"Uh… Okita-san?"
"Hm? What is it?"
Okita Souji looked at Ikki Kurogane with confusion, noting his furrowed brow and puzzled expression.
"When you heard that Stella and I were roommates… why were you so calm about it?"
"What kind of reaction should I have had?"
Okita tilted her head, genuinely baffled.
I mean… a guy and a girl in the same dorm room—that's supposed to be pretty hard to accept, isn't it? And yet, here you are asking me what kind of reaction you should have…
Am I the one overthinking this?
If he hadn't nearly gotten scorched by Stella yesterday, Ikki might have actually wondered if he was.
"Alright, enough about that," Okita said, brushing it off. "We need to get to class soon, don't we? Since we're in the same class, let's head there together."
Okita moved closer to Ikki, initially attempting to throw an arm around his shoulders, only to realize she couldn't reach. So she settled for lightly nudging his arm with her elbow.
For reference, Okita was just under five foot three, while Ikki stood at five foot nine.
Okita had sidled up to him naturally, and Ikki didn't think anything of it. But seeing this, Stella's red eyes went wide.
"Oh, by the way, I forgot to bring water. Ikki, could I have a sip of yours?"
Since Okita's tone was so casual, Ikki nodded without a second thought. "Huh? Sure, here—"
"What on earth do you two think you're doing?!"
Finally snapping, Stella stepped in, pulling Okita and Ikki apart before glaring furiously at Okita.
"You… You're completely shameless!"
"Huh?"
"You're an unmarried girl, and you're… sharing an indirect kiss… that's way, way too…"
Seeing Stella's overblown reaction, Ikki, who was only now realizing the implications, awkwardly scratched his now-reddened cheek.
Okita, however, merely tilted her head, her expression blank with incomprehension.
Watching her now and remembering her reaction yesterday when he'd mentioned sharing a room with a girl, Ikki began to wonder…
"Okita-san… could it be that you're a bit oblivious about relationships between men and women?"
An innocent personality, huh… What a handful.
"And you, Ikki!"
Ikki suddenly felt a pressure on his collar—Stella was gripping it firmly, her beautiful face twisted with anger as she glared at him.
"Didn't you say you'd only met Okita yesterday? Then why are you two so close already? Even sharing an in… in…"
"I really did meet Okita-san just yesterday!"
Though he couldn't understand why, Ikki found himself inexplicably flustered under Stella's piercing gaze and felt compelled to explain himself as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, Okita was entirely oblivious, as if she hadn't even noticed she was the source of all this trouble.
---
On the way to class, Okita, Ikki, and Stella walked together.
Not only were Ikki and Okita in the same class, but so was Stella. If this academy sorted students by grades like the ones Okita had attended before, then an A-ranked knight as renowned as Stella would certainly never be in the same class as these two.
Or maybe, in that case, Ikki wouldn't have a class at all.
As for Okita's roommate, Ayase Ayatsuji, she was a senior in the third year, so they weren't in the same class.
The entire walk, Stella stood strategically between Okita and Ikki, as if to guard against Okita, frequently starting conversations with Ikki to keep the two of them from talking.
It's quite the novelty, being treated as a love rival or competitor by a girl, and a very pretty one at that.
But I really don't have any interest in him like that, Okita mused. Quite the opposite—I'm actually rooting for the two of you to end up together.
Watching Stella and Ikki banter, Okita subtly took a few steps back, lowering her presence just enough to blend into the background.
It wasn't a remarkable technique, but Presence Concealment did allow her to fade from attention just so.
Though it seemed like playful bickering, the exchange was more Stella's one-sided teasing, with Ikki's gentle and accommodating personality letting her have her way.
With her hands behind her head, Okita's attention drifted from the "couple" to the students around them.
Because she was maintaining Presence Concealment, the other students instinctively ignored her, while Ikki and Stella were the center of attention.
But don't get me wrong—their curiosity wasn't just about whether these two were a couple or not. That's a bit too mild for this crowd.
The talk surrounding Stella, for example, was full of admiration and jealousy.
"So that's the A-ranked knight who enrolled this year?"
"I heard she has thirty times the average magic capacity."
"That's unreal. Is it even humanly possible to have that much magical power?"
"She's already an A-rank in her first year. The League will definitely take notice, and she could even make it into the A-ranked League in the KOK, right?"
"Must be nice, being born with so much magic. She probably doesn't have to train as hard as we do to get stronger. Everything's just easy for her."
"Tch, so what if her magic's strong? She's still just a freshman. Bet she doesn't have much battle experience. Just watch—she'll hit a wall sooner or later."
"Yeah, exactly."
At least when they talked about Stella, there were both compliments and criticisms. But when it came to Ikki, it was a completely different story.
"Hey, isn't that the F-ranked 'Failed Knight' next to the A-rank?"
"It really is! What's that loser doing hanging around the Princess?"
"I heard that F-ranked guy actually fought the Princess yesterday."
"No way! How could an F-ranked loser even stand a chance against an A-rank?"
"Word is, the F-rank actually won."
"That's got to be a rumor. No way an F-ranked loser could beat an A-rank. If he did, I'll kiss a pig."
Sometimes, having sharp hearing isn't such a good thing…
The malice woven into their words left Okita feeling uneasy. After her last experience in another world, she'd grown particularly sensitive to such negativity from humans.
Thankfully, none of this animosity was directed at her. For now, she'd happily remain in the background.
Still… she would kind of like to see that student kiss a pig.
---
T/N: I've actually never watched Chivalry of a Failed Knight! Sorry if I get terms wrong! Please let me know so I can fix it!
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
Posture and water check!
If you wish to support me or read ahead here's a link! [patreon.com/WiseTL]