NOVEL NEXT Chapter 34
For some reason, it didn’t taste very good. Clearly, I had the same menu as yesterday, so what could be the reason?
It’s not like I was eating alone or forced to take something I didn’t want, so why did it taste different from yesterday?
Sure, the atmosphere was a bit off, but that shouldn’t be enough to change the taste of the food. So what was it?
I couldn’t tell if it was going down my nose or my mouth. No, if it actually went down my nose, I’d cough it out like I was squeezing my lungs dry.
Just a metaphor, of course.
Anyway, I finished my meal while barely eating. Then, I felt a certain awkwardness.
Dokan hadn’t said a single word to me, which wasn’t surprising since I had no intention of replying if he did. But still, was he really not going to say anything at all?
When someone seems upset, don’t you usually apologize? I couldn’t understand why he was just sitting next to me doing nothing as if he did nothing wrong.
I had almost never apologized or received apologies, so I wasn’t too sure. But if he had made a mistake, shouldn’t he say something like, “I did something wrong, please forgive me”?
I at least knew that much. He couldn’t possibly be so clueless, being a socialite and all.
That thought only made me angrier, so I hurried my pace.
Of course, since there was a basic difference in our physiques, even walking quickly only put some steps between us.
Not long after, he caught up with me, and fueled by irritation, I tried to move even faster. But that would only make it like I was running, so I gave up.
I didn’t know why, but I felt the eyes of the crowd on me since earlier.
It wasn’t like people hadn’t looked before, but I had never felt so intensely scrutinized like this moment.
Is this when rumors start to spread? The story of the rude girl from another continent who asserts dominance from our first meeting.
…I had no idea why that rumor would spread right now. But the timing was horrifically perfect.
If I had been talking to Dokan, I wouldn’t have cared about the gazes around me, but since I couldn’t do that now…
Whether it was my true self or a fabricated version, simply talking to him would have helped me regain my composure.
In fact, I felt like I wanted to talk to him right now, but if I did, he’d probably think I was too easy.
What I wanted was to be able to talk freely—as equally friends.
…But here I was, sulking because someone I considered a friend had blindsided me.
Even if he was a friend, there were lines you shouldn’t cross.
Asking me if I had friends was obviously rude. I thought someone like him wouldn’t make such a foolish mistake. I was greatly disappointed.
No matter how disappointed I was, I didn’t plan to cut ties completely.
The walk back to the classroom was unbearably uncomfortable. The air was barely breathable, and the unsatisfactory environment only made it feel worse.
Normally, I would have bought something at the cafeteria and planned to eat there together, but today, I didn’t feel like it at all.
Watching Dokan’s face, confused as he was, only added to that feeling.
Up until gym class, I kept glancing at Dokan to see what kind of look he had toward me, but I didn’t get the reaction I was hoping for.
I wanted him to show even a hint of solemnity. Even though that wouldn’t forgive him, I still had feelings.
Anyway, since I had decided to follow him, I thought I’d go check out what class he was taking at the gym.
I hadn’t known what they did in gym class until now. I hadn’t been interested in rumors, so I was genuinely curious.
And above all, I was most eager to monitor whether Dokan would do something nasty.
He could easily tamper with my feelings while acting like everything was okay. I had forgotten because he was my friend, but in the end, he was a typical harem male character.
The girl who said she’d only look at you ends up with three others. Probably due to a lack of expression by the author.
I’d keep an eye on him. Let him talk to anyone else, just once.
With that thought, I headed to the gym with Dokan.
– – –
“See, rumors aren’t to be trusted.”
Watching Dokan and White Royal Family’s Eldest Daughter, Ethan felt once again that he was right.
“What part of that looks like a couple in love?”
In the end, Ethan thought it was all black propaganda.
It seemed like a story only found in novels that a princess from another country would obsess over a commoner she had never met.
The way White Royal Family’s Eldest Daughter treated Dokan was more like a superior mistreating their underlings.
He had come to that conclusion after watching her closely, except for the moments she disappeared without a trace or when entering the dormitory.
Though they had hung out together and even held hands yesterday, he merely theorized that someone might have spread rumors based on that, and he figured it could easily lead to misunderstandings.
However, seeing them at lunch today, it became blatantly clear how ridiculous that idea was.
The White Royal Family’s Eldest Daughter was showing open hostility towards Dokan.
Having grown up in the underworld, Ethan could vaguely sense the intent to kill.
His ability to sense danger, even faintly, made him believe that even someone living a life far removed from death would feel something if they were close enough.
The part that concerned him was that she had suddenly acted hostile after showing interest in Dokan and teasing him earlier.
But he didn’t think it was such a big deal. Someone using magic could easily become mentally unstable.
She probably held his hand for that reason.
He thought it foolish of him to have once thought of using Dokan as leverage against the White Royal Family’s Eldest Daughter, and continued his path.
– – – –
…Isn’t this just cruel punishment disguised as gym class?
Well, I had already understood that the teacher was insane for trying to assert dominance over the kids from the first class, but I never thought it would be to this extent.
I realized how foolish I had been for ever thinking of the teacher as a mentor for even a moment. A mentor? Ha, just a demon spawn.
“Daniel, you’re walking too slowly!”
“Ahh!”
It wasn’t just verbal correction; this was pure cruelty. A gym teacher being grumpy was an unwritten law, after all.
But behind the students who were straining to run their course, beasts were hot on their tails.
They were deceptive creatures made to look real, created with mana.
However, hearing what the teacher said before we started running made it clear that he was genuinely mad.
“Although they’re just illusions created from mana and can’t injure you, they can still make you feel pain. Don’t even think about taking it easy.”
Some students were already screaming in terror as they were “bitten” by the illusions, sounding like they had escaped from hell.
-”My arm, my arm…!”
-”It hurts, it hurts! Help me!”
Dokan was running toward the front with a relaxed look, but the closer it got to the back, the more the expressions of the other kids changed.
Right now, Daniel’s face was turning pale as he sprinted for his life, and a small girl with pink hair was crying while running.
“Waaah! Exipri, save me!”
So that’s her name, Exipri. She was short and using a mana breathing technique, yet she was almost last in the race.
Some kids were throwing themselves toward the finish line, while others were so close to getting bitten by the illusions.
I knew I shouldn’t think this way while everyone else was giving it their all, but…
This is fun. I sat in the stands, enjoying predicting who would make it and who wouldn’t.
Was this what it felt like for the Roman citizens watching gladiators fight for their lives in the Colosseum? Of course, nobody was dying here, nor was there any bloodshed.
Not that I wanted it to be that way.
I had originally come to keep an eye on Dokan, but at some point, I found myself watching this hellish gym class.
Dokan, too, seemed tired and wasn’t talking to anyone, which let me relax even more.
“The beasts chasing you just now were C-class beasts called Chasers. Their numbers have been increasing recently, causing damage to townspeople.”
“Their habits are extremely simple. Once they lock onto prey, they don’t stop until they catch it. If those were real, what would have happened to you?”
In summary, he was trying to say, “I will make you strong enough to ensure you can outrun those monsters by the end of the semester.”
…Or something like that.
If you could offer offerings to God, you wouldn’t have to waste time on such foolishness.
This continent was indeed strange.
…Then again, as a student, I shouldn’t meddle in matters beyond my station.
Returning to the main topic, Dokan still wasn’t showing any particular reaction. He glanced at me for a moment, maybe acknowledging my presence.
Oh, so he felt a bit guilty, huh?
For a moment, I doubted my friend. Looking back, I wondered what had become of me.
The sunlight was warm, and my stomach was comfortably full, which made sleepiness wash over me. Dokan wouldn’t be doing anything foolish, so maybe I’d just take a short nap.