School started again like the unending torment that it was.

Ira stared out over the rest of the classroom while he waited for the teacher to appear. Unfortunately, he was now trapped in Politics after the end of the Magical Theory class and he was not happy. In fact, describing him as not happy wasn't enough. He was pissed.

The day had started out normally, now that he had finally managed to make some sort of schedule in this sappy world. He woke up, took a bath, got dressed and went to eat breakfast. At breakfast, Silas sat at his table and he was forced to share, because he wasn't going to move just because the man was feeling manipulative. After a meal, during which he was stared at the whole time, it was time for the first class in a week.

As it was a Monday, that was Magical Theory.

Ira sat where he always sat — no matter which class it was — in the middle of the room. He settled in amongst the earliest of the students and read a book he had learned to always bring with him in order to pass the time until class started.

That wasn't the bad part.

His Host was, once again, late.

Apparently, a week of break from school was all the time that she needed to completely lose her recently gained accomplishment of waking up on time. As such, she missed breakfast and it was half-way through the lesson by the time that she finally arrived. At least this time, she didn't get lost. Baby steps, he supposed.

As she was late, the door was locked.

Ira and the rest of the class got to watch as she ran around on the outside of the building until she reached the classroom's windows, whereupon she tried each and every one of them. All of them were locked.

When Ira directed his gaze to Silas, the man had a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

Ira could understand the feeling.

After figuring out that she couldn't get in, she squeezed as close as she could to the window with the best view and tried to copy down the notes on the board. Ira had to admit that it was a smart move. 

It was also utterly hilarious to watch.

Her face squished up to the window made his day.

The rest of the class passed with his Host outside making an absolute fool of herself. Silas didn't spare her a glance, which was somehow worse than if he had deliberately mocked her.

As the class ended, Ira was once more the last one to exit the room. The Magical Theory teacher had settled down at his desk by then but Ira could still feel the way that he was being stared at. He chose to do the mature thing and pretend it wasn't happening. It wasn't like he actually understood what it was all about, anyway.

In the middle of the hallway, as he made a valiant attempt to get to his next class, he was interrupted by his Host. The girl had grabbed ahold of him as he attempted to pass by her while ignoring her very existence.

"System!" she hissed at him and demanded, "Tell me who in the class has the best notes."

Obviously, that was him. "Silvia Blackstone."

She nodded at him and ran away without even bothering to say so much as a thank you. He observed through his mind as she ran around asking until she managed to find the woman who had had the unfortunate luck to be sacrificed. Maybe he should send her a gift basket? That seemed to be something a lot of characters did in the books in this world.

This was not, to be clear, what he was pissed off about. If anything, he was amused by it. Viciously.

But after leaving behind his Host and once again on the move, he bumped right into the male protagonist.

So. Damn. Embarrassing.

It was like something out of a rom-com.

Fortunately, Ira had very good balance, a skill he would always have activated because clumsy people were more noteworthy. So he didn't fall. Nor did he drop anything, because he had all of his books in a bag like a sane person.

The Second Prince, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky.

They bumped into each other right around a corner so the angle and momentum made the prince fall right on his back. Now, Ira wasn't like his Host, and so he apologized as was expected.

"My apologies, Your Highness."

When he attempted to give the prince a hand to help pull him up, the prince glared at him and hissed out in a low tone, "Don't touch me, traitor!"

Ira had honestly no clue what that was about.

The man then stood up on his own and walked around Ira like he was air. Again, it didn't piss him off. Ira wasn't quite such a petty person. No it was the part where the Second Prince looked back and called out, "Just because you seduced my brother doesn't mean you're special."

What brother?

Regardless of who, the very idea that he had purposefully seduced someone was laughable. Ira could admit that he didn't know nearly enough of human customs and social niceties to seduce someone. Undoubtedly, it would end with him offending them and getting hit in the face.

At which point he would promptly kick them in the crotch.

But the point was, he was honestly kind of grossed out by the idea of seducing anyone, not just the prince's brother. And so now he was in Politics, pissed off and ignoring his teacher as they endeavored to explain something completely irrelevant.

Ira felt like murdering someone. Preferably someone he didn't like.

Like that damn tall male lead that was rude and accused him of something without basis. Not that that actually bothered him, but it was the principle of the thing! He couldn't walk around as a doormat, then everyone would try to walk all over him. Just because he was working, it didn't mean that he needed to be treated like dirt too. He already was by his Hosts.

Finally, the class ended.

Ira gathered up his things and stood together with the rest of his class. If he stayed behind to leave last like he normally did, he had the feeling that he would snap and go on a killing spree. His pay would so be cut if he did that.

Worst case scenario, right there.

He left the classroom in a sucky mood, already annoyed enough that he had another class after that. In his mind, he could see as his Host did her best to get to her next class on time, though this time it wasn't her fault that she would be late. She was currently in the middle of an argument with a gang of noble girls that looked like it was two steps away from getting physical.

Ira zoomed in so that he could record it in the best possible angle.

If he was ever fired, he could get a job as a professional photographer.

He would be a hit.

Ira observed as his Host was torn viciously to pieces with just words, as the girls surrounding her told her quite honestly what a creep she was being concerning the Second Prince. Ira was just glad that someone had told her that. 

Granted, she had mellowed out recently and was doing better in classes, but she still spent way too much of her time following him around and staring at him. At least she no longer tried to gain access to his dorms. That would land her in prison for attempted assassination, no matter how rare or powerful her magic was.

She would probably be tortured too.

When his Host's stack of books (that she still didn't carry in a bag) was knocked down to the floor, she lost her composure and snapped out, "Just because you're nobles you think you can treat people like this?!"

The girls around her stopped for a moment and seemed to communicate with their eyes. "You are the one that is obsessed with the Second Prince. You have no room to talk. We are doing what needs to be done. You being a commoner has nothing to do with it."

Ira could see, from the stubborn look on her face, that she didn't believe it. She was from a far more modern time, where nobility didn't matter unless you were actually royalty, and even then, people were pretty blasé about it. So to her, the girls were deliberately mocking her and bothering her because she wasn't nobility. And her modern ideals were offended by the very thought that they weren't regarded as equals.

Yeah, Ira was already in the process of requesting a new Host. Preferably someone older that had been hit with the cruel reality that was adulthood and thus didn't have so many childish ideas.

Seeing that nothing more interesting was about to happen any time soon, Ira zoomed out and zoned back into the current situation. He had already reached his class and was in the beginning process of copying down the notes on the board. Multitasking was easy.

Classes ended without fanfare.

Ira used his mental map to make sure that he wasn't about to bump into anyone important to the plot — and thus mess it up — as he made his way back to his dorm.

It was lucky that he did, because when he watched, he saw that his Host was in the close vicinity of the Second Prince. Much closer than she had been ever since she was unintentionally insulted by him.

After barely a thought, he changed direction. It wouldn't hurt to see it for himself.

Besides, everything his Host did was being recorded automatically. He kind of wanted to see if she could notice him nearby.

Ira reached the place they were standing in and hid behind a corner.

They were standing alone in a pretty secluded place of the grounds, where hardly anyone ever went. And as Ira watched, his Host did something that he hadn't expected.

She said, clearly and without stuttering, to the prince. "I like you. Go out with me?"

Ira's eyes widened and he stared closer at them, adjusting his sight until he could see them clearly from up close, despite the fact that he hadn't moved. He wasn't sure if that was a smart move or an idiotic one. If there was one thing that he didn't get, it was love.

And everything that had to do with it.

The Second Prince didn't make a move. Just when Ira thought that he was about to respond positively, the man took a step back from his Host and a look of displeasure was on his face. "I have a fiancé. I'm not going to cheat on her."

Ira's impression of the male protagonist just jumped up way higher. If there was one thing that he couldn't stand, it was cheating.

"But it's just an arranged marriage, right? It's not as if you actually like her." His Host apparently didn't know when to quit.

The prince stepped back further. "I want to be king one day. In order for that to happen, I need her family's support. Now don't ever talk about this again or I'll have you kicked out of the academy."

While his Host looked confused, the prince took the opportunity to walk away. He didn't look back.

Ira watched as his Host furrowed her brow's in confusion. She was from a time when arranged marriages were considered almost barbaric. The importance the people of this world placed on them, she just couldn't understand. Which led to her saying stupid things like that.

His Host whispered to herself, "But he doesn't even like her. Why would he stay with her? If he doesn't leave her to be with me, I'll fail the mission."

She continued, "And I'm a catch. I'm beautiful, smart and kind. And I'm far better than these archaic women with their old values."

"Why doesn't he like me?"

Having seen enough, Ira carefully extracted himself from his hiding place and decided that his stomach was making enough noise. He started walking in the direction of the cafeteria, uncaring about the pathetic picture he left behind.

Focused as he was, he didn't notice the man that had been staring at him for a while now.

Nor did he notice the expression of determination on his Host's face.