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The next morning, I was woken up by a knock. I saw the dazzling morning light spilling in from the window. I thought they would suspect things if I acted too much at night, so I held back from it.

“Lady Nicole, are you awake?”
“Morning, Den. Did the night go without problems?”
“Yes, there was nothing noteworthy.”

I got up from the bed and headed to open the lock for Den to enter. I opened the door with a clank and saw Den dressed in a butler suit standing behind it. Seeing me defenselessly open the door, Den gave a silent sigh.

“Lady Nicole, you look a little immodest.”
“Isn’t it fine, you’re the only one here.”
“That is not the problem. It appears that Lady Letina’s spartan training was not enough.”

He shook his head as if in exasperation. The tray in his hand did not budge in the process. He had today’s breakfast lined up on it.

“Is this breakfast? Let’s eat together.”
“Please get dressed before that. I shall wait here.”
“Coming in… would be problematic, huh. Give me a moment.”

Den was an Ogre so I didn’t mind even if he saw me, but the outsiders could get weird ideas. If someone saw me inviting a man inside my room and coming out all dressed, it would lead to rumors.

I quickly put on my uniform and combed my disordered hair with my fingers. Normally I’d have used a brush, but I felt bad to keep Den waiting outside.

“Sorry for the wait.”
“Your hair is disordered.”
“You are surprisingly sensitive to details.”
“I am acting as your butler at present after all.”

As I sat at the small table installed inside the room, Den quickly laid out the breakfast.

“I will fix your hair, so please focus on eating.”
“You sound like Finia…”
“It is quite economical time-wise, so it should be alright, yes? It is bad manners, however.”
“You really don’t hold back these days, huh.”

I spread butter on the toast before me and took a bite. I also poured myself a scented tea and poured it down my throat.

“Mgh, did you make this breakfast yourself?”
“No, it was Lady Finia. I am not good at cooking after all. God Hastur could only cook roughly, so he did not teach me that.”
“Ah, yeah, that old man does seem like he’d be crude at cooking.”
“He was by no means bad at it, but how to put it, he only made things suited for outdoor cooking.”

I ate the crunchy salad and washed it down with tea.

The feeling of fresh vegetables and their refreshing fragrance tickled my nose. This was something you couldn’t make without fresh vegetables.

As expected of the academy that was intended for nobles. It seemed that they were using fresh ingredients even for breakfast.

“Yeah, as expected of the senior academy. They are using good ingredients.”
“Lady Finia also seemed to be enjoying making it.”
“I imagine she would.”

Finia’s cooking was something like a hobby too. It should have been a good outlet for stress for her. I finished my breakfast while thinking of such things and decided to drink one more cup of the scented tea, at which point Den also finished arranging my hair.

I stood up and checked my appearance in the full-body mirror.

“Yeah, looks good.”
“Lady Nicole, here are your school items.”
“Thanks.”

Just as I accepted the bag, there was another knock.
This one didn’t even wait for a reply and spoke loudly.

“Nicole, time for school!”
“…Letina, be quiet in the morning.”

Looks like she was in perfect form right from the morning. I opened the door while giggling along with Den.

We left Den and Finia to investigate the dorm interior while the two of us headed to school.

My charm power wasn’t active as I was wearing the eyepatch now, but my conspicuous bluish-silver hair shone as it reflected the sunlight. That glow ended up attracting people’s attention regardless.

“The stares hurt.”
“Hasn’t it always been like this?”
“So it’s gonna be like this until they get used to it.”

Entering the school building, I opened my locker to switch to the school shoes. But as I did, letters spilled out like an avalanche from within.

“…Again, huh?”
“I remember this from the elementary grade too.”
“Why aren’t you getting any, Letina?”

Me aside, Letina was also a beauty of the same level. Excluding her chest. Moreover, she was also a new transfer. She should be in the same position as me. And yet, there was not a single letter in her locker.

“I said ‘I will give you the honor of being your classmate, ohohohoho’ when I transferred, so they are avoiding me.”
“Shouldn’t you be trying to stand out?”
“I did stand out extremely well!”
“So you chose that way?!”

That would certainly allow her to stand out a lot. But if no one approaches her, gathering information would be far from possible.

If she was avoided, she wouldn’t even be able to hold a normal conversation.

I got on my knees and gathered the letters, and then dumped them in the trash can on the side of the corridor.

“Oh, you are not going to answer them?”
“What should I even answer? And with the number, it will take a while to do even that.”
“There might have been your destined one among them.”
“You’re having fun aren’t you, Letina.”
“I very much do in fact.”

I pulled her cheeks at her overly honest reply.

“Ouhhhh, ish huuhshh!”
“It’s the penalty for mocking your friend. You won’t do it anymore, right?”
“Bahh I rehuushh!”
“But I refuse! you say!”

In resistance, she also reached out toward my cheeks. I dodged them by bending backward while keeping up my punishment, but then another student addressed me.

“Um, good morning, Miss Nicole.”
“Ah, good morning.”
“Good morning to you too, Miss Letina.”
“Gowhmowningh.”
“…Pfft.”

She replied while her cheeks were pulled, which made the girl leaks a laugh.

“Whah was zhat fohr?”
“Nothing, my bad. I believed you were less approachable.”

I would feel bad to keep pulling her cheeks during the conversation, so I let go. She pressed hands on her reddened cheeks and massaged them.

“You’re terrible, Nicole!”
“Whatever.”
“I thought you were harder to approach too, Miss Nicole.”
“I’m not a noble, but a commoner.”
“But you are from the lineage of those Six heroes. You’re far higher than your average nobles… Ah, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”

I’ve been told that since my young days. This much wouldn’t bother me the slightest. Rather, since she was attentive to that, she sounded like she was a quite considerate person.