Rick returned from afar with exaggerated confidence.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Beside him stood a girl.
"…Huh?"
Simon felt a sense of familiarity.
She was small, with a gentle, puppy-like face. She avoided eye contact, her gaze fixed firmly on the tips of her shoes.
Then it clicked.
During Magical Combat class, she was the one who couldn't climb onto the hippopotamus on her own—the one Simon had helped.
And the one Knox had recommended.
Rick waved his notebook and turned toward Simon and Meilyn.
"This is Camibarez Ursula. She's applying for Haematology—scored an eighty-seven."
"Eighty-seven?"
Meilyn let out a low whistle, while Simon smiled in approval.
Camibarez bowed deeply.
"I–I'm Camibarez Ursula! If my name's too long, you can call me Cami. I might not be good enough, but I'll do my best not to be a burden!"
"You don't need to be so formal," Simon said gently. "We're all the same year. You can speak casually."
His words only made her face redden. "…Uh. I–I'm sixteen, and I also got into Kizen, so…"
Rick chimed in casually. "Who cares about age? There's someone in our year who's apparently twenty."
"…O–Okay. I'll try to speak more casually… sir."
It seemed that for her, casual still came with honorifics. No one pushed her further.
Meanwhile, Knox watched Cami squirm nervously—like a certain pink tsuchinoko from Bocchi the Rock!, the kind that would practically turn into a mosaic when overwhelmed—and smiled.
"Wow. A Haematology score of eighty-seven and cuteness level one hundred."
Claudia immediately cut in. "Knox. What you just said could be classified as harassment."
"Oh no," Knox replied dramatically. "Please forgive me, officer."
Cindy leaned forward with sparkling eyes. "Seriously though! Cami, right? You're super cute—like a purple hamster!"
Meilyn didn't say anything, but her eyes scanned Cami once before she nodded subtly, as if agreeing.
The conversation flowed naturally after that—school topics, food, hobbies, Knox's novels, and more.
Before anyone realized it, fifteen minutes had passed. Half of the allotted time.
"Phewww," Cindy stretched. "I can finally relax. I thought I was going to break out in stress hives."
Now that the pressure of team selection was gone, Cami chatted more comfortably with the girls.
"I knew it!" Claudia said. "You're that Ursula I've heard about, right?"
"Yes!" Cami nodded eagerly.
"She's amazing," Meilyn said sincerely.
"Ursula… as in the vampire family?" Simon asked, taking a closer look.
Now that he focused, he noticed the faint tips of fangs peeking from her gentle smile.
"I have wings too," Cami added softly. "They're just hidden under the uniform." Her back shifted slightly as she spoke.
"Isn't that uncomfortable?" Cindy asked.
"A little," Cami admitted. "So I asked the administration to modify the uniform. Starting next week, I should be able to let my wings out."
"Glad to hear they're fixing it," Knox said warmly.
Rick, who had been listening quietly, crossed his arms.
"But isn't it weird? A lady from the Ursula family attending Kizen, and there's no buzz about it?"
"Ah… that's…" Cami shrank back, blushing.
Meilyn and Claudia shot Rick sharp glares.
"You can't just ask something like that out of nowhere," Claudia scolded.
"Huh? What's wrong with asking?" Rick replied.
"…Seriously. You're not a noble, are you?" Meilyn said flatly.
"I'm a commoner."
"This is exactly why conversations break down," Meilyn muttered, crossing her arms.
Rick's expression cooled.
"There it is again. Noble girls and their superiority complex," he shot back.
"What, do I owe you something just because I'm a commoner?"
The atmosphere stiffened.
Knox stepped in immediately.
"Hey, hey. Calm down," he said lightly. "This is Kizen. Status doesn't really matter here."
Meilyn turned to him.
"Then what if some commoners mock or disrespect you, Knox?"
Knox smiled.
"That's easy. Whoever they are—whatever their status—under my fist, everyone's equal."
Meilyn stared.
"…."
Rick snorted. "What kind of question was that? Are you stupid? Do you even remember who you're talking to?"
"Only braindead nobles would try to offend Knox Aznable."
Somewhere in the room, Hector felt personally attacked.
"What did you just say?!" Meilyn snapped.
"Want me to repeat it?"
"D–Don't fight!" Cami suddenly shouted.
Realizing she'd raised her voice, she clapped her hands over her mouth and bowed her head.
Knox tilted his head.
"Eh? Why stop? Fight, fight."
"Fight! Fight!" Cindy echoed cheerfully.
Claudia sighed, questioning all her life choices.
Knox laughed. "I'm joking. Besides, Cami—don't they look close?"
Meilyn and Rick snapped back simultaneously:
"Who's close with him/her?!"
The room burst into laughter.
"I–I'll say it," Cami finally spoke up.
"The truth is… my mother is just a regular human…"
With that single sentence, Simon understood immediately. A daughter of a concubine from the vampire Ursula family.
Her father must have been a high-ranking vampire of the Ursula house, while her mother was most likely a human-born concubine.
Simon—born between a necromancer and a priest—carried his own share of complicated family circumstances, so he could empathize deeply.
"…S–Sorry," Rick said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't mean it like that."
"No, no! I'm really fine! Hehe," Cami replied quickly.
Knox smiled gently. "At least I can tell one thing, Cami," he said. "Your parents really love you."
"Yes!" Cami nodded brightly.
Rick cleared his throat. "Well, since we're sharing backgrounds… I guess I'll share mine too."
"I'm the son of the head of the White Ox Trading Company."
He glanced around expectantly.
Cami gasped and covered her mouth, but the reactions around the table were mixed.
Simon simply didn't know enough to react properly.
Meilyn was quietly surprised, but she turned her head away to hide it.
Cindy looked impressed.
Claudia seemed interested.
Merida… looked sleepy.
"Technically," Rick continued, "I'm the third son out of eight." A hint of bitterness crept into his voice.
"My father plans to pass everything to the eldest. All the family's resources go into him."
"As for the rest of us… we're just backups. Tools, really."
"Tools?" Simon asked.
"I showed talent in black magic," Rick replied.
"So they sent me to Kizen. My role is to understand dark mages and conduct market research."
That explained why Rick always treated weekend trips to Rochester as more important than weekday classes.
"But I haven't given up," Rick said firmly.
"I'll graduate from Kizen properly. One day, I'll build my own trading company in Rochesterer—under my own name, not the White Ox."
"Then maybe my father will finally look at me differently."
Simon grinned. "That's pretty cool."
Cami clapped her hands enthusiastically. "I'll cheer for you, Rick!"
"Go, go! You can do it!" Cindy added.
"Hehe, don't forget us when you succeed," Claudia said with a smile.
Knox nodded. "I told you before, didn't I? I've got business proposals for you later."
"I'm pretty sure they'll shut your father right up."
Meilyn crossed her arms and muttered, "…Do whatever you want."
Knox, Cindy, Claudia, Simon, and Cami burst out laughing.
"Meilyn," Knox said lightly, "with all due respect—tsundere is already outdated."
Her temple twitched. "Who are you calling tsundere?!"
"What a pleasant atmosphere~" A teaching assistant approached with a bright smile as they all stood up, well, almost all of them. Merida rose with visible reluctance.
"Hm? Now that I look closely," the assistant said, "aren't there eight of you?"
"We're actually two groups," Claudia explained.
"Oh, I see." The assistant nodded, pleased. "You all look quite harmonious."
She placed two sheets of paper on the table.
"You'll be Team 7," she said to Simon's group.
"And you'll be Team 8," she added, turning to Knox's group. "Please write down your names and desired subjects."
"Yes!" seven voices answered at once. Merida yawned.
"And please decide on a team leader and a team name."
Simon blinked. "A team name?"
"It's not that important," the assistant said. "Professor Jane will probably just call you Team 7 and Team 8 anyway."
After she left, the two groups exchanged glances.
"I'll be the team leader," Meilyn said calmly. "Any objections?"
There were none. Honestly, saying Meilyn accounted for half of Team 7's strength wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Meanwhile, Team 8 began their own discussion.
"We don't need to vote for leader, right?" Cindy said, grinning at Knox.
"Agreed," Claudia added cheerfully.
"Whatever," Merida muttered. "As long as it's not me."
All eyes turned to Knox. "…Do I have the right to refuse?" he asked.
"Nope."
"I don't think so."
"No."
Knox stared at them.
"..."
"So," Claudia asked, "what should we name our team?"
Cindy leaned back, hands behind her head. "How about 'Knox Hard Carry'?"
Knox's eye twitched. "Then should I call you three NPCs?"
Claudia thought for a moment. "How about 'Knox and His Angels'? Or 'Prince and Princesses'?"
Knox's expression darkened. "I object. The first one could get us branded as heretics."
Merida yawned. "…How about 'My Big Brother Is the Best'?"
"No."
"Absolutely not."
"Hard no."
After a debate long enough to rival a major version update—
They settled on a simple, painfully safe name.
Team 8.
————————————
Character Voicelines · Knox: About Group Numbers
Knox: Luckily, we're Group Eight… not Seven.
Cindy: Hmm? What's wrong with number seven?
Knox: I'm afraid there'd be endless internal conflicts…members fighting, one leaving dramatically after a near-death fallout…
Knox: …only for us to discover years later that the one who left had joined the villain's side.
Cindy (tilting her head):(⊙.☉)