Harem System in an Elite Academy

The morning air carried the smell of fresh bread and roasted beans. It wasn’t unusual for the academy’s grounds to be busy on weekends, but this day was louder than most. Flags were strung between lamp posts. Booths lined the inner courtyard, their wooden frames hastily painted in cheerful colors that clashed with the usual beige uniform of the school buildings. The annual campus festival had officially started, and almost every student who wasn’t hiding in their dorm had found a reason to wander outside.

Arios adjusted his uniform jacket as he stepped into the courtyard, still half-awake. He hadn’t planned to attend until Lucy had banged on his door twenty minutes ago.

"Come on," she had said, crossing her arms at the doorway. "You’re not staying inside all day. It’s the festival. Even you can’t find a reason to train today."

Now she walked ahead of him, her brown hair tied into a high ponytail, swaying lightly with each step. She wore the standard academy jacket, but the ribbon at her collar was replaced with a small red bow she had likely bought from one of the booths.

Liza followed next to Arios, holding a map of the stalls. She was talking nonstop, pointing at highlighted circles she had drawn in pen. "There’s a shooting game near the north garden, and there’s free tea sampling behind the dorms. Oh, and a dessert stand that’s run by the culinary club. They’re competing with the second-years, so they’ll probably give out samples to everyone just to win votes."

Arios gave a small nod. "You sound like you’ve already planned our whole route."

Liza grinned. "Of course. Someone has to keep things organized."

Lucy looked back with a smirk. "Organized? You just want to eat everything for free."

"That’s part of the plan," Liza said, smiling without guilt.

Arios let them bicker as they walked through the rows of booths. He wasn’t used to noise like this anymore. The sounds of students shouting about raffle tickets and mini-games were strangely grounding. After everything that had happened recently—the council hearing, the investigation, the confrontation with Garron—something as ordinary as a festival felt distant, but in a good way. Like the first breath after a long dive underwater.

Lucy stopped in front of a stall where two students in aprons were flipping crepes. "Let’s get breakfast here."

Liza was already pulling out coins. "One with strawberries, please."

Arios waited quietly as they placed their orders. He could feel some eyes on him—people whispering in the crowd. Even though his name hadn’t been in the council’s official report, rumors spread fast. Some students knew he had been involved in the case. Some didn’t. Either way, he could sense the quiet awareness when he passed by.

Lucy noticed. "Ignore them," she said, handing him a folded crepe. "You didn’t do anything wrong."

"I know," he said simply.

Liza bit into her food, her cheeks puffed out. "People are always bored. Give them a few days and they’ll find something new to talk about."

He nodded. The crowd noise rose as a small stage near the courtyard began a live performance. A group from the music club started playing instruments, the melody slightly off-key but cheerful enough to keep the attention of the students gathered around.

Lucy turned to Arios. "We should go see the haunted house next."

Liza nearly choked. "No thanks. Last time we went in there, you pushed me toward the fake corpse."

Lucy laughed. "That’s because you screamed first."

"I screamed because you pushed me!"

Arios ate quietly, his eyes drifting over the rows of people, the laughter, the sound of wooden games clacking. The air smelled of sugar and oil. It was the kind of scene that reminded him why the academy didn’t feel like a prison anymore. For once, there was no tension in the air. No fights. No threats. Just the dull comfort of normal student life.

He followed them to the haunted house, a temporary structure built from painted boards and fabric sheets. The line was short. Lucy smirked. "Don’t tell me you’re scared too, Arios."

He gave her a look. "You know I’m not."

"Then lead the way."

Inside, it was darker than expected. A narrow corridor led through rooms where club members hid behind props, jumping out with fake masks. Liza’s scream echoed once again. Lucy was laughing too hard to be scared. Arios simply walked, sidestepping each attempt to startle him. By the time they reached the exit, the two girls were still arguing about who had screamed more.

"Lucy," Liza said, glaring, "you laughed so hard you couldn’t even move."

"That’s not fear," Lucy replied. "That’s amusement."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that."

They wandered out to the open space again. A light breeze swept through the field, carrying the smell of grilled meat from the food stalls nearby. Students were already forming small groups on the grass, eating and talking.

They found a spot near the fountain to sit. Lucy laid back on the stone ledge, staring at the sky. "I forgot how good this feels. We’ve been dealing with too much lately."

Liza sat cross-legged, nibbling the last piece of her crepe. "Yeah. It almost feels weird to relax."

Arios said nothing. He leaned back slightly, eyes scanning the sky the same way. The water behind him rippled softly. The blue above was cloudless, too calm for the kind of world they lived in.

Then, a voice interrupted them.

"Mind if I join you?"

They turned to see Amelia standing there, holding two cups of juice. Her usual sharp demeanor was softer today. She wasn’t wearing the student council jacket—just her uniform shirt with the sleeves rolled neatly. She looked less formal, almost normal.

Lucy shifted, making space on the ledge. "Sure."

Amelia sat beside her, handing Arios one of the drinks. "You looked like you could use this."

He accepted it quietly. "Thanks."

"You’ve been hard to find lately," Amelia said. "I thought you’d skip the festival."

"Lucy wouldn’t let me," he said.

Lucy smirked. "You’re welcome."

Amelia took a small sip of her drink. "You didn’t have to keep quiet about what you did," she said after a pause. "The council could’ve easily mentioned your name."

"It doesn’t matter," Arios replied. "The result’s what counts."

"It matters to me," Amelia said quietly. "Still... thank you."

Her tone wasn’t dramatic. Just calm, sincere. Arios nodded, not sure how to reply to that without making it awkward. Liza noticed the silence and quickly stepped in.

"Alright, this is getting too serious for a festival," she said, standing up. "We need a distraction. Something fun."

Lucy grinned. "Competition?"

"What kind?" Liza asked.

Lucy pointed toward the far end of the courtyard. "Archery booth. I bet I can outscore you."

Liza stood immediately. "You’re on."

Amelia chuckled softly. "You two never change."

As Lucy and Liza hurried off toward the booth, Amelia turned back to Arios. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. The crowd noise filled the gap, the faint laughter of students echoing around them.

"You’re still getting used to peace, aren’t you?" she said finally.

He looked at her. "Maybe."

"It takes time," Amelia said. "When I first joined the council, I couldn’t sit through a quiet lunch without thinking something was wrong."

He gave a faint smile. "Guess we both had the same problem."

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They watched the two girls at the archery booth. Liza was already missing her shots by a wide margin. Lucy was teasing her from behind. Amelia looked amused. "You’ve got good people around you."

"They keep things stable," he said simply.

The afternoon sun shifted slowly overhead. Students began gathering near the stage again as another performance was about to start. A group from the art department unveiled a large painting depicting scenes from the academy’s history. The crowd clapped politely, though most were distracted by the food stands reopening for lunch.

Amelia stood. "I should get going. Council’s helping with cleanup later."

Arios nodded. "See you around."

She hesitated briefly, then smiled. "Yeah. And... really, thank you again."

She left before he could say anything else. Lucy and Liza returned moments later, both arguing about the scorecards they were holding.

"She cheated," Liza said, pointing at Lucy. "She hit the last target after time ran out."

"It still counts if the arrow lands," Lucy said with a grin.

"It doesn’t!"

Arios took both score sheets, glanced at them, then handed them back. "Lucy won."

Liza glared. "You’re biased."

"He’s honest," Lucy said proudly.

They all sat again, the sun already dipping lower. Music started playing from the stage—this time more relaxed, something that blended into the background instead of demanding attention. The festival had entered its calm phase, where people stopped rushing between booths and simply stayed where they were.

Liza leaned against the ledge. "Hey, we should come back tonight. They’ll have fireworks."

Lucy agreed immediately. "Yeah, let’s stay until then."

Arios glanced at the schedule pinned near the fountain. Fireworks at eight. "Fine," he said. "But you’re carrying anything you buy until then."

Liza groaned. "Unfair."

"You made the plan," he replied.

They spent the next few hours walking the grounds again. Lucy tried every competition she could find. Liza bought enough snacks to fill a paper bag. Arios followed quietly, watching as they argued, laughed, and blended into the crowd. Sometimes, moments like these were better than any mission or system quest. There was no danger, no tension—just ordinary life.

When the sky finally dimmed into orange, the academy lanterns flickered on. Booth owners began lighting candles around their stalls, the glow spreading in patches. The noise softened as students gathered near the open field where the fireworks would be launched.

Lucy sat on the grass first. "Perfect spot."

Liza dropped beside her, setting her bag down. "You think the fireworks will be good this year?"

"They always are," Lucy said.

Arios stood behind them, hands in his pockets, scanning the horizon. The crowd had grown. The air was filled with the faint smell of burnt oil and sweets. Then the first firework cracked through the sky—a bright streak that exploded into a burst of color. The crowd cheered.

Lucy tilted her head back, smiling. Liza clapped quietly beside her. Arios sat down last, the sound echoing in his ears, reflecting across the buildings. Each burst lit their faces in flashes—blue, red, gold.

For a few minutes, nobody spoke.

Then Lucy broke the silence. "You know, we should do this more often. Not festivals, I mean. Just... normal things."

Liza nodded. "Yeah. It’s weirdly nice."

Arios didn’t answer, but he didn’t need to. He understood what they meant. The chaos, the fights, the academy politics—those things would return soon enough. But for now, under the falling sparks of light, it didn’t matter.

Lucy leaned back on her arms. "Next time, I’m dragging you both to the café again."

Liza groaned. "You just want another excuse to spend his money."

Lucy laughed. "And? He never says no."

Arios gave her a sidelong look. "You’re admitting it?"

"Of course," she said, smiling.

The fireworks continued until the final burst lit the entire sky white for a few seconds, then faded into trails of smoke. The crowd clapped one last time. Slowly, the students began to disperse, talking softly as they returned to their dorms.

Lucy stood and stretched. "Let’s head back before the crowd gets bad."

Liza yawned. "Good idea."

They walked together through the courtyard, now littered with scraps of paper and half-deflated balloons. The stalls were closing. The lights dimmed one by one. The air felt cooler, quieter. Arios glanced at the two walking beside him—Lucy humming a tune she’d heard earlier, Liza still munching on something from her bag.

For all the weight of recent events, the academy finally felt peaceful again. Even if only for tonight.