Unedited
I instinctively sensed that Kyle’s feelings were hurt by the part where I said ‘sorry’ rather than the part where I hugged him. But we were still friends, and all I could do was try not to be overly self-conscious.
As I counted to thirty in my head, I saw Kyle looked depressed. I decided to bring up a more important topic to lighten the mood.
“So how do we make it happen? The mana overflow.”
Before responding, Kyle skillfully erased unnecessary emotions from his eyes and his voice.
“I’ll have to think about it.”
He spoke briefly, then closed his mouth again, this time seemingly lost in thought. Unable to help myself, I did the same, and soon an idea flashed through my mind.
“You know, Kyle. What if I just replace Blossom altogether? What if I really try to get in her way?”
At first glance, it seemed like a perfect plan. Since the system had already mistaken me for Blossom, it seemed like it wouldn’t be relatively difficult to exploit that. Moreover, Blossom already thought I was interfering with her. Just like during the incident with Cantrell, I hate being treated unfairly, so when someone dislikes me, I have to give them a good reason to justify their hate.
However, Kyle’s face turned dark. No, it wasn’t just that his face was turning dark; he looked really pissed. He now resembles Marty in a different way. All he had to do was wear a tacky sombreros.
“Why? Honestly, isn’t that the easiest way? You know about ‘events’ and…”
I didn’t understand why Kyle had suddenly turned sour, so I continued to voice my opinion. At first, he ignored, then repeated his no, and then finally gritted his teeth. His voice rose.
“Aren’t you being a bit too much?”
“… Uh?”
“Do you think I didn’t consider that possibility? You seem to have forgotten, Ariel. I love you. I want to hold your hand, I want to hug you, and I want to kiss you so badly right now that its driving me insane. I’m only holding back because I know it’ll only make you run away from me.”
‘If you find out what dirty thoughts are in my head, you won’t be friends with me.’ I desperately hoped Kyle would laugh after he said that, but that didn’t happen. He didn’t even add, ‘I’m just kidding,’ like he usually did after saying, ‘You know I love you,’ jokingly out of habit.
With each word he spoke, he got closer to me. As I took a step back without realizing it, my back hit the spinning wheel. So we ended up standing face to face with only an inch of space between us.
“And now you want me to help you date other bastards? Really?”
“Hey, Kyle… .”
“Get a grip, Ariel Mitchell Dalton. I’m not an idiot or a saint.”
Kyle sarcastically called me by my complete name. The words of apology lodged in my throat.
I hated my full name with passion. Because my middle name was a boy’s name (my name was a combination of the names my parents had picked for their first child., so if I had been a boy, my full name would have been Mitchell Ariel Dalton, and I would have hated it for exactly the opposite reason I did now).
Kyle knew that too. It was hard not to know, since when I was Dalton’s little devil and he was Villard’s crybaby master, I would beat him up every time he said it. So for him to call me “Ariel Mitchell Dalton”? It was like asking for a fight.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. It was true that I was insensitive. But I hadn’t done anything wrong. Because it was Kyle who decided to love me in the first place without expecting to reciprocate his feelings. He said he wouldn’t make it uncomfortable. Yet here he was. Suddenly, anger flared up within me.
“You seem to also have forgotten, but I already rejected you.”
The next moment, Kyle had completely snapped. He pulled on my waist with one hand. His other hand wrapped around the back of my neck.
Kyle’s first attempt ended in failure because of my struggles. His swollen lips fell on my chin. On his second attempt, I hit him hard with my fist.
“You crazy bastard!”
Kyle stamped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. It looked like the inside of his mouth bled. I was confused as to whether it was my fist who did it or the system. Actually, it didn’t really matter.
I shook off Kyle’s grip on my wrist or shoulder and sprinted across the witch’s path. My blood was rushing so fast through my body that my heart was pounding. I was on the verge of losing my mind.
I ran non-stop and felt pretty much fine by the time I reached the magic science classroom. Judging by the fact that I heard Liz, who was sitting next to me, asking what was wrong before saying hello, I didn’t seem to be all that well, but I was anyway.
I opened the Monster Biology textbook extremely calmly and coolly. Perhaps due to the influence of Professor Monaghan, a perverted sexual fanatic, only passages related to the mating habits of arrogant monsters caught my eye today.
Even slimes, which could never be called intelligent creatures, sought the consent of their partners when mating. Even kneeling down and offering something to set the mood isn’t enough, so what kind of bullshit is that? The more I thought about it, the more shameful it felt.
However, as I thought about it for the last time, I found myself imagining my childhood friend kneeling and presenting something to set the mood. The paragraph explaining the mating of slimes soon became covered in ink due to repeated underlining.
***
Going down the genealogy, Anais O’Brien was a not-so-distant relative of Keran Illestia. I’d never had a chance to realize this until now. ‘Until now’ being the crucial phrase, because something unexpected had happened.
Anais had submitted a leave of absence form just two days before the exams. Because her grades weren’t very good, even if Anais returned to school for the second semester and finished fifth grade, she would likely still have to repeat the grade.
The incident that occurred just before her drastic decision had become quite the topic of conversation, with all of Fitzsimmons buzzing about Anais and Bree. It would have been enough for a girl as fragile as Torus, whom I knew and everyone now knows, to break down, but surprisingly, Anais O’Brien, who left a wide bruise on Brianna Mosley’s chin, did not. She behaved quite confidently, even in front of Christa Edwards, who was brandishing a quill menacingly.
“I’m not hiding; I’m keeping my word.”
Her face was pale and her voice was trembling, but there was an uncanny strength in her eyes.
“You can keep your promise the day after tomorrow.”
Megan Cleveland, who is close friends with Jacqueline Faulkner, grumbled. She didn’t seem to like the fact that Faulkner had to miss graduation because of Anais’s unilateral and impulsive choice.
“I’m sorry, Megan.”
Anais apologized politely. Even though Anais had no known relationship with Megan Cleveland, she called her by her first name. It was because she hated her half-brother, Manuel—Walsh’s confidant and the same Manuel Cleveland who was my adversary—so much that she refused to be called by the same last name as him.
She was such a considerate girl. Since getting to know Anais, I have been able to discover new things to love about her every day.
Megan Cleveland wasn’t the only one to express concern about Anais’ decision. I, Liz, Kelly, and even Bree all hoped that Anais would at least leave the academy after taking the exam. Anais shook her head with determination every time we tried to stop her. Any delay, she said, would crush her resolve.
Faulkner did only slightly better than Anais. It wasn’t to the point where she didn’t have to repeat a grade. In other words, Faulkner also could not graduate from Fitzsimmons this year. But for Faulkner, graduation was not a big deal. She had been wailing all day since yesterday. It was because there was a gold coin-sized patch on Anais’ head.
“Ugh, heuk, uh… Heuk…”
“Jackie, stop crying. Brianna made me a hair growth potion.”
“How can you believe that, Anna—Can’t you see that she has a beard?!”
Faulkner pointed at me nervously. I quickly looked away, trying to block my stubbly chin from Faulkner’s view. The members of the girls’ salon except for Kelly (who couldn’t come out because she was trapped in a barrier she created while practicing barrier techniques for the exam) and Megan Cleveland were crossing the plaza to see off Anais and Faulkner, so when I turned my head, I made eye contact with the boys sitting on the stairs.
Among them was Edgar. He laughed so hard yesterday that he actually vomited when Brianna’s hair growth medication side effects gave me a beard that rivaled Professor Cunningham’s. Asshole. I gave him a big middle finger as he started laughing again.
“Ariel.”
Brianna Mosley, who had spent two days stirring a cauldron and now had firm biceps, couldn’t agree with Faulkner’s harsh assessment. As she began to fight with Faulkner over the lady she was serving, Anais tugged on my sleeve.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Of course.”
Anais took me to the promenade leading to the square. A palm-sized bag dangled from the waistband of her light outdoor dress.
Anais’s closet was larger and more packed than Brianna’s, but she took nothing with her when she returned to O’Brien. It was a sign of her determination that she would definitely return in glory. If Anais failed to properly convey her will this time, it was clear that when her vacation was over, she would go straight to the abbey instead of Fitzsimmons.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“No, I’m not… .”
Anais’ face paled. She looked worse than Edgar, who was on the verge of vomiting.
“Honestly, I’m terrified. Ever since he became my tutor, I haven’t said a word to my parents except through him.”
“But Anais, you’ve never hit anyone before, and yet you managed to strike Brianna’s vital point. You have talent as a fighter. You might also have the talent to be an eloquent speaker.”
Anais laughed a little at my joke. The corners of her mouth rose slightly.
“Hey, Ariel.”
“Yeah?”
“I received an explanation from Keran. He said it was his fault that the rumours about me spread and that you got hurt from overexerting yourself. That’s why Brianna was so angry… isn’t it?”
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