“Wait! So you’re changing the policy! While I’m fine with it, this is too sudden, what the heck happened while I was away?”

Itsuki was beside himself as he shouted, a bit irked since this was sudden news to him. As supervisor of the boy’s dorm, he was always kept in the loop about academy affairs, but it seemed that his recent vacation had left him wide open for this blunder.

He and the others had just learned that Headmaster Joel had closed down the other dormitory in the academy. Originally, there were two of them for the respective genders, but one of them had to be closed down due to a few complicated management reasons that were only privy to Joel.

Shrugging, Joel looked as if he didn’t care and was not really willing to spill information about his work since that was a whole nother headache, and laxly explained. As a headmaster this was inexcusable behavior but no one could deny his managerial skills, even if he acted quite flippant at times.

“Yeah well, with recent budget cuts to help fund a few new research topics, I had to retrofit one of the dorms for another purpose. Also, both dorms were oversized, so it just made sense to cut one of them at the time. So, from now on, Itsuki, you’ll be in charge of managing all the students this year. You’ve done this before, so it should be no problem.”

Joel knew of Itsuki’s hard working and diligent character, and that he’d do just fine since Itsuki didn’t discriminate in his treatment between genders or age. But it seemed that Amanda had a complaint.

“That isn’t right! Itsuki’s a boy, and he shouldn’t be given free reign over a place where girls live. What makes him even qualified to manage a dorm filled with students anyway? He’s a student like us. Not to mention, he looks more like he should be in juvie!”

Her first encounter with Itsuki was nothing but trouble, to her, he seemed more like a robber or even a serial killer. Especially due to his prickly aura and his creepy black eyes.

“Oh, my dear, Itsuki might look a bit strange, but he’s harmless. In fact, he’s well trusted by the other upper-class students. He’s a 4th year at this academy but fun fact, he’s already a graduate from other academies around the world. He’s not only an experienced explorer, but I can also vouch that you’ll have no complaints with your stay here.”

“Then why is he still in this academy, shouldn’t he be working as a fulltime explorer if he graduated already?”

By logic, if Itsuki had already acquired the acceptable credits and parameters to be considered an explorer, then he should be out there, delving into the star depths, not playing house and pretending to be a student at the same time.

“He is working as an explorer.” Joel corrected. “But his job right now requires him to be a student since he still hasn’t gotten his license to be an explorer here in the Western Block, it’s complicated to say the least. Also.”

Joel then turned to the other pair. “Stella, you and Ikki are actually roommates, so you better start getting along.”

The other two in question looked at Joel in startling surprise, Ikki was a gentleman and wouldn’t dare to intrude upon a lady’s space, especially not a noble from the European Block.

“This is unacceptable!” Stella shouted, a bit of flame coming from her red hair. “I won’t share a room with this lecherous man!”

“Speak for yourself.” Ikki argued, at least he wasn’t the strange one he thought. “You were strutting around the dormitory in only your underwear! In what country do you think that’s normal?”

“That’s because I thought it was the girl’s dorm, you can’t blame me for that after we found out about the dorm situation. Right?”

True, Ikki thought, but the dorm was still a public area, so he had to ask.

“But why would you strut in your underwear in the dorms, that isn’t normal!”

“Q-Quiet you commoner! I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

Stella’s and Ikki’s bickering was starting to get out of control again and Itsuki tried to step in to stop another outburst of flames to ensue. He didn’t want the academy to burn down, that would be troubling and more work on his and Joel’s part.

“Joel! This isn’t going to work, hurry up and undo this already! There must be something you can do. You’re the headmaster for christ sakes.”

With Joel’s administrative power, he should be able to pull a few strings. Amanda also hoped he could do something since she didn’t want to be put under the roof of a dangerous looking person like Itsuki. Ikki or other boys were tolerable to an extent since they could be pure-hearted in comparison to Itsuki.

“Can’t.” Joel shrugged and then leaned his hip back against his desk. “I made my choice little ones, so be a dear and do your best.”

“But Headmaster.” Ikki questioned. “Why would you put me and Stella together, aren’t roommates supposed to be paired by parameter ranks? Why is an A rank like Stella getting paired with an F rank like me?”

“F-rank, really? You failed a year, how is that even possible?” Stella couldn’t believe she was being put together with a low ranker, she was a noble for Pete’s sake and a genius at that. Ikki on the other hand didn’t take any offense since he knew his weakness all too well.

“Yeah, sorry to say but I flunked last year due to a few reasons I couldn’t control. So again, headmaster, why are you pairing us together? It doesn't make any sense.”

“Well, that’s easy to explain.” Joel smiled and pulled up the ranking charts on a nearby screen, highlighting both the bottom and top of the list of incoming students.

“Stella here is bested by no one else in the incoming class, while you are no worse than anyone in the incoming class. You’re both at the different ends of the spectrum, so I thought putting you two together would work to help create an interesting dynamic between the two of you. And it seems like it's working so far.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Can you really not change it? I can’t stand being in the same room as a pervert.” Stella shot a look at Ikki and thought the idea of sharing a room with this man would taint her purity. She felt gross when she imagined how bathing would work, but Joel said otherwise.

“Nope, the other dormitory can’t be used and we’re still retrofitting it. This is also my decision. From this day forward, Ikki will be your roommate Stella, and Itsuki will be holding jurisdiction over the dorm as supervisor for both girl and boy students going forward. This is final. You should all remember that status doesn’t give you special privileges here unlike the other academies in the other Blocks. So, Stella, while you are a noble, that has no bearing over me or anyone here.”

It was begrudging to hear this for Stella, but this was why she had left her home, to be released from her stigma as a noble and to grow up, in more ways than one.

“Fine! Then I have a condition for you and for Itsuki to tell all the other boys. Don’t speak to me, don’t breathe the same air as me, and don’t look at me, Got it!”

These were definitely unfair terms, so much so that Itsuki sighed in exasperation.

“At least let us breathe!” Ikki complained. “We’ll all die if we try to do that!”

“NO! I don’t want any boy breathing in my scent, especially you, mister pervert! I know you’re probably just some horny dog!”

“Argh! You are too much!” Ikki’s calmness began to break since Stella was outright trying to kill him at every turn of this conversation.

“Speak for yourself!” Amanda interjected, pointing at Itsuki admonishingly. “Aren’t you more irritated that this tiny and shady looking guy here is our supervisor? He doesn’t even look like he’s out of middle school, how exactly can he handle all this responsibility, it would be better if I was the supervisor.”

To Amanda, she could confidently say this since she had led and productivity conversed with people in her experience when traveling the world. She had the outgoing personality to boot, unlike the dangerous and shady gloom Itsuki had.

“Say anything about my height again and I will expel you from the dorm!” Itsuki threatened with a hand over the knife sheathed in his belt, which really didn’t help his case.

“Oh yeah! Just try it!” The two of them clashed heads and more sparks flew, making Ikki sweat since it was like seeing a princess taunting a demon.

“Umm, I wouldn’t antagonize him, Miss Amanda. Itsuki is stronger than he looks.” Ikki wanted to point out that his partner in crime here was still a 4th year and a full-fledged explorer at that, which meant he was of higher experience, but Amanda thought otherwise.

“Really? What is his rank and explorer class then? If he’s really an explorer, then his exploits should’ve been in the news.”

“I’m an E rank Grunt, what’s it to you!”

“Pfft.” Stella let out a scoff and flicked her red hair with her hand as she mocked Itsuki. “E-rank and a grunt at that, if you ask me, you and the pervert should be sharing a room as the weakest in the school. Aren’t you just some background soldier that cleans the base to let the real explorer’s do their thing.”

“Watch it kid, don’t tempt me to start teaching you a lesson. Just because you’re a noble, doesn’t mean I’ll just take it like the commoners of your backwater homeland.”

“What did you say! I’ll have you know that my people are more honorable and kinder than a rough individual like yourself!”

“Yeah!” Amanda backed Stella up. “Just where do you get off being all high and mighty just because you're a 4th year and an explorer at that! I bet you’re just a grunt that runs away from battle and lets the truly brave explorers do all the heavy lifting.”

Stella gave a heated glare and Amanda gave an icy one, but Itsuki stood firm against this hot and cold assault of words on him. In fact, Ikki and Joel knew that Amanda had touched on a sensitive topic since a foreboding aura was coming off of Itsuki.

For a second, the girls saw a ferocious and sharp glimmer in Itsuki’s eyes as if slivers of silver and gold were shining in his pupils, but they kept stubborn on their stance on the matter.

“Oh good, it's working.” Joel said, pleased with himself, while also a little scared of Itsuki’s brooding mood. He knew this could get ugly real fast but he was a master of redirecting.

“Huh?”

Everyone felt as if they were being toyed with Joel and his overly inviting tone, which was in fact why he had said his words in such a way, but the students didn’t know that yet.

“I knew this would make things interesting, so how about you all deal with this through a good old mock fight! How does that sound?”

“Sure, does two on two sound good?” Ikki suggested, sounding confident but Stella found him to be an idiot since their difference in power was extremely large. She held a higher core affinity ranking and a higher overall ranking.

“What? You can’t be serious? My core affinity is S and even if Amanda fights on your side, you're still toast, no offense.”

“None taken.” Amanda said while waving Stella’s comment off. “But if Stella and I are fighting these two weak bozos, then this should be easy.” She cracked her knuckles to intimidate the runty looking Itsuki, but he only gave her his usual black eyed blank squinted stare.

“Then let’s put your money where your mouth is.” Itsuki said in an uncaring tone, he wouldn’t let his underclassmen pull one over on him. He had worked too hard to get to where he was now and wouldn’t let his explorer career face a hiccup. He’d win and put these two naive girls in their place.

“Fine! Let’s do it! But if we win, I become supervisor of the dorm and Stella becomes my second in command.” Amanda demanded and Stella jumped in.

“Also, I demand that the losers will have to obey the winners, becoming their servants for their entire lives and have to follow anything the winner says. What do you have to say about that? Are you ready to stake your dignity on it, because I am!”

Itsuki almost wanted to laugh at how imperialist and old school Stella’s conditions were but didn’t mind it. “No problem, right Ikki?”

“Yeah, I guess we’ll see you both in the ring then.” Sounding confident in each other, Ikki patted Itsuki on the shoulder.

“Hmph, don’t get ahead of yourself, commoners.” Stella pitied them both, if she and Amanda were on the same team, she was confident that no one else could best them. “I won’t go easy on either of you just because I know you’re weak.”

Stella would show them the difference in skill and Amanda gave a hearty pat on her back to show Stella her support. She’d have her back and the two of them left without giving the two boys another look or word.

The conversation was over, the terms had been made, and only the winner would decide what happens next.

Ikki looked over to Itsuki and shuddered. Joel did as well and felt the same. He thought, ooooooh boy! I think I might have gone a bit too far, with a tinge of regret in his thoughts.

In Itsuki’s head, he was already running through strategies and scenarios to achieve victory. He needed a few things and looked to Joel. Without even needing to ask, Joel nodded knowing that Itsuki would probably cause less damage if he agreed off the bat.

“Just fight in simulation mode, we don’t want to injure anyone, right?”

“Sure.” He affirmed Joel’s suggestion in his usual uninterested and dry tone, a somewhat lukewarm response in the headmaster's opinion.

While victory was what Itsuki wanted, he cared more about sending a message to these incoming students, no matter the cost.