By Zephyria 
It wasn’t until I met Shayden at the dormitory cafeteria that I remembered what I had planned for today.
The boy’s face lit up as he spotted me from afar. Shayden, his red and soft hair fluttering, walked over and greeted me as he placed his tray on the seat opposite mine.
Perhaps thanks to a good rest, his smiling face was radiant.
“You’re here today? You said you went swimming, but you didn’t get tanned at all. It’s been a while, Mika.”
“Yes, it’s been a while. Where were you all day?”
“I went to hang out around the Business Department. I ended up becoming friends with some people there. I’ll introduce you later.”
“Hmm. What’s your schedule?”
“I waited for you. Let’s look after we eat.”
Even though it had been nearly two months since we last saw each other, it felt as natural and comfortable as if we had seen each other yesterday, which put my mind at ease.
The stories I heard over dinner were not much different from what I had heard in letters.
When I asked if he wasn’t tired, having spent most of the two-month break attending various banquets and small gatherings, he replied that he had actually enjoyed it because he met many good companions.
“When we’re taking classes at the academy, we naturally end up talking more about the subjects we’re learning than about ourselves.”
“That’s true.”
“But after the Debutante, all the parties and tea times are gatherings whose sole purpose is socializing, so everyone has no choice but to try and show their best selves. I really like that.”
“…Putting on a good show?”
“Focusing on my good side. When I repeatedly do the best and most admirable things I can, I start to feel like I’ve become a good person. If I repeat it enough times and make it second nature, I might even become that person… Well, maybe not, but for now.”
“Mm.”
The idea that it was a period where one could repeatedly practice presenting a good image under the gaze of others resonated with me, and I took it to heart.
With that, Shayden concluded his talk about the Debutante, a topic that was still unfamiliar to me.
When I relayed news about the Cervelle Siblings and asked about their well-being, Shayden nodded with a gentle expression and replied casually that he would greet them next time.
I entered Shayden’s dormitory room as if it were my own.
We sat facing each other in the living room and looked through the various lecture materials Shayden had laid out.
There were many classes I wanted to take, but many of them overlapped in schedule.
I marked those with overlapping times, set them aside, and carefully considered which ones would be better.
However, this semester too, I didn’t skip a single class taught by Professor Maelo Sanson.
This semester, Maelo Sanson offered beginner Swordsmanship on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and advanced Swordsmanship on Tuesdays and Thursdays. As I filled in the blanks on the timetable, which was organized for easy viewing, with these lectures, Shayden let out a sigh and shook his head.
“Why the sigh?”
“No, it’s right for you to take Swordsmanship classes since you’re in the Swordsmanship Department… but isn’t it a bit excessive?”
“What is?”
“Well, the advanced Swordsmanship class counts as a special lecture for additional credits, but the beginner Swordsmanship class doesn’t. Even if you take the same course multiple times, only the highest grade is recognized upon graduation. We both had good grades last semester, so why bother…?”
“But Professor Maelo Sanson is teaching it.”
“…That’s true.”
The beginner Swordsmanship lecture was also written on his timetable.
Seeing me engrossed in selecting classes, Shayden pulled out two course syllabi from Professor Cedric and placed them in front of me.
“This one is from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning, and this one is from Friday afternoon to Saturday morning. The content is the same… which do you think is better? If we ask Professor Sanson in advance, we might be able to drop the Thursday advanced Swordsmanship class.”
“Friday to Saturday is better. I can catch up on studying on Sundays, no matter what.”
“Uh-huh. So you’re planning to give up your weekends this semester… Right…”
“Are you trying to match your schedule with mine even though we’re not in the same group?”
“Well, it’s a Camping Class. Don’t you like it?”
“No. Thank you.”
After any overnight camping trip, the cleanup would take time, so it seemed more sensible to reduce leisure days rather than skip weekday classes.
First, I filled in the Hunting and Camping Class with Alchemy for Friday afternoon, then laid out the course syllabi from Professor Douglas Mustang.
This semester, Professor Douglas Mustang was offering three lectures. Seeing that his classes were scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I carefully considered and then wrote his name down for Tuesday afternoons.
Shayden immediately asked.
“What class is that? Professor Mustang doesn’t have any classes on Tuesdays.”
“My aura is peculiar, so I had a prior discussion with Professor Mustang to spend time focusing on it once a week. He said he could spare about half a day when he doesn’t have his own classes. I imagine he’ll discuss and demonstrate various things with a few other wizards.”
“Wow… I’m curious, but I don’t think I can keep up. You mean the Mana accumulated in your body, Pink Dragon?”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Then, on Tuesday afternoons, you’ll meet Professor Mustang. And on Monday, you’ll take this with me.”
“…Magical Equipment, Artifacts?”
Wasn’t Shayden Rose the one who made the biggest fuss when I said I was taking magic classes in the first semester? As I looked at the syllabus with a puzzled expression, Shayden explained with a confident and calm demeanor.
“The class you took in the first semester was about channeling Mana to perform magic. This one is about learning how to safely use Artifacts. Look, the classroom location is even shown here. It’s a class held in the Business Department classrooms. For non-wizards, Artifacts are indispensable daily necessities.”
“And for wizards?”
“They can just use magic, right? Look at this syllabus. It even covers things like how to purchase Artifacts rationally. This is a mandatory subject you must learn at some point if you’re going to manage a territory.”
“I’ll take it.”
“Great.”
“The professor in charge is Jurgen Kaiser… Do you know anything about him?”
“Hmm. I’ve only heard that he’s a kind person. A friend of mine took his class last semester and found it quite useful.”
My schedule was already almost full for the semester. There were still many subjects I wanted to learn, but little time left, so I groaned in frustration. Shayden then brought another syllabus and placed it down.
“And this one too.”
“…Alright.”
There was no need to add any more words.
Professor Calypse Agrigent taught Imperial Genealogy for two hours a day, three days a week: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Shayden and I scheduled Professor Calypse’s class for the first period on Wednesday afternoon.
Just then, there was a knock on Shayden’s door. While Shayden went to open it, I carefully examined the remaining course syllabi.
I wasn’t confident in Hidden Weapons, but I was curious about Sierren’s culture, and since the classes I took last semester were useful and enjoyable, I wanted to learn more about Alchemy.
I was particularly intrigued by a professor’s class that taught hunting techniques, which included not only how to use hunting traps and various tools but also stealth methods.
Another piece of paper landed in front of me as I was deep in thought.
I knew he was coming by sensing his presence, so I wasn’t surprised. It was Benjamin Claudian, a large friend with black hair and Golden Eyes. He had been a great help to me throughout last semester.
As he greeted me politely, I nodded in return.
Looking at the course syllabus for Professor Biban Otif’s lecture, “Ode to Fine Horses,” I remembered the promise I had made with Benjamin.
“You said you were going to take the horseback riding class with Young Master Claudian, right? It looks like the timing works out well. We can take this for the second period on Wednesday afternoon.”
“I will.”
“Excellent. That time is free for me as well.”
Although the class name was unique, the syllabus content was straightforward.
It stated that we would learn how to choose good horses and have extended practical riding sessions.
I carefully read the warning that we would need to check on and care for the horse we rode once a week, even outside of class time.
Now, I had to rack my brain again to fill in the remaining time.
Shayden, having heard reputations of various professors, offered advice on which professor’s class was better for the same subject, helping Benjamin fill out his schedule.
With just one more person, the workload seemed to multiply fivefold.
After much discussion about professors’ reputations and the usefulness of classes, we finally finalized our schedules after drinking two more cups of tea each.
On Thursday afternoons, Benjamin and I decided to take the Practical Flying Dagger Technique class taught by Professor Wilton Robert.
Shayden pondered for a long time but eventually confessed his lack of interest in Flying Dagger techniques and declared he would take an art elective.
Thus, this semester, I would attend Monday, Wednesday, and Friday classes with Shayden, and Tuesday and Thursday classes with Benjamin. I was also happy that we would all be taking the horseback riding class together on Wednesday afternoons.
It was heartwarming to have friends who looked out for me, knowing I was not good at making connections.
Then, a sudden question arose, and I asked Shayden.
“By the way, what happens if more people want to take the same class than the number of available spots?”
“Like, if a class with a capacity of fifty people gets a hundred applicants?”
“Yes.”
“I heard they do a lottery.”
“…What?”
After all the effort put into crafting our schedules, we might have to redo them.
As I looked down at the meticulously completed timetable with dismay, Benjamin, sitting beside me, patted my shoulder and offered words of comfort.
“That rarely happens. First, there are a lot of classes, and the same class is offered multiple times a week to spread students out. Even if it does happen, they usually ask if any students are willing to give up their spots before holding a lottery, to weed some out.”
“Still, for popular lectures where no one is willing to give up their spot, or for lectures that can only accommodate a small number of students at once, a lottery is unavoidable, so be mentally prepared.”
“Does applying earlier or later make any difference?”
“Well, I heard that used to be the case… but I suppose the sight of students camping out in front of the academic affairs office from dawn during registration periods wasn’t a good look. They decided to leave it entirely to chance.”
Hearing that, I, who had been planning to arrive before dawn and secure a spot, fell silent.
Shayden and Benjamin took turns patting my shoulders and reassuring me that there wouldn’t be any major issues, helping me calm my nerves.
They said that the first round of application forms would be accepted on Thursday, schedule adjustments would be made on Friday, the second round of applications would be on Saturday, and the results would be announced on Monday.
After promising to see them again the next day, I parted ways with the two boys, but I tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep due to a strange sense of fluttering excitement.