Once everyone had settled, the teacher stood at the podium and introduced himself.
"Congratulations on your enrollment, everyone. I am Alma Beoulve, your homeroom teacher. I look forward to teaching you for the next three years. I know many of you may be feeling nervous, but there's something I need to tell you upfront."
The room fell silent as everyone focused on the teacher's words.
"This academy does not sort students based on noble rankings. However, in society, there are still instances where social status matters. That said, I hope all of you will look past such biases and form friendships freely. I understand that not everyone may find it easy to accept this right away, but I encourage you to take small steps toward understanding one another."
A heavy silence filled the classroom.
It was likely that some students already had conflicting feelings about this statement.
Just as Alma continued, "Now, we will proceed with magic element testing—"
The classroom door suddenly swung open with a loud bang.
Standing at the doorway was none other than Rafayel's older brother, Thomas.
Everyone fell silent, their eyes fixed on him.
"I apologize for the sudden intrusion. Is Rafayel Delmare here?"
As soon as Thomas spoke, the classroom erupted into whispers.
"That's Thomas Delmare!"
"Why is he here!?"
"Isn't he from the First Division?"
Rafayel was too overwhelmed by confusion to respond, his mind screaming, Why is he here!? rather than thinking about answering.
The first one to react was their teacher, Alma.
"Ah, I see. Rafayel, please go with Thomas."
"Y-Yes!" Rafayel shot up from his seat, unable to sit still any longer.
The class was still murmuring in curiosity, but Rafayel deliberately ignored the noise and walked straight to his brother.
"Let's go, Raffy."
As they walked down the hallway, Rafayel felt his brother's arm wrap around his shoulder.
However, unlike his usual gentle demeanor, Thomas's presence felt different.
Wait… what's going on? Is he mad or something? He's never been this silent…
Just as Rafayel was cautiously observing his brother's mood, they reached a more secluded area.
Suddenly, he was pulled into a tight embrace.
"Raffy!!"
"Wh-what's wrong, Brother…?"
For the first time, Rafayel saw this unfamiliar side of his brother, and he was on the verge of tears from sheer confusion.
"Raffy, you can't go showing that adorable face to everyone at the entrance ceremony," Thomas said, his voice filled with frustration and sadness.
"Huh…? I-I wasn't making any kind of face like that!"
...Or maybe he was? With this face, he guess it's possible…
"That's not true. You were smiling and looking around so much. And you were chatting so happily with that beastman sitting next to you... Raffy, I'm worried. What if the other students bully you?"
It seemed that Thomas was determined to make Rafayel admit to some kind of wrongdoing.
"...I'm sorry?"
For now, he decided to apologize first.
"Good boy, Raffy."
W-Wait… Brother… You're kind of giving off yandere vibes right now.
Also, isn't it less about him being bullied and more about you not wanting him to look at anyone else…?