Love Letter From The Future

The Academy During the Day was calm.

Birds chirped between the trees, and buildings boasting history and tradition reflected the sunlight brightly. It was now a familiar scene.

The history of the Academy dates back nearly 1,000 years. It was before the foundation of the Empire.

The continent of that time was chaotic. The great Empire that unified the world had crumbled, and countless states sprang up to seize its place. The world soon became one large battlefield.

As the war continued, the ones suffering were always the common people, as it had always been.

Terrifying supplies entering the war, plunder by enemy forces, and the inevitable breeding of monsters as troops focused on the front line.

The decades-long war turned the once prosperous continent into a landscape of groaning corpses. It was around this time that the leaders of various nations felt a sense of crisis.

No matter how vast the territory, it was meaningless if there were no subjects to fill it. The prolonged war had drastically reduced the continent’s population.

Moreover, humanity had a common enemy: monsters known for their brutality and strength.

After years of diplomatic talks, the war came to an end, and the Academy was established in the neutral zone as a testament to the peace treaty.

It was said to symbolize the shift from an era of strife to one of unity and coexistence.

Then, about 500 years later, the Academy that had maintained neutrality became known as the “Jerep Academy” during the reign of the Empire’s conquering Emperor.

Even he, who trampled half the continent with his cavalry, is said to have respected the Academy by not allowing his troops on its grounds. However, from that day forward, the title of ‘Jerep’ became attached to the Academy.

In modern times, the Academy became a symbol proclaiming that the Empire was the center of the world. Talented individuals from various countries still longed to enter the Academy and had to face the Empire’s insignia displayed throughout the grounds.

It seemed that the Empire believed that this alone was worth bearing the astronomical operational costs of the Academy. Such judgments were for the high-ranking officials, not something for the second son of a rural lord like me to worry about.

However, I was in awe. Despite its long history, the Academy’s campus was so well preserved.

This meant that the Empire was devotedly committed to the Academy’s operation. As a student, I had much to be thankful for.

While I was enjoying the Academy’s campus with a peaceful heart, Reto was staring at me wide-eyed, as if he had heard something unbelievable.

The drink we bought together at the tea house seemed on the verge of spilling. When I looked at him with a slightly worried expression, Reto soon shook his head vigorously and regained his composure.

Then he asked in a dazed voice, looking as if he couldn’t believe what he heard.

“……What?”

“I asked how to woo a woman.”

Reto’s mouth dropped open. He looked genuinely flustered. After a moment of staring blankly, he frowned and asked.

“Is this really I-an? Did you get hit with some weird curse again?”

“No, is it really that surprising?”

I had no choice but to return the question due to Reto’s intense reaction. He looked at me in disbelief.

“No, it’s because you’ve never shown any interest before and you suddenly ask! That wooden-headed guy, really…”

As he spoke, Reto adjusted his grip on the drink and began to suck it through the straw. His throat seemed dry. In retrospect, I could see why it was a bit unexpected.

Just yesterday he had burst into the lodging spouting nonsense and now, as soon as we met again, he was throwing a question he had never asked in his life.

If I were him, I would have been flustered too. I nodded in understanding.

“Me too, right? Being a man, I naturally have a lot of interest in women. But since I still don’t know much about them at this age, I just thought I should find out in advance.”

However, Reto remained skeptical despite my lengthy explanation. He gave me a long look and then leaned back against the bench, seemingly indifferent.

He made an offhand comment.

“Could it be that you’ve had a crush on Emma and want to fill that void with another woman…?”

“Absolutely not, don’t say something ridiculous. It would be disrespectful to Emma.”

He seemed to understand my firm denial as he chuckled, as if to say he expected that. Gradually, he appeared quite intrigued, evident from the spark in his emerald eyes.

“Then who is the target?”

“……Target?”

At his unexpected words, my head tilted. But Reto continued with a strong tone, as if declaring a very basic truth.

“Right, buddy. Target! Not all women are the same; everyone’s tastes are different, right? Commoner or noble? Older woman or younger? You need to choose your approach based on personality and relationships. If you don’t, the success rate will be too low.”

So, the better you know the person, the better. Reto added that, but my mind was already a jumbled mess.

I had a target but didn’t know who it was.

“Who on earth is ‘Sepia’?” It sounded like a name taken from a flower, but no woman I knew could be called ‘Sepia’.

For now, the only thing I could be certain of was that she was related to the Hunting Festival.

However, that wasn’t the kind of information Reto wanted. I pouted in discomfort while sucking on the straw.

Seeing my reaction, Reto once again wore a look of disbelief. He shouted.

“What, you haven’t even decided who the target is yet?! Just as long as it’s a woman, is that it?”

“No, it’s not necessarily like that…”

There was no need to shout, yet I felt a tinge of disappointment, but I tried to ignore it.

To Reto, it was a sign that he was taking my consultation quite seriously.

After all, that was how mages tended to be. Stubborn, and when they began to take things seriously, they became endlessly meticulous.

Although Reto intended to find a job as a consulting mage in some quiet territory, he couldn’t help but possess such a temperament, since he was a mage himself.

But the fact that the problem was about women seemed to be entirely typical of Reto.

Whether he was aware of my thoughts or not, Reto merely shook his head and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk tsk, how are you going to successfully woo a woman like this? I-an, listen carefully. There are three things a man needs to woo a woman.”

“Three things?!”

“Honestly, having just one of the three is enough, but the more the merrier.”

As he spoke, Reto extended his index finger, as if to detail them one by one.

“First, looks. You’re decent looking enough, so that’s fine.”

Is that so? It seemed that no woman had shown any interest until now.

Doubts flickered through my mind momentarily, but I set them aside. After all, I wasn’t the expert in this area; Reto was.

If he thought that way, then it was probably true enough. His assessment that I was ‘decent looking’ felt strangely uplifting.

“Second, ability. Hmm, honestly, just being an Academy student is sufficient in terms of ability, but…”

As he was about to extend his middle finger, he trailed off and scratched his chin. I knew what he wanted to say.

As an Academy student, I could be recognized for my abilities anywhere. However, that was only outside the Academy.

Internally, being an Academy student wouldn’t grant me special treatment. There were plenty of us.

It was ambiguous. To satisfy the second condition, I would have to have exceptional skills even within the Academy. It seemed Reto decided not to mention that issue for now.

With his ring finger now extended, that indicated it was the last point.

“And finally, will. In fact, this is the most crucial of the three. No matter how good looking or capable you are, what good is it if you don’t have the desire to woo? But right now, I don’t feel that ‘will’ from you!”

A soft groan escaped my lips.

Even if he said that, the other person wouldn’t know, and it was a matter I had started out of a sort of duty. There was no way ‘will’ was emanating from me.

Only a vague sense of responsibility to prevent further victims weighed down on my heart.

Ultimately, Reto seemed to give up somewhat, letting out a deep sigh and sipping his drink. His voice held a hint of defeat as he muttered.

“……Well, I guess there’s no helping it. I’ll just tell you the most basic things.”

“Oh, is that all I need to know?”

I asked with enthusiasm, but only received Reto’s incredulous gaze in return. My mouth closed again, sulking.

“No, are you crazy? Of course that’s not enough. But, well, beyond that can differ from person to person… Just remember two things. Compliments and physical contact.”

“Compliments and physical contact?”

I needed to hear a bit more to understand what he meant by ‘compliments’ and ‘physical contact,’ but for now, I decided to engrave those two things in my heart.

Reto seemed pleased with my reaction, sporting a satisfied smile.

“Yeah, when you see a girl, subtly throw her a compliment. A cliché like ‘You look pretty today?’ is fine. After all, you’re decent looking.”

“……What if I’m not?”

“If you’re ugly and try to flirt, that’s a crime. There are methods for that side, but we don’t need to worry about that.”

Reto said that in an indifferent tone and took another sip through the straw.

Seeing a handsome guy saying that made me want to give him a punch, but since I was also somewhat decent looking, I decided to let it slide this time.

For the first time in a while, a deep sense of gratitude toward my parents arose within me. Come to think of it, my younger sister was also pretty and lovely in appearance.

It was a relief. As I silently let out a sigh of relief, Reto continued speaking.

“And physical contact is important for gauging distance. Once you feel you’ve gotten somewhat close, subtly increase the points of contact. The closer your bodies are, the closer your hearts will be; that’s a truth.”

“How do you gauge that distance?”

“Well, that’s…”

Just before Reto could continue his lengthy lecture, we heard someone in the distance calling out to us. Both Reto and I simultaneously turned our gazes toward the source.

A lively-looking girl waved her hand, her brown cloak flapping gently behind her.

It was Celin. Reto smiled, as if he thought this was a fortunate development.

“This is great; you can try it out.”

Before I could ask “Try what?” Celin ran over and landed gracefully in front of me. Her petite figure descended like a butterfly without making a sound.

She tilted her head, as if she had seen my bewildered expression.

“……? What’s wrong, I-an oppa?”

“Uh, um? It’s nothing. Just…”

My eyes subtly glanced at Reto. He was looking at me with intense determination.

‘Hurry up.’

I sighed inwardly and, reluctantly, gazed at Celin. First, I was told to ‘compliment’ her.

Celin simply stared at me blankly. I sprang the surprise compliment on her.

“You look pretty today.”

“……Uh, um?!”

As soon as Celin heard my words, she flinched and looked up at me as if she had been electrocuted. She clasped her hands in front of her chest as if she were so surprised.

Is it having an effect? I still couldn’t be certain. I decided to compliment Celin a bit more.

“And I think you smell really nice… Did you change your perfume?”

“Uh, um… Hehe… It’s not perfume, but I swapped to a facial wash that’s trending among girls lately. Do you think it’s that obvious?”

Celin said that as she twisted her body. Then she subtly tossed her hair back, revealing her fragrant neck.

It seemed her mood had brightened since her face was slightly flushed. I thought it was about time for ‘physical contact.’

But how was I supposed to initiate it?

After a moment of contemplation, I spotted her exposed neck.

I approached Celin and swept her hair aside with the back of my hand to uncover her neck.

“Hi, hiya?!”

Feeling the touch, Celin tensed up and let out a strange sound, but I was already committed.

I leaned my face close to her neck and took a brief whiff. It was a mere instant.

Yet, the fallout was more than I had imagined; Celin’s face turned bright red, and she froze in place.

From her mouth came a broken “A, a…” sound. Her trembling lips failed to form coherent words.

“……Hmm, yes. It smells nice.”

As I nodded and expressed my appreciation, Celin shook her body and then hurried away, as if she could no longer bear it.

“I-I have something urgent to attend to, so I’ll be off!”

Leaving behind such a nonsensical excuse, I turned in confusion to Reto.

He seemed to be barely holding back laughter, erupting into a fit of laughter that rang through the air.

“Haha! Did you see that, I-an? That arrogant Celin turned red and ran away? It was a bit too blatant, but well done. Well done. Haha…”

“Did it really work?”

When I asked in a still doubtful voice, Reto nodded as if to say, just you wait.

“Of course it did! Just wait and see; she’s probably ordering a bunch of that facial wash right now! I’d bet she’ll be using only that for a while! Just wait and see!”

Thinking there was no way that could be true, I decided to keep my mouth shut, as Reto was too confident. I needed to find out if he was right.

And the next day, Celin appeared, smelling even stronger, just as Reto had said.

Seria came to me once more.

“S-She… uh… the price for the compliment!”

She appeared holding a pouch full of gold coins.

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