Otoburi

First Year First Semester – Chapter 4

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First Year First Semester – Q of Hearts

Note: Please don’t read it in the little pop-up for the reader. For some reason it doesn’t reflect my later edits (which I often make a lot of after publishing), so please click ‘view original’.

Why do the places called ‘school’ all love exams so much?
Even though it was right after taking the entrance exams, as soon as we started out the semester, we were given some incomprehensible “First Test”.

My results?
You want to know? You really want to know…?

“Camille, this isn’t the time to be spacing out, know you? You’re taking the supplementary exam, aren’t you?”

Ruthlessly, my fiancé disclosed my current situation.
Achille, you bastard, why do you know my results? And moreover, you even know about the supplementary exam! Each and every time, just where does this childhood friend of mine get his information from?

“God, I’ve already gotten into the school, so general education is just unnecessarryyy!”

“…If your marks are too bad, you might get expelled you know?”

“My magic exam schools are good, so it’s okay!”

. .

“…If you pass the supplementary exams, as a reward I’ll buy you the newest edition of the magic items dictionary, you know?”

“The new edition of the magic items dictionary!? The one that’s super hard to get a hold of?”

“I have a connection.”

“Achille-sama! Please let me try my best!”

“Well then, let’s go to the library. Right now.”

I obediently nodded, and was brought to the library by Achille.
We passed through a hallway on the way that had the top 10 achievers names posted up. …I’m really glad that they don’t post up the names of those who need supplementaries.
Hatefully, Achille is the top of the whole general course for the test.
Third place for the magic exam as well, and altogether number one… As expected, he’s become higher spec than when he was in a game. Royce-sama has reasonably good results too.

I’m number one for the magic exam, but all of my general curriculum subjects were fails, so my combined results were tragic.
There’s one more person who tied top in the magic exam but… it was somebody unexpected. Just like me, they smacked out a perfect result. I didn’t expect that they would be magically inclined though…

“You can do it if you try, Camille.”

“Even if you say that…”

“For a while there’ll be less work, so of course you’ll be putting that time into studying, right?”

“Yeah, but…”

Despite the library being quite large, there were few people.
The whole student body comprises fifty or sixty people, so you can tell just how many people need to study right this instant.
During this period, there’s no demand for a library.

“Camille, let’s go sit over there.”

Achille and I took up seats in a corner, far away from the reception. It’s a place that makes it difficult for the other students to see us.
It seems to be Achille’s own way of showing concern by making sure my exam failure isn’t exposed to the other students. Or it could be that he doesn’t want people to know that his fiancée failed.

“Okay, open up your textbook!”

“Uuu…”

For the sake of the new edition of the magic item dictionary, I have no choice but to study.
I gathered my determination, and opened up the massive textbook. First up is the subject that I’m less bad at, the history of this nation.
History sure is hard to remember, huh? There are too many people with the same name. Back when I was in high school as well, there were all these Fujiwaras and Tokugawas, so I had a hard time…

“Camille, for this question…”

Achille began explaining to me. His explanations are really easy to understand, so once I’ve heard it once, I won’t make a mistake a second time.
It’d be nice if I went through things with him each time I learnt something new, but getting lost in my magic research and job, before I knew it, the day of the exam had come.

“Achille, you’re close.”

“If I don’t sit closer, I won’t be able to teach you, right?”

“But…”

How do I say this? Isn’t he kind of sticking too closely to me? Last time when we studied, I don’t think he was this close, but…
I mean, his left hand! Achille’s left hand is on my waist…

“Camille, are you listening? Look, you aren’t concentrating at all.”

“I am listening, you know? Your lessons are easy to remember… They’re Spartan, though.”

But I might not be able to concentrate…
No good, if I fail this supplementary exam as well, I’ll end up stuck with supplementary lessons.
Won’t the precious time I have to enjoy magic get cut down? Already, I’m cutting down my work time for my studies…

I don’t want my work time to get cut down. When I talked to Aimée about this before entering school, she looked at me with slightly disapproving eyes, and said “You sure are father and daughter, aren’t you?”.
I asked Otousama to increase my workload, but I was rejected… It looks like I have no choice but to put effort into my studies.

Achille is quite patient, and is willing to teach me. He’s cutting down his own free time.
Even someone like me feels sorry about that.

“Achille… I’ll pay you back for this later, okay? You’re always helping me with my studies, so I’m quite grateful to you.”

“There’s no need to thank me. After all, looking after you isn’t something that started just now.”

He’s completely right… I’m feeling exceedingly sorry about all this.

“I don’t hate being alone together with you like this, you know?”

“But because of that, time spent on yourself is getting cut down.”

“This is time spent on myself though…”

“As if that’s the case!”

“You’re not the one who gets to decide that, Camille. I’m the one who gets to choose what to do with my time, after all.”

Today, Achille is being overbearing in various ways.

“Uuu…”

There’s no choice.
I’ve given up. If we end up arguing, somebody like me has no chance of beating Achille.

※

“Phewww, it’s over~!”

Somehow or other I managed to get through the material for all the subjects in the supplementaries. After this, all I need to do is review the material by myself.
The night is already about to begin, and it’s pitch black outside the window. There’s nobody left except the library staff.

“You sure tried hard. With this, you’re fine for your supplementaries.”

“Mn, thank you Achille. You really saved me… Supplementary lessons wouldn’t be funny.”

“That’s right, it wouldn’t be funny. If your time got taken up by something like that, I’d be bothered after all.”

“Eh…”

“As for the pay back that you mentioned, is it okay if I make a request?”

“…? Of course.”

Suddenly, Achille who was sitting in the seat next to me forcefully pulled me over with the left hand he had wrapped around my waist, and hugged me.

“Fuwah-? Eh-? Achille?”

What’s going on? For him to suddenly cling to me… This hasn’t happened even once before.

“Camille… I like you.”

Heh? L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-Like? ‘Like’ as in that like? That one? Not this one? He doesn’t mean this ‘like’, but that ‘like’, right?
E-, Even I’ve had a boyfriend before in my past life, okay!? We broke up in just two weeks, though. We did nothing but hold hands, though!
But I at least have enough ability to distinguish which “like” he means, okay?
This is the “Affection Plus Friendship”-type “like”. …Right?

“Umm… Achille, this…”

Achille’s cobalt eyes are narrowed lustfully and peering in on my face. What does he mean to do by turning on his passion on me at full force? Use it somewhere else.

“Like I said, I’m claiming my reward.”

I see! So Achille is taking a non-physical reward out of kindness. Then just this time, I’ll take him up on his words.

“If it’s just this, you can hug me as much as you want, you know? I don’t think that hugging someone like me is anything near enough of a thank you, though.”

“…”

Achille has bcome quiet, still hugging me. He looks kind of discouraged… Why?
So he really is dissatisfied with someone like me as repayment? Even though he should have just done something like this whenever he wanted.

“Umm, Achi-…”

“Even though I already told you that I was fine with you. Even though I said that I liked you… Why won’t you believe me?”

“…Heh?”

For some reason, Achille is in a bad mood.

“How many times do I have to confess before you’re happy? Why do you immediately write things off with the words “someone like me”?”

“Because, that’s-”

“There’s no way that I’d help a girl each and every time with her studies if I didn’t like her, right? Camille, just what on earth do you think I am?”

A saintly childhood friend with deep feelings of friendship. Was that wrong?

“Camille, you’re too dull. I thought that you were gradually noticing, but you’re showing no signs of noticing at all…”

I started feeling awkward, and clumsily averted my eyes. I don’t know what kind of face to make. I mean, it’s Achille, you know?
Up until now, I’ve shown him all my worthless and pathetic parts. I can guarantee that I’ve worn him out.

“I got engaged to you because I like you, and those feelings haven’t changed even now.”

“No way…”

“Even if I’m your fiancé, if you don’t want to then I won’t do anything, okay? Your feelings take preference, and… Or so I was thinking, but I’m sick of doing nothing but waiting. I’ve reached my limit. There are rude bastards who are trying to take you from the side too, after all.”

I couldn’t really hear the second half, but Achille telling me that he likes me in that way is… I somehow understand. I ended up understanding.
Which means that all the kindness up until now was for that reason as well? Helping me with studying today as well…

“Holy crap…”

“…That’s my line. How long do you think this took?”

“You have bad taste huh, Achille?”

“Seriously.”

I can tell that my blood is rushing to my face. My face is probably redder than it’s ever been. If I didn’t insult him, I don’t think I’d be able to stand from the embarassment. With my face still hanging, I’m frozen like a statue.
Even if I try to run, Achille is tightly holding onto my whole body.

“Camille.”

He slowly called out my name. In a voice that’s sweeter than I’ve ever heard it.
What is this? It’s earthshatteringly embarassing, you know?

“Raise your face?”

“N-, No way!”

My face is absolutely red right now. As if I’d show such a pathetic face to this guy!

But my resistance was futile, and my chin was forcefully raised by Achille’s hand.

“Let go… -!”

“Huhu… Your face is red.”

Achille’s expression looks incredibly happy. Is my pathetic face that amusing?
So cruel!

“Gee-… Stop, that’s embarassing.”

“It looks like… I have a bit of a chance, huh? Right, Camille?”

As if I’d know! Please, just give me a break already, and stop looking at my face!

It’s no good, I’m at my limit. I don’t think I can bear this nauseatingly sweet mood anymore. Alright, let’s escape!

“T-, that’s right! I suddenly remembered something incredibly important that I have to attend to!”

I began speaking in a loud voice.

“…Hm~m?”

Achille is grinning. Damnit, in psychological warfare, I have no way of winning at all.

“If it’s something important, then it can’t be helped, huh? I’ll walk you to your room.”

“Umm, I can go by myself, so… Let’s part here.”

“I’ll walk you to your room.”

He’s pushing it with a smile. There’s no need to get into work mode in a place like this, so geez!

In the end, it was impossible to disrupt Achille’s pace, and because there was arguing, I let him see me to my room.

Author’s Note: The tables have turned.

TL Note:

flying_ship_by_derricksong-d7hh12u

 

 

 

 

 

*imouto*

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58 thoughts on “First Year First Semester – Chapter 4”

  4. Gosh, the author, such a troll, mentioning a tying magic exam but not revealing it. Also is it just me or is achille like some sort of spymaster or something? Knowing her schedule, likely before she even does. Access to books the daughter of the head magician couldn’t get. I wouldn’t be surprised if he drugged some students to make sure she passed the general exam, if the grade was peer based.

    I really like how they agree that he has an apparently bad taste in women. Honestly though, someone willing to take a blade for her friends is instantly in my good books. Doubly so if she can solo a freaking Dragon.

    Hey author, your note is misleading. It’s more of the status quo, just with more awkwardness. He pushes, she dodges. He predicts the dodge, the push was a feint, trapping her, she throws the game board and declares herself the victor.

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  8. Kyaaaaaaaa~! (everyone girly screaming after reading this chapter)
    After the kaboom the ship continued to sail at high speed!!!!
    Finally \o/ \ol lol lo/ /o/
    Way to go Achille!
    Thanks for the release nii-tan!

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    1. What about the hurricane Frau?’ Or any if the swapped fools, for that matter. The main anxiety for me is the hypercompetence of Achille and his can’t-think-straight attitude with Camille. Achille as Yandere is the scariest thing I can think of. Well, short of magical nuke or something.

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      1. Well, previously there’s the option of ending in yandere route via that social obliteration she’s so afraid of (putting her in poor life then offer her a helping hand, for a price)

        But with this chapter I think he’s reassured that she’s now aware of him as a man, so if anything he’ll slowly advance until she gives in. And instead of agonizing over “why won’t she notice me” it’s now “I wonder how shall I tease her next”

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  9. My life is complete now. That’s what I normally would say, but I seriously want to see more. I need moar. I’m addicted to this now. Thanks for the chapter!

    PS: Next chapter needs to be a POW from the prince spying on the whole thing. I would roflmao so hard I may actually die.

    Liked by 5 people

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  11. Thanks for the chap imouto sama~

    The ship once again sail after the anchor being throw over and over. Now let see whether any ship would ram this one from the side and steal the spotlight

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  13. Lololol getting better and better! Just watch out for hurricane Frau! Oh boy Achilles needs to press the attack while there’s an opening. Sail those storms!

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  14. Some small errors:
    “about to begni”
    “I ended up undersatnding.”

    Thanks you once again! Man that ship will not be denied! It got its loaded & pointed & ready to fire dammit’

    SS Pinky got lots of maneuvering to do…

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  15. The funniest thing? As a shoujo story with an Otome game scenario. The worst that we can expect is psychological warfare. But Achille is immune to that, and Camille is as well (although for a different reason).
    So when insults, and whispered nothing fail, what do they do in this stories? They resort to threats, no?

    That is where the trolling starts. Our Heroine is actually a Shounen Hero who was thrown into a shoujo series. So threats are actually laughable. All these people know when it comes to ‘physical action’, is pushing someone down, or hitting their books, or maybe, if things get bad, get a click of girls to come and push and step on you while tearing out your hair. This one also has servants with decent combat abilities in some cases since they are nobles. Which WOULD be enough for any Shoujo Heroine and their love interest to feel terrified, and curse at the unjustness of the world.
    But as stated before, our heroine is from the Shounen world. Pushing someone down? Her tattoo would cause you to sprain your wrist as if you tackled a wall. Hit her books? They will probably fly back into her hands after they break your nose. Gather a bunch of prissy girls to beat you up? The school would be in an uproar trying to find the bodies. (Or if she took more than the broom flying from Harry Potter. Maybe she will turn them into frogs like poor Neville. XD) Even the servants of their houses, that MIGHT have been dangerous to anyone else due to their combat abilities. She ranks in the TOP of the combat magicians, and I bet magic researchers as well, in her country.
    Any threats made to Camille, whether directly to her, or to Achille, will be waved off as the cries of fools. And if they themselves don’t take care of the problem right there and then (Remember that Achille is also quite powerful. XD), it just means you are that worthless, or they are planning to cut of the head of the beast at the right moment. The moment when they can rip out its spine, crush its skeletal frame, and incinerate the remains.

    I LOVE THIS SERIES!!

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    1. In other words, if the enemy it’s <Dragon, the outcome is laughable.

      Being serious here, though, there are explicit references to bloody power struggles, civil wars and coups and the like. The battle would doubtless not be on a small scale of school level hijinks, but political screw ups costing thousands of lives. Yeah, the protagonist themselves should be safe in any situation short of magical nuclear war, but their people won't.

      That is the shadow hanging over the stories characters. I just hope the other switchers realized that.

      In lighter news, didn't Camille make an insanely useful set of spells at like age 5, I wonder what her Dragon skewering spell set is?

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    2. Heh that’s cute you think it’s just a shoujo story with an Otome game scenario. You might want to recheck the different endings of the game scenarios from the very first chapter/memo most of them are still on the table.

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    3. Small problem here, there are few things so dangerous as someone with a huge amount of power and no clue how to use it properly. Granted, most of the harm will be self inflicted, but collateral damage can be catastrophic. If my guess about a certain Fräulein (she obviously isn’t married, but it feels weird to use “Frau” as a name, so Fräulein) is correct.

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      1. Yeah, but no. From my understanding of the language, using Fräulein is no longer common use.

        Getting back to the topic at hand, it’s like what I said a few chapters back. Playdoh-and-foil nuclear triggers. Perhaps is running a ballistic missile off of a model rocket handbook.

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  18. Thank you for the release! School girls are fine, but sexy magicians are the best. They should add that.

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  20. we started out semester, > the semester
    they’ll be less work > there will
    far away from reception. > the reception
    about to begni > begin
    passion on my at > me
    hear the second have > have?
    up undersatnding >
    was for that reson > reason
    expression look incredibly happy > looks?

    Some suggestions again, is the ship real this time? i keep having this nagging suspicion that its a cardboard cutout… or a floating waterlogged barrel..

    Liked by 1 person

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  21. Damn that was a surprise. I seriously thought it would take him longer to finally tell her bluntly, or at least a scene with a suitor trying to make a big move before he finally did it. He even got a reaction from her. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to give a fictional character a congratulatory hug and pat on the back more that I do right now. He deserves it.

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  31. I feel so at peace. My ship SAILED!! 😊 Now I can finally go to sleep. Don’t worry it’s not even 3:00 AM and tomorrow is Sunday. Oh god, you got me addicted.

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  41. *Dies laughing* Poor, poor Cami. She’s almost as dense as Bakarina. Seriously loving this story.

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