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The contract says Bell will be forbidden to name herself as a member of the Chilandia house and will cut ties with the family. In exchange, Bell will be enrolled in the second academy and will be ensured the freedom to live as she likes with the expenses shouldered by the Chilandia family. Upon reaching the end of this contract via graduating, dropping out, or long-term non-attendance, Bell will be removed from the Chilandia family.

Bell had a lot of free time while in self-seclusion, so I actually studied a lot of things. To be more precise, Bell secretly borrowed books to read to kill time. Among those books is one that describes the second academy, so I have an idea of what kind of place it is. That’s why, seeing its name and father’s sign already on the contract, Bell spoke to father with confidence that I could do anything.

「Does this mean Bell is free to do whatever in the academy?」
「See it as a final act of mercy.」
「In other words, Bell is free to be reclusive and get the best dorm room, right?」
「Hold on—」
「If Bell recalls correctly, it’s probably not possible to stay cooped up in the other rooms. At the very least, Bell would need to go to the cafeteria to get food. If father can live without eating food, then Bell won’t force it.」
「…Alright, but don’t you get carried away.」

After seeing father leave with a soured expression, I suddenly became afraid of what I dared to do a moment ago, but since the contract is sealed, father will have to enroll Bell no matter what. Otherwise, the magic contract’s recoil will take effect.

And a while after, Bell’s second academy enrollment plan was made official.

◇◇◇

Once my enrollment was confirmed and Bell could move into the dorm, Bell was immediately sent out with the minimum things needed for my free lifestyle. Bell normally enrolled and passed with her own abilities, but father used his connections so we could see the results early, which is how Bell was able to move in earlier than the others. Since Bell was really scared when encountering many unfamiliar people during the enrollment, this honestly saved Bell, so Bell stayed silent and obeyed. No, honestly, I just couldn’t say anything. I don’t want father to yell at me again.

When Bell moved into the dorm, father said, 「The moment you exit the academy, you are no longer a daughter of mine,」 which filled me with a strange sense of liberation and, at the same time, released a heavy weight from my stomach.

As Bell’s dorm life began, it was time for Bell to practice living her own. Bell’s room, the second best after the one for royalty, has the necessary equipment needed for independent living. Here, you can cook, wash clothes, and take a bath. Groceries aren’t an issue either. Bell just needs to tell the people here what I need, and they will deliver it to my front door the next day. These purchases will be paid for by the Chilandia house, so while Bell doesn’t plan on buying anything luxurious, I won’t hesitate on buying necessities.

Bell brought a lot of long-lasting food when moving in, so it should be alright for a while, but unlike at home, Bell doesn’t have any servants around. Considering how Bell will need to do everything by herself after leaving the academy, practicing this early on isn’t a bad idea. Food will eventually run out if you don’t know how to cook, but fortunately, since I’ve been sneaking into the kitchen for food, I’m somewhat familiar with the equipment.
At first, Bell failed several times, wounding herself, and the food wasn’t delicious at all, but after several days of practicing 3 times a day, Bell could now make relatively edible food. And since Bell preferred to stay secluded, I also managed to learn how to clean, wash clothes, and take a bath on my own.¹　

And before I noticed it, the academy opening was fast approaching, meaning I have to leave my room soon. Bell has finally gotten used to life by herself and was thinking how it would be nice to just continue living like this, but that isn’t possible.
There was a provided document explaining academy opening, so Bell panickedly looked for it and read the contents. I already know about how the classes are done beforehand, and it’s good that I now know where my homeroom is, but it says here that they’ll be holding a party. While Bell does have a dress—I brought one that doesn’t stand out—I never thought I’d have to wear it ever again.

Moreover, isn’t the academy a place where Bell will have to spend a long time with strangers to begin with?
Bell was enjoying her life alone so much that she forgot this. Do I have to speak to people I don’t know? Can’t I stay in seclusion? If I drop out, I won’t be able to continue this lifestyle, so Bell can’t have that happen.

Thinking ahead, Bell also needs to consider her life after leaving the academy. Suddenly, Bell couldn’t help but feel anxious. Let me just stay inside my room for today.

◇◇◇

It’s so over. Unbeknownst to Bell, everything was so over. Bell just decided to go home right after the opening homeroom, and now everyone in class seemed to be friendly with each other; Bell was left in the dust, silently waiting for the party to get over at a quiet corner.
And then, at this party, I happened to see Alcrei. Being Chilandia’s shame, Bell rarely leaves the house, but I have been brought to different events every now and then. One of these events included gatherings for children close in age, and there, for some reason, Alcrei knew Bell was a failure and constantly bullied Bell for it. Moreover, since Alcrei’s Tweisel family was of greater status, father never came to my rescue—he probably would have if the Tweisel were lower status but would still yell at me at home afterwards―and Alcrei would pick on me every time we met until he felt satisfied.

Because of that, Bell’s heart nearly stopped when I saw him, and Bell desperately ran around to avoid being discovered by him.

After that day, the classes began, and while everyone else was enjoying each other’s company, Bell was all by her lonesome. At first, it didn’t really bother me, but since I was constantly surrounded by happy people, it felt uncomfortable being there. Since everyone was chatting with their neighbors, Bell felt bad for the people next to me; everyone is so big and scary, and I can’t help but twitch when I hear a loud voice.
Still, thinking about the future, I can’t just be absent from my classes; whenever I return to my room, I feel almost glad to be alone by myself.

In the midst of this, two days after the opening, during the Magic Circle Studies course I took for some reason, I happened upon a person who would change my life.