I received a grace period from the two professors. It was only until next Tuesday, but it was fortunate that I had time to think.
Because this brain of mine can't think when it's under pressure.
"I nearly lost my mind."
I muttered, leaning back against the café sofa. Ailee, who had been silent for a moment, vibrated my smartwatch belatedly.
"You have to choose between Deep in a butler uniform and Deep in engineer gear, right? Let me think for a moment."
Ah, so this place wasn't normal either. Being surrounded by nothing but abnormal people, I had started to mistake Ailee for a normal person.
As I blankly stared into space, I sensed a presence approaching nearby. It was my spatial perception ability picking it up on its own.
Turning my head in that direction, a maid came into view. The maid sat in the chair the two professors had vacated.
"Are you the Deep Cadet?"
Black hair and pomegranate-colored eyes. A neat bob cut with an overall noble atmosphere about her.
Though she had the same black hair as Ran, the texture itself was completely different. It meant she was a noble. Better maintained than even Aron, who also had black hair.
Though she wasn't really my ideal type in appearance, I found myself unconsciously thinking of the words composed and beautiful.
"H-hello."
"You don't need to stand on such ceremony. While inside this café, I am merely a maid serving the customers, after all."
Was she really merely a maid? Just from her tone, she seemed far closer to a young lady than a maid. Her manner of speaking was that of a lady. Far from that of a maid.
Finding something amusing in my reaction, the maid sitting across from me smiled, lifted the teapot, and filled my empty cup.
Honestly, I knew nothing of the tea's taste or aroma. I simply decided to think of it as water to wet my throat.
"It seems you know nothing of the tea's taste or aroma, thinking of it merely as water to wet your throat."
"Y-yes?"
Had I shown it that much?
Before I could answer properly, the maid replied first.
"Reading the intentions of the one you serve is also an essential ability for a maid. I had heard that Deep Cadet is somewhat poor at communicating with others, so I endeavored to read your intentions all the more."
The maid picked up a sugar cube from the bowl beside her with tongs and dropped it into my teacup.
"If you do not know the taste of tea, then make it sweeter; if you do not know the aroma, then soften it with milk. A maid must not insult the dignity of the one she serves, but follow obediently and assist them."
"Y-you're p-promoting your c-club, right?"
"Because I am the president of this club."
The maid rose from her seat, grasped the hem of her skirt, and bowed her head. It was an excessively old-fashioned greeting, the likes of which one would be hard-pressed to see anywhere.
"Ailla von Dis Pater. I hold the position of president of the Servant Club."
Dis Pater.
The northern front of the Empire, and the battlefield ruled by Archduke Dis Pater.
When I widened my eyes, Lady Ailla smiled and sat back down. I couldn't hold back my question, unable to understand at all.
"W-why would a l-lady... the S-Servant C-Club?"
Professor Jikeu had said. The Servant Club was a club that also considered cases where lower-class nobles were employed by upper-class nobles.
No, there's a limit to everything. It was unimaginable for the eldest daughter of the Archduke ruling the northern front to be employed as another family's maid.
Reading my doubtful expression, Lady Ailla answered with a smile.
"Because cute maids are justice."
There really was no one normal here.
"M-Many men are also known to like maids very much. Do you not like them very much, Deep Cadet?"
If I were to categorize it under likes and dislikes, I would of course say it falls under the domain of likes, but it was difficult to say so openly.
My counterpart was a noble lady; how could I speak of such tastes?
However, Ailla nodded with a satisfied expression, as if she already understood my inner thoughts.
"To think there is a cadet who understands me so well. I have no choice but to encourage Deep Cadet to join our club all the more."
"All the more?"
"Ah, though the answer may be a bit embarrassing, would you like to hear it?"
Th-that's, no. Please, no.
Without even giving me time to answer, Ailla replied with a smile.
"But what good is hiding it? I, Ailla, am ashamed to say that because I was born of a noble bloodline, I have never once taken orders from lower-class nobles or commoners."
I don't want to know.
"But if Deep Cadet were to join our club, and were to participate together, you would inevitably become the one I serve as I practice my maid duties."
No, really. Please.
"To experience with this noble-born body the act of receiving and carrying out a commoner's orders—that is my reason."
Ailla's eyes sparkled brilliantly as she spoke, her excited lips flushing red. Her clear eyes remained fixed on me.
Nobility. Composure. Beauty.
"Ah, I seem to have gotten too excited? I would be grateful if you would simply remember that I ardently wish for Deep Cadet to join our club."
Nothing remained.
She's just a crazy fetishist.
I absolutely will not join this place.
***
"And so, I shall introduce the new club members who have joined us."
Choice is only possible when you have options.
After returning home, Ailee, who had belatedly come to her senses, began searching through the community rather than the academic homepage.
And she informed me that the Engineering Club, for which Professor Seumeragi served as advisor, might have status and class discrimination.
Class discrimination couldn't be openly declared, but it was information that could be subtly exchanged within the community. In the end, searching the academic community first had been the correct answer.
Even so, if Professor Seumeragi had come to me, the reason would be one of two.
First, that Professor Seumeragi intended to use me at the forefront to change the club's atmosphere.
In that case, I had no intention of joining. If she wanted to change the club's atmosphere with me at the forefront, it meant she would make me participate enthusiastically in club activities, and I wanted nothing to do with that.
Second, that Professor Seumeragi had no interest in her own club to begin with.
It was common for a teacher to have no interest in the club they advised. Naturally, if you joined such a club, you wouldn't receive any protection.
In the end, it would mean Professor Seumeragi had tried to pull me into a club she barely cared about just to keep me close, and I had no intention of joining in that case either.
Thinking about it now, the fact that she had roughly stuffed the finished product her students made into her bag was proof that she wasn't very interested in the club.
Why was she so desperate to make me her teaching assistant?
With the grace period until Tuesday ending, the only club I could choose without hesitation was Professor Jikeu's Servant Club.
Every time Ailla looked at me with a satisfied expression, I subtly got chills. That wasn't a clear-eyed young lady, but a clear-eyed madwoman.
"First, Deep Cadet. I'm sure you've all seen the videos on the academic community? Quite a skilled pilot. A welcome new student for us, who are predominantly from the Operator Department."
The upperclassmen sitting in front clapped.
It was a relief. The freshmen self-introductions were led almost entirely by Ailla. It might vary by club, but at least in the Servant Club, things proceeded in that manner.
Honestly, I doubted whether I could even manage club activities.
Because of the gazes focused on me, my body had stiffened completely, and I was trembling on the inside. Cold sweat ran down my spine, dampening my back and ruining my mood.
The smartwatch on my wrist vibrated faintly, quietly enough that it made no sound. It was a signal from Ailee telling me to get a grip.
If I could come to my senses that easily, I wouldn't be an otaku with low self-esteem.
"And second,"
Standing in the spot right next to me was a cadet with striking bright red hair. He seemed familiar somewhere, but I couldn't quite remember. I had definitely met him before.
"Reuban. Like Deep Cadet, he belongs to the Pilot Department,"
Reuban.
Reuban? Where had I seen him?
*Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep!*
Notifications rang out from everyone present simultaneously. For multiple smartwatches to ring at once.
"Ah, an academic notice has come up. Let's check this first."
If an academic notice came up at a time like this, it could only be one of two things.
"Ailee, could you check it for a moment?"
The first was an academic notice regarding clubs. Lady Ailla had likely considered the possibility that it was this type of notice.
The expected content would be something like extending the club selection period, or automatically assigning cadets who hadn't chosen to clubs—something along those lines.
The second was, if anything, more important than the former.
"It says the entrance exam rankings are out?"
It was the announcement of the entrance exam top rank, which everyone had been curious about.
Top rank.
At Bethesda Academy, the title of top rank held considerable weight. It wasn't my way of putting it, but Ran's.
The top rank received many benefits.
Basic discounts on parts transactions within the school, and discounts when using school facilities.
Even when trading parts between students or in need of emergency funds, it was possible to request a considerable amount of support funds from the school.
By this point, it should be clear: the title of top rank essentially turned one person into a one-man corporation.
Because of this, proxy parts purchases through the top rank were quite common, and forming a connection with the top rank was important, as Ran had told me.
Whether I possessed the communication skills to form such a connection was a separate matter.
In any case, once the first-year top rank was decided, many people would start flocking madly to forge connections. Perhaps it might end up being none of my business.
But I was curious who the top rank would be.
It might be Princess Saya. I had learned firsthand how outstanding her skill was when we actually fought. I had been completely crushed.
Personally, I wanted to give Aron some credit too. I hadn't felt he was stronger than Princess Saya, but his fundamentals were excellent, and his machine's customization was unusual.
Besides them, there were many other candidates. Most were outstanding nobles of remarkable skill. It was only natural for nobles to be singled out as first-year top rank.
Because they were born with pilot's blood in their veins.
"First-year top rank, Reuban?"
The red-haired cadet smirked.
Only then did I remember. The cadet who had told me that Aron couldn't see well to his left, before I fought Aron.
The cadet who had said he didn't have a personal machine and had received one from the academy.
No way.
How?