Chapter 85

Tactical Combat Department, 1st year, Raina Alton.

She stepped onto the 249th floor of the Trinity Academy building for the first time since enrolling, a place she’d never had the chance to visit, and let out an exclamation.

“Wow……”

So this was it.

This was where the ‘real powers’ who ruled not only Trinity Academy, but this entire city, resided.

The fact that she had come to a place forbidden to an ordinary student made Raina’s heart flutter.

At the same time, though, a hint of unease still lingered in one corner of her mind.

She recalled the reason she had come to the 249th floor.

It had started this morning.

Someone had come looking for her.

– Miss Raina Alton?

– Yes, that’s me.

– I’m from the Stingray Foundation.

In that moment, she thought her heart had stopped.

Stingray?

Wasn’t that the most powerful megacorp in the city, to the point of being called its Emperor?

She was certain there wasn’t a single student in this Academy who wouldn’t want to be chosen as a Stingray scholar.

Even those already sponsored by other corporations!

For any Academy student, working in the Stingray Building in Sector A, standing shoulder to shoulder with City Hall at the very heart of New Valhalla City, was the ultimate dream.

Raina Alton was one of those ordinary students dreaming of such dazzling success, so when the person before her revealed they were from the Stingray Foundation, her mind burst with rosy imagination.

Clutching her wildly pounding heart, she asked.

– I, I, I, I…!

– Please calm down.

– Then, am I selected as a Stingray Foundation scholar? You’ve come to recruit me, right? Right?

But the Foundation employee’s response was somewhat odd. He tilted his head slightly, as if embarrassed.

– That’s… a bit unclear.

– Huh? What do you mean unclear?

– I wasn’t given the full details.

– Then?

– I was simply told to deliver this to you, Miss Raina Alton: Please visit the Stingray office on the 249th floor by 5:30 PM. You’ll probably hear the specifics there.

With that, the Stingray employee left, saying he was nothing more than a low-ranking staffer.

Yet that indifferent attitude only made Raina’s heart race faster.

She had heard rumors.

The Stingray Crown Prince had returned this year.

It was said he had opened an office in the Academy and was pushing hard to recruit students. The Stingray special scholarship program, which hadn’t existed before, was also his creation.

– More than anything, our Iri was a special scholar too, wasn’t she?

Perhaps.

It might be getting ahead of herself, but just maybe… really, really maybe… she too could be selected as a special scholar and live together with Iri.

Iri had rejected her confession, but that was probably just because she was shy.

If they lived in the same dormitory, seeing each other often, feelings would grow, friendship would bloom, and that friendship… deepen.

– Ehee. Ehehehe…

The rosy—no, lily-colored—scenery in her head became ever more colorful and romantic.

And at last.

She had arrived at the Stingray Foundation office right on time.

“Ex-excuse me.”

“Welcome, Miss Raina Alton.”

As if expecting her, someone greeted her. She was an East Asian beauty with neatly kept black hair.

“This way, please.”

“Ah! Yes!”

Following her guide, Raina walked to the deepest part of the office.

There, before a door set like a fortress apart from the ordinary office workers’ area, she stopped.

“Sir, Miss Alton is here.”

[Let her in.]

A deep, low-pitched voice flowed out, and the door opened naturally.

Raina carefully stepped inside, and upon seeing the scene within, she involuntarily held her breath.

An office unified in a clean, achromatic palette.

The sofa and furniture. The interior decorations.

Every single item in the space was elegant and luxurious. She couldn’t tell the exact value of these things, but they radiated an overwhelming sense of prestige.

And across from her.

At the desk by the window.

‘He’ was there.

“……!”

The black man.

That would be the right way to put it.

A neat, black, high-class suit.

Glossy black hair to match.

Eyebrows as if drawn in a painting. Broad, dependable shoulders.

And above all, what drew the eye most was his golden eyes, reminiscent of a predator.

Just meeting his gaze made one instinctively want to bow their head.

He was a handsome man with a presence befitting a member of the Imperial Family.

However, even for Raina, who liked handsome men, seeing him did not make her heart race or her face flush.

Without meaning to, Raina bowed her head, showing respect.

As if she had to do so, as if some dormant gene had awakened and commanded her to.

“R–Raina Alton. It is an honor—an extreme honor—to meet you, Chairman Aaron Stingray.”

“You’ve come a long way.”

A low, resonant voice.

That mellow tone, as if rising from deep underground, struck her from deep within the stomach, making her knees weak.

Just a single greeting.

Just a single meeting of eyes.

That alone made Raina instinctively understand that the man before her was someone born to rule over others.

With awe that reached down to her very gut, Raina’s head lowered again.

Feeling each bead of cold sweat roll down her back, she thought in a corner of her mind,

‘H–how do Stingray scholars face someone like this without flinching?’

She could feel, at a DNA level, that she couldn’t interact with this man as an equal.

So how could someone like Iri speak to Aaron without a hint of discomfort?

As she marveled inwardly—

“Come closer.”

“ㄴ–Yes!”

At Aaron’s call, Raina flinched in surprise but carefully moved forward.

If she slipped up even slightly, she feared a thunderous rebuke might follow.

Fortunately, she reached Aaron’s desk without incident.

Like a commoner kneeling before a king, she could only listen to Aaron’s words without even meeting his eyes.

“Raina Alton.”

Aaron spoke.

A tablet PC was in his hand.

“First-year student of the Tactical Combat Department. Midterm ranking: 158th in the year. Mediocre.”

“M–my apologies……”

“What are you apologizing for?”

At Aaron’s question, her breath caught for a moment.

Then regret began to creep in.

She shouldn’t have come here.

There was no way someone ordinary like her could be selected as a Stingray Foundation scholar.

She should’ve refused with some excuse instead of getting her hopes up.

Even so, the Crown Prince continued speaking.

“High in theoretical classes. Low in practical classes. Good relationships with peers. Prefers to agree rather than take the lead… Our scout’s report says this. How does that match with your own view?”

“T–that is……”

“Well, let’s end the teasing here. Relax.”

“Pardon?”

Aaron’s tone changed.

He set the tablet PC down on the desk and leaned comfortably against the back of his chair.

Then, wearing a faintly strange smile, he asked Raina a question.

Perhaps because of that smile, she found it a bit easier to breathe.

“You know Iri Elisbell, don’t you?”

“Eh? Ah, yes… I know her.”

“How did you come to like her?”

“……!”

For a moment, her mind went completely blank.

That this man knew even that—

“I have no intention of rebuking you. I’m simply curious. Other students seem to keep their distance from her because of her background.”

“Sorry?”

“Relax and answer.”

She somehow pulled her blank mind back together.

She took a short breath.

And slowly confessed her true feelings.

“...N–not exactly.”

“Not exactly?”

“Yes. It’s true there are a lot of kids who dislike Iri because of her background, but lately, that atmosphere has been fading. It’s not like she’s gone out of her way to harm anyone, and people are realizing she’s actually incredibly capable, contrary to their preconceptions.”

“I see.”

“A–and she’s also very pretty. Even as another girl, I can’t help but be taken by her… In fact, among the boys, there are some who are interested in her, even if they don’t show it.”

Crack.

In that instant, the pen in his hand turned to powder.

Raina flinched in surprise, and Aaron naturally apologized.

“I startled you. My apologies. You don’t need to mind it. Go on.”

“Ah, yes. So…”

She hesitated, trying to arrange her thoughts in her head.

But before she could speak, Aaron’s mouth opened first.

“What do you think of Iri? Why did you come to like her?”

At the blunt question, Raina hesitated, then answered.

“B–because she’s cool!”

“Cool?”

“Yes. At first—how should I put it?—she had this kind of scary image, but after that Titan incident, she suddenly became… more mature, I guess? No matter what other kids said or how much they fussed, she would just brush it off lightly. That looked very mature to me, and also…”

Maybe because her tension had eased—

Raina’s mouth became busy.

“I tend to adjust myself to those around me. I guess you could say I get swept along by what others say. But Iri doesn’t do that. She stands tall on her own no matter what anyone says.”

“Hmm.”

“To me, that felt really cool. So regardless of her background, I thought I wanted to get a bit closer to her. While I was waiting for a chance to talk to her, I ended up… observing her? And before I knew it, I was drawn to her.”

“I see.”

Aaron slowly nodded.

Then he asked,

“So you were the one who spread that rumor?”

“……!”

The rumor that anyone involved with Iri would meet misfortune.

Had he already known even that?

Just how far could the golden eyes of this Crown Prince see? It was almost frightening.

“I–I’m sorry……”

“I don’t particularly intend to scold you for that. What I’m curious about is a different matter.”

Feeling like she had committed a crime, Raina lowered her head once again.

But Aaron, arms folded, continued the conversation naturally.

“What exactly is your goal? Do you want to be in a romantic relationship with Iri? But I heard your confession was already rejected. Do you have any other objective?”

“T–that’s…”

Raina answered haltingly.

“It’s true the atmosphere of openly bullying her is gone, but there are still kids who pick fights with her whenever they’re bored. I was trying to do something about that.”

“So you spread a false rumor to make sure no one would mess with her openly? That way, things would stay quiet in public? I see… interesting.”

Aaron’s expression seemed somehow satisfied.

He looked over her face once more, as if intrigued, and Raina waited like someone guilty for whatever he would say next.

And then—

“Raina Alton. I have a proposal for you.”

“A p–proposal, sir?”

“Yes.”

Aaron’s head nodded.

And then, surprising words came out.

“I intend to make Iri the student council president. Can you help me?”

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