Chapter 2 - Adele Heights (2)
Human relationships are never one-sided.
They are therefore troublesome and annoying, and no matter how much you want to detach from them, unless you shut yourself in your room, they are an inevitable part of life.
Knowing this, why didn’t I consider such a situation?
“Adele Heights.”
I clearly tried to avoid it.
I didn’t want to create any unnecessary trouble, so I aimed to avoid any entanglement altogether.
But if the other side insists on finding me, there’s nothing I can do.
“What do you want?”
Thinking that if I can’t avoid it, I should at least follow another plan, I answered in the most annoyed voice I could muster as I turned around.
I added a disdainful expression as if to say, “How dare a commoner like you call my name?”
The plan was to make them hate meeting me so much that they wouldn’t want to get involved with me at all.
“Don’t you have something to say to Kyle?”
Something to say?
I do have something to say.
Why did you just stand there and let yourself get NTR’d, you idiot?
But that’s something Kim Yoojin would say, not Adele.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Besides, it’s been less than a day since I became Adele.
Naturally, I didn’t know what had happened between Adele and Kyle, so I couldn’t answer Lucy’s question.
“Sigh.”
Lucy sighed.
Even though it was just a sigh, it conveyed more emotions than dozens of words could.
Anger and hatred, endless disappointment, and more.
She was probably continually updating her lowest opinion of me in her heart.
“During the last practical class, you stepped on Kyle’s foot pretending it was a mistake. With the intent to crush his toes.”
I don’t remember it, but seeing Kyle’s foot bandaged, it must have actually happened.
Whether it was intentional or a mistake, I wouldn’t know.
“Oh, that incident.”
Once I understood the situation, it wasn’t hard to think of a line that Adele might say.
At the same time, it was something that would make Lucy and Kyle hate me even more.
“You should be thankful.”
“What?”
“If I had really meant it, his foot would have been crushed, but I showed mercy and let it slide.”
Lucy’s jaw dropped at my attitude of demanding an apology instead, as if the person who farted was the one who was indignant.
With eyes filled with anger, she glared at me, looking like she was ready to punch me.
“If you want to hit me, go ahead. But if you do, you’ll be disciplined for showing clear hostility and using violence against me.”
In truth, she couldn’t afford to get disciplined.
The severity of the violence could result in varying degrees of punishment, with expulsion being the worst-case scenario. Lucy, who is Kyle’s mental pillar and necessary for resolving future events, needed to stay at this academy until graduation.
Despite that, I trusted that Lucy wouldn’t fall for such a cheap provocation and throw a punch.
“Lucy, calm down. What do you expect from this guy?”
At that moment, Kyle approached, limping on one foot, and held Lucy back.
“He’s just acting out because he knows he can’t beat me in the upcoming duel. Would he ever apologize?”
“But this is something he should apologize for. He didn’t even get disciplined because of his family...!”
“It’s fine. It’s not the first time. He’ll be expelled soon enough. You know that, right?”
Kyle managed to calm Lucy down and take her away.
As the commotion faded with Lucy's departure, the students who had been watching the spectacle resumed their interrupted activities.
Peace returned to the cherry blossom-lined path.
“Phew.”
No one appreciated that peace more than I did.
I wished the rest of my days could pass without incident like this.
* * *
“Where is Class A... Ah, here it is.”
The vast Trinity Academy was nothing short of a labyrinth for a newcomer like me.
If it were so complicated, they could at least hang a map on the wall, but there was no such kindness, and I almost ended up late for the lecture.
I finally found the door to Class A and walked in.
It was five minutes before the lecture was to start, and there were more empty seats than I expected, so I could choose where to sit.
I didn’t know where Adele usually sat, but the seat I chose was at the very front, where I could hear the lecture best.
I needed to avoid getting whipped for not being at the top.
“It’s been a while since I attended a lecture like this.”
Recalling my university days, I placed my notebook and pen on the desk.
I opened the notebook and scanned its contents, curious about what Adele was studying.
“These are all things I know.”
The content was not as difficult as I had thought.
They were general knowledge that any user who had played “The Strongest Swordsman of the Academy” would know.
Things like what tactics to use against certain monsters and how to deal with specific situations.
The notes were meticulously organized and filled every page.
It seemed Adele had studied hard.
As I was reviewing and previewing the notes before the lecture began, I sensed someone’s gaze and glanced over.
“...”
A girl with cherry blossom-colored hair was standing there, looking at me without taking a seat.
When our eyes met her half-closed ones, I remembered her name.
Anastasia Aris.
She was currently the top student in Class A and, although not originally a heroine, she could become one if the protagonist, Kyle, surpassed her and became the top student—a kind of Easter egg character.
She wasn’t observed to be NTR’d, but there was always a possibility, so I didn’t want to get involved with her either.
Anastasia stared at me, or rather the seat I was in, without saying a word.
It was difficult to discern her intentions, but I guessed she wanted me to move since it was probably her usual seat.
However, when I didn’t move even after her continued gaze, she reluctantly sit next to me and took out her notebook.
Soon after, the professor entered the room.
“Today, I will reveal the scores from last week's practical.”
Adjusting his round glasses with his middle finger, the professor snapped his other fingers.
The papers he was holding fluttered into the air, and the scores inscribed on them floated up.
Magic.
Or rather, the unique ability known as a trait.
I didn’t know what his trait was, but the sight was quite fascinating to me.
It seemed like a good choice to sit at the front.
“What is Adele’s score? It must be quite high to be at the top.”
As I searched through the grid of scores for Adele’s name, the professor spoke again.
“You all did well considering the hard work you put into the practical.”
With a gesture, the floating scores shrank, leaving only one score magnified.
100 points, Anastasia Aris.
“I designed this practical test to be challenging enough that there would be no perfect scores, but as expected, you did excellently.”
The professor gestured again, and the scores expanded once more.
Among the scores I reviewed, the lowest.
A score close to zero, a miserable 3 points.
I didn’t know where the partial points came from, but the owner of that pathetic score was.
“But there were also disappointing students.”
3 points, Adele Heights.
It was me.
“A score like this is almost failing. It’s hard to believe there is a student this incompetent at Trinity Academy. What do you think, Adele Heights?”
The professor’s eyes narrowed behind his glasses.
The sweet voice he used to praise Anastasia turned sharp as he attacked me.
That look and voice.
I had seen it before.
It was just like the look Kyle and Lucy had when I arrived at the academy.
It belonged to someone who hated Adele.
Anyway, I could tell the professor disliked Adele Heights.
Revealing Adele’s score publicly was clearly meant to humiliate him.
It didn’t make sense to me that he would be so rude to a member of the Heights family, who could influence the academy, but his words were somewhat understandable.
3 points.
Even guessing randomly would yield a better score.
With a confident expression, I answered the professor.
“Indeed, it’s a score that’s hard to believe, just as you said.”
“Then do you understand the situation that I might fail you?”
“No, what I mean is, I can’t believe this score is mine. That’s all.”
I wasn’t there to dispute an unreasonable score.
Even if the professor had a grudge against Adele, he wouldn’t give him such a low score without a valid reason, so his evaluation must have been fair.
However, it was also clear that Adele wouldn’t actually fail.
He appeared throughout the game until the end, so it was likely that his family resolved the issue in some way.
Knowing this, the professor must have had a plan.
I took the opportunity to steer the situation.
“Please give me a chance to rescind the failing grade.”
Perhaps the original Adele endured the whipping and relied on her family to stubbornly graduate from the academy, but I was different.
I wouldn’t tolerate getting whipped or having a 3-point blemish while aiming for the top.
“Hmmm, then...”
The professor pretended to think, stroking his chin as if he had something in mind.
However, he wouldn’t know that I had predicted his reaction and was guiding his actions.
“Would you like to be re-evaluated here? If I disclose my evaluation criteria and grade you in front of many students, would you accept that score even if it’s more challenging?”
Yes, he wanted to humiliate me publicly rather than failing me.
He wanted to argue and push me down in front of everyone to feel superior.
It was going according to plan.
If I weren’t careful, I might have ended up on a direct path to a whipping due to Adele’s past actions, but I could manage to escape.
And my answer, of course.
“Indeed, if evaluated in such a manner, there would be no room for doubt.”
Yes.
