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CHAPTER 28 – GATHERING (3)
January 19, 2023 — 2 Comments
Initially, a person’s first impression lasts a long time. If you have a good first impression of someone, you will like that person until a certain incident occurs, and if you have a bad first impression, that bad impression won’t go away no matter how much good the person does afterward—the so-called ‘colored glasses’, which have a huge impact on human relationships that cannot be ignored.
And Jackson has a grudge against me, so no matter what I do, he’ll hate me.
“Do you know him?” Nicole asked me in an awkward atmosphere. She’s quick-witted, so she must have noticed Jackson’s discomfort with me.
In the first place, her question was ‘someone I know’, not ‘friend.’ Well, I nodded my head because she was right about the certain someone I know.
“Yeah. We both are Academics students.”
“Ah, right…”
“Don’t think that you and I are on the same level. It’s just disgusting.” Before Nicole could speak, Jackson’s rant pierced our ears. Nicole blinked, wondering if she had heard the words correctly.
Meanwhile, Jackson was expressing his displeasure as if the verbal abuse he had just hurled were obvious and true. I was aware that he was steeped in ‘chosen people’ ideology, but I didn’t know he would say it so openly in this way.
Jackson went on, “I’m just in a bad mood. Anyway, how much is this and that?”
“Huh? That… It’s 27 gold and 59 silver in total…”
In Korean currency, one piece of gold was worth about 100,000 won. And 1 gold equals 100 silver, so it was roughly around 2.76 million won.
Jackson expressed his displeasure at the exorbitantly high price, but then opened his mouth and stated that he didn’t care about the price. “Tsk. The design sucks, and it’s needlessly expensive. Anyway, Rex, pay the price and follow me.”
“All right.”
Perhaps wanting to get out of the gloomy atmosphere as soon as possible, he threw off his flashy costume and gave an order to the attendant named Rex. Rex picked up the robe that Jackson had thrown on the floor.
Then, as Jackson instructed, he took a pouch from his pocket, counted the gold coins one by one, and handed them to the sales lady.
“Here is 28 gold. Keep the balance.”
“Ah. Th-Thank you.”
“What are you doing?! Aren’t you coming already?!”
Although the attendant was not slow, Jackson let out a high-pitched voice filled with annoyance. While the employee flinched at the needlessly-high voice, Rex responded without blinking, as if this were the norm.
“I’m sorry, Young Master.”
“Hurry up quickly. And…” Jackson changed his mind and turned to face me. Despite the harsh gaze, I remained unimpressed and unaffected. After staring at me for a while, he glanced at Nicole standing next to me.
Then he sarcastically raised the corner of his mouth and said, “Could it be that you came to buy a suit with your sister? You’re not going to attend the freshman meeting, are you?”
“Oh yes, I am.”
“………”
It’s not necessary to say much to a guy like this, and it’s best to respond to sarcasm with a blunt answer. As I replied so, Jackson’s eyes twitched as I took his attitude in casually.
Jackson’s expression broke for a moment, but he soon opened his mouth with a mocking laugh. “…Yes. You’ll know when you attend. You’ll soon realize it’s just not your place to attend.”
“………”
“Let’s go, Rex.”
“All right, Young Master.”
Jackson then took a step and began to walk away. Before leaving, the attendant named Rex turned his head to face me. His bright green eyes stunned me a little. The attendant then bowed his head and apologized, as if he was sorry. Unlike his young master, the servant had a more refined and respectful personality.
“…what’s with that bastard?” Nicole muttered in an angry and almost ludicrous voice not long after Jackson and the attendant had completely left. I could probably guess how enraged she was when she cursed.
I looked at her face. To slightly exaggerate, she looked like she wanted to go on a rampage right away. To be honest, if my cherished siblings were openly insulted by others in front of me, even if it’s someone like me, I would be furious too.
I thought about how to explain Jackson to Nicole, then simply told her what I knew. “Jackson is simply a guy who hates me. I heard he’s from a wealthy Count family?”
“A wealthy Count…? Oh, he’s probably from the Kerrison family.”
“Huh? That’s right. How did you know?”
“It would be strange if there’s someone I don’t know. Kerrison is in the top 10 of the Empire in terms of wealth.”
Oh? It seems that the Count of Kerrison is famous.
My sister asked, “But why is he saying something so weird to you? What happened?”
“That’s…” Nicole understood after I explained it to her a bit: from the first class to Cecily and Rina, Jackson’s obvious infatuation with the two girls, and everything in between.
However, I did not mention Cecily and Rina by name, but referred to them simply as ‘pretty schoolgirls.’ Nicole already knew what those two girls were like, so there’s a good chance she’ll think I’ve gotten into trouble if I mention them.
As a result, the explanation was a little lengthy, but I briefly summarized it to ensure that she understood everything.
“…He’s just freaking out on his own, huh?”
“It’s like that.”
Jackson, as Nicole mentioned, was going wild by himself. The guy couldn’t help but feel upset because the girls he liked were closer to me. Furthermore, those two women were uninterested in Jackson.
Of course, he never gives up and talks to them whenever the opportunity arises, but Cecily and Rina still treat him in a businesslike fashion. In particular, I wonder if their favorability towards Jackson has decreased even more due to the seating assignment the other day.
If he would stay quiet and even go halfway toward moderating his superiority complex, he might receive better treatment from them; well, that’s exactly what I want to say to Jackson.
Meanwhile, Nicole appeared to think for a moment before placing her hand on my shoulder and asked, “Isaac, if he starts directly harassing you, tell me. I’ll do something about it, okay?”
I turned to look at her face. It was a face full of worry.
“Uh…” If Jackson starts bullying me, Rina will be the first to use her hand. Or maybe Marie, who is closer to me, will take care of it first. Unlike Jackson, Marie doesn’t uphold a sense of noble-born authority, because she is the daughter of a duke whose family is already much higher in noble authority and wisdom without needing to show it. However, Nicole will not know this at all unless I tell her.
In response, Nicole gently stroked my hair as if assuming my hesitancy was because I was actually worried when I just rolling my eyes. Her angry face was gone, leaving only a kind smile.
“You can’t answer because you’re afraid your sister will get into trouble? If that’s the case, don’t worry. Your sister has some connections.”
“Ah…okay.”
“Then shall we buy nice clothes now? Excuse me?” Nicole turned to the sales lady.
“Oh, yes! How can I help you?” At Nicole’s call, a sales lady who had been waiting from afar hurried over quickly. It is an impression of a foolish appearance with clean skin.
“I need formal clothes for him, but do you have a red suit? A color similar to his hair as much as possible.”
“Hmm… A scarlet suit… All right, wait a minute. I’ll take some measurements first.”
There was a minor incident after coming here, but the planned fitting for a new suit didn’t change. I stood in front of a full-length mirror and spread my arms wide as the sales lady brought a tape measure.
The lady stopped suddenly, looking startled, and asked in a timid voice, “Um… can I touch your body?”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“Just before, the customer told me not to touch his body…”
“………” There was only one person who was here before me. I sighed and answered quietly, “…I’m fine, so you can just do it.”
What a shoddy class-based society this is.
———————❖———————
Weekends are valuable to everyone. Some people take a delicious break to relax, while others enjoy hobbies to soothe their minds and body.
And Cecily, the princess of Helium, spends her weekends conversing with Rina. Rina was her first human friend since entering Halo Academy, and along with her other hobbies, no one was more at ease with her.
Despite the fact that Rina revealed the contents of Xenon’s Saga Volume 8 before Cecily had a chance to read it and they warred a bit, Rina apologized first and the matter was settled. Cecily, who refused to separate herself from Rina, had fully accepted Rina’s apology.
“Now. Here it is.”
Inside a cafe with an antique vibe, Rina placed a book on the round table and spoke to Cecily across from her. The book she placed on the table was none other than the next edition of Xenon’s Saga, the recently published Volume 8.
Cecily carefully held up the copy of Xenon’s Saga Volume 8 in her hand. She then flipped through the book’s pages, briefly inspecting its contents. Moments later, Cecily, after confirming that the book Rina had given her was genuine, closed the book with a satisfied expression.
Rina inquired, a little taken aback by her behavior, “You didn’t trust me and actually checked it?”
“Yeah. It’s possible you might have just changed the cover of the book without providing the true contents. I heard that scams like that are prevalent these days.”
“You know those words hurt me? Have you forgotten who I am?”
Cecily smirked, then laughed. “Of course, it’s a joke, just a joke. There’s no way you would do anything weird to me, right?”
Cecily’s joke was a bit offensive to her, but Rina held it in. It was because the crime she had committed against Cecily earlier was too great.
It’s different for everyone, but if someone reveals the ending of a favorite novel in the midst of an exciting development, it’s bound to make people angry. Even if you gave away spoilers by accident, the other person is still offended. Especially since Rina told Cecily the crucial identity of the person who duped the Xenon character because she thought Cecily had already read the eighth volume, which resulted in disaster.
Naturally, Cecily got angry, and Rina found herself in a bad mood too, and even had an argument with her about it. Fortunately, they calmed down and reconciled, but after that, Cecily never sat next to Rina.
“Phew… I get it. And I ask you, don’t ever tell anyone that I bought the 8th volume for you. Okay?”
“Of course. I’ll carry this secret to the grave.”
Rina smiled at Cecily’s happy smile as the girl hugged Volume 8 tightly. By the time she enters her grave, Rina’s own descendants will probably join her. For a moment, Rina had such an unkind thought, but she shook it off. What’s important right now is not Volume 8, but asking about her current situation.
“How’s academy life these days? Is it good?”
“There are no problems yet. Also, you are helping me out, after all.”
“Even a country like this has its limits. Do you have any concerns or questions?”
Cecily has lived for over 100 years, but this was her first time living in human society. Fortunately, the culture of the demons has many similarities with human culture, and so far she was living without difficulty.
But sometimes demons surprise people. The biggest example is flying through the sky using magic. Halo Academy prohibits the use of magic except in certain areas, so Rina was bound to be surprised
“I don’t have any specific questions, and if it’s something I care about…well, the freshman gathering? ” Cecily answered Rina’s question by tapping her cheek with her index finger as she said that.
Rina raised one eyebrow slightly in response. Cecily had also decided to follow Rina to the freshman meeting.
“Gathering? Why the Gathering?”
“I was curious about what kind of topics would be discussed at the gathering. Not only class-related subjects but also topics related to the non-academic students who are coming to the freshman gathering.”
“I’m not sure. But I’ll bet Xenon’s Saga will be one of the things discussed there. I’m sure of this.”
“Certainly, like you just said, it would be very disappointing if Xenon’s Saga were not included.”
As Xenon’s Saga was at the center of many topics recently, it was an indispensable one for public gatherings. Moreover, since the new volume was recently released, various stories will naturally be discussed.
“Come to think of it, what are you going to wear to the gathering?”
“I have a dress I brought from Helium. I’m going to wear that.”
“Can you tell me what it looks like?”
“What it looks like…?” In response to Rina’s question, Cecily set the book down for a moment. As long as she describes the clothes, she may as well draw a picture on the table using her finger, which should be sufficient.
Rina began to imagine it in her head as Cecily carefully drew a picture on the table with her finger. Rina’s face became increasingly stunned beyond surprise as Cecily sketched out her dress.
Furthermore, the surprised look on her face gave way to shock soon afterward, until Rina finally raised her head and stared at Cecily midway through her description. Her gaze was drawn to Cecily’s voluptuous chest. Even in her normal attire, she exudes an overwhelming presence.
Rina’s gaze shifted away from the girl’s chest and met Cecily. Cecily’s expression was calm after she finished explaining.
Rina sighed and asked, “…Are you really going to wear something like that to a gathering?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“No. There’s no problem…” Rina was at a loss as to how to explain this. The appearance of the dress Cecily described was obviously plain and simple to a certain degree. That’s for sure. But the problem is that it’s too simple.
Rina asked her in a voice of concern, “…Wouldn’t that be too revealing?”
Cecily’s answer was even more spectacular. “Won’t I be racy no matter what I’m wearing?”
“………”
Rina was stunned by the direct response. Like she just said, Cecily with that body of hers would look seductive no matter what dress she wore. However, the dress Cecily was going to wear was so outlandish that it could be described as unconventional.
“Anyway, it’s a bit… isn’t it? It’s too revealing…”
“I know what Rina is worried about. But you don’t have to worry. I can tolerate this much. More than anything…” Cecily paused for a moment before giving off her signature mischievous smile. “..It’s also because I am looking forward to seeing what kind of reaction a certain someone will show.”