“Haa…” I sat down at a nearby bench, “That should be the last of the missing posters.”

“Whoa, hold your horses, we still have another stack to go.” Anna sat down next to me, “But I do agree about sitting down here, we need a breather!”

“You can say that again!” I explained, “I never hung out at Grim’s place, so I’d only ever get the chance to talk to his parents when we were outside playing. They’re still the same idiot couple as before, though…”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Anna suddenly remembered what she wanted to ask, “Why did you lie to Lune’s parents about not knowing him? Now that I think about it, when asked, you didn’t even want to tell them your own identity.”

“Ah, it’s just something I was entrusted with by Grim.” I elaborated on my actions, “You see, Grim sort of predicted that our parents would eventually come looking for us, so we made a promise to not give each other’s locations away no matter what.”

“I get that, but,” Anna continued her inquiry, “Why couldn’t you tell them you’re Edward, though?”

“Well, if I did that then they’d just keep pestering me until I confess where Grim is. It’s like that, yeah? A precaution of sorts.”

“Mhm.” She nodded solemnly, “Then should I have been more convincing? I mean, I almost gave you guys away.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. They don’t know you.” I calmed her worries a bit, “Plus, it served as a good way to promote the business to them, so all’s well that ends well!”

“Yeah, you really sounded like the head of the restaurant there!” She joked, “If we really did have a restaurant together, then I’m sure it’d prosper.”

“Hey!” I blushed, “Don’t joke about that!”

“Humu, why not?” She teased, “It’s not like I’ve never given the idea any thought…”

“Haa?” I jumped from my seat, “Y-You m-mean…?!”

Could this be? The fabled “Confession whilst sitting on the bench” event?!

“Mhm!” She nodded brazenly, “I always wanted to…”

“You always wanted to…?!”

“I always wanted to open up my own shop!” She raised her chest high proudly into the sky as she boasted, “With my business intellect, I’d easily become world renowned! Muahahahaha!”

“You got my hopes up for nothing.”

“Wha-!” She snapped back to reality, “You think we can’t do it or something?”

“Nah, it’s not that… wait,” I looked back at her words a bit more closely, “Did you say… we?”

“W-Well yeah…” She retrieved back into herself, “I-I think it’d be fun, at least… don’t you?”

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTOP BEING CUTEEEE!!!

“…” I decided to hide my inner thoughts and simply give a boring, stone faced reply, “Let’s just finish this up and hit the hay for today.”

“Boo, you’re boring!” She murmured something as we grabbed the stack of flyers from the ground, “(Hmph! And here I thought the Knight in shining armor would swoop me off my feet…)”

“Did you say something?” I turned around, as I didn’t quite catch that last part.

“Nothing!” She shouted back.

***

By the time we were nearing the end of our stack, it was already nearing lunchtime. At first looking at a picture of a 12 year old Grim was kind of nostalgic, but it quickly became really tiring to look at his mug. Why didn’t I invite him to join me on this visit? We could’ve just left him to chat with his parents while Anna and I got to go home free. Gahh, I’m such an idiot! I bet he’s having the time of his life over in Sibirus…

“Oh hey,” Anna’s gaze caught interest in something a few blocks over, “What’s that crowd doing over there?”

“Crowd?” I asked as I turned to look at where she’s pointing, “Oh, indeed it is a crowd. But I haven’t the faintest of clues as to what they’re fussing over.”

“…Wanna check it out?” She turned to ask me with beady eyes, “It could be fun, plus we get to burn through the rest of the flyers quicker by handing them out to these people.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice.” I replied with equal excitement, “I’m dying for something interesting in this mellow town!”

“Then off we go, Sir Saint!” She switched to a knightly way of talking, “Advance!”

“So we shall, Lady Grey!” I followed suit.

“Hey, shouldn’t it be ‘Princess Grey’?” She voiced her complaints.

“Only if I’m the Prince!” I said without thinking too much about it.

I really said something incredible there, but by the time I realized what I was insinuating, the words have already left my mouth. I quickly tried to correct myself and play it off as a dumb simple mistake, but Anna actually gave a surprising reaction.

“Muu…” She simply gazed off into the empty void while thinking about it seriously, “… Uhh, ‘kay…”

“!” I now realized what I had to do, but I didn’t know if I had the strength to do it, “L-Let’s go, P-Princess Grey…”

“…” She stood there without budging, as if it didn’t register.

“Sigh…” I blushed as I corrected myself, ”P-Princess… Saint.”

“Phahahahahaha!” She suddenly burst out laughing, “That sounds way too stupid! Hahahaa, a double title!”

“…” I mulled over my last name for a bit.

“Hahhaahah, yeah, we’ll just stick to Anna Saint!”

She then realized her own blunder and immediately overheated from embarrassment. She’s too GOD. DAMNED. CUTE! I dunno which God was in charge of her creation, but I gotta shake that guy’s hand one day!

We finally decided to stop this little Rom-Com vibe we had going on and actually go to see what was happening with the crowd.

Among them was a lot of adults with kids, which was certainly a heartwarming sight, but it also had quite a bit of information we could gather from it. You see, this is a pretty big town, so I imagine what’s happening is probably an event of equally big stature. Say for example, an opening?

Okay, so we logically deduced that we’re dealing with a grand opening of something, but what exactly is this something? Judging by the fact that it’s mostly new parents and younger children attending this opening, I imagine it’s a children’s hospital? A new playground for the kids doesn’t make sense, because there’s this giant building in front of us. Then maybe a library, or a gym? No, I’m thinking of this place as if it’s The Base back in Great Hiana. It’d make no sense to bring kids to a library, because they can’t read, and a gym is also a no go for their feeble developing bodies… Oh, I got it!

“Maybe a schoo-!” I raised my finger into the air as if to shout Eureka!

“Excuse me sir,” Anna tapped the shoulder of a nearby parent, “What’s this gathering about?”

“Oh, you haven’t heard, Missy?” The adult raised his very young daughter with his hands, “They’re opening a school for our young’ins!”

Ah, I guess you could just ask the people around. No need to do all this heavy strenuous logical deduction…

I was too busy slumping about that I didn’t actually have time to register the shock of the news, but that’s why we have Anna here with us. She immediately shouted from surprise A SCHOOL IN STRINGWOOD?! that it brought me back to my senses.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Oh, could the headmasters perhaps be Ridge Saint and Graal Thurs?” I asked the man, “They’ve told me something about wanting to make a school here, so is this the grand opening?”

“Ah, so you’ve heard of them? Well, that certainly makes it easier to explain!” The man carrying his young daughter then went on to explain, “Mr. Saint and Mr. Thurs are childhood friends who attended the University over in Simpleton back when they were younger. They then went back here and meticulously planned to work on building a school for the kids in this continent, to make it easier for them to learn from a younger age.”

“Hold it!” Anna stopped the man’s explanation, “Graal and Ridge are childhood friends!? AND THEY’RE MAKING A SCHOOL SOMEWHERE NOT IN SIMPLETON?!”

“Heheh, I understand your surprise full well, Missy.” The man chuckled, “Schools and Universities were always a Simpleton-exclusive thing. It’s as if that continent held a monopoly on the educational system of the world. Not because they were stingy with their knowledge, but rather because everyone in the world just didn’t want to make their own schools when they could simply go to Simpleton to study abroad.”

“I know that,” She said, “But then why here in Springwood of all places?”

“That’s something not even we informed folks know too much about.” They said, “When asked about it, they’d just say Wait for the speech and that’d be it.”

“I see.” I replied, “But I’m sure funding such a grand project would cost a small fortune, no? Who’s funding all this?”

“Why that’d be none other than The Royal Family of Cardina!” He said with a chipper tone, “The Gryses!”

Ooh! I remember them! Grim and I actually got a chance to meet up with a member of The Royal Family back in Melgam! If I recall correctly, his name was…

“Adam Grys?” I asked to see if I was right.

“Whoa, you sure know a lot of people! Don’t tell me, you’ve met him too?” He tried to make a joke about my wide range of connections.

“I have actually.” I said nonchalantly, “We fought together back in the raid of Neo Urbana about a year ago.”

This put the adult man off a bit, and he somewhat discreetly tried to steer away from the topic as he shuffled away from us. Guess I shouldn’t have revealed that much, the people of Trivis Numerica are a peaceful bunch, so suddenly bringing up the fact that I’m a gang member who fought in a well-known gang war certainly would scare him. But when I turned to Anna…

“YOU MET THE PRINCE OF GRYS!?!” She looked at me with newfound respect, “Hold on, you were in a gang? But you’re really scrawny, I wouldn’t take you to be the fighting kind.”

“First off, rude, but right.” I said, “I was actually Captain of ARA’s Logistics Team.”

“Whoa, that’s a really long title. So what did you do exactly?” She asked me to give her a briefing.

“Eh, think of it like their specialized Doctor, Cook, Cleaner, etc…” I explained, “I’m basically keeping the Base in tip top shape while they’re off fighting.”

“So…” She stopped to think for a sec, ”You were their maid?”

“DON’T MAKE IT SOUND SO EMBARRASSING!” I said.

“Phahahaha! I can already imagine you wearing a maid dress! You look super cute in it!” She teased a bit more.

I don’t even know why I was getting embarrassed, it’s not like I’m really wearing a maid dress… But the way she’s making fun of me, it’s as if I’ve worn a maid dress my entire life! I’m not a crossdresser…!

“Attention, parents and children alike!” A sudden voice from the stage could be heard speaking through the voice amplifier, “I am Headmaster Ridge Saint, and this is Headmaster Graal Thurs.”

“Oh, is the speech starting?” Anna tuned in with everyone else.

“Today you are all assembled here to witness what could be only be described as a delusional fantasy set by two childhood friends.”

Eeh, looks like Uncle Ridge really likes to hyperbolize…

“Ahem, you see,” He continued the speech, “Ever since we were young, it always made sense for us to work under our parents while we were kids, and only then, after turning around 24 or so did we get the idea to seek a higher level of education.”

Tons of whispers as well as open discussions could be heard erupting after he finished his first sentence. It was mostly the non-believers who didn’t like the idea of sending their kids away into some random guys’ place instead of having them work like they’re supposed to, though. Well, I decided not to form an opinion until I’ve properly heard the other party out, so I’ll refrain from jumping to any conclusions for now.

“Thing is,” He added, “We believe that 24 is simply too old for a person to learn the many interesting topics taught in these Universities, such as advanced mathematics, the intricacies of art, writing and other such trivialities that could prove useful not only for the person learning it, but for the people around them.”

“Phah!” A non-believer from the crowd jeered, “Learning for others’ sakes? If that’s the case why don’t they just go to Simpleton instead of us?”

“…” Uncle gave him a calm, but terrifying smile as he gave his reply, “Alright then, kind sir, let’s put it this way. Say you grow old in a few years and suddenly collapse due to heart problems. But oh! Lucky you! Your son graduated from my school with a major in Medicine, and he knows exactly how to treat you! Wow, you get to live another day! Still think knowledge isn’t useful?”

Whoa, harsh… But true. Looks like that shut that geezer up, so I guess Uncle’s words were in fact necessary.

“I can guarantee you your children will only benefit from our school curriculum,” Uncle mellowed out a bit while he explained, ”as all of our teachers (including us) have graduated from one of, if not the most prestigious school in Simpleton – The Banas University of Fine Arts.”

The murmuring voices now only grew louder as the people started discussing this seemingly unreal situation they’re presented with. It was just then when a short, weak, but resolute hand emerged from the crowd of unsure people. It was the hand of a child with what I could only call a ‘Resting Bitch Face’ for lack of a better term.

“Ah! I see I piqued someone’s interest!” Uncle said excitedly as he pointed to the kid, “Yes, interested child in the crowd standing next to my nephew, what is it that you have to inquire?”

Looks like Uncle tends to get overly verbose when he gets excited. No wonder he doesn’t have a girlfriend, she wouldn’t ever hear the end of it!

“Ahem, yes.” The child spoke in a calm tone, “Can I get rich from your knowledge?”

The crowd suddenly went pale once they heard this. All eyes were pointed to the eyepatch wearing bruised and wounded man accompanying the child, which was supposedly his father or guardian. He didn’t appreciate the attention though…

“O-Oi, Lemmy!” He chuckled nervously as he tried to explain to the crowd, which was now giving out gazes of pity, “L-Listen everyone, our base-err, home recently burnt down, so he’s kind of really hung up on the idea of getting it back.”

The crowd stopped giving him judgmental glares, and immediately the topic shifted to them looking for ways to help the poor family financially or in any other way. Even Anna and I were really empathetic towards them, even asking what kind of bastard would do such a thing.

“O-Oh, don’t worry about it.” The man said, “The young man responsible is a kind one.”

A… Kind man burned down your home? I understand undermining the situation so as to defuse the situation, but isn’t this a bit too much? How can anyone ‘kind’ burn down the house of such a sweet family?

“Everyone shut up!” The rowdy boy suddenly shouted to the crowd, actually managing to get everyone’s utmost attention, weirdly enough, “Geez, Lee! You’re still going on about how that guy wasn’t bad? Can you seriously be this dumb? Ugh, none of this would’ve happened if you guys hadn’t raided that wago-!”

The man quickly shut this kid up from speaking further by ruffling his hair, “A-Ah! L-Lemmy here’s still a bit fussy over it, but I assure you that the young man who did this was a kindred spirit. I can’t go into detail regarding why he did what he did, but please don’t hate a person you’ve never had the chance to meet.”

Hmm, certainly, that should be the case with any encounter, but something just doesn’t feel right when I look at this wounded man saying such things about a bastard who burnt their house down.

“Sorry sir, but I just can’t not hate this person’s guts.” Anna comforted them, “I promise you that man will not find happiness in his pitiful life. For doing such a horrible act, who knows what his motivation was…”

“He made his motivations clear as day, Miss.” Lee said with a serious tone, “He was put in an unfavorable decision where he had to choose between us and his family. I think anyone would do the same if presented with this choice. I can’t go into further detail on the matter, but believe me when I say that that young man is someone I respect. No average person could’ve escaped such a situation, so I can only wish him luck on his unforgiving, treacherous journey.”

“Yeah, nah.” Anna responded like she didn’t give a rat’s ass, “He’s irredeemable scum, and I hope his journey only grows more treacherous.”

Lee was at a loss for words. The entire crowd was mortified by Anna’s terrifying curse, and it seemed like time had stopped for about a minute, as not a single person dared break the ice. That is, not a single person safe from Lemmy, as he actually chuckled at the remark, commenting I like this girl! She’s the only one with a brain around here!

“W-Well, in any case!” Graal suddenly borrowed the voice amplifier from Uncle, “You’ll be happy to hear that the funding for this school was given to us by the very prince of The Royal Family, Adam Grys! I can guarantee you that the quality of our studies is the highest tier there is, and you’ll be ready to start your own business in no time!”

Whoa, you guys are sounding shadier by the minute…

“T-That’s right!” Uncle chimed in, “Just look at my nephew and his girl over there! They both followed my teachings and they’ve opened up their own restaurant thanks to it! Wish them luck by visiting your nearby Arthur’s!”

“Haah?” Anna and I didn’t understand why he made such an obvious lie, much less at our expense.

“Wow! If that’s the case,” One man from the crowd suddenly raised his voice, “Then maybe this is a good idea for my son!”

Wait…

“Right?” Another woman agreed, “Oh, I heard there was a course on art. How I love to watch my daughter draw all sorts of wonderful things, I’m sure she’ll appreciate the professional help!”

Hold on… Anna and I aren’t…

“Well, if this guy could do it,” Lemmy looked at me once more, “Then I’m sure I can too.”

“WE’RE NOT DATING THOUGH!” Anna couldn’t take it anymore and finally said what I was thinking.

But, y’know, screaming this out would only put all the attention back on us, right? So her clarifying this only made our situation worse. Ugh, here it comes…

“Oh, to be young!” The women giggled amongst themselves.

“Don’t worry, champ, you’ll get her soon, don’t give up!” The men patted me on the back and cheered me on.

“Grr, come on, Edward! Let’s go already!” Anna demanded, still blushing as she pushed through the crowd.

“…” Lemmy simply looked on as the situation unfurled in front of his very eyes. This doesn’t mean he didn’t have any parting words for us, however. He didn’t at all hesitate when casually asking Anna, “Someone’s antsy. Missed your period, Miss?”

“Lemmy!” Lee reprimanded his behavior.

“WHA-!” Anna turned back for a split second with great rage, but ultimately decided to avoid having to deal with the ramifications of punching a child, “Youuu! I’ll remember this, kid! You’ll rue the day you messed with Anna Sain-err, Grey!”

…You’re just making the misunderstanding worse, y’know that right?