The First Rejection
Annoying.
This was the first time she'd been "pushed" by a guy.
That fact hit Beatrice hard.
It wasn't even pushed aside by another girl, but by a problem book.
The shock went straight to her heart.
It felt like something heavy pressing down on a corner of her chest.
This... was humiliation.
'It's been a while.'
It was a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time.
She couldn't even remember the last time someone had pushed her aside.
...Well, this time it wasn't a person, but a problem book.
Beatrice muttered to herself, turning over that feeling for a while.
"...Strange."
She recalled the target's appearance from just a moment ago.
The way he had rejected her seduction.
Beatrice, who had deceived and seduced countless people, could tell.
There wasn't a trace of desire in his eyes.
Like a monk who had attained enlightenment?
No.
It was different.
There wasn't even a hint of restraint in his expression.
In other words, her seduction hadn't worked at all.
On a guy who couldn't refuse a pretty girl.
It was an absurd situation by any standard.
His personality had changed, literally.
It wasn't like he was changing.
He was already completely changed.
...
Was that even possible?
Could a person really... change?
Beatrice's beautiful face twisted.
No, that couldn't be.
People don't change.
They only pretend to.
No matter how much their appearance changes, the essence of a human doesn't.
She knew that better than anyone.
She had felt it to the bone.
Thirteen years ago.
"...Ugh."
As the past flashed by, Beatrice let out a small groan.
Just recalling that man's face was disgusting.
"...What rotten luck."
Breathing lightly, Beatrice let out a small laugh.
Yeah, that guy had been like that too.
He always pretended to change and always betrayed her.
In the past, she had foolishly believed him over and over.
But the innocent girl from back then had long since died.
The target was probably the same.
Pretending to change.
Perfect acting to the point where even she would be fooled in a blink.
"I need to get serious."
The corner of her mouth curled up into a strange, lopsided smile.
It had been a while since she'd let personal feelings get involved in a simple task.
"I'll peel that mask off you."
She would rip off all the pretense.
Strip it all away and turn him into a body that couldn't survive without her.
And prove it.
That people never change.
***
I've been up all night.
I couldn't sleep.
How could I sleep with a pile of brand new problem books piled up right next to me?
The moment I got home, I played with Hayang-i for a bit, then dove into the problem books without even resting.
It was... an exhilarating time.
'There are no end to the problems.'
The textbooks had few problems, so I just repeated the same ones in different ways.
But with problem books, every time I flipped, new problems poured out, so where else could there be such happiness?
When I snapped out of it, the sun was already rising.
That's how I ended up arriving at school in a daze and sitting in my seat blankly.
Ugh, I'm so sleepy.
Since I'm sleepy, I have to solve problems.
As I stretched and reached for the English problem book in my bag...
-Drrrk.
The back door opened and Alice entered the classroom.
She didn't look injured, so she probably hadn't tripped while running.
"Good morning."
She waved her hand lightly as usual.
"......"
Alice's face flushed red instantly as our eyes met.
Then, without saying a word, she turned and rushed back to her seat.
Ignored.
'...Did asking if I was a friend make her feel bad?'
She was avoiding me so obviously, it stung a little.
"Everyone, hang in there until Friday. Since tomorrow is the weekend, try to hold on until today. Attendance will be called."
The morning assembly began.
And about two minutes later...
-Uwoong.
A message from Alice came.
I wanted to talk about what happened yesterday...
I didn't rush her and waited silently for the next message.
And what followed was... well, it was like a long-winded speech making Moebius strip sentences.
Then the last sentence was read.
"......?"
Without lying, my brain froze.
Stopping my thoughts wasn't easy, but this girl was amazing.
'Am I still bad at Japanese?'
The characters were clear, but the meaning wasn't sinking in.
I blinked a few times and read it again.
It was the same as the first time.
The context of me confessing and Alice rejecting.
'I never confessed.'
It was the moment I started suspecting Alice might have some delusions.
Suddenly, yesterday's events flashed through my mind.
...No way.
'Did she mistake that question for a confession?'
If that was true, everything Alice had shown yesterday and today made sense.
This was the famous 0-goback 1-chah.
I never thought I'd experience this.
A dry laugh escaped me.
▷I mean, don't misunderstand! It's not because I hate Ryuzaki-kun...
▷We haven't known each other long enough to meet seriously...
Messages kept coming in one after another.
I glanced at Alice.
"......"
Alice kept glancing between her phone and me, unable to sit still.
She was probably worried that a delayed reply had hurt me.
She really was kind.
Her expression was too cute, and I couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
◁Alice
▷Yes!
◁It seems like you're misunderstanding something a bit
▷...Misunderstanding?
Since there was no need to drag it out, I immediately clarified.
◁The words I said when we parted yesterday
◁That wasn't a confession, I was just asking if we were really friends
◁I haven't properly dated a friend before, so I wasn't sure if I could call Alice a friend
◁Sorry. I made my words confusing
◁I'm happy you thought of me as a friend. Please take care of me from now on too
That should be enough.
I waited for the reply while shaking off my drowsiness.
But no reply came even after time passed.
I tilted my head, wondering if the message hadn't sent.
-Kung!
With a sound of something dropping, the entire class's attention turned to one spot.
"Ah, ugh."
There was Alice, her face bright red like a tomato and trembling all over.
Her phone was rolling on the floor.
"Alice, are you okay?"
"Hiragi is hurt!!! Call an ambulance!!!"
"Bring the nurse!!!"
As expected, the school idol.
Just her face turning a little red and the whole class was in chaos.
There was no need to guess why her face was red.
She had taken my words as a confession on a whim, so of course she was embarrassed.
"Phone's over, take it and go."
"......Nue."
"...Do you need to go to the infirmary?"
"......"
Alice pressed her forehead to the desk instead of answering.
Half the class was again in a fluster at that sight.
I quietly put my phone in my pocket.
'...So she was already a friend.'
I looked at the problem book on the desk.
The first problem book a friend had given me.
Thinking that way made it feel even more precious.
***
1st period, math.
'...I want to die.'
Instead of solving the problem on the board, Alice was pondering the reason for living.
The board's content wasn't sinking into my head at all.
Of course it wasn't.
Because I had written a lifetime of black history in the morning assembly that made me want to die.
It was my own doing.
'...Damn it!'
Ryuzaki had only asked if we were friends.
He hadn't been asking if we were flirting.
Ryuzaki was far more innocent than Alice had thought.
I had overlooked that fact.
Showing such vulgarity in front of a new opposite-sex friend.
With... Ryuzaki-kun.
Hah.
I wanted to crawl into a mouse hole right now.
-Ding-dong~
"That's it for today. Don't forget to review."
In the end, I didn't concentrate on the class even once.
My face still felt hot.
As I sighed and swept my face, a friend approached cautiously.
"...Alice, are you okay?"
"Rio. When do you think a person dies?"
"W-well?"
"Right now."
"D-don't die, Alice! You have to die while dating!"
"Gyaah..."
At that moment, Alice was writhing in embarrassment.
-Drrrk!
The back door opened and someone entered the classroom casually.
It wasn't a student from the same class.
That must be...
'...The student council president?'
A girl with black and white hair blended together.
The moment she entered the classroom, the noisy class fell silent as if lying.
I didn't remember the name well.
But the first thought that came to mind when I saw her was one.
'She's really pretty.'
Such a quiet and atmospheric beauty was rare.
She herself knew her own beauty, but she was so beautiful it made others envious.
More importantly, why was the student council president in our class...?
'Ryuzaki-kun?'
In the quiet classroom, the student council president's destination was none other than Ryuzaki's seat.
What?
Did Ryuzaki-kun make some mistake and get close to her?
No.
That kind of person wasn't like him.
Alice swallowed hard.
She had been ready to defend him if needed.
But the situation went in a completely different direction from what she had expected.
"Junior, excuse me."
"Yes, excuse me. What's the matter? Coming all the way to the classroom."
They were talking.
And very intimately.
"I had to process some urgent documents. I judged it would be difficult to handle it alone."
In short, you want me to help?
"...In conclusion, yes."
Ryuzaki-kun and the incredibly pretty student council president...
"How long will it take?"
"As soon as possible would be best, but it would be nice if it's done by after school today at the latest."
"I understand. In exchange, please buy me a drink from the vending machine during lunch."
"If that's enough for you."
A peaceful conversation without any conflict.
The thing Beatrice had worried about didn't happen at all.
But...
"......"
"Ah, Alice? Your eyes are scary."
...Why does it bother me so much?