S14 School Life

School life proceeded smoothly.

Most class content had already been studied, but I listened carefully as review.

When boredom became unavoidable, I passed the time practicing skill upgrades—discreetly, so as not to be noticed.

Viewed solely through the lens of classes, it appeared peaceful. But interpersonal dynamics presented several issues.

First, teachers.

They fell into one of three patterns: excessively deferential, avoiding contact whenever possible, or aggressively intrusive with dramatic zeal.

Possibly due to my royal lineage, but more likely because my stat values already surpassed those of nearly all teachers.

Being deferential carries no real authority. Being blatantly avoided causes injury. Being persistently approached becomes annoying.

The most preferable kind of teacher is one who treats me normally—but such teachers are almost nonexistent.

Next, students.

These also fall into three patterns.

The sycophantic type, the distant type, and the one who directs excessive hostility.

No genuinely neutral type exists.

Thus, in practice, I spend most time with Sophia and Catia.

Hagai joins us, and the four of us usually spend time together.

The sycophantic type is typically driven away by Catia.

I myself would inevitably respond with forced smiles, making my reluctance obvious—so I was moved to see my friend cut through that with absolute clarity.

The distant type further subdivides into several subpatterns.

Students who gaze at me with admiration, students who deliberately avoid me with cold eyes, students who seek opportunities to approach me—various types.

The most troublesome are those who direct hostility toward me.

Most of these students with hostile intent are royalty from other nations, or nobles of equivalent status.

Occasionally, there are those born of common lineage who have risen through merit.

What they share is high self-esteem.

They are often of high rank and possess strong abilities.

Therefore, I, who hold equal or greater rank and ability, am apparently intolerable to them.

I have even been challenged to duels on occasion.

If a foreigner and I engaged in such a contest, it could escalate into an international incident.

Naturally, I declined all such challenges.

But then, when I refused, the rumor spread throughout the academy: "The genius prince refuses even duels—cowardly."

I’d appreciate it if they’d cut me some slack.

Still, it's just the behavior of a child.

I, who am already an adult when counted with my past life, laughed it off.

Each time, I had to stop Syrilis from exploding and going to eliminate the other party.

Syrilis has been acting strangely lately.

He wants to ask me something, but can't bring himself to say it.

That's the impression.

Well, I have an idea of what he wants to ask.

In fact, I heard it from Catia.

"Syrilis, that girl has been asking about our relationship."

"Wait? Relationship?"

"Us. The past lives. He noticed something odd in how we interact with teachers and others."

"Ah. Now that you mention it, we did talk in Japanese in front of Syrilis."

"That's it. If someone you've known your whole life suddenly starts speaking a language you don't understand with a stranger, naturally you'd find it strange."

"I see. Darn it."

"Fine. If that child asks you, decide for yourself whether to speak the truth or lie."

"Wait—shouldn't you lie about it?"

"Deciding that is your responsibility. Whether to continue deceiving your real sister, or finally tell her the truth. Either way, prepare yourself. Respond with clarity. Otherwise, you’ll be disrespectful to her."

"Ugh... I get it."

So, Sue seems to want to know about my relationships with everyone.

To be honest, I haven’t prepared at all.

Telling Sue the truth?

That I, whom she’s always believed to be her real brother, am actually the reincarnation of some stranger—unknown, unconnected?

The thought of telling her that... and being hated in return... it terrifies me.

I’ve always treated Sue as my real sister, out of genuine care.

But from my perspective, what does she see when she looks at me?

I know I’m the one she’s grown attached to.

But what if the brother she has grown attached to—was a stranger to her all along?

I have grown through the memories and experiences of my past life.

Where she has reached me through her own effort, I have gained an advantage.

When she learns this, will she not disdain me?

I believe she would not, yet the mere fact that such a thought arises proves I have already failed.

Should I then try to conceal it? That too feels dishonest.

My real sister is so troubled, hesitating even to ask—how could I respond lightly to such a question?

If I choose to conceal it, I must accept the burden of hiding it forever.

I still have no answer on how to proceed.

But if she were to ask me directly, I would have to answer with full seriousness.

I might have dismissed it without deeper thought, had Katia not mentioned it.

I should thank Katia for the advice she gave in advance.

For that reason, interpersonal dynamics within the academy—both inside and out—are consistently difficult.

Among these, the three remaining reincarnated individuals are particularly challenging.

The teacher remains as enigmatic as ever.

He occasionally vanishes without attending class, only to reappear unexpectedly and participate in lessons.

When confronted, questions are met with vague evasion more often than not.

Especially when it comes to inquiries about Kyoya’s whereabouts, this tendency is pronounced.

Kyoya was a close friend to both me and Katia in our previous lives.

Yet the teacher consistently refuses to disclose his location.

He appears to possess some knowledge, but shows no sign of protecting him.

Where Kyō is now, and what he is doing, occupies my thoughts. Yet the teacher shows no sign of revealing such information, even if he possesses knowledge.

Hasebe is also problematic.

Hasebe’s current name is Julian Uren.

The surname Uren derives from the name of a church serving as a surrogate orphanage.

Hasebe, Julian, was a foundling.

Foundlings are common in this world.

Even in the previous world, foundlings were numerous. In this harsh world, where civilization has not advanced, the number of foundlings is significant.

Normally, such children would be raised in the church. By the time they gained awareness, they would have lived there all their lives.

But Julian was different.

From infancy, he retained memories of a prior existence. He possessed a clear self-awareness.

He awoke to find himself suddenly a newborn.

I experienced it too. It is a severe shock.

Disorientation. Anxiety. Above all, fear.

What awaits me from here.

Did my previous self perish?

If so, what became of that past life?

Just as I felt, anxiety must have been endless.

Especially since Yuri was abandoned in such a state.

The shock must have been incomparable to mine.

Honestly, I cannot imagine Yuri’s state of mind at that moment.

Amidst that overwhelming anxiety, Yuri clung to something.

That was the Divine Word Faith.

The religion upheld by the church that rescued Yuri, a doctrine deeply embedded across the entire human race.

Roughly translated, its teaching is: "Improve your skills to hear the Divine Word."

Divine Word.

What it is, I do not know.

In game terms, it would be akin to a system message, yet in this world, hearing it was commonplace.

Only the reincarnated among us find this voice unsettling.

This voice is supposed to be heard.

Having skills is expected.

This is standard here.

The Church of Divine Speech teaches that this very voice is the voice of the divine, and that one must increase skills and levels to hear it more often.

From my perspective, it's nonsense—but somehow, this belief is accepted in this world.

And Julius, who should share my perception, is fully immersed in this religion.

"Shun-kun has raised his skills so much. I think that's wonderful. Keep increasing your skills, and you'll hear the divine voice more."

"Shun-kun hasn't raised his level? That's bad! Raising your level lets you hear the divine voice more. You must raise your level to hear the divine voice."

"Shun, you can use鉴定, right? Then listen—tell me if you encounter someone with a skill named Taboo. A skill designated as Taboo by the Divine—it's forbidden. Absolutely not permitted. Never allowed. So promise me you'll tell me immediately. Promise? You must."

"Shun, today my skill level increased—I heard the Divine Voice. Ah, the glorious voice of the Divine. Today will surely be a happy day."

Withdrew.

A sharp recoil.

It was impossible not to flinch at the way Yuri's eyes dulled when speaking of the Divine.

Yet Yuri hadn't always been like this.

She should have been just an ordinary high school girl.

Something in her environment had changed her into this.

The terror of reincarnation.

The despair of abandonment by her parents.

The unease of having to live in a different world.

A divine utterance heard in a familiar Japanese tone might well serve as her anchor.

Moreover, the surrounding people were all human worshippers of that divine utterance.

Julius, whose nature inclined toward being easily swayed, might have inevitably become absorbed by that faith.

It's questionable, really—being cast aside only to fully exploit the benefit of reincarnation and rise to the rank of saint candidate.

And the last one was the greatest problem.

Natsume, currently residing in Yugo, regards me as an enemy.

Even that was beyond ordinary.

The hostility of other children was incomparable.

Because sometimes, even killing intent mingled within that gaze.

I do not understand why he holds me in such enmity.

Something is not right. This calm cannot last.

He will inevitably cause some disruption soon.

A foreboding stirred within.

I am considering doubling the length of the S arc, or posting two episodes consecutively from now on.