Translator: Nox

Ch#65

“Ughhh……”

“……”

“Groan……”

“……”

“Urrrgh……”

“You're so noisy, seriously!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Airin lightly kicked Ruska's chair from under the desk.

“Hey, don't kick!”

“You're the one making weird noises!”

“Then tell me, tell me!”

“Would someone who understands words do something like this?!”

“Who kicks first thing like that! Who the hell calls a crazy water buffalo-like thing the princess of the south…… Ack!”

Seeing Airin and Ruska bickering as usual, Arcel sighed and said to Ibi,

“Ibi. Don't look. Stupidity is contagious.”

“Y-Yes……”

At Arcel's words, Ibi, who had been watching the two, quickly turned her head.

“Let's just finish our studying. You were confused about this part in the Tennelton theorem earlier, right? This is solved by substitution……”

As Arcel pointed to the equation he had written in his notebook and explained to Ibi, she listened with intense focus.

At that moment, Ruska, who had been grabbed by the collar by Airin, lightly swatted her hand away, slipped free, and ran over to Arcel.

“Arcel, you! You're only teaching Ibi! How can you do that while watching me suffer because of the midterm?”

“Was that suffering? I thought you were imitating a monster stabbed by a sword.”

Airin chimed in from the side with a look of disbelief.

“Was it? I thought you were a bug getting swatted.”

At the harsh evaluation from the two, Ruska flopped face-down on the desk again.

“No one understands my suffering…… How long has it been since classes officially started? Why is there already an exam?”

At Ruska's muttering, Airin lightly brushed back her hair and said,

“It's your fault for not checking the academic schedule. We already knew and prepared. Right, Ibi?”

“Yes!”

As Ibi answered, Airin patted her head with a proud expression.

Ruska muttered at the sight.

“It's true, but why does it feel so bad…… Ah, not you, Ibi—Airin over there.”

Then, as Airin's eyes narrowed, he quickly backed away.

At that moment, a bell rang in the distance. Class time was over.

Arcel closed the book and notebook he had been showing Ibi.

“Let's go eat lunch first. Then I'll explain the parts you don't understand again.”

“Okay!”

Arcel chuckled at her spirited reply.

This time slot was normally Professor Males' class time, of course.

But because he had caught a bad cold, today's class had been changed to self-study.

It was natural for Ibi, who had been excited to learn a new theorem, to look crestfallen.

To such an Ibi, Arcel had said that if she wanted, he would teach her, and to come sit next to him.

Ibi had been overjoyed and quickly sat in the seat beside him.

Airin had looked disappointed at Ibi scurrying over, but unfortunately, she couldn't explain the parts Ibi was curious about.

And in the meantime, Ruska had been making weird noises because he hated the upcoming exam so much, irritating Airin even more.

The four packed up their classroom and headed out.

As Ibi walked to the cafeteria holding Airin's hand, she said to Arcel,

“Oh, right. The books you gave me last time. I'll bring them back next class.”

“No need to rush returning them.”

“No, I finished reading them all.”

As Ibi smiled and answered, Airin shot Arcel a glare.

Last outing day, Arcel had brought several books.

He had handed them to Ibi, saying he thought she would like them.

Ibi's reaction had been explosive.

“Really? For me? Can I read all of these?”

“Of course. I brought them for you to read.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

A 7-year-old bowing in gratitude over science theory books.

‘More than that, Arcel's been too nice to Ibi.’

Based on his personality so far, he shouldn't pay much attention to a child like Ibi, but he was unusually caring toward her.

Just a moment ago, too.

When Ibi was puzzling over a math book alone, he had come over unnoticed, naturally looked at the book together, and explained the difficult parts.

‘It's frustrating.’

She wasn't bad at math, but not as good as Arcel, so Airin could only watch.

As the four entered the cafeteria, students' gazes poured in. But the surprised stares from the beginning were gone now.

It was because seeing the four of them together at Yeongjae Academy had become completely natural.

While the four settled in and fetched their meals, someone was glaring at them murderously from afar.

Izriella.

‘How did it end up like this?’

Izriella unconsciously bit her thumbnail.

It hadn't been like this when she first confronted Airin.

That day, so many female students had come to her saying how refreshing it was.

They had badmouthed Airin for acting superior, calling herself the princess of the south or whatever.

The target of the gossip wasn't just Airin.

“I hope that child leaves soon. I'm worried about Yeongjae Academy's standards.”

“Right? She's so oblivious…… She should just quit on her own and live quietly at some rural advanced school—that's more fitting.”

“His Majesty the Emperor isn't paying attention either. It must have been a whim. The rumors are everywhere—no one in my general studies class talks to her.”

And those who said that didn't forget to praise Izriella.

“As expected of Miss Izriella. Who else could discipline like that?”

“Right. After all, Miss Izriella has been the center of the capital's prospective social circle. Please keep taking care of things.”

They went on about how noble-like she was, how she was the only one who understood their feelings.

Because of that, she had grown more confident.

‘I'll chase out Airin and that brat too.’

It wouldn't be hard.

Even if they held hands and walked around together now, there was a limit to enduring constant ignoring.

But everything changed completely when Arcel and Ruska appeared.

“Hanging out closely with those two…… Does that mean Miss Airin is confirmed as a crown princess candidate?”

“Ruska I get, but Lord Arcel hates having anyone near him. I heard only a few male students can even greet him friendly. Yet they're together……”

“He even takes good care of that commoner kid. I overheard them talking nearby last time……”

The students who had flocked to Izriella scattered like the tide.

Then they started greeting Airin first again, blatantly.

And now.

Yeongjae Academy's atmosphere had returned to how it was at first.

Female students eyed each other, trying to approach Airin first.

In the midst of that, Izriella overheard students who had pretended to be close to her.

“If I'd known it would be like this, I should've just stayed friends with Airin.”

“Right. I thought Izriella would do something, but she just strutted around and didn't help at all? Fighting with Airin was just because she hated her—not something she'd do for anyone else.”

“Hmm, still, I feel a bit sorry for Izriella.”

“Why feel sorry for her?”

“Why? If she'd just gotten along with Airin, Izriella would've been in that spot instead of the commoner kid? She blew a good opportunity fighting over that kid.”

“You're saying sorry but your mouth is smiling?”

At the burst of mocking laughter, Izriella bit her lip and turned away.

After hearing that, the students' words kept echoing in Izriella's mind.

If she hadn't fought with Airin.

If that commoner kid hadn't acted up.

Then, as the child of a great noble, she could have been moderately friendly with those three by now.

No matter how she thought about it, that was the right picture.

They were not only the stars of the empire's social circle but potentially the future emperor and empress.

Izriella increasingly thought everything at Yeongjae Academy was a mess.

And all of this was because of that orphan girl.

Thinking about it, her confrontation with Airin had started because of Ibi.

‘That little thing might have deliberately driven a wedge between me and Airin.’

Airin would naturally want to be closer to her, a fellow noble.

Yet she kept sticking to that child—maybe the sly kid kept badmouthing her to Airin and sowing discord.

Students gradually left Izriella's side.

The more that happened, the more convinced Izriella became. If only Ibi were gone, things would return to how she imagined Yeongjae Academy should be.