Side: Yuki

Taiki-kun and I were relaxing in one of the inn's rooms.

"...Somehow, it feels like it lasted forever, yet ended so quickly."

"Yeah... it really does, Yuki-san."

As he spoke, we looked at the tower of the Magic Academy visible through the inn window.

"A lot has happened, huh."

"Yeah."

Taiki-kun muttered, gazing out at the tower just as I was.

So much really did happen.

Countless memories floated into my mind, only to fade away.

"I never thought I'd end up going back to school after being transported to another world."

"Haha... Yeah. But coming here really made me appreciate school."

"Guess that's one of those things you only realize after you've lost it."

"Yeah. Besides, even if I went back to Earth, I'm already four years behind. Going back to a Japanese school sounds terrifying."

"Ah, true. But at least you're not a working adult yet. That's almost a total dead end."

"Ugh, that sounds rough. But I guess that's a big societal issue in modern Japan."

"Pretty much. Though to be fair, nobody on Earth would believe you if you said you were kidnapped to a fantasy world. They'd just think you were slacking off the whole time, so you can't really blame them for judging."

"If someone genuinely spent four years just messing around, you definitely wouldn't want to hire them for your company..."

"Yeah. Even if being kidnapped was the absolute truth, it doesn't give a business a reason to hire someone who can't do the job. At best, you'd be used for company publicity."

"...Society is brutal."

"Honestly, life here might be easier. No resumes, and adventurers live entirely on merit."

"Man... I wish Earth had dungeons too."

"If it did, knowing Japan, they'd set up a whole licensing system just to enter, and actually getting inside a dungeon would be a massive hassle."

"There were light novels with that exact setup, weren't there? But yeah, comparing it to reality, that's probably how it would play out. There's no easy mode in life."

"Guess we just have to keep living step by step."

We kept the conversation blooming, trying to delay leaving this moment for as long as possible.

However, the end arrives equally for everyone. A knock echoed through the room, making us realize that time was finally up.

"Excuse me. Would it be all right if you checked out soon?"

It was the innkeeper.

He was just doing his job, asking a completely reasonable request.

Since we were already packed and had no reason to resist, we immediately headed for the door.

""Thank you for everything.""

The two of us bowed to the innkeeper who had taken care of us all this time.

He'd been a genuinely good man. Not only had he run the inn, but he'd also listened to our problems whenever we needed advice. A truly admirable person.

"No need to thank me. Come back anytime. I'll have more interesting stories waiting for you."

"We definitely will."

"Thank you very much."

With the innkeeper seeing us off, we left the inn.

Now the busy days would begin.

Using everything we'd learned here as our foundation, we'd keep moving forward.

The Academy Arc — END

"HOLD ON, IT'S NOT OVER AT ALL, RIGHT!? What's with this sudden narrative leap where you act like you've already spent six months as students?! Far from being over, it hasn't even started yet!! We literally just arrived in the Academy town!?"

The one chasing after us while shouting was Aegil, the transfer student representing Enaria.

Behind her stood the representatives of the Jilva side—namely, my wives and companions—staring at us with cold, dead eyes.

Taiki-kun and I had desperately explained the terror of story flags to them. Reluctantly, they had agreed to follow our strategy.

However, there was no time to explain everything to Aegil on the Enarian side, nor would she ever understand what a "flag" even meant.

Therefore, after getting permission from the Kings of both Jilva and Enaria to act as the head negotiator, I requested several background favors. As a result, Aegil had been ordered to leave everything to us without being told anything.

That's exactly why Aegil was panicking. She thought that after being entrusted with negotiations, we were giving up on enrolling and heading straight back home, so she was desperately trying to stop us.

Yeah, totally understandable.

In fact, our primary objective was to deliver and officially declare the ceasefire documents, so leaving without even doing that would be a massive diplomatic disaster.

"Hey, Yuki! What on earth is going on!? They told me to leave everything to you, but this is ridiculous! If we go home now, my head's literally going to roll! Please explain!!"

Aegil was practically on the verge of tears.

"...Um, Yuki-san, shouldn't you at least give her an explanation? I feel sorry for her."

"...This is too much. Yuki, you shouldn't bully girls."

"I think so too."

Riel, Kaya, and Tori spoke up, unable to watch the poor fellow suffer any longer.

Yes, the companions this time were mostly those without children. Since it involved attending school, the wives who had kids had chosen to stay behind. Seraria had insisted that bringing children into an academic environment would be inappropriate. Meanwhile, Derieu had simply said she didn't want to neglect her children.

Naturally, our three beastkin companions had illusion magic cast on them to disguise their traits—courtesy of Kaya's illusion magic. As expected of the Fox-kin tribe.

Still, if Aegil acted on her own now, our entire "break every story flag and make life easier" operation would collapse.

"Fine fine. I'll explain everything. Let's head back to the inn."

"Really? You're not going to say we're going home again, are you?"

"Really, really. This is all part of the plan. Though to be honest, I didn't expect such an stupid situation to pop up so fast, but since it happened, we might as well extract some compensation for our trouble."

"Compensation for your trouble?"

"Well, let's save that explanation for once we're back inside."

Saying that, I turned back toward the inn we had just stepped out of, only to find the innkeeper still standing there watching us.

"Excuse me. Do you happen to have any open rooms?"

"Ah, well, a large group just checked out a second ago. I'll need a bit of time to clean the rooms—is that fine?"

Saying that, the innkeeper—or rather, the old guy—grinned knowingly.

"Then please set us up for half a month."

"Got it. Pleasure doing business with you again."

We exchanged a firm handshake.

Yep, this old guy is genuinely a great man. In more ways than one.

Title Change: Breaking the Flags Before Enrollment

And so, we ended up back inside the inn.

However, I needed to explain the sequence of events to everyone—not just Aegil.

As I said earlier, a stupid situation had occurred—In short: a classic cliché, a plot flag, had triggered.

Who would have thought that an event like this would trigger before we even enrolled?

Even Taiki-kun and I had prepared countermeasures for it while laughing about how absurdly cliché it would be, halfway expecting our preparations to be a complete waste of time.

"So what exactly happened? I thought you were going out to buy school supplies, but then you suddenly declared we were heading back home—I completely panicked! I need an explanation that makes sense!"

The moment we stepped back into the room, Aegil immediately demanded an explanation.

The members standing behind her held the exact same look on their faces.

"Alright, alright, I get it. It's going to be a long story, so sit down first. Also, get some tea ready. Ria, if you please."

"Yes, right away."

With Ria starting tea preparations, everyone finally sat down at the table or on the beds.

Since this was a massive suite, it easily accommodated everyone currently in this room. It comfortably fit our entire Academy cover team.

"So, Yuki-san, where do we start?"

Taiki-kun asked, taking a seat beside me.

"Just the reason we turned around is fine, right? The other flags won't make sense even if we explain them, and they're not related to the enrollment."

"Ah, true. Though honestly... this one's practically someone trying to raise a flag on purpose."

"Well, we can discuss that part later."

While we were talking, Ria finished serving tea to everyone in the room.

"Alright then. As for what happened—"

We were standing right at the entrance of the Academy.

Should I say "finally" or "surprisingly easy to get here"...?

"Yuki-san. I'll leave the negotiations to you, right?"

"Yeah. Stick to the plan. If any side-event flags appear, you handle those."

"Got it. So far we've made it here without problems. Hopefully it stays that way."

"If flags started triggering this easily, it'd be unbearable."

"Ara? You two. You do know this is the Magic Academy, Lancer, don't you?"

Laughing together, we stepped onto the academy grounds.

A voice called out from behind us.

It was a female voice, but my instincts immediately screamed danger.

Ah, by the way, "Lancer" is the name of this Academy. Literally meaning "spear," it symbolizes being at the absolute spearhead of magical research.

But that didn't matter right now.

"Are you listening?"

Right, all we had to do was turn around and explain we were transfer students.

However, hearing that overly specific tone of voice, both Taiki-kun and I immediately thought: We are so screwed.

What the hell is this Academy...? A minefield of traps?

"Yuki-san... should we run past? Or turn around? We literally took one step inside and already triggered an event. Is this place a landmine field!?"

Looks like he's thinking the same thing.

Damn it... I'm the one who has to handle this specific type of event.

We split the duties so that I handle main story tropes, while Taiki-kun handles side story tropes. Naturally, the goal was to break every single one.

"Ah, my apologies. We were so entranced by that tower that we didn't notice you right away. Hey, Taiki-kun, someone's behind us."

"Eh—oh, sorry about that."

Thanks to all our preparation, we smoothly covered our awkward delay with a perfectly reasonable excuse.

When we finally turned... There she was.

""!!""

There stood a drill-haired girl with bright golden hair styled into tight ringlets.

Her face was undeniably that of a beautiful girl, but... She was radiating a suffocatingly high-class aura.

To be precise: she wasn't just exuding it, she was actively broadcasting it to the world, as if her entire outfit and posture were designed to advertise, "Look how important I am!"

Confirming her appearance, the two of us bowed our heads while internally screaming in horror.

"(...Yuki-san... Is it okay to laugh? Even among the nobles in my kingdom don't dress like that. What's with that unnecessarily luxurious outfit? I feel like rolling on the floor!!)"

"(...Don't you dare. If you burst out laughing, I'm definitely going to spit out a laugh too. I can't hold it in. Besides, that outfit is probably because of this Academy—people gather from various nations to study magic here, so she's using her clothes to advertise her authority clearly.)"

"(Whoa, that actually makes total sense! I think I can hold my laughter in now. If someone showed up wearing one of those ridiculously extravagant New Year's TV outfits, I could probably survive.)"

"(I couldn't. I'd run away laughing.)"

Just imagining it almost broke my composure.

"What are you whispering about over there? Now then, what business do you have stepping foot into this Academy? You certainly do not look like teachers or janitors..."

The noble ojou-sama looked us up and down as if appraising us.

Our clothes weren't those of nobles — just ordinary adventurer (or rather, mercenary on this continent) outfits.

At this rate, she might call the guards and cause a scene... That was far from the development we were aiming for.

"Right. We came as transfer students. Could you please direct us to the Headmaster? We're not familiar with the layout here yet."

I stated calmly.

I couldn't casually blab about the ceasefire negotiations, especially if this noble ojou-sama belonged to a nation hostile to Jilva or Enaria.

"Huh? Transfer students? That is utterly absurd!"

But the noble ojou-sama laughed mockingly and denied my words.

"Um, even if you say it's absurd, could you at least relay our arrival to the Headmaster? If you check with him, you'll see."

We'd already sent a courier ahead regarding the transfer accompanying the ceasefire, and received a direct reply from the Headmaster permitting the enrollment.

So a simple verification check should clear everything up...

"There is no need to check anything! Enrollment as an exchange student requires formal authorization from national monarchs and explicit permission from the Headmaster himself! For mercenary trash without even an escort to claim themselves as exchange students is a crime worthy of execution! Do you understand?"

Saying that, the noble ojou-sama concentrated her magic power and, without chanting — something only Magic Sword wielders can usually do on this new continent — aimed ice-spear-like things at me and Taiki-kun one by one.

"Yuki-san... This is Plan A, right?"

"Yeah... I didn't think we'd get hit with such a textbook turned-away-at-the-door trope, though."

This situation is a classic event—one of the flags.

You get your credentials mocked, get dragged into a dramatic public scene, get scolded by high officials alongside your aggressor, and end up in a long-standing rivalry with the person who picked the fight.

If the opponent is the same gender, they become a long-term rival or early-game warm-up fodder. If they're the opposite gender, series of events inevitably trigger a romantic flag.

"Very well. If you can repel my magic in a trial of skill, I shall recognize you as prospective exchange students and relay your presence to the Headmaster. What will it be!?"

Yep, way too textbook.

While you're busy fighting her, the Headmaster arrives, breaks up the fight, and assigns blame to both sides. Even though you didn't do anything wrong, you get treated unfavorably just for causing a disturbance.

So we'll use a different approach.

"No, thank you. We'll be taking our leave now. Instead, could you hand this letter to the Headmaster for us?"

Saying that, I held out a letter—one we had prepared in advance specifically for the scenario where we were turned away at the gate.

"If you lack even the spirit to compete, you are disqualified from being students here regardless! And do you honestly expect me to deliver a letter from such suspicious individuals!?"

"Yes, we do."

"And why is that?"

"Because you are clearly a magnificent young lady who takes immense pride in being a member of this Academy. We cannot imagine someone like you taking a letter handed over with a bow and simply throwing it away. You are free to inspect the contents if you wish, but we leave it in your capable hands."

Saying that, both of us bowed deeply.

"Very well... Suspicious as you may be, you at least possess proper manners. I, Samantha, daughter of Duke Huge of the Kingdom of Lodei, shall personally deliver this letter. Now, if your business is finished, leave at once! There are inns in the town; you can sightsee a bit before returning home with a story to tell."

""Thank you very much.""

Expressing our gratitude once more, we immediately turned around and left the Academy.

I was secretly worried she might open the letter right in front of us, but it seems she didn't go that far.

But wait... Duke's daughter from the Kingdom of Lodei!? Isn't that the nation connected to Enaria's corrupt minister?!

Crap... flags are really popping up everywhere.

"That went surprisingly well, didn't it, Yuki-san?"

"Yeah. Now, no matter how things unfold, they have no choice but to back down and welcome us on our terms."

Academy Arc – The End. Operation Successful!

"—And that's what happened."

"You seriously got turned away at the gate and actually went home!?"

Aegil immediately shouted.

"Why didn't you push harder?! Ugh, fine! I'll go there myself!!"

I grabbed Aegil by the shoulder as she tried to leap out of her seat.

"Calm down. There's a proper reason for this, and of course, we got prior approval from King Jilva and His Holiness the Holy King of Enaria. Listen, I'm explaining it now. What I just told you was what happened. The real main event starts now."

"...Fine. But if I'm not convinced, I'm going."

She reluctantly sat back down.

"I have to explain from there, huh? Fine. To put it simply: as a result of this action, the Headmaster and the entire Academy of Lancer now owe us a favor. Actually, given the scale, calling it 'a favor' is a massive understatement."

"Ugh... I'm really not great at non-research topics. Can you explain it in simple terms?"

"In simple terms... let's see. A student from the Academy unilaterally kicked out guests who had formal advance notice for a ceasefire delivery and enrollment permission. No matter how you look at it, that's an international diplomatic incident."

"Eh? Isn't it just a single student being at fault?"

"Leaving it at that might be fine for a nice guy, but in international negotiations, it doesn't work that way. First, it's a failure of the Academy as a whole for not informing its students or preparing a proper reception for exchange students. Furthermore, since our primary business is delivering ceasefire documents, turning us away at the gate effectively communicates to other nations that the Academy is taking sides in international conflicts."

"Ah... ah! When you put it like that..."

Since she wasn't stupid, explaining the logic made her grasp it immediately.

"...Wait? Isn't that insanely bad for the Academy?!"

"Calling it 'bad' is an understatement. We don't know how deep their ties with other nations run, but if word gets out about this, their status as a neutral zone—and the aid they receive—becomes completely meaningless."

"...So, Yuki, you intentionally created this situation to gain absolute leverage over the Academy?"

"Bingo. That's why the two of us intentionally dressed in outfits that were easy to misinterpret."

"Wow, you're sinister. So, what about that letter you prepared in advance?"

"The contents? It's a formal joint complaint letter signed by both King Jilva and His Holiness of Enaria, stating that since our representatives were turned away, we are forced to reconsider our diplomatic relationship with the Academy."

"Whoa... But what if she just threw the letter away?"

"If she threw it away, then we have every right to openly condemn the Academy. Our diplomatic standing becomes even stronger."

"Couldn't the student just claim she never received a letter?"

"Impossible. The entrance guards and this very innkeeper know we visited the Academy. Plus, we showed the King's official signed travel permit to the guards. Remember how shocked they were? That officially confirms we visited the Academy today."

"...Terrifying. Yuki, are you actually a devil?"

"Diplomacy is just how things work. Now, how things develop depends slightly on how that Duke's daughter from Lodei acts."

"Ah! If she reads the letter herself, she'll come running to find us immediately. And if she hands it directly to the Headmaster, we gain absolute leverage over him. Though the girl who honestly handed it over is going to get chewed out big time."

"That's just natural consequences. We acted politely from the start and didn't cause a scene or engage in play-fighting, so we hold zero fault. It's entirely her responsibility."

"I get it now. Instead of being accepted normally, we ended up in a way more advantageous position, right?"

"Exactly."

"And from here, our next move changes depending on their response. Either way, it ends in a net profit for both our nations."

"Until then, just relax quietly in the inn. Don't step outside."

"Why not?"

"Since they committed such a massive blunder, they'll definitely try to find a flaw on our end to make it a mutual fault. If you wander outside, it wouldn't be surprising if they try to stage something. So stay quiet in here until they come looking for this inn themselves."

When I said that, everyone in the room stared at me with icy eyes.

"No doubt, Yuki really is a devil."

When Aegil said that, everyone nodded in unison.

Well, our preparations are complete. Let's see how the Headmaster moves.

"Yuki-san, what should we do about that other matter?"

Taiki-kun brought up that topic.

Ah, right. We ran into that on our way back.

"Leave it for now. We'll end up meeting them at the Academy anyway."

"Well, true. But man, that was hilarious. So that's what an overt protagonist looks like in real life."

That's right—on our way back to the inn, we saw it... Or rather, we witnessed it.

The very embodiment of a textbook fantasy protagonist.

...Please, God, let us have zero involvement with them.