After the commotion with Ethan over the Necromancy Studies subject, which ultimately ended with us deciding to take it for the sake of overcoming my weakness, Ethan carefully selected the final course, his hand settling on a class titled "Marine Studies."

"This will be the last one," he said.

"Marine Studies?" I asked.

"Yeah. There was that time when you almost got into trouble fighting the Kraken. I thought this would be a good chance for you to work on that."

"I think that’s a reasonable choice," I agreed.

Swimming was still a weak point for me, but I could learn during this course. Besides, there was another name for Marine Studies, and having caught on to Ethan’s real intentions, I naturally had no choice but to accept his suggestion.

‘It’s called “Marine Studies,” but it’s practically just a “Beach Vacation,”’ I thought to myself.

I never imagined Ethan would ask me out on a date in such a way. I’ll have to buy a swimsuit soon. Since there aren’t many swimsuits that come in sizes matching Lilith’s chest, I’ll just get something simple in black and maybe modify it with some maid frills.

Who would’ve thought he’d say he wanted to see me in a swimsuit? It seems Ethan has a sneaky side after all.

"We’ll be taking all the same classes this semester, won’t we, Young Master Ethan?" I noted.

"Yeah… I guess we will. I’m counting on you, Lilith," he said.

And with that, we finalized the schedule for the second semester. I should ask Agnes later to see how many of our classes overlap. Her schedule would likely match that of the Hero’s party, so I could find out which events the villain might participate in this semester.

____________

The day after Ethan and I finished registering for our classes, I sat on a bench in the central square with Agnes, casually discussing some of our upcoming courses.

"Natural Studies? We’re not taking that," Agnes said.

"Oh? Then what course will you be taking during that time?" I asked.

"Not sure. The Hero mentioned something about heading to the desert."

"Ah, the Solar Studies course," I mused.

"Yeah, I think that’s what it was. He insisted on planning the entire schedule himself, so he took all of our registration forms and filled them out."

"I see."

It seemed like the Hero was sticking to the original plan of raising the Hero’s party properly. Though some might find it strange that a character as proud as Agnes would let someone else dictate her schedule, this actually aligned quite well with her personality in the original story.

Agnes was the type who would take action without hesitation if she thought it would benefit her. Specifically, she acted in ways that furthered her position in the succession competition. Her behavior in the Spirit Studies class, where she’d swallowed her pride to follow my instructions, and her initial acceptance of her courtship with Prince Antonio were both results of this pragmatic mindset.

As for the Hero, he had already secured Agnes’s trust by helping her win the hunting festival twice. Following his advice was clearly the best way for her to build her own accomplishments in the succession race.

This, in turn, worked out well for me, as I could now get a glimpse into the Hero’s class schedule.

‘Solar Studies, huh? A solid choice,’ I thought.

The only reason I had picked Natural Studies was to gain experience, but in the main story, Solar Studies was the more orthodox choice. By taking that class, one could farm ancient relics in desert temples and even receive divine revelations from the Sun God, which granted new skills.

Of course, none of that applied to me. If I picked up any ancient relics, it might interfere with the Hero’s progress, and the new skill event was exclusive to the Hero.

After confirming the first course, I moved on to ask about the others.

"Are you taking Geology Studies?"

"Yeah, I’m signed up for that one."

"Good. I’ll be taking Geology Studies as well."

"Great. What about the third-week course? Are you taking Humanities Studies?"

"Yep, I am. You too?"

"Yes. I decided that fighting only predetermined monsters wouldn’t make me stronger, so I enrolled."

Since both our schedules matched up with Geology and Humanities, there was no need for further concern. As for the fourth week, while I had chosen Necromancy Studies, the Hero and Agnes had opted for Demonology Studies.

The fourth week’s courses weren’t particularly important, so I didn’t need to worry about it too much.

‘For the fifth week, Marine Studies… they probably won’t take that.’

Given the Hero’s inclination to avoid unnecessary distractions, I doubted he would sign up for the swimsuit event. The fifth week’s course was essentially a beach trip, and whether one chose the forest or the ocean didn’t make much difference.

"So, for the fifth week, you’re taking Forest Studies, right? Got it, Agnes."

"Huh? No, I’m taking Marine Studies in the fifth week."

"…Really?"

"What, are you taking Forest Studies, Lilith?"

"No, I’m also taking Marine Studies."

"Great! We’re in the same class again."

…Marine Studies? Really?

I was perplexed by the Hero’s decision, but I merely nodded in acknowledgment of the information Agnes had shared with me.

‘Well… I guess no one can resist the allure of swimsuits,’ I thought.

As long as it was just for viewing pleasure, I suppose there was no harm in indulging in some harmless fun.

Even though Agnes and Luke were more on the plain side, I couldn’t deny that I was curious about how Seraphine, Natalie, and Silena would look in swimsuits.

In a way, this might turn out to be a good thing. I’d always wondered what it would be like to see the swimsuit cutscenes from the original story in real life.

"Oh, and by the way, do you know if the Hero arranged anyone else’s schedule besides yours?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think he did it for Natalie, Thomas, Silena, and Cerista too. Not sure about Seraphine, though."

"Thanks for letting me know."

"By the way, why does my schedule matter so much to you?" Agnes asked, a bit suspicious.

"Let’s just say it’s important if it’s important, but not if it’s not. Either way, you’ve been helpful, Agnes."

"Hmm, if you say so."

Seraphine’s schedule was likely the same as the Hero’s, and since Luke was practically her shadow, they would probably spend the entire semester glued together. Counting the Hero, Seraphine, and Luke, there were eight people in total.

If we exclude Cerista, who was more of a bonus character, and add Orion (who had already graduated), we’d have a full eight-member Hero party plus one.

‘Good balance, all main characters, and apart from Seraphine, Silena, and Cerista, none of them have romantic feelings for the Hero,’ I thought.

With the Hero having laid the groundwork for a serious attempt at subjugating the Demon King, it was now my turn.

There were still four heroines at Luminar Academy who didn’t have a set partner. First, there was Kael from the Martial Arts Club, who was now in her second year. Then there were three new characters arriving at the academy this year.

One of them was Angela, a newly appointed professor. The second was Mezlena, the Fourth Imperial Princess, a freshman royal whom I had previously speculated might be a candidate for Ethan’s fiancée. Lastly, there was Princess Rainey from the Kingdom of Defrin, another potential fiancée for Ethan.

Naturally, the further down the list, the harder it would be for me to intervene. I could befriend Kael since I was her senior, but it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to approach a professor or royalty with questionable motives.

So, even though starting with Kael seemed like the obvious choice, there was something I needed to do first to establish a connection with Mezlena.

That task was to make a solid impression on the Fourth Imperial Princess as soon as she arrived at the academy.

As I stood waiting at the academy’s front gate, a grand imperial carriage quietly pulled up, and two members of the imperial family gracefully stepped out.

"Let me take that. I’ll carry it from here," said Antonio, the Fifth Imperial Prince, who looked slightly more dependable than in the original story.

And following behind him, descending from the carriage with striking crimson twin-tails, was the Fourth Imperial Princess, Mezlena.