Chapter 75: Chapter 75

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: Morning Commotion

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It was morning, time for school.

When I went to the girls' dormitory to meet Hania, she walked out with Iris, as always.

Iris looked exhausted, as her insomnia seemed to have worsened recently.

The moment she saw me, she slowly raised a hand.

It was as if she were an empress of steel, reaching for warmth.

Again, I couldn't let her embrace me here.

When I shook my head, Iris wiggled her fingers, looking disappointed.

"Hanun."

Then Hania quietly approached.

"Could you transform into me again, like last time?"

My eyes blinked.

"Transform? You mean when I changed into you last time?"

"Yes, that."

"It's possible, but..."

My gaze fell upon Iris.

"It's because of Lady Iris, isn't it?"

"...Yes, that's right. She hasn't been able to sleep much lately."

Iris had slept well last time, wrapped around me.

It seemed she was hoping for the same thing again.

"Alright."

I also needed to manage Iris's nightmares.

If she succumbed to them, things would become incredibly difficult.

"Wait, I'm coming with you!"

Just then, Isabelle appeared.

She approached us on shaky legs and stood beside us.

"Isabelle, why do you look like that?"

Hania asked, looking puzzled, and Isabelle glanced at me.

Then she scratched the side of her head with a slightly awkward expression.

"Hanun and I were, well, doing something this morning."

Perhaps embarrassed that a martial arts student like her had gotten into such a state from training, she repeatedly cleared her throat.

Hania then looked back and forth between Isabelle and me, her face bewildered.

"...I did feel like there was something strange between you two. But when exactly did you become *that* kind of couple?"

Hania's eyes seemed to hold a strange look.

"It just kind of happened."

Isabelle made an excuse, glancing at me.

"But we're going to keep doing it!"

As she declared her intention, Hania's face turned dazed.

"...Shouldn't you stick to your duties as students? What if something *happens*?"

"Huh? Isn't *having something* a good thing?"

What Isabelle meant by "having something" was muscles.

But what Hania meant by "having something" was something far more significant and precious.

"W-well, yes, it's good! But it's just..."

Hania's face turned bright red as she stumbled through various excuses.

She seemed to have lost her words, eventually biting her lip.

"...Isabelle, you're more audacious than I thought."

"Am I?"

Their conversation wasn't connecting at all.

"So, you had morning training with Hanun."

Iris stepped in as a reliever, allowing their conversation to finally connect.

Hania whipped her head around to look at me, and I shrugged.

I'd figured out what they were talking about midway through.

But it just seemed amusing, so I let it continue.

Hania's gaze sharpened.

I figured I'd probably get a punch to the ribs later.

"Ah, we'll be late. Let's hurry."

So, I quickly moved my feet.

* * *

After the commotion that morning, Isabelle's eccentricities continued.

First, Isabelle sat in the seat next to me.

Thanks to her, I now had Hania on my left and Isabelle on my right.

Seron was pushed to the very back corner.

She stared at me with a face that clearly couldn't comprehend the situation.

I had two of the most beautiful girls in the class, one on each arm, like flowers.

It was a natural reaction.

"Isabelle, why are you suddenly sitting with *him*?"

"What got into you?"

When break time came, the girls swarmed Isabelle, trying to get answers.

Isabelle then cast a sidelong glance at me and spoke.

"Still, you have to help people who are hurting."

Somehow, I had become "the hurting person."

"...Isabelle, you have such a tender heart."

"Yeah, he *is* pretty hurt."

For some reason, the girls understood what she meant.

Why did they understand?

Were they looking for a fight?

In any case, Isabelle continued her eccentric behavior afterward.

If there was a sparring class, she'd be the first to approach me and invite me.

During lunch, she'd follow me and guard the seat beside me.

If I zoned out for a moment and missed the lesson, she'd show me her book.

She was incredibly enthusiastic, to say the least.

Is this what it feels like to have a childhood friend who looks out for you?

I could somewhat understand what Lucas's life must have been like.

Isabelle must have played a significant role in Lucas's slightly clumsy nature.

However, it wasn't just the girls who started reacting to Isabelle's actions.

"Hanun."

As I was about to leave the restroom after finishing my business, some guys appeared, blocking my path.

They were second-year martial arts students, just like me.

Since I was already branded as such an eyesore to the girls, no boys went out of their way to mess with me.

They just looked on with pity as I got pushed around by the girls.

Today, for the first time, those very boys blocked my path.

And every single one of them had a menacing expression.

"We understood you becoming Hania's boyfriend. We've always highly regarded your skill and effort, after all."

"But still..."

No. This wasn't a menacing expression.

It was sorrow and grief.

And unbearable rage.

"But Isabelle, too?! That's too much!"

"What on earth did you do? You two were rivals until recently!"

"Even so, there should be some basic decency! This is just too much!"

I looked at the clamoring boys and forced a bitter smile.

The tears of blood flowing from their eyes didn't feel like someone else's problem.

The boys gathered in the martial arts department were in their prime.

What's more, most of them had never even formed emotional bonds with girls before.

Unlike ordinary noble scions, those who entered Jerion Academy had been desperately training, with no time to be distracted by girls.

Kids their age fall in love just by making eye contact.

And these kids encountered beautiful girls in their class every single day.

Hania and Isabelle, in particular, were kind and gentle to everyone, regardless of gender.

Naturally, any boy would fall for them at some point.

Yet, somehow, I ended up with both of them on my arms.

It was a situation where the boys who harbored crushes on them had no right to complain about their heartbreak.

But what was the reality?

With Hania, it was a strict contract relationship.

The most we did was hold hands and stick close to each other.

All of Hania's affection was directed towards Iris.

Isabelle and I were rivals.

Right now, she was acting this way, trying to "heal" me from the pain of the Nikita incident.

But the truth was far from what the other students imagined.

However, these facts weren't visible to their eyes.

They just saw me as a scoundrel who had charmed the school's two idols.

"...Yes, I'm sorry."

I had no choice but to apologize to them.

It pained me too, to see the fragile hearts of first love shattered.

At my sincere apology, the boys' mouths gaped open.

They knew very well that complaining about such a matter was embarrassing.

Perhaps because of that, they turned away without another word, swallowing their tears.

"...Be happy."

"Since things turned out this way, make both of them happy with all your might."

"But be prepared for the day tears appear in either of their eyes."

The boys departed like that.

Still, they weren't bad guys, after all.

They simply wished for the happiness of the ones they secretly loved.

Good grief, I'm the one who should be crying, but everyone else is doing it for me.

"Lightning Sweet Potato."

As I stepped out of the restroom, Seron, who had walked past the boys, called out to me.

Today, too, Seron's forehead was gleaming.

It seemed she polished it well every day.

Now that I thought about it, Seron's name hadn't come up among the boys.

Were they not even considering her as a romantic interest?

Feeling strangely sorry for her, I patted Seron's shoulder.

"I'll buy you some juice or something."

"What? Why do I feel offended?"

Seron slapped my hand away from her shoulder and then wiggled a finger.

When I lowered my posture at her gesture, Seron quietly spoke.

"I had a strange incident recently."

"Did your forehead beam finally blind someone?"

"Wanna die? Seriously!"

I should stop teasing her.

"So, what happened?"

"You're on the student council, aren't you?"

"That's right."

"Recently, there have been students talking about a boycott."

So, it finally reached Seron's ears.

It seemed she rushed over, thinking she ought to tell me, as I was on the student council.

As she spoke, I tilted my head.

"Seron, you don't have any friends besides me, so you wouldn't have heard news from anywhere else, would you?"

When I hit the nail on the head, Seron mumbled with her lips.

From that action, I noticed something.

"...You were invited, weren't you?"

"Uh, um, I-I didn't join."

Seron had currently become an unwilling lone wolf.

Normally, Card and I would often hang out with her.

But Card had been rarely seen in the martial arts department lately, as if he'd been given a spy mission.

As for me, it went without saying.

The two top-caste girls of the martial arts department were guarding my sides.

The shriveled Seron couldn't even talk to me.

When I looked at Seron with pitying eyes, her face flushed with anger.

"Why are you looking at me with pity? You're just making me angry for no reason."

"It's okay, Seron."

"Ugh, seriously, can you please stop making that 'I pity you, you who knows nothing of love' face? It's seriously infuriating!"

I patted Seron's shoulder again.

And was promptly shrugged off.

How cold-hearted.

"Ugh, damn it, I should just get a boyfriend too. This is just ridiculous, seriously."

"...You, a boyfriend?"

"Oh, really? If I put my mind to it, I could get a boyfriend in an instant, you know?"

"Right, a world like that must exist somewhere."

A world where Seron Parmia is popular.

...Does it exist?

"It does! It does! I'm waiting for my Prince Charming, after all!"

"What, a prince?"

"He's the coolest person in the world, nothing like you, Lightning Sweet Potato!"

"It's amazing you can imagine something like that with your meager imagination."

Seron began to crack her knuckles.

"Lightning Sweet Potato, you haven't been hit lately, have you?"

Watching her, I shrugged.

"I don't recall ever being hit by you."

And Seron lunged.

Of course, I dodged every single blow.

My dodging skills were improving by the day.

Now, I could avoid all of Seron's clumsy punches.

"Ugh, just get hit!"

"Why would I be crazy enough to get hit?"

Seron huffed and puffed, then finally let out a sigh.

It seemed she had given up on hitting me.

Then she glanced at my neck.

What was she looking at?

"What's that? That pendant, I haven't seen it before."

Ah, it seemed to have slipped out for a moment due to my vigorous movements.

I carefully tucked the pendant away.

"It's like an asset for later."

"It looks expensive, are you going to sell it?"

"Something similar. I'm going to use it when I make a deal with someone."

Seron looked at me in disbelief, then took a breath.

"Hmph, anyway, there are guys planning a student council boycott. I didn't hear their full plan, but you should be careful."

"Alright, and don't you dare get lured into it. Don't follow them just because they say there's a handsome guy."

"Hmph, how high are my standards, do you think? Do you really think I'd fall for something like that? If I did, I'd be an idiot."

That was Seron, who proclaimed her standards were high.

And that day, I encountered an unexpected sight.

The abandoned building, third-floor chemistry lab.

There, Seron, who had followed Ailing inside, was shouting at me, who was in Vikamon's form, her face beet red.

"I-I'll join the boycott!"

Seron was an idiot.