It seems that when nobles turn fifteen, they are supposed to attend the "Midgar Mage Knight Academy" in the royal capital. Cid and I are no exception, and this time we have left our homes and are heading to the royal capital.
Today is the day of departure. We were seen off by our families at the station and now we are on the train bound for the royal capital. Unlike in our previous lives, this means of transportation requires a decent amount of money. The seats we are sitting on are comfortable, and it can be considered a pleasant journey.
"...Finally, huh?"
"Yeah."
Sitting next to me is Cid. He has been in a good mood since morning and is wearing an unusually genuine smile. He has been expressing his desire to go to the royal capital for a while now, so I suppose he has been looking forward to this day. We haven't had the chance to play pretend to our heart's content since Alpha and the other Seven Shadows went on their journey around the world about two years ago. As a result, he seems to be even more excited.
The "Diabolos Cult" will be our future enemies. It seems to be a large organization on a global scale, and Alpha and the others are working to gather allies.
Although I occasionally receive regular updates that only I can see and have an understanding of the situation, how did the organization expand without the leader's knowledge? Shadow, it seems you can see everything even without saying a word.
"Hey, Takumi."
"What is it?"
"There will definitely be a protagonist position or a final boss in the royal capital, right?"
"...You never waver, do you?"
It has been six years since I met Cid, but he hasn't changed a bit since the first time I saw him. Although he has grown significantly in terms of combat ability, he hasn't changed at all mentally. The ridiculous ambition he mentioned when he recruited me is still the same. I respect him for coming this far.
"Hehehe, it's great that Takumi became a special scholarship student as planned. It's a good sign."
"Wait, what do you mean 'as planned'? I hate the idea of being useful to you more than anything."
"Well, well, let's get along at the academy, Takumi."
...He's plotting something again. This fool.
Wait, does this mean I'm the special scholarship student and Cid is not? Why?
"Aren't you a special scholarship student?"
"Of course. It's obvious, isn't it? The true powerhouse hides their abilities, that's why they are called 'Shadow.' They may look like ordinary people most of the time, but when it comes to fighting, they are true powerhouses! Isn't that great? Being a standout like a special scholarship student is out of the question."
"Your way of thinking is out of the question."
Watching Cid, who claims to be perfecting the path of a background character and saying foolish things, I feel a headache coming on. I thought I understood him after being together for so long, but apparently, I still can't comprehend everything about him. What's with this idea of perfecting the path of a background character?
"I'm looking forward to it."
"Shut up."
Even though it's just the train ride to our destination... I already want to go back.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
It has been a month since I entered the Mage Knight Academy.
I couldn't spend peaceful days as an apprentice mage knight.
"Look, it's him."
"Takumi-kun, the special scholarship student, right?"
"His beautiful white hair, so cool."
"By the way, who are the people walking with him? Are they Takumi-kun's friends?"
"No, no, they're just plain extras. They're just sticking to Takumi-kun."
The female students in the corridor are freely talking about me. They may think I can't hear them, but my ears are good and I can hear everything. And there's one person who can hear it besides me. It's the plain extra guy who's walking with me.
"...You're in a good mood."
"Oh, well, I think I've perfected the art of being a perfect extra. I'm grateful for Takumi's outstanding presence."
"You're noisy. You made me the special scholarship student just for this, right?"
If I hadn't held back, Cid would undoubtedly be a special scholarship student as well. Not doing so was probably to make it easier for him to walk the path of being an obvious extra.
"Without the light, there would be no shadow, right? Truly, you are the right arm I chose."
"That sounds like malicious intent."
"I'm glad you feel that way. It's nothing but malicious intent."
My sarcasm doesn't affect him at all, and Cid is delighted. It's only natural since he was able to use me as a convenient substitute, as a camouflage. One day, I'll definitely get back at him.
"Oh, hey! I feel like the girls are giving me hot gazes!"
"No, they're looking at me! They're looking at me!"
As I bump shoulders with Cid, who has a beaming smile, trying not to be noticed by others, two guys walking ahead of us start making a fuss.
The tall, blond-haired guy is Hyoro-Gari, and the short, bald guy is Jaga-Imo. Their names are so terrible that it's hard to believe they're actual nobles, and Cid chose them as his friends. He probably chose them based on their overflowing "extra-like" qualities. I can somehow understand.
"Oh no! It's my time to shine with the ladies"
"This is troublesome! They've noticed the charm of a bald man!"
They seem to be getting excited, and it wouldn't be nice to ruin their fun. Despite being somewhat despicable individuals, there's a likable friendliness about them. Although we have only been together for about a month, being with them doesn't feel so bad.
"Hey, Cid! It's your time! Your time to shine!"
"Takumi-kun! This might be your chance!"
Hyoro and Jaga come up to me, breathing heavily, and talk. I'm exasperated, and Cid seems uninterested. Ignoring them, the self-misunderstood non-popular guys are getting excited.
"We're going to get a girlfriend!!!"
"I think it's impossible."
The even bigger fools cut off the fools who raised their fists. It's unimaginable that the day would come when I would obediently agree with Cid's opinion... The power of extras is terrifying.
And thanks to these colorful friends, a troublesome event occurred in the seventh month of our school life. Just by looking at Cid, who is full of excitement, you can tell it's something ridiculous.
Once I hear the details, it turns out to be exactly as I expected. According to Cid, it's one of the obligatory events of a school youth, something that extras absolutely want to do.
Confessing to the school idol and getting... rejected.
Isn't that something you often see in youth anime? But think about it for a moment. The guy standing above you is throwing himself into such a pathetic role with all his might, you know? I have my own thoughts, no matter how you look at it.
Cid seems to have stayed up all night thinking about his confession lines, but he's only headed for certain defeat. Pointing out that he's putting effort into the wrong things would be an endless criticism, so I stopped. It's fine, do as you please. That's just who you are.
Furthermore, the school idol—the girl he's confessing to—is a big shot.
She's the second princess of the Midgar Kingdom, Alexia Midgar. She is a woman with a beautiful appearance, excelling in both academics and martial arts, and her popularity in the academy goes without saying. Many men have targeted her, and countless men have fallen by the wayside.
And today, Cid is also trying to join their ranks. He is willingly trying to become one of the losers.
...It's kind of sad when you think about it. Maybe I should quit being his right arm.
While hiding in the grass to observe the confession scene, a little sweat starts to form in my eyes.
"Hey, she's here."
"It's Princess Alexia."
"...Hm? ...Ah, I see."
Hyoro and Jaga, who are high on their own excitement, seem to be enjoying watching Cid get rejected. In the first place, this confession itself seems to be a result of a punishment game. Well, they're just having fun. If I weren't in the position of laughing at Cid's rejection, I think I would have laughed cruelly.
"A-A-A... Princess Alexia!!!"
...Ugh.
I'm truly amazed by Cid's acting skills. What's with that expression, what's with that panic? He's truly transcendent when it comes to things he wants to do. It's at a level where I'm almost impressed because I understand it as acting. He could win an award, couldn't he? Graduate from being chuunibyou and become an actor or something.
It seemed like Cid would be rejected by the princess just like that. Hyoro and Jaga, and even I thought so. Well, Cid himself probably thought so the most. But the one who was most dumbfounded by the final result was Cid himself.
"I understand. I've been waiting for someone like you. Nice to meet you."
I don't really get it, but the confession was successful.
I was momentarily confused too, but seeing Cid's rare idiotic expression made me burst into laughter. For now, I should report this to Claire, who's obsessed with her little brother.
I'll tell her that her little brother got a girlfriend.
School life is full of ups and downs, and it's never boring.
Being confessed to by classmates, senior students, female teachers, and even guys confessing to me... I've experienced various events. But today was an especially exciting day among them.
For the past few days, I've been observing the movements of my lord who ended up dating the princess. Not while rolling on the floor laughing, but calmly as his right arm. And guess what? Strangely enough, the princess was kidnapped by someone, and Cid was restrained by the knights as the suspect.
If he's accused of kidnapping the princess, the death penalty is inevitable.
That idiot who goes on about reaching the pinnacle of being an extra won't be able to escape on his own. It's not a laughing matter, it's a situation where his life is genuinely in danger.
(...How much trouble is he going to cause?)
Seeing Cid being tied to a chair and tortured, I let out a sigh. It's not like I'm saddened by seeing an acquaintance being hurt. I came here with that intention at first, but I realized it wasn't necessary when I saw Cid.
"No, nooo!! Please save my lifeeee!!!"
(He's enjoying this...)
Cid desperately begs for his life with tears in his eyes. There's no doubt he's acting like an extra on purpose. Is that the extent of his madness? He went all out to become an extra, even putting his life at stake. I apologize, I underestimated you. I no longer see you as a human being. You're just a monster.
"...Sigh. The trouble is about to begin. Get prepared. I'll rely on you as usual for commanding Shadow Garden."
Upon hearing my words, the beautiful girl with blond hair and blue eyes who had been hiding next to me nods. She's wearing a jet-black Takumi suit that blends in with the night, and the outline of her body is too revealing. Thank you for being a feast for the eyes.
To block out the leader's pathetic screams that reach my ears, I divert all my attention to the cuteness of the girl.