Orthell watched Serena's retreating figure, a victorious smile curling at his lips. The way she'd just barely managed to suppress her rage—how amusing.
"How interesting."
He was about to turn back toward the showers when a sudden wave of intense itching spread from his neck down to his arms.
"…What the—?"
Startled, he looked down—only to find red rashes blooming across his skin. He frowned, thinking it was due to the sweat and stickiness from the match. Grimacing, he quickly made his way back to the locker room, scratching as he went. "I need to wash this off. Now."
Meanwhile, just around the corner, Serena glanced back. Seeing Orthell scratching furiously, she flashed a sweet but dangerous smile.
"Hmph, that's what you get for talking to me like that."
She flicked the short golden hair off her shoulder, spun in a light twirl, and began humming cheerfully to herself.
—Just the day before, she'd secretly gathered fine powder from a plant called Itchvine, found along the academy's back trail.
The edges of Itchvine's leaves were covered in microscopic stinging hairs that, when powdered, caused extreme itching—especially when mixed with sweat. The powder was nearly invisible to the naked eye, making it difficult to detect or defend against.
And just now, when Orthell leaned down to whisper smugly into her ear, she had seized the perfect moment to sprinkle the powder from her sleeve into the inside of his collar.
Flawless timing.
"I wasn't going to use it… but you brought this on yourself~" Serena muttered with a smug little chuckle, folding her arms.
A satisfying "Mission Complete √" feeling bloomed in her chest.
A few days later—
Sunlight streamed in through the windows of Class A's classroom as Mr. Stephen was in the middle of a lecture. Suddenly, the magical communication crystal on the podium began to glow blue. A voice echoed across the school building:
"All members of the competition teams from each year, please proceed to the Great Hall immediately. The results of the Starlight Arts Challenge have been finalized, and the ranking announcement will now begin."
The classroom burst into excited murmurs. All eyes turned to the four students who had participated. Mr. Stephen waved them off casually from the podium. "Go on, the whole class is waiting for your good news."
Serena was the first to leap to her feet. Though her face showed no smile, inwardly she was gleeful.
Yes~ No more classes!
In the hallway, Aiden clutched his shirt nervously. "What if we're dead last…"
Elena rolled her eyes and smacked him lightly on the head. "If you're so scared, go sleep on the field instead."
Lucien sighed. "Elena, I've told you a hundred times—stop hitting him on the head. He'll get dumber."
Elena shrugged. "Oh well."
The four of them rushed to the Great Hall, which was already filled with students from every year. Magical light screens shimmered above the stage.
They took their seats.
The faculty member hosting the ceremony cleared his throat and began announcing the results:
"First place goes to Class 6-A's 'Crystal Mana Stone' project!"
Applause erupted from the audience.
Serena clapped along, then suddenly realized—wait, isn't that Arthur's class? But who were the other team members...?
Huh?
Orthell?
Serena blinked and instinctively looked up at the stage—sure enough, Class 6-A was walking up in a neat line to accept their award. Among them was that familiar figure—Orthell.
Her pink eyes narrowed slightly. So he participated too.
"Second place: Class 4-B, for the 'Light and Shadow Camouflage Cloak'!"
"…"
"And now, third place—Class 1-A, for their 'Unmanned Flying Device' project!"
Serena froze, her round pink eyes wide in disbelief.
They… actually made it into the top three?
"One additional note: Though this team is only from Year One, their 'Unmanned Flying Device' concept stood out for its innovation. The Military Academy has issued a special recommendation, stating that if such a design were realized in the future, it could be used in emergency transport, supply drops, and even battlefield rescue. Today it's a model—tomorrow it might shift the course of war."
Upon hearing this, the four teammates shot to their feet, unable to contain their excitement. Serena's eyes curved into crescents as she grabbed Aiden's hand.
"We did it!"
"Yes!! We're finally not at the bottom!!" Aiden laughed out loud, unable to hide his long-suppressed joy.
The two of them spun in circles, laughing and cheering, as if they wanted to share their happiness with the entire world. Before long, Serena pulled in Lucien and Elena as well, who were still in shock.
"W-Wait, Serena!" Lucien protested with a chuckle. "...Forget it."
The four of them spun hand-in-hand in the center of the hall like children on a spring meadow. Laughter and celebration filled the air, sweet as candy.
When it came time for the awards ceremony, the four climbed the steps to the stage and received their medals and certificates amid applause.
Just as Serena accepted her medal, her gaze happened to drift to the other end of the stage—
And froze.
Orthell was looking right at her. That elegant young noble's face held its usual polite smile, as if he'd been waiting for her to look. His lips curled ever so slightly, eyes calm and unreadable.
Serena's smile faltered. A chill flashed through her gaze, and she stood straight as a board, alert and wary.
But Orthell just kept smiling—like he could see through her thoughts, his expression clearly saying: I know what you did.
Serena's eyes darted back and forth, clearly guilty.
Wait a second… did he figure out that I was the one who used the itch powder on him?!
Attacking a royal is a serious offense… No—just deny it! I destroyed all the evidence anyway.
Three days after the award ceremony—
Their regular class schedule resumed. But today was something special: Class A's long-awaited Sports Day.
"We have P.E. today!"
"Yessss! Dodgeball!"
The students rushed into the gym, excitement buzzing through the air. Serena and Aiden, still riding high from their arts competition victory, were in top form.
"Get ready, Serena! I'm gonna knock you into next week!" Aiden declared, holding a dodgeball triumphantly.
"Bring it on! I'm in champion mode now!" Serena fired back, grinning as she stretched quickly and got into position.
Lucien stood behind them as always—but today, he seemed… off. Serena noticed his sluggish movements and distracted eyes, as if a gray mist hung over him.
"Lucien?" She frowned slightly, just about to approach him when—
BANG!
The gym doors were flung open.
Everyone turned to look.
Another group of students slowly stepped into the gym.
"Huh? Isn't that… Class E?"
"What are they doing here?"
"Isn't this our reserved time slot for the gym?"
The murmurs spread fast, most of them laced with disdain or annoyance.
"Ugh, even E-Class is allowed in here now? Don't mess up the floors."
"I heard they smashed their classroom windows once. Total lunatics."
Though not loud, the words were clear enough to reach the E-Class students' ears.