NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 15 - Tardy (1)
✦ Chapter 15 – Tardy (1) ✦
「Translator – Creator」
𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝
A Disciplinary Committee member’s day began earlier than the average student’s — they wake up several hours ahead of their peers to begin their preparations.
“Hey there, Freshman? Improper dress, that’s a demerit point.”
Once their own preparations were complete, they took their posts at the academy gates, meticulously inspecting every student’s uniform. Typically, only a couple of members were needed to monitor the handful of students not living in the dorms. Today, however, there were over twenty.
There were three reasons for this unusual turnout.
“I spent the break at home, and let me tell you, I gained so much weight.”
“Me too! My parents kept feeding me nonstop. It was culinary torture!”
“Tell me about it. I went home, and my parents had moved without telling me!”
“Ahaha, hey, have you heard? They say one of the freshmen is insanely strong.”
“Come on, we’re the upperclassmen! We’re obviously stronger.”
First, the students, having spent the break at their respective homes, were returning to the academy.
“Wow, so this is it, huh? We’re actually Academy students.”
“Yeah, so? Remember what happened at the entrance ceremony?”
“Right. One wrong move, and we’re expelled.”
Second, it was the freshmen’s first official day of school.
And third…
“Whoa…”
“Hey, isn’t that…?”
“It’s her. Johanna Freya.”
“She’s…breathtaking.”
It was Johanna’s presence that drew the largest crowds. As students entered the academy grounds, their gazes would inevitably be drawn to her, mesmerized. Unlike the other disciplinary committee members, who remained standing, Johanna had been granted the privilege of a chair.
Surrounding her were a throng of admirers, all vying for her attention.
“Johanna, is everything comfortable for you?”
“Would you like a more comfortable chair?”
“Here, have some snacks!”
“The weather is still chilly. Should we fetch a blanket?”
The reason for such reverent treatment wasn’t just because they wanted to curry favor with Johanna or because her family held the ducal title.
“Um, Lady Johanna? I am from the House of Devrow–”
“If you’re a freshman, get to your class.”
“If you’re a freshman, get to your class.”
A male freshman tried to strike up a conversation with Johanna, but another Disciplinary Committee member immediately intercepted him.
It was clear he was one of those trying to approach her because of her looks or her family.
The Disciplinary Committee had two primary characteristics — they were all women, and they were all fans of Johanna. One might even say they were less of a disciplinary committee and more of a Johanna fan club.
This morning, when Johanna had announced her intention to personally inspect uniforms at the gate, she was met with unanimous enthusiasm. Naturally, not everyone could be spared for gate duty, so they resorted to drawing straws — a process that resulted in the twenty lucky winners currently basking in the glow of Johanna’s presence.
Despite feeling uncomfortable being the only one seated, Johanna asked,
“Is there anything I can help with?”
“No, Johanna, you don’t need to do any work!”
“Exactly! Just having you here is a huge motivation for us.”
The Disciplinary Committee members even brought her tea, encouraging her to rest more comfortably.
Seated on her chair, Johanna gazed blankly at the entering academy students. While many students felt a thrill being noticed by her, Johanna merely glanced at each one before looking away, as if searching for someone.
“Someone you’re looking for?” one of the girls asked, noticing the way her gaze lingered on each new arrival.
“Yes,” Johanna replied curtly, her eyes still scanning the crowd.
Startled by this rare display of emotion, the girl quickly recovered, her natural curiosity overriding her initial surprise. “Is it…a boy?” she ventured.
As soon as the question was asked, the surrounding girls leaned in, all ears, hanging onto Johanna’s every word.
“Yes.”
A collective gasp rippled through the group; the gathered girls exchanged excited whispers.
“Did you hear that? Johanna is waiting for a boy!”
“Who could he be?”
“Since you’ve asked so far, why not find out more about him?”
Fueled by the encouragement of her peers, the girl who’d initiated the conversation cleared her throat nervously. “Um…what’s he like? The boy you’re waiting for?”
Johanna thought about Loki.
How could she describe Loki?
A freshman.
But ‘freshman’ felt woefully inadequate to describe him.
Strong, then?
No. There were others stronger.
So how to encapsulate someone like Loki?
Then she remembered his words from their brief encounter.
[Being unusual is fine, but I’d prefer to be remembered as special.]
Loki had claimed she smiled when she heard this, though she found it hard to believe.
Since childhood, she had hardly felt or expressed emotions. She rarely desired anything, and even when she discovered that people pretending to be close to her spoke ill behind her back, it hardly bothered her.
Swinging a sword brought some sense of accomplishment and a bit of joy, but it didn’t make her smile.
And yet, Loki claimed she had smiled, twice, during their conversations. Though she wasn’t overly expressive, she did feel emotions. When expressing them, she was usually aware of her actions.
However, her smile during her talks with Loki were unintentional and natural.
Initially, she had thought of him as simply unusual, but now she genuinely believed him to be—
“Special.”
It was still early morning, and with spring just starting, a chilly breeze blew, making Johanna’s cheeks turn red against her pale skin. To the Disciplinary Committee members, it looked as if she was blushing out of embarrassment.
“Oh my!”
“It really does seem like ‘that,’ right?”
“What kind of boy is he?”
Now, the prefects too turned their attention to the entering students, eager to spot the person Johanna considered special. They scrutinized each face, trying to guess who Johanna’s special person could be.
.
.
.
However, Loki did not appear up until the start of school. Having come out specially to see him, Johanna’s expression turned even more stoic, signaling her disappointment.
The change was subtle, unnoticeable to most, but not to the Disciplinary Committee members who had closely observed Johanna for the past year as devoted fans. They could tell she was upset.
“He might have arrived before you, Johanna!”
“Yeah, he must have!”
The Disciplinary Committee members tried to console her.
Just as Johanna was about to convince herself that Loki had indeed arrived before her, a voice interrupted.
“Seniors, you work so hard even this early in the morning.”
“Yes… Oh?”
A student casually walked past the Disciplinary Committee members, so naturally that they didn’t sense anything unusual initially. By the time they realized something was off, the student was already a bit further away.
“Hey, you! Stop there!”
As one Disciplinary Committee member rushed to grab the tardy student’s shoulder,
The student vanished just before the hand could make contact, reappearing behind the pursuing Disciplinary Committee member.
“Draw your swords!”
The third-year Disciplinary Committee member’s command rang out,
And all twenty Disciplinary Committee members reacted instantly, twenty pairs of hands flying to their hilts as twenty blades sang free from their sheaths. In perfect unison.
*SHINGG*
“Identify yourself!”
The boy, though clad in the standard academy uniform, was far from ordinary. The strange mask, the crimson cloak, and now this…disappearance…everything about him screamed suspicious.
All the Disciplinary Committee members had their swords drawn, eyeing the masked individual intently. The tension was palpable as they collectively swallowed nervously.
“Eek! I surrender! I surrender!”
Raising both hands high, the masked figure declared his surrender. The air of mystery around him dissipated, leaving only an aura of helplessness.
The masked student, Loki, was flustered.
Initially, he thought he could pass unnoticed.
He had almost succeeded in walking through naturally until the Disciplinary Committee member called out to him.
Realizing he was caught, he intended to simply accept the demerit but instinctively dodged when the Disciplinary Committee member’s hand neared his shoulder.
His heightened senses, sharpened through training with the Emperor, had yet to adjust.
As Loki stood there, surrounded by twenty sword-wielding disciplinary committee members, his eyes darted around nervously, desperately seeking an escape route. That’s when he saw her.
“Ah! Senior Johanna?”
Despite being surrounded, Loki waved both hands to greet Johanna. Twenty pairs of eyes snapped towards him, twenty pairs of eyebrows shooting up in unison.
“Senior, hello!”
The disciplinary committee members exchanged looks.
Surely, Johanna would put a stop to this.
She wouldn’t entertain such blatant disregard for the rules, especially from someone as…suspicious as this masked boy.
To their collective shock, Johanna awkwardly raised a hand in response.
“Hello, Loki.”
Seeing Johanna using her hand to greet back, the committee members looked at Loki in astonishment, thinking, ‘Is that guy really…?’
Meanwhile, feeling the intense gazes from the committee members, Loki thought to himself, ‘Could it be that they’re infatuated with me at first sight?’
— End of Chapter —
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