CH 163

After school that day, “I,” who was killing time at the library, started to feel drowsy.1

I reviewed the lesson until midnight and then made study preparations early in the morning. Perhaps I might have been a little tired.2

“I” spent most of my time those days studying. I didn’t have a particular hobby other than reading books. If I had to say anything else, I guess it would be me helping my best friend’s sister as she taught me how to cook.

I usually slept for, at most, 6 hours. I was used to it, so I didn’t feel sleep deprived in particular.

However, while the wind still felt cold, the lovely sunlight of the spring day might have enticed me to feel sleepy.

It felt a little vague like any other dream, but then there was someone sitting in front of me.

I thought my best friend had come to pick me up after done with his day duty.3

I had to hurry and wake up.

I closed my eyes strongly once then slowly opened them.

Although I felt the sunlight that shone through the window and the dazzling light of the fluorescent lamp, what I saw after opening my eyes wasn’t the figure of my best friend, but a student I didn’t recognize.

Contrary to my best friend who wore his uniform disheveled, the person in front of me wore his blazer and necktie in an orderly fashion just like a mannequin, and he also oozed an orderly atmosphere.

It wasn’t him; it was a stranger. Just as I was about to close my eyes once again, the stranger’s eyes met mine.

“You sure are a boring guy.”

He saw “me” clearly and said that.

“Are you someone who can’t do anything without your best friend? Do you find such a life fun?”

His eyes didn’t contain hostility or malice but exasperation, which made “me” irritated.

Seeing the man whose neither face nor name I recognized, I couldn’t help but wonder why he suddenly said such a thing to me.

“I have no idea who you are. I have no reason to be criticized by a stranger I don’t even know the name of.”

I lifted my chest off the table and glared at the other person. When I spoke about my bad mood, the man’s eyes widened a little. It seemed he didn’t expect me to actually respond.

“It’s ――――”

I missed what he said, but perhaps he told me his name. However, I wasn’t interested. I stood up from my seat and left the library. That guy seemed to say something, but I dismissed it.

As I walked down the corridor with the cold air at my feet, I finally remembered who that man was. He was the 2nd ranked student.

Was he that dissatisfied that “I” claimed the 1st rank? If he had the time to bother with a boring warning, he should just study more so he wouldn’t lose to me next time. I wanted to cuss at how he used his time.

[“Did you find such a life fun?”]

I spent my days without speaking to anyone in particular and spent my break reading books. I also didn’t even participate in club activities and spent my days quietly, but perhaps others wanted to say a thing about it.

But what do you know about it?

You might think that as a mere “such a life” but in “my” perspective, that was a great fortune that was wasted on me.

[“Are you someone who can’t do anything without your best friend?”]

Yes, that’s right.

If not for my best friend, I would’ve already given up on this boring world and been on my way toward the journey to the afterlife.

I was abandoned by the life I clung to, suffered from an ugly heart, and there were times I became reckless, wanting to abandon everything and just disappear. However, the one who saved me from that was my best friend and his family.

Hey, could you imagine that?

The person who sat in front of you, despite being born Japanese like you were, wasn’t even registered until he was secured, with a name he had never even mentioned, and by the end of it, his mother even wished for his death, you know?

You and I have different values of existence in the first place…

I wasn’t loved. I was unneeded and hated.

I was just a person who happened to be born in this world and abandoned――――That was what I was.

What do you want from such a person?

I suddenly recalled the childhood days I didn’t want to remember.

Inside the room filled with the faint smell of summer, I had to endure unreasonable violence from my mother and had to swallow my scream of pain. I was scared by that hysterical, high voice, yet I had to endure the impulse of covering my ears, and I was told everything was my fault so I had to obediently receive it, and I couldn’t keep my sanity otherwise――――

Gradually, I felt something heavy press against my chest.

“…Gh.”

I bit my lips without noticing it. The taste of iron spread in my mouth.

The black and muddy feelings spread in my heart as if trying to take over.

How deplorable…

Why should I feel irritated and depressed just because of that? Haven’t I experienced ugly words filled with malice before?

Compared to that, that student’s words were cute. I hated my narrow self and shook myself to distract myself.

“――――Tasuku.”

My name was suddenly called, and I quivered and looked back.

“Why are you trying to go home without me?”

I saw my best friend walking toward me with a bag in one hand.

Looking at his figure that walked without any impatience, I finally felt my breathing become easier.

“……Tenma.”

I didn’t have anything.

I’d never had anything since I was born.

That summer when I was six years old, I came to learn that the things I thought I had were nothing but illusions.

My hands were empty since I didn’t have anything.

Seeing this empty hand, there wouldn’t be anyone who would take it and walk together. 

That was what I thought.

However, someone’s young hand pulled my younger self.

He grasped this empty hand of mind.

That was why it was precious to me.

You just don’t understand its worth…

He alone will definitely not betray me.

Having someone I could have such a belief, having such a best friend was a great fortune――――

“――Oi.”

She could hear a man’s voice in my vague consciousness.

The emotionless voice that resounded made “him” respond.

Huh, did I fall asleep again? I thought I was awake earlier…?

Did she experience being awake from a dream within a dream?

With that in mind, she slowly tried to open my drowsy eyes.

She heard another “Oi” from the voice.

“I’m waking up now, Tenma――……”

The moment she heard the voice come out of her mouth, she was surprised.

It was a cute, bell-like sound.

It was definitely not “his” voice.

When she lifted my upper body vigorously, what she saw wasn’t the appearance of her best friend, but a person with a more handsome face in front of her.

There was shining hair and dark amethyst eyes that seemed to suck others in. But his pupils shrunk as his eyes opened wide in surprise.

Eh? Ah… the ghost… from the last time?

She blinked my eyes several times to grasp the current situation.

When she turned my gaze around, it was a library.

It wasn’t the library of the high school in her previous life, but the library of “The King’s Sword.”

“――――Tsk!”

She was completely sleep-talking.

She sleep-talked using my previous life’s tone and called Tenma’s name, which was completely unsuited for a young lady.

She felt her blood drain away.

Even though she worked hard to become a perfect aristocratic young lady as Sophie Linier, she ended up committing such a blunder in front of a man she met for the first time.

When her face paled, the man tilted his head and,

“Sorry to wake you up… should I say that?”

Uttered an apology in a questioning tone.

Even when she sleep-talked using a tone that was unlike a lady, the silver-haired man with purple eyes didn’t seem to be particularly offended, but his words sounded confused.

“No, I’m sorry. It seems I sleep-talked. Please forget what I uttered before. Yes, erase such a memory right this instant!!”

“I see…”

After the man made a brief reply, there was a long silence between them.

The one who couldn’t endure the silence was Sophie.

“You are… I didn’t get to hear your name last time.”

Before Sophie finished her sentence, the man said his name.

“Remiel Karlfeldt.”

His surname is Karlfeldt…

Sophie was relieved when he heard his name. If he was a royal family member, his surname would be “Rex.” Sophie thought the man with silver hair and purple eyes would be the second prince, but it seemed to be a needless worry.

“You are the student of this academy, right?”

“Aah.”

“You don’t put your insignia on?”

“Does it need to be worn?”

While saying that, Remiel rummaged through his chest pocket.

“Does it need to be worn?” he said, does that mean as a joke?

Not wearing the insignia was a clear violation of the rules. Students should have received such an explanation when they first enrolled. However, he didn’t seem to be joking when he said that.

As Sophie was dumbfounded because she was unsure of his intention, Remiel took out his insignia from his pocket.

What engraved there was a lily flower――――

“……Silver star.”

It was a silver star’s insignia.

“Eh, but that would mean the number of people didn’t match the data, right?”

Sophie remembered the number, face, and names of all students of the silver star.

If Remiel was a silver star, that would mean they had one extra person.

Does that mean there are years when the number of people enrolled is more than the designated number?

However, Sophie might have had no idea what kind of person he was, but if there was such a handsome person in the silver star, Sophie thought Firth should have mentioned it, then she would have noticed.

Remiel…… Karlfeldt?!

[“Remiel Karlfeldt-sama is said the be the most talented person after Lorenzo-sama.”]

Firth did say it.

Sophie completely forgot about it, but didn’t she decide to not get involved with such a person?

Author Note:

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We finally start collecting the foreshadowing (*´ω｀)