Nagi insisted on washing the dishes, and I didn't argue. Cooking was fun, but washing plates was the natural enemy of my soul. She rolled the sleeves of her loose shirt and began scrubbing.
"So," she said over running water, "are you gonna join the party later? The student representative who came earlier already agreed, and if even she's coming, a lot more will show up."
I let her question drift unanswered as I dragged my luggage next to one of the closets."I'm taking this right closet one," I declared.
A loud clatter erupted in the sink.
"NO! not that one! I already filled my clothes there. Please don't open it!"
I froze mid-reach."O-okay… I'll use the left side then."
"Also, you didn't answer my question!"
I pretended not to hear her disappointment and unpacked my clothes. Folded shirts, pants, socks, shoes, and necessities.
"I might, or I might not," I finally said. "Honestly, leaning toward the latter. I have something important to do… and I don't like crowds."
She must've felt the heaviness there, because her voice softened for the rest of the night.
Before we went to sleep, she asked, "Do you prefer the lights on or off?"
"Off."
She grabbed a small remote from her bedside table, pressed a button, and the room instantly dropped into darkness. The glass wall that was reflecting the city behind also dimmed, reflecting nothing anymore.
The only light came from the faint glow of the violet highlights in her hair and her choker.
She's using casting an exclusive weaver ability. Practicing before bed, maybe.
I lay down, staring at the ceiling, mind settling into the old problems I brought with me to this world. My plan needed refining. The main goal never changed, save Helle Regleia Blume, the Golden Weaver and Finster's master. In the original story, the rescue mission at the end of the semester was a disaster. Finster returned to the ruins where Helle was trapped, dragged people with him, and two characters died.
Helle… and Hinagiku.
My eyes drifted toward Nagi's sleeping silhouette across the dim room. Not this time. I wouldn't let her join that rescue. Maybe I'd go alone. Maybe I'd drag better back up. But whatever happened, she wasn't dying. Not under my watch.
I chuckled into the pillow. The list of characters I intended to save was growing out of control.
Sleep eventually pulled me under.
Morning came, and a sharp ding from the door yanked me awake.
I sat up, rubbing my eyes. Nagi was already at the entrance and greeted a uniformed man who stood with a box at his feet. They exchanged a few words while I yawned, still a bit groggy. She then pointed towards me and waved. The man nodded, handed her the box, and left.
"It's for you," she said, carrying it over.
The box was light, and a note was stuck to the top flap.
I forgot to hand this to you.
-Éclair
I tried to open it, but the tape was built like military-grade armor.
"Here," Nagi said, offering me a small knife.
"Thanks," I muttered, slicing it open. Inside were five neatly folded sets of clothes wrapped in smooth plastic.
"Oh! You didn't get your uniform yet?" Nagi asked. "We're supposed to receive them right after passing the entrance exam. Why didn't-"
"Crazy woman made me faint," I mumbled, too sleepy for details. "Ended up in the hospital."
"Context??"
I ignored her and pulled out a uniform set. The white trench coat gleamed under the morning light, gold lining catching every angle. Black buttons bore the Excellia insignia. Beneath it were a dark yellow necktie, a jet-black vest with gold buttons, a gray long-sleeved shirt, and thick white slacks.
It made sense that the uniform was so thick. "Salem is a cold region, after all," I lightly murmured, but I couldn't help but think that this was just an extremely high-quality cosplay attire.
Nagi repeated her question, louder this time. I countered with, "Did you already eat?"
She puffed her cheeks."You have a bad habit of ignoring people when they talk, but yes, I was going to… until the door rang."
"I made your portion too," she said. "Nothing fancy. Sunny-side-up eggs, toast, cherry tomato salad, and coffee."
"That's more than enough. I don't eat much in the mornings."
We ate together quietly. Something about the silence felt peaceful rather than awkward. After we finished our meal, she wiped her mouth and looked over.
"Matt, do you want to go together to the matriculation ceremony?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I don't know the way, so I'll follow you."
"Great! Let's get ready then." She glanced at the wall clock. "The ceremony starts at ten, at the Colosseum. It's seven now. How about we leave at nine-twenty?"
"Sure."
This time, I did the dishes while she sat at the counter, humming softly.
After washing the dishes, I grabbed one of the five uniform sets and a towel from my closet, then headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. The water woke me up instantly, and by the time I buttoned the last piece of the uniform, I felt… well, not dignified.
It feels more like I am about to attend an anime convention.
I stared at myself in the mirror and tried a few poses.....
Yup. Definitely cosplay. High-budget cosplay, but cosplay nonetheless.
I tossed my towel in the hanger, grabbed my dorm key and phone, stuffed everything into my pockets, and stepped out with Nagi. Together, we made our way toward the Colosseum.
We arrived on the earlier side. Very few students were still here. A staff member guided us through the massive rows of seats and directed us to the front, far too close to the spotlight for my taste, but it was the seat spot for class 1-A
From here, I could clearly see Finster, Azalea, and several other main cast members. I nodded to myself.
Good. It looked like his natural outgoing personality had already broken down the walls between him and others. As expected from the protagonist.
Finster noticed me. His eyes narrowed, like he was trying to study me.
Learning from my mistake during our first encounter, I met his gaze calmly… or rather, near his gaze. Never directly eye-to-eye.
He looked confused and affirmed at the same time.
I ignored him and sat five seats away, establishing a respectable "don't talk to me" buffer.
Upon noticing this, Nagi tilted her head in confusion, then, of course, walked straight toward him.
"Sorry about that," she said, offering a polite handshake. "He's a bit shy with other people. I'm Nagi Satou. How about you?"
Finster stood up and greeted her warmly. "Nice to meet you. You can just call me Finster." He accepted her handshake warmly.
A girl with bright green hair and yellow highlights leaned forward with a sigh."To be exact, you are now Finster Regleia Blume. Why do you keep forgetting that?"
Finster scratched his head in that bashful, lovable way.
"I just feel shy calling myself a noble all of a sudden. Not to mention, I didn't even have a family name before you guys adopted me."
Azalea crossed her arms and exhaled dramatically.
"You should be proud, not shy. Do you know how many people would kill just to be associated with us? And you, of all people, get to rise immediately as one of the successors," she added, more politely.
"Anyway, ignore this idiot. I'm Azalea Regleia Blume, third daughter of Duke Clemantis Regleia Blume. Nice to meet you."
Nagi's eyes widened. She clearly did not expect that these two were actually nobles; she instantly tried to bow her head lower… only to have Azalea stop her with a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't do that. Not here," Azalea warned.
"Excellia doesn't tolerate social discrimination. You bowing to me will only cause problems for me, especially in the student council."
"Oh—! I… I see." Nagi straightened immediately.
"Though just because social discrimination is prohibited, it does not mean that there is no discrimination from other rotten brats," she sighed and continued, "it's also a chance for lowborn students to join a faction."
Meanwhile, I sat back and watched them build connections, connections I didn't need and couldn't afford this early in the story.
Me existing in this world was already a massive butterfly effect. If I wanted the timeline to follow the original path, I needed to stabilize things first. Let the protagonist build his companions and rivals.
I need to let the moving pieces first be someone whom I originally knew in the novel before interfering with the ones I wanted to change.
For now…
Let's enjoy the most classic extra-life experience.