The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 26
EP.26 First Impressions (1)
The back of my head was tingling.
Technically speaking, the sensation of feeling someone’s gaze on you was purely subjective. People couldn’t actually shoot lasers from their eyes. When we say we ‘feel’ someone staring, it was not because of light coming directly from their eyes, but rather because of how light reflects off of them, like how sunlight reflects off of a mirror. Unless you were a night-hunting animal like an owl or a cat, there was no reason why you would see light coming from a person’s eyes.
So, to be exact, the reason my scalp was prickling was most likely due to my own thoughts. I was really noticing that Claire was sitting behind me and Alice.
If Claire hadn’t recognized me, I probably wouldn’t be feeling so upset. I might have been a little sad, but I would have been happy knowing she was doing well. There would still be plenty of opportunities to get to know her better, after all.
Of course, with my expressionless character, I wasn’t about to suddenly act all friendly. Wasn’t there always that common story where a character who didn’t show any emotion started to change over time? At first, they didn’t care about anything, but eventually, they became more like their friends, their face became less serious, and they even started to smile.
Ah, it would be perfect.
I couldn’t stop feeling excited about talking and laughing with the characters I love. Just thinking about how surprised they might be when I smile was making me really look forward to it. For now, though, I had to maintain my poker face. I’ve kept up this persona for over ten years, so it wouldn’t be hard.
“……”
A strange tension filled the classroom.
It was likely because of what happened in the hallway earlier. Alice had pointed out that someone hadn’t properly greeted the princess.
Everyone must have seen what happened afterward, but they had also seen Alice not bowing to the headmaster. So, instead of immediately choosing one way to treat Alice, they were probably waiting to see which approach Alice preferred.
Being overly casual could leave a bad impression on someone strongly considered for the next Emperor. In other classes, the kids from dukes’ or counts’ families might be gossiping freely, but no matter how high their rank, they couldn’t be compared to the Emperor.
Besides, Alice rarely attended social events like balls or banquets, so none of the students here knew her personally. It wasn’t surprising that the atmosphere in the class was so stiff. I bet the commoner class was much more relaxed.
Tick, tick, tick, tick.
The classroom was so quiet that I could hear the ticking of the pocket watch inside my coat. That silence remained until the sliding door creaked open.
…For the record, the reason the classroom door was a sliding one and why the desk layout inside was oddly reminiscent of a Japanese classroom, was because the original game this world was based on was developed by a Japanese company. The hallways had a steampunk, Victorian feel to them, but the classrooms looked straight out of an anime. I know, the contrast was jarring. But it seemed like no one else cared much, though.
“Hmm.”
The teacher who opened the classroom door seemed momentarily taken aback by the frozen atmosphere. She paused at the entrance, then, as if embarrassed by her own surprise, cleared her throat and stepped inside.
She was a young woman, and this was her first time ever teaching a class. Unlike Winterfield’s granddaughter, who was in charge of the other noble class, Class B, this gentle-looking teacher didn’t have a military background. However, that didn’t mean she was just some random person. She was the second daughter of a duke’s family.
Her name was Carolyn Northwood. Her family ruled a territory that was quite far from the capital. Even though they weren’t as powerful as the people in charge of the capital, they were still a very important family with royal blood.
Carolyn had short, light brown hair and matching light brown eyes. Her eyelids were a bit droopy, which made her look a little tired. The clothes she wore only added to her soft appearance, as they were a bit loose-fitting, almost like a middle school student’s uniform. Beneath those clothes, however, she had a surprisingly great figure, which she normally kept hidden under such modest attire. This was part of her character’s setting—a teacher who wasn’t a playable character, but still had a romance route with the protagonist. She played a somewhat important role in the main story, but mostly like a side character who could become a love interest.
In order to control Class A, which was filled with high-ranking nobles and families close to the imperial family, it was necessary for a teacher from an equally powerful household to take charge. Although Winterfield would have been a suitable candidate to oversee Class A, her rebellious nature and refusal to listen to her grandfather’s advice led to Carolyn being assigned as the homeroom teacher instead—at least, that’s how it was explained in the original story.
Even though she was from a noble family, Carolyn was only a little older than us. She had just finished college and was starting her first job as a teacher.
Seeing two princesses sitting side by side in the front row, right next to the teacher’s desk, would naturally be intimidating. Moreover, the classroom atmosphere was cold, possibly due to the two princesses, and a girl in the back was staring intently at the back of one of the princesses’ heads.
Just thinking about how tense the room must have been would be enough to make anyone feel dizzy. But how must Carolyn have felt, actually being in that situation?
“……”
Finally, after freezing at the open door, Carolyn snapped back to reality and started moving. Her head was slightly lowered, her eyes focused on the floor as she walked, as if hoping to avoid making eye contact with the two princesses.
Unfortunately, to stand at the teacher’s desk and look at the attendance sheet, she had to make eye contact with us, even if just for a moment.
“E-everyone?”
Ah.
Her voice cracked on the first word. The pitch was off.
But no one in the classroom laughed. If someone had laughed, Carolyn might have felt embarrassed, but the fact that no one did only pushed Miss Northwood further into a corner.
“I-I am… I am…”
As a teacher, retreating wasn’t an option.
Even as a rookie, she was representing her family name as an academy teacher. If word got out that she’d been intimidated by her students, it would bring disgrace to the Northwood ducal family’s name.
Carolyn tried to pull herself together and shouted, but her voice was thin and high-pitched, so it didn’t come across as a shout.
“I am Carolyn Northwood! The second daughter of the Northwood Ducal Family!”
“……”
Of course, there wasn’t much of a reaction.
After all, there were twelve ducal families in the Empire. Among the heroines prominently featured in the main story, two were duchesses, and across all grades, there were sixteen children from ducal families.
That’s right. The Empire was such a vast nation that one could determine their social standing simply by their ducal status. While flaunting a ducal title might be somewhat effective for an individual student, it would be rather underwhelming to have a whole class full of them. Most importantly, there were two princesses sitting right in front of Miss Northwood.
“N-nice to meet you all!”
Meanwhile, I watched Carolyn with a faint sense of amusement.
I was the kind of person who had completed all the heroines’ stories in the game and uploaded a playthrough video. I had seen Leo and Carolyn’s kiss scene. And I had also witnessed the event where Winterfield, the homeroom teacher of Class B, tricked Carolyn into appearing at the student pool in a bikini.
Despite her many flaws, she was a positive character in the game.
Her commitment as a teacher was nothing but sincere. In the later part of the story, when the Empire was torn apart by civil war after the Emperor initiated a world war, Carolyn risked her life to protect her students. Not just the academy students, but any minors she came across—she shielded them all in the name of Northwood. And she did so with great dignity, at least until the latest game release.
Although she seemed somewhat clueless as a first-time teacher, she was a character with impeccable integrity. That was my impression of Carolyn. So, her first impression was naturally positive. Though, I kept that to myself and maintained a blank expression.
“……”
After Carolyn introduced herself, the class remained silent for a moment, before—
Clap. Clap.
Someone began to clap, breaking the silence.
The sound came from right beside me.
That’s right. Alice had started clapping.
Slowly, as Alice’s applause continued, I joined in, and soon after, a few other students followed. In no time, the entire class was filled with enthusiastic applause.
I glanced at Alice’s face and noticed a slight smile playing at the corner of her lips.
Seeing that, Carolyn finally seemed to relax a little, placing her hand over her chest and exhaling softly.
Well, at least Alice hadn’t left the impression of being ‘terrifying’ on the homeroom teacher, which was a relief.
*
Though the academy was a four-year institution, it wasn’t exactly modeled after a university. It had more of a structure that resembled the final year of middle school and the three years of high school combined. In this world, higher education institutions like universities existed separately. So, no teacher here would end the first class after just a few minutes of self-introductions. Especially if the person standing at the front was a passionate history teacher. Carolyn Northwood was that kind of teacher.
It was somewhat unfortunate for the students that the first period was taught by their homeroom teacher, Carolyn. However, no one dared to underestimate Carolyn, chat during her class, or openly sleep. Why? Because the princess sitting in the front row was diligently studying.
The academic atmosphere of a class was often influenced by its leading students. If the “leader” of the class was a troublemaker who had given up on studying, the rest might not have paid much attention either.
Of course, the imperial social hierarchy also played a role in how things operated at this academy. Even in the original story, Class A was known for maintaining a serious academic atmosphere.
“…And that’s how the Aetherna Empire came into existence.”
The first lesson was easy. It started with the well-known story of how the Empire was founded, talked about how the Empire took over nearby kingdoms, and explained how big the Empire was when it was first started.
Most of the students probably already knew this, since it was part of the entrance exam for the academy. But they were still just fifteen-year-old kids. To learn more difficult things, it was important to review the basics. Plus, there were some foreign students among the freshmen.
As soon as Carolyn finished speaking, the bell rang.
In the original story, I thought the dialogue was timed to match the end of the class, but seeing the bell ring right after Carolyn’s explanation made me think she must have carefully planned her lesson before coming to school.
“That’s all for today. Any questions?”
No one raised their hand.
No one wanted to waste their precious ten-minute break.
“Alright, class dismissed. See you in the afternoon.”
Carolyn, who seemed much more relaxed after teaching, gave us a slight smile before leaving the classroom.
…At least there wasn’t a formal ‘stand, bow’ type of ritual at the end of class. It would have fit the setting though. Then again, the original story never had such scenes either. Perhaps the creators saw the absence of rigid greetings as their attempt at making the setting feel “more Western” while retaining a system that otherwise resembled a Japanese high school.
“It’s not as hard as I thought.”
Alice spoke to me, the tension from earlier completely gone.
“At the beginning of the term, they usually start by reviewing what we already know. After all, there might be some students who struggled with the imperial history portion of the entrance exam.”
There were no failing grades in the academy’s entrance exams, after all.
“Hmm, I see.”
Alice seemed quite relieved, probably feeling that she could keep up with the curriculum. She wouldn’t just keep up, she’d end up being one of the top students here. Maybe I had overused my abilities in the past?
“How have you been?”
While I was lost in thought, someone greeted us with a formal, old-fashioned phrase.
That voice—
“Ah, Charlotte!”
Alice called out to Charlotte with a surprisingly lively voice, catching me off guard.
I stared at Alice in shock. Thankfully, I managed to keep my expression from completely breaking.
Wait a second.
Charlotte?