21 — Chapter 21

After school on Friday, my homeroom teacher, Mr. Hagan, called me to the faculty office.

“You passed the history test I’m returning on Monday as well. Therefore, Patience Granger, you will be skipping a grade to the second year. Starting Monday, you’ll attend classes in 2nd Year Class A. Oh, and as for Magic Practicum, Ms. Jefferson has issued you a certificate of completion, so you are now exempt from that.”

Wait… what? Didn’t I skip a grade because I wanted to take Mondays and Fridays off?

“Mr. Hagan, may I have the schedule for 2nd Year Class A?”

I received the schedule from him and stared at it intently.

“Wait… it’s the same as my current one?”

“Of course it is. All Elementary Class A sections follow the same schedule. We have to do it that way; otherwise, students who skip grades would be in trouble. Once you reach Middle School, it moves to a credit-based system, so that kind of consideration won’t be necessary. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to coordinate these schedules?”

No, I don’t know anything about those hardships.

“So that means Class B, Class C, and all three grade levels follow the same schedule.”

Mr. Hagan made a sour face.

“Only Class A students skip grades. From the second year onward, classes are divided by academic rank. The pressure from parents is already annoying enough as it is.”

I see—if you sort classes by merit, the parents of high-ranking nobles who drop to Class B will complain. As I listened to this gossip, I was suddenly struck by a shocking revelation.

“Oh, and Patience. You can only skip a grade once per year. Unless, of course, you receive a certificate of completion like you did for Magic.”

“What…?! But I worked so hard because I wanted to go home… Sir, I don’t need to skip a grade then. I’m fine with staying in the first year. Since I already understand the material, I don’t need to be at the Academy, right?”

Mr. Hagan’s thunderous voice came crashing down.

“Don’t talk nonsense! The grade-skipping system isn’t just about not wasting time on lessons you’ve mastered; its purpose is to further develop a student’s potential. If you finish Elementary and Middle School early, you could even go on to University.”

In this world, girls marry young. The prime age is around sixteen to eighteen. Because of that, parents don’t usually send their daughters to University. Mr. Hagan was likely trying to say that by skipping grades and graduating Middle School early, I could learn without missing my marriageable years. He doesn’t know that my family has no money for University. If we did have any, I’d want to send the brilliant Nasius, and Henry too.

“Right, let me introduce you to the 2nd Year Class A homeroom teacher.”

Seeing my silence, Mr. Hagan seemingly remembered the Granger family’s circumstances and, feeling awkward, changed the subject.

“Mr. Kepner, this is Patience Granger, who will be skipping to the second year starting Monday.”

Mr. Kepner was a slightly roundish, middle-aged gentleman.

“Ah, the Patience everyone’s been whispering about. I am Yungas Kepner. If you have any trouble after skipping to the second year, feel free to come to me for advice.”

He seemed like a gentle, easygoing teacher, which made me feel relieved.

“I am Patience Granger. It is a pleasure to meet you. Um, I don’t have the textbooks for next year; what should I do?”

I received the second-year textbooks and returned to my room.

“What a total fool I am!”

I thudded the textbooks onto my desk and slumped down in depression. My plan to spend Fridays and Mondays back at the manor was impossible from the very beginning.

“Next year I’ll be in the third year… if I skip another grade, can I get into Middle School? Drat, I should have asked Mr. Kepner.”

If I can get into Middle School, I could graduate two years early. If I could manage to skip another grade during Middle School, I might be able to graduate from the Royal Academy in just three years total. Three years from now, Nasius will be enrolling, which means only Henry would be left at home—that was my worry. But before I count my chickens, I need to find out if skipping grades is even possible in Middle School. It seems to be a different system. Mr. Hagan did mention something about credits.

“Also, I want certificates of completion for Math, Language, and History.”

I’m relying on the original Patience for Classics at the moment, but for Math, Language, and History, it seems I could manage the Elementary level if I study. While I can memorize Magic Theory, I’m worried if I’m at the level to get a certificate. I’ll just have to see how it goes in the second-year classes.

“I’ll work hard at Classics and Magic Theory and aim for an early graduation. Just wait for me, Nasius, Henry!”

I don’t actually hate the Royal Academy that much. After all, Prince Keith, Ralph, and Hugo are all perfectly adorable to look at.

Prince Keith, with his blonde hair and green eyes, looks so delightfully cheeky; just looking at him is enough to make me happy.

Ralph’s attempt to act like an adult is also “moe.” With his brown hair and blue eyes, he has such refined features that he’s bound to be incredibly handsome in the future.

And Hugo… his slightly thoughtless and reckless nature makes my heart skip a beat. He’s not quite on Ralph’s level, but if you look closely, he has a very handsome face. His red hair and blue eyes are so cute.

While I am currently “moe-ing” over this “shota” heaven, they are the Prince and his inner circle, so I won’t go near them. I’m not a creep, so I have no intention of laying a hand on ten-year-old boys! Besides, I have literal Angels waiting for me at home.

Forgetting all about my depression, I became giddy with excitement. “I get to see my Angels tomorrow!”