Another day at Holfort Academy began as usual — with mild chaos, the ringing of bells, and sleepy students dragging themselves to morning lectures.
Once upon a time, this academy had been quite a dreadful place. Education, science, and even military training weren't its priorities.
No, the main goal for most students here was to find the "perfect partner."
Or to be more precise — a mistress, not a wife.
Yes, this Kingdom where ruled by an extreme matriarchy.
And while men in the rest of the country had already accepted their inferior position, within the academy's walls this reality manifested even stronger.
Boys were considered more like… accessories than individuals.
Their "duty" was to please the whims of young noblewomen, obey orders, and quietly endure humiliation.
But all of that began to change.
Thanks to Leon, that system started to crack.
Women, though still arrogant, became more careful with their words and actions. They slowly began to realize that not everything could be solved through power and shouting.
After all, Leon had exposed a painful old truth:
Men had always taken the most dangerous jobs — they were soldiers, guards, explorers — and most of them died young.
That's why, over time, women had become far more numerous than men.
Now the balance was starting to shift.
Some had already begun to sense it — the time was coming when women would be the ones chasing after men, not the other way around.
And it all began thanks to one young man from a small barony on the edge of the kingdom.
If, at that very moment, you happened to look up toward the academy's rooftops, you'd see… Leon — gracefully (well, almost gracefully) leaping from the roof.
And, of course, a furious crowd of students chasing right after him.
Yes, the day promised to be entertaining.
Fortunately, our hero hadn't watched all those "Teachings of Ezio Auditore" lectures for nothing — the old master of parkour and leaps of faith.
So when Leon fell down, he landed safely — right into the thick bushes near the academy's inner garden.
"Phew… still alive…" Leon exhaled, breathing heavily like someone who'd just finished a marathon.
And yet — why exactly were people chasing him?
Simple. The culprit was his ever-sarcastic AI companion, the incomparable Luxion.
That metallic genius, seeking "revenge" for past offenses, had told the students that "there's nothing wrong if someone gives Leon a few friendly punches — just for fun."
And, of course, the students eagerly agreed.
After all, many of them had lost large sums of money because of Leon.
Well — technically because of their own stupidity… but let's not get into that.
Now, lying among the leaves and scratches, Leon stared up at the bright blue sky.
From the clouds, a familiar metallic sphere descended slowly, glowing with cold red lights.
"How was today's adventure, master?" came Luxion's voice — filled with its usual faint mockery.
Still catching his breath from the "morning sprint," Leon turned his head wearily and muttered:
"So it was your doing after all, huh? Satisfied now?"
"One could say yes," replied the AI calmly, its lights pulsing faintly.
Leon sighed, stretched out a hand toward the hovering machine, and said:
"Alright, truce. If you agree — I'll let you fire the first shot at Arcadia."
Those words definitely had an effect.
Luxion's sphere trembled slightly.
Even though it tried to stay expressionless, its cold mechanical voice grew noticeably quieter.
"…Accepted, master," it finally said.
And so their little feud ended.
Well… at least this round of it.
Because if you know Leon and Luxion, you understand — their truces never last long.
---
A Few Days Later…
Soon, the long-awaited Academy Festival began — one of the most anticipated events of the year.
Leon, however, remembered his original experience with running a café during the festival and decided to avoid making the same mistake.
No costumes, no stress, no endless pampering of spoiled "ladies" — just peace, tea, and minimal chaos.
So he did what he did best: invited Angelica and Olivia to a private tea party.
A bit later, Clarisse joined them too — unable to resist the temptation to observe Leon up close.
(Author's note: basically, she's a stalker.)
Sunlight gently filtered through the stained-glass panels of the academy's gazebo.
On the table stood an elegant porcelain tea set decorated with delicate golden patterns.
Steam rose softly from the cups, filling the air with the scent of bergamot and honey.
"I'm still amazed at how well you brew tea," said Angelica gracefully, lifting her cup to her lips.
"I agree," added Clarisse, lightly swirling her tea and glancing appreciatively at the set.
"You have quite the sense for tea etiquette. Everything's perfect."
"And the sweets are wonderful too," Olivia chimed in with a bright smile, breaking off a piece of cheesecake. "They taste amazing!"
Leon, a bit embarrassed by the compliments, waved his hand modestly.
"Oh, come on… I'm no master yet."
He sat between Angelica and Olivia, poured himself some tea, and joined the conversation — enjoying a rare moment of calm.
"By the way, Leon," Clarisse suddenly said, setting her cup down on its saucer.
"I heard a rumor that a group of students recently chased you around the campus with… rather violent intentions.
If I'm not mistaken, those were Jilk's followers?
Seems like they wanted revenge."
Olivia instantly grew worried. Her eyes widened in concern.
"Leon! Are you alright?" she asked, leaning closer and gently touching his shoulder.
Leon opened his mouth to answer, but Angelica beat him to it — speaking in her usual composed tone:
"Frankly, Olivia, you should be more worried for them.
Our 'hero' managed to injure half of those students while running away."
"Hey!" Leon protested, pretending to be offended.
"I wasn't running away — I was strategically retreating!"
All three girls, in perfect harmony, ignored his words.
"Hah," Angelica smirked, sipping her tea. "Honestly, it's mostly your fault, Leon.
You're too good at provoking people. I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up angering the king himself one day."
"Wow… right on target," Leon thought, hiding a smirk.
"Though honestly, I wouldn't mind teasing the king a little myself…" he added mentally, eyes glinting mischievously.
Angelica noticed the expression and paled slightly.
"W-wait, you're not seriously thinking of—"
Before she could finish, Leon abruptly clapped his hands and stood up.
"Let's take a walk!" he said cheerfully. "My legs are getting stiff."
Olivia nodded enthusiastically.
"That's a great idea!"
Clarisse agreed politely.
"It's a lovely day. Why not? Besides, the festival's still in full swing."
With a grin, Leon offered his hands to Angelica and Olivia, helping them rise from their seats.
It looked so natural that both girls blushed slightly.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a third hand — so he simply nodded to Clarisse to invite her along.
The four of them left the gazebo together, leaving behind the empty table filled with the faint aroma of tea and sweets.
---
Author's Note
Originally, this arc had several chapters written for it.
But after rereading everything, I realized I was stretching the events too much.
So I decided to shorten and rework the story — what you've just read was originally spread across five chapters.
Many readers kept saying the story followed "the canon," and that got me thinking:
What really makes it different?
That's when I came up with the idea to radically change the direction of the story.
You'll see those changes very soon.