The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

The flight show was a success.

...Well, if you could call it a flight show.

Typical airshows involved planes trailing colorful smoke or executing breathtaking aerial maneuvers, but since the one flying today was a living creature, the spectacle was inherently different.

Moreover, the gryphon hated having a saddle strapped to its back or a bridle in its mouth, which imposed several limitations. If I had been strapped into a cockpit, I could have withstood the full force of aerobatic maneuvers, but as things stood, I was at serious risk of plummeting if the gryphon so much as tilted sideways.

It wasn’t until the show was over that I realized—I probably hadn’t needed to ride the gryphon at all.

I wasn’t issuing commands or steering.

The gryphon had done everything on its own.

If it had flown alone and performed aerial tricks freely, the show might have been even more dazzling.

"Pyoo-oo."

But the moment we landed, the gryphon’s face was filled with such obvious satisfaction that I decided against saying anything.

Maybe I was overthinking things, but ultimately, the reason I had been on its back at all was because the gryphon trusted me.

If I had told it to fly alone, it might not have done it at all.

Before takeoff, Jennifer had been present, but at some point, she had descended to the main grounds, leaving only me and the gryphon on the rooftop.

That had been my request.

The last thing I needed was some aristocrat with no sense of self-preservation deciding to touch the gryphon and causing an incident.

Even after our previous conversations, I couldn’t completely read the gryphon’s thoughts.

I knew my friends and attendants were cautious enough to keep their distance, but some noble sitting in the guest seats below might see it as nothing more than a beast.

And if they insulted its pride... Well, it wouldn’t kill anyone, probably.

But there was no harm in being careful.

"That was magnificent."

I patted its back as I dismounted.

The cold winter wind had numbed my body, and my hands were stiff from clutching the gryphon’s feathers to stay on.

Flexing my gloved fingers a few times, I looked up at the gryphon.

Even now, it still looked incredibly pleased with itself.

Apparently, it enjoyed showing off in front of people.

Despite spending most of its time lounging around, its body remained in peak condition.

In fact, its feathers gleamed more than when I first saw it.

The elite caretakers in the capital—who were renowned for their expertise in avian care—must have been doing an excellent job.

Well, not that I expected the imperial symbol to get fat, but still.

...Actually, maybe that was something to think about.

It might be worth studying how much a gryphon needed to eat.

"If you want, you can head back now. There’s no point in staying here in the cold."

Given its thick feathers, I doubted it felt the cold, but considering its aversion to sitting on hard surfaces, I couldn’t be sure.

The gryphon nodded once before spreading its wings and taking flight.

Despite its massive wingspan, it lifted off with hardly any turbulence.

And with each takeoff I witnessed, its movements became even smoother—quieter, more controlled.

Did magic refine with experience?

If the gryphon was still growing, then in a few years, it might reach a level that was impossible to imagine now.

Whether it would still consider the imperial palace its home by then...

That remained to be seen.

*

After a bit of stretching, I confirmed that my body had thawed out, removed my fur hat, and ran my fingers through my static-ridden hair to smooth it down. Once I had taken off my thick gloves, I opened the rooftop door and stepped into the hallway.

It was crowded.

The academy’s main building was enormous, so it wasn’t packed to the point where I couldn't move forward. And everyone allowed inside was someone with verified status, so no matter how busy it got, it never devolved into the noisy chaos of an open marketplace.

Still, I had to admit—the atmosphere was far livelier than usual.

Noble children and upper-class commoners might have been raised with strict decorum, but at the end of the day, they were still kids. First-years had only just turned sixteen, and even the oldest fourth-years were only nineteen. During the school year, the youngest were fifteen. If you thought about it, it was just a mix of middle school seniors and high schoolers.

The festival decorations were a clear sign of that.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Each classroom had been decorated with whatever they could scrounge up.

Hand-painted banners hung under makeshift stalls made from desks.

It was cute.

Thinking back, I didn’t remember my own high school festivals ever feeling this quaintly festive. But then again, this was the setting of a video game, so it made sense that the school festival had that typical subculture flair.

The top floor of the main building was used by the fourth-years. Since a lot of students dropped out throughout the academic years, the number of fourth-years was naturally the smallest.

Still, they had spent four years at the academy. Their decorations were more polished, their banners drawn with precision, giving off a sense of elegance.

Some of them even bowed respectfully when they met my eyes.

Next year, they would be stepping out into society—whether they were nobles or wealthy commoners, it wouldn’t hurt for them to make a good impression on a member of the imperial family.

I gave them a small nod in return and continued walking.

The lower I descended, the noisier the hallways became.

Which made sense.

The younger students still had a few years before they needed to think about the real world.

A little more excitable, a little less refined, and—

A little happier.

Right.

I had been too busy dodging disaster after disaster to even think about it, but I was still only sixteen. I still had three more years here.

There was no guarantee that trouble wouldn’t find me again, but as long as it didn’t, I could afford to take things easy.

...Of course, my lack of talent meant studying would still be a nightmare, but at this point, my grades were probably the least of my worries.

"Big sister!"

The moment I reached the first-floor hallway, I heard a bright voice call out.

Claire.

My lighter mood still lingering, I turned to face her—

And froze.

Claire was running toward me with a bright, cheerful smile.

She was beautiful, of course. That was a given.

All the heroines in this world were beautiful. Even the nameless extras in the background were unnaturally attractive.

But that wasn’t what stunned me.

It was the outfit she was wearing.

Claire ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) was dressed in a maid outfit.

"...That outfit."

At my question, Claire stopped in front of me and spun in a graceful twirl, making the long, frilly skirt of her dress flare out elegantly.

But watching that display didn’t put me at ease.

Oh.

Oh, right.

This was a video game festival.

A dating sim festival, filled with beautiful girls and romance flags.

In reality, maid cafés were incredibly rare at actual school festivals, but in the world of subculture media?

They were everywhere.

Including in Azerna Chronicles.

"It’s a maid uniform!"

I... can see that.

"All the girls in our class are wearing them! The café isn’t open yet, but we’re getting ready in advance."

"...I see."

"...Huh? Why are you acting like this has nothing to do with you?"

Claire tilted her head, giving me a quizzical look.

"I said all the girls in our class are wearing them."

"...Even Alice?"

"Of course?"

She looked at me like I was asking something obvious.

"So that means you have to wear one too, big sister."

"..."

Huh.

Now that I thought about it, maids did exist in this world.

And not just any maids—actual, traditional ones, wearing the same black-and-white uniforms that otaku automatically associated with maid cafés.

So maybe, in the eyes of this world’s inhabitants, wearing a maid outfit was no different from dressing up as a cook or a blacksmith.

To me, though, this was cosplay.

Nothing more, nothing less.

"Come on, come on, this way! We’ve already prepared yours too!"

Claire wasted no time in looping her arm through mine and dragging me toward the classroom.

Ah.

Now that I thought about it, neither Alice nor I had bothered to give any input about the festival.

...Maybe we should have.

If voicing an opinion could have let me avoid this, maybe I should have been a little petty.

Then again...

It wasn’t like I had any room to complain.

After all, I’d already worn a bunny suit.