Chapter 21 - Volume 3 (1/2)

School Arc – Chapter 2

Besides when we’re in our dormitories and when I’m taking classes for girls, I spend a lot of my time with Wolf.

I see Shade frequently talking with other people regardless of gender, (his male to female ratio of company was 1:9), but when he notices us, he’ll approach before I know it.

Today, for the sake of 『work』, the three of us planned to assemble one by one later.

When I say work, it’s actually about the duties related to our dormitory positions. From the sixth years in their final year, both male and female dormitories have a single dorm prefect head – shortened to ‘dorm head’ – each. From the fifth years, two people each are chosen as prefects. Further down, the number of associate prefects aren’t clearly defined. With the dorm heads and the dorm prefects consulting together, the nomination of a number of people deemed essential was possible. As a custom, generally around ten or so people take up those jobs.

Well in short, with the adolescent children who easily cause problems one way or another assembling within the dormitory, dividing the students into sections and making them an autonomous management was the intention of the school.

In fact, even though I say dorm head, usually, no work is imposed on that person. At best, once in a while, that person does things for the teachers; occasionally, that person would give a sermon paramount to saying「in order to not act shamefully as students of this glorious royal magical academy」for an event.

If I had to say, it’s the prefects who serve as the dorm heads’ helpers that were hectic. Because, since I also served that role last year, I knew that as a fact.

Today was a few tasks of the dorm heads — this day, to give a sermon of example at the opening assembly, Wolf and I were scheduled to go up the platform.

「Shade, don’t you have something you need to do?」

Shade was also appointed as a dorm prefect this year.

「Thing is, the other prefect is incredibly diligent」

「Is that why you’ve pushed all the work to that person?」

「The performance is much better like this than when it’s the two of us. That person… and I, something like attaining cooperation is probably impossible」

I glanced at Wolf with my eyes, however, it looks like he doesn’t have any desire to interrupt the conversation on Shade’s way of speaking. Wolf is pretty laissez-faire about his subordinates. Maybe the way men interact with their superiors and subordinates is just different.

Shade and the other prefect, to tell you the truth, don’t get along exceptionally well. Although it wasn’t to the extent that it was put out in the open, I have yet to see them make cordial conversation.

I’d love to say ‘Then don’t put the two of them together then.’ but it’s the school that elects the dorm prefects. Let’s just overlook the fact that parentage is a major factor on who they elect.

「Yesterday I ran around doing the lion’s share of the work, so for today at least, it should be fine to leave it to him」

Apparently, the two male prefects divide their work up instead of cooperating.

The freshmen’s dormitory registration started from a week ago and roughly ended yesterday. In that week, the degree of various pressing issues had been hectic enough to faint, but from today onwards, with the start of class work, a little of the burden was supposed to decrease. Once the semester begins, which homeroom teachers are taking care of which students become clearly defined, and so the dorm leader and dorm prefects can just push all the woーーentrust the students to their respective teachers.

The sound of light footsteps drifted in. Even if it was considered a little improper, I wanted to give them leeway today. After all, the girls are busy.

The two female dorm prefects; in other words, the two who were being forced to be my gofers, ran hurriedly towards me.

「Onee-sama, we’ve finished checking the students roster! 」

「Although we’ve already gone to see the new students, at present, there isn’t any child complaining to be in bad shape. We’ve told them to stay quiet while you and Wolfgang-sama are talking!」

Don’t misunderstand.

Them calling me Onee-sama isn’t because of Maria Watches Over Us. It’s because of a tradition within the female dormitory.

Naturally, it isn’t imposed or anything, and the girls who are too embarrassed to do it just call me Lycoris-senpai. But there are also plenty of girls who are happy to play along.

Back while I was a prefect as well, a number of my underclassmen girls called me “Onee-sama”, so over the last year I got used to this ‘shame play’. (1) These days I can return their greeting without so much as a stiff smile.

「（Although I want them to quietly listen to the school chairman’s talk as well,）thank you. This one week was really hectic, but once this ceremony is finished, there will be time to relax, won’t there? Good work. You’ve been doing very well」

The two wore lovely, shy smiles, looking happy as they bowed their head; for some reason or another, I moved my body in order to conceal that from Shade’s eyes.

Either one of these two was meant to become the next year’s dormitory head, but I’m thinking there wouldn’t be a problem even if I left it to them right now. The two were both extraordinarily diligent – they were girls who spared no effort.

However, these girls don’t usually come near me too much.