Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: A Youth Who Just Wants to Live (2)
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Layla Cecil Winthrop felt like a beggar.
"What in the world have you done this time, you wastrel!"
She had only been back at her family home for three days, and in that time, her fiancé had caused another incident.
If bad rumors spread about him, Layla's reputation would suffer right along with it. And the prestige of her family as well.
Fiancés were inevitably tied together, whether she liked it or not.
This time, the circumstances were utterly absurd.
"You... insulted the Hero Candidate?"
"Yes, Miss Winthrop."
It would be one thing if he'd mocked some backwater bumpkin, but the Hero Candidate, of all people?
And he'd boldly accepted a duel, only to get utterly demolished.
"Argh...!"
Her face flushed beet red, and Layla shot up from her seat.
Thud, thud. She stormed across the campus grounds, stamping her feet in frustration.
Passing students glanced at her curiously, but that was the least of her concerns right now.
"Just three days. I was gone for a mere three days..."
Just three days.
He couldn't hold it together for a few days without her and had stirred up trouble again.
For Layla, who had been cleaning up after Leonard for years, it was enough to make her sick to her stomach.
"He's... not here?"
"Leonard Percival Blackmere has been evicted from Golden Dormitory."
But when she got to the dorm, she couldn't even catch a glimpse of that slippery troublemaker.
It was no wonder Layla was flipping out.
'Just how far is he going to go...!'
Suddenly, it crossed her mind that Leonard might be testing her patience on purpose.
Did that man have a brain at all?
No matter how prestigious and renowned the Blackmere name was, one bad rumor could tarnish it in an instant.
Moreover, the academy was a crucial place for building connections that would aid future careers in society.
She simply couldn't tolerate such a disgrace in a place like that.
'And as a freshman, no less!'
She and Leonard, along with the other first-years, were all brand-new fledglings.
They should have been on their best behavior in front of upperclassmen and faculty, but Leonard had caused multiple incidents in the two weeks since the entrance ceremony.
And every time, Layla's name was dragged into it.
All because she was the fiancée of that precious little disaster.
"Argh...!"
Layla hurried out of the dorm.
Today, her anger had reached its peak. She was filled with the urge to give him a proper scolding.
"...Huh?"
But as she drew closer to the dorm he'd supposedly moved into...
"Why is it in such a remote spot?"
The lid on her boiling rage began to cool bit by bit.
Neglected flower beds and drooping wisteria vines gave the place an eerie vibe, like a ghost might pop out any second.
"Why! Are there! So many stairs...!"
And to top it all off, the infamous 300 steps that left her gasping for breath.
Prideful as she was, Layla climbed them out of sheer stubbornness, but by halfway, she was already exhausted.
"Huff... huff...!"
The dorm she finally reached after all that struggle was a sight to behold.
Ivy-covered walls, graffiti on the fences, and a dark, filthy interior.
And as far as Layla knew, her fiancé Leonard was an arrogant, luxury-loving type.
If he was dumped into a place like this, there were only two paths ahead for him.
Tear the dorm apart, or sharpen his blade with murderous intent toward the dean.
Either way, it was insane, but she hoped for the former.
Because touching the dean would make things truly irreversible.
That was the plan, at least.
"Leonard Percival Blackmere! I heard all about it! What the hell have you...!"
Click.
The moment she came face-to-face with Leonard, Layla lost her words.
Sunken eyes and hollow cheeks, disheveled hair, a grubby appearance here and there.
The faint smell wafting from him wasn't his usual overpowering cologne either.
It was something more primal—the scent she'd caught passing the Swordsmanship Department.
A mysterious mix of sweat and body odor that left Layla momentarily dazed without realizing it.
Sweat from Leonard, who used to recoil at anything dirty?
Did that even make sense?
"Layla."
Before she could gather her thoughts, Leonard spoke first.
His voice was slightly raspy. Layla swallowed dryly.
This side of Leonard was the complete opposite of usual. It even stirred a twinge of pity in her.
'Th-this is too much...'
Was he distraught from being kicked out of Golden Dormitory?
Or had his spirit been broken after losing to the Hero Candidate?
'What on earth happened in those three days?'
Layla was deeply shaken by this weak, unfamiliar side of Leonard.
She'd been so furious on the way here, but now that anger had vanished entirely.
"Uh, Leonard. You..."
"Hm?"
"...Are you okay?"
And so, without thinking, that's what she asked.
Leonard looked at her with utter indifference.
No—upon closer inspection, it even seemed a bit irritable. And exhausted.
As if she were some bothersome presence standing before him.
At that unbelievable attitude, Layla's freshly teary eyes trembled.
No matter how much of a wastrel he was, he'd never looked at her like that before.
That apathetic, deflated gaze felt so utterly foreign.
"I'm fine."
After a brief silence, Leonard replied flatly.
That confirmed it for Layla.
'He's not fine at all.'
The Leonard before her wasn't normal. Something was clearly broken.
Layla's lips quivered.
She needed to say something, but nothing suitable came to mind.
"I-I'll come back later."
In the end, she chose to flee.
She turned on her heel and hurried away.
Only after rushing out of the dorm did she finally exhale the breath she'd been holding.
"What in the...?"
The image of Leonard—so starkly different from usual—refused to leave her mind.
He looked like he'd given up on everything. Those eyes, sad and full of untold stories.
What on earth had happened during those three days she was away?
'I couldn't even bring up breaking off the engagement.'
For some reason, her chest ached. Layla murmured his name.
Leonard. Leonard Percival Blackmere.
They were practically enemies now, but once upon a time, he was the one she'd wanted to share the hottest, freshest emotions with more than anyone.
Her childhood friend, first love, and what she'd thought was an unchanging fiancé.
"What was that look in his eyes just now...?"
Maybe she'd given up on him too easily.
As she descended the stairs, her mind was filled with nothing but that gaze from moments ago.
The more she recalled it, the tighter her chest squeezed with pain.
"..."
It was most unwelcome.
"...What was that?"
Layla had vanished as suddenly as she'd appeared.
Stumbling away urgently, like someone desperate for the bathroom.
I wondered if something was wrong, but soon quietly shut the door.
'I've got my own problems.'
Who was worrying about whom? I was the one barely scraping by this year.
On top of climbing that uphill trek, I'd even experienced an unwanted moving service.
I was so drained that if I lay down now, I'd probably pass out cold.
"Ugh. Ew, gross."
And for some reason, my sweat stench was overpowering.
My body, caked in dust from unpacking, was sticky with sweat and utterly filthy.
Layla was a noble lady by birth, so she must have freaked out over that.
'Screwed up.'
First impressions were everything.
Especially for a guy currently getting trashed left and right.
I quickly finished bathing and stepped out.
The moment I flopped onto the bed, sleep came crashing down.
"Ahh..."
This time, I didn't resist the drowsiness.
When morning broke, the area around the dorm buzzed with students heading to class.
"You guys have it rough."
Not my problem. I'd been slapped with a week's suspension.
I flung open the window and stood in front of it.
Watching the students bustling across the distant campus grounds, I felt like I was looking down on mere insects.
"Pathetic lot."
No matter how hard they tried, they were nothing before the Blackmere name—
"No, what the hell."
Slap!
Startled, I smacked my own cheek hard.
This guy kept trying to assert himself at the worst times. It was getting out of hand.
Good thing I still had him on a leash.
Even that wasn't rock-solid. One slip, and he'd probably seize control.
Time to lay down the law.
"You bastard, this is all because of you—I'm suspended and missing classes."
I might look like a lunatic muttering to myself, but hitting the nail on the head like this seemed to help somewhat.
Something I'd figured out just a day after possessing him.
"What do you have to be so cocky about? Cut it out."
As if to prove it, Leonard's ego subsided quickly under my blunt strike.
Thanks to that, I could think clearly again.
Let me recap my situation.
'I've got to save my own skin first.'
I was basically on death row right now.
Forget finding a way home—Leon's memories were fragmented, so I had no clue about the karma he'd racked up.
And the protagonist was a regressor, to boot.
As the original title suggested, Academy Hero's Infinite Regression Method, I had no idea which loop this was.
The most optimistic guess was the original timeline, the third regression... but I was scared.
Ever since possessing Leonard, nothing had gone my way. That was proof enough.
"This is insane."
Lost in thought like that, I heard a rustling from somewhere.
It came from the front yard of the dorm.
The dorm's front yard, enclosed by a fence, was surprisingly tidy. I soon figured out why.
'A person?'
What caught my eye first was the thick, dark brown hair that reeked of an old-lady vibe.
Slightly curly and fluffy, it cascaded down to her mid-back. Beneath it peeked the academy uniform.
I quietly observed the girl crouched in the yard.
No way she'd climbed those demonic 300 steps at this hour, so she must be another resident of Wisteria Dormitory, like me.
Makes sense, really.
From the academy's perspective, they'd demolish an empty dorm like this eyesore. No reason to leave it be without residents.
Probably a low-income student or special admission case.
In other words, an original tenant.
That didn't mean I was about to wave hello. I knew full well Leonard's reputation at the academy.
"Hmph, hm-hmm..."
Ignoring me, the nameless girl crouched there, engrossed in something, started humming a tune.
Followed by a languid voice.
"Tubby. Sleep well? You're even cuter today than yesterday."
I subtly shifted my gaze forward.
There was no one in front of the crouched girl.
I turned back to her.
"Skinny needs to eat a bit more."
Her head turned to the side.
No one there either.
What the hell?
"..."
I quietly backed away from the window.
Careful not to be noticed, I closed it and drew the curtains.
Flopping onto the bed, a wave of fatigue hit me, as if my mind and body were grinding to dust since morning.
My one neighbor seemed to have some spiritual talent, apparently.
"Maybe I should just drop out..."
My vision went dark.