The carriage's sway pulled Elicia's consciousness back to reality. The light streaming through the window was the morning sun of the royal capital, Asterion. The cityscape flowed past her vision in succession. Old stone buildings, verdant trees, and the distant spires of the royal palace. Everything was vivid beyond measure. Elicia picked up a mirror. The girl reflected in it was not herself. Long chestnut hair gleaming in the light, amber eyes. A white shirt, black slacks, and a cape bearing the kingdom's crest. The Fernandez Marquis House emblem—a silver seal carved in the shape of a lion—glowed at her chest. On her left wrist, a strange star-marked pattern floated. Irregular lines, as if they were traces of something. (This is my body.) Elicia set down the mirror and took a deep breath. In that instant, something washed over her mind like a wave. It was another life. Waking as a 20-year-old Japanese woman in a small apartment in Tokyo. Dragging her exhausted body home from a night shift part-time job, she picked up her smartphone. She opened a game app. "Starlight Arcana." An otome game. A different world where nobles of a kingdom are ruled by the fate of stars. There were multiple capture targets, including Prince Claude, and the player advanced through scenarios as the heroine. And among them was a villainess. The eldest daughter of the Fernandez Marquis House. Her name was Elicia. A noble lady with the Leo star position, she was jealous and cruel in the game, setting traps to ensnare the heroine. As a result, she falls victim to the queen's conspiracy and is exiled to Ash Valley. A destruction ending common to all routes. (Could it be...?) Elicia's hands trembled. The carriage continued to sway. Its direction was northeast. There was only one destination. The road to the Royal Star-Inscribed Academy. The game's first event was a meeting with the heroine. And that meeting would ruin Elicia's life. In the game, she becomes hopelessly jealous, spirals out of control, and sets traps for the heroine. As a result, she is abandoned by the queen and sent to exile... (No. No. This can't be happening.) The game she had played countless times in her previous life. The villainess's bad ending she had seen over and over. It was becoming reality now. Elicia stared out the window. The morning sun dyed the city red. Beyond it, the Royal Star-Inscribed Academy. Twelve buildings arranged in a configuration representing the zodiac constellations. (What must I do to survive?) The knowledge from her previous life would be a weapon in this world. She knew the game's scenario. She knew who the heroine was. She knew what kind of person Prince Claude was, what conspiracies the queen would weave. And she knew how she herself would be destroyed. Elicia clenched her fist. (Don't involve myself with the heroine. Don't involve myself with the prince. Live quietly, without standing out. That's all.) She understood her own nature. Intelligent, cautious, hardworking. But clumsy. Her wariness was so strong that sometimes those around her misunderstood her. She had to control herself now. Kill her emotions. To avoid the path to destruction. The carriage swayed. The gates of the Royal Star-Inscribed Academy came into view. Many carriages lined up in a queue. The entrance ceremony for new students. New noble children would learn star-inscribed magic at this academy. Star-inscribed magic—the miracles of this world. Everyone possessed some power according to the constellation of their birth date. Nobles elevated it as an academic discipline. Even commoners with aptitude could be raised as star-granted knights. This academy was a place to nurture such power. At the same time, it was a stage for politics. The Lunar Halo Faction led by the queen. A faction involved in succession to the throne. They would use the heroine and try to manipulate the prince. In the swirl of their conspiracies, Elicia would be destroyed. (So I won't involve myself. That's all.) The carriage stopped. They had arrived. Elicia straightened her cape and opened the door. --- The Star Spring Plaza was wider than she had imagined. A fountain filled with water stood at the center, surrounded by twelve buildings. Each building was decorated with stone statues representing different constellations. Lion, Maiden, Scales, Scorpion, Archer, Goat, Water Bearer, Fish... Beneath each stood the children of nobles belonging to those constellations. The entrance ceremony was grand. The headmaster of the Royal Star-Inscribed Academy, Ortrin Mezerni, began his address. A 62-year-old man. Formerly a court star-reader, it was said. White long hair hung down his back, and he wore a deep purple academy headmaster's robe. His eyes held a depth as if gazing at stars. "Young scholars. This is a place to learn star-inscribed magic." The old man's voice echoed across the plaza. "In a world where stars govern fate, we nobles are those who have made contracts with the stars. It is your mission to wield that power with responsibility." Elicia stood at the back of the crowd. She made herself invisible, keeping out of sight. The noble children around her exchanged glances, secretly confirming their factional allegiances. In this world governed by star-inscribed magic, factional strife was unavoidable. The Lunar Halo Faction. A new faction led by the queen. About fifteen houses had gathered under it. They held personnel authority in the royal palace. The Eternal Star Alliance. Seven of the twelve zodiac noble houses since the kingdom's founding belonged to it. They countered with territorial management and military power. The Fernandez Marquis House belonged to the Eternal Star Alliance. A mid-tier house. Annual income of approximately 8,000 Reeves. Twenty-five servants. The rank was marquis. The acquired star position was Leo. Which meant— (The queen's faction would keep its distance from me.) That fact was important in the game's scenario. The heroine was favored by the queen. Chosen by the queen as the romantic interest of Prince Claude. Meanwhile, Elicia was marked by the queen as a nuisance, an obstacle. That contrast would trigger Elicia's spiral. Jealousy. And traps. (Never again. Such things will never happen again.) The address ended. The new students began to disperse. Elicia slipped into the crowd and left the plaza. She headed toward the corridor connecting the academy and dormitory—the Moonlit Corridor. This passage was a roofed walkway 200 meters long connecting the academy and dormitory. In the game, this became an important scene. The meeting with the heroine happened here. (Be careful. Avoid her completely.) Elicia walked quickly. Then. "Oh, wait, please!" A voice called from behind her. Elicia's back froze. She knew the voice of the person calling. She had heard it countless times in the game. The heroine's voice. She turned around. And there, truly, was the heroine. Flax-colored hair hung to her shoulders, and clear blue eyes shone brightly. Her height was about 160 centimeters. With a slender build, she wore a white shirt and skirt—the standard academy uniform. Her face was filled with an innocent smile. "Um, are you perhaps heading to the same dormitory?" The heroine approached. Her pace seemed hurried. "I got lost on the way. If you know the route, would it be alright if I went with you?" The question was guileless. No calculation. She was simply asking for help because she was troubled. (Is this the heroine's characteristic in the game?) Defenseless. Kind. Showing goodwill to everyone. In the game, such traits were set to make the player character (the heroine) appealing. But this real girl was more virtuous than expected. Elicia killed her emotions. She remained calm, maintaining the courtesy of a noble lady. "Yes, of course." A brief response. The safest approach. The two began walking through the Moonlit Corridor together. The heroine spoke to her innocently. "Nice to meet you. I'm ○○." (In the game, this name was supposed to be revealed at the end. But now, in reality, this girl was saying it.) "Elicia of the Fernandez Marquis House." Elicia's answer was minimal. She answered the question and nothing more. No unnecessary information. This was the way to remain completely unnoticed. But. "Elicia, is it? What a lovely name." The heroine's smile grew brighter. Her pure goodwill created a strange discomfort in Elicia's heart. (Be wary. This might be the beginning of a trap.) But Elicia knew. In the game, the heroine was the one who had traps set against her. It was Elicia who set the traps. In other words, this girl had no malice. Yet why. Why was Elicia's heart so disturbed? "Um, Elicia?" The heroine's voice pulled Elicia back to the present. Somehow, they had already walked more than halfway through the corridor. "Are you thinking about something?" The heroine's blue eyes gazed at Elicia. What reflected in them was pure concern. She had noticed Elicia's absent-mindedness and was showing consideration for her. (This wasn't in the game.) The game's heroine was certainly kind. But she wasn't a character who showed such detailed consideration for others. She had surface-level kindness, but not this fundamental compassion. "No. Nothing at all." Elicia returned to her expressionless state. They continued walking through the corridor. Then. The heroine's hand gently touched Elicia's sleeve. In that instant. Elicia's heart leaped. Contact. Even this small touch felt dangerous to Elicia. The budding of intimacy. The beginning of friendship. All of these led to the path of destruction. A faint warmth spread across her cheeks. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just trying to make sure I didn't get lost while you were guiding me." The heroine quickly withdrew her hand. She had noticed that the other person might dislike it. Even that attentiveness hadn't been in the game. "It's fine." Elicia averted her gaze. The two arrived at the dormitory entrance. --- In her private room, Elicia exhaled deeply. It was unexpected. Completely unforeseen. She hadn't intended to make contact with the heroine. Rather, she should have avoided her entirely as a dangerous presence. But once the other person spoke to her, it was difficult to reject them completely. Her courtesy as a noble lady wouldn't allow it. (Completely clumsy.) Elicia stood by the window. The royal capital at dusk was visible. The Lumière River gleamed golden, and the royal palace's spires pierced the sky. The deep green of the Emerald Storm Forest occupied the western horizon. A beautiful world. But beneath that beauty, political conspiracies swirled. "I must not be swayed by emotion." Elicia whispered to herself. "To avoid destruction, I must remain solitary. Friendship, romance—everything leads to the path of destruction." She clenched her fist. Cold resolve. That was the path Elicia had chosen. But. Deep in her heart, the heroine's warm smile wouldn't fade. Her defenselessness. Her kindness. Her purity. The true image of this girl, which she hadn't noticed in the game, lingered vaguely in Elicia's mind. (Is she truly my enemy?) A doubt was born. At the same time, anxiety swelled. Elicia knew her own nature well. Intelligent, cautious, hardworking. But that caution sometimes became excessive, and those around her misunderstood her. And once she set a goal, she would push forward with only her own strength. Clumsily, sometimes failing. That clumsiness would torment her going forward. But to survive, she had to use even that clumsiness. Outside the window, stars began to twinkle. In this world governed by star-inscribed magic, Elicia's solitary battle quietly began its curtain. The days ahead at the academy. Avoiding contact with the heroine, severing ties with Prince Claude, living so as not to catch the eye of the Lunar Halo Faction. That path was certainly lonely. But to surviv