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Chapter 160: I just Want to Enjoy Common Developments!
Hmm, it’s a problem that there are no movements whatsoever.
I had been diligently parading through the academy during recessions, but I didn’t find any places where Mr. Fluff had gathered… Or to be more precise, I was the one with the biggest accumulation of Mr. Fluff…
And even though I’m looking so very, very frail, I couldn’t form any fateful connections with anyone ever since that incident… Although an academy for nobles should have a strict pecking order, why didn’t anyone speak up to me, a plain commoner?
Especially since the usual development would certainly include me having some false accusations thrown at me or being insulted with “Why is a filthy commoner walking in the middle of the hallway?” Another development would abide to the following scenario: 『Someone runs into me』 〉〉 『The other party falls over on purpose』 〉〉 『They’ll pull a super, exaggerated show to frame me』.
But instead, I kinda feel like I’m being avoided by the nobles who’re walking the hallways.
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When I came back to my classroom, my roommate Swan Bally approached me. He was trying to get along with me, a commoner, due to us sharing a room, it seems. But, since I wouldn’t stay at the academy for long anyway, it’d be totally fine for him to not pay me any attention, really…
“Where did you go?”
“…Nowhere in particular. I was just hoping for a development where I’d get picked on by some noble after walking a few steps across the hallway as a commoner, but no one confronted me with any false accusations or anything. Believing that to be strange, I tried to walk all over the place.”
Swannyboy stared at me with his mouth agape. 1
“In the end, no one tried anything with me. I really wonder why. What do you think, Swannyboy? Why is that so?”
“……I don’t know, but, still, if you walk around while planning for something to happen, it might lead to such situations unexpectedly avoiding you.”
He said something that could have come out of Sword’s mouth.
“But, why do you want them to pick on you anyway?” Swannyboy asked me timidly.
“Hmm? Because it’s more fun that way!”
In response, he looked at me with a face, clearly saying, “Is this guy for real?”
“…Fun?”
“Don’t you think it’s no fun if such very common developments are missing? A frail-looking, beautiful girl…err, boy is somehow being bullied while being told, 『Just your existence is already a sore!』 by stinky, ugly folks such as small-fry nobles! It’s rather ordinary as a setting, but isn’t that a story you hear fairly often?”
“……Y-Yep. I don’t quite get it, though…”
Swannyboy is someone who doesn’t read many novels?
“Oh well, whatever. I think it’s common. And since I finally managed to enroll at the academy, I want to enjoy some common developments as they happen so often!”
“……Indra, you’re definitely weird.”
He brought our conversation to an end with those words.
＊
“In short, you’re saying you have been acting in a way so as to deliberately cause some incidents, Indra?”
When I turned around towards that voice, I spotted two extremely shiny boys standing behind me.
“That’s slander, you know? I don’t intend to do anything like causing incidents. It’s just…oh right, I’m aiming for the seat of the strongest in this academy. That’s why I’m walking around to make it easier for challengers to show up.”
One of them became flabbergasted while the other narrowed his eyes.
“The seat of the strongest in this academy? Wouldn’t it be fine to challenge people to a duel during our practical lesson’s mock battles?”
“Ah, that won’t work. It’s pointless, and I’m forbidden from participating in any mock battles to begin with. I was told I’d kill my opponents or block any attack my opponent threw at me, thus making it not much of a mock battle.”
Even the squinting boy, who had questioned me, finally became flabbergasted.
“…Even if it’s just bragging, you sure are brazen. Don’t you know the current strongest person in the academy?”
“I do. Sword…Instructor Sword, right? But, he’s an instructor, so yeah… If possible, I’d like to narrow it down to students.”
Everyone looked at me in shock. They started to whisper among each other, and some like Swannyboy became ghastly pale.
“What’s wrong? Was the answer so obvious that it became boring instead?”
“…The strongest in the academy is pretty obviously Prince Elias over here!!”
Oh, he was a prince? No wonder he’s so shiny.
“Hmm, is it that one? Those fixed matches for social reasons? Well, the surroundings have it tough as well. …But, you’re wrong. That’s not the kind of position I want. I’m attracted by developments that make my heart throb.”
Swannyboy started to cry all of a sudden.
Eh? Was this so moving that he’d start to cry?
“…You did well to call them out as fixed matches for social reasons. You show some promise despite being a commoner. Alright, I’ll challenge you to duels during the next swordsmanship and magic lessons.”
I shrugged my shoulders, “Sure, if you can get the instructor to agree. I can’t decide it on my own discretion. For this very reason I’ve been walking around, searching for unauthorized duels.”
An event where someone yells, “I challenge you to a duel!”, isn’t bad, but it doesn’t seem likely for Sword to approve of that.
“I won’t use any underhanded, cowardly means, okay? I’ll definitely get permission, so just wait and see.”
Since he told me all that, I answered, “Well, go for it. By the way, I’m fine with you using underhanded tricks, you know? That way would be more fun after all!”
That caused him to fly into a rage.
I wonder why?
Translation Notes:
She calls him Swan-kun. -kun is a familiar address for someone, so I opted for another nickname of the “boy” series, just like Ben-kun. ^.^