I’m Just an Ordinary Clown at the Academy

2 – Yo-hanna Freya.

“What I showed the child earlier.”

After parting ways with the child, it was the first thing Yo-hanna mentioned.

I was a little slow to respond as I was staring at her face.

What I showed the child earlier. Talking about the illusion, right?

“Oh, is this what they call it?”

Snap.

The sound of fingers flicking resounded, and a butterfly fluttered in the air, flapping its wings.

She stopped in her tracks and glanced at the butterfly.

I, who was walking with her, also instinctively stopped.

As we stood still in the middle of the road, it felt like our gazes were drawn to something. Our gazes had been drawn since earlier, but it was even more apparent now that we stood still.

Was it because of her beautiful appearance, or perhaps because of my peculiar attire? I couldn’t tell.

“…Unnatural.”

After staring at the butterfly for quite some time, she opened her mouth.

Unnatural? I redirected my gaze from her towards the butterfly. It looked like an ordinary butterfly to me, no matter how I looked at it.

“Unnatural, what do you mean?”

“The way it flies.”

Having heard Johanna’s words, I carefully observed the butterfly’s flight, but I couldn’t perceive any difference compared to an ordinary butterfly.

“Hmm. I really can’t tell!”

However, I couldn’t simply brush off her words. When using enchantments, I had to envision the exact image of the object I wanted to create. That’s why I couldn’t even recognize its form when I first attempted it.

Even within the realm of Croaka, there had been several mentions of Johanna’s sensitivity, so perhaps she had discovered that subtle difference separating it from a real butterfly.

“Still, thanks for the advice! I’ll have to work harder in the future.”

She stared at me intently, as if surprised by my response. It’s embarrassing to be stared at like that.

“Is that not uncomfortable?”

“Uncomfortable? What do you mean?”

“That’s your unique magic.”

Could it be that you’re worried about someone speaking lightly of my unique skill?

Well, to the people here, having a third party talk about their swordsmanship or magic is no different from challenging them to a fight. But they’re the people here, and I’m not one of them, am I?

“I would actually prefer it if you pointed out my unique magic. If I take that advice, I can become even stronger.”

Upon hearing my words, Yohanna opened her mouth slightly and looked at me. For someone who doesn’t show much emotion, she seemed quite surprised. But her surprised expression was also quite cute!

“An unusual person.”

She said that and then walked away.

“An unusual person is fine, but if possible, please remember me as a special person.”

Yohanna’s mouth turned up at my words. Just the slight upturn of her mouth made her look even more beautiful. Is she smiling now?

“Are you smiling now?”

“Uh, no.”

Of course, she quickly put her mouth back to normal, but her mouth definitely turned up.

“Your mouth definitely turned up.”

“You must have seen it wrong.”

“I saw it clearly though?”

“··············.”

Yohanna either got annoyed by my words or felt embarrassed, but she just stared at me without saying anything. So incredibly cute!

She increased her walking speed without saying a word.

“Yohanna, senior! Let’s go together!”

I chattered away quickly next to her fast-paced walk. Asking about her favorite food, if there are any good restaurants nearby, and so on. Most of it was ignored, but I even liked that.

“Yohanna, is there anything else you’re curious about me~?”

Upon hearing my question, Yohanna suddenly stopped in her tracks. Then, she timidly pointed at the cane I was holding with one hand.

“That sword.”

I was surprised that she referred to my cane as a sword. Well, it was indeed a sword, but I didn’t know that at first and only found out later. To realize it all at once.

“Wow~ How did you know this is a sword? Everyone else saw it as a cane, but as expected, Academy senior, you’re amazing!”

As I infused magic into the cane, the ordinary end of the cane became sharp.

“Tada~.”

I showed her the cane transformed into a sword, and she didn’t even think about the sword falling from the cane. Come to think of it, even within Croacca, she was the only one who showed interest in the sword.

“If it’s okay, would you like to try holding it?”

” · · · ·Is it really okay?”

In response to my question, she looked at me with sparkling eyes. Even though blind eyes are cute! Sparkling eyes are cute too!

“Yes! Of course. If it’s you, Yohanna, I can take off not only this but also the mask that I treasure the most!”

I handed her the cane. They say a sword to a swordsman is like life itself, but to me, it was just a pointy stick.

“The mask is not necessary.”

“Kugung! I got hurt.”

I sat down hesitantly, making a strange sound with my mouth, and drew a circle on the ground with my finger. She looked at the cane I gave her with a mix of hesitation and reluctance.

After inspecting my cane for a while, she handed it back to me.

“Thanks.”

“It’s nothing much. I should be the one thanking you for taking me to the academy.”

” · · · ·Would you like to try my sword too?”

Yohanna, who was truly passionate about swords, said such a thing! But unlike her, I wasn’t particularly interested in swords.

“I’m fine!”

“················.”

Oops, she’s sulking.

“It’s a lie. I really want to see Senior’s sword!”

“······· Really?”

“Yes, of course! I’m very curious about the sword Senior uses. I just hesitated because I wondered if someone like me could touch it.”

“It’s okay.”

Yohanna handed me the sword, and I cautiously held it. Considering her family, it was an ordinary sword. However, it was so well-maintained that I could tell how much care she had put into it.

After looking at her sword, I returned it to her.

“·············.”

When I returned the sword, Yohanna looked at me sharply without saying a word. What’s this? ······ No way!

“That’s ···· a really good sword.”

Nod. She nodded silently.

So cute!

.

.

.

As I walked with her, we soon arrived at the academy.

And I was overwhelmed by the sight of the academy in person.

The scale was on a different dimension compared to the reality of universities, and although time was embedded in the academy building, it didn’t mean it looked old. This is the stage of Croaka!

I thought coming to the academy was a good decision. Of course, it was more challenging not to be expelled from the academy than to get admitted, but I was confident I wouldn’t be expelled.

The academy security guard was cautious because of my suspicious attire, but upon realizing who the woman next to me was, he just let us pass. It wasn’t because she was the daughter of a duke, but because she was the leader of the academy.

“Yohanna!”

At that moment, a girl ran towards Yohanna, calling her name from afar. With brown short hair, round glasses, and the leadership emblem on her arm, she was Yohanna’s close friend from Croaka, known as ‘Jena Sguero.’

Jena, running towards Yohanna, stopped and looked at me with a guarded expression as she noticed my presence. She seemed like an ordinary clown, but I couldn’t understand why she looked at me with such suspicion.

“Who are you?”

I intended to introduce myself gracefully in response to her question, but Yohanna opened her mouth faster than I could assume the pose.

“A freshman.”

“Oh, I see. No, not really! The entrance ceremony is about to start. What are you doing here? Hurry to the auditorium before it’s too late.”

Leaving those words behind, Jena started dragging Yohanna away.

The reason Jena Sguero, the daughter of a viscount, could treat Yohanna, a duke’s daughter, so casually might be due to the academy’s principle of equality, but their close friendship was probably the main reason.

I raised both hands and waved enthusiastically towards Yohanna, who was being dragged away with a blank expression.

“See you later! Senior Yohanna!”

While being dragged, Yohanna timidly raised her hand and waved. So adorable! I must capture that with a camera if I had one!

Since I currently didn’t have a camera, I decided to walk to the academy auditorium to buy one when I earned some money.

On the way to the auditorium, many people stared at me and whispered. It seemed my appearance couldn’t be concealed even with a mask covering my entire face. Ha, that’s why it’s not good to be too handsome, isn’t it?

As I entered the auditorium, the murmurs and whispers became more pronounced, drawing attention. Is it the first time they’ve seen a handsome person?

I found an empty seat and sat down. Initially, the murmurs continued, but as time passed, they gradually quieted down.

I was staring ahead absentmindedly when suddenly it became much noisier than when I first arrived.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

I could tell the reason by looking at the man who asked me. He had golden blond hair symbolizing nobility, and a handsome face, not as much as me of course, but he was Lucas Leonhart, the crown prince of the empire and the protagonist of Croaca 1.

“Yes, my seat is always available! But strangely, no one usually sits here.”

“I’m Lucas Leonhart. Just call me Lucas.”

As Lucas sat next to me, I heard sighs from the people around us. They probably thought they could curry favor by sitting next to Lucas. Sorry, but flattery is my specialty.

“Lucas, isn’t he amazing?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“The academy! Look at this magnificent building. The reason I can attend such an academy is because I am a citizen of the empire. So, I want to dedicate all this glory to His Imperial Majesty. Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor!”

While other students secretly flatter, I openly flatter!

I never expected the people around me to be amazed and speechless by my splendid flattery skills.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

Leon, who couldn’t even utter a word in admiration of my flattery skills, burst into laughter.

“Ha-ha-ha! Oh, my stomach hurts. What’s your name?”

“Roki, just call me Roki.”