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“Ugh… Seriously, this is just too much…!”

“What do you mean too much? Hurry up and open this door!”

Despite running away, determined not to wear the outfit prepared for her, senior mage Erica was banging on the door, facing off with Stella right outside.

“I don’t wanna! How can I wear something so feminine!”

“How long are you going to keep wearing those boyish clothes? Is that why you don’t have any friends, you brat!”

“Tch. I have friends, you know! What do you know about it?”

“Do you want to not call me ‘senpai’? Hurry up and open the door!”

“Absolutely. Not!”

“You’re really something else!”

Erica sighed, seemingly pondering for a moment, and then a sly smile appeared on her face.

“Ha… I really didn’t want to go this far, but…”

“What… what is it?”

“If you don’t open up right now, I’ll tell the Magic Tower Lord about how you fainted after training in the time-freezing room for a week! You know what she said? If you go in there just one more time, your pendant gets confiscated for a month, right?”

From inside the room, a flustered voice echoed.

“Y-You said you’d keep that a secret!”

“Do you realize what would have happened if I hadn’t helped you back then?”

“Ugh, that…”

After a moment, the door cracked open slightly, and Stella reached out through the gap.

“Okay… just give it to me, and I’ll take it.”

“Uh?”

“Who says I’ll just hand it over? I need to check if it fits!”

In the end, Erica squeezed her way in and immediately grabbed Stella, pulling her into the room.

“W-Wait, you’re saying I have to wear it right now? Ugh, no… I can wear it later…!”

“Don’t take it off! I’m sorry! I’ll be good, senpai! This is my last shred of dignity as a man!”

“Only when it suits you, huh? You’ll freeze to death if you keep resisting! Just put it on already!”

“Hiiik!”

*

“Mmm! I really do have the eye for these things.”

“I… I can’t believe I’m wearing something like this…”

Even with her body turned female, Stella cried out that her mind was still male, feeling as if the last remnants of her masculinity were being uprooted.

“So… how do you plan to wear the Academy uniform like this?”

“Of course, I’m wearing the boy’s uniform!”

Erica replied, looking incredulous.

“What are you talking about? A girl wearing boy’s clothes is against the rules!”

At that, Stella’s eyes widened in shock.

“W-Wait, that can’t be! This is discrimination!”

Shaking her head, Erica glanced at the clothes in the wardrobe.

“Stop spouting nonsense and get rid of those identical clothes piling up in there. How many of the same outfit did you buy?”

At this, Stella stood in front of the wardrobe defiantly.

“No way! These are so comfortable! Moving around in them is easy!”

Erica rolled her eyes in disbelief.

“Don’t live like that at the Academy! Are you planning to ruin the reputation of the Golden Magic Tower? What if people think we’re a group obsessed with magic that can’t even dress properly? I distinctly remember you came here in a pretty dress! What’s wrong with feminine clothes?”

“W-Well, that was back then!”

‘Before my past life memories came back,’ Stella thought, knowing that saying that would be pointless, so she kept her mouth shut.

“And what do you think will happen if you keep wearing only boy clothes? What will your boyfriend think?”

“I… my boyfriend… he’s just a friend…!”

Upon hearing that, Erica said with conviction,

“Pfft… You seriously got fooled by this face and ended up acting like a recluse, huh?”

“What’s a recluse?”

“Never mind that; I’m throwing away all these clothes, so hurry up and buy new ones and get ready for the Academy!”

“No! Don’t throw those away! I cherish those clothes!”

“Tsk! If you don’t listen, I’ll spill everything I just mentioned earlier!”

With that, Stella sank down in despair, having lost her comrades whom she had lived alongside for seven years without discarding.

*

Time passed, and a week later, the day of the Academy entrance ceremony approached.

“Finally, this day has come.”

Cherry blossoms fluttered as pollen tickled people’s noses, and the bright spring sun showered everyone.

On this first day at the Academy, the journey that would lead to completing this game began.

[Main Quest]

1. Pet Shia’s head

2. Gain Siel’s attention

3. Challenge Scarlet to a duel

4. Blood transfusion for Lucid

5. Hug Stella

“Truly, these are classic dating sim quests.”

Upon clearing the Academy entrance exam, various missions appeared on my status screen.

Except for number five, I had experienced the other missions in each heroine’s route.

“I’ve already built a friendship with Shia, so that should work out somehow.”

The one and only Archduchess Siel Gruwein, known as the Frost Lord of the North, with her icy demeanor and sky-blue hair, certainly had no interest in others.

Frankly speaking, getting attention from such a heroine could be said to be the most challenging task.

“Scarlet probably won’t be too difficult.”

The fiery-haired, battle-happy daughter of Duke Ragenpender in the South, Scarlet had an aggressive personality and was interested in strong individuals, so she would likely accept a challenge with enthusiasm.

“And then there’s this one…”

Lucid Bloodmir, known as a descendant of vampires, was the eccentric daughter of the Vladmir clan, with her silver hair hiding many schemes.

“I don’t mind getting my blood sucked, but the issue is that if I go too fast, I could end up becoming one of her minions.”

If it were just Lucid’s route, that wouldn’t matter, but my goals were to prevent Stella’s death and stop the destruction of this world.

If I became Lucid’s minion under these circumstances, it would essentially mean the world’s doom.

“Lastly, it’s Stella…”

This was a quest I hadn’t seen before.

Since I was already on Stella’s route, it made sense to have a quest relating to her added in.

“I wonder if she still remembers me?”

After a long time apart, hearing something like “Who are you?” would genuinely hurt and leave me collapsed.

I had truly waited for this day.

“Alright, let’s see what I need to do now.”

I entered the dormitory and unpacked my things.

“Wow… This really does live up to the title of the continent’s best educational institution.”

During my time as an adventurer, I often found myself sleeping in all sorts of horrible places.

This dormitory was far better constructed than an average college dormitory in Korea, with clean facilities and a small kitchen available.

Having unpacked, I left the room immediately.

“The first plan of action is…”

Not that I needed a formal plan; I simply aimed to gather a party to defeat the Demon King, starting with some socializing as I approached people.

“First, let’s find someone whose location I’m certain of.”

The first target would be Archduchess Siel from the North; if she was at the Academy, she would certainly be here.

And I knew exactly where to find her.

Upon arriving at a small resting area located in the corner of the Academy, I spotted a sky-blue-haired girl sitting on a bench.

As I entered the resting area, she displayed caution and asked,

“Who are you?”

“I’m just a new student who came to take a look around the Academy.”

I tried to answer casually, but Siel glanced at me before quickly losing interest and turning away.

‘Seems like this isn’t enough to grab her attention.’

“You’re a new student as well, aren’t you?”

Even at my question, Siel remained silent, maintaining her demeanor.

I had somewhat expected this, so I casually sat nearby, pulled out a cream bread from my pocket, and took a bite.

From what I recalled, the first time I met Siel, if I spoke too much or annoyed her, she would simply leave, causing me to fail the event.

Currently, Siel was in a state of hunger due to some incident, and I knew I had to approach her naturally to gain her interest.

Grrr—

In this quiet resting area, where hardly anyone passed by, the sound was magnified.

She shot me a glare, but I casually took another bite of my cream bread.

“…Do you want some?”

I pulled another piece out of my pocket and offered it to Siel.

After staring at it for a while, Siel nodded and took the bread.

She seemed quite hungry, devouring the bread at a surprisingly fast pace, reminiscent of Stella.

Not long after, once Siel finished eating, she turned to me and asked,

“What’s your name?”

So she’s finally talking to me.

“My name? It’s Nova.”

“Nova… I’ll remember it. Someday, I’ll definitely pay you back for this bread.”

Just as Siel dusted herself off and was about to get up, a loud voice echoed nearby.

“There you are! Gruwein!”

Someone with a boisterous voice was approaching, breaking the tranquil atmosphere of the resting area.

“Let’s have a duel! This time, let’s settle who’s the stronger one!”

Bursting in with fiery red hair was a girl who voiced her challenge dramatically.

Seeing her, Siel’s expression conveyed her annoyance with pure clarity.

 

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