NOVEL NEXT Chapter 74
Morning School Time
As I headed to the girls’ dormitory to join Hania, she came walking out with Iris, as usual.
Iris looked especially worn out these days, perhaps due to worsening insomnia.
As soon as she saw me, she raised her hand with a swift motion.
Like a Steel Empress chasing away warmth.
Again, I reminded myself that I couldn’t embrace her here.
When I shook my head, Iris wiggled her fingers with a hint of disappointment.
“Hanon.”
At that moment, Hania sneakily approached.
“Can we switch appearances one more time like last time?”
My eyes blinked in surprise.
“Are you talking about when I turned into you last time?”
“Yes, that one.”
“It’s possible, but…”
I glanced over at Iris.
“Is this because of Iris?”
“…Yes, that’s right. She hasn’t been able to sleep well lately.”
Iris had slept soundly while cuddling with me last time.
It seemed like she wanted to lean on that again.
“Alright.”
I had to manage Iris’s nightmares too.
If she fell into that, it would be a real disaster.
“Wait, let’s go together!”
At that moment, Isabel appeared.
She approached us with shaky legs.
“Isabel, what’s with your condition?”
Hania asked in confusion, and Isabel glanced at me.
Then, with a slightly awkward expression, she scratched her head.
“It’s just that I was doing… stuff with Hanon this morning.”
The girl from Martial Arts seemed embarrassed about how she ended up in this state, repeatedly clearing her throat.
Hania stared at me and Isabel, her face blank.
“…You two, something seems off. When did you become… that kind of relationship?”
Hania’s eyes had a strange gleam.
“It just happened.”
Isabel fumbled as she glanced at me.
“But we’ll keep it going from now on!”
As she expressed her determination, Hania looked dazed.
“…Shouldn’t you be focusing on your studies? What if something happens?”
“Huh? Isn’t it good if something happens?”
When Isabel talked about ‘something happening,’ it meant muscles.
But for Hania, it was something much greater and precious.
“W-well, it’s good, but….”
Blushing red, Hania struggled for excuses.
In the end, she seemed to run out of words and bit her lips.
“…Isabel, you’re bolder than I thought.”
“Really?”
Their conversation didn’t seem to connect at all.
“Hanon practiced this morning together, huh?”
Then, Iris stepped in like a saving hero to connect the dots.
Hania turned to me sharply, and I shrugged my shoulders.
I had figured out what the conversation was about halfway through.
I just left it be because it seemed fun.
Hania’s gaze was sharp.
I felt like I was going to get poked in the ribs later.
“Ah, we’ll be late. Let’s hurry.”
So I quickly moved my feet.
* * *
After the morning chaos, Isabel’s antics continued.
First, she sat next to me.
Thanks to her, I now had Hania on my left and Isabel on my right.
Seron was shoved into the far corner.
She stared at me with a face that clearly couldn’t comprehend the situation.
Here I was, surrounded by two of the prettiest girls in class like flowers.
It was a natural reaction.
“Isabel, why are you suddenly sitting with that guy?”
“What brought this on?”
During break time, the girls flocked to Isabel to clear their confusion.
Then Isabel glanced towards me and said, “Still, you have to help those in need.”
Before I knew it, I had become someone in need.
“…Isabel, you’re really kind-hearted.”
“Well, she is quite a bit of a sickly one.”
For some reason, the girls understood that statement.
Why do they get it?
Are they declaring war or what?
In any case, Isabel continued her strange behavior afterward.
Whenever there was a sparring class, she’d be the first to approach me with suggestions.
During lunch, she followed me around to secure her spot next to me.
If I ever lost my focus and missed something in class, she would show me the book.
She was incredibly enthusiastic.
Is this what it feels like to have a childhood friend taking care of you?
I kind of understood Lucas’s life now.
Lucas’s clumsiness was definitely influenced by Isabel.
But it wasn’t just the girls who started reacting to Isabel’s behavior.
“Hanon.”
As I finished my business in the restroom, some guys appeared to block my way.
They were fellow second-year Martial Arts students.
Perhaps because of my reputation as a villain among the girls, none of the boys dared to mess with me.
They just looked at me with pity while watching me be bullied by the girls.
But now, for the first time, those guys were blocking my path.
And all of their faces looked grim.
“I get that you’ve become a couple with Hania. We’ve always respected your skills and efforts.”
“But still.”
No, this wasn’t just grim faces.
It was sorrow and grief.
And an unbearable rage.
“Not with Isabel!”
“What the hell happened? You were sworn enemies until recently!”
“Come on, at the very least, there should be some decency. This is too much!”
I looked at the boys in agony and forced a smile.
Their tears of blood didn’t look like someone else’s business.
The kids gathered in Martial Arts were strong boys.
Most had never even had a chance to build relationships with girls.
Given they were ordinary noble offspring, they had only trained furiously without raising their eyes to girls since entering Jerion Academy.
It was usually the kind of age where you’d fall in love just at eye contact.
Yet those boys faced the beautiful girls in class every day.
Especially in the case of Hania and Isabel, both treated everyone kindly, regardless of gender.
It was natural for any boy to eventually fall in love with them.
But somehow, I ended up sandwiched between those two.
The boys who had secret crushes felt a deep sense of loss but couldn’t say anything.
But how was reality?
With Hania, it was a thorough contractual relationship.
What we did was hold hands and stick together at most.
All of Hania’s affection was directed entirely toward Iris.
Isabel was my rival.
Right now, she was trying to heal my wounds from the incident with Nikita.
But in reality, the situation was far from what the kids thought.
Yet, this fact didn’t show in their eyes.
They just saw me as a jerk surrounded by two school idols.
“…Yeah, I’m sorry.”
I had no choice but to apologize to them.
I felt pain when my own innocent crush was broken.
At my sincere apology, the boys gaped at me.
They knew all too well that it was embarrassing to scrutinize this matter.
So they swallowed their tears and turned away without saying anything further.
“…Be happy.”
“Since things have come to this, do your best to make both of them happy.”
“Prepare yourself for the day one of them shows tears.”
The boys left like that.
Still, they weren’t bad kids.
They just wished for their unrequited love to be happy.
Well, I was the one meant to shed tears.
Everyone else was crying for me.
“Lightning Sweet Potato.”
As I walked out of the restroom, Seron called out to me as he passed through the boys.
Today too, his shiny bald head sparkled.
Looks like he keeps it well scrubbed.
Come to think of it, Seron’s name hadn’t come up among the boys.
Was he not even considered a romantic interest?
Feeling a bit sorry for him, I patted Seron’s shoulder.
“I’ll treat you to some juice.”
“What’s this? Why does it feel off?”
Seron swatted my hand away and made a dismissive gesture.
Noticing his reaction, I lowered my posture.
“Hey, did you get an invitation?”
“You stupid! I didn’t sign up!”
Seron had inadvertently become a lonely wolf.
Originally, he used to hang out with me or Card often.
But lately, it seemed Card was rarely showing up in Martial Arts, as if he had received orders as a spy.
As for me, it was needless to say.
The top two girls in Martial Arts were securely by my side.
Poor Seron couldn’t even strike up a conversation with me.
When I looked at him with a pitiful expression, he got irritated.
“Why are you looking at me like that? You’re just making me mad!”
“It’s okay, Seron.”
“Damn! Don’t give me that pitying look! It really annoys me!”
I patted Seron’s shoulder again.
But he swatted my hand away.
How cruel.
“Man, I should just go find a boyfriend or something. This is ridiculous.”
“…You, a boyfriend?”
“Hey, if I set my mind to it, I can get a boyfriend in an instant!”
“Sure, there might be a world where that exists.”
Seron’s popular world.
…Does it really exist?
“It does! It does! I’m waiting for my prince charming, after all!”
“What prince?”
“Lightning Sweet Potato is the most fabulous guy in this boring world!”
“With your barren imagination, it’s amazing that you can think of such things.”
Seron started loosening her wrists.
“Lightning Sweet Potato, hasn’t been hitting me lately.”
As I watched her, I shrugged my shoulders.
“I don’t remember ever getting hit by you.”
Then Seron lunged at me.
Of course, I dodged it all.
My dodging skills were improving day by day.
I can now avoid all of Seron’s silly punches.
“Ah, just hit me!”
“Are you crazy? Why would I hit you?”
Seron huffed and then let out a deep breath.
Eventually, it seemed she had given up on hitting me.
Then she glanced at my neck.
What is she looking at?
“What’s that pendant? I’ve never seen it before.”
Ah, it must have slipped out when I was moving around a lot.
I hurriedly put the pendant back in place.
“It’s something like a valuable asset for later.”
“It looks expensive, but are you planning to sell it?”
“Something like that. I’ll use it when trading with someone.”
Seron looked at me incredulously and took a breath.
“Wow, anyway, there are some students planning a boycott. I didn’t hear the details, but keep an eye on it.”
“Alright, but you better not get lured into that. Just because there’s a good-looking guy, you mustn’t follow them.”
“Hmph, do you think I’d ever follow those kinds of guys? If I did, I’d be an idiot.”
Seron proclaimed herself as someone with high standards.
And that day.
I faced an unexpected spectacle.
Abandoned building, 3rd-floor chemistry lab.
There, following Aeling, Seron shouted at me, her face red as she transformed into Bickamon.
“I-I’m joining the boycott!”
Seron was indeed an idiot.