Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: When a Good Person Gets Angry (10)
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Blink... blink.
Karin, freshly awakened from sleep, lost herself for a moment in the unfamiliar scenery of the room, her eyes the only thing moving. After sitting up and some time passed, she remembered being ambushed from behind, losing consciousness, and that the perpetrator was Yumin. But she had no clue where this place was or why she was here.
Wouldn't moving around carelessly just invite danger? While she rolled her eyes anxiously for a bit, the room's door opened, and Yumin walked in.
"Hm. You're awake."
"...Where is this?"
"It's a room belonging to an acquaintance of mine. It'd spark weird rumors if I took you to my own place, so I borrowed a lady's room. And while it feels like I struck first, which is a bit off, I'm truly sorry."
"H-how did you know where I was going?"
"Even if everything else was true, you never explained why you disappear every weekend, right? Rias must not have noticed due to the mental shock, but you, who doesn't even know the location, heading to a place where your big brother is every weekend? I figured that was almost certain. And since you stayed at the academy last weekend and got in trouble, I predicted you'd move during a time when no one was around this time for sure."
"Eek."
He knew everything but played dumb to lower my guard. Realizing she'd been had, Karin hung her head, and Yumin spoke in a reassuring tone.
"Well, I didn't tell anyone else, so there shouldn't be any further issues."
"So that's why you came back?"
"Yeah. Got thoroughly chewed out and came back."
"By the cafe manager?"
"You call him 'cafe manager,' huh."
I couldn't picture the cafe manager getting angry, so I'd unconsciously repeated it, leaking more strange info. Smart nobles like this were the worst.
"Anyway, yeah. He said if I show up again, don't even think about leaving alive, so even if I wanted to go, I couldn't."
"Um, I have some questions."
"...Since I've caused you trouble, I'll answer anything I can."
"What's your relationship with the cafe manager, senpai?"
"Another tough one."
Crossing his arms and humming thoughtfully, he pondered for a while before speaking.
It was closer to a story about Julius than himself.
"Julius-hyung is very different from the Lebedev Duke in personality. The duke is more like a traditional noble."
"Traditional noble..."
"A fighting noble, you know? Protecting the territory from threats like monsters or invasions from others. Sure, force matters, but he's close to that tough, macho ideal of manhood."
Definitely different. Karin nodded without thinking.
"So, if hyung lacked skill or had any weakness, there would've been serious conflict with Father. But hyung has a soft charisma, administrative talent, and swordsmanship fitting the Lebedev family."
"His relationship with his father..."
"The duke never showed it in front of hyung, but he's infamous for talking nonstop about his son to close friends all day. A face resembling his beloved late wife, unlike himself. Personality and abilities respected among nobles. Sword skills far surpassing his own youth. He just kept up appearances; how much he must have adored his son."
She didn't ask about now. She could guess what the duke thought of those who drove him away.
Yumin's face soured a bit too, and he let out a deep sigh. He'd probably heard something.
"That's why the engagement to the Calamity family was important too. The current Calamity Duke is the third generation. His grandfather was the current king's younger brother, who received his title and branched off after the king ascended. From the royal family's view, it was a way to strengthen ties with a promising young man, the next duke."
"Is that also why the broken engagement hasn't been fully annulled?"
"Royal influence probably played a part. I don't know the details."
His face twisted at the mere thought of Rias, and he ruffled his hair in frustration before continuing in a subdued voice.
"Anyway, with that background, nobles' attitudes toward hyung didn't vary much. They followed him, used him as a imaginary rival to push themselves, or envied him. One of the three. And as for me, I was the following type."
A strange nostalgia mixed with a hint of reflection and pain colored his reminiscing expression.
"...So if hyung left because of me, if it's my responsibility after publicly declaring I'd follow him, shouldn't I do my utmost to fix it?"
Pouring himself a cup of black tea from the insulated pot, he looked utterly exhausted. Letting out a faint groan, as if even sighing was too much, he added with half-lidded eyes.
"Hyung's way of judging people is unique, less 'generous in evaluation' and more peculiar. Most start at zero and add points, or fifty-fifty and adjust bit by bit. But hyung starts everyone at 100 points and strictly deducts."
"I'm not sure what that means."
"Hyung assumes anyone he meets is completely good from the start. He's lenient with one or two mistakes. But if they're rotten to the core, he deducts without mercy, and it's incredibly hard to recover those points."
And I've lost all my points, I suppose.
With a self-deprecating laugh, he downed the rest of his tea and fell silent. Drained to the point where his usual confident air was unrecognizable, he closed his eyes and pressed his temples.
"About your visit, I won't tell anyone else."
"I won't get killed by hyung's sword for real."
"Then I'll pretend I wasn't attacked too."
"...Thanks. I really have no face to show."
Slumped in his chair, he kept pouring and drinking tea as if his throat was parched. They hadn't known each other long, but the drop in his demeanor was striking.
"Oh, and I figure you wouldn't know, so heads-up: do you know about Julius-hyung's little sister?"
"...No."
"Be careful. Justina Lebedev, a second-year, takes after her father a lot in personality. Sounds like gossip from me, but her feelings for her brother go beyond family. If she finds out you know hyung..."
He drew his thumb across his throat.
Karin couldn't properly react to the potentially scandalous statement. She just decided he was dangerous in a different way from Rias.
Noticing her subtle expression change, Yumin explained further.
"She's the type extremely strict about proper noble conduct. She has clear ideals for the perfect noble or man. And since hyung fits perfectly, she judges all nobles and men against him. Half her brain is Julius-hyung; it wouldn't be an exaggeration."
"Did someone like that leave Rias-senpai or Ermina-senpai alone?"
"Hyung didn't reject them, so she respected that. That's it. She's ambitious matching her talent, aiming to earn her own title through merits instead of competing with hyung for succession—her respect for him is solid."
"You or Prince Christoph?"
"She didn't say it outright, but beat us half to death in open duels regardless of year. Not hyung-level, but strong. Trained relentlessly since childhood so she wouldn't be his flaw."
"Eep."
"Hyung's running something like a restaurant, right? Even if you just ate his food, she might punch your stomach until you puke it up. Rias ate his cooking once, but she's not around."
I don't get it, but she wasn't someone I wanted to get close to.
I want to live my life without ever meeting her. But at the same time, she pictured her future self suffering at that woman's hands.
Should I drop out? Why are there so many weirdos in this academy?
"No more, or it'll just be trash-talk. I apologize again for forcing you down this time... Whether it's Rias-related or personal, if you need help, I promise at least once, no matter what."
"...Even if Justina-senpai comes at me?"
"...I'll handle it, as long as it's not fatal."
Seeing his face pale slightly, Karin couldn't continue.
Not block her, but take the hits. What happened in the past?
As silence settled between them, footsteps approached from outside the door.
"Ah, darn. Looks like the room owner’s here. If you need more later, I'll make time then."
"Okay."
"Leni. Come in. Sorry for taking so long."
At his words, a black-haired woman entered and immediately apologized upon meeting Karin’s eyes.
Bowing her head, her voice trembled slightly, as if she was really nervous.
"Sorry. This guy made me, so I had no choice but to shoot the mana bullet."
"Ah, that impact to the temple."
"...Yumin-nim. I won't get expelled, right?"
"She forgives you generously."
"Whoa. I came ready to lick your feet today."
Sticking out her tongue with a "Yay!", she seemed a bit odd too.
Not wanting more entanglement, Karin hurriedly got out of bed.
They exchanged greetings, and after a brief moment of awe at the noble dorm she'd never entered before, Karin dashed out.
The auto-calendar powered by mana showed it was still the afternoon of the day she collapsed—not a full day passed.
She thought it'd be best to spend the rest of the day outside the academy with Natalie and Sophia.