TBOBS 15

Chapter: 15

“U-Um, Lady Laila…”

The one who called out to Laila with a dazed expression was Kamil, Alpha Class’s teacher.

Kamil, who also happened to be one of Laila’s distant relatives, was normally someone who never lost his composure.

But not today.

Laila understood his expression perfectly.

“Is it… really possible to display that much power… without even awakening Water Power?”

Because she herself felt exactly the same way.

“You’ve awakened Water Power, Lady Laila. Please tell us.”

“That’s right, Lady Laila. Just what in the world…?”

Even Aika, the assistant teacher of Alpha Class, chimed in with a pale face, as though she’d just seen a ghost.

On top of her shock, Aika wore the expression of a reporter who had just stumbled upon the scoop of a lifetime.

“She’s… truly incredible…”

Wasn’t Aika’s maternal grandfather a flying fish beastman…?

As Laila briefly recalled the assistant teacher’s family, she realized today’s incident would spread everywhere by tomorrow.

No.

At this rate, every branch family would probably hear about it.

At the very least, during the thirty years she’d served as head of the academy, there had never been an orca who caused this much trouble on the very first day of school.

Not even her own older brothers—each famous in their own right as the greatest thug, gangster, and lunatic—had ever achieved a record like this.

At first, I’d only said it as a joke…

Laila’s expression became unusually serious.

But we really have another powerful successor candidate now.

Before long, however, a small smile she couldn’t hide tugged at the corner of her lips.

The one thing Laila had overlooked…

Was that it didn’t even take a full day this time.

The rumors spread throughout the academy in only half a day.

“You’re sooo cool!”

“Cooler than my mommy!”

An hour had passed since Karon had been thoroughly dealt with.

I thought the kids were adorable…

But hearing the same thing over and over eventually got old.

“Princess! Please teach me too!”

…The admiration was nice.

The compliments were nice too.

But hadn’t you all been doing this for a whole hour already?

Orcas were creatures that lived by hierarchy.

After just one beating, Karon had completely understood his place and behaved accordingly.

I had exiled him to the very last seat.

So now he sat pitifully all the way in the back.

I’d even given him a chair and named it the “Thinking Chair.”

The children had burst into giggles when they heard that.

Apparently, except for a few orcas, most of the kids in this class had been beaten up by him before.

Seriously.

Why was he even hitting other kids?

I was much more lenient toward whales that weren’t orcas.

You won’t find more peace-loving kids than these.

If people wanted to fight, they should fight others who actually liked fighting.

If there was one thing I acknowledged and liked about my brothers, it was that they always picked fights with other orcas.

…Or was it anyone who challenged them?

Either way, someone who went around punching innocent people…

…

Wow.

Listen to me rewriting my own memories.

No, the third brother really was just a complete psycho.

I shook my head.

Even then, the children’s applause refused to stop.

Hey, kids. Don’t you have homework today?

Even the teachers over there were either staring at me with sparkling eyes or looking completely at a loss.

At that point, I realized I had no choice but to surrender.

“Everyone, quiet down.”

Dusting off my hands, I raised a finger to my lips.

“Shh.”

I’d finally figured out how to quiet these kids after just one hour.

The little ones immediately stopped laughing as if they’d been waiting for the signal.

Some even covered their mouths with both hands.

Ah…

They were such good children.

Meanwhile, the orca kids mixed into the class had already accepted the new hierarchy and were behaving themselves.

Ah…

Life was so much easier now.

“Everyone, take your seats. A good whale studies diligently.”

“Yes!”

“Okaaay!”

Age: three years old.

First day in Alpha Class.

Class conquered.

Ha… so this is the privilege of being the boss.

The attention that belongs only to the strongest.

That was today’s greatest achievement.

Even if I ended up lying in bed tonight kicking my blankets in embarrassment for thinking something so ridiculous.

After the day’s lessons ended, I headed home.

Whew. What a rewarding day.

With the same bag I’d carried that morning slung over one shoulder, I walked toward the carriage.

Come to think of it…

I’d worked so hard climbing all those stairs this morning.

Now I had to climb back down.

A small groan escaped my lips.

But what could I do?

I was the orca who’d become the boss today.

I could handle a little hardship like this.

The real problem was that my classroom was up there now.

Meaning I’d have to struggle up those stairs every single morning.

Well, I suppose that’s the price of getting into the top class.

Incidentally, Karon—the one who’d acted up and gotten his place in the hierarchy corrected today—hadn’t been allowed to leave the Thinking Chair all day.

I thought at least one teacher would say something…

But every teacher and assistant teacher in the top class belonged to the orca branch families.

Maybe because they’d all witnessed the hierarchy being established, none of them tried to interfere.

That silent acceptance was practically an acknowledgment.

If anything, the assistant teacher kept looking at me with sparkling eyes that were almost burdensome.

Fortunately, whenever the head teacher was nearby, she restrained herself from trying to speak to me.

As for Laila…

When class ended, she left after saying just one sentence.

“You won’t have to transfer classes again. In fact, I have a feeling we may not be able to keep you in the beginner division for very long.”

Then she added,

“I think academy life is going to become much more interesting from now on.”

Well…

According to my plans, I never intended to stay here for very long anyway.

Above all, I only planned to remain until I turned ten.

Which also meant…

I had to accomplish something truly extraordinary before then.

I’ve got this.

Opening and closing my hand, I stared at the staircase ahead.

Enough thinking about the future.

It was time to face today’s small trial.

Whew… Let’s just think of this as another hardship necessary to prove myself to Grandma.

Damn it.

Who on earth built these stairs so ridiculously high?

I let out a small sigh and was just about to start making my way down—

“Princess!”

“Princess!!”

I looked up.

Two children with very pale white hair were looking at me.

With their glossy hair and especially large eyes, they gave off an impression similar to dolphin children.

Beluga kids?

Belugas.

Also known as white whales.

Maybe because their true forms were naturally cute and smooth-looking, these children also looked bright-eyed and adorable.

As a side note…

Belugas aren’t actually a type of dolphin.

Though they are among the smaller whale species.

Even so, they were still older than me.

So I had to look up at them.

“What did you call me for?”

“We wanted to say hello!”

“Hello! Hello!”

After spending the day with them in class, I’d learned these two were among the smartest…

No.

Probably the smartest in the class.

Then again, belugas were naturally one of the more intelligent whale species.

Even back in my previous world, they were known for being able to communicate with humans.

They were playful, but because they loved peace, they were beastmen whose personalities clashed badly with orcas.

They’re probably the ones who got bullied the most.

Just like in my previous life.

There weren’t many children who spoke as honestly and directly as these belugas—or the bottlenose dolphin who’d been my devoted strategist in my last life.

They were intelligent.

Generally righteous.

And they hated doing things that went against their own beliefs.

Naturally, they were incompatible with the typically tyrannical, self-centered orcas.

“I only do what I want to do. I’m smart, so that’s allowed.”

Whether it was these beluga children standing before me…

Or that bottlenose dolphin strategist who had followed me so faithfully in my previous life…

They were exactly the same.

“What kind of greeting?”

The memory of my former subordinate unexpectedly surfaced, and somehow I couldn’t bring myself to send these tiny twins away.

Even though I needed to hurry home before visiting Pierre’s house.

“You saved our class!”

“You saved us!”

“A hero!”

“A hero!!”

“Yes, yes. If it’s that kind of greeting, then you can say it ten more times.”

Crossing my arms, I nodded.

If they were going to praise my greatness, I could happily hear it a hundred more times today.

“I’m an orca too, after all. I like hearing people tell me how amazing I am.”

“You like it?”

“You like it?”

“Princess is the best!”

“You were awesome!”

“Yes, yes. I know I’m awesome.”

Feeling a little more generous, I decided to walk down the stairs together with the beluga twins.

Honestly, I hadn’t wanted anyone to see me struggling my way down the stairs.

But I was in too good a mood.

“Karon hit me really hard! My forehead got all dented!”

“My head got squished too!”

“Then he was definitely in the wrong. Though… aren’t your heads naturally kind of soft?”

“Huh?! How do you know that?”

“You know?!”

“Your skin stays soft until you’re around ten years old. Isn’t that true for all belugas…?”

As I searched through my hazy memories from my previous life, the beluga twins suddenly stared at me with shining eyes.

“Princess, do you know a lot about belugas?”

“I wouldn’t say I don’t.”

It was only a casual reply.

Yet somehow, the way they looked at me shone even brighter than the assistant teacher’s eyes had.

“This is the first time someone’s been interested in us!”

“The first time!”

“Mommy said you have to be nice to someone’s first time! That’s why she was nice to Daddy too!”

“That’s right! She was nice!”

“…I’m pretty sure she didn’t mean that kind of ‘first.’”