How To Live As An Academy Extra Villain

✦ Chapter 123 ✦

「Translator – Creator」

𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝

“I’m Edwin Reed.”

“N-nice to… m-meet… h-hh…”

Hertie shuddered as I grasped his outstretched hand as if he’d been jolted by static electricity.

“Relax. We’re both first-years.”

“Uh… y-yes… I… I understand… no, I mean…”

There was something… off about Hertie’s behavior towards me. Was he excessively nervous? Or was he afraid of me? I tried to speak as gently as possible, but it didn’t seem to have much effect.

I couldn’t fathom why he, a noble, would act this way towards me. If he had been openly hostile, like Pamela, I could have understood. Perhaps he was just timid by nature.

“Ugh… this is driving me crazy… why…?”

“Why? This is hilarious. It’s fine, Pamela. Just try to ruin it. I dare you…”

“Oh, seriously!”

Pamela was still glaring at me from a distance, pulling at her hair as she watched me greet Hertie. I could faintly hear Carne scolding her.

“Luno… Yeah. I’m the vice president of the Club. I look forward to working with you.”

“Edwin Reed. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“…? Oh… right… nice to…”

The second-year student who had been with Carne yesterday approached me and offered his hand. He was wearing glasses, his hair neatly combed. He looked … familiar.

“…Hmm. You’re… not quite what I expected. I guess rumors can’t be trusted…”

A look of surprise crossed his face as I shook his hand and bowed, probably because he hadn’t mentioned his family name.

“Anyway, welcome to the club. To be honest, it’s been a bit overwhelming for me to handle everything on my own…”

After the introductions, Luno’s demeanor relaxed, and he began to fill me in on the details.

The Constellation Observation Club was a small club, with only about ten members. Luno wasn’t particularly interested in constellations.

However, his girlfriend, Carne, was the club president, so he had been… persuaded… to join and boost their numbers. Even with him, the club was still struggling to meet the minimum membership requirement, and their funding was on the verge of being cut.

“…We registered as a small club, but we were still short on members… it was a crisis… and then… you showed up…”

“Why not just use your personal funds to cover the operating expenses? It can’t be that much…”

“We’re not allowed to use personal funds for club activities within the academy, except for official events like the ball. Something about maintaining fairness…”

Once he started talking, it was like a dam had burst open. It turned out that Luno was the only male student in the Constellation Observation Club. 

But there was no field of flowers in front of him. He was a commoner and timid, and he said he was always being pushed around by others. 

Indeed, just from his appearance, Luno looked very simple and honest. Could someone like him possibly manage seniors like Pamela? Even I found it hard to believe.

“But isn’t Hertie also a boy? Or did he join recently, too?”

“Ah, aah… Right… That’s right…”

Luno suddenly looked flustered at my question.

“…Yes, Hertie hasn’t been here long either… And, well… calling him a man is a bit… complicated…”

Luno tried to find a delicate way to describe Hertie’s… delicateness, but even then, his voice trailed off, as if he thought it would be rude to say anything more. He kept glancing around nervously.

Fortunately, the rest of the group was a little distance away, so they couldn’t hear us. Just from his attitude, I could imagine the difficulties he must have been experiencing. 

“Luno! What are you talking about? Come over here quickly!”

His girlfriend, Carne, waved at us. Luno was surprisingly talented. I heard that he had never once fallen out of the top ten in the second year.

Apparently, Carne’s family already considered him as good as their son-in-law. As soon as he received even a minor title, they were planning to announce their engagement.

“Ha…”

Pamela was still glaring at me. Hertie was next to her, looking calmer than before. I could feel his hazel eyes flickering towards me.

He was certainly handsome, with a delicate physique. In many ways, he gave the impression of being more refined than bold. I could understand Luno’s reaction to some extent…

“…Stay away from our Hertie. At least ten feet away. No? Just don’t even talk to him.”

“…Pamela… Stop it…”

Hertie looked extremely uncomfortable at Pamela’s words.

“…Wait, are you two dating or something? Like Carne and Luno? You seem really close.”

“Yeah.”

“N-no…! Pamela! Don’t lie!!”

It was an idle question on my part, but their reactions couldn’t have been more different. Pamela answered immediately, while Hertie pulled a face, as if he were about to cry, and stomped his foot, yelling at Pamela. Pamela just stared at him in a daze.

“…Oh…”

* * * * *

I left the stone tower and went straight to my next destination. I had made plans with Selene through the spirits last night.

It had been well into the night by the time I had returned to the academy, and yesterday had been filled with events, so we hadn’t had a chance to talk properly.

“The Constellation Observation Club…? There’s a club like that…?”

“I found it by chance. I thought it would be a good place for some peace and quiet…”

“I… I see…”

Selene’s voice trailed off, a hint of regret in her tone.

“It’s a shame… It would have been nice to do it together… Maybe I should switch clubs now…?”

Selene had joined a gardening club called the Rose Society while I was gone. She was half-coerced into it by some second-year girls, but surprisingly, she ended up enjoying it. She said she had been captivated by the sight of their colorful garden and had signed up on the spot.

Spirits had an affinity for nature, so it was a good fit for her. She had tried to ask me about joining at the time, but I had already left the academy.

To make matters worse, she hadn’t found out until after she had submitted her application that the Rose Society didn’t accept male members.

“Yesterday was the last day to apply… So I probably won’t be able to transfer until next year…”

“…Just think about it a little more…”

“Oh, come on. If you were that eager to join, you must have liked it to some extent, right? And it’s a good opportunity to make friends with the other students. They’re all being very kind, you said?”

“I know, but…”

Selene still sounded disappointed. The strange thing was, unlike me, she was receiving an outpouring of sympathy from the other students.

It struck me as strange, considering that only a handful of students from Class-C had actually witnessed her outburst at Eugene that morning. And even then, it had happened so early that not everyone had arrived yet.

While Selene grumbled about the unfairness of it all, I didn’t feel compelled to set the record straight.

In a way, I was relieved she hadn’t been caught in the crossfire with me. Knowing her temperament, she probably wouldn’t have handled the criticism very well.

“Now we hardly spend any time together… Our schedules don’t match…”

“…………”

“The other students think I’m… you know… yours… What if their impression of me fades…?”

“You’re worrying too much… It’s fine… That won’t happen…”

“…Hmph.”

Selene pouted, clearly not liking my answer.

“…You really don’t have to worry. We can just apply to be in the same group for the upcoming field training.”

“Ah, right… There’s that…”

“See? We’ll have to stick together then, whether you like it or not…”

“…I don’t mind that… heh…”

Selene finally relaxed her expression and gave a silly smile. Then, as if something came to mind, she asked another question, her fingers fidgeting with her hair, “…But what about the other team members…?”

“Well… I haven’t…”

“And what about Cecila…?”

“She’s… probably not an option… I bumped into her briefly, and she said the exchange students from the Holy Kingdom were planning to form their own group…”

“Hmm…”

“…..…?”

“…Never mind. Speaking of which… Ellie…? Is she okay…?”

“Yes. She should be back at the academy within the week…”

I hadn’t mentioned that my recent outing had been to visit Ellie in the hospital, but Selene had also been curious about her absence. I had once told her that Ellie was just recovering from a minor illness.

“Then… Will… Will you include Ellie in the party…?”

I found myself momentarily at a loss for words to answer Selen’s question. The dilemma I had been grappling with weighed heavily on my mind. The golden medallion of Carnias was still in my pocket.

This situation had nothing to do with my personal feelings toward Ellie. The current circumstances were extremely complex. The political landscape was a tangled mess, not to mention the implications for the people around me, including Selene.

The outcome of the last duel had shown what lay ahead for Selene and, by extension, for me. 

At this moment, I was unable to choose or abandon either option. We were intertwined like old vines.

Even if I tried to push them away, would they let me? And what if the situation were reversed? I didn’t need to overthink it.

“Probably, yes…”

Selene fell silent for a moment after hearing my response. Then she cautiously asked me.

“…But… I’m your closest friend, right…?”

Once again, I knew exactly what my answer should be.

Translator’s Notes :-

I feel like I have an inkling to who Hertie might be? I might be wrong though…

— End of Chapter —

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