Chapter 2.6

“Raven, you have a lot of books today.”  

“It’s exam period soon.”  

Leonard asked, and she answered without looking at his face, her arms full of books.  

After having such thoughts yesterday, she felt a bit embarrassed to look at Leonard’s face.  

“Let’s split them and carry them.”  

Seeing her arms precariously shaking with several books, Leonard reached out to help.  

“No, it’s fine….”  

As soon as she shook her head, a book slipped from her arms and fell to the floor.  

She closed her mouth in embarrassment. Leonard bent down with a look that said, “See, it’s too much.”  

“See, I told you it’s too many.”  

“…….”  

Leonard picked up the fallen book and ended up taking most of the books she was carrying.  

It was quite a lot, but he carried them effortlessly, as if it was nothing.  

Come to think of it, he was in the swordsmanship department, right?  

She glanced at his muscular arms, feeling the firmness even through his clothes, and cleared her throat.  

She was newly reminded that Leonard had a large build, which didn’t quite match his delicate face.  

“But isn’t it too early to start studying for exams? There’s more than a month left.”  

“Are you kidding? You should start now to… wait, haven’t you started yet?”  

She asked with half-closed eyes, and Leonard shrugged his shoulders and replied.  

“Hmm, I wasn’t really thinking about it, but seeing you study makes me think I should start soon.”  

What? Is that how he starts studying?  

She tilted her head, recalling that Leonard was the one who tied with her for top marks in the entrance exam. 

He entered as the top student, but he might be planning to breeze through the exams?  

Well, it’s good for me. It won’t be too hard to claim the top spot this time.  

She shrugged her shoulders and walked alongside Leonard.  

As they approached the classroom, she narrowed her eyes and looked toward the front of the classroom door.  

“Isn’t she the one you turned down before?”  

She mumbled quietly, gesturing with her chin towards a female student with familiar hair color and build.  

Leonard looked where she pointed and nodded with a bright smile.  

“Oh, yeah. Hi, Julie!”  

…Is he sane?  

She looked at Leonard, waving his hand brightly at the female student named Julie, with a dumbfounded expression.  

Is he acknowledging someone he rejected yesterday?  

How far is he planning to go? Of course, judging by his face, it seems to be a genuinely innocent intention.  

Is he the type with no awareness? Too pure? Come to think of it, he might be a bit like that.  

“…Ahem!”  

Suddenly, the ridiculous thoughts she had last night came to mind. 

How could I have been so mistaken? He’s friendly to everyone. Even to someone he rejected. Do I have some kind of delusion?  

She touched her face, which was flushed red with shame. Meanwhile, Leonard, returning after talking with the female student, spoke with a relieved expression.  

“Julie accepted my greeting and said we should be friends again.”  

“Oh, uh, okay.”  

Julie probably doesn’t consider you a friend. Not that I care, but good luck, Julie.  

She nodded vaguely, recalling Julie’s ears turning bright red at the sight of Leonard.  

“Really. I’ve never had feelings for Julie beyond friendship… and I plan to keep it that way.”  

Standing at the classroom door, Leonard spoke to her as if making excuses, and she raised an eyebrow at him.  

“Who’s saying anything? Just go in already.”  

“Oh, right.”  

Leonard gave a sheepish smile and opened the classroom door.  

“But Raven, you can’t carry all these books alone, so doesn’t this mean you have to stick with me all day today?”  

Entering the classroom, Leonard placed the books he was carrying on her desk and smiled playfully.  

She replied indifferently, organizing the books piled on the desk.  

“Well, it’s not much different from usual.”  

“…Really?”  

Leonard leaned in with a face full of surprise and joy.  

“You’re going to hang out with me today?”  

Startled by his face suddenly coming close, she blinked her eyes without saying anything.  

Leonard covered his face with his hands, muttering to himself excitedly.  

“Wow, Raven, you aren’t avoiding me anymore! It doesn’t seem like you’re reluctantly hanging out with me! This is great. Maybe it’s the result of my efforts to get closer.”  

“……?”  

She looked at Leonard blankly while organizing the books, wondering if it was something to be so happy about.  

Even though it was reluctant, they always hung out together, so it wasn’t anything new. 

What’s so good about hanging out with me? I’m not that sociable or fun. Conversations are just Leonard asking questions and me giving short answers, so it couldn’t have been that enjoyable.  

…What is this? It doesn’t seem like he does this to just anyone.  

She looked up at Leonard with a confused feeling and spoke.  

“Do you really like hanging out with me that much?”  

“Yes, of course.”  

Without a moment’s hesitation, his answer came, raising fundamental questions in her mind.  

“…Why?”  

“What do you mean, why? We’re friends.”  

Leonard’s bright eyes curved beautifully.  

“…For now, that is.”  

Seeing her bewildered expression, Leonard added belatedly, smiling meaningfully.  

He laughed awkwardly and asked in a playful voice.

“Surely I’m not the only one who thought that?”  

“…Friend.”  

Friend, friend….  

Muttering in a bewildered mood, she unintentionally chuckled. At that, Leonard let out a sound and clutched his chest.  

“If you smile like that… it’s a little troubling.”  

“…….”  

The fact that her first friend was a bit unusual didn’t change, but still, having a friend wasn’t a bad feeling. She hadn’t really seen kids her age, let alone friends, except for Enoch. Maybe that’s why the word “first friend” felt so awkward yet exciting.  

And well, it was kind of amazing and a bit of a confidence boost that someone like Leonard smiled at her and treated her kindly.  

Anyway, when she returned to the dormitory, she should write a letter to her uncle saying she made a friend. He would probably be thrilled to hear they attended classes and ate meals together.  

* * *  

The daily life at the academy, which she thought would be exhausting because it was full of nobles, passed more smoothly and quickly than expected—thanks to Leonard, though she didn’t want to admit it.  

And she found herself almost a week away from the midterm exams.  

Since it was the first exam since entering the academy, even she, who had studied hard, was quite nervous.  

How’s your studying going? If you’re hungry, want to go to the snack shop together?  

… But this guy, I guess not.

After reading the note with completely unhelpful content, she shifted her gaze to Leonard, whose eyes were sparkling like glass beads, waiting for an answer from the front seat.  

“…….”  

For reference, they were currently in the library, studying for the exams.  

She wore an expression of disbelief but picked up her pen to write a reply.  

Just study.  

She roughly scribbled that on the note and was about to send it back when she paused and started writing again.  

But do you even eat stuff from the snack shop?  

Even though it was a snack shop, it boasted excellent quality comparable to a professional bakery, as it was used by noble children. But she thought someone like Leonard, a young lord of the Klein Ducal Family, would only drink freshly brewed high-class tea and eat cakes made by a personal chef.  

Though it hurt her pride a little to feel like she was being swayed by him, she couldn’t resist her curiosity and slid the note towards Leonard.  

Leonard, seeing her note, smiled brightly and wrote a reply back to her.  

Of course, I do. I love the snacks there. Want to go together?  

She hesitated for a moment, then tore a new piece of paper from her notebook and sent it to Leonard.  

Just study.  

A few seconds later, the note returned with a drawing of a crying face.  

With a resigned expression, she pushed the note aside.  

“…….”  

Why is he so relaxed? Even if we’re friends, we’re still competitors, aren’t we?  

Feeling troubled, she twirled her pen with one hand, then stood up from her chair. She spoke to Leonard, who was looking at her with wide eyes.  

“What are you doing? Didn’t you say we’re going to the snack shop?”  

“…Yeah!”  

As Leonard answered loudly and jumped up from his seat, the library echoed with his booming voice and the sound of the chair scraping.  

Startled, she grabbed his hand and hurriedly pulled him out of the library.  

“Wow, seriously…. What were you thinking shouting in there?”  

“Sorry, sorry.”  

As they walked down the hallway, she felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort.  

It was only after they were far from the library that she realized she had been holding Leonard’s hand for a while. With a short sound of discontent, she let go of his hand.  

“…Oh.”  

“Oh, what a shame. I wish we could have gone all the way to the snack shop like that.”  

Not knowing her feelings, Leonard said things like that. Having grown accustomed to his cheesy remarks, she walked into the snack shop without much reaction.