The next day, I was informed that I had to participate in the school's entrance examination for new students. It was said that classes would be assigned based on the results, which was a very clichéd setup.
An entrance examination is a must in transmigration-to-another-world school-themed stories, and there's definitely a protagonist showing off segment, but that segment will only happen three years later.
Putting on the black school uniform assigned to me by the school, I stood in front of the mirror and felt a sense of nostalgia. After all, school was a long time ago for me, and I occasionally missed my past campus life. I didn't expect it to come true again in another world.
On the way, I met many new students my age. Since we didn't know each other, we mostly walked our separate ways, but I still stood out a bit in the crowd. Of course, the reason was still...
"Hey, look, that boy is alone."
"How pathetic, he's probably from some poor noble family."
"But he is so handsome..."
Something strange was mixed in but let's forget it.
Since I didn't have a servant with me, I was considered a poor noble who couldn't afford one.
Servants couldn't accompany the students during their study and exams, but they could take care of their master's daily life during the school terms.
For noble youths aged only 12, living alone without a servant's care was clearly too early, and an excellent servant represented the family's prestige. Not having a servant naturally meant a low status in noble society, making it easy to be looked down upon.
Of course, the Anglus Family was definitely not in this situation; I didn't have a servant entirely due to my special circumstances, but I was just too lazy to explain to others. Even if these students, who seemed like children to me, mocked me, I couldn't be bothered to argue with them.
The exam was divided into three rounds, with the first round being an academic test.
The content of the test was very simple; it could be said that any noble student who had received private tutoring at home could easily score full marks. After the exam, most students looked self-satisfied, so there shouldn't be much difference in this round.
The second round was the magic potential test.
What needed to be done was the same as what Count Darian did to me that day: testing the student's personal magic power value and magic attribute, except this time it was done using the school's examination device.
The test was conducted in a sealed room, and the results were not public, known only to the individual and the teachers inside, probably to protect the self-esteem of certain nobles.
I observed one student after another entering the room from behind the crowd, thinking that I should at least figure out what the heroines looked like.
"Next, Toke."
The teacher would call out the name of the next student to enter the room, but not their family name. Apart from acquaintances, a student's noble rank would not be known to others.
I didn't have any acquaintances my age, so probably no one would recognize me, but I knew the full names of the heroines. As long as I heard their names, I could match their families and appearances.
"Next, Yumina."
Here she comes! Yumina Reid Granier, the First Royal Princess.
However, it seemed I wasn't the only one who recognized her; a considerable commotion broke out among the students, indirectly indicating her status and presence.
From a distance, she was a young girl with very beautiful golden hair. Her specific appearance wasn't clear, but she was definitely outstanding. Although it was a pity, if we were in the same class, there would be opportunities to observe her. For now, remembering her unique aura was enough.
"Um, hello."
Hmm? Someone actually took the initiative to talk to me, how unexpected.
Turning my head, a slightly chubby unfamiliar boy stood beside me. Although he initiated the conversation, he seemed a bit timid, which reminded me of my past self. I wondered what he wanted from me.
"The written exam just now was really difficult, don't you think?"
"Eh?"
I was full of questions.
What exactly did he misunderstand to come and talk to me about this kind of topic?
Seeing my bewildered reaction, the boy immediately stammered and hastily explained.
"Th-that, I saw that you, like me, didn't bring a servant, so you must be... like me."
Hmm... Ah... So that's what it was.
He took me for someone like himself, a low-ranking noble who couldn't afford a servant.
Humans instinctively want to stick together when they encounter similar individuals, so that's why he plucked up the courage to talk to me now. That's about it, right?
"Exactly, exactly."
Because it felt interesting, I didn't want to clarify.
"My name is Robert, what's yours?"
"Ah, my name is Toke."
Upon realizing that he didn't seem to have made a mistake, the boy named Toke immediately relaxed his expression.
"Toke? You're the student whose name was just called to go in for the exam, aren't you?"
"Yes, but unfortunately, the results weren't very good. 54 points for Earth Attribute in the magic power test, and I missed many questions in the written exam. I'll probably end up in the lowest class. For poor nobles like us, how can we afford to hire private tutors to learn that knowledge in advance? There's just no way."
Toke, who considered me his kind, told me his personal information without any reservations.
I never expected such an honest and simple person to exist in this Noble School.
"Y-yes, it's really unfair."
"Haha, I thought I was the only new student who felt so unsure, it's really great to meet Robert. I hope we can be in the same class."
For Toke, meeting someone with the same circumstances in such an environment must have been a huge psychological comfort. He completely let down his guard around me.
I felt a little guilty for not being able to tell him my true situation, but I genuinely wanted to get along with him, because honest good people like him are definitely an endangered species in this school.
However, if the school assigns classes based on grades, then for me to be in the same class as Toke, I would have to hold back in the entrance exam.
Is this the 'acting like a pig to eat a tiger' segment that always appears in transmigration to another world stories? Interesting.
"I also think it would be great if we could be in the same class."
But I quickly realized my miscalculation; there's no way to hold back on something like a magic power test. It is what it is.
"90 points for Fire Attribute, truly worthy of the Anglus Family Young Master."
The teacher in the room who recorded my score praised me sincerely.
Currently, my written exam and magic power test scores should be among the highest for new students. This isn't good.