Shattered Pride
After the duel from the previous incident, Emilia’s standing within the academy continued to waver endlessly.
Noble bloodline. Overwhelming genius. The one destined to lead an era. All the praise Emilia had received until now felt meaningless as her once-lofty reputation crumbled at terrifying speed. The contents of the duel had delivered a shock too great for the students to ignore.
She had been the girl everyone looked up to. From her stunning appearance to her domineering aura and the skill that proved her arrogance—she possessed a charm no one could resist. She had been a flower blooming atop a sheer cliff.
But then—
Because her reputation had once been so high, the sight of her miserable defeat etched itself even more vividly into the children’s minds. In front of the entire student body, she had been crushed by sheer force, broken down in tears, and ultimately lost control of her bladder. It was a fall so wretched it defied description.
Of course, no one dared speak such things aloud. The name Vanity still inspired fear, so a general atmosphere of silence and secrecy lingered among the students. They were especially cautious in front of the person in question.
Even when the planned expulsion was suddenly put on hold and Emilia began appearing everywhere alongside Young Master Snakers, although deep suspicion swirled around them, no one showed it on their faces. Their lives were far more precious than the fleeting pleasure of gossip. The children kept their mouths shut to survive.
I ruined everything.
Yet no amount of caution could erase what had already happened. No matter how careful they were, an unmistakable sense of alienation lingered in the air, and Emilia was not dull enough to miss it. Though she acted as if nothing had changed, the girl’s heart was rotting from within.
I’m sorry, Ruska.
I just wanted to do better… I almost dragged you into danger too.
I’ll handle this matter myself.
The young lady cried where no one could see. As if the proud, arrogant, and captivating mask she usually wore had been nothing but a lie all along. Emilia stood on the edge of a precipice.
“……Tsk.”
The boy found the situation deeply displeasing. Leaning against the windowsill, he clicked his tongue softly. His characteristic blue eyes held a faint, subdued glow. His deep azure hair resembled the color of the sea. His appearance instantly brought a certain person to mind.
The boy’s name was Ruska Vanity. He was Emilia’s twin younger brother and, like her, an elite who had entered Class A. He stared at his sister with sunken eyes.
“…….”
The girl sat limply at her desk. Though exhaustion was visible on her face, she stubbornly maintained a venomous aura, as if determined to appear strong. It was a pitiful sight.
“How annoying.”
Ruska muttered under his breath. A faint wrinkle creased his brow, as though he were suppressing his rage. A chilly air filled the space around him.
Please, Ruska.
I’ll take care of this myself… so don’t get involved.
At first, he had intended to simply watch in silence. He had thought it was her own fault. After all, she had been the one who kept provoking the sleeping monster.
But—
“Idiot.”
Even so, he couldn’t feel at ease. Because he knew exactly why Emilia had been so obsessed with taking first place. As her younger brother who shared the same wounds, he ultimately had no choice but to take her side. She was the only family he had left in this world.
That was why Ruska hated the current situation. The students who kept sneaking glances at them, the way Emilia was being helplessly tossed about, and……
“Y-Young Master… d-don’t we have one person short in our group?”
“It’s perfectly fine, Miss Legia.”
The wayward Young Master Snakers. Ruska quietly glared at the snake. Those narrowed, squinting eyes looked especially sinister. So he had come again today. A hazy voice drifted over. He saw his sister’s shoulders flinch. The tremor looked painfully fragile.
Ruska unconsciously took a step forward, then stopped himself.
“Lady Vanity.”
“Step aside, Yuda Snakers.”
“Hmm?”
“I will no longer tolerate you doing whatever you please.”
The snake stared at the boy with clear interest. A vicious aura pricked at his skin. Just standing in front of him sent a spine-chilling sensation crawling down his back. It felt like his legs might give out at any moment. Yet he refused to show it.
“I will protect Emilia.”
Because he believed he had to.
“This is rather troublesome.”
The snake, who had been standing still, murmured. Despite his words, the corners of his mouth were curved in a smile. That smile soon drew a chilling arc, carrying a faint, eerie grin. As if he found it amusing.
***
“I will protect Emilia.”
As the blue-haired boy stepped forward to block my path, I gazed at him with intrigued eyes.
“Oh my… if it isn’t Young Master Vanity.”
Of course I knew who he was. Ruska Vanity. Emilia’s twin younger brother and an extra who would later serve as a mid-story antagonist. He was the kind of guy who would seriously obstruct the protagonist’s path.
Strange.
Why is he showing up already? He’s supposed to appear only after several episodes have passed. What made him step forward on his own?
I quietly turned the gears in my head.
Don’t tell me…
Does he think I’ve been tormenting Emilia? It seemed there was a slight misunderstanding. Our relationship was built on a perfectly legitimate transaction.
In exchange for me protecting Emilia’s weakness, she would answer my call whenever I needed her. It was something we had both agreed upon.
I understand that he’s worried, but…
Still, I had things I needed to do. The midterm exams were scheduled in just two days. With an important episode right around the corner, I needed every available person I could get. And Emilia was the one who had promised me that role.
“I have some personal business with Lady Vanity… would you mind stepping aside?”
I smiled as kindly as possible. It was meant to show that I was harmless, but judging by his reaction, it seemed to have the opposite effect. Ruska’s pupils shook noticeably. The boy swallowed once before asking.
“……And if I refuse?”
“Well.”
Wouldn’t that be quite unfortunate?
I added the last part casually. By now, Ruska’s hand had moved to the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at any moment. I murmured as if this were all very inconvenient.
“Goodness… I really don’t understand why you’re acting like this.”
Lie
My relaxed voice rang out. It had been a fairly serious line, but the trait mixed in and turned it into something full of playful teasing. Ruska glared at me warily and muttered.
“Back off. I’m drawing for real.”
“You may draw whenever you like. However, everything that happens afterward… you will have to take full responsibility, Young Master.”
Lie
If you get caught fighting by the professors, that’s on you. I don’t know anything about it.
“You’re full of confidence.”
“Since you’ll be knocked out with a single casual gesture anyway, wouldn’t it be better if you showed a little restraint?”
Lie
If the professor snaps their fingers once, you’ll be buried in penalty points. Wouldn’t it be wiser to behave more sensibly?
“So… you’re saying someone like me isn’t even worth a single punch?”
“You’re stating the obvious.”
Lie
Of course you’re nothing but a single punch to the professors.
“Hah.”
The boy suddenly let out a short laugh. I didn’t know exactly which part had rubbed him the wrong way, but his brow was deeply furrowed.
“Hmm.”
It had been sincere advice on my part. Penalty points at Galimar carried heavier consequences than one might think, so it was better to be cautious. I had done my best to gently admonish the blue-haired golden child.
“See? You’re a good kid, right?”
Lie
You’re such a diligent honor student. Let’s calm down and talk this out.
“I’m starting to wonder just how far you intend to look down on me.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Lie
I genuinely don’t know.
“You’ve been repeating ‘I don’t know’ this entire time. Am I allowed to take that as a form of provocation?”
“It’s just that my head isn’t very good, you see.”
Lie
Durrr… durrr hurr durr durr hurr!
“What a pathetic excuse. The top scorer in written exams claiming to have a bad head.”
Was that not it? Maybe I had teased him a few extra times because his reactions were so entertaining. As a dopamine addict whose very bones were filled with chaos-loving cells, it was a temptation too difficult to resist.
In the end, the atmosphere escalated until it was on the verge of exploding.
“As I thought, I cannot leave things like this.”
“Dear me… so you really intend to draw your sword. I suppose I should offer my condolences in advance.”
The situation had reached a critical point. What broke the precarious standoff between us was a voice coming from behind.
A head of blue hair wedged itself between the two of us.
“Both of you, stop it!”
The villainess belatedly tried to intervene. Her voice rang out pitifully. The icy atmosphere slowly unraveled in response to that frail plea. Ruska dropped the hand he had placed on his sword hilt.
“Emilia…?”
Step. Step. Step.
Emilia strode straight toward her brother. And then—
Slap—!
Before he could even react, she struck him across the cheek. Pain flared hot across one side of his face. Ruska lifted his head in a daze. Before him stood his sister, her expression frozen cold.
“……Why?”
The boy muttered blankly. It sounded like a soliloquy purely searching for a reason. The villainess pushed her brother away.
“Ruska.”
“Emilia.”
“I told you. This isn’t something you should get involved in.”
“But…!”
“Stay out of it.”
Because I can handle it myself.
The girl added curtly. Perhaps because her attempt to help had been met with such harsh rejection, Ruska froze, at a loss for words.
Regardless, Emilia immediately turned her back on him and walked toward me. The villainess naturally took her place beside the snake.
“I already made a deal with the Young Master.”
“What did you say?”
“I promised to give him my first time. My body is no longer mine. It belongs entirely to him now.”
“What kind of stupid thing did you—?!”
“It was for all of us.”
Snap—!
I lightly flicked my fingers. So that the current conversation wouldn’t reach the ears of the other students. Since the deal I had made with Emilia involved her weakness, it seemed wiser to keep it hidden.
The conversation continued calmly.
“So stop getting involved. And stop antagonizing the Young Master.”
“Wait, at least explain properly—!”
Though he demanded an explanation, Emilia simply turned away. There was no life left in her blue eyes. Only a heavy, pitch-black sense of guilt burned within them. The girl took a step.
“Let’s go outside.”
“As the lady wishes.”
I obediently followed her. As we walked away at a steady pace, I could feel a gaze boring into the back of my head. Until we had completely left the classroom, the boy remained frozen in place.
***
“You didn’t have to be so cruel and push him away like that.”
Once we had moved a suitable distance away, I tossed the comment out casually. At my questioning tone, Emilia flinched, then murmured in a weak voice.
“I didn’t want to go against your wishes.”
“Hmm?”
“You called it a deal, but… in the end, you’re the one holding all the power in this relationship.”
“You were worried I might arbitrarily break the deal.”
“……Yes.”
She must have been afraid of the weakness I held over her. After a brief silence, the girl hurriedly added as if something had just occurred to her.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you.”
“I understand.”
“It’s just… it’s become a habit since I was young. I grew up in an environment where I couldn’t trust anyone.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not offended in the slightest.”
I offered a gentle smile to reassure her. Knowing the circumstances of the Vanity family, I couldn’t help but feel pity for both of them. The twin villains who appeared in the original story. I hadn’t yet decided what to do with them, but it seemed I had at least come to feel a minimum of sympathy.
“Hehe.”
I quietly reached out. The villainess stood there gloomily. I stroked her blue hair. Carefully. Gently.
“As long as you don’t betray me first, I won’t betray you either.”
“……I’ll believe you.”
Warmth seeped into my palm. The heat that flowed through me perhaps resembled the childhood she had never properly experienced. I spoke in a relaxed tone.
“It seems you didn’t explain the deal to your brother.”
“There’s no point in him knowing.”
“A younger brother who doesn’t know about his sister’s sacrifice… that must be quite frustrating for him.”
“It’s better that he doesn’t know. I don’t want to burden him with it. This problem was caused by me in the first place.”
“Admirable.”
Emilia was full of contradictions. On the surface, she was domineering and arrogant, suffocating everyone around her. Yet in places where no one could see, she revealed a surprisingly delicate side. Which one was her true self?
Inferior arrogance and shabby lust. Which of the two formed the foundation of the girl? It was still too early to tell. For now, I would simply leave the choice to tomorrow.
“Shall we set aside the other issues for now?”
“Yes… the midterms begin in two days. You came today because of the group formation, didn’t you?”
“As sharp as ever.”
I nodded. When I gave her a thumbs-up in praise, Emilia spoke in a meaningful voice. She had already put her mask back on.
“At the very least, you won’t be able to beat me in the written exam this time. I studied really hard.”
“Oh dear… I haven’t prepared at all. This is quite the crisis.”
“You’d better prepare yourself to drop to second place.”
“So full of confidence?”
“Because I worked for it.”
Perhaps the topic had energized her. The girl, who had looked so down earlier, came back to life the moment the exam was mentioned. Her competitive spirit truly was something else.
“Sorry to disappoint… but I’ll be taking first place again.”
That innate arrogance of hers was impossible to hide. Following her natural vanity, the villainess twisted her lips into a smirk. I quietly accepted her provocation.
***
The villainess who had boldly dreamed of taking first place in the written exam had no idea what kind of future awaited her.
“My lady.”
“Yes.”
“My lady.”
“……Speak.”
I kept poking the gloomy girl. With a bright, cheerful smile on my face, I glanced around.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you alright?”
“I said I’m fine… you don’t have to say it twice.”
“My apologies.”
“Good.”
“My apologies.”
“I told you to stop…?”
A faint wrinkle appeared on Emilia’s brow. After a light tap-dance of teasing, I delivered the final highlight—twerking.
“Second place in the written exam is still impressive.”
“I’m serious. Stop it.”
“Second place in the written exam is still impressive.”
“I said stop it!!!!”
Yes, she couldn’t have known. That I would win by such an overwhelming margin. For a while, I continued my cheerful tea-bagging with great enjoyment.