CH 2

In the first semester of fifth grade, Brianna Mosley shared an ex-boyfriend with me—to be exact, my ex, Adam Walsh, is now Bree’s current boyfriend.

Walsh, the son of a bitch who had nothing to brag but his pretty face, began reaching out to Bree in the second semester of our fourth year when his three-year relationship with me began to show signs of an uneven end.

I later found out that Bree didn’t realize that his relationship with me and the period during which Walsh dated her overlapped, and that’s why Bree thought I was being pathetic towards a relationship that had already ended.

I also harbor bad feelings for Briana Mosley, whom I thought fell for Walsh’s wayward tricks even though he was still my boyfriend. And this continued until the 1st semester of 5th grade, when we shared the same room due to the dormitory’s reorganization.

It was around summer vacation that I started to get close to Bree in earnest. Brianna Mosley was the illegitimate daughter of a holy priest who was pretty well known in Illestia. She was forced into the academy by her father after being blackmailed by her mother (biological). Having only her hometown to return to, she chose to stay at the academy during the golden summer vacation. And during that short but also long summer break, Adam Walsh, the son of a bitch came back with an affair.

Having a common enemy, we decided to unite. We quickly became close friends that no one could separate.

Anyway, Ariel Dalton in the first semester of 5th grade wasn’t Brianna Mosley’s best friend. I scratched the back of my head shyly and burrowed myself into the blanket again.

Brianna asked if I had a nightmare. Rosemary Blossom’s out-of-focus eyes came to mind. I felt a bottomless fear remembering it. That happened 9 months from today. I shivered slightly. Was it a nightmare? Those nine months? Blossom transferred, became the student council princess, and Walsh cheated on Bree so I became best friends with her…

Clinging to the professor of magic science to avoid flunking due to failing grades, getting my dress ripped off at a banquet  of the month of love then getting my name on the Fitzsimmons Times, and running around playing silly pranks with Kyle… Were those nine months only an illusion?

There was no way to find out. I thought about asking Rosemary Blossom directly, but it was still before her admission, and I didn’t have the confidence to pierce that solid five-layer shield of hers.

And what if everything was really an illusion I created?

In reality, someone named Rosemary Blossom might not have existed. Adam Walsh could have only looked at Brianna purely and nobly, and my dress at the Valentine’s banquet would remain intact.

Nothing has happened yet, so I decided to take it easy. Since this happened, I thought it would be better to get close to Brianna earlier and study. I’ll study magic science harder.

However, Rosemary Blossom came to transfer that afternoon. Two weeks later she became the secretary of the student council, and in another two weeks she became the princess of the student council again.

During the summer vacation, Adam Walsh sure enough had an affair. I teamed up with Brianna to get that bastard’s ass kicked. The fictional character we created by combining Walsh’s face with a pig’s torso created a sensation within Fitzsimmons.

In magic science, I didn’t fail any subjects. My dress for the Valentine’s  banquet was very sturdy. Kyle and I didn’t hang out as much as we used to because we had our businesses to take care of, but maybe it was because I couldn’t forget Blossom’s eyes at the graduation banquet.

When the day of the graduation banquet came, it wasn’t Keran Illestia that took Rosemary Blossom this time, it was his aide.

Nevertheless, Blossom approached Kyle and asked him something. Leaning against a distant wall because I had drunk too much of the booze-infused punch, I wasn’t able to hear them.

At one point, my cheek was against the floor. And it was March again.

***

In my third March, I told Bree that I was precognitive and that the whole student council would get obsessed over a special student that will transfer this afternoon. 

Bree said that Ariel Dalton must be insane and threatened to publicly embarrass me by reporting it to the Fitzsimmons Times, but she couldn’t. It’s because Rosemary Blossom has transferred. 

Two weeks later, Brianna Mosley believed me. I told him all about Adam Walsh’s messed-up side, and Bree broke up with him in a non-filthy way. Our half-man, half-beast character, was not born.

I also tried to approach Rosemary Blossom casually but failed. Because I felt like ten eyes would tear me apart if I went to talk to her.

I decided to become friends with Kyle again. Anyway, the nine months without him weren’t very fun.

And I realized that it seemed that he could see something that others couldn’t see.

Kyle sometimes looked over people’s heads. When I asked him what was there, he would block my words by shoving slime pudding, the specialty of the Fitzsimmons Academy cafeteria that he had never given up in his life, into my mouth. I used that method sometimes when I felt like eating slime pudding.

And even though he didn’t seem to like Rosemary Blossom very much, he met her alone regularly. 

The reason why I think ‘he doesn’t like her’ is that he always responds to Blossom’s calls, but makes a terrible face right before meeting her.

I only thought so because when he meets Blossom, he uses the tone of voice he uses when flirting with a girl he really like.

He had a smile on his lips, and honey dripped from his eyes. It was as if the organ responsible for ‘love’ was turned on in his body. He was a very confusing child.

Anyway, that’s how Kyle looked at Rosemary Blossom. And so at the third graduation banquet, with the twins in each of her side, she knocked over the fruit punch, making a mess. She said she thought she succeeded this time.

Alcohol, sparkling water, and pieces of fruit were splashed on my face.

But, I didn’t graduate.

***

It was no longer funny. I wanted to graduate so I lived like a dead rat. I avoided Kyle and didn’t even think about clearing up the misunderstanding with Bree.

Grades were maintained at a moderate level, barely enough for me to graduate. I had to be inconspicuous, but I also couldn’t fail. Because Professor Houston tends to wear tight-fitting pants, I would have had trouble clinging to him.

I did not attend the graduation banquet. I sat in my empty dorm room and thought about what I would do when I graduated.

It was a useless idea.

***

I was seized with fear and did not step out of the room. Brianna claimed her roommate is crazy and demanded the academy to change her room.

Before long, my parents heard about my situation. I ran away from the academy before Rosemary Blossom became the student council princess.

When I left the academy, I felt relieved.

Back home, I was educated privately as the heir to the Dalton Merchant Guild. After 10 years in an academy, even a fool who calculate the four arithmetic operations with her fingers will get used to arithmetic.

I have done everything fairly well. My parents, who had been worried when I dropped out of the academy, seemed to be relieved when I followed well through on my education.

The Student Council and Blossom, to which now belonged to Milua’s dragon knight, were famous everywhere, so I often heard about them even in this poor town of Sancreek. It seemed that she was still living a life that was like a romance novel.

Sometimes the news included Kyle. I felt intense guilt for leaving Kyle alone, who was clearly in involved with Rosemary Blossom and the strange phenomena surrounding her. It was more so when my parents, who loved their daughter’s childhood friend more than their only daughter, brought out his name at every meal.

So when I finally heard that Kyle had been punished (I’m not against it!) for beating the Crown Prince of Illestia, I irresistibly picked up my pen.

I wrote a letter to Kyle. It was about apologizing for ignoring him and my rudeness over the past few months and asking how he was doing.

There was something else I wanted to ask. What are you looking at over people’s heads? What kind of relationship do you have with Rosemary Blossom? Do you love Blossom, or hate her, or have any feelings for her?

Even though his eyes were on her and his flowing voice were so sweet, he rejected her many times. Is there a reason for that?

Perhaps he too has experienced the fifth March.

But the letter was never delivered because the sixth March has begun.

***

“Dalton, wake up.”

It was the cold voice of the affectionate Brianna. I sighed deeply and opened my eyes.

“What’s up, Mosley?”

“My bag is under your bag.”

Bree of this time hated me so much that she wouldn’t even touch my things. I got out of bed and picked up my bag, which Bree pointed to.

“Oh you obeyed? Did the sun rise in the west today?”

Bree snapped her bag open and took out a notebook with <Understanding the Magic Circle> written on it. As I recall, Brianna Mosley is not taking Understanding Magic Circle this semester.

As I looked at her incredulously, Bree hurriedly hid the notebook behind her, blushing to the top of her forehead.

“Are you taking Walsh’s notes for him?”

“It’s none of your business, so don’t worry about it.”

My God, Adam Walsh. This scumbag get worse everyday. Brianna Mosley was the fourth best student in Illestia in our fifth grade. She was also an illegitimate aristocrat with no backing. 

Fixing it so that Walsh’s notebook was out of my sight as much as possible, she scrambled out of the room. I then shouted on the back of Bree’s head

“Walsh deserved you the least, Mosley.”

Without even looking back, Bree gave me a middle finger.