After finishing all the arrangements, Avier left the classroom.
Having missed four years of classes, Yuriko had only a vague understanding of the arrangements Avier had mentioned during the lecture, and there were many parts she didn’t quite grasp.
Carmilla, who was sitting next to her, noticed Yuriko’s confusion and said to her, “Ruri, you just got here. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me anytime.”
“I do have some points I’m unclear on.”
Yuriko had originally planned to ask Phantom, but since Phantom wasn’t a student, her answers wouldn’t be able to fully resolve Yuriko’s doubts.
Just as she was about to ask Carmilla a question, Yuriko noticed the light around her dimming.
Turning around, she found that her seat was already blocked by seven or eight people, surrounding her so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.
She froze for a moment, not reacting to what they were trying to do.
Recalling that she had mentioned during her self-introduction that anyone looking for trouble could wait until after class, Yuriko assumed these classmates were all there to cause trouble for her.
‘This is bad, Phantom. Isn’t the number of people looking for trouble a bit much?’
“You drew the aggro yourself, so solve it yourself, meow.”
Yuriko wasn’t actually afraid of them.
Having spent so many years struggling in the underworld, she hadn’t been afraid even when surrounded by dozens of people, let alone a mere seven or eight.
However, she couldn’t use violent means now, nor could she act too crude or vulgar.
That would inevitably lower her reputation among her classmates, which wouldn’t be beneficial for her competition for the “Star of the Academy.”
Solving this through non-violent means was quite difficult for Yuriko.
After a brief moment of thought, Yuriko prepared herself mentally to face the group of classmates.
‘Come on! It’s just about not using my hands. I can do this if I put my mind to it!’
However, the first student’s words made Yuriko daze once again.
“Student Ruri, you were so amazing just now! You were so composed in that situation. You’re so cool!”
The female student speaking had eyes sparkling with admiration.
Her expression wasn’t the scowl Yuriko had expected; instead, she wore a passionate, smiling face.
‘Eh? Why are they praising me?’
Yuriko had prepared herself to be humiliated.
No matter how low these students’ attack power was, they could at least mock her a little, right?
Yet, the first sentence she heard was actually a compliment?
Although surprised, she had to respond quickly.
If her reply was slow or too perfunctory, it might dampen her classmates’ enthusiasm.
In a flash, Yuriko came up with a response.
“You flatter me. I just wanted to leave a better impression on everyone. I wouldn’t want to be seen as an easily angered, violent person~”
As the largest and most violent element in Pilgrimage City, Yuriko said those words with a straight face.
If they weren’t in the academy and someone dared to challenge her publicly, Yuriko’s gentlest method would have been to slap them unconscious.
“Wow, even the way she talks is so elegant, just like a lady. Is Student Ruri a noble from somewhere?”
‘I’m not a lady! If I weren’t acting, who would talk like this!’
“I’m a local from Pilgrimage City, just an ordinary person. If you think I speak elegantly, it’s probably because I have a good role model. My sister taught me my etiquette. She is a very excellent person.”
Her sister did indeed teach her etiquette, but it was certainly not because Yuriko viewed her as a role model.
During those few days of special training, Yuriko’s palms had been struck by a ruler more than a few times.
She had some complaints about such a method used for children.
After several protests, her sister decided to listen to Yuriko’s suggestion and changed the palm-striking to a spanking, which finally silenced Yuriko’s objections.
‘Palms were fine, as long as it wasn’t my butt.’
“Student Ruri has a sister? I have one at home too, but unfortunately, she’s not as good as yours.”
“Sigh, I only have an older brother who’s many years older than me. There’s no comparison at all.”
“Student Ruri is so beautiful. Do you have any secrets for maintaining your appearance?”
“Student Ruri’s pet is so cute! Can I touch it?”
“Wait, I think this black cat looks more like a familiar…”
The number of people speaking grew, and there were even two or three people talking to Yuriko at the same time, making it hard for her brain to process everything.
‘Wait, you guys are too enthusiastic! Don’t all talk to me at once. One at a time!’
Surrounded in the center, Yuriko was already feeling a bit dizzy.
Mosquito-coil circles swirled in her beautiful pink eyes, and she didn’t know who to respond to first.
While Yuriko was in a dilemma, a gentle voice drifted over.
It wasn’t loud, but it reached everyone’s ears perfectly.
“Everyone, calm down. You’re making the new student feel uncomfortable!”
The students looked toward the source of the voice.
The one speaking was Carmilla, who had been pushed out of the circle from the start.
Because of her timid nature, she hadn’t found a chance to speak until she saw Yuriko was unable to cope.
Reminded by her, the crowd finally realized they had been pressing too hard and forgot to consider Yuriko’s feelings.
“I’m sorry, I think I got too excited…” one female student was the first to apologize.
After she started, the others who had been talking to Yuriko also expressed their apologies.
Yuriko cast a grateful glance at Carmilla, then gathered her thoughts and said to the students:
“It’s all right. I’m a bit flattered that everyone is so interested in me, but since there’s only one of me, it’s hard to handle your passion. We have a long time to spend together, so there’s plenty of time to get to know each other slowly.”
With Yuriko’s reminder, the students surrounding her also noticed there were too many of them.
Seven or eight people were crowded around her desk so tightly that not even light could get through.
No one could handle that.
“Then let’s come find Student Ruri later. Bye-bye~”
“I need to go to the restroom. Excuse me.”
To avoid leaving a worse impression on the new student, they each found an excuse to leave, finally giving Yuriko some quiet space.
“Phew, everyone is so enthusiastic. I almost embarrassed myself in front of everyone. Thank you, Carmilla~”
Having escaped, Yuriko immediately thanked Carmilla.
Fortunately, Carmilla had reminded them in time.
After being made dizzy by their questions, Yuriko had felt a momentary impulse to drive them all away.
If not for Carmilla’s help, she would have left a bad impression, which wouldn’t have been good.
“I didn’t really do much. I should have helped you sooner so you wouldn’t have been so troubled,” Carmilla said, regretting her late action.
Yuri, who was lying behind them, watched the interaction between Yuriko and Carmilla and suddenly said:
“Carmilla is truly kind, isn’t she, Student Yuriko?”