"Yo..."
"Hello~"
"Yamada, Ishizaki."
Though she greeted them, the girl didn't even glance their way.
Clearly,
she was only interested in one person in the group and was greeting the others out of politeness.
In fact,
that alone showed that she didn't care and had no understanding of good manners.
It was only because her teachers, family, and surroundings had told her she should behave that way that the girl had made a perfunctory greeting. Somehow, that only made her seem even ruder.
"Ganlongdao."
The girl squeezed past the two of them and went straight to Prince Ganlongdao's side.
"You're going to the entrance ceremony too, right? Let's go together."
"You're..."
Prince Ganlongdao glanced at her.
She had short chestnut hair, a lovely figure, and a pretty face.
"Manabe?"
"Shiho Manabe..."
Shiho Manabe smiled openly. "My family usually calls me Bao'er. You can call me that too. I can call you Prince, right?"
"..."
You say all that, but you won't even look at us?
Daichi Ishizaki rolled his eyes.
"Hey, can you look at us when you talk? That's really rude."
"Huh?"
Shiho Manabe's pretty face stiffened. Then she glanced at him, looking displeased.
"You're a grown man. Is it really worth picking a fight with a girl over something like this?"
"You..."
Ishizaki wasn't good with words, and he was left speechless. After a long moment, he finally said:
"Prince Brother, let's go. Don't bother with someone like her."
Thump.
Prince Ganlongdao lightly tapped him on the head.
"Don't call me Ganlongdao Brother. You might not mind, but I do. From now on, you can all call me Prince Brother."
"Yes, Prince Brother."
Ishizaki rubbed his head.
He didn't see much difference, and he didn't really care either way.
"Prince Brother."
Shiho Manabe didn't seem bothered by what had just happened. She sidled up to Prince Ganlongdao again, nearly pressing herself against him.
"You're so rich. How about we go sing karaoke after the entrance ceremony? My treat!"
"..."
Ishizaki and Albert silently edged farther away.
They had to admit,
Prince Ganlongdao was really handsome.
But couldn't Shiho Manabe show a little restraint...
She was practically laying all her cards on the table.
Anyone could tell Shiho Manabe was interested in Prince Brother.
It was only the first day of school, and she was already practically draped over him. Couldn't she have a little self-respect?
Actually,
Prince Ganlongdao was already used to this.
When a girl really liked a guy, she could be even more enthusiastic than a guy. If she wasn't enthusiastic, she wasn't interested. There was no point in entertaining any wishful thinking.
"Mm... How about tomorrow?"
Prince Ganlongdao smiled as he explained, "I have a few things to take care of later, and I also need to buy some daily necessities. I probably won't have time for karaoke."
"Oh, right. I almost forgot. Let's exchange contact info, then. I'll message you tomorrow. We can go shopping together afterward."
Shiho Manabe took out her phone without waiting for a reply.
Clearly,
she was extremely self-centered, or perhaps very confident in her looks. She hadn't even considered the possibility that he might turn her down.
Of course, Prince Ganlongdao hadn't turned her down.
The two of them exchanged contact information.
Shiho Manabe seemed to realize that it wouldn't look right if she stopped there, so she took out her phone and walked over to Ishizaki and the others.
Her pretty face had turned obviously perfunctory.
"Fine, you guys too."
"..."
Daichi Ishizaki's mouth twitched.
If you didn't want to exchange contact info, you could've just kept quiet. This was even ruder.
Of course, since Prince Brother hadn't refused, Ishizaki and Albert exchanged contact information with her perfunctorily as well.
The group headed to the Gymnasium for the entrance ceremony.
Shiho Manabe claimed the spot beside Prince Ganlongdao, chatting and laughing with him.
Just like that, a group of four had formed.
Keyaki Mall.
The most popular entertainment hub at the university.
It had everything, from a mall and convenience stores to a cinema and a shopping street.
After buying daily necessities with Shiho Manabe and the others, Prince Ganlongdao said he had something to do and headed back to the dorm ahead of them. He went to the dorm manager's office.
Inside the window, a university staff member was slacking off.
"Um... Excuse me."
Prince Ganlongdao held up the supplies he was carrying and spoke a little bashfully:
"Could you tell me which room Ryuen Kakeru from Class 1-C is in?"
"Hm?"
The staff member, who had been watching a TV drama, snapped back to attention and looked at him.
"And you are?"
"Oh, sorry. I'm a new student in Class 1-C, and I'm Ryuen's friend."
Prince Ganlongdao held up the supplies, looking utterly honest. "He went out to sing, so he asked me to bring these things back for him."
A friend?
He must have been getting bullied.
Bullied on the very first day of school. What a pity!
What good was being so tall and handsome?
"Room 502."
After a moment's hesitation, the staff member added, "Bullying is strictly forbidden at this university, but you have to tell a teacher yourself. Otherwise, they won't do anything."
"Hm?" Prince Ganlongdao gave an honest chuckle. "I think you've misunderstood, teacher. I'm not being bullied. They're all my friends."
"Suit yourself."
The staff member waved a hand, not bothering to say anything else.
Heaven helps those who help themselves.
If you didn't even have the courage to use the rules as a weapon,
then you deserved to be bullied.
This university valued strength above all else. Strength was everything! If he didn't even have the courage to stand up for himself, getting expelled was only a matter of time. Anyway, the staff member had done all he could.
"Thank you, teacher."
Prince Ganlongdao nodded and turned to leave.
Room 602,
was a standard single room with one bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a balcony.
Having lived through a war zone, Prince Ganlongdao didn't have many demands when it came to material comforts.
Back in his room,
Prince Ganlongdao silently thought,
"System panel."
[Name]: Prince Ganlongdao [Strength]: 13 [Intelligence]: 10 [Constitution]: 15 [Charm]: 13 [Conquest Points]: 2
His other attributes were sufficient for now.
After a moment's hesitation,
Prince Ganlongdao decided to put the Conquest Point into academic ability after all.
In the war zone, he'd had almost no time to study. The knowledge he'd gained was mostly about weapons, killing techniques, and the like.
"System, add the point!"
Soon,
it felt as though an electric current had surged through his mind.
Prince Ganlongdao's body shuddered. He felt refreshed all over, and his old memories seemed much clearer.
Prince Ganlongdao picked up a history book and took a look.
Hmm...
He didn't feel much.
Maybe his memory had improved a little, but he'd still have to study the subjects himself.
He'd have to test that later.
After putting away the supplies,
Prince Ganlongdao left his room and went to Dragon Garden's dorm.
Room 502.
He slipped the challenge letter he had prepared through the crack under the door.
Once he was done,
Prince Ganlongdao smiled with satisfaction.
This was a necessary step in conquering Dragon Garden.
He was sure Dragon Garden would accept the challenge.
Otherwise,
Dragon Garden's claim that he wasn't afraid of failure would be nothing but empty words.
He'd just be a worthless braggart.
Nothing to fear at all.
Before you continue