Chapter 20
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Why Did You Pretend Not to Know Me?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Alright! Everyone! Hello! The first day of our [Fusion Major Research Club] has finally arrived!"
Chloe stepped forward in her role as club president and spoke in an energetic voice.
Clap clap clap.
The dozen or so people gathered in the club room gave a light round of applause. I casually scanned the room.
Sitting up front as if it was only natural were Rian Sisly, Sirius Hyer, and Kasis Sirun, with Asuka Sirun right beside them.
Toward the back, overshadowed by that dazzling lineup, were Anna Crea and a few of Chloe's other friends. Then at the very rear, me, Kuina Rosly, and Maria Sian.
And.
'...Why is this person here?'
Irene Sisly, the princess herself, sitting next to me as if it were her rightful place.
Chloe didn't seem to pick members based on status, but even so, with most of the highest-status freshmen gathered here, they'd assigned us the best club room available. It felt like blatant status favoritism, but whatever—this world ran on a class system from the start.
"I'm so thrilled that all of you are interested in major fusion! Let's dive in and research together!"
Chloe's eyes sparkled with excitement at having such a big turnout. Her pure, bright face had the three guys in the front row grinning like fools—it was painfully obvious.
'Well, well.'
Fine, might as well stick around and watch the show. Where else was I going to get this kind of original-story comedy gold firsthand?
"Since it's our first day, we haven't picked a specific research topic yet! If anyone has ideas for studies or club activities you'd like to try next time, please share freely!"
At those words, the three guys up front shot their hands up in unison. Chloe hesitated for a moment before pointing to Rian, who had raised his the fastest.
"Yes, Prince! Would you like to go first?"
The mix of joy and disappointment on the three guys' faces was quite the sight. Seriously, you'd think she'd just turned down date proposals. It was just a chance to speak, you idiots.
"You mentioned activities, so I have a question. Do club members ever go places together for related research? Like a club research trip or something..."
"Oh, that..."
They were all too transparent about wanting to hang out with Chloe. I shot a "what an idiot" look at the back of Rian's head.
'Oh, right.'
Come to think of it, why did Chloe—and Maria Sian last time—call him "Prince" instead of "Crown Prince"? Rian was—
'Ah.'
Right, he wasn't Crown Prince yet. That title came later in the original story.
The current emperor had five wives. Two were born to the empress, one former empress (now said to be dead) who bore Rian and Irene here, three from the current empress, and a few more from concubines.
'Yeah, that was a thing.'
The imperial family had some seriously messy drama. Not that any royal house was ever simple. Anyway, the usual palace intrigues had played out here too—and still were.
Word was, the emperor had loved the former empress. He thought highly of Rian Sisly compared to other royals his age. But when your status was lower, an outstanding child just became an assassination target. So he and his mother had faced threats since they were very young, and eventually, the former empress was killed in a joint plot by the empress and the woman who was now empress.
Believing it was because of her children—especially Rian—the emperor started ignoring him and Irene completely after that. To put it bluntly, he treated them like dogs. They were his kids, but he didn't even protect them properly.
Thanks to that, Rian—who'd been pegged as the next Crown Prince—still faced constant assassination attempts. Something was bound to happen at the academy soon enough.
How he'd survived this long? Honestly, I had no idea. The original didn't detail it.
Probably the work of loyal retainers around him. That kind of backstory was necessary for him to fall for the bubbly heroine, after all.
'...Even so, that wasn't the children's fault, was it?'
As my thoughts continued, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in Elric's mind like a memory. It was a bit youthful, with that distinctive tone and cold delivery—it seemed to belong to "Elric."
So what was this? Some past event of "Elric's"? And why was it surfacing now?
No clue. But it seemed like useful info, so I focused on the scene playing out in my head.
'Your Majesty, please get a grip. These people are not the ones who killed the woman you loved.'
I nearly choked on air. "Elric," you dense bastard—even to the emperor, you'd say something like that...?
'Then I'll take my leave.'
With that, Elric left the heavily silent emperor behind and walked out, holding someone's hand in his.
'...Young Lord, even so, saying that to His Majesty the Emperor...'
'It's fine. What does status matter when speaking the truth?'
Elric was surprised yet again, for a different reason.
The delicate child's hand he was holding belonged to none other than Princess Irene.
'What? So they really knew each other from before?'
Then why the act last time? My head grew even murkier, but I focused harder on the memory.
'But...'
'Princess.'
The young Elric, leading the young Irene somewhere, stopped and turned to look at her teary-eyed face.
'Become strong. Strong enough that one day, you can say to those threatening you now that we were the victors.'
'...'
'Don't cry so easily. If you do, they'll know you're hurting and press their attack even harder.'
'...'
'So become strong.'
Tears streamed from Irene's eyes at Elric's words.
And the memory ended there.
'Whoa...'
I pressed a hand to my forehead at the sudden scene. Irene glanced over, wondering what was up.
'So... right now...'
Elric and Irene had this kind of history in their childhood? And "Elric" was capable of speaking so gently?
'Talk about shocking on every level.'
The fact that it happened at all was wild, that "Elric" could pull it off was wilder, and above all...
'Irene went through that and still forgot about Elric?'
Well, she was a princess with a ton going on, so maybe. But still...
No, let's reframe it. What if she didn't forget—what if there was a reason?
'...What reason, though?'
I racked my brain, but nothing. I'd only been Elric for about two months. I'd pieced things together from his notebook, but eighteen years of real life were a total blank.
'Screw it. I'll just ask the princess.'
It might come off accusatory, but better than missing some detail and getting killed later for not being "Elric" enough. I glanced at Irene.
She was still staring at me.
"Princess, could we talk for a moment later?"
"P-Pardon? O-Of course."
Irene's heart pounded at Elric's sudden approach.
'Oh my, oh my oh my—this is a date invite, right?!'
And the second one! Right in the middle of the club meeting!
'What could he want to talk about? No way...?'
A con...fession?
'Eeeeeek!'
Irene's mood skyrocketed again. She kept a straight face, but a faint blush colored her cheeks.
'...What made her happy this time?'
Elric found her reaction a bit absurd. Bipolar or something? She'd been up and down like a rollercoaster since last time.
"...I'm still thinking about that. I'd love input from the other members too—please share freely!"
Up front, the Q&A with those three guys and Chloe was still going. Yeah, enjoy your little youth romance. Just keep me out of it.
"...And that's it! Let's wrap up early today, shall we? We'll start real research next time! I'll collect opinions beforehand, pick our first topic, and let everyone know. Great job, all!"
Clap clap clap.
As Chloe finished, everyone clapped, and the three guys immediately swarmed her. Whoa, that was intimidating.
"Lady Fabian, I have an idea I'd like to share..."
"Lady, for next time..."
"Lady..."
Overwhelmed by their momentum, Chloe panicked, and the others with ideas shrank back, just watching.
'Ugh.'
Blind-to-everything lovesick fools. Typical for smitten guys, though.
"Princess, let's step out for a bit. This place is gonna be chaos for a while."
"Yes!"
"Then we'll be going, Professor, Senior."
"Ah... O-Okay, take care..."
"See ya! Elric, and Princess!"
I gave a quick bow to the slouched Kuina (default mode or whatever) and ever-energetic Maria, then led the inexplicably hyped-up Irene outside. Felt wrong to talk indoors with people around, so we headed out, walked a bit, and found a quiet park.
'Oh, um, this place...'
Irene looked around, cheeks flushing. No people, nice atmosphere—perfect for a private chat. Coming here meant...
'Definitely a confession?!'
Yes! Elric felt the same way! Great, if he confesses, accept right away! Something about playing hard to get, but who cares!
Elric led Irene to a bench on one side of the park. Her heart raced as things matched her fantasies more and more.
'Ahh, what do I do?!'
How to react? Act shocked like she hadn't expected it? Or shyly smile like she'd felt the same? Or...
"Princess."
As Irene's pink daydreams swirled, Elric called to her. She looked up at him with sparkling eyes.
"Yes!"
But the first words out of his mouth to the eagerly awaiting Irene were.
"When we ran into each other at the academy before, why did you pretend not to know me?"
Words that didn't just shatter her expectations—they sent her mood plummeting into the abyss.