And so, the day to finally enter the Royal Academy had arrived.
Rest rode in the same carriage as Viola and Primula, heading toward the academy.
Rest sat on one side of the seat, with the sisters sitting across from him.
All three of them were dressed in the academy's designated blazers, giving them a fresh look unlike their usual selves.
"Starting today, we get to go to the same school as Rest. It feels like a dream!"
"It's not like it's anything special. We already live under the same roof, don't we?"
Rest gave a wry smile at Viola's beaming excitement.
They slept under the same roof and were practically together around the clock, so it was hardly something new.
"It's a matter of feelings, Rest."
Primula chimed in after her sister.
She wasn't as obvious about it as Viola, but Primula clearly had a bit of a spring in her step as well.
"Is that so? I'm not really sure I get it…"
"Men are so hopeless when it comes to things like this."
"That's exactly what my sister said. But more importantly… Rest, don't you have anything to say to us?"
"You do, don't you, Rest?"
Viola and Primula spread their hands slightly, showing off their outfits.
Both wore white shirts under their blazer sets, with ribbons tied around their necks.
Rest let out a small sigh before giving them the words they were looking for.
"You both look wonderful. Very pretty, the two of you."
"Yes, you look great."
"Thank you. You look wonderful too, Rest."
"...I'm pretty sure I said the same thing when you tried them on? How many times are we going to have this conversation?"
It wasn't the first time he'd seen the sisters in their uniforms.
They had tried them on several times before, and each time they had asked for his opinion.
"It's a matter of feeling! We want to hear it from the person we like, no matter how many times!"
"Sister is right. You can never get tired of being complimented, no matter how many times you hear it."
"So that's how it works..."
"That is exactly how it works!"
The sisters declared in unison.
He had no experience dating girls in his past life, but... that did seem to be the case.
In any case, the two of them in their uniforms were genuinely adorable — and that was no exaggeration.
The blazer uniforms fit them as though they had been designed specifically for the two of them, bringing out their charm even further.
(Girls in uniforms... they weren't exactly rare in my past life, though...)
Was it because he had spent so much time with them, or because... they were, in both name and reality, his fiancées?
Their uniformed appearance was fresh — almost spectacularly so, leaving a vivid impression burned into his mind.
(And when I compare that to how I look in this uniform...)
Rest gave a wry smile and looked down at himself from the neck.
The boys' uniform was similar in design — the ribbon had simply replaced the tie, and the skirt had become trousers — but somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that the uniform was wearing him rather than the other way around.
Perhaps it was because of his humble origins. Whenever he wore fine clothes, he always felt oddly out of place.
It was because he'd spent so long living as a commoner… He still couldn't get used to wearing fine clothes.
"What's wrong, Rest?"
"No… It's nothing."
"Hmm? Still, though… Rest, you've really grown taller, haven't you?"
Viola says, as though it has just occurred to her.
Hearing her older sister's words, Primula clasps her hands together.
"Oh, I thought so too! Compared to when you first came to the estate, you've grown about ten centimeters, right?"
"Have I? I haven't really noticed, though…?"
Come to think of it, his trousers had stopped fitting, and he'd already had to buy several new pairs.
Perhaps it was because he hadn't been given adequate meals at the House Eberun estate… In the year since coming to House Rosemary, Rest's body had undergone tremendous growth.
He had grown taller, and his once-lean body had filled out with solid muscle. The height gap between him and the sisters had grown as well.
"Maybe you'll keep growing even more. That's a little frustrating."
"Sister, it's ideal for a man to be just a little taller than the woman he escorts. Otherwise, it gets awkward when she's wearing heels."
"Oh, you're right! Now that you mention it, that's true! If we were wearing heels and ended up taller than him, it would be so embarrassing!"
The sisters were getting excited about something.
It was the kind of topic he couldn't easily join in on. Rest casually directed his gaze out the window.
"…Hmm?"
When he looked outside through the carriage window… a peculiar sight greeted him.
A young girl was sprinting alongside the Rosemary carriage, with an armored knight in hot pursuit.
The familiar-looking girl was wearing the same uniform as the sisters, and she tore through the streets of the royal capital, leaving the galloping knight far behind.
"............"
"Is something wrong, Lord Rest?"
"No... it's nothing."
It seemed that 'she' had also passed the examination.
Rest looked up at the clear sky with a despondent expression, somehow foreseeing that his life at the academy would be anything but quiet from here on out.