Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Urk!
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"So, how about we tell the story like this?"
"That's a good approach. You've definitely read a lot of books, haven't you? You're smart."
I smiled and nodded along with her words, and Eve beamed back at me, pushing up her glasses.
"But do you really need to go this far as the victim? Won't it be tough on you?"
Eve had volunteered to step up and clear my name from the sexual harassment false accusation. The more we talked, the more convinced she seemed to become.
"I can't just let Daniel get unfairly expelled...... I'm sorry."
"Huh?"
Sniffle.
Her eyes glistening with tears, Eve bowed her head to me.
"Sniff, I'm sorry for going to the professor without knowing the full story and accusing you, Daniel."
"No, you had no choice. Actually, you did the right thing. Plenty of people would just suffer in silence out of fear in that situation, but you found the courage to speak up."
I smiled as I reassured her, and she looked up at me with wide, sparkling eyes before tears welled up again.
"Thank you. Really, thank you."
"It's nothing. You've been through a lot."
It felt like the perfect moment to pat her head, but I kept my hand tucked away. To her right now, a man's touch would only bring fear.
She was just starting to open up a little. No need to ruin it with a careless move.
"Shall we call it a day? It's already getting dark."
I'd only asked for an hour, but the surroundings had already grown dim. Lights-out at the dorms wasn't far off. Eve stood from her seat too, though she seemed a bit reluctant for some reason.
"......Sorry to see it end?"
"Huh? Yeah?"
"No, your face just looks a little wistful."
I asked with a grin, and Eve clutched her thick book to her chest, nodding so subtly it was almost unnoticeable.
It was too dark to see clearly, but her face was probably flushing with embarrassment.
"What's there to be sorry about? We can talk more tomorrow. Recommend some books for me instead."
"Sure!"
She nodded vigorously with a bright smile, clearly thrilled at the idea of discussing books with someone.
She's really pretty, too.
At first, with her head bowed and hair covering her face, I hadn't noticed, but she had quite the striking beauty. And a voluptuous figure beyond her years, to boot.
I could see why she'd ended up as the victim in this mess, which only made her seem all the more pitiable.
"What did you do wrong?"
She felt like a daughter to me, stirring up a pang of sympathy.
In my previous life, if my first love had worked out, I'd have had a daughter around her age by now.
Would I have ended up married to Rin instead? That'd be......
Imagining it sent a wave of discomfort crashing over me—far beyond mere unease. Looked like my Rin aversion would linger a while longer.
"Let's go. I'll walk you back."
We were in the same dorm, just different floors, but that guy might show up again anyway.
We said our goodbyes at the stairs to the fourth floor—the women's quarters, off-limits to guys—before I headed to my room on the third.
I'd planned to tackle the violence incident today, but...
Instead, we'd dealt with the harassment side. With only a week left, I needed to handle both at once anyway.
I'm gonna be swamped.
But at least I'd gained an ally.
The victim herself, Eve.
Feeling things were going smoothly, I did some light indoor exercises before crashing for the night.
The next day.
Like yesterday, I washed up, changed into my uniform, and headed to class. My mind had only been here two days, but my body remembered the routine, so it felt natural in no time.
I used to wake at dawn.
Back when I guided through the Demon Realm Forest, I averaged three hours of sleep—five at most. Sleeping this much left me refreshed but also strangely guilty, like I was slacking.
My body was used to this life, but my mind wasn't fully at ease?
I need to adjust my routine gradually.
There were plenty of benefits to rising early, so I planned to shift my habits bit by bit here too.
Even if practicals were fine, I'd need to study for written exams anyway.
I arrived early, sat at my desk, and was reading when a girl with glasses and navy-blue hair entered.
"Hey, Eve."
I closed my book with a smile and greeted her. She looked startled at first, then gave a shy smile and replied, "Hello."
She sat in the seat next to mine and peered at the book I'd been reading.
"Oh, The Old Man of the Wind Tree. A masterpiece, a true masterpiece. You have a good eye for books."
"Heh."
"Hm?"
I couldn't hold back a chuckle at her reaction, and she tilted her head, wondering what was so funny. Did she really not know?
"You get all excited when you talk about books. Your voice even gets a bit louder."
"......!"
Her face flushed with embarrassment again, and she hid behind the book she'd brought. I gently lowered it without much effort, and she let it happen naturally.
"Don't be embarrassed. Everyone gets like that when they talk about what they love. It's natural."
Reassured like that, she took a deep breath, nodded, and started asking about my favorite books and genres as if it were the most natural thing.
She'd agonized over recommendations yesterday since she didn't know my tastes.
"Hmm, I usually read a lot for information. I haven't read many novels, honestly."
This one was just something that looked decent to kill time with.
"Really?"
"If I had to pick, maybe mysteries? And romance?"
"Romance?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty clueless about that stuff, so I kinda want to check some out."
"Ah!"
She nodded enthusiastically, like an expert in the field, and rattled off recommendation after recommendation.
I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number and her rapid-fire speech, but seeing her like a kid playing with her favorite toy filled me with an odd sense of pride.
That faded as more students trickled in, our voices dropping until we switched to passing notes.
"Hm?"
In the middle of note-passing with Eve, a blonde girl stood in front of my desk, frowning. Arms crossed, her gaze demanded to know what we were doing. I just shrugged without answering.
She sat in the seat on my other side from Eve.
"Ares didn't come to my room yesterday?"
"Yeah, I know."
"......Then why are you sitting here? You have tons of friends."
She glanced sideways at the kids she usually hung out with.
They'd fawned over her like crazy yesterday, but today they were pretending she didn't exist. It was so blatant I couldn't help but snort.
"May must've gone around the dorm telling everyone not to hang out with me. Spread some weird rumors too, I guess. They've been like that since morning."
"Heh, impressive."
Did May really have that much pull?
"May's the dean's cousin. The dean tries to keep it quiet, but May drops hints everywhere."
"Ahh, that explains it."
It started making sense.
They didn't look much alike, but with the academy's top authority as her backing, shortsighted students had no choice but to shut up.
"Yeah, that's how it is."
A bunch of thoughts flashed through my mind, bringing a smirk to my lips.
The blonde jabbed my arm and snapped in annoyance.
"What? You think it's funny I'm getting ostracized?"
"Hey, I'm ostracized too. Can't you see I got no friends?"
"......Me too."
Eve timidly raised her hand from beside me.
Oh, our little Eve. Boldly speaking up to a girl who looks so tough—huge growth in just one day.
I grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. She hesitated, then returned it.
Like watching my daughter grow up.
"Outcast party, huh? We can look out for each other."
I said with a laugh, and Eve nodded slightly. The blonde huffed but didn't deny it, so she wasn't in a bad mood.
"By the way, what's your name?"
I realized I didn't even know and asked. Her face hardened for a second, then she punched my arm—hard.
"Tana! Tana Christa!"
"Got it, Tana. Nice name."
"Thanks for finally asking, Daniel!"
She huffed, crossed her arms, and turned away. Knowing her name should've been fine, right?
The girl I'd gotten a marriage proposal from just called me "Sherpa."
Class A.
Not by design, but in the class full of talented students, one girl stood out especially.
Not from nobility, yet her stunning looks and kind heart made her popular with everyone.
Even the prideful noble kids fell for her charms after a brief chat, quickly forgetting class divides.
Now, she sat at her desk, staring blankly into space.
Students around her urged each other to check on her, worried, but her close friends had already tried talking to her.
Even Ares, her childhood friend from Class B, had come by, but she responded in a daze.
What was going on?
Was she sick?
As whispers flew, one of her best friends approached cautiously and whispered in her ear.
"Um, Rin...... Some kid named Daniel from Class E is looking for you?"
"......What?"
She slammed her desk hard enough to make a bang and shot up, checking outside the classroom. Sure enough, Daniel stood there awkwardly, waiting for her.
"Thanks."
Her best friend, receiving Rin's first smile of the day, was stunned. The other students, who'd been watching her nervously, buzzed about how she'd snapped out of it.
But Rin ignored them and headed straight for Daniel.
"Daniel? What's up?"
Just yesterday, his behavior had gone from outrageous to shocking.
Ignoring her while being nice to others had irked her in a weird way.
But now he'd come looking for her.
Fine, she'd forgive him for old times' sake as childhood friends.
With that thought, Rin smiled and asked.
Daniel covered his mouth with his hand, his expression sour, and replied.
"You have a brown-haired, curly-headed guy in your class, right?"
He was looking for Chapheni.
Rin realized it immediately, and her mood soured again.
She knew why he wanted Chapheni.
Yesterday on the terrace, she'd seen Daniel rescue the glasses-wearing girl from Chapheni's forceful advances. She'd witnessed the whole thing.
So she understood exactly why he was here.
"Yeah, I know him."
"Great, then can you—""Why?"
Rin snapped back in a way that wasn't like her.
"Huh?"
"Why are you being so nice to him?"
"......I have no idea what you're talking about."
Playing innocent, even now.
Rin felt anger boiling up from her toes for the first time in her life, slamming into her head.
Her clenched fist trembled.
"Why...... Tell me why you're being nice to him."
Her voice came out chillingly cold, surprising even herself.
"Ah, seriously, sorry. Urk!"
Daniel vomited right there on the spot.