The World System and the demon that could not be king.

It was already morning. A faint birdsong came from outside, though I could barely hear it in the quiet room. The clock read 6:23 a.m. It felt strange to wake up so late—maybe because back home, I always woke up much earlier. I guess it's normal when you're adjusting to a new place.

The food they left at midnight, though I had barely seen it or tasted it, was something I wasn't used to at all. I hadn't had a chance to thank her yet, but I would as soon as I saw her.

Suddenly, I felt a soft movement beside me. It wasn't violent, but just enough to spark my curiosity.

I quickly pulled back the covers and, when I looked, I was left speechless.

There was Marie, curled up like a small child, completely covered in her pajamas from head to toe.

The shock froze me. I had no idea what to say, or what she was doing here. I was simply too stunned to speak.

A ray of sunlight slipped through a gap in the curtains and landed right on her right eye, giving it an almost magical glow.

She slowly began to sit up, rubbing her eyes. As soon as she noticed me, her gaze locked onto mine, and her expression shifted into a mix of confusion and annoyance.

"What are you doing in my bed?" she asked, clearly irritated, as she jumped out of bed.

The floor creaked loudly under her feet, and the sound made it seem painful—enough for me to rush over to help her.

"Are you okay, Marie?"

She gently rubbed her head, letting out a soft whimper.

But within five seconds, the whimpering stopped.

"No, it's nothing serious. But you still haven't explained—what were you doing in my bed?"

"My bed? This is my bed. Didn't you notice all the stuff I have in here?"

She fell silent, glancing around the room in detail. It wasn't until her eyes landed on my unpacked suitcase that the truth finally sank in.

Her expression paled, then turned slightly red. It seemed she had finally realized this was, in fact, my room.

"Well, finally she figured it out. I guess it's time for me to get ready for the academy."

I got up to take a shower, and once I was done, I found her again.

This time, she was much calmer, sitting quietly at the table with an empty glass in front of her, as if she had been waiting for me.

"Something wrong?" I asked, slightly hesitant as her eyes gave me an uncomfortable look.

"Do you happen to know which classroom you're in?"

"…Classroom? Oh, right. I think it's 1-C… at least, that's what I remember."

"I suspected as much. We're in the same class," she said thoughtfully, then stood up quickly. "Well, I guess you'll have to wait for me. Do it outside—I don't want something weird or embarrassing happening again."

"Yeah, yeah, fine. Whatever you say," I replied with casual indifference as I stepped out the door.

I waited outside, watching time crawl by. Twenty minutes felt like hours. I'd never felt time move so slowly.

Finally, she stepped out of the room. I was genuinely surprised to see her in uniform.

She didn't just look more elegant—there was something about her that made her seem even more beautiful. Her ponytail revealed smooth, pale skin I hadn't noticed before.

"So, how do I look? A lot of guys give me weird looks, and since you're a guy, maybe you can give me your honest opinion."

It didn't sound like she was teasing me. Her serious face made it clear she was being sincere, so I took a closer look.

I scanned her from head to toe, like a security officer evaluating someone important.

In the end, I gave her my honest answer.

"Well… even before giving it much thought, I'd say you look really pretty… better than I've ever seen you before."

"That's good to hear," she said, doing a little spin. Then, turning back to me with pride, she asked, "What score would you give me?"

"I'm not the best judge, but... I think an eight out of ten sounds about right."

She frowned, her expression shifting to one of genuine offense—almost as if I'd wounded her pride.

"You're so cruel. Why just an eight?"

"Let's just say... it's because you're showing a bit too much skin. Your neck is completely exposed, and personally, I'm not really into that kind of thing."

"Really? That's weird. I thought guys usually liked that kind of stuff or whatever. Anyway, let's get going or we'll be late."

She walked ahead without waiting for me, and just like we left, we arrived—one behind the other.

People around her turned their heads in surprise, clearly struck by her presence. What caught my attention was that many of them already knew her name.

I guess I really am the only new one around here... Not that I'm surprised.

Once inside the academy, she stopped me in front of a large classroom filled with students.

She turned toward me, speaking with the ease of someone who'd known me for years.

"Wait here until a teacher shows up, okay?"

I nodded, and then watched her disappear into the sea of students. I couldn't tell where she sat, but it looked like it was somewhere in the back.

A few minutes later, a tall man—maybe about 1.80 meters—showed up. He carried a leather portfolio, wore a long-sleeved white shirt, and looked like he hadn't had enough sleep in days.

He walked toward me with a tired gaze, barely lifting his head, until he finally noticed me standing there.

"Ah, you must be the new student," he said in a drowsy, worn-out voice.

"Yes, that's me," I replied firmly, trying to sound confident.

"Alright... you'll come in when I say so."

I gave a simple nod. He entered the room, and all the students stood up at once.

"Sit down for a moment," he instructed. They sat quietly, almost in perfect unison.

"We have a new student today. He arrived yesterday, so I hope you'll all be kind to him. You can come in now."

I stepped into the classroom, looking straight ahead at the teacher before turning to face the students.

"Hello, my name is Garieth Kael. I come from a place pretty far from here, but... I'm glad to be here. I hope we can all get along."

"Alright, you can take that empty seat next to Miss Grey," the teacher said, pointing to the back.

Grey...? Could he mean Valentina?

I looked up and spotted an empty desk by the window, one of the last in the row. From there, you could see the school courtyard. That had to be the one.

I walked toward it without hesitation, and as I got close, I realized I was right.

Valentina was in the same class as me... I hadn't seen that coming.

I tried to greet her, but the moment I did, she avoided eye contact.

Had I done something wrong?

With no other choice, I quietly sat in the seat beside her.

"Looks like we're in the same class."

She didn't say a word. No nod, no glance—just stared straight ahead, as if trying to pretend I wasn't even there.

It stung a little more than I expected… but there was nothing I could do.

After all, it was only the first day.