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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
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Turning my head at David's words, I saw it.
A blue-haired woman, drawing the attention of countless people around her, was looking at me.
The A-class uniform, characterized by its blend of white and gold, looked elegant and luxurious, undoubtedly standing out compared to the blue and black C-class uniforms worn by those nearby.
"Glesia?"
I called out blankly, wondering why she had come to find me, and Glesia simply stared back without a word.
Her blue eyes, shining even bluer against her blue hair, just met mine. For a moment, I was dumbfounded.
Seriously, if you come looking for someone, you should speak.
After a brief moment of eye contact, Glesia finally opened her mouth.
"Han Cheon-seong. Do you have a moment?"
"Time... No, before that, what's going on?"
"You'll find out if you come with me."
My brow furrowed at her cryptic words.
I'd felt it when we first met, but Glesia's way of speaking was truly odd.
It was as if everything she said was entirely self-centered. She didn't consider the listener's perspective at all.
She should explain her purpose properly and ask me to come along for me to understand and agree, but she seemed to assume I'd naturally accept if she just said I'd find out if I came with her.
...For a moment, I considered refusing, but that didn't feel right.
It would only embarrass Glesia.
I couldn't do that.
I needed to get close to Glesia no matter what, and despite appearances, I was the one more desperate for a connection with her.
'Is something going on?'
I figured there must be some reason for her to seek me out like this. For now, I just had to offer David an awkward smile.
"David. I'm really sorry, but... it looks like it'll be a bit difficult to tour the academy together right now. Let's do it another time."
"Oh, oh. Right... Understood, Han Cheon-seong."
At my words, David, though unaware of the situation, tactfully stepped aside. I then approached Glesia and nodded.
"I have time, Glesia. But before anything else, I'd like to change our location."
Even as I looked around, the gazes pouring down on us were immense.
Since A-class students typically stayed far from this area, her mere presence drew significant attention.
After all, an A-class student had suddenly appeared among B and C classes; it would have been stranger if attention *hadn't* been drawn to her.
"Glesia. There are too many eyes on us inside. How about we go outside to talk?"
"Alright."
Glesia calmly replied and started walking ahead. As I matched her pace, my feelings were peculiar.
'What in the world does she want?'
I certainly considered my connection with Glesia a significant matter and held it in high regard.
She was an essential figure for my academy life, someone with whom I needed to forge the best possible relationship.
Yet, this current situation, walking with her, felt too out of the blue. Her staring at me during the entrance ceremony was one thing, but I never imagined Glesia would interrupt me just when I thought I was lucky enough to make a proper friend.
...And most importantly, the main issue was that the current environment wasn't ideal for me to draw attention from many people.
Thump.
Rustle….
Even now, as I walked alongside Glesia, I could feel the gazes of those around us. So many eyes.
Passing B and C-class students subtly glanced at us, showing interest. While Glesia might not notice, those gazes felt burdensome to me.
'If I had a legendary or at least a unique trait like Leonhardt, it would be different….'
But in reality, I only had a common trait.
If I attracted this much excessive attention, especially by being associated with an outstanding student like Glesia, it would only lead to unnecessary scrutiny from my perspective.
'...It would be troublesome if people started expecting things from me or if my name became known.'
After all, just having a connection with an A-class student was enough to draw attention.
And the academy life I desired was one where I was like air—seemingly there but not, while still taking care of my own practical needs.
But now.
Glesia's approach had completely messed that up.
—!
At that moment, my thoughts abruptly cut off.
Suddenly, I felt an intense gaze from behind me.
A gaze so strange, it felt like a sharp stab.
As I reached Spear Mastery Level 3 and became able to control mana, my senses extended beyond the ordinary.
Considering that spear mastery inherently emphasizes agility and sensitivity to others' gazes, this feeling was certainly no illusion.
Slowly, I looked back and saw someone staring intently at me from a distance.
A blond-haired man surrounded by several people. He was tall, and his face was incredibly handsome, almost annoyingly so, as some might say.
It was Leonhardt Lorient, the protagonist of this world. He was looking at me.
'Why is he looking at me so menacingly again?'
There's no way I'd know the protagonist, and naturally, he wouldn't know me.
But he was staring at me with a sharp gaze, far from a friendly one, and it made me feel strange.
"Han Cheon-seong. I think the C-class uniform is prettier."
At the sound, I blankly turned my head.
"Huh?"
"The C-class uniform. It's pretty."
Meeting Glesia's gaze as she said something out of the blue, I nodded blankly.
"Right...? The black and blue design is pretty, but still, Glesia, isn't the uniform you're wearing much better?"
Even as I replied, my gaze naturally fell on the uniform Glesia was wearing.
A uniform that exuded a subtle elegance, making it feel luxurious to anyone who saw it.
If someone who didn't know it was an academy uniform saw it, they might think it was a fancy formal attire for a banquet. It was that splendid.
Incomparable to the dull uniform I was wearing.
"Really? I don't really know."
Just then, Glesia suddenly turned her head.
...I wondered what kind of attitude that was.
Realizing Glesia had an amazing knack for cutting off conversations, I just let it be.
I glanced back again. Leonhardt, who had been glaring at me fiercely just moments ago, was no longer looking at me.
He was chatting and laughing with the A-class students gathered around him, wearing a bright smile... I tilted my head at the sight, yet felt an inexplicable unease.
The reason Leonhardt looked at me.
Given the circumstances, there could only be one.
It was because Glesia was walking nonchalantly beside me.
'Does he not like Glesia being with me right now?'
If not, there was no reason for Leonhardt to glare at me like that. I could roughly guess the reason, but I couldn't be certain.
In truth, I was also confused about what was going on in this situation.
Originally, Leonhardt, the protagonist of this world, had no significant contact with Glesia.
His relationships were already complicated just with the people he encountered in his own class, so he didn't have a wide social circle.
The situation seemed to have changed and taken a strange turn, leaving me with an unsettling feeling.
'Wait. Is this a big problem?'
It felt like the future I knew had changed. No, it was more like an intuition.
Right now, Glesia and Leonhardt, and Luna and Millia from my class. So many parts were different from the novel world I knew.
Would even the few elements I could utilize change as well?
A great worry swelled inside me, but I decided to think first.
'...Calm down.'
For now, I needed to focus on why Glesia wanted to see me in the first place.
…
After Glesia and I exited the grand auditorium, we reached a secluded area within the vast academy grounds.
Thud.
Glesia stopped walking, and I followed suit.
Whoosh.
A cool breeze blew, subtly rustling her blue hair. Glesia turned her body and looked at me.
I calmly met her gaze and gave a small nod.
"..."
It was truly astonishing.
Glesia said nothing at all.
Glesia seemed to be waiting for me to speak first. Or perhaps she wanted me to ask first, as she just kept looking at me.
It was... truly absurd, but in the end, I was the one who spoke first.
"Glesia, so why did you suddenly come looking for me?"
At my words, Glesia looked around, then hesitated. She seemed unable to speak easily. At that sight, I instantly grew tense.
What on earth did Glesia come to tell me, and why did she want to talk separately like this?
Everything about it felt strange.
'Is there something serious I don't know about?'
Or perhaps it had something to do with Leonhardt. As I unconsciously grew very tense, Glesia's mouth finally opened.
"...Just."
"Huh?"
"Just, I said."
She kindly repeated her answer, as if I hadn't heard, but the content was so absurd that I could only blink.
I stared blankly at Glesia for a moment, then sighed softly and spoke.
"Glesia. So you're saying... you just called me?"
"Yeah."
Seriously, I wish she wouldn't give such short answers.
What you're saying right now makes the listener feel like their insides are going to burst...
Of course, even as I thought that to myself, I let out a dry, "Haha."
What in the world...
Who exactly is this woman, Glesia?
Even as I thought that, I found myself speaking.
"So you just... want to talk with me?"
If I didn't ask, this woman...
...seemed like she wouldn't say anything again.
***
"..."
After Glesia disappeared, Leonhardt, who was still in the grand auditorium, felt nothing short of peculiar.
It was the first time.
Facing a woman who showed no reaction to his words.
Looking at the student who happened to sit next to him, he found himself speaking to her without realizing it.
Elegant yet dignified.
A woman possessing refined beauty.
That's why he felt an immediate attraction.
Enough to make him speak to her first.
But the response he received was silence.
Or rather, a series of short answers like "Uh," or "No."
"...Leonhardt!?"
"Huh?"
"We're about to tour the academy. You should come with us!"
He offered an awkward smile to Yumia, who was speaking to him familiarly.
"Alright. Let's go together."
Even as he moved to join them, it kept lingering in his mind.
Glesia, approaching a man who clearly seemed to be from C-class and speaking to him directly.
The more he thought about it, the stranger Glesia seemed.
A type of woman he had never encountered before.
'And who exactly was that man?'