NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7
“Wow, that’s impressive.”
Gasp!
Honestly, I was quite surprised.
The female students following Ares had great looks, but there were some that stood out with exceptional skills.
Especially the girl who had directly warned me was not just a regular student; she had well-defined muscles, a solid stance, and a strong presence.
“Who are you thinking about?”
Tana, sitting at the café table sipping coffee, subtly glanced my way and asked. I wondered if it was that obvious, but I answered without hesitation.
“Red hair.”
“Arni?”
Tana rested her chin on her hand and grinned slyly, perhaps due to some connection as fellow fish in the same pond.
“Arni Duratan. The firstborn daughter of the Duratan family, she has never missed the top spot in practical combat classes in our year.”
Wow… I really didn’t care at all.
It was partly because I got expelled shortly after enrolling, but I was shocked that I didn’t even know a daughter of the Duratan family was in the same grade as me.
It’s a well-known story that the ancestor of the Duratan family covered himself in blood after slaying a red dragon.
Because of that, all members of the Duratan family had red hair, and they were recognized as a prestigious swordsmanship family across the continent.
“But she fell for that male student who came in through special admission this year.”
“Huh? You mean Ares?”
“Yeah, Ares defeated Arni in a practical duel and got first place. You didn’t know?”
Of course not!
At that time, I couldn’t attend the practical exam due to some disturbances and ended up with the lowest score, promptly getting expelled afterward.
If things had gone as they should, I would have already boarded a carriage heading to the Forest of the Demon Realm.
“But was Ares really that strong?”
He definitely had impressive skills. Back when I lived in the village, I regularly trained in duels, but I lost every single match.
Of course, I was timid back then and felt uncomfortable wielding a sword against others.
Still, it was surprising that he managed to take down the eldest daughter of the Duratan family.
“It was a historic moment when the wall that stood unbroken for the past two years finally shattered.”
Watching Tana reminisce about Ares’ duel made me chuckle—she was totally smitten.
Along with Rin and Ares, we entered the third year through special admission, while the other students had already been freshmen for two years.
Because of that, there was some intense bullying going on.
Of course, the two who came with me had a kind of superhuman charisma that allowed them to fit in quickly, but I was different.
As my exceptional friends stood out, I became the odd one out.
The frustrations they couldn’t vent on the two of them were directed at me, and it seemed like that led to me getting labeled unfairly or forced into awkward situations more often than not.
“D-Daniel has his own charm, you know?”
“Really? Care to share?”
“…I-I read books well.”
“Got it! Not being illiterate is a plus!”
I nodded calmly at Eve, who tried to comfort me. If you’re going to give a compliment, at least make it somewhat believable.
“Anyway, bullying shouldn’t happen anymore.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
I replied, but Tana didn’t look too thrilled. While bullying might have ceased, it also meant I lost friends.
I could sense various emotions, but this was all I could offer her, and honestly, I wasn’t too worried.
Aren’t people like her good at making new friends?
“This is now my issue…”
I mumbled while taking a sip of my coffee, and Eve handed me a book with a strange expression.
The title, “Drugs and Magic,” seemed utterly standard and boring, but I quickly grasped her intention.
“I went to the library while you two were on the rooftop. This book has recipes and descriptions for transmutation potions.”
Since I had mentioned the characteristics of Charlie Kraush to Rin, she promptly went out to find this.
“While there are surprisingly easy-to-find ingredients listed… here, the crucial ingredient, Demina’s whiskers, is actually hard for students to obtain.”
“Demina’s whiskers? How could a student get that?”
Demina, resembling a goat but walking on two legs, was a tricky magical beast to hunt, plus there were few of them.
According to her, it meant that Charlie likely wouldn’t be able to make a transmutation potion.
“But you can create a substitute with a few other ingredients combined with a Mana Potion.”
“…Huh?”
Seeing the confusion on Eve’s face, I began to explain calmly.
“If you neutralize the potion like this and boil it again, you’ll create something similar.”
Eve looked at me blankly. She probably couldn’t grasp it just from words, but I shrugged in response.
“I trust the person who told me, so I’m pretty sure. I’m curious about how Charlie found out about this method, though.”
Of course, I can trust it.
Because it was knowledge I had from my past life.
Sure, she said the Demina population was low, but that was only in lands frequented by people. The Forest of the Demon Realm was different.
Places where rare species like Demina frequently appeared weren’t uncommon, and since I lived in the forest, I had experimented using their by-products. This was one of those results.
“I-I need to try this later!”
“I don’t understand any of this.”
Eve’s eyes sparkled with curiosity while Tana, who had been quiet, shook her head, saying she had a headache.
“Let’s say I got the gist of it. Now we just need evidence.”
Even if I knew how to do it, without proof that Charlie was the one who did it, it would be pointless. Just having extensive knowledge about potions and being good at them wouldn’t be enough to frame him as the culprit.
Just then, Eve shot her hand up and spoke.
“How about this?”
Her face was slightly flushed.
*
Five days until expulsion.
Yesterday, the E class, which had caused a major uproar, had another disturbance today. However, instead of the chilly atmosphere from yesterday, it was sizzling hot.
At the center of it all was a girl with dark navy hair.
She had taken off her glasses, wore light makeup, and her long bangs that had once hidden her eyes were now neatly arranged, accentuating her beauty. The modest school uniform was adjusted just enough to highlight her curves without breaking any dress code.
The girl who just yesterday sat in the corner reading a book had suddenly transformed into an absolute beauty and entered the classroom.
The male students were fired up, some bitterly lamenting how they should have been nicer to her in the past, and trying to hit on her now.
But Eve had already approached Daniel, who had been waiting, crossing her arms.
“Hehe.”
The timid smile that emerged evoked a natural association with happiness, and everyone in the class knew.
Those two were dating!
Whispers among female students labeled it a “geek girl’s rebellion,” while male students who had hidden their true happiness were reacting wildly.
It took no time for the rumors to spread.
“Whoa, I heard she has a boyfriend!”
“Is that guy just really visionary or what?”
“But isn’t he the one accused of sexual harassment?”
Thump-thump!
Whenever the rumors about Charlie Kraush came up concerning sexual harassment, it felt like my heart was pounding like crazy.
I could still feel the heaviness and warmth of her curvy figure from that time when I had her in my hands.
Dating, huh?
The confusion swirled in my mind.
If he was the guy accused of sexual harassment, that would be Daniel, the one I falsely accused, right?
The victim of the Daniel sexual harassment case wasn’t publicly named for her protection, leaving the insane situation of the victim falling in love with the perpetrator unknown to anyone.
Except for me—the mastermind, Charlie Kraush.
Could it be that Eve fell in love with the guy who assaulted her?
My head started to spin.
Why? How could this happen? I began to wonder where my thoughts were heading.
Ultimately…
Did she enjoy it?
The delusions of a boy who had never really been in a relationship began to swirl.
At the time of the assault, I was shocked and reported it to the teacher, but I couldn’t help but remember and long for that touch.
As I thought about it, I was swept away by emotions that felt like I could vomit blood.
From the moment they chatted at the café, I was on edge, but I initially lashed out, thinking I was foolish letting myself feel this way.
What a maddening regret!
It was me!
It really was me!
The rough touch that made her feel good was mine!
How could I let myself be deceived and have my heart stolen by a fake?
Wouldn’t this mean that I tied Eve and Daniel together?
Suppressing my urge to burst out and reveal the truth, Charlie took a deep breath. How could I share the real story? Could I tell her that I’m actually her prince charming?
But there was no way.
Going to declare that I was the sexual harasser would just be too foolish. So Charlie began to think.
In the same A class, a beautiful girl with black hair was staring blankly into space, trying her best to ignore the murmurs she could hear.
“Oh…”
Drip-drop.
A tear rolled down her cheek.