When Adel returned to the room with two folding chairs from the recreation room, the drawers that had been opened were already closed, and the tear marks on her face had been wiped away.
"Sorry, I kept you waiting..."
"It's fine, really, it's no problem at all... More importantly, there's something I want to ask you."
Adel arranged the two borrowed chairs and the one already in the room in a slight curve, and sat down on the bed. Even in a room with nothing, there was no space for four chairs.
"Yes, what is it?"
"You seem to have entered without an exam, are you from a noble family?"
Thinking, "Ah, as expected, they noticed," Adel, who didn't want to lie to her new friend who had come to her room, answered honestly.
"Yes, well... But if I mention my family name, I'll probably be killed. By my stepmother, who remarried with my father and her children..."
Monica made a strange sound, "Guh."
"...So, so, that's it. And, are you good at martial arts or magic?"
Marcella, trying hard to maintain her composure, said, "It's common among nobles."
Oriana turned pale and couldn't even speak.
"Huh? No, I'm just normal. My performance in the practical exam was almost the same as the person in front of me..."
This girl is so innocent!
Marcella finally understood what others had been talking about. The person in front of her was probably top-notch in each field among the new students, and Adel hadn't even noticed. Her act of suppressing her skills to match the person in front of her was completely transparent. She was probably hiding her abilities to avoid being eliminated by her family because of her step-siblings.
"So, so, normal, normal..."
"Yes! Isn't it great to be normal?"
"..."
At this point, Marcella finally remembered her original purpose.
"Adel, you seem to get along well with boys..."
Adel latched onto Marcella's lead.
"Yes, that's exactly it! Is there any way to fix this... I'm not good with men, I hardly ever talk to any men except my father... I don't even have time to have a boyfriend now. I can wait until I'm an adult and independent... Is there any way to be left alone...?"
"..."
Adel's sincere plea left the three girls speechless. They had completely forgotten their original purpose.
Marcella tried to steer the conversation back on track.
"So, are you going anywhere tomorrow?"
"Ah, yes, I work all day on my days off. I have no money and no allowance... With tomorrow's pay, I might be able to buy a new pair of underpants!"
The three girls were at their limit. Oriana's face was blue, and she was trembling. Monica's face was red, and she was biting her lip to hold back tears. Marcella was desperately trying to maintain her composure.
"Well, I shouldn't overstay my welcome, so I'll take my leave now..."
"But, you can stay longer..."
As Adel tried to hold her back, Marcella answered while standing up.
"We still have plenty of time. We have three more years together."
"..., Yes!"
The three girls were sent off by a delighted Adel and returned to their dormitory.
"Yay! I experienced a friend visit event! I made three new friends!"
Adel was overjoyed, completely unaware that the three girls had been silent on their way back.
"Meow."
"Ah, you came, you came..."
A black cat slipped into Adel's room through the open window. When Adel took a plate from the drawer and placed it on the table, the black cat immediately started gnawing on the thick bone on the plate.
"But you really like that bone... I'll get you a new one next time."
Two days later, at the beginning of the week, in the A-class classroom.
"Adel, can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Ah, Marcella!"
When Adel approached happily, Marcella handed her a paper bag.
"I bought the wrong size. I thought you might be able to wear it."
"Really, I can have it?"
The paper bag was quite large.
"Thank you! Can I open it?"
"No, no! Please open it when you get back to your room!"
Seeing Marcella's slightly blushing face, Adel had a vague idea of what was inside. It wasn't something that girls usually got the wrong size for.
"Marcella..."
Adel, feeling a bit overwhelmed, hugged Marcella tightly.
"Hey, stop it! Adel, let go of me!!"
Marcella, turning red, struggled, but it was impossible to break free from Adel's unconscious embrace. The classmates watched enviously.
From the next day, for some reason, both male and female classmates started giving Adel sweets and dried meat. Adel, though puzzled, gratefully accepted them but didn't hug anyone in gratitude.
The next day, the first martial arts practice.
"Alright, you lot! We're starting martial arts training!"
It turned out that their homeroom teacher, Burgess, was also the martial arts instructor.
All the students were wearing leather armor over their sports uniforms. This was not personal equipment but common items lent out for martial arts classes. In a higher-level school like Ardrey, weapons and armor would be provided to each student.
The smell of leather and other people's sweat was a bit strong, but there was no room for luxury.
"Normally, we'd start with basic physical training and basic movements, but you lot will probably find that boring. So, we'll start with a mock battle to show you the importance of the basics.
First, let's see a demonstration... Experienced students, come forward!"
A few boys stepped forward at Burgess's command.
"Someone, show them how it's done!"
No one volunteered enthusiastically.
Reluctantly, Burgess was about to pick someone when:
"I will!"
The fifth son of the baron, Kelvin, stepped forward.
"Ah, Kelvin! Good, go ahead! You can choose your opponent."
In the school, there were no formalities based on status, so teachers called students by their first names.
Kelvin scanned the experienced students, who all averted their eyes.
Most of the experienced students were from noble families, and they knew Kelvin's talent from the practical exam.
After a slow scan, Kelvin pointed and chose his opponent.
"You! I'll fight you!"
"Huh? Why me?"
Adel, suddenly pointed at and declared, was taken aback.
"Um, I'm not an experienced student..."
Adel looked at Burgess for help, but...
"Ah, Adel! Good, this will be interesting, let's go with this!"
Adel was a topic of discussion among the teachers, and Burgess, who wanted to see her skills, smiled at the unexpected opportunity.