"Excuse me, may I sit on the other side?"

"Uh, sure, go ahead."

 

The woman surprised me; how did she suddenly appear near me?

 

"Thank you."

 

The woman genuinely sat on the other side of where I was leaning. Although I was curious why she chose to sit in a somewhat dirty place rather than a normal seat, my current priority was to respond to the incoming email.

 

As I intended to open the email, the girl spoke again.

 

"Are you a new student?"

 

"Yes, I just entered here."

 

"You came a day early for this year's admission ceremony."

 

"I did get that notice, but there's something I need to take care of."

 

"Oh, what is it?"

 

I might not care about other people's curiosity, but at least I had to make a good impression so that my campus life wouldn't be problematic in the future.

 

"I received an email from someone claiming to be the dean, and I was asked to meet her today."

 

"From the dean, you say. Who is the sender?"

 

The girl seemed to think I was bragging or something. I just showed her the contents of the email.

 

"The sender's name is Hirashima Rina. Initially, I was surprised that the dean of this campus is a woman."

 

The girl nodded.

 

"Hirashima Rina is indeed the dean of this campus, and this email is really from her. So why didn't you meet her immediately and ended up here?"

 

"Actually, I got lost, so I ended up here."

 

"You got lost even though you were given a location map in the email?"

 

"Yes."

 

The girl then turned her face away, and I heard a faint laugh, though she tried not to laugh.

 

"Alright, I'll take you there. The situation won't be good if you don't arrive soon."

 

"Ehhh, is the dean of this campus really strict and stern?"

 

"Even more than that, especially since she's a busy person with little free time."

 

The girl then stood up and led the way. However, I just realized that she looked very beautiful. Long black hair and eyes equally dark. Being teased by a beautiful girl and then helped by her seemed like some kind of gift prepared by fate.

 

"Can I ask you a few things?"

 

"Sure."

 

"Did you enter through a special route?"

 

"No, I passed the exam like the regular route."

 

"Why did you choose this campus?"

 

"I just wanted to find a peaceful place to complete my studies."

 

"It seems like you chose the right place. Where are you from?"

 

"Tokyo."

 

"This is surprising. Why did you choose to move here?"

 

"Let's just say I got tired of the daily routine, and besides, there's nothing wrong with choosing a nice place like this."

 

"Is that so? So, it's purely your desire that stems from boredom."

 

Rather than having a conversation, I felt more like I was being interrogated.

 

"Senpai, what about you? What's your reason for choosing this campus?"

 

"Eh, why are you suddenly calling me senpai?"

 

"Of course, because of senpai's knowledge and our previous conversation."

 

"I could also be a new student who happened to know about this campus area."

 

I had already guessed this answer.

 

"New students certainly wouldn't know the email from the dean. Moreover, senpai's habits also feel a bit unique to me."

 

The girl turned around and began pinching my cheek with both of her hands.

"Is there something wrong with my favorite spot?"
"No, not at all."
"Oh my, even though you're still a new student, you're being impolite to your seniors."
Her pouting face was really cute.
"I just sat in a place I thought was perfect for napping."
The girl started pinching my cheek again.
"Heh, so you think I'm a lazy girl who likes to nap under a tree, huh?"
"No-no, I didn't say that at all."
"But you must be thinking that, right?"
Even though I shook my head, she seemed to still not believe me.
"Not at all, in fact, I consider you a very beautiful senpai."
"Want to be forgiven?"
"I'm just being honest; senpai is indeed very beautiful. I'm just grateful that senpai pays a lot of attention to a junior like me."
"Sigh, of course, as a good senpai, I have to do that."
Although she was a bit grumpy, she seemed to be a girl who could speak honestly.

Along the way, Senpai began explaining some building names that we passed by. Until finally, we arrived at the building with the highest floor.
"So, this is the campus rectorate."
"Even though the place is so conspicuous like this, you still got lost."
"Hehehe, sorry."
"Follow me."
"Okay, senpai."

As I continued to follow her, Senpai walked towards the elevator. Although I noticed that some staff and other students were looking at us, I tried my best to ignore their gazes. Senpai then attached a card to the third elevator door that read "staff only."
"I didn't expect there to be some kind of access even just to the rector's room."
"Of course, anything related to permissions or requests is needed. After starting active classes, you will also have a card like mine. Take care of this card, don't lose it."
"Understood, senpai."
We took the elevator, and Senpai pressed the top button.
"Before we arrive, there's something else I want to ask."
"What is it?"
"Before this, have we ever met?"
"No, I think this is our first meeting."
I indeed didn't remember her face and didn't know her at all.
"Is that so? I guess it'll be fine."
For some reason, she started to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Is there anything bothering you, senpai?"
"Not at all, besides, you don't need to know about my problems."
Her annoying attitude surfaced again.
"Even though I can't help with anything right now, don't hesitate to talk to me. Because I owe senpai a favor."
"No need, I'm just doing my duty."
The elevator beeped, and the door began to open. What I saw was a special room filled with luxurious items and many things like statues and books.
"Follow me."
"Okay."
As I followed Senpai, we reached a door in the corner of the room.
"I can only accompany you this far. Remember to behave as politely as possible and don't cause any trouble. Understand?"
"Okay, senpai, thank you very much for everything."
"You're welcome, then I'll go back."
"Wait a minute, we haven't introduced ourselves yet."

"Let's do that another time; your time is more valuable now. See you again."

Senpai disappeared from my view.

I began to take a deep breath, preparing to face the last boss.