I'm Glad We Became Friends

Because I won the duel, the S class will fight against the A class.

How will they do it?

I don't know, and it's not my problem right now.

"Hmph!"

Fran had a happy look on her face, clearly proud that I won the duel.

"You're in a good mood" I said in a calm tone.

"How could I not? My friend is finally going to get the recognition he rightfully deserves" she kept her arms crossed and a big smile on her face.

You'd think that I'd be approached by someone, but nobody bothers us with Fran on my side.

"What was so important that you couldn't be on the class reunion?"

"I've got other things to do" I said.

I told Theo and Cecil, but mostly Theo, to tell us what the class decides to do.

"What would those things be"

"I'm going to my items and artifacts class to ask the teacher about the items I got on the dungeon" I explained by showing Fran the cloak, bone arm, and necklace.

I don't really care about info on the necklace as I already know what it does from the game, but the cloak is something I've never seen before, and I can take the bone to alchemy classes for them to turn it into something interesting.

Speaking of... I don't have many items or artifacts.

The items and artifacts class teaches and researches everything usable for adventurers.

From the different types of potions, not make them as that's something for the alchemy class, to simple supporting equipment like throwable knives or hooks.

As for artifacts, they're pieces of equipment like rings, headbands, necklaces, and other wearables that give you either a stat increase or a unique effect.

The strength ring, the simplest one, made the unit's strength go up by three points. Almost nothing, but it was a stat increase.

These artifacts are extremely rare, either only being dropped by high-level bosses, on a chest inside a hidden room of a dungeon, or you can buy them if you have the money for them.

And you only got enough money to buy them in the end-game, which means that I can't buy them with my current financial situation.

However, given that I'm this world isn't ruled by video game logic, I could probably steal artifacts.

I am a thief, after all...

But I don't feel good picking the pockets of random passerbies.

I'm more of a dungeon raider.

...

...

"Oh, Alen. Congratulations on your duel" the old lady said with a smile on her face.

Lycree Doolvo, one of the teachers that was present on my entrance exam.

She's the teacher for this class.

"Thanks, teacher." I smiled back at her.

"And I see that you brought someone with you today" the old lady looked at the white-haired princess.

"Good day" Fran decided to keep interactions at a minimum.

I looked around, and most of the students here looked at Fran as if she were a monster.

"And what brings you here, Alen?"

"I have these three things I managed to keep from that dugeon"

I placed the three items on a desk that was right there.

"I mostly care about the cloak, and you told us that any item or weird artifact we found should be brought to you. Especially the ones we have no idea how they work"

"Absolutely... but I can only look into a single artifact or item at a time right now, I'm very busy with my classes" she grabbed the cloak.

"Of course, I couldn't make you work that much"

It's better if I keep her as an ally, even if she's not that powerful in-game.

"Ha, I may be old. But this body can still work as always"

Lycree inspected the cloak before leaving it on her chair.

"Come back tomorrow, and I'll have it studied inside and out"

"Thank you, teacher."

"You know what, Alen? I doubted the director's decision to put you in the S class. But I can see that she was right"

She looked to the other students who were avoiding looking at us.

"I still don't understand what she saw in me to put me on the S class... aside from the incantationless casting, I had nothing else going for me"

In the game, Alen belonged to the F class. So I thought that I was either going to end there or on the E or D class.

"You'll understand it eventually"

...

...

We were now walking towards our meeting spot with Theo and Cecil.

But the walk was silent, as if Fran was bothered by something.

"You're worth being on the S class" Fran abruptly said.

"Huh?" We both stopped walking.

"I won't stand for my friend having those pessimistic thoughts in his head!"

"Wh-what are you-"

"I'm saying that there was no way you wouldn't end on the S class"

Fran crossed her arms and looked at me with an angry frown.

"I wasn't in your entrance exam, but if you fought there just like I've seen you fight here. Then it's obvious to me that you'd end up on the best class"

She walked really close to me.

"You're clearly better than those useless bugs that failed to get into the S class, and you're better than every single S class student in our year"

She poked my chest with her finger with every other word she said.

"Stop putting yourself down. If I, the princess of the Montanev kingdom, decided to be your friend, it's because you're the best thing this place, and any other place, has to offer"

She looked at me straight into my eyes.

"I... haaa..." I sighed "Thanks Fran. You're right"

I gave her a genuine smile.

I've always been so negative about my own possibilities. But...

If I can make it to the top five of the most prestigious classes, if I can beat the characters that are regarded as strong, if I survived a boss I had no reason to survive.

"You better be thankful! Only someone like you could have become my first ever friend, not any lowly peasant out there" she smiled and created some distance between us.

At that moment, I remembered the in-game Fran.

A lonely character with no friends, a character that could never approach anyone else, a character that everyone feared.

People had their reason to avoid her. She always pushed people away, and she clearly disliked being next to other people.

And to the many players that followed Kaida's story. She was a bully, a bitch that made the protagonist's life hell in the academy.

A character that traded her life and the entire world for power.

But now I know more, I'm learning what I couldn't before.

I saw her worrying about me, criying when I woke up from that week long period of unconsciousness, commenting on your worries over ruining your first ever friendship.

"I'm glad we're friends"

"I'm not"

What?

"You and I being friends is the expected outcome, it's like a fish being glad that it's able to swim"

"..." I looked at her for a second before I began to laugh.

"Wh-why are you laughing? I'm being serious"

"That analogy was... unexpected"

The white-haired's cheek became red from embarrassment.

"Hmph! You're ungrateful to your friend" she crossed her arms and pouted.

"I'll make i-"

"No! I told you that you won't use any of your coins when you're with me. And I wasn't angry"

"I know,I just wanted an excuse to go somewhere else after we're finished for today"

She opened her eyes and turned around, not wanting to show me her face.

"Y-you don't need an excuse for that..." she whispered.

"And you don't need to hide your feelings with me. I know that you're also glad that we're friends" I rested my hand on her shoulder, making her twitch a bit.

"I...I may be... but I'm also right in what I said" she whispered.

I cannot tell her that, in other circumstances, we wouldn't be friends.

Game Alen wasn't friends with her.

But I am, and that's all that matters to me.

"Let's go Fran, we have to meet our other friends"

I let go of her shoulder and waited for her to turn around.

She sighed, calming herself before turning around.

"The coward and that fighting obsessed bodyguard have a long way to go before I acknowledge them as my friends" she crossed her arms and started walking.

"So you think that they can be your friends" I teased her.

"Only because they're your friends, nothing more than that"

She's way more than the villainess of a game. I can see her not following the wrong path in the future.

She's my friend.

__________

"... and that's what te whole class agreed to"

Theo finished tellin us on what happened on the S class.

It was agreed that we would train the lowest ranked students to a point where Hey could maintain their position.

Half the class didn't want to play bodyguard to the weakest students.

"A middle ground where students can show if they deserve to be a part of the S class without gaining a bad reputation as a mafia" I tapped my chin while thinking on what to do.

"Griffa wanted to avoid helping the weaker students because it technically goes against the rules of the academy. Helping them win would be nothing more than cheating" Theo added to the thought process of the ones that wanted to avoid any conflict.

"But by helping these peasants outside of duel, we can make sure that they become strong enough to maintain their position"

"And if they still lose... then there was nothing we could've done. We gave then all the help they needed and they still lost"

"I'm happy as long as we get to fight and train" Cdcil laughed.

"The weaker students were ordered in groups to be trained by higher ranked students" Theo began to explain.

"We mostly have to take care of the students ra ked twenty to seventeen. So the top students formed groups"

"Groups, I won't accept to be in any group that Alen isn't in" Fran exclaimed with crossed arms.

"Don't worry, I made sure of that" Theo said.

"We have to train the weakest S class student... Atro Siuco"