The Heroine's Best Friend

Chapter 1 Part 3: Academy Bound

Rose Dorm should be this building? 

I stop and stare at the map that was provided. My initial thoughts of this place looking like a Japanese high school was slightly incorrect. Given the size of the academy and that, it also is a boarding school, it more closely resembles a college campus. After passing through the inner courtyard and past the academic buildings, the rest of the academy had the same architectural feel as my home and in town. The dorm buildings looked no different than any grand estate I had visited in my world tour of tea party hell. 

Rose Dorm was the building that housed the first-year female students. Even though the Lady Alverest was technically the role model mentor senpai character, she lives in the Pearl Dorm with the other 2nd year female students. Which, in my opinion, doesn't make any sense. Shouldn't she be more available to the first years? But likely this was a result of Game Play. In the game, the Lady Alverest was nothing more than an information character. The heroine has very little do with her unless there was a specific reason like disciplinary actions. During the 2nd year, either the heroine or Lady Angelica becomes the Lady Alverest so they have to have stupid rivalry stuff happen. That meant they had to stay in close enough proximity to force them together. 

I enter Rose Dorm looking around hopelessly. I was given a room assignment, but it was nonsense to me. In America, rooms would be orderly. You would be assigned a number, or letter, or a combination of numbers or letters. My room was listed as The Spring Sage. What does that even mean? 

Out of the corner of my eye I see another young girl with pink hair looking around bewildered too. A comrade in arms! If I'm going to be lost, might as well be lost with company! 

"Excuse me," I say politely as I grab her attention. "I'm sorry, I'm a bit confused. Do you happen to know which room The Spring Sage is?" Given her perplexed look, I knew she didn't. 

"The Spring Sage?" she asked shocked. 

Why is she shocked? Oh no. Am I in a weird room? Or the wrong building?! 

"Uhhhhhhh," I stammer, "yeah." 

"You're Christine Eldergast!!" she suddenly exclaims. 

"I....am." Wow, that doesn't sound convincing or ladylike. 

"I'm Maria Heroina! We are roommates!" 

Maria......Heroina? Heroina? HEROINE! That's right! The heroine's default name is Maria Heroina. I had completely forgotten. The game allows you to input any name you want and I always changed to it my real-life name. 

Pink hair. Yellow eyes. Heroine. 

Really the pink hair should have clued me in sooner. All the mob characters have fairly normal looking hair. The side characters, like me, might have one distinguishing feature. For me, that would be my "unnatural" purple eyes. But the heroine and capture targets stand out from the crowd. 

"Ah, well... it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." What was the phrase that Japanese always use? It sounds weird translated into English. That's right! I remember. "Please take care of me from now on." 

"Please take care of me as well!" she says with a bow. 

Maybe I was overthinking my etiquette lessons. Maybe I should use Japanese etiquette and I can make due. This is a Japanese game after all. 

"This way!" she grabs my hand. "The dorm is divided into four wings. We are in the Spring hall to the east." She explains with her excitement overflowing. And we start walking down a gaudy - lavishly decorated - hallway. "The decor of this wing is set to envoke a springtime feeling all year round! The mages even enchant the halls to match the sounds and smell of each season. We are lucky we didn't end up in the Winter hall! Everyone complains that it's never warm. The only people who like staying there are the fire mages!" 

As we continue walking and round a few corners, Maria is chatting on about the enchantments used in the look of the dorms. I can't pay attention. She wasn't this chatty in the game. Was she? Actually no she wasn't. The heroine was never voiced. The harem of boys did a lot of talking. But that's because they hired well know seiyuu. The heroine's personality can fluctuate based on your decisions and route that you're in. Generally speaking, she will be an honest, nice person. But based on the particular love interest, she will end up spinless or a badass by the end of the game. 

"Here we are!" Above the door it has a plaque that says "Sage". Well, I guess the Spring Sage makes sense now. 

We walk into the room. It's grander than any dorm room I've ever been in that's for sure. But also, not as grand as my bedroom at the Eldergast estate. There are two moderately sized beds on either side of the room and a desk next to each. In the center, there is a coffee table with sitting chairs to entertain guests. 

"すごい!!" Maria exclaims looking around. 

Sugoi? Despite this being a Japanese game, has there been any Japanese words? Everything looks and appears in English. 

I watch as Maria is prancing around the room. Something doesn't seem right. As she continues to discover the minor magic that is in the room, such as lights that aren't fueled by fire or electricity, she keeps saying sugoi over and over. 

"Oh!" Maria suddenly turns her attention back to me. "Do you know what discipline you're aiming for?! Is it light magic? Your brother has light magic, right? I bet it's light magic. You can be a healer! Healers are always needed.

My brother has light magic? I didn't even know that. I guess I sorta remember my father talking offhandedly that Rios' profession was "very respectable." Do I have light magic? I have no idea. Maybe there was an assessment that original Christine Eldergast took and she already knew. 

"I suppose," I half-heartedly answer. 

"You haven't had an assessment yet?"

"No..." it might be weird for a noble to not have an assessment, but at least I won't have to confidently lie about having a light affinity then turn out to NOT have a light affinity.  "But that's ok." I quickly add. "That's the whole point of going to Hogwarts! So I can figure it out!" I try my best to inject my genuine enthusiasm. 

"Hog....warts?" she askes tentativly. 

"EH! I mean... The Elverest Academy. Sorry. Dumb nickname I gave to the school. Ignore that."

"Hogwarts? Like, Harry Potter?"