The usual school life began, and Kent and his companions were attending classes as usual.
*Clang, clang*
The bell signaling the end of class rang.
“Is it that time already? Then let’s stop here for today. I’m sorry to trouble you, but could you take these teaching materials to the classroom where I’ll be teaching next?”
“Understood. Which classroom will you be teaching in next?”
“The next class is…”
After class, the male teacher in charge asked Kent, who was in the front seat, to take the teaching materials on the teacher’s desk to the classroom where he would be teaching next.
“The front seat is always the easiest for the teacher to ask for errands, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. It’s easy to take classes from there, but some teachers do this.”
After the teacher left the classroom, Patty, who sat next to Kent, said to him with a sympathetic expression. Some teachers would ask students nearby for errands like this, and Kent and Patty’s seats were at the front of the teacher’s desk, so there was a high chance of them being unlucky enough to be picked.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Have a good day.”
Kent left the classroom, holding the teaching materials from the teacher’s desk, as Patty saw him off.
“It’s a bit difficult to go to the third-year classrooms.”
Kent climbed the stairs and had come to the third floor. In this school, the first floor housed the first-year students, the second floor the second-year students, and the third floor the third-year students, with classrooms for each grade on different floors. As a second-year student, Kent rarely went to the third-floor area where the upperclassmen were, and he found it a little difficult to go there.
“This must be the classroom.”
Kent arrived in front of the classroom the teacher had told him about.
“Well then, I’m going in.”
Kent took a deep breath to calm himself and decided to enter the classroom.
“Excuse me.”
Kent opened the classroom door and called out before entering. It was currently break time, so students were spending their time chatting with friends or studying at their desks. The appearance of someone other than a classmate in the classroom drew attention for a moment, but when they confirmed that Kent was holding a large number of teaching materials in both hands, the students in this class turned their gazes back, realizing he had been tasked with carrying luggage.
“I’ll leave the teaching materials for the next class here. Thank you.”
Kent finished his errand and left the classroom.
“Huh? What are they doing in the corner of the hallway? They all look like third-year students.”
As Kent was about to return to his own classroom, he saw several female students surrounding another female student in the hallway. They all appeared to be third-year students.
“I think I’ll go take a closer look.”
For some reason, Kent was curious about the situation and decided to approach them.
“Are you listening to me?”
“Yes, say something!”
“Ugh…”
(Huh? That girl…)
Kent recognized the face of the female student who was being cornered. She was a woman with distinctive long black hair, whom he had seen several times on his way to the sanctuary. She was occasionally pushed by the women surrounding her, losing her balance, and biting her lower lip, trying desperately to endure.
“You can hear me, right? Don’t ignore us.”
“That’s right. Just because you’re from a well-off family doesn’t mean you can be so arrogant!”
“You’re acting so high and mighty, it’s irritating to watch.”
(I have to help her.)
To anyone who saw it, it looked like everyone was ganging up to bully the black-haired woman. Kent felt he had to help and started walking towards the group.
“Bullying is not right. Please stop.”
Since they were upperclassmen, Kent spoke to them with restraint.
“Huh?”
“Who is this guy?”
“No way, is he her boyfriend? Nah, that can’t be right. She’s not a commoner.”
“Are you trying to order us around as a commoner?”
From their appearance, all the female students surrounding the black-haired woman seemed to be daughters of aristocrats. Upon hearing Kent, a commoner, speak, they all wore displeased expressions. The attention then shifted entirely to Kent.
“You’re just trying to look cool by saying that, aren’t you? I don’t like it.”
“Hmph, you probably tried to get in good with her.”
“That’s right. If you prostrate yourself, we’ll forgive you this time.”
“Hahaha, that’s a good idea. Prostrate yourself.”
(I guess I have no choice. The only way to settle this is to prostrate myself.)
Kent thought so, placed both his knees on the floor, and then placed both his hands on the floor.
“I am truly sorry.”
“Hahaha. He actually prostrated himself.”
“How pathetic.”
Kent prostrated himself. He thought it would be easy enough if this was what it took to free the black-haired woman.
“Disgusting, Ugh!”
“Ugh.”
“Hahaha. You know what happens if you resist, right?”
“This is too funny. So funny. Look at him getting kicked.”
One of the women kicked Kent while he was prostrating himself. As Kent lost his balance and fell backward, the other female students joined in and started kicking him.
(White, light blue, black… Huh, she’s not wearing anything.)
From Kent’s position, he could see right up the skirts of the girls kicking him. Despite being beaten up, Kent’s eyes were treated to a feast.
“Ugh, gross. Why is he grinning while getting kicked?”
“I know, right? What is it? Is he enjoying being kicked? What a masochist.”
The kicking female students didn’t seem to notice that Kent was looking up their skirts, but his grinning face made them look at him with disgust.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh.”
The black-haired female student, who had been bullied, also looked like she wanted to do something but couldn’t intervene, as she was helpless.
“Hey, stop it!”
” ” “L-Lord Gordon!” ” ”
Someone came to the rescue of Kent, who was being beaten up unilaterally.
“Kent, are you alright?”
“Ah, sorry.”
The rescuer was Gordon, who was, needless to say, the 2nd Prince of this country. Gordon rushed to Kent’s side and gently helped him up.
“Are you injured?”
“Ah, I’m fine.”
Gordon patted Kent’s body, checking for any abnormalities.
“So, why were you messing with my best friend?”
” ” “What? Best friend?” ” ”
When Gordon called Kent his best friend, the faces of the female students who had been kicking Kent turned pale. Seeing Gordon gently supporting Kent, everyone realized he was telling the truth.
“If you have something to say, I’ll listen.”
“N-no, there’s nothing like that…”
“It was just a slight misunderstanding.”
“It’s not our fault.”
When Gordon asked in a stern tone, the female students who had been so assertive moments before became suddenly quiet.
“Gordon, it’s okay now. You can stop.”
“Is that so? If Kent says so, then fine. You can all go back to your classrooms now.”
” ” “S-See you!” ” ”
Gordon, who was about to question them further, decided to let them go since Kent said it was fine. Like scattering spiders, those who had been bullying the black-haired woman ran back to their respective classrooms.
“Kent, is this the person you had business with?”
“Ah. That’s right.”
Gordon seemed to have guessed what Kent wanted to do.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh.”
The black-haired woman, left alone in front of Kent and Gordon, looked anxious, not knowing what was about to happen.
