Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: A Youth Who Just Wants to Live Normally (4)
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One thing I'd realized while staying at Wisteria Dormitory.
It wasn't as bad a place to live as I'd thought.
The water came out strong and clean from the taps, and while the heating cut out occasionally, it wasn't terrible. The hot water didn't always come out properly, which was annoying...
But anyway.
The other thing was that my neighbor was far stranger than I'd imagined.
Today, after finishing my campus cleanup duties with Vincent, it was already around late lunchtime.
"......"
"......"
The mystery girl from before was squatting in the front yard of the dormitory, staring up at me.
I'd ignore her and go inside if I could.
"......Why are you staring at me like that?"
"......"
But when she stands right in front of my window and stares, there's no escaping it.
She met my eyes silently for a moment before quietly extending her hand for a shake.
"I know you."
"Hm?"
"Swordsmanship Department first-year, Leonard Percival Blackmere."
"Uh......"
My fingers gripping the window frame grew cold.
If she knew me because of my infamous reputation, that'd be one thing. But if she was someone I'd wronged in the past and built up karma with?
'Unfriendly neighbor.'
The academy was already full of people who hated me, making it uncomfortable enough. Having to watch my back even in the one place I could relax was suffocating.
I was at a loss for words. Staring into her eyes as she gazed at me, I couldn't say anything.
After a long moment of just exchanging glances, she awkwardly wiggled her hand and pouted.
"No handshake?"
"Ah, uh... sure."
At least the vibe suggested we weren't on bad terms?
I slowly wrapped my hand around her small one and shook it up and down.
Her face, which had been blankly staring at me, rippled with a faint reaction.
"......Unexpected."
"Unexpected how?"
"You called me a hick girl who stank of greasy oil in the classroom."
"Ah."
That must be where the faint fried scent wafting over had come from.
It was coming from her, apparently.
This was bad. So we weren't friends—just someone who knew my face because of my one-sided karma.
But she didn't seem upset at all as she looked at me, releasing my hand and continuing.
"I'm Swordsmanship Department first-year, Charlotte Taylor."
"......Taylor."
"Just Charlotte is fine."
"You sure that's okay?"
"Why wouldn't it be? We'll be seeing each other's faces anyway, like it or not."
She added that her room was 101.
Thinking about it, yeah, we saw each other a lot. I hadn't realized it was right next door, though.
"No other students here?"
"Nope. Just me."
"I see."
"That's why they almost kicked me out... but you saved me, Leonard."
Apparently, since Charlotte was the only one staying in Wisteria Dormitory, the academy had been planning to shut it down.
Then I got exiled here from Golden Dormitory, so they'd maintain the status quo for now—that was her explanation.
No wonder she seemed so nonchalant despite me trash-talking her. Getting kicked out of here must've been a bigger deal than I'd thought.
"Sorry about before. I don't smell like oil."
"You don't?"
"......Well, there's a bit of a nutty aroma."
"Fried crispy......"
"......?"
Crispy what?
Charlotte mumbled something incomprehensible, then nodded as if she'd made up her mind and looked up at me.
Her dark blue eyes peeked through her thick, wavy brown hair.
"I've decided. I'll take you there someday."
"Where?"
"Fried crispy......"
"No."
What the hell even is that?
Whether she had no intention of answering or wanted me to figure it out myself, I couldn't tell.
Charlotte slipped away, leaving behind more enigmatic words that sounded like exclamations.
"Fried crispy?"
My neighbor really was impossible to pin down.
Suspension day five.
Starting from day three, four hours a day—that was twelve hours of campus cleanup accumulated.
"Today's spot is the walkway in the back garden behind the main building. And I heard somewhere that these flowerbeds under the street trees usually have the most trash."
"Oh."
Vincent was surprisingly well-informed for someone without friends.
Unlike his initial timid impression, he spoke smoothly once he got going.
The first time we met, he seemed so bland I thought he might not even hold a conversation.
"But Leonard, you're not as rotten as the rumors say."
"You say that to my face?"
"S-Sorry. I'm a bit too blunt..."
He was blunt, alright—artistically so, right in front of me.
To think this was the only guy I could talk to casually.
My life was pathetic.
"Charlotte Taylor from Swordsmanship?"
"Yeah."
Since he was asking, I threw in a question about Charlotte too.
Charlotte Taylor. A character not in the original story.
Academy stories were mostly one-trick ponies: protagonist buffs, growth, and munchkin powers. So there were way more unnamed characters than named ones.
Academy Hero's Infinite Regression Method was no different.
'Who the hell is Charlotte?'
The name rang no bells, but her behavior suggested she was no ordinary girl.
"Charlotte Taylor, Swordsmanship first-year..."
"You know her?"
"Not personally, but... I know most of the top scorers. She's upper ranks in Swordsmanship."
"What."
She really was no ordinary girl.
"But isn't Charlotte a commoner?"
"S-See? Blackmere's wastrel. Holding those noble-centric views where commoners shouldn't outscore nobles..."
"Vincent. If you want to fight, just say so."
"A-Ah, slip of the tongue. Sorry."
Scoring top ranks at Kingswell Royal Academy carried a lot of weight.
Especially for commoner students.
It gave huge advantages in future job hunts, and graduating with good grades basically set your life up.
Noble kids usually had the edge from elixirs and luxuries fed since childhood.
That's why original Leonard started in the top ranks too.
Until the effects wore off and his performance tanked.
For a commoner to beat those elite nobles and enter with top scores was a big deal.
"Good grades should've gotten her into Golden Dormitory, right?"
"Probably... financial issues?"
"Hm."
"Not enough for a scholarship, I guess. Without one, dorm fees eat you alive if you're going purely on grades..."
Golden Dormitory's facilities were unmatched.
Bigger rooms and better furniture were one thing.
The first floor had a gym, luxurious dining hall, sparring arena for experience, and private study rooms.
A dorm for students, by students.
Getting in for free on scholarship was reserved for a select few talents.
"Plus they check conduct and appearance..."
"Appearance why?"
"Some Golden Dorm kids get picked for academy promo committee."
"Aha."
Was Charlotte that ugly?
She seemed decently cute to me.
Like a lazy, fluffy, floppy cat.
"Anyway, that's why she's in Wisteria. Super cheap dorm fees."
"Yeah, it is."
"And there's that rumor about ghosts appearing every night... Totally creepy and ominous."
"......The resident is standing right here."
"A-Ah, not dissing you!"
"Sure, sure."
I pondered while picking up trash with tongs.
If she'd had money, would Charlotte have gone to Golden?
Who knows. My own nose was three feet long.
But at least the weird first impression had faded.
'You're a hungry beast too, huh, Charlotte Taylor.'
For now, she was a comrade and neighbor sharing poverty.
I'll overlook your weird personality.
"Hey, Vincent."
"Yeah?"
"What's 'fried crispy'?"
I asked one more thing, and Vincent gave me a weird look while picking up trash.
"Uh...... Jesus Christ?"
"No, I know that much."
"S-See? Possessed by Wisteria's ghost..."
"Getting hard to hold back."
Damn it.
Shouldn't have asked.
After finishing trash pickup, it was early evening by the time I headed back to the dormitory.
'We met up late today, huh.'
Unlike yesterday and the day before, no Celestina either.
I could focus on volunteering without worry, but there was a downside.
'Why won't you witness my good deeds......!'
Academy Hero's Infinite Regression Method ran on protagonist buffs and munchkin highs, so the main characters' views of me were crucial.
That tilted the scales deciding my fate.
It'd be great if Celestina saw me working hard, but her gaze toward me felt a bit cooler lately.
She hadn't even shown up today.
Making me anxious for no reason.
Regular students seeing my deeds wouldn't believe it anyway.
"Look, it's Blackmere."
"Whoa...... Heard he harassed a Magic Department girl last time."
"Wasn't she a commoner?"
"Fallen noble. Know what he said? 'Your grades are crumbling pathetically like your family.'"
"Demon bastard......"
Demon bastard, my ass.
I'm conflicted too, so quit poking.
'Fucking pricks.'
Dragging my weary body back to the dorm.
"Blackmere!"
"......?"
Someone called my name, so I turned.
A woman I'd never seen was glaring at me with arms crossed.
'Who're you?'
Tall and slender, passionate crimson hair like flames, golden eyes sparkling like sunset.
No bullshit, first time seeing her.
I desperately dredged Leonard's memories for her identity.
Red hair, golden eyes.
That standout look—he'd remember it anywhere...
As I stood there dumbfounded, she scowled and strode over.
Grab!
"Why are you wandering the academy?"
"Wha—urk!"
I couldn't even react before she grabbed my collar.
Breath constricted, her snarling face inches away—my body froze.
Locking eyes with those rippling golden ones from her fury.
"......Ah."
I remembered.
The protagonist who'd beaten Leonard like a dog in summer heat and kicked his ass out of Golden Dormitory.
"Amelia Hill."
Swordsmanship chief entrant—and hero candidate.
She matched the protagonist's appearance from my memories. Yeah, but...
'Why are you a girl?'
Did she go to Thailand or something?