As I was going to school with Jane, I was suspicious of the cluttered back road and looked around.
“It’s the first day of school, so it’s very messy.”
“There’s that, but maybe it’s because of the transfer student.”
“A transfer student?”
“He’s a precious man. They sent the Prince to the Academy to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the peace treaty between Agras and the Abascanthus Empire.”
“You mean that the prince was coming to our academy?”
“Yes. Our prince was in the Abascanthus Empire Academy, and that prince was in our academy.”
When I first heard it, I only blinked my eyes.
“Why am I hearing this for the first time?”
“That’s because it’s a secretly known rumor among nobles. Our academy banned everyone from mentioning our status, right? Well, it’s only a matter of time before the rumors spread since school has started.”
“Then there’s no sense in commemorating it, wasn’t it? It’s a commemoration if you tell it publicly.”
Jane raised her eyebrows.
“How do I know what high-ranking people think? And after some time, everyone would know about our identity. Wasn’t that what you think it was?”
“Well.”
“As long as there’s a social circle, it’s impossible to hide one’s identity completely. Just by looking at our academy, yes, you’re blinded.”
“Well, that’s true.”
As I cleared my doubts and walked down the road again, Jane suddenly screamed aloud, as if she remembered something.
“Ugh! I left my major book in the dormitory! Sorry, Leen, would you like to go first? I think I should stop by the dormitory.”
Today morning was a major class and in the afternoon was our common subject class, so I couldn’t bring a book to lunch.
Leen clicked her tongue and let Jane go. “Don’t be late.”
“Yes!”
After letting Jane go, I arrived at the academy and headed alone to the herbal medicine class. It’s been a long time since I woke up early, so I still feel like walking half asleep.
So I was walking down the hallway with my eyes half closed, and I felt someone walking in front of me.
Without thinking, I swerved to the right. Of all things, the person in front of me avoids it in the same direction. Then I moved to the left again.
But the timing was weird. I think that person in front of me was moving in the same direction as me.
Leen noticed the problem and stood still this time. Both of them are trying to avoid each other, so there’s no choice but to block their ways.
When I did not move my body, the person in front of me stopped moving.
…Was he blocking the way? I looked up at the person in front of me.
The person in front of me also looked dumbfounded, thinking that I was blocking the road on purpose.
The person blocking the way has dark blue hair. Unlike his rather sharp-looking impression, he was a male student who somehow seemed gentle.
Looking at his face, he must be popular.
“What kind of trick was this?”
Oh, you have a nice voice.
…Huh? Trick?
When I looked at him blankly, wondering what he was talking about, he frowned as if he was displeased.
“I’m a fool to believe that Agras would be a little less…”
Why are we talking about the Empire all of a sudden? What are you talking about?
I tried to open my mouth, but it was him who opened his mouth to speak first.
“I hope you don’t get my attention this way from now on.”
He uttered only what he had to say and passed me by with a cold face. At first glance, it seemed to contain contempt.
Don’t tell me you think I blocked the road because I was interested in you?
At his ridiculous misunderstanding, I instantly woke from my sleepiness.
Wow, what the hell was that guy? I think that excess self-consciousness would be serious.
ꕥ
After all morning classes, it was time for lunch. Leen was having lunch with Jane at the school cafeteria.
There was a sense of excitement in her careless gaze. She was chatting and laughing with her friends.
I was trying to look away again without much care, but suddenly I saw a baked potato on ‘potato-girl’s’ plate.
What? Potatoes eat potatoes. How could she eat her kind? I was shocked and quickly fixed my gaze on her plate.
Ugh. No, no! Say goodbye!
No matter how delicious it looks, it’s that kind of humanity… No, something’s wrong.
Fortunately, the potato girl and her friends passed by me holding a plate, perhaps not noticing my gaze.
“But your skin has gotten a lot better these days. What’s your secret? Seeing that you’ve only got a lot of potatoes today on your plate, are you…?”
Potato-girl smirked at her friend’s reasoning.
“No way. I spent a lot of money this vacation buying cosmetics that were good for my skin. It’s hard to find even if you have money, but I was lucky.”
Potato-girl’s skin, who was talking to her friends, was definitely shiny. If I exaggerate a bit, it feels like a mosquito would slide even if it sits on it.
“It smells bad when you apply it, but when you see the effect immediately after applying it a few times, it worked, so there’s nothing I could do.”
I was rummaging through the salad with a fork, and I heard her and lifted my head immediately.
It has a distinctive pungent odor when applied… No way.
“Really? What’s the name of the cosmetic?”
“Barmon Knirina.”
“Wow, I’ve never heard of it before, and it looks so luxurious.”
I eventually jumped out of my seat.
“Uh, Leen?”
I strode leaving behind Jane’s call and called out to the potato girl. “Potato girl.”
She turned her head naturally at my call. Although she hated it outwardly, it seemed that she had already admitted that in her heart she was a potato girl.
“I- I’m not a potato!” She shouted as if belatedly realizing that she had acted to admit that she was a potato girl.
At the potato girl’s loud voice, the attention of the students in the cafeteria was on us. Then I spoke without caring about their gazes.
“Potato girl, throw away those cosmetics right now.”
“What, did you just listen to our conversation? And who are you to order me to throw away my cosmetics?”
“The product you’re applying was designed for temporary and immediate effect. The first few times are fine, but if you use it continuously, your skin would melt.”
‘Barmon Knirina’ that the potato girl was talking about was a cosmetic made from rural weed.
Rural weeds are a medicinal herb that builds up toxins when used continuously.
It was obvious what would happen if toxins build up on the skin. In fact, ‘Barmon Knirina’ was a famous cosmetic product that used to be purchased at a high price among ladies in the past.
However, the product was discontinued shortly thereafter. This was because there have been many victims of the side effects of Barmon Knirina.
The cosmetics that Potato-girl obtained are probably the products that were sold at the time and maintained like new by applying preservation magic.
How do I know this in detail?
It was my late mother, who made the cure for the side effects of Barmon Knirina. The side effects of Barmon Knirina’s strangely divine power didn’t work for its cure.
The doctors also shook their heads and agreed that it couldn’t be cured.
However, my mother eventually found out that the raw material for the cosmetics was rural weeds, and after that, she worked hard to develop a cure.
“Don’t lie. My skin looks better after just applying it a few times. What? Does it melt my skin if I apply it continuously? You’re talking nonsense.”
Potato-girl snorted as if she had not yet grasped the seriousness of the situation.
“Oh, I lost my appetite. Let’s eat outside today. I’ll treat you guys.”
She looked at me annoyingly and took her friends out of the room.
Jane, who was listening to me and the potato girl’s conversation, carefully placed her hand on my shoulder.
“Do you want me to take care of it?”
Jane narrowed her brows. She had a friendly face, but the energy emanating from her body was ferocious.
It’s like she’s going to break down someone’s body into nano-scale pieces if she catches them. I shook my head slowly.
“No. You don’t have to go. I already warned her ahead of time, and the only consequence of not listening to me was that she’ll realize her immaturity.”
ꕥ
Jane went into the classroom first after lunch because of her assignment. Leen let her go first and walked around the garden around the academy to think and digest.
Although I said that the responsibility was to be sensible, I felt stuffy as if something was stuck inside.
I don’t think the potato girl would listen to my warning and refrain from using it. By the time she saw the change in her skin and felt a sense of crisis, I thought I’d give her medicine to treat it.
I don’t know why I’m making a cure even if I’m told not to.
Indeed, if someone asks you to throw away the cosmetics you bought for a large sum of money, who would throw them away immediately saying, “Yes!” Even she and I are not on good terms.
No, but still…! Sigh…
Knowing it was no use getting angry, I walked through the garden with a deep sigh.
At that time, as if to soothe my heart, a herb was seen along the way. It wasn’t precious, but it was a herb needed for my ongoing research.
I scrambled to the side, stroking the herbs that bloomed beautifully. And then…
Knock, knock—
At once, I separated the flower from the stem.
“…What are you doing?”
I was startled by the voice of someone shouting and I sat down on the spot. I looked at the place where the voice came from, wondering if it was a gardener, and in the morning the self-conscious patient was looking at me with angry eyes.
“Hey, you. You’re that person from the morning.”
“No, it’s… I’m…”
“I don’t need excuses. Do you think the campus garden belongs to you? What a heinous person you are.”
“What? Heinous?”
“The attitude of picking flowers for no reason was terrible. Do you know how hard it takes a plant to produce a single flower? If you do this one more time next time, then I won’t sit still. “
He walked away with a face that seemed to hate people like me the most in the world. I glared at the place where he left and thought that I had a problem today.
“You really don’t listen to other people.”
I think he thought I picked flowers just for fun or boredom… The reason why I picked flowers was that this plant grows fruit only when its flowers are picked.
Originally, as time passed, the flower part would be cut off by itself and the fruit would spawn, but it was as if I shortened the process.
…I did cut this part out because the part I needed was the flower, but even so, it wasn’t something for him to get angry about.
In the first place, there’s no way I could damage the plants in the Academy Garden without permission.
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