Chapter 8. 4. Muscle, That is the Symbol of Masculinity
Glossy black hair tied back in a ponytail. Skin as pure as first snow, contrasting with that hair. Lips that seemed vibrant and alive without any apparent balm caught Rumian's eye.
He clamped his mouth shut in a tight line. If he didn't, he felt his heart might leap right out of his chest.
He breathed through his nose. Inhaled.
The protagonist, belatedly realizing his nostrils were flaring, blamed himself.
'Damn, that must have looked hideous!'
But what came next was the bigger problem.
He had encountered a peerless beauty in an unexpected situation. Rumian's body stiffened like stone from tension, and sweat poured down his back like rain.
He had felt this since coming to the inn, but after his reincarnation, he tended to become even more of a fool in front of women he liked. It was deplorable. Here he was, singing about wanting to date a pretty woman, yet looking like this.
He took a deep breath. This time, he was careful not to let his nostrils flare. Then he circulated the aura within his body, trying to calm his mind.
"Mind if I eat with you? It's my first time at the student cafeteria. Ah, and is it okay if I speak casually? I'm your senior, you know."
"Ah, I know..."
"Mm. Hmm, the food's better than I expected?"
The academy's free student cafeteria didn't have many users. Most students were wealthy and preferred to eat finer meals in more upscale places. That is, except for Rumian, who had blown all his money buying poison.
Because of that, there were no other students around them. That made things even harder for Rumian. Her slightly widened eyes as she bit into the bread, and the natural upward curve of her lips, violently shook his heart.
'No. I need to pull myself together!'
Even if he couldn't show off a cool side, he couldn't just freeze up like an idiot. Rumian summoned his mental strength to overcome this sudden crisis.
"Why are you just staring? Aren't you curious why I came?"
I'm curious, I am curious!
Rumian screamed internally. But contrary to his thoughts, his mouth wouldn't open easily.
The female senior hummed through her nose and leaned her upper body slightly forward, bringing her face closer to Rumian. Rumian gulped in a breath of air. Unable to meet her eyes, he rolled his gaze downward.
And then he understood.
That she had a chest that was disappointing compared to her face.
"...I am curious. Before that, could you tell me your name?"
The tension in his body melted away. The sweat that had been pouring like rain stopped, and his trembling hands under the table found stability.
This was because Rumian was the type who valued body over face. Having confirmed the female senior's chest, he finally found peace of mind and could converse with ease.
Seeing Rumian like this, the female senior widened her eyes. An expression of slight surprise.
She was cute enough that he wanted to run over and hug her immediately, but Rumian was fine. Women were about the body, not the face.
"How bold. Asking a lady's name so freely."
"Ah, I'm sorry. I am Rumian Callard. A second-year knight cadet in Class E. May I ask the name of the beautiful senior?"
"Heheheh, that's really funny. Not knowing me hurts my pride a little, though."
"Ah, um. I'm sorry..."
Rumian offered an apology with a flustered expression.
Though he had found stability, responding to a woman's jokes was still too much for Rumian. Seeing his lukewarm reaction, she puffed out her cheeks before introducing herself.
"Tania Eloyse. Third year."
"I see."
"You fight well, don't you?"
Flinch. Slightly startled, Rumian looked at Tania Eloyse.
He had become tremendously stronger in just one day. Though it couldn't compare to his previous life, he was certainly not at a level where he wouldn't notice a knight cadet approaching.
How on earth did she know? His curiosity was quickly resolved. Tania, flashing a bright smile, continued speaking.
"I was looking around here and there with a magic telescope. I skipped class and didn't have anything else to do."
"Is that alright? Don't they hold back a lot of students starting from third year?"
"It's fine. Assaulting fellow students is a much worse offense than that."
"I didn't assault anyone. I only shook hands."
"I went to the infirmary and saw their hands all swollen up? Looked really painful. They wouldn't say why they got hurt because of their pride, it seemed."
Rumian let out a scoffing laugh. Tania, who kept playfully picking at him, didn't seem unlikable at all.
It was because she was pretty. While she wasn't his type, he was always prepared to be generous to pretty women.
Rumian slightly lowered his head and spoke.
"I apologize. I'll go apologize to them immediately and confess everything to the professor in charge."
"Hmm. That's not what I meant."
"Then?"
"Buy me a meal sometime. In exchange for turning a blind eye."
"Pardon?"
"Something delicious. Dessert included."
Rumian wore a dumbfounded expression.
Tania Eloyse's face, still beaming with a bright smile, entered his vision. After making that foolish face for a moment, he suddenly came to his senses and thought.
'Is this... a date request, by any chance?'
It certainly seemed that way.
No, he doesn't know yet. Don't get ahead of yourself.
Getting excited for nothing and then having the other person get serious would be nothing short of embarrassing. Rumian felt his palms sweating again as he composed himself.
Tania pressed him once more.
"Why, you don't want to? Then it can't be helped. I'll have to go report a delinquent student to the professor."
"No, I'd like that. I'll buy you a meal."
"Hehehe. See you later. And I'm sorry about earlier. I'll treat you to dessert."
With those final words, Tania Eloyse whisked away.
She appeared like the wind and disappeared like the wind. Watching her recede, Rumian wore a serious expression.
After contemplating for a moment, he quietly muttered to himself.
"She's still not my type."
Rumian was an inexperienced virgin with no dating experience, but he had no intention of dating just anyone. The female senior might get angry if she knew, but he wanted to share love with his ideal type.
'Still, let's stay on good terms.'
Who knows?
Perhaps among her friends, there might be his ideal type.
'But what was that apology about? Did she make some mistake with me?'
Rumian, who had been wearing a puzzled expression, soon nodded. It seemed she was referring to threatening to tell the professor about what just happened.
That much was nothing. He knew it was all a joke. Rumian grinned and resumed his interrupted meal.
Though only half a day had passed since his academy life began, his mood was happier than at any time in his previous life.
***
'Quite impressive, isn't he?'
Tania Eloyse, leaving the student cafeteria, wore an intrigued expression. The smile on her lips and her eyes curved like crescent moons conveyed her mood.
'Where did something like that suddenly pop up from? I thought I had identified all the usable ones.'
To think such talent was hiding in the second year. It was fortunate he was discovered now.
Of course, it wasn't at a level impressive enough to make eyes pop out. Compared to Kal Krone, who displayed unrivaled skills in the second year, he seemed somewhat lacking.
'Kal Krone wouldn't have struggled like that.'
When Tania Eloyse first faced Rumian Callard, she had simply displayed her ability.
She raised her momentum strongly to pressure her opponent. As she expected, Rumian showed signs of struggle—his face stiffening, sweating, and so on.
'But not long after, he escaped the pressure.'
That was right. He belatedly resisted her energy and broke free from the pressure. He must have been constantly circulating his aura from the moment he was exposed to her momentum.
It could safely be said he had definitely surpassed the second-year level. Ordinary cadets wouldn't have been able to meet her eyes until she released them.
'His personality seemed fine too.'
Even though she was a senior, what she did was quite harsh. To the point where it would be fortunate if the other person took it as a mischievous prank.
However, Rumian showed no sign of being upset. Rather, he displayed polite behavior, trying to accept her jokes.
"I'll need to look into him a bit more."
Heh, Tania let out a light laugh.
It felt like picking up a gold coin from the start of the semester. For her, a talent collector, it could be called quite a pleasant beginning.
But she was mistaken.
Rumian's tension wasn't because of her momentum. He didn't even know that she had released her momentum. It was because he was focused solely on her beautiful face.
Likewise, finding composure wasn't because he resisted her momentum. A meager chest. Regrettably, that was the correct answer.
It was a situation tragic enough that the misunderstanding was a blessing in disguise.
All of this was a tragedy created by Rumian, who had upright character and was full of lewdness.
***
"Ah, why Professor Arnold from the first day?"
"Exactly. I'm going crazy."
"Ah, it's already terrible. I want to run away."
"Should we run?"
"No. Physical training has a big grade weight. We'll get held back starting from second year."
"Damn..."
The indoor training facility prepared for knight cadets. Inside, metal weights and equipment that looked suffocating just to look at were lined up.
But there was an even more burdensome presence.
A muscular man who threw open the training hall door and entered.
Professor Arnold swept his gaze over the Class E cadets.
"How many are missing?"
"Three are injured and in the infirmary."
"They're not faking it, right? Well, no one would dare do that in my class. If they ran away, I'd snap their spines."
Professor Arnold grinned and rolled his neck once.
The cracking joint sounds and twitching trapezius muscles made the cadets' breath catch in their throats. Some children were already making tearful faces.
The physical training class taught by Professor Arnold was quite important for knight cadets.
Knights possessed the mysterious power called aura, but physical training was essential to support it.
Depending on how excellent a body one built, the synergy effect could explode, so most outstanding knights never neglected body training. The cadets also all knew how important this was.
But knowing didn't help. The children simply couldn't enjoy this time.
Physical training was extremely difficult. The burning sensation felt when squeezing strength to the limit, the nausea after lifting heavy weights—all were terrible pains they didn't want to experience.
On top of that, it was terribly uninteresting. There was no competitive element with anyone, and it lacked technical aspects. One simply had to honestly repeat actions and win the battle against oneself.
There was no way teenagers' patience could endure such work. The second-year Class E knight academy cadets all showed attitudes of not wanting to do it, displeasing Professor Arnold.
However.
While everyone else was frowning, there was one person uniquely shining with excitement.
The unfortunate man who had no testicles, and therefore had never possessed magnificent muscles.
It was Ryan Promart—no, Rumian Callard.