Thomas, meanwhile, ruffled Rafayel's hair.
"Raffy, you're as adorable as ever. But be careful not to stick your head out too much—it's dangerous," he said.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Rafayel sat back down beside Thomas.
That's true. He'll be seeing this scenery every day, so maybe he don't need to stare so much… But he can't help it.
He's so excited for the entrance ceremony.
He wondered what kind of people he'll meet later.
As he thought about this, he continued to sway with the motion of the carriage.
After nearly an hour, the carriage finally came to a stop.
"Master, we have arrived at the academy. I will open the door now."
The door swung open, and one by one, his family members stepped out.
As expected, Rafayel was lifted down by his brother.
Just like the first time he had seen the grand hall of their estate, his jaw dropped in awe.
Wow…! This place is huge! What a beautiful mansion!
He stood there, completely mesmerized.
Rafayel didn't have the luxury of standing around and admiring the view for too long, as his father gently pushed him forward.
"Raffy, let's go."
As they walked toward the entrance ceremony hall, he noticed, unsurprisingly, that children his age were walking alongside their parents.
Some were accompanied by only one parent, while others, like himself, had their entire family present.
Now that he look around, there really aren't many girls… So the 8:2 ratio was true after all.
Oh!
There's a beastman child!
That bunny ears—so cute!
As Rafayel stared at the child in fascination, their eyes met for a brief moment before the beastman child quickly averted their gaze and looked straight ahead.
Ah… Did he just get disliked?
He felt a little dejected even before the entrance ceremony had begun.
While still sulking over the brief encounter, Rafayel suddenly noticed a commotion around him.
People were whispering and stealing glances in his direction.
Curious, he listened closely.
"That's the Delmare family."
"That tall man is said to be assigned to the First Division of the knight order."
"And that adorable one must be the new student this year."
Wait, what?! They're talking about us?!
Realizing how much attention they were attracting, Rafayel instinctively lowered his gaze, trying to hide his face as he hurried toward the hall.
Finally arriving at the venue, he began searching for his seat.
Since the guardians' seating was separate from the new students' section at the back of the hall, this was where he had to part ways with his parents and older brother.
Thankfully, the walk to the hall had gone smoothly without any overly dramatic encounters—though he had still been stared at from afar.
After finding his seat, he sat down.
The seat next to him was still empty, so while waiting for his neighbor to arrive, he curiously scanned the hall.
Oh! The bunny-eared kid is here too!
But judging by the seating arrangement, they must be in a different class… What a shame.