Sharing breakfast with the hero and walking to school together—something utterly unthinkable in my first life—had become my reality.

"Well then, Claym, see you back at the dorm!"

"Y-yeah, later..."

Before I realized it, the hero had started calling me by my first name, and I’d begun to do the same in return. (Why?) The sudden closeness was bewildering, as if his boundaries were nonexistent.

---What even is a hero?

I was now questioning the very concept. Distracted by this useless train of thought, I bid Weiss farewell at the fork in the road.

I was in the Special Advancement class, while the hero was in the General class. Our paths diverged midway to the classrooms. As Weiss enthusiastically waved goodbye, I experienced a peculiar sense of déjà vu.

"Looking at him now, he reminds me of some sort of small animal..."

Ignoring the curious glances from people around me, I headed toward the Special Advancement classroom.

To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to it. The thought of being around a battle maniac, a prince, and the sheer hostility emanating from my classmates—particularly the exam group students—was weighing on me. Yesterday, being the first day, nothing had happened, but now that classes were officially starting, who knew what might occur?

---Should I have just taken the entrance exam after all?

Regretting my foolish decisions, I thought back. But it was too late now, and besides, I didn’t completely regret my choice. The time I spent avoiding the exam allowed me to grow stronger, to develop the skills I needed to kill dragons quickly.

Even so, unpleasant things are still unpleasant. I wasn’t looking for trouble. I hadn’t gotten stronger just to pick on weaker people.

"Sigh..."

I stopped in front of the classroom door. I lacked the courage to enter alone and hesitated. Then a voice called out from behind me.

"What are you doing, Clay?"

"Whoa! Oh, it’s just you, Freesia. Don’t scare me like that..."

Turning instinctively, I found Freesia, the battle-maniac aristocratic lady, standing there, looking exasperated. With half-lidded eyes, she continued.

"So, what’s up? Also, fight me."

"Don’t just slip weird demands into the conversation... Nothing’s going on."

"Hmm... You say that, but you seem hesitant."

"...!"

She’s observant... Or rather—

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Since you parted ways with that adorable girl in the hallway and took a deep breath in front of the classroom."

"That’s practically the whole time!"

Her explanation carried a subtle undercurrent of irritation. Why was she so annoyed? Was her desire for a duel really that strong? Could she be any more of a battle maniac? Also, for the record, Weiss is a guy, not a girl.

But that was beside the point. For now, I was just relieved she hadn’t already gone into the classroom.

"Could you go in first?"

"Why? You can just walk in like a normal person."

"Ugh... Sure, but..."

There’s something infuriating about her pointing out the obvious. But this isn’t a simple matter. Things I ignored in my first life now bother me endlessly—especially other people’s hostility.

"It’s just that... I think the exam group students in our class hate me."

"Really?"

Deciding to be upfront, I nodded. Freesia tilted her head, looking even more puzzled.

"In that case, just beat them up."

"...!"

Of course, this is what she’d say. Why did I even bother hoping for a reasonable response? In my first life, she wasn’t this much of a musclehead... What happened? I let out a long, weary sigh.

"Look, I’m a pacifist, okay? I want a peaceful academy life, got it?"

"What’s that? Some kind of joke? Hilarious."

"Keep it up, and I’ll knock you out."

"Go ahead and try."

This isn’t working. Talking to this muscle-brained girl is futile. Worse, I’ve dug myself into a deeper hole.

---Staying here and dithering is starting to feel ridiculous.

Though, technically, this whole exchange was a waste of time. To make matters worse, Freesia was now unsheathing a sword from who-knows-where.

"What are you two doing?"

Our homeroom teacher, Volt, appeared behind us, looking at us as though we were a strange spectacle. Apparently, we’d been wasting more time than I realized. Still, explaining the situation to him wasn’t an option.

"Uh, well..."

"Doesn’t matter. Get inside. Homeroom’s starting."

Ignoring my stammering, Volt stepped between us and nonchalantly entered the classroom. Following his lead, I finally stepped in, thankful the battle maniac was temporarily distracted.

"Wait, Clay! What about our duel?"

"Do it yourself."

Ignoring Freesia’s noisy complaints, I scanned the classroom. As expected, the students from the exam group glared daggers at me. Among them, the de facto leader, Gaian Buster, stood out the most.

---Why am I hated this much...?

It was tempting to grumble about their persistent hostility, but the truth was I’d gotten into this academy without much effort. Their resentment was, perhaps, understandable.

---Still, can’t they at least stop glaring?

I wasn’t asking for friendship, just some peace. Their constant glares were exhausting and stressful. I pretended not to notice and kept a calm facade.

"Good morning."

"Good morning."

On the way to my seat, I exchanged greetings with Chronos, the prince, who waved at me. This is the worst. Everywhere I look, something makes my stomach churn.

After I sat down, with Freesia taking her place beside me, Volt started speaking.

"Alright, now that classes are officially starting, there’s something I need you all to do first."

"Something we need to do?"

"Put simply, you’re going to decide this class’s representative. Throughout the year, you’ll participate in various academy events as a class. You’ll need someone to take charge."

He continued, "This class is unique. There’s a divide between the recommendation group and the exam group. Even after just one day, there’s already tension. This is a chance to resolve that and encourage interaction."

"I see..."

"You can decide on your leader however you want—through discussion, academic competition, or even a duel."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room changed. Chaos on the second day—it seemed inevitable. I shot Volt a half-lidded glare, fully aware he was enjoying this.

---This teacher is definitely having fun.

The vibe he gave off was uncannily similar to that of my grandfather whenever he caused trouble.

"Sigh..."

Feeling a wave of nostalgia and frustration, I began contemplating how I might use this situation to ease the animosity against me.