I Became a Veteran Heroine in a Harem Story

“It can’t be helped. Let’s draw randomly. Honestly, everyone wants to go out and have fun, right? Kiina, you should just draw too.”

Erich took the lead and offered an opinion. The most reasonable method that everyone would accept. Since it was work that had to be done anyway, leaving it to luck would be the method with the least complaints.

“No, if no one steps forward voluntarily, I’ll just pick.”

However, I refused. I don’t currently have the ability to manipulate the lots for random drawing. I planned to ‘definitely’ include Karin among the duty personnel.

I’d hear some complaints, but anyway, those who serve duty this time can rest next time.

“Me, Erich, Lunara, Deina, and Karin.”

“Ah, no!? Why!?”

Including Karin, I chose the members who would have the least resistance, and inevitably it was ‘those guys again.’ But there wasn’t a complete lack of resistance.

Karin was particularly upset. She even jumped up and glared at me as if she couldn’t accept it.

“If you have complaints, challenge me. I’ll accept.”

“This…!”

I suppressed that dissatisfaction with power. Karin’s face turned red, and unable to do anything, she clenched her fist, then sat back down in her chair with a thud.

It seemed she had completely erased the thought of challenging me after our clash last time. However, she seemed quite upset, keeping her mouth firmly shut and staring at the table, not giving me a single glance afterward.

“Now that the duty personnel are decided, let’s go for dinner. Today’s schedule ends here.”

I ended the meeting there. The first to kick back her chair and leave without looking back was, of course, Karin.

“This is a bit unexpected. I thought you would just draw randomly.”

When the others were dispersing one by one, Erich approached with an awkward smile. Deina and Lunara, who were standing beside him, like Karin, didn’t say anything, but their faces showed they didn’t understand my decision.

“Both the students going out and even we ourselves are experiencing this for the first time. We need to achieve maximum efficiency with minimum personnel. Even things that can be controlled inside the Academy are impossible outside, and actual incidents occur continuously. I was just trying to be as prepared as possible.”

“Hmm, I understand what you’re saying. You’re not wrong. So you trust us that much?”

“You are the most excellent personnel I can think of.”

Fortunately, my excuse worked well. I could see the faces of Lunara and Deina oddly relaxing at my words, which were based somewhat on fact.

Indeed, they still have some simple aspects.

“I understand. I’ll talk to Karin well, so don’t worry.”

However, it was a bit difficult to guess what was going on in Erich’s mind.

He was smiling lightheartedly as usual, but perhaps because he was a person with not little experience, his emotions weren’t immediately revealed unless it was something significant.

“It’s a bit disappointing not to be able to play this weekend, but I feel a bit better since I’ve been acknowledged by Kiina.”

“That’s… true. At least the Year Representative wouldn’t speak empty words. But she should have told us such reasons from the beginning. Misunderstandings pile up.”

On the way to dinner, with the three of them going together while Kiina always appeared at the cafeteria alone at random times, Deina let out a small sigh at Lunara’s innocent response.

‘To unconsciously feel happy upon being praised by a peer.’

Deina found herself ridiculous. When she had just heard from Kiina why they had been selected, her dissatisfied heart had unknowingly cleared completely and even started pounding.

It was thanks to Kiina’s usual direct image, but Deina found it hard to accept that she had such feelings.

“Both of you go on ahead after dinner. I’ll go find Karin. She’ll feel a bit better too if she hears this.”

Erich looked at the two of them and smirked. He had promised Kiina he would talk to Karin, so he had to keep his promise.

‘I felt it this time. There’s something there, but digging into it would be suicidal, right?’

In fact, Erich sensed a subtle dissonance from Kiina just before.

It was closer to a kind of intuition rather than keen observation. He detected a very slight difference from her usual attitude as she told a lie.

Of course, that was all. Although it was indeed intriguing, he too lacked the confidence to probe or investigate something from Kiina.

‘As expected, I need to develop skills that can beat her first.’

There was only one conclusion. Becoming stronger than Kiina. Erich was convinced that Kiina would be more thorough in her logic than anyone else.

If he became stronger than her, Kiina would not shamefully back out but would reveal all the truth.

Whether it was possible or not, it was certainly worth the challenge.

“Ah, I’m full.”

“Honestly, it’s delicious. They say it’s made by chefs from the royal court.”

Most students who had eaten their fill of the Academy meals, which always boasted the highest quality, headed toward the dormitories under the early evening sky.

Erich went to where Karin was as soon as he saw her with her friends from the Magic Department, and Deina and Lunara walked slowly on the path to the dormitory.

“Look over there. There are still students doing personal training.”

“Lynt… is he trying to pass somehow within the remaining time?”

When Lunara pointed to the training field in the middle of the path to the dormitory, Deina recognized the boy training hard under the streetlight and let out a small sigh.

He was a student who had failed the physical fitness test in the Archery Department.

The weekend was now less than two days away. For failing students to go out, they had to pass the physical fitness test by Friday morning at the latest.

“Ah…”

Lunara also belatedly realized the situation and looked at them with a pitiful face. Looking at the list, it was clear that almost everyone would be going out, with only a small number of failing students remaining.

“It must be so sad. They probably want to go out more than anyone.”

“There might be some who sympathize with them like you, but there are also those who ignore and look down on them. Excessive sympathy isn’t good either, but I don’t like that either.”

Deina and Lunara stopped walking and continued to look at them. The failing students had already become known throughout the entire year.

Unlike others who did personal training for their own achievement, they also had to fight against the gazes around them.

“Lunara, what are you going to do?”

“There’s a Spear Arts kid too. I’m going to help.”

“Wait. If we do it, it might backfire. We need to approach carefully.”

Deina was startled to see Lunara heading straight toward them and followed behind, grabbing her arm.

She knew how much premature sympathy from others could be a wound to the other person. She was the one who had grown up being compared to Raines in that way at the royal palace.

The more her older siblings sympathized with her, the more miserable Deina felt about the difference between her and Raines.

“But this is what Kiina instructed us to do. To help struggling students. And if they refuse such help because of their pride, that’s crossing the final line. Who do you think needs to know their place right now?”

However, Lunara shook her head firmly. Kind, smiling, and energetic, but she was by no means stupid.

Unable to refute those words, Deina eventually nodded.

“Hey, you’re Isabel, right?”

While Deina went to the Archery Department student, Lunara approached a black twin-tailed girl who was panting in sweat-soaked gym clothes.

Isabel flinched when she saw Lunara.

For Isabel, Lunara’s image was more of Kiina’s close aide rather than an excellent talent who took on the Year Council and squad leader role.

This was because she was almost the only person that Kiina, who rarely responded despite others trying to win her favor with praise and flattery, kept by her side and occasionally touched her cheeks or patted her head when given the chance.

“W-what. What is it?”

‘Could it be the squad leader?!’

Isabel, who was already extremely withdrawn after being reprimanded by Kiina, was excessively wary of Lunara.

She misunderstood that Lunara had approached on Kiina’s orders. Actually, that wasn’t far from the truth.

“You seem to be working very hard, so I came to see if I could help. Do you want to go out?”

“Ugh!? Y-you, who are you to interfere!?”

Lunara approached with a smile, but Isabel activated her defense mechanism. Having revealed her miserable skills and received more contempt and ridicule than help, she couldn’t easily trust others.

The helplessness weighing down her heart had begun to eat away at her mind as well.

Kiina had advised that if she wanted to achieve anything, she should change such a weak heart first, but Isabel, a fragile girl who had grown up ordinarily in a small frontier family, couldn’t bring herself to do so.

“Is that really all you have to say?”

“…What?”

“This could be your last chance. I came here because I couldn’t just watch you, following the Year Representative’s order to help you. You probably acted that way in front of Kiina too. Will you do the same now?”

Lunara’s response was completely different from what was expected. Her face hardened, and with a lowered voice, she approached steadily forward with a serious expression.

Objectively, both are petite, but Isabel is a bit more petite. Isabel, who had shrunk back, faltered.

“Have courage. Just try it first, whether it works or not.”

“Really… did the squad leader tell you to help me?”

“Ah, this was supposed to be a secret.”

Lunara covered her mouth in surprise at Isabel’s words, who was murmuring blankly with wide eyes. The fact that Kiina had separately instructed the Year Council to look after students to implement the typical carrot and stick approach was actually confidential.

She had leaked it in an instant.

“…I’ll do it. H-help me. I must pass this time.”

However, the leak wasn’t that important. Thanks to it, Isabel managed to make up her mind just barely.