that few people have seen you live...Sorry if I seemed rude!" Kohane was ready to bow, but Tsukasa stopped her, “Haha, it’s okay! You’re very kind and not rude at all, by the way, how should I address you?” 'I know but I have to ask otherwise it will be strange if I know her name from nowhere'

 "M-my name is Kohane. Azusawa Kohane" At the girl’s words, Tsukasa smiled, “Nice to meet you, Kohane.” 

 Tsukasa started talking to Kohane on various topics, but he mentioned photographs and cameras that were recently invented. In the novel it was said that Kohane was fond of photographs, so Tsukasa decided to talk about this topic so that Kohane would not be embarrassed and could talk about a topic in which she felt comfortable. And by the end of lunch, Kohane was speaking with less stuttering and simply talking more.

 Unfortunately, lunch was coming to an end and Tsukasa had to say goodbye to Kohane, but he mentioned that he would be happy to talk to her again about photographs and if he needed advice on using the camera he will contact her. 

 They said goodbye in the corridor near the cafeteria. Tsukasa noticed that Kohane was much happier than when she was sitting alone. At this, Tsukasa sighed with relief and then headed to the class for the next lesson, but in his thoughts he noted that he should read some books on photography and about places with good landscapes.

Chapter Text

Soon the second day of school came to an end and all the students were dismissed. Some headed to their dormitories, while others continued to walk around the school.

 Tsukasa went with the first option. Immediately after the bell rang, Tsukasa gathered his things and headed to his room.

After entering his room, he immediately lay down on the bed. And so he lay motionless for several minutes. The reason for his state of mind was that the lessons that Tsukasa expected to be exciting were actually no different from the lessons from his previous school.

Since it was only the beginning of the school year, there was almost no practice and the teachers talked more about theory. Because of this, Tsukasa's desire to study evaporated. What was the point of going to a fantasy world if you couldn’t learn magic? They only teach you to memorize potion formulas, history, etc.

In addition, nothing interesting happened outside of lessons. I mean, of course Tsukasa met Rui and even had the same class with Touya and later met Kohane BUT it was special only because they were characters from the novel. So nothing supernatural happened that day.

And this partly infuriated Tsukasa. To get from one boring world to another is almost not a better world. 

It was only when he was bored in his world that he could sit down and play the piano, and even sometimes when he was inspired he could come up with an original melody. But in this world... Tsukasa didn’t know if Tsukasa from the novel could play the piano, so he didn’t dare try. Since Tsukasa began learning to play the piano at the age of 5, he had a lot of experience and anyone could recognize that he was not a beginner. So if someone notices him playing the piano, they will begin to wonder when he learned to play like that.

After lying on the bed for a while longer, Tsukasa couldn’t stand it and still got up and headed to his desk. Sitting down at the table, Tsukasa found paper and pen and began to write down notes. Along the way, Tsukasa sometimes stopped and beat his fingers on the table as if on keys of piano, and when he was mentally satisfied, he continued to write. 

If he couldn't play the piano, there was certainly nothing that could stop him from at least writing down notes. If someone sees them, Tsukasa might say that he copied them from a book or just drew them at random.

This is how Tsukasa spent his time until the moon began to rise. He would have continued writing if Mika had not decided to visit him.

As it turned out, she noticed that Tsukasa didn’t come to dinner and decided to check if something happened to him. Noticing that he was energetically writing something, she decided to simply leave him dinner and wished him good dreams and that he would not stay too long.

Not long after Mika left, Tsukasa folded the sheets of music and put them in a drawer in the desk. Then he washed his face and immediately went to bed.

Realizing that his school life was no different from his previous one, Tsukasa decided to change his plan of action. And this plan was supposed to start tomorrow!

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As the sun rose, a new day began. Tsukasa quickly woke up and got ready. It was easy to see that Tsukasa seemed excited about something. 

Walking through the corridors of the academy, Tsukasa repeated his plan of action. 

Find all the main characters.

Find out the situation around them.

Compare this with the plot from the novel.

Find similarities, thereby finding out at what stage the plot is.

And finally, just watch the plot unfold from the front rows.

That's the whole plan. If this world is only interesting because it is a world from a novel, then you can watch this novel in real life format. 

Tsukasa was at first hesitant about whether he should do this or not, but then, remembering what classes he would have the next day, he immediately decided to start tomorrow.

For some it will seem that this "plan" is useless and it's just him acting creepy BUT! For Tsukasa, this plan could really add color to his life. Since you can hardly observe the plot of a novel that you have been reading for several years in real time.

Okay, let's get back to the present time. Tsukasa headed to the cafeteria since now there are the largest number of students there and there is a greater chance of meeting characters from the novel.

As soon as Tsukasa entered the room he started to inspect it to find his targets. At first he couldn't find anyone because of how crowded it was but as soon as he saw a flock of purple hair Tsukasa on autopilot headed to the exit.

Now when Tsukasa left the cafeteria and walked along the corridors, he thought about what places the characters might be in now. In fact, he didn’t even think about who he wanted to meet first and whose face to watch the story from. Therefore, he decided whoever he would meet first would be the one to be.

Now Tsukasa was sorting out places that the characters could visit before the start of classes and that are suitable for the current timeline. Without thinking for long, the thought immediately came to him: 'Akito. Training ground'. At the very beginning of the novel, Akito, being a commoner, trained hard to prove that he should not be looked down upon. Therefore, in almost all of his free time he trained with the sword and sometimes sparred with Touya, his partner. 

Actually, the relationship between Touya and Akito is very interesting and was a very popular topic of discussion in the fandom of this novel. One part said that they had a relationship like brothers or just friends, and the second part, more interesting, saw them as lovers. But not like ordinary lovers, but like lovers who can't be together because of their status, and the plots alike. Well, of course there was a third party and they didn’t care about them because they came for the sake of other characters and ships.

It’s fair to say that Tsukasa didn’t think much about this topic, apparently like the author, because the author didn’t really explain whether there would be romance in the novel or not, but they continued writing, as others thought, suspicious scenes with hints.

Now Tsukasa was heading to the training ground, which was located to the left of Miku-no-Kami's statue. But he didn't have to pass by it as he found Akito right in front of it. And he wasn't alone there.

Tsukasa quickly hid behind the bushes and began to examine the scene in front of him. Akito was talking to a girl who Tsukasa recognised as An Shiraishi because of her orange eyes and long black hair with blue tips, on which there are many small stars. 

Unfortunately, he couldn’t hear what they were saying, but partly Tsukasa had no time for that. Now he was trying to remember if there was a moment at the beginning of the novel where Akito spoke to An like that. But nothing came to mind and this worried Tsukasa a little.

But Tsukasa didn't have time to think about it anymore when he heard a whisper from his left. "And who are we watching?".

Tsukasa turned his head sharply, surprisingly it didn’t crack, towards the whisper. And there he was met by piercing yellow eyes with red eyeliner and a smile reminiscent of a cat. Tsukasa was about to scream in fear when the owner of those eyes threw him onto his back and covered his mouth with his hand.

Rui shook his head as if disappointed and began to whisper as if he were talking to a stupid kitten. "Now, now if you try to spy on people then you have to be very quiet and hide yourself better." With every second, Tsukasa's face became redder and redder and he tried to say something, but because of the hand on his face, he could only let out muffled noises. 

By looks, Tsukasa's attempt to say something amused Rui so he leaned closer to Tsukasa's ear. "What part of trying to stay as quiet as possible did you not understand?" Rui whispered.

And that was the end. Tsukasa's face became unrecognizable, his face was fully covered in blush and the blush even went below his neck and one could imagine that steam was coming out of his head. Due to this state, Tsukasa did not hear the bell ring and how Akito and An respectively went to their classes. He only recovered from this state when Rui finally stopped hovering over him and removed his hand from his mouth.

"It looks like our targets are gone," said Casually Rui. It took a few seconds for Tsukasa to process Rui's words so that he suddenly went from a lying position to a sitting one. And also quickly trying to find the figures of Akito and An in front of the statue. But as Rui said, they had already left. Tsukasa was disappointed that he could not find out anything.

While Tsukasa was mourning the wasted time and the fact that he missed breakfast in vain, Rui stood up and, taking Tsukasa by the hand, began to lead him somewhere. Needless to say, Rui's actions sent Tsukasa into a panic. Tsukasa began to pull his hand towards himself and tried to stop with the heels of his feet, but Rui did not even stagger and continued walking and dragging Tsukasa with him.

"H-hey, Rui! Where are you taking me?! S-stop! Let me go!!" Tsukasa started asking. In his words Rui turned his head to him for a brief second, as if checking his state, and then turned back. "HEY! RUI! ANSWER ME!" Tsukasa started to shout. He actually was now panicking because Tsukasa was not sure what Rui could do to him. Later in the novel he was making experiments on humans but in the novel never mentioned when he first started doing it. And now Tsukasa was afraid that he'll be the first subject.

Finally Rui decided to answer "Tsukasa-kun, because of your shouting people might think that I'm kidnapping you to do some bad things" And Rui had the audacity to sound hurt.

Now Tsukasa was starting to panic more because he considered Rui's words as warning to be quiet. And Tsukasa became as quiet as a mouse. And on Tsukasa's change Rui only chuckled and said "Wow so Tsukasa-kun can listen to instructions' '.

And with his words Rui tugged Tsukasa's hand and started to walk faster. And now all Tsukasa could do is to pray in his head that Rui won't be as sadistic as he was later in the novel and he'll let him die painless.

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Okay, instead of the dark room Tsukasa found himself in the academy's garden. There he was sitting on the bench and beside him was sitting Rui. Also Rui was working on some robot by checking its internal components. And so silence hung over, only the sounds of screws being tightened could be heard. 

Tsukasa was puzzled and turned to Rui. Rui doesn't interact with him in any way and it started almost as soon as they arrived here. As if feeling eyes on him, Rui finally spoke, “Tsukasa-kun decided to skip this class, so I decided to help him so that he wouldn’t be found.” 

Rui's words made Tsukasa even more puzzled. First of all, how does he know that he really thought about skipping this class? And no, don’t start judging him! He just wanted to meet Mizuki, a character who often skips classes, and not just grow bored. Well and the second from whom he was supposed to hide? As it was mentioned in the novel Mizuki would skip classes and rarely show up and it didn't say that they had to hide from someone. Not all the teachers have classes so there's no one who can go around walking in academia and look for the students who skip. 

But Tsukasa started to suspect that Author "forgot" or thought that it was unnecessary to mention in the novel.

Tsukasa decided to stop going in circles and just asked "How do you know?" On this Rui only hummed as if asking for more explanation. "How do you know that I wanted to skip?". Now on these words Rui e

ven turned to face Tsukasa and said with a tone as if saying the obvious thing "Because how can i not know something that simple about Tsukasa-kun" 

Okay that'll be a looong talk.

Chapter Text

The sun had just risen and the students had just started their first lesson. Now a bunch of students were sitting in class and gaining knowledge to improve their future.

But this did not apply to the two guys who were sitting in the academy’s garden and skipping this lesson. 

Tsukasa sat across the benches and held Rui by the shoulders. Tsukasa's face was not visible since his head was lowered. But it is easy to say that there was an expression containing panic and confusion. It's also easy to say that there were a lot of thoughts going inside Tsukasa's head. 

And all of this happened because of one sentence or more like a rhetorical question that was said by Rui. 'How can I not know something simple about Tsukasa-kun?'. After this Tsukasa stopped talking and even looking at Rui. Only a few minutes passed and Tsukasa suddenly turned to Rui and grabbed him by his shoulders. But he still didn't raise his head.

Tsukasa sighed deeply. 'Okay, calm down. Let's think it over again. So what do we have? We have Rui who knows my name despite never giving it to him, and who talks to me as if we have known each other for a long time. The question is why he does it? It can't be that we are really friends...' Tsukasa's thoughts stopped. Instead he became focused on the one word. Friends. 

'Could it be...?' Tsukasa slowly raised his head and looked at Rui. He saw that Rui was watching him and it didn't seem as if he thinks that Tsukasa lost his mind and behaves as some weirdo but as if he finds this whole situation hilarious.

"Um, Rui...can I ask you a question?" hesitantly asked Tsukasa. He knew that what he was gonna ask was going to sound awkward and embarrassing but he wanted to try. "Of course you can, Tsukasa-kun" Happily answered Rui.

"Um... it's just... how long have we been friends...?" 'Okay this sounds even more awkward after i've said it' Tsukasa thought in his mind. 'Wait, but what if we are not actually friends and now Rui thinks I'm an idiot who thinks that we are friends after just meeting yesterday???' Now Tsukasa was overthinking but from going deeper in his thoughts he was interrupted by Rui.

"Oh we have been friends for 3 years now" said Rui as if he's not giving Tsukasa the most bizarre information. "Really...?" Tsukasa asked with a shocked face. On this Rui only chuckled and nodded. 

Now these words brought even more shock to Tsukasa. But thanks to them the puzzle was completed and now Tsukasa can now conclude that 'Original Tsukasa from the novel was friends with Rui...' Even after saying it in his head Tsukasa could not believe it. And the biggest reason was because 'I'M NOW TSUKASA IN THIS NOVEL!!!! Fate cannot be this kind to me and let me get isekai to the novel i love and be isekai to be my favorite villian's friend!?!?! Oh my god it changes so much! I'm not some faceless extra but an antagonist's friend!!!!' After these thoughts Tsukasa was ready to die because he knew he would die happy and knowing that he was friends with Rui.

'Now i don't need to look for main characters because i can happily spend time with Rui!' The final conclusion that Tsukasa made. 

After Tsukasa finished celebrating and cheering in his head he finally turned his focus on Rui. Rui was still sitting before him and having a small smile on his face.

"Rui!"

"Yes? What is it, Tsukasa-kun?"

"Let's spend this day together!"

Rui froze and on his face appeared shocked but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "Fufufu... I didn't expect that Tsukasa-kun will ask me on a date like this".

"W-what!?! This is not a date!!" Now Tsukasa's face started to become as red as a tomato. "I-it's just that i want to hang out with my f-friend! Yeah! What is the p-problem with wanting to do this!?!" Now because of embarrassment not only his face now resembles a tomato but also he began to stutter.

Now as if Rui chose mercy he said "Fufufu i'm just teasing you, Tsukasa-kun" Rui took Tsukasa's hands, which were still lying on his shoulders, in his hands and said "I'll be more than happy if Tsukasa-kun will keep me company this whole day." 

Now, the gesture Rui made was supposed to calm Tsukasa down but unfortunately it did the opposite. And adding to this the heat that the sun was radiating, it was barely hot, Tsukasa didn't notice as the dark spots began to appear in his vision and soon it became all black.

Tsukasa lost his consciousness and the day only started.

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Consciousness began to slowly return to Tsukasa. But he was in no hurry to open his eyes. And with it, Tsukasa began to try to remember what happened to him. 'Ghh...I climbed into the bushes to watch Akito and An....and then? I must have fallen asleep and had a dream that I'm friends with Rui. Pfft... definitely a funny dream.' 

Having put all his thoughts in place, Tsukasa began to try to find out where he was. 'Well, if I fell asleep, I would still be lying in those bushes, but... what is this soft thing that my head is lying on?' Without hesitation, Tsukasa reached out his hand to feel something. 

Even though it felt soft around his head, Tsukasa touched something hard. This surprised Tsukasa and he tried to squeeze it. After that, Tsukasa heard someone chuckle above his head.

Immediately Tsukasa understood what was happening and abruptly lifted his body to sit. "Oh~ Looks like Tsukasa-kun is awake." Tsukasa's head snapped in the direction where the voice sounded. There he saw Rui sitting under the big tree. Now Tsukasa understood that what he thought was a dream was a reality. 

But what confused him is that they were no longer sitting on the bench and by looking around Tsukasa could determine that they were not by the entrance of the garden but more in the middle of the said garden. 

Perhaps by noticing that Tsukasa was inspecting the place they were in, Rui decided to say "After you fainted I decided to move us under some shadow". Returning his attention to Rui, Tsukasa's gears began to turn in his head. He couldn't understand what he was lying on if they were still in the garden. Then everything clicked in his head. 

Lap. He was lying on Rui's lap. From this realization, Tsukasa almost jumped and began to apologize, “SORRY RUI, IT PROBABLY WAS NOT COMFORTABLE FOR YOU TO SIT LIKE THIS AND WAIT FOR ME TO WAKE UP!!!” Tsukasa would have said more if he was not interrupted by Rui's laugh. "H-HEY! WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT??!?!" Tsukasa yelled. "ANSWER ME!!"

Only after Rui stopped laughing, more like he tried to stop himself but was not good at it because it was visible as he was shaking and covering his mouth with his hand. "I'm sorry, Tsukasa-kun, it's just you had a funny expression on your face" Finally answered Rui on Tsukasa's question, which he kept asking until Rui stopped laughing. 

"What was funny about my expresion!? I was worried about you!!"

Rui stopped shaking but still had his hand covering half of his face. Suddenly Rui turned away from Tsukasa. At first Tsukasa didn't understand why Rui did it but then.. "OH MY GOD RUI DO YOU ACTUALLY FEEL SICK!?!? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!?!?" Tsukasa came closer to Rui and tried to turn him to face Tsukasa by his shoulders but Rui didn't even flinch. "RUI!" Despite Tsukasa calling him, Rui didn't say a word.

Only after a few seconds of silence, well only Rui's silence because all this time Tsukasa was yelling and calling for Rui to answer him, Rui finally said "I-it's just Tsukasa-kun again showed a funny face". Tsukasa stopped shaking Rui by his shoulders.

After Rui's words, the anxious expression on Tsukasa's face disappeared and the blank one appeared. Silence continued until...

"HOW DARE YOU!?!! HERE I AM WORRYING ABOUT YOU AND YOU JUST LAUGH AT MY FACE!?!?!" Tsukasa furiously started to shake Rui but Rui still didn't turn to face him. 

I can assure you that Tsukasa's screams were heard at least by the half of the academy. 

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Finally, silence fell in the garden. Two guys were sitting in the shade under a tree, leaning their backs against its trunk. 

After all the screaming and laughing, the guys just sat there in silence. 

But this silence was destroyed by the question “What did you want to hide me from?" Tsukasa asked. To be honest, this question never left his mind because this information was not in the novel and it bothered Tsukasa. How many other things exist here but have not been described in the text?

“It’s expected that Tsukasa-kun doesn’t know this,” these words offended Tsukasa a little, “But I’m always ready to share all the secrets with him.”

"Although the academy does not admit it, there are some kinds of cameras installed in the building and in some places on the street that are powered by magic, with the help of which they work around the clock. At first, this was done to monitor whether someone unknown had entered the academy, but later, with the installation of a better security system, the cameras became somewhat useless, but they were not removed. Instead, they decided to leave them in order to make it easier to maintain order and monitor students’ violations."

The new information didn’t surprise Tsukasa all that much. At his former school, there were also cameras in the corridors, but all the students were sure that it was a dummy. What was more interesting was something else.

"How are you sure that the cameras are charged from magic and not just a mechanism?" 

At Tsukasa's words, Rui's smile only increased, "As I knew, Tsukasa-kun would notice this little detail." Although these words made Tsukasa shy, he didn’t say anything and waited for an answer to his question. 

"I can assure you that they work from magic because the smell of magic comes from them. And by the way, it’s quite noticeable, probably anyone with an average amount mana can feel it" 

Now it is all explained. The author did not describe this since all the main characters had at least a little ability for magic and probably sensed the presence of cameras and always acted carefully. This is probably why Mizuki was never caught because they had a high level of mana and therefore easily noticed the cameras and passed through their blind spots.

But there was something that upset him. 'If I didn't feel them...then I seem to have almost no mana?' This thought couldn’t help but set Tsukasa up because again the fantasy world was becoming an ordinary and familiar world for him. 

The face still showed sadness and dissatisfaction on Tsukasa's face despite him tryings to suppress it. And this expression caught Rui's attention.

At first he was silent, but then he asked, “If Tsukasa-kun doesn’t believe me, then I can “borrow” one of the cameras and let you look at it for yourself.” 

At Rui's words, Tsukasa fell out of his thoughts and replied, "No need, I believe you." Even though Tsukasa refused, one could notice concern written on Rui's face.

After a short silence, Tsukasu said, “It’s better if you come with me now and help me not get caught on these cameras.” Tsukasa's words surprised Rui and he decided to ask, "Hmm? Where are we going to go?"

At his words, Tsukasa smiled, “Well, I promised you to spend the whole day with you, and in addition, I haven’t seen all the places at the academy yet...So I don’t have a clear goal in mind, but maybe you have a few ideas."

Тsukasa stood up and brushed off his uniform to face Rui. Tsukasa extended his hand to the still sitting Rui and said, “Let’s go, you never know who will come now because of my previous screams.”

Rui looked at the outstretched hand and then at Tsukasa's face. Rui chuckled and took the offered hand. "I have a couple of ideas for places that Tsukasa-kun might like.”

Chapter Text

 The boy, who was lying on the bed, rushly sat down. On his forehead slide down drops of sweat. He had panicked and anxious expression on his face.

 It was not the first time the boy woke up like this. Body covered in sweat, dishelved bed and tears in his eyes. To be more specific, it started 2 weeks from now on. 

 And from that day nightmares began to follow this poor boy. Even though many people say that dreams and nightmares are based on dreamer’s imagination and hold no meaning, by unknown reason exactly these nightmares felt different for the boy. 

 It would seem that it was impossible to find a clear difference between ordinary nightmares and those that haunted the boy now. But the boy felt that they were not the same as those he could see when he was still a child.

 In those dreams, he ran away from monsters or saw how his parents themselves became them and locked him deep underground and until the end of his days he could not see sunlight. 

 The new nightmares were less like these harmless nightmares. Although there the boy also fought with a bunch of monsters,but he didn't fought alone, he had his comrades were with him. Unfortunately he couldn't see their faces. It seemed like their faces were covered by some fog. But even though he couldn't recognise any of them he still felt as if these people were very dear to him. 

 And because of this reason these nightmares were the worst ones. Because in each of them the boy had to see how his dear people died right in front of him. And the worst part was that he couldn't do anything to stop that from happening despite watching the exact same nightmare over and over again. When a close friend was pierced through with a sword and the boy could only look at it and could do nothing, he felt incredible pain in his chest and with this pain he woke up abruptly. Later, noticing how tears were quietly running down his face.

 So every nightmare would end with a bloody view with the corpses of his friends.

 It was absurd. Mourning the death of people whose faces you don’t even know, and in general it’s just a dream, it might not have happened at all.

The most sensible idea, but for some reason it seemed to the guy that this was not just a nightmare. With how real it felt for him to see this nightmare. He almost could say that these nightmares were more like a memories. 

 But nothing like the events of the dream did not occur in the present time or in the past. So for now the boy thought of them as a normal nightmares. But it still didn't make the boy go to sleep without the hope that these nightmares won't occupy his dreams this time. 

 Finally, after calming down his breathing, the boy rubbed his forehead with a sleeve of his nightwear shirt to wipe the sweat. And with a sigh he got out of the bed and went to the bathroom.

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 The second day in academia just began but the boy was ready to fall from his legs and begin to sleep on the floor. Still, uninterrupted nights with nightmares did not do any good.

 Although it was difficult to see his fatigue from the stony expression that was always on his face.

  Only a few people can easily guess what he really feels through his unchanging face. Although you can count so many people on your fingers.

 Therefore, for most people the guy looks the same as always. Excellent calm prince of the kingdom.

 Even now, walking through the corridors of the academy, the guy noticed how some students turned around and openly stared at him. 

 In truth, he is already accustomed to these looks. If you are born into a royal family, then a lot of eyes are directed at you from the cradle.

 But when he walks next to his red-haired partner, all the looks suddenly disappear. The boy understands that it is his companion who is frightening off these views and that this is indecent, but he does not have the strength to scold him for this. Still, sometimes it’s good to have breaks when there are no eyes watching your every move.

 But unfortunately now this red-haired companion was not visible anywhere nearby. So he had to endure it in silence.

 But the fact that the boy had not yet met the top of the red hair, among the many corridors that he had passed, alarmed him. Therefore, he had already planned to go look for him during his lunch break.

 As he was walking in the corridor, the boy turned to the window by his right shoulder. He looked through the window at nature. Autumn has only recently begun, but soon it will begin to get colder and everything will turn into bright red and yellow colors.

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 The bell rang, marking the fact that exactly half a day had passed since the start of the second school day for the students of the academy.

  Having collected his things, the boy headed to the cafeteria, hoping there to meet the person he had been looking for all day during breaks between classes.

 The fact that he had never been able to find his partner seriously worried the boy, so he quickly walked to the place where he thought there was the best chance of meeting him.

 Entering the room, the boy looked around the whole room but did not notice the desired red top of his friend’s head. But he saw instead the top of the head of blond hair.

 He quickly recognized the owner of this hair and headed to the table at which he was sitting.

 Apparently hearing footsteps approaching him, the guy turned around. "Oh? Toya! Glad to see you!" The guy responded quite loudly.

 “Tsukasa-senpai, it's nice to see you too,” Toya responded politely. “How have you been doing?” Toya decided to ask. 

 “I'm feeling great! I had a lot of fun exploring the academy's grounds. What about you?” Lightly said Tsukasa.

 “I’m glad to hear that you’ve been doing great. I was worried that you may feel sick because of nervousness and the fact that you need to move almost all day.” On the last words it seems Tsukasa's face became confused but that expression vanished very quickly. That much quickly that Toya thought that he imagined it.

 “Um, Tsukasa-senpai, I have a question for you if it’s not difficult for you to answer...” Toya said a little with uncertainty. He didn't want to burden his senpai with unnecessary things.

  "Oh! No problem! I'm only too happy to help. Only if I know the answer to this question.” Without allowing Toya to take back his words, Tsukasa said in a loud voice.

  “This is not about studying. My question for you is more like: have you seen a guy with ginger hair and green eyes? If yes, then when?" Finally Toya decided to ask.

 Before Tsukasa could even open his mouth to say anything, another voice was heard. “That guy with red hair? I saw him, he quickly came here and left here the same way. I would say he was in a hurry to get somewhere.”

 At the voice, Toya turned and noticed that someone was sitting in front of Tsukasa. This guy had bright purple hair and two strands of blue, which made it look like it was dyed and not natural. But Toya was more attracted not by the color of the guy’s hair, but by his eyes.

 For some reason, looking into the guy’s eyes, a shiver ran down Toya’s spine. The bright yellow eyes looked more like the eyes of some kind of monster, a predator, than a human. Looking into these eyes, Toya involuntarily remembered his nightmares.

 Sometimes it seemed to him that someone was always looking at him. And once he was able to find this observer, but Toya could only see his eyes. They were the same color and there was madness and anger in them.

 "Oh, that's right! It seems to me that he went to the training ground because he was dressed in sportswear and had a sword on his belt.” Toya was brought out of his trance by Tsukasa's voice.

 Finally looking away from those eyes, Toya looked back at his senpai. “Thank you, Tsukasa-senpai and...” Toya waited for the second guy to give his name.

 Tsukasa was ready to introduce the guy himself when the guy himself said, “Rui, and yes, you should quickly head there because the break may end soon, and you look like you really urgently need to talk to him.”

 A little confused but quickly pulling himself together, Toya thanked Rui and headed towards his new goal.

 As Toya was walking further and further away from the table he couldn't hear as Tsukasa was scolding Rui.

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 Deciding not to waste extra minutes since the lunch break was running out. Toya headed to the training ground.

 Walking along the paths on the street of the academy, Toya hoped that his partner would actually be in that place and Tsukasa’s guess was correct. Because if he couldn’t find him now, the only solution would be to go to his dorm. But this is precisely the problem.

 If the prince came to the commoners' dormitory, it would probably spread throughout the academy and it might reach the ears of his father. And Toya is sure that he will be unhappy and will start asking what he forgot there. And God forbid he finds out that he is friends with a commoner. Then it will not be known what he will do with him and most importantly with Akito. 

 The boy didn't have time to dwell about this thought as he finally reached his destination. 

 Entering the site, Toya noticed something in the corner of his gaze. And what he saw could not help but bring a smile to his face.

 The same crown of red hair that he had been looking for all day finally met his gaze. With a calm step, Toya walked towards the guy who was swinging a sword at a training dummy.

 Using his keen senses, the guy immediately noticed Toya when he began to approach him. At first, when he turned around, dissatisfaction was visible on his face, but after he recognized his friend in the intruder, it shrank to a calm expression.

 Without hesitation, the guy turned back to the training dummy and continued to deliver trained blows to it.

 Standing with his back to the prince, Akito began the conversation, “Why are you here? It’s lunch break, shouldn’t you be in the cafeteria right now.”

 If anyone had seen their conversation, they would have been shocked by how a commoner communicated with the prince. But Toya didn't care so he replied "The same can be said to you"

 To this Akito just snorted "I was there. I took the food and decided to eat somewhere else" The sound of the sword hitting the training doll was heard loudly in the training area. 

 Toya watched as his partner followed the trail with a sword strike. “You shouldn’t overexert yourself, such training will not bring anything good, only fatigue and possible injuries. Have you been here and trained all the breaks?” In the last question, Toya could not hide a note of dissatisfaction mixed with concern for the health of his friend.

 Apparently noticing this, Akito stopped and finally turned to face Toya. They looked into each other's eyes for several seconds in complete silence until Akito was the first to look away with a sigh. He hung the sword that was in his hand on his belt and went to sit on the bench that was nearby. Toya followed him.

 When both sat down next to each other, there was a short silence that was soon broken by Akito. “Before you scold someone about their health, it’s better to take care of your own. The bags under your eyes are visible from miles away and you’re also very pale. Aren’t you overexerting yourself there?”It would seem that Akito was being rude, but Toya knew that Akito was simply showing his concern for him.

 In truth, Toya did not tell Akito about his nightmares, so when he asked if everything was fine with him, Toya always lied and said that everything was fine.

 But here's the problem. Toya was not good at lying. Since childhood, he was taught to tell only the truth, especially to his parents. Therefore, Akito could easily recognize his lie. 

 And, although it wasn’t noticeable, Akito was a little offended that Toya didn’t tell him this. Once they even had a quarrel and they stopped seeing each other for a period of time, but closer to the beginning of the school year at the academy they made up, but it was still clear that Akito was not happy that Toya continued to keep silent about his nightmares, which were the reasons why he looked like that.

 Toya remained silent, deciding not to tell a lie that Akito already knew. Silence hung over them.

 Akito finally gave in and changed the subject with a sigh. “How are you doing at the academy in general? And by the way, how is your friend who you said will also go to the academy?” At Akito's words, Toya could only sigh with relief in his head that he had decided to drop the topic. And with a smile, he began to answer Akito's questions.

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 The reason why Touya didn't want to tell Akito about his dreams was not because he was afraid that Akito would make fun of him for crying over such stupid dreams, no, Akito is not that kind of person.

 But because he clearly remembers one moment from his dreams. Toya sits on his knees and in his hands is the body of a man, this man had bright orange hair and although without seeing his face, Toya could say with confidence that he had green eyes and how they were filled with sadness.

 Toya remembers how in his sleep tears fell from his face and how he pressed his body to himself and apologized. It doesn't matter what he apologizes for. It is important that right before his death, the guy in his arms extended his hand to his face and tried to wipe the tears from his face and how he finally tried to squeeze out a smile as if trying to somehow finally calm him down. 

 It was after this dream that Toya woke up feeling the worst. Sometimes he couldn't even get out of bed, and while the servants thought he was sick, he spent the whole day lying in bed. By some unknown reason Toya didn't want to tell Akito about this as if he tells someone about his nightmares and they will come true.

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 The sun began to set behind the horizon and with it the wind began to rise, carrying yellow fallen leaves and twirling them in the wind as if in a dance.

 The students have already managed to get a little used to school life. The very beginning seemed difficult, but soon the students will get

a short break in the form of a festival that takes place every year on the grounds of the academy. 

 A lot of interesting things await them this fall.

Chapter Text

Time flies quite quickly and a month has already passed since the students began their studies at the academy. 

The beginning was quite difficult for everyone, but over time, everybody adjusted and now confidently continues their path in their studies, but with the onset of mid-autumn, not only will dry leaves and cool winds arrive in the kingdom of Mikulandia, but also a special festival. The bell rang but Tsukasa was already sitting at his desk. Tsukasa looked at the landscape outside the window, and involuntarily, the realization came to him that he had already been living in the world of a novel for more than a month. Maybe at the beginning of his transmigration, he had the thought that it was all a dream, but now everything became clear that this was not so.

With a sigh, Tsukasa turned his head towards the teacher. Ms. Megurine stood in front of the whole class and waited for everyone to settle into their seats. One could guess that she wanted to say something and it was something not about astrology. But Tsukasa already knew what the teacher would talk about: “My dear students, I ask for a moment of attention. Now, I will not talk about our lesson, but about your studies in general,” Ms. Megurine attracted the attention of the students and there was silence in the class. Everyone waited with interest for the teacher's next words. “Perhaps some already know this, but there are also those who are not aware of this, so teachers were ordered to inform everyone. I'm sure everyone knows that soon our kingdom will host an annual festival that comes every year in mid-autumn. But! Not everyone knows the story behind it and what significance it has for our academy,” said Ms. Megurine.

Whispers from students spread throughout the class.

Tsukasa was not surprised by the teacher's words. He expected this. ‘So it has finally arrived..’ Tsukasa thought to himself. To be honest, the novel did not clearly indicate when this festival takes place. It was simply said that it would be in the fall, so Tsukasa just had to wait and guess when it would come, but what caught his attention were Ms. Megurine's last words ‘significance it has for our academy’? Well, it’s true that during the festival, the academy opens its gates to everyone and sets up booths with food and products made by students. They also hold sports games. But this major? Isn’t the whole kingdom celebrating the festival like us?’

While Tsukasa was in the clouds, Ms. Megurine already said that each class should have a booth with their ideas and soon began talking about the main event. At this, Tsukasa perked up and began to listen carefully.

“Dancing and fun are of course good, but the main highlight of the festival is the well-known game “Age of Magic: Battle of Heaven and Earth.”” After Ms. Megurine's words, one could hear the joyful exclamations of students throughout the class.

‘“Age of Magic: Battle of Heaven and Earth”...’ Tsukasa repeated in his head.

What Ms. Megurine said, it was well known to everyone, she meant that everyone, from a small child to an old man, has heard about this game at least once. For Tsukasa, it was remembered for being the main element in one of the novel's arcs. Unfortunately, the author again decided to skip writing the reasons why this particular game was so popular. In general, Tsukasa began to notice how some of the information was missing in the novel but was present in this world. At least take the local goddess! Miku-no-kami has temples and churches built in her honor, but in the novel, it was as if she never existed!

While in his head Tsukasa mentally wanted to slap the author in the head, a question was heard in the class.

“Why is this game so popular and what is the point of this festival anyway?”

This question sparked interest in Tsukasa. ‘Oh? Am I getting more lore?’ Tsukasa wondered and directed all his attention to the teacher.

“This is the reason why we teachers were asked to inform you about the history behind this festival, or rather about the legend. The legend says that many years ago, monsters lived in this place where our kingdom is located, but then Miku-no-kami arrived at this place, with her faithful servants, and cleared these lands of wickedness. She later decided to build our kingdom here. According to ancient records kept by our ancestors, it happened around this period. When most of the trees shed their leaves and the cold began to come closer and closer.”

After the story, many students were surprised by this legend and were also fascinated by it. This also applies to Tsukasa. ‘She again...?’

“And the reason why this game is so popular... is that you can say it is based on this legend.” Ms. Megurine said and then smiled. Surprised exclamations echoed throughout the class. No one could even imagine that the game they played as children had such a deep history.

Someone asked Ms. Megurine to explain how this game is based on a legend and the teacher happily began to tell.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything I know. But first, I want to draw your attention to something else. As I said earlier, Miku-no-kami had her faithful servants. If you list them: Mechanical Genius, Noble Knight, Great Magician, Young Alchemist and Reliable Healer. Now remember that our academy is named after Miku-no-kami and follows her instructions.”

After these words, Ms. Megurine fell silent as if waiting for someone to continue.

Tsukasa began to think about the teacher’s words, then he came up with a puzzle piece: “Our faculties... are they based on these loyal servants?” In surprise at the realization, Tsukasa couldn't help but say it out loud.

 Ms. Megurine chuckled and said, “That's right, Tsukasa-kun. Therefore, this is one of the main reasons why this particular festival is very significant for our academy. About the game? It supposingly shows the battle between the Miku-no-kami team and the monster that took place many years ago.”

After Ms. Megurine’s words Tsukasa involuntarily remembered the rules of the game that were described in the novel.

"Age of Magic: Battle of Heaven and Earth"

 Each team consists of 11 people. One match takes place between two teams.

 All faculties participate in the game.

 Each team contains: 3 magicians, 2 mechanics, 5 knights and 1 alchemist or healer. (The reason why there are so many students from each house is based on the number of students from each house (the Knight house has the most students))

 The field has a rectangular shape. Length 120 meters and width 75 meters. On two sides there are rings with a diameter of 20 meters hanging above the ground using magic.

 Knights and alchemists/healers play on the ground, magicians and mechanics (their products) play in the sky. The main goal is to hit the disc into the opposing team's hoop. One hit is one point. In total, you need to score 20 points to become the winner, or if the time is up (1 match lasts 1 hour 30 minutes and is divided into two parts of 45 minutes with a break between them of 15 minutes), then the team who scored more wins.

 Each team has its own captain who is chosen among 5 knights.

 The main goal of the game is not to drive the disc into the hoop yourself, but also to protect your hoop and, most importantly, to work as a team. Knights can pass a disk across the sky to magicians and mechanics, and vice versa. 

The game was quite simple according to the rules for Tsukasa.

 Ms. Megurine still answered the students' questions and later began the lesson.

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After the lesson ended, Tsukasa walked out of the classroom and headed towards the next classroom for his next lesson. While walking down the corridor, he noticed a bright purple head of hair out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and called out “Oh! Good morning Rui!” 

The guy who was called quickly noticed this and headed towards Tsukasa. With a smile, he also greeted Tsukasa and they headed towards the classroom together.

During this month, Tsukasa and Rui became good friends. After Tsukasa realized that Rui and ‘Tsukasa’ from the novel were friends, he took full advantage of this excuse to hang out with his favorite character. While Rui and Tsukasa were walking, they chatted carefree about their morning. Until Rui asked, “Is Tsukasa-kun not planning to participate in the game?”

To this Tsukasa replied, “Are you talking about “Age of Magic: Battle of Heaven and Earth”? No, I will participate! After all, this is the most important part of the festival in our academy!”

When Tsukasa finished speaking, he turned towards Rui, and for a moment, it seemed to him that there was displeasure on Rui’s face, but it disappeared too quickly to be sure that it was real and not a hallucination.

“Is that so…?” Rui muttered.

Tsukasa would like to ask Rui more, but they came across two familiar guys.

“Good morning, Tsukasa-senpai,” Toya said politely.

"Oh! Good morning, Toya. Good morning to you too, Akito!” Tsukasa said confidently.

“Yes, good morning…” Akito answered the greeting sluggishly.

Because of this, Tsukasa remembered how they first met. More precisely, Akito is with Toya because Tsukasa already unwittingly met Akito in the corridors of the academy.

Toya wanted to introduce Tsukasa to his partner. And let's keep quiet about the fact that Tsukasa already knows who it is.

 When Toya brought Akito to Tsukasa, he was surprised that the same Toya’s “senpai” turned out to be Tsukasa Tenma himself. (Apparently, Toya did not tell him about the identity of his senpai)

 And after that, Akito didn't act very comfortable around Tsukasa.

“Toya, Akito, will you be taking part in 'Age of Magic: Battle of Heaven and Earth' at this festival?” Tsukasa decided to ask.

 “Yes, we will. Akito will take on the role of a knight, and I will probably either be a magician or a knight,” answered Toya.

 "Oh! So there’s a small chance that we’ll be on the same team!” The guys were surprised at Tsukasa’s words. But they didn’t have time to ask Tsukasa when the bell rang, so the 4 guys had to go to their classrooms for the next lesson.

Chapter Text

The offices were empty. There was silence in the corridors. The students had long gone to rest in their rooms, but there were also a small part of those who were still in the library and studying or just somewhere quietly doing their own things.

The training ground was almost empty as most of the students had finished their personal training and were heading off to their well-deserved rest. But there were two people who snuck onto the site unnoticed when the last students were leaving. 

Finally, when the sounds of laughter and conversation had become so distant that they were almost inaudible on the training ground, two people emerged from their place of hiding. A guy with golden hair with peach-colored tips walked to the middle of the ground and began to stretch his body. You could hear the quiet sounds of bones crunching in his body from spending days sitting still in class. While the guy was doing a warm-up, a girl with two blue ponytails stood behind him next to the bench and watched him and sometimes gave advice for exercises.

Having finally finished warming up, the guy began doing exercises to increase endurance. To begin with, the guy started running in circles around the ground.  

Along the way, the girl told him, “The most important thing now for Tsukasa-kun is to build up his stamina, since he is a student of the knightly faculty, he will have to run on the ground from one end of the field to the other throughout the game.” 

Tsukasa agreed with Mika, now the most important thing is to do so that he does not fall to his knees with heavy shortness of breath and black spots in his eyes during the game, but at least be able to fully survive it even if he doesn’t really do anything to help his team to win.  

In general, at first Tsukasa wanted, let’s say “for fun,” to sign up for a team to play. Who wouldn't want to be involved in a game that got its own arc in their favorite novel? That's what Tsukasa thought too. But who knew that for some reason, after 3 laps around the training ground, Tsukasa’s body would curl in half and greedily try to suck in at least one breath of air.  

After this “show,” so to speak, Tsukasa decided (not to go and ask to be removed from the list of those wishing to join the team, no, it would be too awkward, remembering with what smile and fire in his eyes he wrote his name there) to train his body.  

And so it was already 2 weeks of his training after school. Every day he came to the training ground, waited for everyone to leave and began his exercises. Why couldn't Tsukasa train with everyone and instead wasted his time waiting for everyone to leave when he could run at least one more lap around the ground?

 The answer is quite simple. Because Tsukasa was embarrassed. It was embarrassing how he had to take a break every 2 laps of running and how his face turned a little red and how heavy his breathing was after several push-ups from the floor.  

Therefore he decided that only Mika should see him like this. He already has enough of the strange looks students throw at him during classes, during lunches and even as he walks in corridors just to get to his classroom, he doesn’t need to add more.

After running, Tsukasa approached Mika and took the offered bottle of water and greedily began to drink from it. 

 The result, of course, is not very good in these two weeks of training. Tsukasa can now run not two laps, but two and a half laps before he needs to take a break. But in truth this was not enough. 

 Unfortunately, even though this is a world with magic and alchemy, it is still impossible for some minor character to become super strong in a couple of days. 

 It was precisely because of such thoughts and because of the unbearable pain in his joints that Tsukasa sometimes cursed the one who sent him here for not making him one of the main characters.  

Finally, when Tsukasa had filled his thirst, he turned to Mika.  

“It’s already better than it was two weeks ago. I think we could start trying to at least just throw the disc across the field.” Tsukasa nodded at Mika’s words.

'Finally, something that is not exercise! My first time actually practicing the game for the game itself!' Tsukasa thought with little joy.  

Having finished his water, he nodded to Mika, indicating that he was ready. After that, both people walked to the center of the training ground. 

 Mika stood facing Tsukasa and began to say, “It would be better if we had at least 3 people... But for the first time, the two of us will probably be enough. Let’s start with how you throw the disc.” 

After her words, Mika put out her right foot slightly in front and bent both legs slightly at the knees. “Repeat after me, Tsukasa-kun.” 

Tsukasa, looking at the position of Mika’s legs, repeated the same with his own. "Well done, Tsukasa-kun. Now you must position your body a little sideways towards your opponent." After her words, Mika turned her body so that her right shoulder was closer to Tsukasa. Tsukasa copied her action. 

“This is what a standing throw stance looks like. Later I’ll show you how to throw a disc while running, but for now we’ll learn how to throw while standing.” Tsukasa agreed that he needed to at least understand how to throw a disc while standing, and in addition, it’s unlikely that Tsukasa will be able to make more than 10 throws before his body will get tired from running. 

While Tsukasa was lost in thoughts, he did not notice how Mika left and had already returned to her place. “This is what the game disc looks like.” As if to confirm her words, she waved the disc in her hand in both directions. 

 “Now listen carefully, Tsukasa-kun. You place your thumb on the top of the disk, your index finger along the rim of the disk, and the remaining fingers inside under the disk.” After each instruction, Mika slowly and several times showed an example on the disk in her hand.

“Now twist your wrist a little towards you... and then spin it and throw it!" Immediately after her words, Tsukasa saw the disk in Mika's hand fly towards him. 

When Tsukasa thought that it would fly to the level of his hands, he reached out with his right hand to grab it as when the disk was close enough, it suddenly began to fly upward and flew over Tsukasa himself. 

Tsukasa fell into shock. How could it fly over him if from the very beginning it was flying at the level of his eyes maximum!? 

Seeing the shock on Tsukasa’s face, Mika chuckled and began to explain: “Wouldn’t it be unfair to the knight faculty if they could ‘just’ throw the disc. Then the game would look like some kind of children's game and not one of the most important games of our kingdom with a great history."

 Even after the explanation, Tsukasa did not understand anything. But suddenly an idea came to him. "Aura..?" Tsukasa asked with uncertainty. 

" Doo too doo too! Tsukasa-kun 100 points! The disk was specially prepared so that it could not only react to magic, but also to aura!"

 Now everything fits together. And the truth is, why didn't it immediately occur to Tsukasa? If the knights played without an aura, then it would look like a child’s game on earth and magical battle in the sky. Imagining this in his head, Tsukasa involuntarily let out a chuckle. 

But Tsukasa couldn’t laugh for long as Mika said, “Now it’s your turn!”

 Tsukasa looked at Mika in surprise. “But I don’t have an aura,” Tsukasa said, pointing his finger at himself. “Yep” Mika said calmly. 

Silence fell on the training ground. The first person to break it was unexpectedly not Mika or Tsukasa, but the door that separated the training ground from the school street. 

When the door opened, three girls could be seen. Noticing two people in the center of the ground, all three froze. Tsukasa was able to recognize all three at once, but was 'officially' acquainted with only one. 

Deciding to remove this awkward pause, Tsukasa greeted, “Hello, Kohane! Came to practice with your friends?" As if coming out of a trance, Kohane replied with a small smile, "H-Hello, Tsukasa. It’s not really “I” who came to train, I just came for company with my friends.” 

After their friend’s words, the other two girls also stopped standing in silence and also decided to say greet “Good evening! I’m Hanasato Minori, Kohane’s friend. Kohane sometimes mentioned you, Tsukasa,” the girl with gray eyes and loose shoulder-length light brown hair was the first to say. 

Her words were followed by “Greetings to the young master of the Tenma house. My name is Shiho Hinomori, it’s nice to meet you.” This is exactly how Tsukasa imagined their introductions.

 Since all three girls were quite important to the plot of the novel, their appearances were quite frequent and therefore one could understand their character. 

Minori Hanasato is a girl from a small village on the outskirts of the kingdom and from a loving family. One day she managed to get to a festival in a neighboring city and there she saw a performance by the magicians-geniuses of the kingdom and was especially fascinated by the magic of Haruka Kiritani. 

After seeing her performance Minori decided to become a magician herself. She saved up some money and bought a book to learn the basics of magic and practiced a lot. 

At first she did well, you could see that she had great potential, but unfortunately every time she went for the entrance exam to magic school, she failed to pass it.  

There was always some kind of misfortune during the exam that led her to not pass it and not being able to get into any school for magicians.

 But Minori did not give up and always after each failed exam she began to train more and finally one day she received a letter that someone recommended her as a student at the academy in the Faculty of Magic. 

This is what the beginning of her character in the novel sounded like. 

What about Shiho... Shiho is the second daughter of the Hinomori house. The Hinomori house itself is the owner of a trading guild renowned for the high quality of its goods. But their most famous product is cosmetics. And their first daughter, Shizuki Hinomori, brought such popularity to cosmetics. Now we can say that if you mention the surname Hinomori, the first member of the family that comes to mind will be Shizuki.

 The relationship between the sisters can be called 'complicated', at least they rarely appear in public together. But with the help of the novel, you can find out that the older sister cares very much about the younger one, but Shiho does not like this hyper-protection.

 Shiho's desire is to become the captain of the royal knights. Unfortunately, the reason for this desire was not described in the novel, so fans assume that Shiho wanted to step out of Shizuku's shadow and also bring pride to her family. 

Honestly, Tsukasa didn’t care about the reason for Shiho’s desire to become the captain of the knights, he was more impressed by her devotion and hardwork in order to receive this title. Well, unfortunately, all the characters with such ambitions did not meet the best ending…

After the girls’ introductions and remembering bits of text from the novel, Tsukasa decided to respond to their greetings, “Good evening, young ladies, I am also glad to have such an unexpected meeting.” 

Tsukasa already wanted to say that he was done with his training and was ready to leave and give them a place for them as he did not manage to open his mouth when Mika said, “Oh! Have you also come to practice for the game “Age of Magic: Battle of Heaven and Earth”? Then we can all practice together. The more people the better!”Mika said happily.

 At Mika’s words, Tsukasa abruptly turned to face her and the question “what are you doing!?!” was read in his eyes, but either Mika did not understand this or decided to ignore it.

The three girls responded to Mika's proposal with interest and maybe a little surprise.

 Shiho decided to ask, “Is the young master going to participate in the game or... are you?”

“I can’t, I’m just a maid and I don’t even study here, so of course Tsukasa-kun will play!” After Mika’s words, Shiho’s face appeared perplexed, and on the other two girls one could say admiration.

 Tsukasa, noticing the expressions on the girls’ faces, said, “I’m just practicing for now! I haven’t really played at all, so for now I want to try myself in this game!" This lie was made for the benefit of preserving at least part of his image and dignity. Luckily Mika didn't say anything about this.

"Oh! It's good that Tsuka—young master decided to try something new. If you really don't mind, then we will be happy to join your training!"

“Minori! What are you—”Shiho was about to stop her friend when she was interrupted, “Shiho, this is really a good idea! Kohane doesn’t know and wasn’t going to participate in the game, and the two of us are too few to train seriously! But if there are three of us— "

"Four!" exclaimed Mika

“Four! That’s much better. Plus, I’ve never played myself, and you’re our master, so for you it will be like a child’s game and not a training session.” Minori continued. 

With each fact, Shiho's determination to train with just the two of them diminished. And finally, with a sigh, Shiho asked, “Young master...would it be a problem for you?” Tsukasa responded, “Everything is fine! Like Minori said, the more people the better, and by the way, you can just call me Tsukasa.”

“Yay! Come, come here! Let's divide into teams. 1st team: Me and Tsukasa-kun. 2nd team: Minori and Shiho. And Kohane can be our judge and count our points!”

“W-wait, Mika! Didn't you hear that neither I nor Minori are familiar with the game so how do you plan for us to play even in 2v2!?!” exclaimed Tsukasa. “It's okay if you can for starters observe how I and Shiho play and then copy our moves!” 

“It would have been a great idea but Tsukasa and I from the knights faculty so we play on the ground and so are you, but Minori from the magician faculty so how do you plan—” Shiho was not able to finish her sentence when Minori said “It's okay! I can play on the ground! It’ll be my first time even holding a disc so I want to try something easier at first. I don't think I'll be able to control my broom to fly and throw a disc at the same time right now…” the last part was said in a quiet voice. 

“Okay let's start, let's start! Kohane, come stand right there!” Mika happily said.

Kohane obeyed and the other two girls moved closer to the young master and his maid. They began discussing the rules. Somewhere Mika explained, somewhere Shiho added something.

 And so they spent several hours on the training ground playing an 'incomplete' version of Age of Magic: Battle of Heaven and Earth. 

During the game, Tsukasa and Minori watched more of how Mika and Shiho played and tried to copy their movements, well at least 20% of it.

 By the end of the game, Minori and Tsukasa were exhausted but managed to become good friends since both were “new to the game” and understood each other’s pain.

 Shiho was surprised by Mika's abilities, but she did not dare to ask how she could control the disk so accurately without having an aura.

 After sitting for a couple more hours and just talking, the guys decided to go their separate ways. When Tsukasa and Mika said goodbye to the girls and headed towards Tsukasa’s room, it was already dark and the school streets even had street lights turned on.

 After arriving in the room, Tsukasa decided to take a bath first and then go to bed because he was not sure that if he lay down for even a minute he would be able to get up later. 

After the bath, Tsukasa immediately lay down on the bed, but the envelope that was lying on the bedside table did not allow him to fall asleep right away.

Chapter Text

The muscles ached and asked for rest, but after Tsukasa saw the letter on the bedside table he decided to torture them a little more.

From his place on the bed Tsukasa stretched his hand out and picked up the letter from its placement.

The seal of the letter had already a familiar symbol. A golden pegasus standing on its hind legs with its wings spread and looking up.

He's been seeing this emblem at least once a week since enrolling in the academy. 

This letter and the previous letters were sent by no other than his ‘beloved’ sister, Saki. 

After deciding to quickly skim through the letter and in the morning write a reply, Tsukasa broke the seal and took out the paper from the envelope.

The words were neatly written on the paper:

“Hello my dear brother!

I'm so happy that you found new friends and even met Toya! I'm sure that Toya’s glad that it was you who became his partner for the Alchemy lessons. I, myself, would be glad since I know how much you read books about it in our childhood!

Unfortunately, I do not have any good stories from the estates…

Brother.

I don't know if it's good to write this to you now when you're having a great and happy time in the academy. Mother was against it but I know that if we'll hide it from you, you'll get sad after finding out, thinking that we don't believe that you can handle it.

So… Our Mother has recently been feeling not very good… She’s been having a headache that would not go away for days! The doctor said that everything is not very bad. She has been showing other symptoms similar to ours when we too are feeling unwell…

By writing this I mean only to inform you about our Mother state and do not wish for you to leave the academy and return to the estate! 

You don't have to worry because as I said that her symptoms are similar to ours and you know by now that as unexpectedly they appear the same way they disappear.

Now… I heard that soon the annual festival will begin! I really want to visit the academy at least once during that period and see how you play!! I can't be sure if I’ll be able to visit but I can assure you that I’ll spend a lot of energy trying to convince our father to let me go! Well…if he still refuses then I can just try to sneak out…

For now this is all.

To my big brother, Tsukasa

From his little sister, Saki.”

Tsukasa took a breath and smelled the scent of fresh peaches. Saki loved to spray the letters with her favorite perfume, like princesses did in fairy tales from her childhood. She also would add some drawings of hearts, roses etc.

Tsukasa actually liked them, because Saki was not a professional painter. Each of these small drawings turned up looking funny and they always brought a little smile to Tsukasa's face.

Skimming through paper and looking at the small hearts drawn in the corners of it, Tsukasa deliberately skipped through one particular paragraph.

The paragraph in which was written about their mother.

Tsukasa is not some cold-hearted person, he is saddened that duchess Tenma is feeling ill, but…

Unbeknown to Tsukasa, somehow he was able to create a pretty good bond with Saki with only two weeks of staying in the estate. Maybe due to Saki's character and demeanor Tsukasa could relax and accept the appearance of a new sister.

In his world Tsukasa and Sachi were on really bad termes. But it doesn't mean that when he first heard that he’ll be having a younger sister he didn't feel happy and excited. So maybe from the past desire of having a younger sister, with which he didn't argue every second, he unconsciously accepted Saki.

Which can't be said about the duchess. 

No, the duchess was a good and great woman. She is known as the greatest pianist in the kingdom and is said to have the best ear for music. 

Duchess Tenma was not as open as Saki, but it was expected she held a higher position from which was expected a cultural and polite behavior. 

Tsukasa noticed how the duchess was worried about letting her son go almost unprepared to see the outside world after staying all his life in the four walls of his room. But the appearance of the care didn't make Tsukasa feel anything.

He was thankful to her for helping him out while he was studying before enrolling but that's it.

Tsukasa sighed and put the letter back to its previous place. 

Tsukasa rolled to his side and pulled the blanket to cover him. The boy decided in the morning to write a reply and include a second letter in it, but for the duchess with the well wishes for a fast recovery.

‘Real Tsukasa would really be worried about his mother…’

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Even though Tsukasa's body still ached from yesterday's training, he still had to attend classes and even after them go to the training ground to continue his preparation for the festival's game.

In the beginning of the day Tsukasa did look very tired and maybe a little sickened, which made Toya, who he met by accident in the academy’s corridor, ask him if he's feeling okay and if he needs help to get to the nurse office. 

Tsukasa declined everything and very quickly escaped from the attentive prince.

Later with more classes ending Tsukasa got used to the ache and was able to ignore it till the end of the day.

As Tsukasa was walking towards the training grounds he was also looking around as if searching for something, or someone.

‘Where is she? Usually she would have been here already…’

It was true. Since the first day Tsukasa asked Mika to help him train, the girl would always meet Tsukasa on the way to the training grounds and then walk with him together.

But right now there was no blue hair with pink ears in sight. Tsukasa could only guess that maybe Mika was already there. So the blond boy continued his walk towards his destination.

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Opening the doors and looking around the room, Tsukasa was faced with emptiness. Neither the girl with blue hair nor even just anyone was there.

'What the? Shouldn't the other guys be training now? They never missed a day, but now...'

Tsukasa subconsciously walked in and didn't notice as he let go of the door. 

The door closed with a loud bang which startled the poor boy.

“WUAAAAAAAA!!!” With a scream Tsukasa started to look around to find what caused this loud noise.

But very soon he understood that he didn't notice how he walked in and accidentally let go of the door.

Now from the second look around Tsukasa could not deny to himself that this place looks more creepy and ominous.

Now with the door closed and after his loud scream, the silence that appeared after seemed different. Previously, the silence was calm, but now it has become more intense. 

'If in horror films there was dead silence before the jump scares instead of scary music, it would be just like this…’

Right after this thought Tsukasa wanted to slap himself. Now Tsukasa can't get rid of the idea that this whole situation looks like a scene from a horror film.

‘During a walk I lost my companion ... .walked to the empty, silent room…’

As Tsukasa thought he was walking towards the center of the ground.

‘Now all that is left is for some monster to jump from behind me…’ 

Tsukasa stopped right in the middle. Tsukasa stood alone in the center of the ground. His back was turned to the entrance from which he walked in.

For a few seconds Tsukasa stood unmoved, then abruptly turned 180 degrees.

Nothing appeared. The same empty space stood before the boy.

Tsukasa was still on guard for a few seconds but when no sounds other than his own breathing appeared, Tsukasa relaxed.

‘Even if I’m in the novel it doesn't mean that every cliche will happen to me…’

“Boo!...”

Tsukasa felt the wind blow across his right ear and then heard this sound. Tsukasa’s whole body began to tremble, but the boy didn’t even have time to let out a squeak when someone’s hand covered his mouth. 

“Oya-oya, no need to scream, I already heard how loud you can be”

The familiar voice continued to whisper in his ear.

‘Familiar?’

Tsukasa tried to turn his head to look at the assaulter but the hand on his face didn't let him move.

“Fufu…I believe Tsukasa-kun already knows who's behind him”

With the familiar laugh Tsukasa let out a sigh that he held, through his nose.

Tsukasa's behavior seemed to amuse the intruder as he let out a quiet chuckle and let go of his face.

Now Tsukasa could freely move so he immediately rotated his body to face the person behind him.

There stood a familiar head of purple hair with two cyon steaks and bright yellow eyes, one hidden behind a monocle. By seeing his face and confirming the identity of his attacker, Tsukasa fully relaxed and let out one more sigh of relief.

“Rui…” Tsukasa started with a calm voice. “What are you doing here scaring people?!??” The second part was said in a more accusing tone and more fire in the blond boy’s eyes.

Despite being rightfully accused, Rui had the audacity to start looking like a kicked puppy.

“Tsukasa-kun is so mean…” Rui began to say with fake tears in his eyes.

“I was just excited to see Tsukasa-kun and wanted to surprise him… How could I know that this harmless joke could scare him that much..?” That was how Rui would always turn the tables and make the victim look and feel more guilty.

Thanks to the days he spent with Rui and information from the novel, this trick didn't work on Tsukasa. Even more, this actually pissed Tsukasa more. But the sad part was that Tsukasa could nor show that. 

Whenever Rui would start doing that, Tsukasa turned into a statue and wasn't able to say a word. Because of that this trick was used on Tsukasa a ton of times and he had no power to stop it.

As it was usual, Rui stopped his ‘acting’ and returned to himself without getting a single reply from the blond boy. 

“But really…I didn't know that you would get this scared from the empty room alone”

On Rui’s remark Tsukasa was not able to hold himself and his face painted itself in bright red from embarrassment. If his face was not already fully red then it would have become one after Rui’s next words.

“Fufu…if Tsukasa-kun is so scared of empty spaces then he should call me and I’ll let him hold my hand to not feel scared” Rui said with a teasing smile on his lips.

This. This is exactly what threw Tsukasa the most. 

As long as Tsukasa was talking with Rui, the purple haired boy would always add at least one teasing or a flirt in their conversation. And each of them were always able to bring a blush to Tsukasa's cheeks.

If Tsukasa didn't meet other characters from the novel and didn't see them behave in character, Tsukasa would have thought that he was transmigrated into some fanfic written by a fan! Despite not getting a single Rui’s point of view in the novel (Even though we got the pov of some random extras) and actually encountering officially in the middle of the novel, Tsukasa could not believe that the Rui in the novel could have been the flirty Rui before his appearance.

 As Tsukasa got lost in his thoughts, he still stood very close to the purple haired boy. Perhaps that boy wanted to get Tsukasa's attention back so he once again leaned towards the boy's ear.

Rui blew into Tsukasa's ear which earned him an immediate reaction. From the air that went to his ear Tsukasa almost jumped in his place, but instead he scrambled from the purple haired boy and with both hands held onto his ear.

The blush that subsided, because of Tsukasa losing focus and getting lost in his mind, returned tenfold. 

Tsukasa once again looked Rui right in the eyes and held a surprised and mixed with anger expression.

Because of how red Tsukasa was, he didn't look as intimidating as he wanted. And that made Rui let out a chuckle, a softer one. 

“Or…I shall always be by Tsukasa-kun’s side since he's very timid. So? Will you take this offer, Tsukasa-kun?” When Rui asked the question he stretched out his right hand towards Tsukasa, as if he was waiting for him to take it.

Tsukasa was baffled by Rui’s behavior. So instead of playing along, Tsukasa decided to switch the theme.

“Why is there nobody here? Also, as you were walking here, did you see a girl in servant's uniform and two blue ponytails?” Decided to ask Tsukasa.

Rui still held his hand out without saying a word, but soon with a disappointed sigh he lowered it.

Tsukasa was confused. ‘Why disappointment? You didn't expect me to always play along!?!’

“Sadly, I do not have the answers Tsukasa-kun seeks” Rui replied in a more cold voice.

Tsukasa didn't notice the switch in Rui’s behavior since he was more worried about the whereabouts of his loyal servant.

When Tsukasa returned his gaze to Rui's face, he was surprised to see a pout there.

“Aren’t Tsukasa-kun interested in the reason why I am here..?” Rui said with a saddened voice.

Tsukasa could see that this sadness was once again only an act and he was not able to hold a sigh from coming through his mouth. Tsukasa was indeed interested about this sudden appearance of the main villain, so he played along. 

“I am. Why are you here, Rui?” With an exasperated voice, asked Rui.

The question made Rui’s face turn into the same face a cat makes when it catches a bird.

“I’m glad Tsukasa-kun asked! A bird told me that for the past few days Tsukasa-kun was coming here and since it was a long time ago that we spend time together, I decided to come here and talk you out of doing what you wanted to do, to instead make you spend time with me”

With a smile that Rui ended his explanation implied that he was waiting for praise for his so smart plan.

Tsukasa needed a few seconds to fully register and understand the purple haired boy’s words. And after understanding what he meant, Tsukasa couldn't help but feel a little angered.

Tsukasa quickly composed himself and started to walk away. 

“Sorry, Rui, but I can't miss a training session. I need all my strength to not die during the game, so what you want will not happen” Tsukasa was walking towards the place where he usually started taking his laps around the grounds.

Tsukasa couldn't see Rui's expression and neither did his body as his back was facing towards him.

Tsukasa was ready to start his training as he was abruptly spun and then he felt how the earth disappeared from underfoot. Out of surprise, Tsukasa tried to grab onto something and searched for something to hold on, soon his hands caught on something and he began to hold on to it as if it were a lifeline.

After the movement stopped Tsukasa understood what position he was in. 

On what he was holding was the shoulder, he felt one hand on his back and the other one under his knees. In simple terms he was a princess carried by none other than Rui, himself.

Tsukasa was not able to say a word as Rui interrupted him.

“You can prepare yourself for the game not only by working out, right?” 

By looks, Rui was not waiting for Tsukasa to answer be

cause immediately after he finished speaking Rui, with Tsukasa in his hands, started to walk towards the exit.

Tsukasa could not wrinkle out of Rui’s metal hold on his body so he could only resign himself to the fate that was waiting for him.