Five years of my life spent studying at Sakura High, all the way from middle school to high school, I have never known that the distance to walk from the entrance gate to the ceremony hall was that far. 

Countless scrutinizing gaze from onlookers, coupled with their incessant chattering about me, the road to the ceremony hall felt like it was spread with spikes and horns beneath my every step.

Truth be told, were I still my past self, I would most likely faint from the pressure alone. It was truly unfathomable why I was still able to stand upright and walk among this hail of blades that surrounded me from all sides. Could it be due to one of those perks from my new body? 

Deep down, I certainly hoped that it would be the case, since this situation will probably repeat many times in the future. I did not have a very strong attachment to this new identity of mine yet, but to falter and bare my weakness in front of others is something that has to be absolutely avoided, regardless of circumstance.

Thankfully, keeping my posture elegant and graceful was not so monumental a task, as it seemed like this body remembered what it needed to do, and my sole mission was to give it a push to invoke the right muscle memory. With Nora on my side, I ignored all the ruckus around me, kept my sight straight, and gracefully walked to the event hall.

Our school’s hall had two entrance doors, made entirely from amber wood. When Nora and I came close to the second door for student entrance, as I did at last year’s opening ceremony, there was a senile old man in a suit waiting by the door, together with a familiar security guard from our school in his usual uniform. For some reasons, the security guard was sweating profusely, even though the weather was not even remotely hot. The old man’s face was originally rigid and emotionless, but upon seeing me and Nora, he let loose his expression and welcomed me with a hearty grandfather smile.

“Hooh, so you have come, Princess. And, Nora too, nice job escorting Her Highness here. My deepest apologies for having you suffer under these cockroaches’ insolent gazes. I cannot escort you from the school gate due to their stupid protocol, please forgive me.”

‘Huh, this rude old man is related to me?’, thought myself as I was at a loss about what to reply, since I did not have any memory of him, and he did not have horns. Well, my memory did not have anything else useful either. 

While I was pondering whether to settle for a simple morning greeting, Nora on my side chimed in.

“It was nothing major, Sebas-sama. However, I share your repugnance about these cockroaches’s behavior. These sticky gazes on our beloved princess are absolutely disgusting, especially the male ones. Haaa, to think our princess will have to breathe in the same air with their kinds everyday from now on...”

Nora’s words were laden with pity for me.

Seriously, what’s with these people’s rude perception of humans? I was also a human just yesterday, just so you know.

However, their hostile attitude also brought me a convenient topic to deal with this so-called Sebas person. Now I just need to pick a line that would be neutral but slightly in favor of demons. I am currently associated with them, after all.

“Sebas. I believe it would be in our best interest to not blurt out anything condescending. We are; after all, in human’s territory and in the presence of a human being, are we not?”

I glanced at the security guard that stood on the opposite side of Sebas. He was the middle-aged guy that often caught me sneaking into school during the days when I overslept and gave me an earful.

Sebas threw him a quick glance, and then replied to me with a half-curved smile.

“Just as you said, princess. I cannot wait for this farce to end, so that we can play with the humans even more. Don’t you feel the same, princess?”

Sebas looked at the poor guy wistfully.

The middle-aged guy that was once a major source of my misfortune in life, is now sweating and trembling intensely at our conversation. 

It was a lie to say that I’m not a teeny bit satisfied at this development. However, since there would be a lot of people coming here, I would opt to not drag this any longer.

“So, Sebas”, I pondered over the tone I should use, “could I go in there now?”

“You don’t need to be so formal with me, Princess. Yes, you might go in, and please, remember that your seat is … eh, what was it again?”

He scratched his head, while looking to the side.

“Did you really forget it, Sebas-sama?”

Nora threw him a scornful look.

“It is not my fault! The seat has some very human hard to remember part! That’s right, you, where is the seat for our princess?”

The poor school guard trembled in fear as he hastily drew out what seemed to be a table sheet. He quickly skimmed through the whole thing, and informed me.

“Uhm … your seat is at the third row on the left, uhm … the outermost one. You … I mean, Your Highness .. will sit in the same row as the scholarship students, and below the officials.”

He hastily wrote them down on a small piece of paper and handed it over it to me, using both of his hands. Before I could do or say anything, Nora snatched it away from his hands, and after blowing and wiping it diligently, she handed it back to me.

Before her over-the-top actions, I did not know whether to laugh or cry. I could only presume that this would be my normal daily life from now on.