The next day, Elysia formally received her Double Crown badge from the Stellar Council.
The results of the Crown Exam had already been posted on the bulletin board, but it seemed the presentation of the badges was being held separately.
In front of the Stellar Council room, the students who had received Crowns were gathered in order,
and the Stellar Council officers were checking and handing out badges by rank.
I watched the scene from within Elysia’s arms.
‘They’re surprisingly strict about this sort of thing.’
Considering this was the same organization that had pushed the Haku badge contest far too seriously, I had been a little suspicious,
but their attitude toward the Crown badges was clearly different.
A Crown was not merely an ornament.
Inside the academy, it came with various benefits for things like reserving training grounds, accessing the archives, borrowing equipment,
and applying for special lectures,
and outside the academy, it was apparently used like a guarantee of trust that one was a student recognized by the academy.
Among those benefits was the right to use a lounge reserved exclusively for Crown holders.
To be honest, the other benefits had yet to really sink in.
But the exclusive lounge appealed to me a little.
If it had fewer people, was quiet, had soft chairs, and, if possible, a sunny window seat.
‘……Not bad.’
No, it was quite good.
If Elysia thought first of the training grounds or archives, I would probably think of the lounge first.
Mariette checked the list, and Tobias inspected the magical formula identification number engraved on the badge.
Oscar stood by the wall to prevent any possible commotion,
and Leonhart was guiding the students so they could receive their badges in order.
And standing at the very front was Cecilia Rainford.
“Elysia von Valerion.”
When Cecilia called her name, Elysia took a step forward.
I, too, straightened up a little in her arms.
Cecilia opened a small black box.
Inside lay the Double Crown badge.
It was a silver-blue badge with the design of two small crowns overlapping.
It was far more intricate than the temporary confirmation badge I had seen on the desk yesterday,
and the academy’s crest and Elysia’s name were engraved in small letters on its surface.
“As a result of the first Crown Exam, I hereby award the Double Crown to student Elysia von Valerion.”
Cecilia’s voice was quiet but clear.
“You received excellent evaluations in basic swordsmanship, crisis response, familiar resonance, conduct, and growth potential.
I hope you will continue to show the responsibility and attitude befitting a Crown holder.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Elysia bowed politely.
Cecilia personally fastened the badge to the chest of Elysia’s uniform.
With a small metallic sound, the badge was secured, and Elysia’s atmosphere changed slightly.
Though all that had been added was a single ornament,
it somehow felt as if she had been acknowledged one step further as an academy student.
I looked up at that sight and quietly wagged my tail.
‘It suits her.’
Perhaps Elysia sensed that too, because she looked down at me.
“Haku.”
I gave a small cry.
‘Congratulations.’
I did not know whether the meaning had fully reached her, but Elysia smiled softly.
Just then, Mariette lifted her pen.
“Haku, after confirming the presentation of the Double Crown badge, wagged his tail……”
I immediately glared at Mariette.
Mariette stopped her pen.
“……I won’t even make a personal note.”
Good.
She was finally starting to understand.
Cecilia looked at us and smiled faintly.
“It seems Haku is in the position of offering congratulations today as well.”
I tilted my head, pretending not to know anything.
I am just a fox.
I know nothing.
That was the expression I made, but Cecilia did not seem particularly fooled.
Fortunately, she did not press any further.
“And Lady Valerion.”
“Yes.”
“The observation request from student Iris Asteria has been approved for this afternoon.
It will be conducted in the presence of the Stellar Council and the Department of Special Familiar Studies. If it feels burdensome immediately after the exam, the schedule can be adjusted.”
The moment I heard that, I folded my ears slightly.
Ah.
Right.
There was that too.
Receiving the Crown badge and the celebratory mood had made me forget for a moment,
but the additional observation appointment with Iris Asteria still remained.
Elysia looked down at me.
“Haku, are you all right?”
After thinking for a moment, I nodded.
Honestly, it was bothersome.
Extremely bothersome.
But what Iris had said was not exactly wrong.
If only to prevent mistaken interpretations,
it might be better to organize the information within a range we could control.
Above all, even if we avoided it, I did not think Iris would give up.
‘If that’s how it is, it’s better to have her do it in front of me.’
I sighed inwardly.
Cecilia confirmed my reaction and nodded.
“Then we will proceed as scheduled.
I will inform them that if Haku shows any sign of discomfort, the observation is to be stopped immediately.”
She really handled these parts properly.
Except for the mascot contest.
No, now that I thought about it, even that contest had been unnecessarily proper in terms of procedure.
I looked at Cecilia with mixed feelings.
She remained composed even under my gaze.
This person was strong.
Mentally.
And when afternoon came, the observation with Iris proceeded as scheduled.
The location was a small observation room in the Department of Special Familiar Studies.
Iris looked more excited than I had expected, but she did not cross the line.
A professor and Stellar Council officers were watching from the side, and Elysia stayed beside me from beginning to end.
The observation itself was nothing grand.
It was only to check how well I understood Elysia’s words,
how I reacted to simple gestures and speech,
and how much of my intent Elysia could read through resonance.
Of course, I behaved as much like an ordinary fox as possible.
I nodded.
I shook my head.
Sometimes I blinked as if I did not understand.
I was careful not to seem any smarter than necessary.
But Iris’s eyes began to sparkle more and more as time went on.
……That made me a little uneasy.
Still, fortunately, the observation ended without any major problems.
Iris looked as if she wanted to ask several more questions,
but when Cecilia said the allotted time was over, she obediently stepped back.
Professor Bern also organized the records, saying that this was enough for today.
In Elysia’s arms, I let out a long breath.
‘It’s over.’
It was truly over.
Looking at just today, there had been the Double Crown badge presentation ceremony and even Iris’s observation.
For a single fox, it had been a day with far too much on the schedule.
Still, it was not only a bad day.
Elysia had received the Double Crown, and Iris’s observation had concluded within a range we could oversee.
And above all.
‘The exclusive lounge.’
I quietly wagged my tail once.
If I got the chance, I definitely had to check it out.
Today, Elysia received her Double Crown badge.
And immediately after, she helped with Iris’s research.
It was a day where something happy and something troublesome followed each other far too naturally.
I curled up slightly in Elysia’s arms.
It would probably continue like this from now on.
Elysia would move forward little by little.
I would help her from beside her.
Iris would quietly record things and follow along.
And the Stellar Council would organize all of it into announcements and regulations.
‘……It’s really too hard to live an ordinary life at this academy.’
I let out a small sigh.
But when I saw the Double Crown badge on Elysia’s chest glittering in the sunlight, even that sigh became a little lighter.
Still, today had been a good day.
Except for Iris’s sparkling eyes.
And so, several more days passed.
Once the announcement of the Crown Exam results, the presentation of the Double Crown badge,
and the observation with Iris were all over,
the academy gradually began to return to its usual flow.
Of course, it did not become completely quiet.
There were still many students who saw the Double Crown badge on Elysia’s chest and offered their congratulations,
and the rumors about my resonance level being 101 had not completely disappeared either.
But perhaps because the Stellar Council had drawn the line first,
at the very least, there were no students openly surrounding me and pestering me with, “Is it really 101?”
Instead, the students began to grow busy with a slightly different topic.
“They say the club application period has started.”
“The Swordsmanship Research Society will have a high competition rate again, right?”
“I heard Iris Asteria is joining the Spirit Exchange Society.”
“They say it’s good to join at least one club if you want to prepare for the Stellar Festival.”
Clubs.
That word began to be heard all over the academy.
At first, I let it pass without much thought.
Clubs, huh.
I wondered if they were like the clubs that appeared in novels I had read in my previous life.
But this was Exelia Academy.
One thing I had learned since coming to this world was that,
in this academy, words that seemed ordinary generally were not ordinary at all.
The Stellar Festival had been like that.
The mascot had been like that.
The petting schedule had been like that.
So clubs would probably not end as mere hobby gatherings either.
Sitting on the cushion atop Elysia’s desk, I listened to the conversations going around the classroom.
“I wonder where Lady Valerion will join.”
“Wouldn’t it be the Swordsmanship Research Society?”
“The Aura Breathing Research Society seems like it would suit her too.”
“Since she has Haku, wouldn’t the Familiar Behavior Society be interested as well?”
“There’s also the Spirit Exchange Society. I heard Lady Iris observed Haku.”
Why was my name slipping in so naturally?
I quietly folded my ears.
They were talking about clubs, yet somehow I felt as if they were talking about me more than Elysia.
But to be honest, I was a little curious.
The Swordsmanship Research Society.
The Aura Breathing Research Society.
The Spirit Exchange Society.
The Familiar Behavior Society.
The Ancient Texts Research Society.
The Tea and Confections Research Society.
The Accessory Crafting Society.
Just from their names, they all seemed to have completely different characters.
Some would probably be helpful to Elysia,
and there were others that, from my perspective, seemed like places I must absolutely never approach.
Especially the Familiar Behavior Society.
The name itself was dangerous.
If we joined that, I would undoubtedly become an observation subject.
Haku’s daily sleep duration.
Haku’s snack preferences.
Haku’s ear reaction angles.
Things like that might be organized into charts.
‘No. Absolutely not.’
But it also felt a little regrettable to simply avoid everything.
Since we had come to the academy, wouldn’t it be good to have a look at this sort of thing at least once?
Most importantly, after receiving the Double Crown, Elysia also seemed to be thinking about what she ought to learn next.
Whether she should further hone her swordsmanship.
Whether she should stabilize the flow of her aura.
Whether she should also pay attention to socializing or exchanges between departments.
Club experiences might be helpful for her as well.