CHAPTER 9 - THE FIRST DAY 1

Aegis slept like a rock after all that excitement.

She wasn't too sure what woke her up the next morning. Maybe her internal clock had actually transferred over from Earth. She always slept early and woke up early back at the hospital. Either way, she reached up and rubbed her eyes, her body feeling heavier somehow.

[Oh man. Lots happened yesterday. But, I passed all the tests. Now, I need to focus on-]

Aegis stopped.

Her jaw hit the floor.

Up ahead, next to the other bed in the room, was Lune. Lune, who had already woken up and was currently topless, slipping on thigh-high socks with just her panties on.

"..."

Aegis couldn't help but stare.

Lune paused mid-motion, one sock halfway up her thigh. Their eyes met across the room, and Aegis watched pink spread across Lune's pale cheeks.

"Oh." Lune's voice was barely above a whisper. She turned away quickly, pulling the sock up the rest of the way with jerky movements. "I didn't realize you were awake."

"Sorry, I—" Aegis scrambled to sit up, her brain finally catching up to the situation. "I was just surprised. I didn't mean to stare."

Lune's shoulders tensed. She reached for her uniform blazer, still not turning around.

"I... understand. You're cursed. It's fine."

Cursed? Aegis blinked in confusion, then followed Lune's earlier glance downward. Her breath caught.

[Oh.] Aegis turned exponentially more red than Lune when she saw. [My d... It's hard.]

Aegis squeaked and dove back under her covers like they could somehow erase what just happened.

She pulled the sheets over her head, cocooning herself in cotton... and mortification.

[Oh god oh god oh god. This is not happening. This cannot be happening. I'm going to die. I'm going to die of embarrassment in my second life and that's just pathetic.]

The fabric muffled her breathing, but she could still hear Lune moving around the room. The soft rustle of clothing, the gentle thud of footsteps on the wooden floor. Each sound made Aegis want to burrow deeper into her impromptu cave of shame.

"Aegis?" Lune's voice was closer now, probably standing right next to her bed. "Are you... alright?"

"I'm fine."

She was not fine.

"... Don't be late for breakfast."

Before Aegis could process the words, Lune vanished behind the door's soft click.

And Aegis's dick was still hard.

---

Aegis spent the next twenty minutes in a cold shower, trying to will her body back to normal. By the time she made it to breakfast, the dining hall was already abuzz.

She spotted Scarlett's red hair from across the room and made her way over, sliding onto the bench beside her. Lune was already there, methodically working through a plate of eggs and toast.

"—and then the guard captain says, 'Miss, you can't bring weapons into the library,'" Scarlett was saying, gesturing wildly with a piece of bacon hanging from between her lips. "So I tell him, 'Sir, these are my arms, I was born with them!' And he just stares at me for like ten seconds before—"

Lune glanced up from her breakfast, and her pink eyes met Aegis's across the table.

Heat flooded Aegis's cheeks instantly. She jerked her gaze away, suddenly finding her porridge fascinating.

[Don't think about it. Don't think about her getting dressed. Don't think about that was the first time you've seen a naked woman in person, ever.]

"—finally realizes I was joking, and he turns redder than my hair! But wait, it gets better—"

Scarlett paused mid-story, looking between them with raised eyebrows.

"Eh... did something happen?" She leaned forward. "You two are acting weird."

"N-nothing happened," Aegis stammered, still not looking at Lune. "Just tired from yesterday's exams."

Lune didn't respond, just continued eating her eggs with the same methodical precision as before. But after three years of sitting in a hospital with nothing to do but observe, well, Aegis had become the observant type. Aegis caught the slight tension in her shoulders, the way she held her fork a little too tightly.

"Riiiight." Scarlett drew out the word, clearly not buying it. "Well, anyway, where was I? Oh yeah! So after he realizes his mistake, he starts apologizing profusely, and I'm trying to be nice about it, but then this other guard walks up and—"

Aegis tried to focus on Scarlett's animated storytelling, but her attention kept drifting to Lune. How delicate her fingers looked wrapped around her cup of tea. The gentle, unconscious way she tucked a strand behind her ear.

[Geez, Aegis. So many ladies with massive boobs all around you and you decide to creep on Miss Kuudere Loli over here? Get it together.]

"—and that's how I accidentally started a small riot!" Scarlett finished with a triumphant grin. "Pretty impressive, right?"

"Very impressive," Aegis managed, having caught maybe half the story.

Across the dining hall, she noticed several tables of nobles watching them. Some with curiosity, others with barely concealed hostility. Her performance yesterday had definitely painted a target on her back that she'd have to keep in mind for, probably, the rest of her life. But, it was worth it.

Her gaze wandered across the dining hall, cataloguing faces from the game. There, Princess Talia sat at the center table. Her entourage clustered around her, a bunch of minor nobles who probably practiced their sycophantic smiles in mirrors. They laughed at something she said. It made Aegis want to gag.

[Still surrounded by her little minions, I see.]

Aegis's attention then shifted to a quieter corner where Liora sat alone, blonde hair falling around her face as she bent over what looked like sheet music. She had a piece of toast halfway to her mouth, but seemed to have forgotten about it entirely as she scribbled notes in the margins.

A flutter of nerves hit Aegis's stomach. This could be her chance to make a move, start building that relationship. All she had to do was walk over there, sit down, maybe compliment her performance yesterday...

"Attention, first years!"

The announcement echoed through the dining hall, followed by the clatter of several academy staff members entering with armloads of parchment. They fanned out between the tables, calling out names.

"Schedule distribution! Please remain seated until your name is called!"

Aegis slumped slightly in her seat.

[Shit! There goes my opportunity.]

"Ooh, schedules!" Scarlett bounced in her seat. "I wonder what classes they'll stick me in. Hopefully lots of combat training and maybe some tactical stuff. Think they have a class on creative intimidation?"

"Probably not," Aegis muttered, still watching Liora from across the room.

The staff member approaching their table was a stern-looking woman with graying hair pulled back in a bun. She consulted her list with the efficiency of someone who'd done this a hundred times before.

"Scarlett Lionheart," she called out, handing over a thick parchment scroll.

Scarlett tore into it immediately, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes! Advanced Combat Theory, Battlefield Tactics, Monster Hunting Practicum... Oh, and History of Military Strategy. Not bad!"

[Makes sense. Her test results showed she's built for combat, so they're playing to her strengths.]

"Lune Solana."

Lune accepted her schedule with a polite nod, scanning it quietly. Aegis caught a glimpse of classes like "Intermediate Illusion Magic" and "Artistic Expression Through Enchantment" before Lune folded it away.

"Aegis Starcaller."

The woman's tone shifted slightly. Not quite disapproving, but definitely curious. Aegis took the parchment, noting how much thicker it felt than the others.

She smiled wryly.

[I wanted to be an overachiever, didn't I? This is what I get.]

She unrolled it and her eyes widened.

ROSEVALE ACADEMY - FIRST YEAR SCHEDULE

Student: Aegis Starcaller

MORNING SCHEDULE:

- Advanced Magical Theory (Professor Nazraya)

- Political Intrigue & Courtly Manners (Duchess Valemont)

- Combat Fundamentals (Master Korvo)

AFTERNOON SCHEDULE:

- Artistic Expression & Performance (Professor Loralei)

- Strategic Thinking & Leadership (Lord Commander Morne)

- History of Noble Houses (Professor Whitmore)

EVENING SEMINARS:

- Advanced Combat Theory (Master Korvo)

- Intermediate Magical Applications (Professor Nazraya)

Aegis's mouth fell open. She was taking classes from every track. Combat, academics, arts, politics. They'd thrown her into everything.

"Holy shit," she breathed, scanning the list again. "They did not go easy on me."

Scarlett leaned over, trying to peek at Aegis's schedule.

"Damn, Mouse, that's a lot of classes. Let me see... oh hey, we've got Advanced Combat Theory together in the evenings! That'll be fun."

Aegis scanned both schedules more carefully, her mind already working through the implications. She caught sight of Lune's parchment again. There, third line down.

"Lune, you have Advanced Magical Theory in the mornings too, right?" Aegis pointed at the matching time slot. "With Professor Nazraya?"

Lune glanced up from her schedule, those pink eyes meeting Aegis's briefly before flicking away.

"Yes. First period."

[Great. Nothing like spending my mornings with the girl I accidentally perved on while she was getting dressed.]

"S-So do I." Aegis almost sounded apologetic as she said that.

"Good." Lune nodded. "I'm happy." She said, with her face as blank as could be.

Aegis looked down at her schedule again.

Then, a memory sparked. In the game, the schedule assignments weren't random either. They were based on your test performance and designed to put you in classes with specific love interests. The developers had been sneaky about it, making it seem coincidental while actually engineering perfect meetup opportunities.

Aegis's pulse quickened as she realized what this meant.

[Wait. If I'm in Advanced Magical Theory, and the princess always took the most advanced classes available...]

She scanned the dining hall until she found Talia's table. The princess was examining her own schedule with typical regal composure, but Aegis caught the slight satisfied smirk that crossed her lips.

[Yeah, she's definitely in the advanced track.]

But what about Liora? In the game, the sweet musician had always been more academically inclined.

Given the smile on her face, there was a high chance she was also in some advanced musical course.

[... Great. I'll make the best of this.]

"Well, well. Look who's feeling confident this morning."

Aegis looked up from her schedule to find Varyn Duskbane standing beside their table, flanked by three of his usual followers. The blonde girl with too much jewelry from yesterday stood at his right, while two other nobles she didn't recognize completed his little entourage.

"Lord Duskbane." Aegis set down her parchment carefully. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I wanted to congratulate you on your... remarkable performance yesterday." His smile was sharp. "Truly inspiring how a complete unknown managed to outperform students who've been training their entire lives."

Scarlett's fork paused halfway to her mouth. Lune continued eating, but Aegis caught the slight tension in her shoulders.

"Thank you," Aegis replied evenly. "I'm sure it was just beginner's luck."

"Oh, I'm sure it was." Varyn's violet eyes glittered with malice. "After all, what are the odds that someone with no formal training could demonstrate such... precise knowledge of combat dummy patterns? Or know exactly which magical crystal to choose for maximum effect?"

[Here we go. He's fishing for a reaction. Anything to validate the idea that my results weren't legitimate.]

"The odds are whatever they are," Aegis shrugged. "Unless you're suggesting something specific?"

"Ack!?" He clearly wasn't expecting an up-front approach.

The blonde girl leaned forward, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

"We're simply curious how someone from... your background... could be so well-prepared for tests she'd never seen before."

Aegis felt heat rise in her chest, but kept her expression neutral. Around them, other students were starting to notice the confrontation. An audience was exactly what Varyn wanted.

"My background?" Aegis stood slowly, meeting Varyn's gaze. "You mean being poor? Because last I checked, the amount of money you have doesn't affect brain function. Though I suppose that's news to some people."

Varyn's smile tightened.

"Careful, commoner. Your scholarship can be revoked just as easily as it was granted."

"Is that a threat?" Aegis stepped closer, close enough to smell his expensive cologne. "Because threatening a student's academic standing without proof of wrongdoing sounds like something the disciplinary board would be very interested in hearing about."

[Come on, take the bait. Show everyone what a petty little—]

"I'm simply suggesting," Varyn's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, "that remarkable coincidences deserve closer examination. And I have a feeling closer examination is exactly what you'll be getting."

Before Aegis could respond, the morning bell chimed across the dining hall. Students began gathering their belongings, the scrape of chairs and rustle of papers filling the air.

[Damn.]

"Saved by the bell," Aegis said sweetly, collecting her schedule. "What a shame. I was just starting to enjoy our chat."

She turned to Scarlett and Lune.

"Ready to go?"

Scarlett bounced to her feet, already slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Hell yeah! Time to see what this place is really about."

Lune gathered her things quietly. She caught Aegis's eye for just a moment before looking away, that same pink blush creeping up her neck.

Aegis turned back toward Varyn.

"Until next time, Lord Duskbane," Aegis said with a mock curtsy that made his followers bristle. "Try not to trip over your own ego on the way to your first course."

His little minions' jaws hit the floor.

Aegis smirked as she walked away.

[Nice. Now, let's make this the most... efficient first day possible, shall we?]