No Dark Secrets In This Book

Episode 13

This is the first time I’ve seen a jaw bone open so wide so vividly. While I’m thinking it’s a bit creepy, a loud laughter bursts out from the principal’s mouth. In other words, his jaw bone opened even wider and made a clattering sound.

“…”

Clatter clatter!

I wanted to scream and tried to step back, but the skeleton firmly grasped my shoulder. I tried to shake him off to show my germaphobic contact aversion according to my settings, but he wouldn’t let go. Rather, he only tightened his grip.

“Teacher? Do you dislike admitting defeat that much? If so, you can declare that I lost. How is it shameful to lose to Teacher Damyeon? It’s shameful for the principal to lose to a student.”

I mocked him to the extreme, but regardless, the principal kept laughing by himself. 

“Is he doing this out of embarrassment, or has he lost his mind? Mr. Ryuseong. What do you think?”

“Isn’t the one who lost his mind you? And thanks to you, I feel like I’m going to lose my mind too.”

“Don’t attribute your own madness to me.”

“…”

While we were having this polite conversation, the principal suddenly stopped laughing. And he said to me,

“From where did you plan this?”

It means from where did the psychological warfare begin. Teacher Damyeon must have also noticed that I used him, so he’s asking. So I answered him kindly too.

“To think you fell for a mere student’s trick so helplessly. That was your mistake from the start.”

“You intended it from the very beginning?”

“Yes, that’s right. How could I possibly face the principal one-on-one with just my physical strength? So I had no choice but to use my brain. Haven’t you always emphasized it? Tactics are for the weak. And…”

“Compared to the gates, we were hopelessly weak. We shouldn’t let our guard down just because it’s a prosperous era, and therefore, we shouldn’t be picky about the means and methods to stand up against the strong.”

“So I acted according to your teachings.”

“…”

“How is it? Did this disciple satisfy you, Teacher?”

Well, how about it?

Isn’t it freaking awesome?

“…It’s all superficial swagger.”

The principal finally removed his hand that was gripping my shoulder and swiftly turned his body. Yeah, yeah. A teacher who dislikes the Demillang family would say that. But the eyes of the students were filled with admiration.

“A-Amazing…”

Yes. This is exactly what I wanted. Instilling the perception in the students’ minds that Cassice Demillang is awesome.

‘Originally, you have to overwhelm in the first meeting in human relationships!’

Boasting my rotten personality only inwardly, I spoke to Ryuseong with a sneer.

“I didn’t need your help, but I’m grateful, Mr. Ryuseong. Thanks to you, I was able to draw attention.”

“…Ha.”

He had an expression as if he was hit with a severe sense of reality. But regardless, when the principal’s speech began, I sat in my seat, looking at him as if I knew something.

‘Why does Ryuseong seem so suspicious?’

I thought.

Why was he repulsed by the contract dating proposal, but keeps following me around?

‘What could be the reason?’

These days, there were more than a few suspicious things about Ryuseong. Him coming to the White Tiger dormitory, and Ryuseong intervening in the principal’s duel proposal were also developments that didn’t exist in the original work.

Once I thought it was strange, even the roommate matter and the incident during the entrance exam that I had passed over without much thought felt bizarre. Ryuseong proposing to be roommates with Cassice Demillang? Ryuseong blabbering about dueling with Cassice Demillang in the entrance exam?

Both were developments that didn’t exist in the original work, and they weren’t the kind of things the Ryuseong character would do. It meant there was some change in his state of mind.

‘It can’t be because his dalgona candy… was taken away, right?’

I tried to unravel it step by step, but I couldn’t avoid my thoughts becoming complicated. In the midst of the disturbance, the principal yelled at me in annoyance.

“You there, top student! What are you doing not focusing!”

“…What kind of sour words are those? I was focusing though.”

“Then tell me what I said!”

With the feeling that my head hurts so much that I’m going to die, so don’t make me talk, I answered with an attitude of I don’t know, whatever. I don’t know what you were saying, but the answer must be among these.

“There are a total of four dormitories. They are divided into the Four Directional Gods – Blue Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise, and each has a symbolic color of blue, red, white, and black. The uniforms are standardized with a white jacket, white shirt, navy pants or skirt, and the combat uniforms are standardized in black. The dormitories are distinguished by the colors of the durumagi based on each symbolic color. The back of the durumagi has the symbolic element written on it.”

“…”

“Here, the symbolic elements are wood, fire, metal, and water in the order of Blue Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise. The dormitories were divided according to how each person responds when facing their trauma. Blue Dragon headed towards the exit by persuading and harmonizing with the enemy like wood that is created through harmony with earth and water, Vermilion Bird fought and won against the enemy like fire, White Tiger is the dormitory of those who killed the enemy with metal, and Black Tortoise is the dormitory of those who avoided the enemy like flowing water and headed towards the exit.”

“…”

The explanation is getting extremely long, but the principal doesn’t interrupt.

What is it? Does he want me to continue?

“In each class, there will be seven to eight students from each of the four dormitories. A minimum of twenty-eight to a maximum of thirty-two. Class assignments are made in order of grades, and therefore, changes occur each semester according to the combined ranking of midterm and final exam scores…”

“Enough. You might as well be the teacher. Muttering on your own even about things I didn’t tell you. You’re so great, huh.”

Ah, if you don’t need it, let me know in advance.

“You flatter me.”

I wanted to express my annoyance, but the principal, who was expressing his annoyance at me with a tu quoque fallacy, said that since that kid has already explained everything, he would just announce the class assignments and dormitory assignments and end the first day’s lecture.

As he declared, the staff came out and handed out assignment sheets to everyone. I express my condolences for how much the staff suffered to get the assignment sheets out so soon after the dormitory assignments. No, wait. Would it be easy if there’s magic Excel?

Anyway, being roommates with Ryuseong was a predetermined result as much as there were discussions behind the scenes, and of course, my class was also Class 1 since I was the top student.

From now on, I have to work my ass off to not fall from Class 1.

“In this entrance exam, the White Tiger dormitory produced the 1st and 2nd place students in Class 1. It means they simultaneously have the top student and the second place student. Other dormitories, strive to surpass White Tiger, and I expect White Tiger to continue to achieve good grades with the spirit of the top and second place students.”

“…Haha, there’s no need for you to expect that.”

“When you say it, even modesty becomes arrogance, you jerk.”

…Damn it, really, don’t expect it. Because just thinking about Ryuseong is enough to make my head explode.

Oh, it turned into a romantic remark?

Thump thump?

***

And so, the hectic face-to-face class ended. I thought it was fortunate that I avoided being humiliated as in the original work. Hmm, as expected, some professor informed me that the head of the Demillang family had made a visit.

‘Sooner than I thought? I thought he would summon me, but he moved his heavy ass and made a personal visit.’

And from the moment I faced the head of the Demillang family, to be precise, from the moment I opened the door of the chairman’s office to meet the head and greeted him, the battle of wits between two proud geniuses began.

“It’s been a long time, Grandfather.”

“I’ve never been your grandfather. Call me the head, Cassice Demillang.”

The first slap was swung by the head. But I had no intention of just taking the hits.

“Then, Head, you should also call me the Young Head.”

If you’re the head, then I’m the young head, you jerk.

“…Have a seat, Young Head.”

“Thank you, Head.”

After exchanging one hit each like that, we looked at each other with merciful smiles.

Haha, hoho.

“What brings you here?”

“Do you even need to ask?”

“I’m afraid of assuming something you haven’t spoken about and possibly going against the Head’s intentions.”

Demillang is a true high-tension noble family. So their conversations are conducted in literary style, not colloquial style. Fortunately, I was also the youngest of a chaebol family. I had a keen eye for refined conversations.

“Are you thinking of marrying into the Hanra family?”

(Interpretation: Hey, if you’re going to get married on your own, you know you have to give up the heir position, right?)

“From which wind did that rumor blow in from?”

(Interpretation: As the head of Demillang, can’t you even distinguish between nonsense and non-nonsense?)

Our life was truly heartwarming.