I headed to the cafeteria. Perhaps because it was late, the number of students was already sparse. Everyone was hastily stuffing their mouths, trying to make it to class on time.

As I glanced around, I noticed a corner of the cafeteria where a group of girls had gathered.

“……？”

The Advanced Division of the Lehan Knight School has eighty male students and twenty female students. I don’t know about the Intermediate and Elementary Divisions, but from what I could see, there were girls of various ages gathered together, spanning all three divisions. Probably about fifteen of them.

I was curious about what was at the center of the group, but whatever it was, it wasn’t likely to interest me. There was no way that Blythe and a bunch of teenage girls had anything in common.

Thinking that, I took a seat at a table and stabbed my fork into my bacon and eggs. At that moment, the cluster of girls stirred. A small figure tumbled out from between them, crawling away in desperation.

Small—but not as small as me. Black hair, black eyes, a youthful face.

Ah, I’ve seen that guy before. Yep. Still not interested. Alright, let’s pretend I didn’t see anything.

I turned my back, diverting my gaze to avoid being noticed.

But—

“Eremia, help me!”

Too late. I’d already been spotted.

It was Oujin. Apparently, he had been at the center of the group. His face was as red as a boiled shrimp.

Seeing Oujin being swarmed by girls from the Advanced, Intermediate, and Elementary Divisions, I grabbed my tray and briskly walked away, still holding a bite of fried egg in my mouth.

“Hey, wait! Wait up, Eremia! It’s me!”

I know. I know, but I want to tell him not to bring that annoying crowd over here.

But dropping my fried egg would be a waste.

“Kyaaa! El-chan is here too!”

El-chan.

For someone like me, what a pathetic nickname compared to "Sword Saint" or "War Maiden."

“Look, look! He’s totally like a girl!”

“Come play with us! Are you free after school?”

“Want me to feed you? Say 'ahh'!”

Spare me.

Like a dog, I shook my head to swallow my fried egg without using my hands, then shouted back while running away.

“Oujin, I’m going to hate you for this!”

“Don’t say that! Help me! I’m still training, so I’m not used to being around girls!”

“A swordsman whining about something so embarrassing! If you’re a man, deal with it yourself!”

What’s with that abandoned puppy look? That’s exactly why you’re popular. Damn it, you’re cute.

Running wasn’t an option—my tray would spill the soup.

Instead, I picked up the pace, dodging left and right. Oujin, meanwhile, was being pulled at by countless hands as he chased after me.

“You’re a swordsman too! Don’t abandon me!”

“Idiot! What the hell do you expect me to do about this!?”

He wouldn’t… He wouldn’t just dump this on me and escape alone, would he!?

Ah, damn it.

After running all over the cafeteria, we were finally cornered. Trapped by a total of about fifteen girls.

“Hey, don’t they look super cute together!?”

“Oujin-kun and El-chan… so precious…”

“Let me feed you! Open wide!”

Since I couldn’t cut them down, they were far worse than a horde of goblins.

It was probably because of that landslide incident. Someone in our class must have been spreading exaggerated rumors. That Group 3, Class 1 had heroically held the line.

“Hey, hey, El-chan! You’re super strong even though you’re so small, right!? I heard you fought a new species of monster all by yourself at just ten years old!”

“And Oujin-kun was so cool protecting everyone! Tell us about Karaburi Ittō-ryū!”

“We’d love to hear more!”

If I were Blythe, I could just shove through a hundred girls and walk away. But in this small ten-year-old body, there was nothing I could do.

The noise was so overwhelming that I couldn’t even make out whether they were asking questions or just chatting. Oujin looked dizzy. His face was no longer just red—it was completely flushed, like he had been painted over.

Are you okay, man? Your blood pressure…

At that moment, someone casually pushed through the crowd like wading through water.

It was Void Scale.

“Oi, what the hell are you two doing in a corner like that?”

Both Oujin and I shouted in unison.

“Void, help us!”

“Void, help!”

“Hah?”

Void, with his usual lazy expression, looked down at the girls, towering over them by two heads.

Damn, I envy his height.

But the girls looking up at him had burning admiration in their eyes.

“So cool…”

“He’s supposed to be a delinquent, but he fought to protect everyone…”

Delinquent? At worst, he’s just a rough guy. And honestly, he’s a far better person than I am.

“Void-sama was as strong as a full-fledged knight!”

Void… "sama"!?

He gets "sama"!?

Oujin is "kun," and I’m the only one who gets "chan"!?

“U-Um, if you don’t have a girlfriend, c-could I make you lunch…?”

Before she could even finish, Void dug into his ear and replied indifferently.

“Hah? Sorry, but I ain’t got a shred of interest in little girls who still smell like milk. Come back in ten years.”

――!?

I gasped.

C-C-Cool. E-Even back when I was Blythe, I could never say something like that.

But wouldn't saying that just make the girl cry? If that happened, Group 3's boys would never be able to stay in this school.

Or so I thought.

“…Haaah…”

The girl, her cheeks flushed red, cupped her face with both hands and squirmed.

From the outside, she looked… happy.

Why…?