NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5
“How about we talk like this?”
“That’s a good idea. Have you read a lot of books? You’re smart.”
As I responded to her with a smile, Eve beamed and pushed her glasses up.
“But is it really necessary for you, the victim, to go this far? Isn’t it tough for you?”
Eve offered to help clear my sexual harassment charges. It seemed like the more we talked, the more certainty was building within her.
“But we can’t let Daniel be unjustly expelled like that… I’m sorry.”
“Eh?”
Sob.
Wiping away tears, Eve lowered her head to me.
“Ugh, I’m sorry for accusing Daniel to the professor even though I didn’t really know what was going on.”
“No worries, you had no choice but to do that. In fact, you did great. Many people would be too scared and just suffer in silence, but you showed courage.”
As I said this with a smile, Eve looked up at me with wide eyes, then burst into tears again.
“Thank you, really, thank you.”
“It’s nothing, you went through a lot.”
It felt like the right moment to pet her head, but I pulled my hand back. Right now, a man’s touch was just scary to her.
Now that she was just starting to open up, there was no need to push things further here.
“Shall we get up now? It’s already gotten dark.”
I had only asked for an hour, yet the surroundings were already gloomy. Eve got up from her seat, but for some reason, she seemed a bit reluctant.
“…Feeling sad?”
“Eh? Yes?”
“You just looked a bit disappointed.”
As I asked with a smile, Eve hugged the thick book she was holding tightly and nodded slightly, barely noticeable.
It was dark, so I couldn’t see her clearly, but she was probably blushing from embarrassment.
“What’s there to be sad about? We can talk again tomorrow. Give me some book recommendations.”
“Yes!”
It seemed like she really enjoyed talking about books with someone else, as she nodded vigorously and smiled brightly.
‘How pretty.’
At first, I didn’t notice because her hair covered her face, but she actually had quite stunning beauty. Plus, she had a curvy figure not typical for her age.
I could kind of understand why she became a victim in this incident, yet it felt pitiful for her.
“You haven’t done anything wrong.”
She evoked a sense of protectiveness in me, almost like a daughter.
If only I had succeeded with my first love in my past life, I might have had a daughter around her age.
‘So did I marry Rin then? That’s a bit…’
Thinking about it made me feel something uncomfortable, even painful. My dislike for Rin was probably going to last a while longer.
“Let’s go, I’ll walk you back.”
Even though we were just on different floors in the same dorm, that guy could still show up again.
After saying goodbye on the 4th floor, which was the women’s zone, I went into my room on the 3rd floor.
‘I originally planned to resolve the violent incident today, but…’
Instead, I ended up leaning toward the sexual harassment side. Well, since there was only a week left, I needed to sort both issues out simultaneously anyway.
‘I’m going to be super busy.’
But at least I gained a helper.
And it’s the victim, Eve.
Feeling a little relieved that things were going smoothly, I did some simple indoor exercises and then went straight to bed.
*
The next day.
Just like yesterday, I took a shower, changed into my school uniform, and headed to class. My mind was on its second day, but my body seemed to remember everything and moved naturally.
‘I used to wake up at dawn.’
When I was a Sherpa in the Forest of the Demon Realm, I normally got an average of 3 hours of sleep, at most 5 hours, so getting plenty of sleep felt refreshing yet made me feel guilty at the same time.
Though my body had adapted here, my mind felt uneasy.
‘I’ll have to slowly change my routine.’
Moving in the early morning has many benefits, so I planned to gradually alter my lifestyle here.
Even if practical sessions were fine, I needed to study up again for written tests.
Sitting in the classroom early with some reading material, a female student with navy hair and glasses walked in.
“Eve, hi.”
I closed the book and greeted her with a smile. At first, Eve was surprised but then softly smiled back, saying, “Hello.”
She then sat beside me and checked the book I was reading.
“Oh, ‘The Wind Tree Elder.’ It’s a masterpiece, isn’t it? You have a good eye for books.”
“Hehe.”
“Huh?”
Seeing Eve’s reaction couldn’t help but make me laugh, and she tilted her head, puzzled about what was funny. Does she really not realize?
“Do you know you get excited when talking about books? Your voice gets a little louder.”
“……!”
Her face turned red in embarrassment as she covered her face with the book she brought. With just a little push, she naturally revealed her face again.
“Don’t be shy. Everyone gets like that when talking about what they love. It’s natural.”
After saying that, Eve took a deep breath and began asking me about my favorite books or genres.
She thought for a while about what to recommend but wasn’t sure of my taste.
“Well, mostly I read a lot to gather information. I haven’t read many novels, though.”
I had picked up a seemingly interesting novel just out of boredom.
“Is that right?”
“If I had to choose, maybe detective stories might interest me? And romance?”
“Romance?”
“Yeah, since I’m a bit clueless about it, I want to give it a try.”
“Ah!”
Nodding vigorously as if it was her specialty, Eve began recommending books.
To be honest, I was taken aback by the number of books she suggested and how fast she was talking, but she looked like a child playing with her favorite toy, and it gave me a strange sense of pride.
However, as more students filed into the classroom, we gradually quieted down, eventually resorting to written notes.
“Huh?”
While I was busy writing with Eve, a blonde girl standing in front of me frowned and asked what we were up to while crossing her arms. I shrugged my shoulders and said nothing.
Then, the girl sat next to me, opposite Eve.
“Hey, why didn’t Ares come to my room yesterday?”
“Oh, I know.”
“……But why are you sitting here? You have a lot of friends, right?”
Glancing away, I looked at the students she usually got along with.
Until yesterday, they seemed like they would die for her, but today they were completely ignoring her. It was so blatant that it made me chuckle.
“May probably told the others not to get friendly with me while going around the dorm last night. Sounds like she spread some strange rumors, too, and suddenly they’re acting like this since this morning.”
“Wow, impressive.”
So May had that much influence?
“She’s the cousin of the dean here. The dean probably told her to keep it a secret, but May has been dropping hints everywhere.”
“Oh, I get it now?”
I started to understand.
Even if they didn’t look much alike, with the dean being the top authority in the academy, the narrow-minded students would have no choice but to keep quiet.
“Right, that makes sense.”
A flurry of thoughts rushed in, and I couldn’t help but let out a small grin.
At that moment, the blonde girl gave my arm a light smack and scolded me.
“What’s up? Do you find it fun that I’m being bullied?”
“Hey, I’m also part of the outcasts. Can’t you see I have no friends?”
“……Me too.”
Eve timidly chimed in.
Oh wow, our Eve has really grown balls, approaching that fierce-looking girl and speaking up just a day later.
I smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Eve hesitated for a moment but then returned the gesture.
Feels like my daughter is growing up.
“It’s an outcast party for us. We can support each other like this.”
I said with a laugh, and Eve nodded quietly. The blonde girl huffed but didn’t deny it, so she didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.
“By the way, what’s your name?”
I realized I hadn’t even asked her name yet, so I asked, and the blonde’s expression stiffened for a moment before she hit my arm quite hard.
“Tana! Tana Krista!”
“Got it, Tana. Nice name.”
“Thanks for remembering, Daniel!”
She puffed up her chest and turned away with a bit of pride. Knowing her name is fine, right?
I was called Sherpa by a girl I was proposed to, after all.
*
Class A.
Unintentionally, a standout girl among the many talented students in Class A.
Despite not being of noble birth, her exceptional beauty and kind heart made her popular among everyone.
Even the prideful young nobles would forget the differences between nobility and commoners after just a short conversation with her.
That girl was staring blankly at the ceiling while seated at her desk.
Around her, students were urging her to speak up, but all her close friends had already tried talking to her.
Even Ares, her childhood friend from Class B, came over, yet she just stared off into space, seemingly lost.
Was there something going on with her?
Did she fall ill?
Among various exchanges, one of her best friends cautiously approached and whispered in her ear.
“Hey, Rin… There’s a guy named Daniel from Class E looking for you.”
“……What?”
BANG!
Rin slammed her hands on the desk, jumped up, and peeked outside the classroom. There was indeed Daniel awkwardly waiting for her.
“Thanks.”
The first smile Rin gave today surprised her best friend, and the students glancing at Rin all murmured that she was finally back to her senses.
But Rin didn’t care about that; she focused on Daniel.
“Daniel? What’s up?”
Just yesterday, his actions were infuriating, even shocking.
It felt oddly uncomfortable that he was kind to everyone but left her alone.
However, he had come to find her now.
So, as a childhood friend, she decided to forgive him.
Thinking this, Rin asked with a smile.
But Daniel replied, covering his mouth with his hand, looking quite uneasy.
“You know that brown-haired curly-haired guy in your class?”
He was looking for Chapeinie.
Rin understood immediately, and her feelings warped again.
She knew exactly why he was looking for Chapeinie.
Yesterday, Daniel had saved a girl with glasses from Chapeinie on the terrace, and she had witnessed the whole scene.
So Rin instantly grasped why he sought her out.
“Yeah, I know.”
“Good, then can you…” “Why?”
Rin unexpectedly shot back, a tone sharper than she’d intended.
“Huh?”
“Why are you being so nice to him?”
“……I don’t really understand what you mean.”
Feigning ignorance, Daniel kept a poker face.
Rin, for the first time in her life, felt a surge of anger rising from her toes to her head.
Her tightly clenched fist was shaking.
“Why… why are you being nice to him? Tell me the reason.”
A voice emerged from her that surprised even herself.
“Oh, I’m really sorry. Ugh!”
Daniel suddenly retched right there.