I was exposed as the strongest magician to my sister, who has severe brother complex. I can no longer hide my abilities at school!

Chapter 9 : Sophia

Now, thanks to Cecil, Alvin not only managed to avoid being late but arrived too early.

He thought about doing something to pass the time… However, considering that it was too awkwardly timed to start anything, and pondering whether coming early only to end up being late was a good idea, he reluctantly decided to wait in the auditorium.

It seemed that the entrance ceremony would take place in the auditorium. Seating arrangements weren’t predetermined, and everyone could sit wherever they liked. Upon hearing this, Alvin reluctantly took a seat toward the edge of the auditorium.

He closed his eyes, preparing for a posture conducive to sleep at any moment. After a while, students wearing what seemed to be new uniforms, typical of freshmen, gradually appeared.

“Hey, isn’t that person over there from the Duke’s family?”

“Wow, you’re right. I thought they’d either be late or skip altogether.”

“Ah, I don’t want to go over there.”

However, despite the increasing number of people, there was no sign of anyone sitting around Alvin. Perhaps the academy had reserved seats with plenty of space around him.

‘Will I be able to make a hundred friends… Who came up with such a song anyway? It’s impossible.’

This was the fate of a man who had no friends, avoided social gatherings, and couldn’t be bothered to show his face. Although he had never cared before, being so blatantly avoided and whispered about was disheartening.

Even though he was a member of the Duke’s family and should have attracted some attention in this academy setting, the reality was quite sad—no one came near him, literally no one!

With tears of sorrow in his eyes, Alvin suddenly noticed a figure approaching from the side.

“Um, excuse me… Can I sit next to you?”

A shy girl asked hesitantly. Alvin was surprised; he had thought no one would come near him, but there was apparently a courageous young person after all.

“Miss… You’re so kind.“

“Huh? W-why are you crying?”

For the first time in his life, Alvin shed tears of joy.

“But why isn’t anyone sitting around here? It feels like they’re avoiding you, and it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable!”

“Hey, were you trying to sit next to me because you knew who I was?”

“Ah… sorry, I don’t really know the names of nobles.”

She’s probably a commoner, Alvin thought, looking at the apologetic girl. Even though he was in a relatively prominent position due to his family, it was a somewhat complicated feeling.

Anyway, Alvin tapped the seat next to him, encouraging the girl to sit.

“I apologize for the delay. My name is Sophia!”

“I’m Alvin Astarea. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, so you are a noble after all.”

She must have understood he was a noble after he introduced himself by his family name. Sophia, who sat down, showed a slightly different attitude than at first, appearing more reserved.

“Oh, don’t treat me like a noble too much. I don’t really like being revered.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, I’m more used to being teased.”

“But, I didn’t mean to tease you!”

“I don’t want you to tease me either!?”

Alvin quickly learned that Sophia was an extreme and straightforward girl.

“But I’m glad… the first person I talked to was a kind person like Alvin-san. I was a bit anxious about whether I would fit in.”

“I’m not really kind, you know? As you can see, I’m famous for being disliked.”

“But, despite that, you’re talking to me, a commoner, so casually.”

Sofia wore a happy smile.

Because of that, Alvin couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

“If someone were truly unkind, they would surely complain the moment a commoner sat beside them.”

People of noble birth tend to be prideful, for better or worse.

“They think they’re noble and consider themselves different from the rest of us. They have a tendency to look down on commoners.”

Cecil and the knights Alvin met before are a bit different, but statistically, more than half of the nobility holds such views.

It’s only natural to feel uneasy when commoners enter an academy where many nobles gather.

“…In the end, we’re all human beings.”

“Huh?”

“Just because of different birth doesn’t mean we are all that different. Our races are still the same, right? I don’t really understand having a sense of discrimination.”

And then, Alvin leaned on his hand and casually said,

“We nobles can live prosperous lives because of the taxes from the common people. It’s our duty to protect those people. So, thinking lowly of them is strange. In the relationship of mutual benefit, there’s no ‘above’ or ‘below’.”

As soon as he spoke those words, a brief silence fell between them.

Did he say something strange out of character? Alvin suddenly shrugged in a playful manner.

“Well, thanks to that, I’ve been able to live a lazy, comfortable, and self-indulgent life.”

“You’re so… kind.”

“Huh?”

“Alvin-san, I still think you’re kind.”

Sofia directed a gentle smile towards the bewildered Alvin.

It was soft, a bit shy… a smile that made him feel a little embarrassed. He sensed a resemblance to his older sister in some way.

“You’re quite an odd one too.”

“Hehe~, then, I’d be happy if oddballs like us could get along.”

Despite Alvin trying to divert attention with a joke, Sofia continued to wear a pleasantly smiling expression.

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