After the incident, nothing much happened. Homeroom carried on as usual, though a few things were explained that Nyx herself had paid hard attention to. After all, most streamers tended to skip this part by clicking through the dialogue boxes too fast for her to read, and truthfully, she never really made an effort to pay attention either.
The first topic was magic. Its use was permitted outside classrooms, but only if students submitted their mana signatures to the faculty. Inside classrooms, both mana and aura were forbidden unless directed otherwise. Nyx, however, only caught the word 'mostly,' which told her the rule wasn't all that strictly enforced, even in the game. After all, this was an academy built around such things, magic and aura.
More importantly were the rules on weapons. Yes, they were allowed, but under the same kind of strict regulations as magic.
Sometimes Nyx couldn't help but wonder... 'Why the hell did a game have to be this realistic?'
Of course, that question was easily answered by the fact that this was a dating simulator. Romance was always at the core, just with a tiny bit of world-ending events stacked on top. More importantly, villains and enemies were concealed, unpredictable, and random, making it nearly impossible for Nyx to figure out who was who.
On the easiest mode, there were practically no combat incidents at all, which made it far easier for the player to get close to the heroines. The harder difficulties, however, changed everything—an AI ran in the background, adding random encounters and unpredictable twists. Of course, the added challenge came with greater rewards. That was precisely why the harem route only existed on the higher difficulties in the first place.
After all, those so-called "events" were mostly just there to serve the romance. Every character triggered different scenarios, each one tailored to push the story and the relationships forward.
Which made everything quite a mess, especially when it came to identifying who these characters were. Nyx did not know every single one of them.
Sure, she could rely on the system to check, but whenever her passive ability activated, golden flashes of light like rainbows spilling across the sky would flood her vision. It always left her dizzy, even though she wasn't the type to get dizzy at all. That was exactly why she preferred to avoid using it unless she absolutely had to.
Which hadn't happened so far, thankfully.
Cassian turned to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and began scribbling as he spoke.
"If you've noticed, I haven't taken attendance, and in all honesty, you aren't required to check in that way. However, remember this: quizzes and other graded works will count as your attendance. Naturally, you can't take them if you don't show up for class." He tapped the chalk against the board, underlining the word "Quizzes."
"Depending on the subject, lessons will vary. Some will be theory, others practical. And here's something to keep in mind: if you manage to score above ninety percent on your midterms, you won't be forced into remedial downgrades."
Cassian set the chalk down, brushing the dust off his fingers before turning back to the class.
"That concludes today's homeroom. Since it's the first day of school, there will be no classes. So you're free to return to your dorms, explore the campus, or just... have fun, or whatever else there is to do. There's a academy tour this night, but you're free to participate or not. That's all. Dismissed!"
Nyx glanced around the sparsely populated classroom, taking note of where everyone had seated themselves. Vireon sat in the upper middle section of the room, just a few inches from Nyx with no one else beside her. Alicia had chosen to sit beside Ronan, which naturally drew a strong reaction from him. He occupied the middle-right corner in line with Nyx’s table, which basically meant that Alicia had deliberately chosen that seat despite the many vacant ones still available. Lastly, Vel had claimed the farthest corner of the room, as if isolating herself from the others.
This left not many individuals at the front besides where Tressa and Faye would normally sit.
But where were they when the ceremony ended? Faye had gone to check on her friend Jun, who had been taken into custody earlier, causing her to arrive late. Meanwhile, Tressa had stopped by her master's office, already knowing there wasn't much point in attending homeroom in the first place. While she still arrived it was quite late already, the homeroom barely lasted over 30 minutes. Though, she seemed to keep glancing over the seat on where Erica was... which also caused Erica to awkwardly look away.
Regardless, there were so many free spaces in the room and not many students present. Several individuals were purely absent, such as the Prince Orion and others who clearly had better things to do on the first day.
"Umm, where should we go for now?" Nyx asked, standing up from her seat.
Erica rose as well. The question had probably been directed toward Cael—or maybe it was open for everyone—but Erica was the one who answered.
"Then, may I make a suggestion? Miss Nyx, would you mind taking a tour around the campus and grabbing lunch afterwards?" Her words flowed smoothly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, like they were already close friends.
But Nyx wasn’t a pushover, at least that’s what she told herself. "Hmm, I need to get something to take notes for class first. I don’t have any supplies... and I’ll need equipment for the lessons. Oh, and I don’t have a wand yet either," Nyx mused.
After all, wands were permitted since they couldn’t hold much magic; they were more like pens for academically inclined students, which are the mages and those who uses aura.
"I see. I’m quite familiar with the academy, so I can lead you to the shops that sell them—if you don’t mind, of course. If I’m being too pushy, please feel free to say so." Erica smiled, her expression gleaming with confidence.
Nyx sighed. Erica’s presence wasn’t unpleasant, but still, she would’ve preferred to be left alone. With Cael around, it had felt like she was alone... or maybe it wasn’t. That thought sounded strange even in her own mind. Nyx coughed— cough —drawing a small reaction from Erica. Either way, something about Cael’s presence just felt strangely right.
"No, it’s fine. Actually, I appreciate it. Though I might not be able to join you for lunch afterwards," Nyx replied. Her gaze shifted toward Cael. "You’ll be coming too, right?"
She already knew what the answer would be, yet she asked anyway.
"Unfortunately, I won’t be able to. I still have to check in with Elaris and report to Father," Cael said calmly.
The words struck her like a blow. Nyx’s mouth fell open, as if to say 'what?' Not only had he called the duke Father at last, but he had also been following her around for pretty much all the time. Now he was leaving?
A sudden realization crept in. 'No way... I couldn’t possibly be alone.'
Nyx briefly glanced at Erica.
Erica’s expression—pained.
Her eyes, filled with longing.
That resoluteness. The aggression she once held.
Nyx hesitated, a thought flickering in her mind.
She wanted to say, 'Maybe I shouldn’t…' but the words never left her lips. Instead, she only gave a small nod
"I understand... take care?" she said awkwardly.
Afterwards, she could only think in disbelief, 'To think that a refusal from the protagonist would cause this much chaos... Truly, how powerful.'
And so, the two set off on their own tour. The Hidden Heroine and the heroine who basked in the brightest spotlight.
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The entire trip was, as expected, nothing short of painful for Nyx. Though Erica tried to spark conversation, each attempt fizzled out before it could take root. Everything they talked about felt like a preface, hollow and false. Nyx knew it, and even if Cael had been with them, it might not have been much better. In fact, it could have been worse.
When Nyx accepted the invitation, it was with Cael in mind. She could speak with him freely, without much effort. But that also meant one thing: Erica most likely would not have felt the same. Realizing this now, Nyx felt a pang of guilt. Maybe that was exactly why Cael had left them alone.
Her grip tightened. 'Damn it… what am I doing?' The thought lingered, but she soon felt grateful that Cael had declined. 'I’ll have to thank him later,' she told herself, surprised at how considerate he could be despite the burdens he carried.
“Miss Nyx, we’ve arrived,” Erica said, stopping in front of a modest-sized shop. The sign above read "Academic Goods". They stood in the market district of the academy, close to the cafeteria, though this shop was clearly reserved for S-rank students.
“I see,” Nyx replied. But before stepping inside, her brows furrowed. “Umm, how expensive are the things inside…?” she asked hesitantly. She fumbled with the pockets of her coat, pulling out a pouch of coins. She probably had enough, but caution was a habit she could not shake.
Erica blinked at Nyx’s scrambling and chuckled softly. “Haha, it’s fine, Miss Nyx. Everything inside is free of charge. I heard they only start charging if you take too much.” Her gaze softened as she looked at Nyx, her golden eyes carrying an unfamiliar warmth. Perhaps it was that warmth that made the girl before her feel easier to approach.
That was why, after holding it in for so long, Erica finally spoke the words caught in her throat.
“Miss Nyx… do you think Cael detests me so much?” Her voice trembled as she lowered her head, then lifted it again, her gaze meeting Nyx’s almost pleadingly. “So much so that he will not even look at me?”
The cold, unyielding demeanor she always wore slipped away. In that moment, Erica was no longer the strong, aloof figure others saw, but simply a girl—one who did not know what to do.
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| Chapter 36 - Unspoken Words