The guy everyone was talking about

Several days had passed since Yuki's confrontation with Satou.

During that time, countless rumors began spreading through the halls of the Knight Academy.

However, one rumor stood out above all the others, and it didn't take long before it reached Yuki and Tomotaro's ears.

At first, no one wanted to believe it.

After all, Satou was considered one of the most talented students in the entire academy.

But dozens of cadets had witnessed the duel with their own eyes.

It was impossible to deny.

For someone like Yuki, hearing those kinds of comments was something completely new.

For the first time in his life, people had stopped seeing him only as the boy without a Blessing.

Even if it was only for a brief moment...

He had managed to earn a little respect.

However, there was another rumor being whispered around the academy, one that was as dark as it was intriguing.

"Hey, Yuki, did you hear?" Tomotaro whispered into Yuki's ear as they walked side by side through the academy halls.

"Of course I did!" Yuki replied excitedly, his face overflowing with happiness.

"I'm not talking about that rumor," Tomotaro replied with a completely expressionless face.

"It's about the Knight Exams," he whispered even more quietly. "People are saying they're going to be held earlier this year because of the monsters and wild beasts appearing along the borders."

"Really? I hadn't heard that rumor... That means we have to work even harder!" Yuki shouted enthusiastically before starting to run without looking ahead.

Because of his impatience, Yuki ended up bumping into a girl walking in the opposite direction, causing several books to fall to the floor along with a small feminine yelp.

"I'm so sorry!" Yuki exclaimed immediately as he crouched down to pick up the books he had knocked over.

The young woman adjusted her glasses before crouching down as well. "Don't worry. I wasn't looking where I was going either."

Her voice was very calm, yet at the same time completely devoid of emotion.

Meanwhile, Yuki began picking up the books one by one until one of them caught his attention.

History of Blessings.

"Do you like books like this?" Yuki asked curiously.

The girl gathered the rest of the books and held them in her arms.

"I... like to understand things before I face them."

"I-I see," Yuki said, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks as he awkwardly tried to hand the book back to her.

"What's the point of reading so much when the most important thing is experience?" Tomotaro interrupted as he walked over to them.

However, someone else raised his voice slightly from the corner to correct Tomotaro.

"That's not entirely true, my dear friend Tomotaro," a male voice said.

Yuki and the girl both turned at the same time to see who had interrupted the three of them.

A blond-haired young man was leaning casually against one of the walls with his arms crossed, wearing a carefree expression that rivaled even Tomotaro's.

"Of course experience is important, but how do you know when the time to act has come if you never take the time to understand what's in front of you?"

Tomotaro looked at him for a few seconds. "And who are you?"

The blond young man raised an eyebrow slightly, as if the question had offended him. "Me? I'm the favorite nephew of the captain of the city's army! I am Aoki Nobuyoshi!"

For Yuki, hearing that title and that name was more than enough to give him the courage to approach the young man.

"I'm Yuki Aizawa. It's a pleasure to meet you," Yuki said as he shook the young man's hand enthusiastically.

"I watched your duel a few days ago, and your swordsmanship is incredible. Truly worthy of a successor to the knights."

Yuki couldn't stop praising his fellow cadet with such admiration.

"Ah, yes... I suppose you're that aspiring knight everyone's been talking about lately, aren't you? Yuki Aizawa," Aoki replied with complete calm and patience as he looked at the boy who had been brave enough to greet him.

"So you already knew my name?"

Yuki looked genuinely surprised.

Aoki let out a small laugh.

"Who doesn't? No one's been talking about anything else in this academy for days."

"Really?"

Yuki couldn't hide his excitement.

Those words, insignificant as they might have seemed to everyone else, meant a great deal to him. Throughout his life, he had always heard his name followed by the same words.

Meanwhile, Tomotaro turned toward the girl whose books Yuki had knocked over earlier. "You've heard them too?"

"Yes... There's no one who hasn't heard those... rumors," she replied in a cold, emotionless voice.

"Yeah, you're right," Tomotaro replied with his usual carefree expression.

While Tomotaro was talking with the girl, and Aoki was teasing Yuki by draping an arm over his shoulder and pulling him closer, another girl walked up behind them.

"I finally found you!"

The girl with glasses seemed slightly startled when she recognized the newcomer's voice.

As she reached them, the young woman looked first at her friend and then at the rest of the group. "I've been looking all over the academy for you. Why didn't you tell me you'd be here?"

"I didn't think it was necessary."

That answer made the newly arrived girl place a hand over her chest with an expression of exaggerated indignation.

"Hello! I'm Aoki Nobuyoshi!" Aoki interrupted the conversation, raising one hand with a smile. "I'm the favorite nephew of the captain of the city's army."

The young woman looked at him for a few seconds... then ignored him.

That reaction filled Aoki with indignation, causing him to drop to his knees on the spot.

He had been defeated in an instant.

"Hey, Yuki..." Tomotaro whispered into his ear. "This isn't good. That purple-haired girl dressed more elegantly than the rest of us is none other than the heir to the throne, Princess Kataoka Rie."

"HUH!? T-The Princess?!" Yuki couldn't help letting out a small shout after learning who she was.

Immediately, he stepped away from the others and stood in front of the young woman, bowing in a hurried manner.

"M-My apologies, Princess Kataoka! I didn't know you were...!"

"Yuki."

Tomotaro's voice interrupted him.

Yuki slowly raised his head.

"Yes?"

"You're making way too much of a scene."

"How am I not supposed to?! She's the Princess!"

However, the purple-haired young woman couldn't help letting out a small laugh. "I'm here as just another student. You don't need to treat me like royalty."

Without thinking twice, Tomotaro grabbed Yuki by the shirt and pulled him back in an almost comical scene. "Please forgive him. My friend isn't used to this much social interaction."

Yuki wanted to protest, but he couldn't think of a good excuse when the truth was so obvious.

Aoki, who was still kneeling, slowly got back to his feet. "Then... would you at least introduce yourself to me?"

Rie looked at him for a few moments.

"No."

Tomotaro let out a small laugh while the girl with glasses simply adjusted them.

"Her name is Kataoka Rie," she finally said. "And she's my friend."

After that, a few seconds of silence followed.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

"No. I don't like doing that."

"Her name is Shintani Kako. She's my best friend and my companion at the academy."

"And I'm Tomotaro. My father is the Duke of the North," the boy said with a voice full of pride.

While everyone talked among themselves, Yuki watched the small group that had just formed.

It was new and somewhat noisy.

However, Yuki was able to understand it.

If you work hard enough, you can keep moving forward and meet wonderful people.