The next day.
Elysia and I began our club trials as planned.
At first, we intended to just take a light look around.
The Swordsmanship Research Society, the Aura Breathing Research Society, the Spirit Exchange Society, the Tea and Confectionery Research Society, and, if possible, the Accessory Crafting Society.
I wanted to put off the Familiar Behavior Society as long as possible, but
because Selena said, “Even if it’s only a trial, we’ll proceed within safe procedures,” we ended up stopping by for a short while.
And after all the trials were over.
I sat blankly in Elysia’s arms and thought.
‘……The Accessory Crafting Society was the most normal one.’
It was truly unexpected.
The place I had thought would be the most dangerous had turned out to be the most normal.
The Swordsmanship Research Society was heated from the start.
“Lady Valerion! Congratulations on your Double Crown!”
“Please give us some guidance!”
“I feel like my win rate in today’s sparring will go up if Lord Haku watches!”
No, why would your win rate go up if I watched?
I was only sitting on a chair to one side of the training ground,
yet several students bowed respectfully in my direction before their matches.
They looked like soldiers gazing at a military banner before heading into battle.
‘Don’t do that to me.’
I’m just a baby fox.
No, to be honest, I’m not just a baby fox, but at least I’m not the guardian deity of the sparring hall.
Elysia showed quite a bit of interest in the Swordsmanship Research Society’s training itself.
Checking basic stances, analyzing sparring, training to let aura flow along the tip of the blade—it all certainly seemed useful.
But the problem was the atmosphere.
Perhaps because Elysia had just received the Double Crown, the students around her were overly conscious of her presence.
“As expected of Lady Valerion.”
“The flow of her sword is different.”
“I guess it’s true that she became stronger after resonating with Haku.”
Each time those words reached her one by one, Elysia’s shoulders stiffened ever so slightly.
I sensed it and quietly curled my tail.
It wasn’t bad, but for Elysia as she was now, it was a little burdensome.
Next was the Aura Breathing Research Society.
At first, this place was fine.
A quiet training room.
Magic circles drawn on the floor to assist with breathing.
Students sitting and sensing the flow of their own aura.
It seemed like it would be helpful for Elysia too.
But the moment I sat beside her, the atmosphere turned strange.
“……Lady Valerion’s aura fluctuation range has decreased.”
“What if we compare the times when Haku is nearby and when he is apart from her?”
“Wait, this is worthy of a paper, isn’t it?”
I immediately flattened my ears.
No.
This won’t do.
The Aura Breathing Research Society might be good for Elysia,
but if I enter with her, my spiritual power draws attention far too easily.
Elysia must have sensed that too, because after the trial ended, she said quietly,
“The training was good, but…… it might be a little dangerous.”
I nodded with all sincerity.
After that was the Spirit Exchange Society.
There was no need to say much.
The moment we entered the greenhouse, the lower spirits moved aside to make way.
Iris had been holding a recording board from the very beginning, and Lulu once again floated over in front of me and said,
“Small. Fluffy. High. Pretending not to know.”
I immediately fled into Elysia’s arms on the spot.
Trial over.
It was a very swift judgment.
Iris looked disappointed, but as promised, she did not hold us back any further.
“It seems the Spirit Exchange Society is a heavy burden on Haku.”
Yes.
So you’ve finally realized it.
The Tea and Confectionery Research Society was quite nice.
The fragrant smell of tea and the warm smell of pastries.
The students were relatively gentle as well, and the way they offered tea to Elysia was polite.
Above all, they had separately prepared small pieces of bread and fruit that were safe for a fox to eat.
I wanted to give them a very high score for that part.
But the problem came after the middle.
“May we record Lord Haku’s tasting reactions?”
“If we check which scents he responds to best, it might help with the Star Radiance Festival café booth.”
“Students would love a confectionery set that Haku likes.”
It wasn’t bad.
It really wasn’t bad.
But at this rate, I would become not a club member, but the official tasting representative.
On top of that, a menu like “Haku’s Recommended Set” might appear during the Star Radiance Festival.
‘That’s a little embarrassing.’
I like delicious things, but having my name attached to them is a separate matter.
And then, the Familiar Behavior Society.
As expected, this place was dangerous.
It was strange from the moment we entered.
“We welcome Lord Haku’s trial visit.”
“The observation sheets are ready.”
“Please don’t worry. We will not make contact.”
Their words were polite.
They really did follow the rules too.
But everyone was staring at me far too seriously.
If I sat down, they recorded my sitting posture,
if I moved my ears, they recorded my ear response,
and when Elysia called my name, they tried to measure my reaction speed.
‘No.’
If I entered this place, my everyday life itself would become a specimen.
As soon as the trial ended, I tapped Elysia’s sleeve with my front paw.
‘Let’s not go here.’
This place really won’t do.
Elysia seemed to understand my meaning perfectly and nodded with a serious expression.
“The Familiar Behavior Society…… let’s put it on hold.”
Good judgment.
And the last place we stopped by was the Accessory Crafting Society.
To be honest, I had been the most nervous about it.
Haku ribbons.
Haku badges.
Haku decorative cords.
Star Radiance Festival souvenir collaboration.
Those dangerous words circled in my head.
But when we actually went in, the atmosphere was calmer than I had expected.
Small worktables were placed around the room,
and the students were quietly handling materials like metal ornaments, ribbons, magic stone fragments, leather cords, and glass beads.
The sound of hammers was not loud, and the noise from magical tools was not severe.
There were almost none of the waves that churned my insides like in the Department of Magical Engineering.
As soon as the president saw us, they rose from their seat and bowed politely.
“Lady Valerion, and Haku. Thank you for coming.”
I stayed somewhat wary and only poked my head out from Elysia’s arms.
After seeing my reaction, the president immediately said,
“Please don’t worry. We won’t force ribbons onto Haku, take measurements, or collect fur.”
Good.
I liked them from the start.
“What we’d like to ask, if possible, is only for you to act as a model for a short while.
Simply sitting still, being in Lady Elysia’s arms, or turning your head slightly would be enough.”
I blinked.
That’s it?
Really?
The president continued.
“We do not mean to commercialize Haku himself.
In relation to the Star Radiance Festival contest, we want to establish a proper line suited to Haku’s actual atmosphere,
so that no overly exaggerated designs are submitted.”
I thought for a moment.
Strange.
They were far more normal than I had expected.
Elysia seemed a little surprised too.
“If Haku feels uncomfortable, will you stop immediately?”
“Of course. And any finished piece will only be submitted after receiving confirmation from both Lady Elysia and Haku.”
Perfect.
At least among the places we had visited so far, this one was the most sensible.
I looked at the small cushion prepared on the worktable.
It seemed soft.
The sunlight was coming in at just the right angle.
The gazes of the students around us were intense, yes,
but they were not analytical like those of the Familiar Behavior Society,
nor did they dig into my identity like the Spirit Exchange Society.
They were simply gazes trying to draw, refine metal ornaments, and match colors.
I slowly climbed down from Elysia’s arms and sat on the cushion.
Good.
Just for a little while.
Elysia smiled.
“Haku says he’s all right.”
At that, the faces of the Accessory Crafting Society students brightened.
But curiously, no one rushed over.
Instead, each quietly opened their sketchbook from their own seat.
“The front view is too strongly cute, so maybe a side-profile silhouette would be better for a badge.”
“We’ll need to simplify the curve of the ear tips.”
“If we make the pink too strong, it’ll look like a toy, so let’s use silver as the base and add a faint tint only at the ends.”
“What if we mix in a bit of blue ornamentation to match Lady Valerion’s colors too?”
I listened to them and sat still.
Unexpectedly, it did not feel unpleasant.
Rather than indiscriminately finding me cute, they were thinking about how to express me elegantly as a design.
Of course, the situation of my face becoming a badge was still embarrassing in itself.
But at least they did not seem to intend to turn me into some cheap toy.
I liked that point.
After a while, one student carefully asked,
“Haku, could you perhaps turn your head slightly to the left?”
I turned my head slightly to the left.
“……Perfect.”
A quiet murmur of admiration sounded.
My ears twitched.
Embarrassing.
But not dangerous.
After that, there wasn’t much for me to do.
Sit still.
Curl my tail slightly.
Climb onto Elysia’s lap.
Tilt my head.
Yawn occasionally.
That was about it.
And strangely, even that yawn was quietly admired and sketched by the students.
‘This is embarrassing in its own way.’
But compared to the other clubs, it was far more peaceful.
They did not treat me like a charm to raise their win rate, as the Swordsmanship Research Society had.
They did not analyze the relationship between Elysia’s power and mine, as the Aura Breathing Research Society had.
The spirits did not reveal my identity, as in the Spirit Exchange Society.
They did not turn my ear reactions into charts, as the Familiar Behavior Society had.
And they did not try to attach my name to a menu, as the Tea and Confectionery Research Society had.
They simply drew quietly, crafted, asked permission, and knew when to stop.
I had not known that something like that could be so precious.
After all the trials were over, Elysia carried me out to the academy’s central garden.
The sun had begun to tilt a little.
In her arms, I let out a deep sigh.
I was tired.
Truly tired.
Elysia slowly stroked my back.
“You worked hard, Haku.”
I nodded weakly.
I did.
A great deal.
Elysia smiled for a moment, then asked carefully,
“So…… Haku, which place did you like best?”
‘The Accessory Crafting Society.’
Elysia blinked.
“The Accessory Crafting Society?”
I nodded.
Elysia also seemed a little surprised.
“I found that unexpected too. I was the most worried about them, but they were actually the most careful.”
That’s right.
That was the key point.
The place that had looked the most suspicious had been the most careful.
Besides, it was not bad for Elysia either.
Valerion was a prestigious house of the sword, but that did not mean Elysia always had to think only of swords.
In the Accessory Crafting Society, she could learn to use her hands, choose colors, and observe shapes.
She could also make things like sword ornaments, decorative cords, protective charms, or magical accessories.
It would be good for Elysia to try making an ornament that suited her own sword,
or a small knotted decoration that stabilized the flow of aura.
Thinking that, I nodded again.
Elysia pondered for a moment.
“Should we try joining?”
This time, I hesitated briefly.
At first, we had only meant to try them out.
We had decided not to settle on anything.
But now that we had looked around all the clubs, the conclusion was clearer than expected.
Swordsmanship and aura training could be done through classes and personal training.
Research with Iris would continue even if we did not join a club.
The Familiar Behavior Society was out.
Absolutely out.
The Tea and Confectionery Research Society was regrettable, but if we joined that place, I might get fat.
And the Accessory Crafting Society was.
Surprisingly comfortable.
I quietly nodded.
A gentle smile appeared on Elysia’s face.
“Then let’s choose the Accessory Crafting Society.”
After she said that, my heart felt strangely lighter.
It was not some grand decision.
But since coming to the academy, it felt like the first place we had chosen for ourselves.