After arriving in the classroom, Luo Yu took his seat.
For now, the seating arrangement was temporary. Once everyone arrived, the homeroom teacher would reorganize the layout.
Considering his height, Luo Yu estimated he would likely remain in one of the back rows.
He set his books on the desk, stretched lazily, then pulled out his phone and opened the Marketplace app.
In less than an hour, several new commissions had already appeared.
"Hm… Two hikers killed by a cursed spirit in the outskirts. Based on inspection, the curse is classified as Grade 1. That level is acceptable. The reward's generous too—five million yen. The problem is its exact location hasn't been confirmed, so it requires on-site investigation. Searching deep in the mountains will be troublesome, and it's quite far from here. I'll keep an eye on it. If no one takes it by Friday, I'll accept it."
A Grade 1 cursed spirit was not something most sorcerers could handle with certainty. Especially with the task restricted to Chiba, higher-grade sorcerers from other regions would be unlikely to intervene.
There was a strong chance the commission would eventually fall to him.
After reviewing the tasks, Luo Yu browsed the marketplace section. Most listings involved cursed tools for sale or purchase—nothing that caught his interest.
Gradually, the classroom filled.
Compared to the first day, some students had already formed small social circles. Laughter and conversation drifted through the room.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura stood chatting cheerfully with three girls beside her seat.
In contrast, Yukino Yukinoshita—equally striking in appearance—sat alone, quietly reading a book.
In that sense, she resembled Luo Yu.
He himself had barely interacted with anyone the previous day, spending breaks wandering the school and investigating its hidden presences.
Suppressing a yawn, Luo Yu finally saw the homeroom teacher enter to rearrange the seating.
First came a lottery draw, assigning new seats randomly. Then adjustments were made based on height.
From the start, Luo Yu drew a seat in the back row—and not just any seat, but the very last row by the window in the corner.
Perfect for slacking off.
In front of him sat Eriri Spencer Sawamura.
To his right sat Yukino Yukinoshita.
After observing the arrangement, Luo Yu stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Was he surrounded by heroines?
As he pondered this, Ranni's voice drifted into his mind.
"My king, those two girls possess rather pleasing appearances and refined temperaments."
"Hm?"
He glanced at Ranni on his shoulder, then at Yukino Yukinoshita quietly reading beside him, and replied in a low voice, "Why mention that all of a sudden?"
Ranni spoke softly, almost contemplatively.
"It is merely an observation. In The Lands Between, girls of this sort were rare. And as for the time it will take before I regain a proper body… it is uncertain. I believe you could take additional queens, if you wished."
"…What?"
Luo Yu had not expected that.
He rubbed his temple lightly. "There's no need. Truly."
"Is there truly no need?" Ranni asked calmly. "I am always by your pillow at night. Your morning reactions are not invisible to me. There is no reason to deceive me."
Silence.
Luo Yu felt a faint wave of embarrassment.
"Well… that can't be helped. I'm young. Some reactions are normal. You don't need to overthink it."
Ranni's eyes curved faintly in amusement as she continued.
"My thoughts remain unchanged. You need not worry about my jealousy. However, there is a condition. Any girl chosen by you must not be inferior. At the very least, she must be comparable to those two."
For now, Luo Yu chose to ignore her entirely.
He truly had no such intentions at present.
Yet their conversation stirred memories of someone from The Lands Between.
Melina.
When he had first arrived—after the maiden meant to accompany the Tarnished had already perished—it was Melina who found him, granting him the power to channel Runes for strength and entrusting Torrent to him.
No matter how he tried to dissuade her later, she had ultimately chosen her own path—leaping into the Forge of the Giants, sacrificing herself to fulfill her mission.
Seeing the distant look in Luo Yu's eyes, Ranni remained silent for a moment before asking quietly,
"My king… are you thinking of Melina?"
He nodded gently.
"In The Lands Between, I did not know many people. Aside from you, there was Melina… and those at the Roundtable Hold."
Ranni's tone carried a trace of quiet reflection.
"There is no need for regret. Melina followed her own chosen path. Her identity remained hidden even from us demigods. Only after encountering Messmer in the Realm of Shadow did fragments of the truth surface. The past… and Queen Marika's true intentions… remain unclear to this day. It is possible that Melina—and even we—were but pieces upon Marika's board."
She paused.
"All we can do is live without regret for the choices we have made."
Luo Yu exhaled slowly and nodded.
The class bell rang.
He took out his English textbook and set it on his desk.
At that moment, Yukino Yukinoshita, seated to his right, cast him a curious glance.
It hadn't been intentional, but she had clearly noticed his lips moving intermittently throughout class—yet no sound had escaped.
Judging from his expression, he certainly wasn't playing some silent monologue game.
So what exactly was going on?
As she opened her textbook, her mind began to turn.
After the morning classes ended, lunchtime arrived.
Luo Yu packed his things and left the classroom, heading toward the cafeteria.
As they walked, Ranni spoke softly.
"My king, during the morning lessons, the girl seated to your right glanced at you thirty-two times. And now, she is following behind us."
"Hm?"
Luo Yu shot her a surprised look, then subtly sensed the presence trailing him—the faint awareness of eyes resting upon his back.
During class, he had been lost in thought, contemplating the design of Ranni's temporary body, and had not noticed.
After a brief pause, he replied calmly,
"She probably noticed that when I speak with you, no sound comes out. It must look like I'm acting out a silent play alone. Curiosity, nothing more. There's no need to worry."