Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"This Azure Sky Dining Hall is the last major facility on the academy level. Have you remembered how to show you all the locations before the morning ends?"

"Yes, that really helped me a lot! Thank you, Zul."

Although this place simply offers a wider view, the outdoor area provides an unobstructed view of the beautiful school grounds, and the cool breeze is refreshing. Including the Aozora Cafeteria, I had a very enjoyable school tour.

After I expressed my heartfelt gratitude, Zuer, who had been all smiles, suddenly stared at me intently.

"Nina."

"what?"

Zuer then raised his index finger.

"Since we're classmates, and I call you Rabbi, you should call me by my first name too!"

I was quite surprised when Zuer made this suggestion, probably because she had been holding a grudge about it.

Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere of the "school district"—that is, the schools—I took the opportunity to speak my mind.

"No, but, Zul, you entered the 'school district' earlier than me... and you're also older than me..."

As soon as I got to this point—

Zuer, who had been smiling the whole time, suddenly turned sharp.

"...Rabbi, how old are you this year?"

"Age...? Um... I'm fourteen years old this year..."

I am thirteen years old.

"Huh?!"

No way! ?

Seeing me stand up from my seat in surprise and exclaim loudly, Zuer, who claimed to be younger than me, raised her eyebrows in shock.

"Oh, I didn't expect Lavi to react like that! Yeah, anyway, I just look older than my actual age!"

"Huh?! I...that's not what I meant!"

One of the reasons is that Zul looks very much like Miss Eina, which blinded me...!

Perhaps because she has been mistaken for someone else's age before, she angrily closed her eyes, turned her face to the side, and started to sulk.

"I didn't mean that at all! It's just that you, Zul, are anything but childish; your behavior and mannerisms are much more mature than mine... and, moreover, you're very beautiful...!"

Because I only wanted to keep Zuer from getting angry, I blushed and blurted out everything on my mind.

"……Yeah?"

Zuer finally opened his eyes and turned to look at me.

Then she immediately narrowed her eyes like a mischievous child, and resumed her previous cheerful smile.

"Then I'll forgive you."

"call……"

"Then try calling me by my first name? And stop using honorifics."

"...Um...Nina."

"Very good." Nina nodded with a smile.

I scratched my cheek with my finger, a strange, relaxing shyness making me smile.

Although the Aozora Dining Hall is currently no different from a regular restaurant, it was originally a rest area inside the Central Tower, so students did not leave their seats after finishing their meals, but continued to chat happily.

Now that we were officially friends, after cleaning up our dishes, we continued to chat casually under the parasol.

"...Rabbi, I might be a bit too nosy now, but have you completed your 'elective registration'?"

"Optional course registration...?"

"Yes, it means choosing the classes you want to take within the 'school district'."

Ah, thinking back, it seems like Professor Lyon said something similar to me...

I took the backpack that was between the back of the chair and my back, and then opened it to find a guidebook, several documents, and various stationery items including a quill pen, as well as a scroll with a "school district" logo printed on it.

This must be what Nina was talking about.

I peeled off the wax seal and opened it—inside was a list filled with "courses to be taught".

"Whoa!? Are these all 'school district' courses...?"

"To be precise, it's subjects. There are also some subjects that cannot be taken in the first year..."

I let out a strange cry, and after spreading the scroll out on the table, Nina pointed to the contents and began to explain them in detail.

"The curriculum is broadly divided into required and elective courses. Taking the 'Combat Technology Department' as an example, 'Martial Arts,' 'Fieldwork,' and 'Battle Volunteer' are all required courses. However, various practical courses, including 'Fieldwork,' have now been changed to 'Special (Dungeon) Practical Training,' so we can postpone considering them for now..."

The problem lies in the elective subjects—Nina added this sentence and continued:

"Although the 'Combat Technology Department' has a lot of compulsory practical and combat skills courses, you only need to choose about six elective subjects to meet the minimum credit requirements. Regarding this part, I suggest you choose subjects that you are interested in or good at."

"Um, what happens if I don't have enough credits...?"

"There's a possibility they won't be able to graduate, and the worst-case scenario is expulsion. However, I haven't yet seen a student who specifically came to this 'school district' but didn't attend classes properly..."

Oh, I see...

This means that not attending classes properly will lead to more than just questions about your student status. Although I don't know how long I'll be in this "school district," I still want to learn as much as possible to help myself grow, so I'll choose my courses carefully.

Uh... the currently available subjects are... "Magic," "Chanting," "Magic Development," "Fairy Arts," "Fusion Studies," "Alchemy," "Blending," "Healing," "Secret Medicine," "Forging," "Monster Taming," "Racial History," "Ancient History," "Modern History," "The Age of Gods," "Endgame Response," "Common Linguistics," "Elven," "Dwarven," "Orcish," "Orcish Species Language A," "Orcish Species Language B," "Lilliputian Language," "Amazonian Warrior Language," "Stage Studies," "Drama," "Performance Studies," "Musicology," "Poetics," "Swordsmanship," "Archery," "Axe Techniques," "Martial Arts," "Staff Techniques," "Comprehensive Combat" --- how many courses are there anyway!?

Holding the parchment in my hands, my vision blurred after only a short time.

"Waaaaah...!? What should I choose...!?"

"Oh, overthinking will only cause you trouble. You can just choose any subject you're interested in, okay?"

"I'm interested in... Ah, what is this 'comprehensive theology'...?"

"This is a subject related to the gods, where you can learn the pronunciation and meaning of [sacred script]..."

"Huh!? Is this... really true? I want to go up and take a look...!"

"Personally, I wouldn't recommend it... I've heard that the pass rate for this subject is less than 10%... and the number of people who can actually understand the sacred text is even smaller."

"No, less than 10%!?"

After listening to Nina's advice, I continued to ponder with concern.

Aside from choosing the "Heroic Stories" from the list...wouldn't it be better to select some martial arts subjects that I'm already good at? But in order to conceal my true identity, I should try to avoid situations that might reveal information related to my [ability stats]... What should I do now!?

It's all my fault for not having a clear goal; I just came to this "school district" with a vague idea in mind, and now I'm being punished by heaven? While I was agonizing over this, my brain was about to burn out—

"...Lavi, may I borrow it?"

Nina took the parchment and quill from my hand.

"Lavi, have you decided what weapon you'll use when you become an adventurer?"

"Huh? That...dagger?"

"Daggers belong to the short sword category, so you can choose 'Swordsmanship.' Do you feel averse to history?"

"I... I don't think so..."

"Then I suggest you choose 'Ancient History' and 'Modern History'. Professor Adela, who is in charge of these two courses, often reviews the content he has taught to help students review, so even if you join midway, it will be relatively easy to catch up. On the other hand, 'The Age of God' requires a lot of basic knowledge in the relevant area, so it's best not to choose it."

"Huh? Huh?"

"If you have magical aptitude, I would suggest you choose 'Chanting'... but that's up to you. If you have the capacity to choose a language subject, I can help you with the 'Elvish' course."

While I was at a loss, Nina kept writing furiously.

When I took back the parchment, I saw that certain "subjects to be taught" had underlined annotations next to them.

"Um, what's this...?"

"This is one of the elective courses I suggested... because if you are a student who enrolls in the winter, since everyone has already made some progress in their courses, students who enroll during this period are likely to feel left behind... and it will be quite difficult for them to catch up."

Nina blushed slightly, looking a little embarrassed.

"Also... there are some subjects that I've taken as electives. If you don't mind, I might be able to help you with those."

Upon hearing this, I couldn't help but widen my eyes.

"Why...why are you taking such good care of me...?"

When she looked up, a joyful smile graced her face.

"Actually, I'm just like you."

"Just like me...?"

"When I first arrived in the 'school district' and knew nothing about anything, not even the content of the classes... many people lent me a helping hand."

Nina closed her eyes for a moment and began to share this memory with me.

"Do you remember Senior Mi Li who sat in front of me in class this morning?"

"Hmm, is it that female elf?"

"That's right, Senior Mi Li taught me a lot. Although I still encountered a lot of pain and setbacks during my studies, thanks to Senior Mi Li and the others, I came to like the 'school district'."

Nina looked me straight in the eye and continued speaking.

"So I want to do what Senior Mi Li and the others do: help those who have just arrived in the 'school district' and are encountering difficulties... Of course, maybe I'm just being nosy."

Seeing Nina's wry smile at the end of her story, I quickly replied, "That's not true!"

"Thanks to Nina, I've received so much help! Although I'm not very good at studying... I've become really motivated to study hard now!"

These are all my heartfelt words, not a single lie.

When I saw her putting herself in my shoes and thinking of me, the unease that had been in my heart vanished.

Instead, it made me like this place called "school district" even more.

Perhaps my feelings conveyed to her, because Nina gave a bright, sunny smile and twitched her pointed ears slightly.

"That's wonderful! I'm so glad to hear you say that!"

"Oh, by the way, if you have time in the future, could you teach me how to read? For example, tell me which parts I need to preview beforehand, etc..."

"Really!?"

After I made this suggestion with great delight, Nina's expression brightened even more.

"Let's get started right away!"

"Huh, starting right away?"

"Because you'll have to attend classes with everyone starting tomorrow! And preparing in advance is very important!"

"Indeed, I'm not sure where to start with my preview... If you don't mind, could you please guide me?"

"Leave it to me!"

Although the result was a bit unexpected, Nina made a lot of sense.

Just like when exploring a dungeon, lacking relevant information in addition to having the necessary supplies is tantamount to suicide. When I readily agreed to the "Book Club's" suggestion, Nina's face showed an incredibly charming smile.

"Rabbi, wait for me in the classroom where you had class this morning! There shouldn't be any classes there all day! I'm going to the library to get some reference books, then I'll meet you!"

A moment later—a loud "thump!" was heard as a heavy object fell onto the desktop.

I suspected that the table had been dented, but when I saw the truly "mountainous" pile of books in front of me, I was stunned.

"what?"

"Although this amount of content isn't very comprehensive, it should be enough for you to preview it!"

"what?"

"After you've studied continuously for about five hours, we'll give you a short quiz! I'll prepare the questions!"

"what?"

With my brain temporarily short-circuited and only able to answer "Huh?", I stared blankly at Nina, who was still smiling.

There was not a trace of malice or evil in that smiling face; rather, it was so pure and flawless that no one could defy it.

I was a beat too slow, and started sweating profusely.