Chapter Text
Hello! My name is Rose Kendall, and today is my first day of attending the illustrious Engelhart Academy in the Kingdom of Angelos. It's a school aimed at teaching the country's nobility a variety of subjects both academic, and practical in order to make them better prepared for whatever adult life might throw at them. There are a few commoners that attend as well, such as myself. Either because they are outstanding in some way that earns them a scholarship, or because their families can afford to pay for it. There are not a lot of us, though. There are three others in my year, and I think roughly four or five in each year above us as well. We might not be alone, but we are vastly outnumbered.
And I stand out more than most, because I earned my scholarship due to my high aptitude with the very rare Light magic. As soon as this was discovered by the local church in my village, I was fast-tracked to attend the academy. I am an important resource- pardon me, important person to the kingdom, after all.
I am sure a lot of this is ringing certain bells, and indeed! We are in a dating game of the otome variety, more specifically the cult hit 'School of Angels'. Yes, it's a whole theme. And I am the protagonist, the main character, the heroine! Well, I would be if this was really a game, which it's not. At least I don't think so... the game doesn't start until this day, after all... actually, the thought of someone suddenly starting to pull my strings is a little uncomfortable... but! I have good reasons for thinking this world is not identical, but a real place of its own, in spite of the many similarities.
When I was 5 years old I had a terrible nightmare. I no longer remember what exactly it was, but I do remember my mother holding me for a long time afterwards as I bawled my eyes out. And after that night memories of my past life started coming back to me. I realised I'm a victim of the isekai scenario so popular back in my old world.
Truth be told I don't actually remember what happened to me. The usual thing is getting hit by a truck or something, right? The only thing I'm certain of is that I didn't die of old age, and I am reasonably certain it was not a disease. My memory for details has never been the best, but you'd think I'd remember at least the broad strokes of how I died. In hindsight maybe that was what the nightmare was, and my brain locked that away in self-defence. Trauma's a funny thing, after all. The last things I do remember is that I was going to work, and I hadn't slept well. So I'm guessing something happened on the way to work, or at work. I hope I wasn't one of those who was literally worked to death, that's even sadder than getting run over. I remember not liking my job, but not whether it was that bad.
I was somewhere in my early 30s, and single. Contact with my family wasn't the greatest, aside from my two siblings. An older sister, and a younger brother. We stuck together through a lot.
In contrast to that my life here is one of an only child, but my parents are wonderful. I really enjoyed my second childhood as a result. They love me a lot, and were really worried about letting me come here. Which is understandable. A lot of the aristocracy think very little of commoners. Not all of them are bad, but... enough of them are.
My life in the village was peaceful, but it wasn't like I was let off from working just because I was a girl. Helping out on the farm, and doing chores in the village was still expected no matter your gender. As a result I am probably more fit than most of the noble ladies at the academy. Hopefully not so much that they call me rugged, though... girls like to be soft. Well, I do. I can't speak for everyone. I've heard certain noble families also expect their daughters to work hard, though usually in terms of training, and studying. You can't be found lacking if you're from a top family, and you need to have some skill in self-defence because of the amount of people who might target you.
It took me several years to figure out that I was actually in the same Kingdom of Angelos as the one from the game. While I played a variety of games in my old life, I did have a soft spot for the otome genre, and 'School of Angels' was one of my favourites. I didn't play it to completion, but I finished three of the five main routes. There is a secret route too, but I wasn't able to unlock it before... well, before I died. Actually, I think I might have recently moved on, not really feeling the need to go for more.
The first route I did was the prince's. That's basically the default one, though that doesn't mean it's a free ride. It puts you in direct opposition to the Villainess, after all, and she's a tricky one. Even though I don't have any intention of getting close to the prince in reality, I should probably still be careful of her.
The prince is a pretty sweet guy, with a strong sense of justice. Which makes him a bit naive in certain respects. Because of his sheltered upbringing in high society, he has a tendency to see things in black and white, but he's honestly not a bad person. He just needs to get a broader perspective, and mature a little. He's a year older, but in the game he comes into contact with the protagonist because of her Light mag... ic...
Oh crap, am I going to unable to avoid him entirely? I had been so focused on thinking I should avoid getting too involved with the story of the game that I forgot the details. I'm a rare commodity. That's the whole point. Ugh... this might be harder than I had hoped.
W-well, I don't know that for sure. I've seen several things that don't quite line up with what I remember from the game's backstory, so it's not a given that everything will play out the same. As I've grown up I've gotten the impression that this isn't a one to one recreation of the game, but a world of its own. So things don't have to play out the same. Even if a lot of the general events have been... more or less the same.
Ugh, no, Rose, stay positive. You're not the same Rose as the game character.
The second route I did was the aloof prime minister's son. I'm such a sucker for a good tsundere character, and he was really well written. A strong sense of duty, and high expectations pressing down on him makes him hard on others, and harder on himself. Yes, I know that tsundere traits often stem from bad experiences, poor communication skills, insecurities, maybe even trauma, but when it's just a story... you know... hopefully he's doing better in real life.
The third was the second son of a ducal family with a long history of serving as knights. Not the most complicated person, but possessing a strong moral compass, he has a tendency of charging ahead rather than taking a moment to think, and he always has a smile on his face. The cheerful 'genki' style character is also a weak point of mine.
As for the two I skipped... well, the principal's son is... well... too obsessive. If you get involved he becomes borderline stalker-ish. No judgement on anyone who's into that, it's just not my thing.
And finally the second prince, who... who is just a broody jerk. I know! I know there's more to him! I just... can't get past that initial impression. I had a friend who decided to show me some of what he's like after you get him to open up past his inferiority complex, and he seems decent underneath, but I just... don't want to climb the wall needed to get there.
The secret route... I don't know. I have some guesses. The student council president is an obvious option. Like, his absence as a capture target is honestly a little strange. If I recall correctly he's the son of the finance minister, and a third year. I don't remember interacting a ton with him in the game, but maybe I just forgot. As I said, my detail memory is spotty.
I hope it's not one of the teachers, though the magic teacher does have a small female fanclub. A very spicy option would be the Villainess, but I have no idea how you would pull that off. I don't remember seeing many options that might put you on her good side, or at least create some sexual tension. Real life could be different, but it's not quite what I'm going for.
So what am I going for? Well...
I enter the classroom, do a quick bow to those already present, and find my seat. And next to me...
"Hi! I'm Rose Kendall!" I introduce myself to the red-haired cutie. "Nice to meet you!"
"Uh, hi." She looks a little bewildered, but then smiles at me. "I'm Miria Sadin. Nice to meet you too, Miss Kendall."
Guh, she looks even nicer in person. Calm down, Rose. Don't scare her off.
If you are familiar with dating games, you might be aware of the common factor of the protagonist's best friend. Either someone they knew from before school, or meet early on. Someone who is supportive, offers advice, and is just pleasant to be around. Well, for Rose that's Miria.
Miria is the second daughter of a baron, so even though she's technically nobility, she's as far down on the ladder as you can get, and has no prejudice against commoners. She's just a really sweet, and cute girl, who also possesses a surprisingly strong will for someone who can seem a bit meek at times.
The more I played the game, the more interested I found myself in Miria, and in the end I had fallen for her. Not having her as a capture target might be part of why I moved on from the game. How was I supposed to stay motivated romancing someone else?
She looks so precious. I want to hug her so badly, but that would definitely scare her off. Is it really possible for me to strike up a friendship when I already like her so much?
Okay, calm down. Seriously, calm down. She's not a game character. She's a real person. She might not be identical to the Miria I fell for. I should just see it as... getting to know her. Find out how much like the girl I remember she actually is, and whether I'm still into her after that. Just... take it nice and easy.
Am I gay? Yes. I guess bi would be the most appropriate term, but I typically just think of myself as gay, or queer. Gender isn't the most important part when I'm looking for someone, though I will admit that in my previous real life I did lean a little more towards girls than anything else. I like soft, cute things! In games... well, otome games are usually about a girl, and several male capture targets. The only dedicated yuri game I've played was unfortunately not well written, and good writing is always the most important part to me in stories. I would tend to pick the yuri route if it was an option in the games I played, otome or otherwise but it wasn't terribly common. Miria isn't the first side character I've fallen for in the course of playing these games either, but she was the most recent before my death. And now she's really right here next to me. I'm looking forward to it. I just hope I don't fuck it up somehow.
* * *
The first day is honestly not very exciting. It is mostly introducing the subjects, the teachers, and the basic rules. I am not particularly worried about my studies. One of the things I'm grateful for with my new life is that I'm smarter now. I wouldn't say I was dumb in my previous life, but I was very mediocre. In this life I feel like my brain works smoother. Like a well-oiled machine. After my magic was discovered I was taken under the tutelage of the village priest who wanted to prepare me for the academy as much as he could in the half year we had. Father Thomas, assisted by Sister Nina, put a lot of effort into me, and I am proud to say I picked up their teachings quite quickly. I even got a really high score on the entrance test to show for it.
They also helped me with... well... my dialect. If I came here speaking in the same accent I had back home... I don't think any amount of magic or academic skill would let me escape ridicule. I know some people would find it cute, but in general I'd prefer to not make my life harder. It did used to slip out a lot, but in the past month before I got here I was really good! Father Thomas even praised me! Just need to make sure I don't get too excited...
I glance at the girl in the seat next to me, who notices me looking, and gives me a smile. She is so cute! ... maybe that part's going to be harder than expected too...
Two of the five capture targets are in this class as well. The gloomy second prince, Radian Lan Angelos, and the cheery son of a military commander, Biston Len Carthun.
See, this "middle name" business is like a title. It's a rank thing, to immediately let someone know what kind of family a noble is from.
Lan is for royalty, Len is for duke, Lin is for marquis, Lon is for count, Lun is for viscount, and baron doesn't get anything, same as commoners. For that reason nobility from baron families tend to fall into two camps. Either they have no issues with commoners, like Miria, since the other nobles basically treat them the same anyway, or they are very prejudiced against commoners in an effort to stand apart, and be more like they perceive those above them to be. Which some of them truly are, to be fair.
Speaking of, the Villainess is in my class as well. Amelia Len Scarbloom. Oldest daughter of the minister of foreign affairs and trade, who is said to be the third most powerful person in country after the king, and the prime minister. She's also the first prince's fiance. As far as I'm aware, all of those things are the same as in the game. I have seen her glance in my direction a few times, but I haven't sensed any hostility from her. Her looks have seemed more cautious than anything. It's possible I'm reading her expression wrong, but if not I have to wonder why she feels cautious of me.
I haven't done anything yet, nor should she know anything about me. At most she would have heard I'm a commoner, and that I have Light... magic...
Right. She also possesses a rare magic element: Dark. It's equally as rare as Light, and part of the reason she was accepted as fiance to the crown prince. I know the stereotypes from our stories, but in truth Dark magic is not inherently evil, nor is Light inherently good. They're just elements. Dark element has a lot of utility, and power. If trained properly she could probably become a one-person army. The only critical weakness of Dark magic is Light magic, which is otherwise fairly poor in offence, but very strong in support, be it healing, guarding, or buffing. Honestly if the two of us worked together to the best of our strengths, we could probably be the backbone of a nigh unstoppable army. I wouldn't be surprised if some parts of the aristocracy would like to treat us as such. Just the two of us might be able to take down a country if we were max level.
Though the stereotypes do exist here too, and there are a significant amount of people who see her as dangerous, and probably evil just because she has Dark magic. Well, and supposedly her personality is terrible, which I'm sure doesn't help the rumours. If she is like in the game, that much would be true, but... I feel like it's too early to judge that. I haven't seen anything about her that looks "terrible" so far. It's only the first day though, so who knows.
As the only other known rare magic holder in the country, I could be seen as a threat to her, so it would make sense that she would be cautious of me. It's like the game very blatantly puts us in opposition to one another, and giving Amelia black hair, while mine is blonde only adds to that feeling. Honestly I don't remember at what part of the game she starts harassing Rose. In real life hopefully never, but if she ever thinks I'm trying to get close to the prince... ugh. Let's cross that bridge when we get to it.
* * *
After classes are over, it's time to head to our dorms. Considering the lack of fast transport in this world, and the way most students come a long way to attend this academy, it's only natural there would be facilities for them to live by the campus. I wasn't able to arrive before today, so I wasn't able to check out the room beforehand. I got changed in the carriage, and tidied myself up as best as I could with the help of a hand mirror I got as a going away present. There were some murmurs about me in the hallway, and among my classmates, but that was more likely because I'm a commoner rather than because my hair was a little messy.
My bags should have been delivered though. Miria and I live in the same dorm, so we decided to walk together. She seems a little timid at first impression, but I think that's mostly because of her soft, low-volume voice. She isn't very loud, but if she's like the one I remember from the game, she is actually pretty confident, and willing to stand her ground. More so than Rose, who felt very out of place at the academy at first, but her positive attitude, along with Miria's encouragement, and some friendly encounters helped her open up. I am not quite the same as that Rose. I mean, it's still a little overwhelming to be here. Even with my past life memories of big cities, and big schools, this place looks bigger than expected in person. I am not very big. Most people are taller than me, even other girls. Miria and I are roughly the same height, but I think she's a couple of centimetres taller. I'm fairly sure I used to be taller in my previous life. I guess not everything can be an improvement.
While I'm lost in thought, we end up at the room I'm staying in. Only there are two name plates by the door. Rose Kendall... and Miria Sadin.
"Oh! It seems we'll be sharing a room, Miss Rose," she says, and smiles brightly.
On the other hand I am stunned. How could I have forgotten this? I was praising myself for how smart I am just hours ago, and yet! Curse my bad detail memory! How could I have forgotten?! We're not neighbours! We are roommates!!!
"Miss Rose?"
"U-uh, yeah! Lookin forward ta it, Miria! Miss Miria!"
"'ta it'?" She gives me a curious look while repeating my slip-up. I can't believe I did it already.
"U-um, w-well, I'm from the countryside you know, so... t-the priest taught me to speak proper, just sometimes Ah..." I quickly shut my mouth. What the hell am I saying? With a brightly blushing face I hurry into the room, and start unpacking.
Uuuuuuu~