As we entered the auditorium where the entrance ceremony was to be held, the eyes of the cadets who had already arrived there began to slowly gather at Yuri.
"Look. It's Yuri Clementine."
"So, Clementine is coming, too."
"Then, all four elementary families gathered for this admission."
"Her eyes are fierce."
"Well, she does look really pretty."
First, it was because of Yuri Clementine, the esteemed daughter of a famous family.
"Who's next to her?"
"It's my first time seeing him. Why is he covering his eyes?"
"He must be blind."
"He's having a sword"
"Maybe he stabbed himself."
Second, it was because of my unique visuals.
I can hear a group of rude students looking and whispering about me.
I'm not used to this reaction, but I'll have to get used to it from now on
It doesn't bother me much.
It's not that I can't see.
The fact that I don't know anyone's face is an "extra" which doesn't have much importance but extras usually have just as much level as their level, so all the sarcasm didn't feel like a threat.
I looked at Yuri, who was next to me, but her expression wasn't that good.
Yuri's red eyes seemed to be burning up.
Should I say that she's on the verge of bursting into anger?
Maybe she didn't like how they were scoffing at me for being blind.
"Huh. There are always those kinds of people."
However, as there aren't only cadets but also instructors here now, it wouldn't be a good sight to express anger.
I restrained Yuri from approaching them.
"I'm fine. It's my business, so don't worry too much."
"…"
Whether she felt my words or not, Yuri stared at me with her mouth tightly closed.
Fortunately, her foul mouth didn't curse at them.
When Yuri was getting more likable, even though she was a bit bitchy, she was still good at heart.
It's just that she's short-tempered… She's a character who is closer to the good side.
Yuri got angry more often at the beginning of the story.
Of course, thanks to that,
Her aptitude, the flame magic power, was maximized, but one day she experienced inner growth and through restrained anger, the flame got more powerful
I remember clearly how she pours out her magic.
Self-control.
That's an important emotion in her awakening.
If I help her little by little and she gets stronger a little faster, it will be a great help to the story ahead.
'There's no harm in awakening early.'
Perhaps we were a little late, since the students who followed us already stood in their seats, the lights in the auditorium gradually turned off and attention began to put on the platform, which was naturally the only one that shone.
"Welcome, cadets. My name is Juliut Klaus, the 21st principal of Innocence Academy."
The speech began with the principal's dignified voice moving forward to the podium.
I watched the first episode in the game without skipping.
From the next episode, I skipped all these lines, so it's been a long time since I heard the speech.
But it's still boring as before.
The posture is uncomfortable, so it feels even more boring.
I started looking around and checking out the main characters one by one. I could only see the back of their heads because I sat at the back, but they were still distinguished.
'There's that big guy who does Earth magic."
Familiar instructors also caught my eye.
The composition of the characters was all the same.
…Except for one.
I can't see her.
I looked back just in case, but I couldn't find her face in the back either.
There's no way I can't see her since her hair color stands out.
"What's the matter? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Yuri, who was standing next to me, looked worried as I moved my head to look around.
"Oh…"
Well, since I'm blind, she never thought I'd be finding someone.
I'd better pay attention to these details in the future.
"No… it's nothing."
"Hmm…"
Acting blind isn't easy either.
There's a lot more to pay attention to than I thought.
The more important thing right now is…
'If she doesn't show up… What if she doesn't exist in this world…?'
This idea wouldn't be unreasonable considering her unusual 'character'.
She was a character who no one knew where and when she would appear, but she always showed her face at the entrance ceremony.
'This is weird…'
***
"And congratulations once again on your admission, and now I'll explain the class assignment test."
Before I knew it, most of the events of the entrance ceremony were coming to an end.
I could feel the eyes of the students who were bored as the principal mentioned the 'test'.
"The class assignment test will be held after a three-day break for cadets who have gone on a long journey."
Class assignment test has a long tradition and history in Innocence Academy.
No status gap applies within the Academy. The main influence was that the warrior who defeated the devil in the past was a commoner.
Cadets can always have a difference between themselves, which is 'force' or the strength of the cadet.
In short, skills are everything in the academy.
An educational system that encourages competition back to super meritocracy.
I didn't think much about it in the game, but there are parts that feel a little cruel when it comes to reality.
"What kind of test will it be this time?"
Yuri looked at the podium and asked a question with no answers.
"You said it changes every time, right? The contents of the test."
I just played along.
Of course, I know the contents of the test.
Death matches in a virtual space created by illusionary magic divided into 10 people.
Battle Royale for 10 people.
"…It doesn't matter. I can literally burn them all."
Yuri casually uttered harsh words without any expressions.
It's her character.
She's just being weirdly gentle with me.
When I looked at her without saying anything, she noticed my gaze and turned her head for no reason.
"…My father told me that…"
"Haha…" You're such a passionate person."
A brief awkward atmosphere between the two
Applause reverberates in the auditorium.
The principal was leaving after saying his last greeting.
You can tell from the name of the four-element continental family, there are a total of four families.
Four elements of fire, water, wind, and earth.
The four-element family refers to a group of families who show off their more outstanding talents with elemental magic, which is so common that it is said to be representative.
The Caligus family of Earth magic.
The Windless family of Wind magic.
The Aisin family of Water magic.
And the Clementine family of Fire magic.
The only daughter of Xerath Clementine, the current owner of the Clementine family.
Her name is Yuri Clementine.
Flaming Flower.
Her nickname was made based on her beauty and the characteristics of the Clementine family since birth.
Thanks to her unrivaled position and beauty, also as the only heir to the prestigious Clementine family, many engagements have been offered since childhood.
The men approached only by looking at Yuri Clementine's face and body, or the value of the family's name, but it was unwelcome to her.
Love.
The love stories in the fairy tale told by the nannies in our childhood were sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes terribly sweet.
Yuri Clementine longed for love in such fairy tales.
But she realized at a young age that men who approach her don't come with love.
It was from then on.
Yuri Clementine became angry and showed off her talent for fire magic.
She knew very well.
That if she gets angry like fire, men will leave without trying to approach her.
Time went by, and she entered the academy.
"Gosh! Watch where you go…"
…She met a man who she couldn't get angry with for the first time.
It was enough to upset her with the fact that he was in an uncomfortable state, despite that she bumped into him on the side of the road and knew she was at fault that she lacked attention…
"I'm sorry. I couldn't concentrate…"
The man named Zetto, who was covering his eyes with a white bandage, was 'blind'.
No matter how much she was, she couldn't get angry after bumping into a blind man. She thought it wasn't right.
For the first time that day, she was able to have more than five words of conversation with an outsider other than her family.
At first, it was curiosity.
It was simply amazing to see him walking well without relying on a cane even though he couldn't see.
"It's a feeling."
A feeling.
An ability to walk well alone and swing a sword even though he is blind.
"As expected, you're the esteemed daughter of the Clementine family."
When he complimented her, it felt different from the compliments of other men she had heard.
Perhaps, because it was a compliment on the knowledge gained from the history class that she hated.
The important thing is that she didn't feel the same incident desires as other men.
His smile was strangely clear and transparent.
Yuri's conversation with him wasn't so bad.
He didn't say anything that bothered her, and most of all.
"I'm fine. It's my business, so don't worry too much."
Unlike herself, he was calm.
He didn't get angry even though he was despised.
Unlike herself, who has often been angry about nothing.
Yuri Clementine suddenly realized.
All men were uncomfortable, but she was feeling comfortable with him without realizing it.
Zetto was blind.
To Zetto, her beautiful appearance was useless.
Beauty is worthless to him who can't see.
Strangely, she could be so comfortable because he couldn't recognize her beauty at all.
"Thanks to you, I was able to come to the academy without much worry."
"No, it's nothing. Thanks to you, I wasn't bored on my way here."
It was time to say goodbye to him.
Yuri didn't want to say goodbye just yet.
Is it because she feels comfortable talking with a guy after a long time?
Meanwhile, Zetto talked to Yuri following her answer.
"…It's meant to be, so let's get along well."
"…Get along…""
Let's get along well
He meant as a friend.
Friend.
Since Yuri Clementine was young, she had no friends because she stayed away from boys and girls were busy jealous of her.
A friend of the opposite sex when you don't even have a friend who's a girl of the same gender as her?
But seeing Zetto reaching out with a pure smile.
'Yeah. Friends… There's no harm in having one.'
"…Okay."
Yuri accidentally grabbed his hand.
It was the first time in her life that she had a 'friend'.