Chapter 190: Second Year(4)
Chapter 190: Second Year(4)
Expect the unexpected, as the saying goes. After hearing the introduction of the pink-haired girl, Cherry, my mind went blank for a moment.
The atmosphere she projected now was worlds apart from the one she had shown in her fan letters. They were so mismatched that I almost wondered if someone else had ghostwritten them for her.
The Cherry in the fan letters was lively, vibrant, and brimming with girlish sensibility, but the Cherry standing before me was the exact opposite.
Her voice was so weak she sounded as if she might collapse at any moment, and a gloomy aura clung to her, encroaching on her surroundings and making anyone watching feel uneasy. To top it off, her bright, cherry-blossom-colored eyes looked dull and lifeless.
What on earth had happened to this girl? Had she gone through some great ordeal while we were exchanging letters? Even someone in the depths of despair wouldn't usually end up like this student named Cherry.
Even a total recluse would at least sit still and do nothing, yet Cherry had actually come to the lecture. As I thought before, she truly looked like a living doll.
"Roseberry? Is she really from the House of Count Roseberry?"
"Looking at her hair, it seems certain."
"But something... feels off. Is she sick?"
As soon as Cherry revealed her full name, the classroom began to buzz. The House of Count Roseberry was one of the more powerful families in the Minerva Empire. More than half of the philosophy books published in the empire originated from the Roseberry family.
The students were whispering because of her background, but they also seemed uncomfortable with her unsettling demeanor. No matter how doll-like and beautiful a face is, anyone would look at her strangely if her eyes were dead.
"Very well. Student Cherry. Can you answer my question?"
"..."
While the classroom was filled with whispers, Elena questioned Cherry once more. The murmuring stopped instantly, and countless gazes turned toward Cherry.
I also waited for her answer with my hands behind my back, but she didn't even blink, staring intently at only me. Elena, seemingly displeased by this, furrowed her brow slightly and spoke again.
"Student Cherry?"
"...Yes."
"If you don't know, I would appreciate it if you just said so."
"...I don't know."
Cherry immediately replied that she didn't know. Her voice was still utterly devoid of life.
Elena also seemed to sense something strange about Cherry, as she arched an eyebrow with a puzzled expression. However, after a brief moment, she gestured for her to sit down.
Following the instruction, Cherry took her seat, but her gaze remained fixed on me. I wanted to ignore it, but her stare was so intense that it was difficult to put it out of my mind.
"Is there anyone else? Even if it's not the correct answer, I will give bonus points to anyone who can clearly explain the cause and effect."
"Me!"
"Good. Your name?"
Elena continued the lecture after that. I stood by her side and watched quietly.
Occasionally, a few students would catch me off guard with questions, but I was able to answer them easily. Most of it was material I had already heard in Professor Elena's lectures, so it was relatively simple.
"History is not merely a record of events and accidents that occurred in the past. Every person has their own history. If you closely observe what a person has done in the past, you can predict what they will do in the future."
"Then, Professor. May I ask one question?"
"Yes. What is it?"
"Since the Xenon Biography was mentioned earlier... Professor, how do you predict Xenon's future path? Ah, I don't mean the Xenon in the book, but the author."
"Hmm..."
At the student's question, Elena rested her chin on her fist, appearing lost in thought. I felt a bit flustered since they were talking about me, but I remained silent.
To be honest, I was curious about her answer too. When I spoke with Elena, our focus was usually on history itself, not the Xenon Biography.
Just as the saying goes that history predicts the future through a dialogue with the past, predicting the path of a specific individual isn't that difficult.
Of course, that's only when the subject's past is clear; if it's uncertain, prediction is nearly impossible.
"Honestly, it's difficult to say. There are countless hypotheses about Xenon, but almost nothing has been clearly proven yet. It's very hard to predict a path simply by looking at an individual's achievements."
"Then how should we interpret historical figures whose records have been lost? Sometimes they take actions that seem inconsistent with their previous behavior."
"What is your name, student?"
"Michael Destora."
Judging by the lack of a middle name, he was likely a commoner, but his neat brown hair and clear blue eyes gave him a clean impression. He wasn't strikingly handsome, but he had a warm, pleasant vibe.
Elena gave a proud smile, seemingly pleased with Michael's question. After all, that kind of question comes from someone with a deep sense of inquiry, so it was bound to please a professor.
"That is an excellent question. I'll give Michael bonus points."
"Huh? Ah, thank you."
"Just as Michael asked, there are parts of history where records have vanished. Why? Because history is recorded by humans, not gods. History should always be objective, but ironically, it is written according to human subjectivity. Especially in cases where records have disappeared..."
Elena began to explain Michael's question with great sincerity. I stood beside her and listened quietly to her explanation.
However, despite that, there was one thing that bothered me the most: Cherry. Wondering if she was still watching, I shifted my gaze, and sure enough, she was staring right at me.
I had no idea what I had done to attract such attention. Was red hair really that fascinating?
She's not going to follow me later, is she?
If she did, how should I treat her? Unable to ignore her any longer, I met her gaze.
Cherry didn't look away at all, even when our eyes met. Feeling a bit awkward, I gave a small nod, and only then did she show a reaction.
Blink—
She blinked slowly. Her lips also moved subtly, her expression now seemingly tinged with curiosity.
I gave a wry smile and turned my head back toward Elena. For now, I intended to focus on the lecture.
I would consider what to do about Cherry later, but I wouldn't put it off forever. How could I ignore a fan who had sent me such passionate fan letters?
Because of my unease, I couldn't help but be concerned. I would watch her for the time being, but if I saw any ominous signs, I would step in immediately.
"That's all for today's lecture. Good work, everyone. Isaac."
"Good work, everyone. I look forward to working with you."
Time passed, and the lecture ended. Elena and I headed out of the classroom to the sound of the students' vigorous applause.
The hallway was already crowded with students, perhaps because other classes had ended as well. The situation felt strange, being so different from last year.
"It's certainly different from last year. Last year, the halls were empty when we came out."
"I suppose so."
"By the way, do you happen to know that pink-haired girl?"
I shook my head at Elena's question. I had expected such a question, so I wasn't even surprised.
"No. It's the first time I've seen her. I don't know why she's acting like that either."
"Hmm... Really? Her eyes were dead, and she looked anxious, as if she were suffering from depression... Do you know anything about the Roseberry family?"
"Don't you know, Professor Elena?"
"I'm an Elf. I might know history, but I don't have much interest in how human society works. Besides, you're a noble, so I thought you might know."
"I don't know much either. I've heard they're a family that focuses on philosophy, but other than that, I'm not sure."
It seemed she had also sensed that the atmosphere surrounding Cherry was unusual.
At my answer, Elena seemed lost in thought. She looked ahead in silence for a moment before shrugging her shoulders.
"Well, I'm sure she has her reasons for being interested in you. Or maybe your red hair and gold eyes are just fascinating to her. You felt all those eyes on your hair earlier, didn't you?"
"I think there were more eyes on you, Professor. You are an Elf, after all."
"Is that so? Anyway, how was the lecture? It was easy, right?"
"It seems manageable."
"Just keep doing what you're doing. The second-year classes are tomorrow, so just read some books in the laboratory today before you leave."
"Understood..."
Tug—!
"Ugh!"
Just as I was about to answer, something grabbed my hair firmly, forcing me to stop. Since I had been forced to grow my hair out because of Mora, it occasionally got caught on things.
I thought that might be the case now, but something felt different. It felt as if someone had grabbed my ponytail with their hand.
Since there were many people passing by in the hallway, someone might have been playing a prank. I frowned at the pain that felt like my scalp was being peeled off and turned around. If it was a prank, I intended to give them a stern scolding.
However, as soon as I turned around, I couldn't help but be startled.
"...Huh?"
"..."
The first thing I saw was that distinctive pink hair. Looking down, I saw pink eyes as lifeless as a dead fish, a face as pretty as a doll's, and finally, a full chest that even the winter school uniform couldn't hide.
It was her—Cherry Blossom Roseberry. She was looking up at me, holding my ponytail in one hand.
Her eyes, which looked like the bottom of the deep, dark sea, felt somewhat terrifying.
"What are you doing... Student Cherry?"
Elena, who had been puzzled by my sudden stop, widened her eyes as soon as she saw Cherry holding my hair. Meanwhile, Cherry didn't let go of my hair and continued to stare at me intently.
After a moment of bewilderment, I suppressed my confusion and called out to her in a gentle voice.
"...Is something the matter, Student Cherry?"
"...Red."
Cherry spoke, her eyes blinking slowly. Her voice held no vitality, sounding more like a doll speaking than a living person.
But 'red'? What did she mean by saying 'red'? Not only Elena but I also reacted with confusion.
Meanwhile, Cherry stared blankly at my face before shifting her gaze down toward my hair. After observing it closely, she blinked once and rummaged through her uniform pocket with her free hand.
Rummage, rummage...
"Red."
Muttering once more, she pulled out a small glass vial about the size of a finger. It was sealed with a cork, making it look very suitable for storage.
However, what was stored inside was more than enough to make my skin crawl. Because...
"Uh..."
Stored inside the glass vial was a single, thin strand of hair. And it was a vivid shade of red.
While my mind was reeling, unable to understand why that was in a glass vial, Cherry spoke in her characteristic gloomy voice.
"It came out of the letter."
"..."
"This is also red."
She then looked back and forth between my hair and the single strand stored in the glass vial, tilting her head.
"Author Xenon?"