Last Class Standing (5)
Theres a saying that just watching soone eat can fill you up. It could be because theyre eating so heartily, or maybe because the eater was so pretty that it was just delightful to watch. Ive heard of sothing like that, but I have never experienced it myself.
And today, I stepped into a new world.
They eat really well.
Both Alia and Olivia were eating an astonishing amount, especially Alia. It was a wonder how so much could fit into her small fra.
To think they eat this well.
These girls, who ate well when given food, had only turnip scraps. The elder sister wouldnt even eat since it wasnt enough for the both of them, so only the younger one did
An indescribable feeling of sadness rose in my heart. I havent felt this way since I found Yuris and Sophia starving to death in a back alley.
Olivia, who was larger than Alia, seed to eat faster. However, her portion wasnt decreasing. anwhile, the food in front of us was quickly running out.
Well need more.
As I stood up to get more food, Alia hurriedly followed.
No, no, its okay! Weve already eaten more than enough!
But youre competing, right? You need to eat well.
I pressed Alias shoulder down. She trembled, but then sat back down.
Olivia just looked on with sparkling eyes at the ntion of more food.
Thmfk yff!
Okay.
I couldnt understand what she was saying because her mouth was full of food, but it seed like she was saying thank you. This friend might have a light wallet, but she definitely had manners.
I nodded at Olivia and quickly turned away. If there were no eyes on , I might have cried into my fist.
The Empire owes them.
A society where even commoners with talent could succeed and where active social mobility was possible. That was the pride of the Kefellofen Empire. Yet to see an academy student, a symbol of talented commoners, in such a state
It was the Empires fault, and mine. If I had properly inspected the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Welfare, this wouldnt have happened.
With a heavy heart, I ordered a large amount of food, also including desserts this ti.
Th-thank you
I almost cried when I saw Alia sobbing as she bit into a macaron.
Im weak for this kind of thing.
I wonder if these children even knew what happiness was.
***
Fortunately, I didnt have to do a soul-crushing inspection.
Whether it was a good thing was debatable, but at least the Empire wasnt completely corrupt.
Do you have siblings?
Yes, theres three after Olivia.
I couldnt tell if Alias shaking had cald down because she was full or because she saw as a kind person who fed her. Regardless, her trembling had lessened compared to before.
When I gently inquired about their dire poverty, she cautiously opened up. She said that the money from the academy wasnt insignificant, but that she was sending it all to her siblings.
They are at an age where they need a lot, and with Olivia also enrolled, we needed to hire soone to look after them.
Her words were somber, but her face lit up with pride as she talked about her siblings growing up.
The poor girl was skipping als to care for her siblings. Damn it, Im weak for this sort of thing.
I-Im sorry!
Interpreting my expression in her own way, the pale-faced Alia bowed her head as if she were about to hit it on the desk.
Im sorry for using the money ant for my studies elsewhere! But my siblings have no other source of inco
I closed my eyes tightly.
Her words made it seem like I was interrogating her. After all, how a student used their scholarship or living allowance was their own business.
Unnie didnt do anything wrong!
Ah.
Olivia, who had been quiet, also joined in.
Unable to stay silent as her precious elder sister trembled, she hugged Alia, or rather, enveloped her, her eyes glistening with tears.
It was who insisted on sending the money! Unnie tried to stop , but I was the one who wanted to do it!
Please, dont do this to .
From a distance, this would look like a noble oppressing two commoners. Its like sothing out of a morality tale.
Speechless, I simply watched the two impoverished sisters. Before I knew it, Alia was slapping Olivia on the back, scolding her for saying unnecessary things.
The Empires karma
If there had been a welfare system for Alias siblings to live worry-free, none of this would have happened.
It might be an impossible utopia, but it was still the Empires karma. That was how Ive decided to think about it now.
Its not sothing to bla yourself for, so be quiet.
First, I decided to calm down the two sisters who were gnawing away at my ntal peace.
The story of them starving themselves to send money to their siblings was worthy of comndation and not criticism. What kind of deranged noble would berate them after hearing that story and say, How dare you spend the money of the empire for your personal use?
Even the paranoid Emperor possessed a spirit of benevolence towards the common people. In fact, he would probably lant his own shortcomings upon hearing such stories of poverty among his subjects.
Of course, lanting his shortcomings usually ant cracking down on those beneath him.
The money is the students once it has been given. Whether its used for family or gambled away is not sothing for us to interfere with.
Alia nodded repeatedly, reassured by my firm response.
But the fact that the money is ant for the student, and yet the student is in this state
She tensed up again.
This was troubling. The Ministry of Education and Welfare had done its part. They provided appropriate support to these sisters, and there were no issues in the delivery process from the Academy.
The problem was that what I thought was the final destination for the aid was rely a stopover and that the aid was passed on as soon as it was received. What could be done about that?
Theres no solution.
There was no way to help in this situation. We couldnt just increase the financial aid from the already compliant departnts. And even if we did, these sisters would likely send any extra funds to their siblings.
Demanding them not to send the money to their siblings? That would be too harsh.
Do you have a mont?
After so thought, an idea ca to mind.
No matter how much I thought about it, there seed to be no other solution.
***
After a simple al and so work, Carl visited. Although I had things to do, it wasnt so pressing that I had to send Carl away.
In fact, this was good. It ant that Carl was really into if he wanted to see despite knowing that I was busy.
Ah. Marghetta, hello?
Hello, senior!
But I was taken aback by the unexpected combination.
I knew these faces. Alia, being one of the relatively few commoner students and in the sa grade as , was familiar to . She was quite capable and affable, so I rembered her.
And Olivia was her sister and also a commoner student. Her theoretical skills were poor, but she had enrolled in the upper ranks based on practical skills alone. The head prefect eyed her, but they never managed to bring her in since she was always with Alia.
Hello, Alia. And Olivia, nice to see you too.
It was an unexpected combination, but it was impolite to ignore a greeting, especially when Carl brought them as guests.
I smiled warmly at the two guests and turned to Carl. There must be a good reason he brought them, but I had to hear it directly.
It seems you know each other.
I know them a little. Actually, Im more surprised that Carl knows them.
Carl, seeming a bit embarrassed by my comnt, placed his hands on the shoulders of Alia and Olivia.
I felt a bit slighted to see him touching other won in front of . If it were Lady Louise, maybe Id understand.
I heard the student council is short-staffed.
Hiding my feelings, I nodded in response to Carls words. Although there had never been a vacancy in the seven-mber student council, we were indeed short on mbers for lower roles. The student council wasnt exactly a popular destination.
I glanced back and forth between Alia and Olivia. If Carl brought up the student council with these guests, then his next words were predictable.
It wasnt a bad idea. Olivia was already a talent sought by the head prefect, and Alia was known for her good grades. It was indeed rare to find a commoner student lacking in ability.
Were short, yes. Just two more mbers would give us so breathing room.
Thats good. How about these two?
What?
Huh?
Carls words surprised them both.
So he decided on his own.
Carl should have explained before bringing them here. Doing this without the parties knowing was a bit much.
I almost laughed at the sowhat clumsy scene but held back, not wanting to make Carl a laughingstock in front of others.
The student council is always open.
Then its just up to these two.
Carl then whispered sothing brief to them
Ill do it.
Well do it!
And just like that, we had new mbers in the student council.
***
I sotis forget, but my official role at the academy was a Prosecutor. So, I was aware of the funds and resources used within the academy.
Thanks to that, I also knew about the very minor and seemingly insignificant privileges of the student council, privileges likely unknown to anyone not part of it.
mbers of the student council can use campus facilities for free.
F-free?
Yes.
Ah, even the cafeteria?
Yes.
At my whisper, Alia and Olivia eagerly joined the student council.
Free use of campus facilities might sound grand, but it really wasnt much. Whats so expensive about using campus facilities?
Noble students wouldnt care, and even ordinary commoner students, with their scholarships and support funds, often overlooked such privileges. It was no different from offering free coffee from a vending machine to soone with a wallet full of bills.
I didnt expect anyone to actually use it.
It seems my tear ducts were working overti today. Watching Marghetta happily sign the paperwork I offered made my heart ache.
Giving these girls more money would just an more sent to their siblings. This was the right choice. Let them eat as much as they want.
Honestly, theyre humans; they must get hungry. They ate heartily when I offered them food, and they even looked like this after learning that they could use the cafeteria for free.
Poor things.
I suddenly realized that I had two more people to write recomndation letters for.
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