On a cruise ship, a human girl named Anka finally entered the room assigned to her. The day had been so exhausting that her entire body felt numb.
"Zero... It's so hard being a servant. This is an inhuman job... And we still have to do this for another four days? I can't..."
She let herself fall onto the bed.
[Anka, you did an amazing job today. You should be proud of yourself. The Dragon race is one of the most difficult races to serve because of their etiquette, customs, high standards, and strict hierarchy. I am very proud of you.]
"I feel like you're only saying that to make me feel better."
[And is it working?]
"Yes... Thank you. But now I want to sleep for a while."
[Alright. I'll wake you up when morning comes.]
The girl never answered.
She had already fallen asleep.
What the system called Zero didn't know was that, in the very next moment, its host opened her eyes inside another body.
_________________________
Anka was so shocked that she couldn't believe what was happening.
She found herself inside a large classroom filled with people. She recognized a few of them from the stereotypes she had heard about on the ship, but the others were complete mysteries.
Even though she desperately tried to look around, the body she occupied refused to obey her.
Eventually, she convinced herself that this had to be some kind of dream... or perhaps a strange form of possession.
That thought helped her relax.
Unfortunately, whatever discussion had been taking place was already nearing its end. The voices sounded distorted, making it impossible to understand most of what was being said.
Only after everyone had left the room except 'her' and another girl did the sounds finally become clear again.
Then she froze once more. The voice coming from the body… It sounded exactly like hers.
"Are you satisfied with today's meeting?"
What's going on...?
The other girl didn't react at all.
She's ignoring me... Her... Us...? What a strange experience...
Anka watched the elf carefully inspect each desk before the owner of the body spoke again.
"Are you angry? Was my intervention not good enough?"
This elf girl seems really upset. What happened during this meeting? I couldn't hear much, but it sounded like some kind of debate...
Then another voice echoed. This time, it didn't come from outside. It resonated directly inside her mind.
"So she has moments when she becomes completely silent."
"I think I like her more when she's saying nonsense."
Those are her thoughts? Are they friends?
"I didn't expect her to be this idealistic."
"That's her problem. Why should I care?"
That's... not how a friend should think...
The two girls left the classroom together, neither of them speaking.
Although they walked side by side, they completely ignored each other.
When the Academy's hallways, gardens, forests, and magnificent buildings came into view, Anka completely forgot about the awkward silence between them.
She became absorbed by the scenery.
The owner's thoughts continued to appear from time to time, but they were fragmented and quiet, making them easy to ignore.
Then the library came into view. It was love at first sight. Only when the two girls finally began talking again did Anka shift her attention back to them.
"What do you think?" the elf asked.
"Now she wants information from me? Is it really that easy? I'm not falling for something so obvious."
The body answered aloud.
"About what? The library? It's amazing."
"Another reason to stay in this school despite all the dangers that come with it."
Danger? What danger?
The elf replied with a firm expression.
"Don't play dumb. It takes two people to play that game, and right now you're the only one playing." She hesitated briefly before adding, "...Please answer my question."
She seems so kind... Even when she's angry, she's still polite...
"Wow... Straight to the point."
"So she finally admitted she was playing games with me?"
"She's at least a valuable ally. Let's see whether we can make proper use of each other."
This person is horrible...
They're clearly not friends...
I feel so sorry for that elf girl...
The owner of the body looked around before moving toward a nearby table and sitting down comfortably. The elf copied the movement and sat across from her.
"You've stopped pretending now, haven't you?" the body asked. "I don't think today's meeting was a failure. Honestly, it could have ended much worse. Considering our classmates, I'd call this a decent outcome."
"Not only decent, but honestly surprising. The meeting was productive in far more ways than I expected."
The meeting in that classroom?
They left in such a strange atmosphere... and she still doesn't consider it a failure?
The elf lowered her gaze.
"I wasn't pretending. My attitude simply changes depending on the situation. If my tone offended you... I'm sorry."
Still so polite...
She sounds genuinely honest.
"So she still wants to keep some kind of mask?"
"If she insists that she isn't pretending, I honestly don't care."
"Now... pretend I believe that weak excuse. Change the subject. Answer the question she asked earlier. Keep pushing for a real negotiation table... or..."
What...?
There are so many thoughts... I can hear all of them...
It hurts... Stop...
For a brief moment, Anka felt overwhelmed by the flood of thoughts.
Then the pressure suddenly vanished, and the outside voice became clear again.
"Yes, some of our classmates are hopeless. But some are interesting. The fairy. The werewolf. Shu Mo, that Dark Eye boy. And maybe that vampire. They all caught my attention. She leaned back slightly. "So don't be too hard on yourself. The ideal outcome was impossible. If things didn't become worse... then today's meeting was already a success."
Wow... So much information.
A fairy, a werewolf, a Dark Eye... and a vampire!
Those must be some of the other races Zero mentioned.
This girl sounds surprisingly optimistic after hearing her thoughts earlier...
The elf still looked dissatisfied.
"You may think today's meeting was a success because you only care about the outcome. But for me... it was clearly a failure."
Yes, she's the pessimistic one.
They really could make a good team together...
"Our classroom is probably the most divided, the most diverse, and the hardest to control in the entire Academy. If we don't manage to work together..."
Academy...?
Where have I heard that before?
The elf suddenly stopped speaking. From Anka's perspective, she was staring directly at them. Then she frowned.
What now?
A storm of thoughts immediately followed.
"That boy has been following us since we left the classroom."
"I didn't stop him earlier because he stayed too far away to hear anything important."
"Without magic, and with a body this weak, even an animal would probably be more dangerous."
"I hoped he would get brave enough to come closer, preferably somewhere isolated."
"But this is already a lucky opportunity."
"Let's see what we can learn from this little experiment."
What is she talking about?
I don't understand anything anymore...
Only then did Anka notice the figure hidden against the stone wall. His body blended almost perfectly with the surroundings. He was covered in scale-like patterns that reminded her of a lizard.
A chameleon...?
A chameleon man?
Wait... he was following us this whole time?!
Then she heard another voice. For a moment she thought it was Zero, but it wasn't.
[Csendez, I blocked the signal of his Damionus, but move quickly. I can only keep this up for another minute.]
"That's more than enough. Good job, Chirip."
[My pleasure... hehehe.]
A system?
Do they use systems too?
And it blocked the signal... to the Alpha System, or to something else?
This system sounds strangely cute...
Chirip is such a weird name, though...
Anka watched in complete confusion as the body moved.
For an instant, she felt something being pulled away, but the sensation disappeared so quickly that she wasn't even sure it had happened.
The lizard-like boy was suddenly lying unconscious on the floor.
The elf hurried closer, clearly worried.
Oh... she's worried about us.
How sweet...
"She thinks I can't handle something this small? What a strange ally..."
This girl is making me want to hit something...
"Don't be so obvious, Csendez. This is still the Academy," the elf warned.
"Don't be so nervous," the girl named Csendez replied calmly. "I know what I'm doing."
Anka froze.
Academy...
Now I remember. My guest and his friend were talking about a place called the Academy… Is this the same place?
What a coincidence...
No, this is becoming too strange...
The girl had been lost in thought for a moment. By the time Anka looked up again, they had already changed locations. They were now sitting inside another reading room. The elf looked unexpectedly cheerful.
What just happened?
I feel like I missed something important...
Then the thoughts returned.
"I really have a lot to learn from her."
"Just watching how quickly she changes her expression is impressive…"
"Not to mention her communication skills."
So... now you admire her? Where did that come from?
"You're really good at acting," the body's owner admitted.
For once... your thoughts and your words actually match.
The elf frowned.
"I'm not acting. I already told you. I'm being honest."
"Really? Is that actually possible? The change was simply too fast…"
It really was fast... but after everything I've seen today, maybe nothing is impossible anymore...
"Does she think I'm stupid? If she wants to keep pretending, she could at least come up with a better explanation."
"I'm serious," the elf insisted. "When someone says exactly what they're feeling, people assume they're pretending."
That's actually true...
People always think I'm lying when I'm being honest.
"If you say so..."
"You still have your uses. Otherwise, I would have already found another partner."
"I really hoped she'd become a more reliable ally... but perhaps this is as far as we can go."
What...?
"I'm disappointed," the elf continued. "But perhaps things will improve later. For now, there isn't much else I can do."
"So she wants to continue the conversation?"
"Fine. I'll give her one last chance."
I seriously can't understand this girl's mind...
"You accepted that rather quickly," Csendez observed. "Are you sure you weren't pretending after all?"
"Now what will she do? Keep pretending? Or finally put all her cards on the table?"
I'm actually nervous for the elf now...
Without warning, the elf burst into laughter.
"Hahaha..."
"Why is she laughing?"
I want to know too...
Then the body itself asked the same question.
"Why are you laughing?"
The elf only laughed harder.
"Hahahaha..."
"This is becoming interesting again."
"Maybe she really is like this…"
I have no idea what's happening... but somehow I'm happy for this elf girl.
Or... should I be?
This Csendez seems like a terrible friend.
...Wait.
Why does this scene feel so familiar?
"Did I say something funny?" Csendez asked again.
The elf gradually stopped laughing.
"No..." she said with a warm smile. "You simply reminded me of an old memory."
...Oh.
That elf... Tenin...
They really do resemble each other...
If this really is the place called the Academy... then...
Could she actually be his sister?
And if that's true... then somewhere nearby should be that black phoenix they were talking about...
No... That's absurd.
There can't be this many coincidences.
Maybe there are lots of Academies in the universe.
Maybe this girl only resembles her because they're both elves.
This body's owner only sounds like me.
Our personalities couldn't be more different...
But... didn't they say that we have very different personalities?
No... this is too much to be a coincidence.
Today someone mentioned an Academy...
Then I'm somehow here...?
And tonight I somehow woke up inside another body?
This has to be some kind of joke...
A body swap...?
No...
Some kind of projection...?
A mental link...?
...Forget it. I'll think about it later.
I don't want to miss anything else this time.
Before the owner of the body could ask another question, the elf had already walked toward another bookshelf.
"Forget it."
"Right now, it's time for an information hunt."
"...That sounds embarrassingly childish."
"Good thing nobody can hear my thoughts."
...Actually, I can.
She has a surprisingly cute side.
Csendez opened her book.
At that exact moment, Anka felt as though her consciousness had been pulled beneath deep water. Everything around her dissolved. A powerful sensation of falling rushed through her body.
Then— she opened her eyes. She was back in her own room. Gasping for air. Zero immediately spoke.
[Finally! I've been trying to wake you up for almost two minutes! Hurry and get changed! You don't have much time left!]
Anka remained frozen for several seconds. Slowly, she forced herself to calm down. She no longer had the luxury of panicking over strange experiences.
That was... impossible to explain.
If Zero didn't notice anything... then I won't tell him.
Still… What terrible timing.
It only became interesting after I woke up...