I Was Reincarnated as a Duke as a Matter of Course, So I Bought a Slave on a Whim and Now There’s No Turning Back - 10

Chapter 10: Who the Heck Is This Guy?!

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“Nice to meet you, Luka-sama of the Ducal House of Noctire.”

His voice was calm and carried well. The young man with light blue hair bowed politely.

“Kaiel Valdio. The second son of the Marquis House of Valdio.”

“Ah, nice to meet you.”

When I gave a casual reply, he glanced—just for a moment—at Elysia. It truly was only an instant. But there was neither hesitation nor calculation in that look.

“…”

Understanding what it meant, I smiled.

“I happened to see you at the academy. I thought I should come and offer my greetings.”

“You came all this way just for that?”

“Yes.”

Man, this guy never stops smiling.

Elysia gave a quiet bow.

“Thank you for your courtesy, Kaiel-sama.”

“Not at all. I am simply glad to see you are well.”

Kaiel’s voice sounded just slightly softer than when he was speaking to me. Regardless of acquaintance or not, I knew that look.

Ah, I get it. He’s completely in love. He’s overflowing with love, Kaiel-kun.

“Luka-sama.”

Kaiel looked at me again.

“So you are the rumored youngest son of the Noctire House.”

“It’s not that big of a rumor.”

“No.”

He let out a small breath.

“…You are far more relaxed than I had imagined.”

That sounded like genuine admiration.

…Probably. I’m not exactly great at reading people’s emotions.

“There are many examinations at the academy.”

“Oh?”

“There will be many occasions where we compete.”

His words were gentle. But his gaze pierced straight through me.

“When that time comes, let us compete fairly and honorably.”

Ah, yes. I’ll be the first to show my back and run away. Alright, let’s escape from reality (smile).

I mean, that was basically a rival declaration, wasn’t it?

“Yeah, well… when that time comes.”

When I gave an ambiguous answer and Kaiel smiled as if satisfied. Right after that…

“…Luka-sama.”

Elysia looked at me. It was just for a bit, but she directed a soft gaze at me. A gaze that was directed at no one else but me. 

“We have the same afternoon class, don’t we?”

“We do?”

“Yes.”

How does she know my class schedule?

Apparently, classes here were more like a university. Students selected their own courses and earned credits. I chose mine at random. And my eyes did not miss it. For just a split second, Kaiel’s smile disappeared.

…Ah, okay.

“Then, if you will excuse me.”

Kaiel bowed and left. Sorry.. I didn’t even do anything though.

His back was straight. He looked like he was thinking something… 

But I’m not being hated, right?

“Hey, Elysia. What kind of relationship do you have with Kaiel-kun?”

“…Are you curious?”

“Huh? Well, yeah.”

“…I see.”

Yeah, I am. Who the heck is that guy?!

“Well, you see, his house—the marquis House of Valdio—is a branch family of our Ducal House of Gladio.”

“I see.”

“Because of that, we were often made to meet since we were little. But that is all.”

“I see, I see.”

A branch family, huh. I don’t fully get it, but it’s kind of like relatives, right? It’s not like I want to say something like, “A marquis and a duke are on completely different levels!” But you don’t often see a marquis stepping between a duke’s son and a duke’s daughter, do you?

Unless it’s something like a branch and main family relationship….

I couldn’t do it. The pressure of pedigree would crush me.

“…I apologize. Did that make you uncomfortable?”

“Huh? No, not at all! I mean, why would it?”

“W-Well, Kaiel-sama did rather abruptly intrude…”

Intrude? He’s not some invading monster. What, are we going on a hunt or something? (hunting instinct)

“I don’t mind. He seemed like a good person. I’m satisfied just talking with him.”

“…Ordinarily, that situation would have required some consideration. I will speak to him about it later.”

“…You really don’t have to.”

“I must.”

How strict, Elysia. Is this what’s considered normal?

While we were talking, quite some time had passed. Elysia’s attendant called out to her, and she stood up.

“It seems it is about time. I have preparations to make, so let us meet again later in class.”

She bowed, smiled brightly, and left the dining hall with her attendant.

Heh, and now I shall attempt to conquer the entire menu alone (reckless).

“…Luka-sama.”

“Whoa—! Yuka, you were here!?”

“Yes. I have been here the entire time.”

…Well, yeah. We came together.

“Sorry, you completely faded into the background.”

“Yes. I must not interfere with Luka-sama’s conversation.”

“You can talk too, you know?”

“I am Luka-sama’s attendant.”

That doesn’t answer anything. This girl has assassin-level stealth talent.

“Yuka, have you tried this already?”

“Luka-sama, we should prepare for class.”

“This one’s really good, you know (invincible).”

“Luka-sama.”

“Yes.”

Damn it, I barely ate anything because I got caught up talking!

Afternoon class. When I entered the classroom, several students were already seated.

“Umm…”

Alright, let’s sit over there.

Window side, middle row.

With free seating, sometimes you have to challenge yourself. 

At least I didn’t pick the back this time (I tried and failed).

Also, can I have back the joy of assigned classroom seats? So regular classes are separate from that?!

Apparently, major exams were held in the homeroom classroom. Which meant, outside of that, my ultimate seat privilege didn’t apply. If Allen were in the same class, he’d sit next to me.

I pulled out a chair and sat down…

“…Luka-sama.”

A voice came from beside me. When I turned my head..

“Elysia?”

“Yes.”

As if nothing were unusual, she sat down in the chair next to mine. Her posture was as beautiful as ever, her gaze forward.

…Wow. Taking the seat as my seatmate so naturally, huh.

“It’s quite the coincidence that we have the same class.”

“You mentioned that earlier.”

Elysia gave a small nod.

“Is it acceptable for me to sit beside you?”

Don’t ask after you’ve already sat down. And yes, by all means, please make this a permanent arrangement from now on.

Of course, I couldn’t possibly say that, and as I stumbled for words—

“Excuse me.”

A voice came from the other side. The sound of another chair being pulled out followed almost immediately.

“…Ah.”

The one who sat there had light blue hair.

“We meet again, Luka-sama.”

A gentle smile. But his gaze flickered to Elysia for just a moment, then returned to me.

“Coincidence?”

“Yes, coincidence.”

…Liar. You totally matched your schedule with Elysia’s, didn’t you?

It’s great that the branch and main families get along. So please don’t sandwich me in between.

Elysia said nothing. But just slightly… Her elbow moved closer to my arm. Was it just my imagination? No. It wasn’t. I could move my arm to touch hers myself.

…Just kidding.

“…”

Let’s just hope Kaiel doesn’t start disliking me.

“I hear this class is quite popular.”

“It is?”

“Yes. I heard the seats fill up quickly.”

I see. So because I picked randomly, someone might have been unable to enroll because of me?

Facing forward, I muttered inwardly. Also, could you two stop sandwiching me from both sides? Elysia’s quiet presence. Kaiel’s straightforward gaze.

This is awkward. And the biased label I stuck on Kaiel is starting to feel disturbingly accurate. It’s not like I’m engaged to Elysia or anything.

At that moment—

“Now then, let us begin class.”

The teacher’s voice echoed through the classroom.

I’m saved…

…Or so it seemed. Now the real battle against drowsiness began.

“…Luka-sama.”

“Hm?”

“May I ask you a question later?”

“Me?”

Elysia smiled quietly.

“Yes. You, Luka-sama.”

Right after that…

“What a coincidence,” Kaiel said. “I, too, have something I would like to ask Luka-sama.”

…Excuse me. Class has already started, you know? And if it’s about the lesson, you’ve made a spectacularly poor choice of person.

Facing forward, I took a deep breath.

Is this what academy life is like?

And so… For some reason I was sandwiched between a beautiful girl and a handsome boy and just like that, my afternoon class began.

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