That day was just another ordinary day.

Well, except for the rain falling from the sky and the fact that it hadn’t been long since the new students arrived. Other than that, everything was the same as usual.

—Whoosh.

As always, Shartia was in her office, busy with her duties. She wrestled with a mountain of documents while the voices of new students chattering excitedly filtered in from outside.

"The history professor is so weird! Who gives homework on the first day of class?" "I don’t know~! Just fill it in later as a free assignment or something. By the way… doesn’t that first-year in the Swordsmanship Department look really handsome?" "Who? The one with silver hair?" "No, the one with red hair. The silver-haired guy is too feminine for my taste. That redhead is totally my type—he even looks buff." "Ugh, what are you talking about? He wasn’t even wearing the school uniform." "That’s the charm!"

The academy was lively, with the arrival of the new students turning the place into a bustling hive of energy. With fresh classrooms and new friends, the academy was undoubtedly more exciting than the dull villages they had come from.

A faint smile of nostalgia tugged at the corner of Shartia’s lips.