Help! I'm asexual and trapped in a dating sim!

Chapter Five

A knock at the door woke me the next morning, and I sat up in bed with a yawn, the blankets falling around my waist.
"Yes?"
The door cracked open, and Varth peeked through. "You wanted a wake-up call?"
"Ah, right. Thanks." I yawned again and stretched, before realising he was still at the door, watching me intently. "Um... Thank you?"
He jumped, as if caught in something. "Yup, I'll go now."
"Right."
He lingered a few moments, then closed the door behind him.
This was going to take some getting used to. I wasn't accustomed to people who actually did enjoy being around me, and if this was the way everyone in this world acted then I was in for a wild ride.
Damn that goddess! Why do people have to like me? I just want to live alone in the woods with Selena!
I pulled on the tunic from yesterday- it wasn't that dirty, as I'd only worn it for a few hours.
Okay, maybe there were a few grass stains on it, and a bit of mud. And maybe a bit of a lingering odour of medicinal plants, which was quite nice really. And alright, I'd dipped the sleeve in the stew yesterday, which was quite impressive considering it was actually short-sleeved.
But it was clean, I promise!
I slipped out of the inn, taking my belongings with me in the hope that I wouldn't be coming back. Fortunately, nobody noticed me leave.
My stomach rumbled as the scent of freshly baked bread met my nostrils and my head snapped around, eyes locking on to a stall by the wayside. I made a bee-line for it, digging into my worryingly light belt pouch.
After exchanging a copper for a cob of bread and directions to the academy, I was on my way, catching crumbs in my hand and tipping them into my mouth. I couldn't waste anything, because I didn't know when I might find a way to earn a bit more money.
A large building loomed in the distance as I turned the corner to a new street, with a long line of people stretching from it. The academy, presumably. It looked almost like a castle, all tall spires and battlements. Very medieval Europe. In fact, most of this country seemed to be based on England in the middle-ages.
As I got closer I could see that the people queueing were about my age, and most accompanied by parents or friends. In fact, it looked like I was just about the only one alone. Story of my life, really.
I was about to join the end of the line when I saw that there was a much smaller queue to the side of it, beneath a big sign labelled 'scholarships'. That was me! I had a scholarship!
With a quick little skip, I hurried past the long line and up to the smaller one, digging into my dark storage to find the scroll. I joined the end of the line, pulling out the tightly-bound scholarship before thinking better of it and carefully putting it back. If it was important enough that the goddess didn't want to put it in storage originally for fear of me damaging it somehow, it was probably best that I didn't carry it in my hand.
The girl in front of me turned to me with a charming smile. She wore a very expensive-looking dress, complete with fancy beading and lace, and her hair was the blue of the Mediterranean sea. Definitely a noble. Why was she in the scholarship line?
"Hi," she said warmly. "I'm Garnet."
"Lee," I replied, holding out my hand to shake. She took it, continuing to chat.
"This is my little sister, Sapphy. It's nice to see another non-human here."
Ah, sister, not friend. In retrospect, they both have blue hair, so I don't know why I would have expected anything else.
"Yeah?" I replied. "Is that not common?"
"You're not from around here, are you?" she smiled.
"Deep forest," I admitted. "It's all I've known. Just treat me like a child, hey?"
"Well, non-humans are rare around here," she explained. "Me and Sapphy are half sea-nymph, and there are a few beastmen and dwarves and the occasional vampire, but that's only because they were banished from the surrounding kingdoms. If you're anything but human, it's hard to get citizenship."
"Really? Because it was my humanity that got me banished."
Of course, I was making all this up, but it had said in the introduction message that my heritage had made me an outcast, so I assumed that's what it meant.
"Yeah, but the dark elves are elitist. Um... no offense."
"None taken," I laughed. "I'm not easily-"
"Move," demanded a voice from behind me. I turned.
"Sorry, what?"
The girl behind me scowled, her blonde ringlets bobbing as she stamped her foot, though it had to be difficult to do with the amount of ornamentation on her dress.
"I said, move. Or I'll make you."
Uh oh. My first noble.
This was fine. This was absolutely okay. Yes, she obviously had far more power and influence than me, and a devoted following judging by the small gathering of people behind her, but I had something she didn't.
A very meagre knowledge of the game! That's right, my powers are practically godlike.
I knew from the skim-read of the online run-through that this encounter was inevitable, as it kicked off the rest of the plot for the storyline. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to avoid making her my enemy. I'd only read through the plot quickly to figure out which scenes to avoid, and which were best drawn- original art was always going to be my favourite, but I did enjoy copying a scene as closely as I could.
Still, maybe because I was a real human now and not just picking from pre-set answers, maybe I could avoid it?
"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I didn't realise I was in your way."
"Well, you should've," she sniffed, flouncing past me as I moved out of her way.
What? How was that reasonable?
...You know what, never mind.
The entire line of scholarship students moved aside as she headed towards the booth at the head of the queue.
"I'm Lady Tia," she announced. "Daughter of Marquis Chiron."
I couldn't hide my snicker. The bustle inexplicably attached to the back of her dress did make her look like a centaur. She span and glared at me.
"Is something funny?"
I quailed in the face of her rage, and the anger of the small retinue on her tail.
"No. Nothing is funny."
"Yeah, I thought so."
She turned back to the man behind the booth.
"As I was saying," She glared at me. "Before I was interrupted. Obviously, I'll have my own suite of rooms, but I need directions to give to my servants for the rest of my bags to get dropped off."
I glanced at the three strong men following her who all teetered beneath unusually tall towers of suitcases, or lugged huge trunks behind them. How much more luggage could she need?
"Lady Tia, is it?" the man asked. He ran a finger down the parchment in front of him. "I don't see your name on here anywhere."
"Well, no," she said impatiently. "I don't have a scholarship."
What?
"Then you haven't yet been accepted," the man said irritatedly. "And you need to join the end of that line and take part in the trials to secure a place. And if you think you're getting a suite of your own, think again. Everybody has a roommate. Even the princes in the capital have to share."
The girl scoffed. "Look, I'm obviously going to get in. I'm level seventeen. And I'd better get to choose my own roommate."
"They're assigned," the man said tiredly. "And we can't accept luggage until you're a part of the academy."
"But-"
"The back of the line," the man said firmly. "Go."
She scoffed again. "Fine."
It reminded me so much of my little brother that I couldn't help but laugh. Which was the wrong move.
"What are you laughing at?" she hissed, stomping towards me and getting uncomfortably close to my face. "What are you, a low-leveled peasant who got lucky? You're obviously a commoner." She sneered, running her eyes over my clothes, then noticing my ears. "Ew, and a half-breed? And a dark elf, no less. It's no surprise you have no manners."
"At least manners are something I can learn," I replied mildly. "And my heritage isn't my fault. But there's nothing you can do to improve your, quite frankly, rancid personality."
Oops. I was meant to be not making an enemy of her. And judging by the furious red her face turned, I had failed miserably at that.
"What did you say?" she screamed, catching the attention of the entire line. A hush spread through the crowd.
Well, in for a penny, in for a pound.
"I said," I repeated, making sure to enunciate each word clearly. "That you, Lady Tia, are something of an ass."
Mild language, but she swelled up with fury, taking a deep breath in preparation of unleashing on me, when-
"Stop!"
A shock of blue hair lashed me in the face as Garnet leapt between us, and I yelped.
"Sorry," she whispered apologetically, then raised her voice to be audible to the onlookers. "Stop this! You, Lady Tia, have no right to push to the front. He simply spoke the truth, and is not at any fault."
The crowd of onlookers murmured in agreement, and I glanced around in shock. I wasn't used to being backed up by people.
"He had no need to insult me!" she huffed. "That was out of line."
"You were out of line." I muttered, and Garnet gave me a warning glare.
"Nevertheless," she continued sternly. "You are a noble. Do you really want to cause a scene?"
Tia glanced around at the people watching on disapprovingly, and flushed. "Fine."
She stepped past Garnet and began to head towards the back of the line, knocking me back with her shoulder.
"You'd better watch it," she hissed. "Because my bad side is not a good place to be."
Her little retinue trotted after her as she swanned away, some shooting me glares and others, who I noticed were dressed more similarly to me than the others, glancing at me apologetically.
A small crowd began to gather, all murmuring with concern. I thought for a moment that they were there for Garnet, but she came and put an arm around my shoulders.
"Are you alright, Lee?" she asked sympathetically, and the bystanders nodded in agreement.
"Unbelievable."
"She's so entitled!"
"Such an overreaction."
"What a drama queen!"
And then, altogether: "But are you alright?"
I chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I mean, I'm fine. Just a bit of a shock that she'd react like that, you know?"
"I know, right?!"
"Mm hm. She's totally unfair."
"You were so quick-witted, though."
"And funny! If it wasn't Lady Tia, I'd have laughed out loud!"
"I'm just glad you're okay, Lee."
Fortunately, Garnet could see that I was getting overwhelmed, and she cut in.
"Come on, Lee. Let's get you inside."
"Yeah, of course."
"You go ahead!"
The crowd opened up in front of me and guiding hands ushered me and Garnet forward, up to the front of the line.
I really don't think my experience was that traumatic. What was I missing about the situation?
No, the people in this world were just kind, that's all.
I handed over my scholarship, but the man barely glanced at it.
"Well done," he said warmly. "You said what I've wanted to say to that brat for a long time. You go ahead. You're in room 24B. You can guide him, right?"
"Course I can!" Garnet nodded. "C'mon, Lee!"