Chapter 20

“You can look at the book with me, and I’ll lend you this notebook and pen. I’m lending them because you’ve come this far trying to keep your promise to make an effort.”

She intended to give him a plain notebook, but the only one she had was one with a teddy bear right in the center.

It was so childish that she had tucked it away, a notebook that surpassed the limits of cuteness.

She was worried he might get upset, asking if she was giving him something like this, but Chase accepted it quietly.

He fiddled with the pink, cute notebook with a somewhat unfamiliar look and asked.

“Are we friends now?”

“…Friends?”

She asked again, thinking she might have misheard, but Chase nodded.

There probably isn’t anyone to whom that word is less fitting than Chase. Judith looked at him with surprised eyes.

“Isn’t that right? If we’re close enough to lend each other stationery, we’re friends, aren’t we?”

To say we’re friends just because I lent him a pen and notebook.

Had Chase never borrowed stationery from anyone before?

She was curious about what standards Chase had regarding friends at that moment.

But then, Rodesha, who was studying with her head almost buried in her book, looked up.

Rodesha, having apparently listened to the conversation while studying, cautiously opened her mouth.

“Judith, did you lend me your summary notes because I’m your friend?”

“…”

“Even though I lied to you, you still considered me a friend…?”

Rodesha covered her mouth with her hand, moved. She seemed to be under a misunderstanding too.

Honestly, Judith hadn’t lent Rodesha the notes with any significant meaning.

It’s just that Judith had never refused to show her stationery, homework, or summary notes to others.

But she couldn’t bring herself to hurt Rodesha, who was looking at her with bright eyes.

Chase was the one who reacted sensitively to Rodesha’s words.

“What?”

Chase had a complicated expression. He seemed to feel betrayed.

“You… were you that close with her too? Close enough to lend notes?”

At the same time, his red eyes were visibly shaken.

At that moment, Rodesha, as if to show off, held out the summary notes toward Chase.

“Could you be more precise with your words? Look at this. It’s not just any notebook. It’s a summary notebook.”

“…”

“Considering she lent me something this valuable, Judith must think of me as a close friend.”

“Hah.”

Chase, listening to Rodesha’s words, looked even more frustrated.

Just then, a rough voice like sand grains was heard.

“What are you three doing huddled together?”

It was Professor Karel.

Judith nudged the others beside her with her elbow, signaling them to separate.

Professor Karel clicked his tongue, seeing Judith’s arm touching Chase, as if he had seen something unpleasant.

Rodesha winked at Judith, who was frozen with a troubled face. It was a gesture with unclear meaning.

At that moment, Rodesha raised her hand neatly and spoke.

“Chase asked about a problem he didn’t know, so we were explaining it together.”

“Is that so?”

Professor Karel looked at Chase intently and then simply said.

“From now on, ask me instead of your friends. To make it easier for you to ask questions, sit in the front row during class.”

“…Professor.”

“You’re not ignoring my sincerity, are you?”

It was not a suggestion but a notification.

Chase’s face turned pale in an instant. But under Professor Karel’s intense gaze, he had no choice but to nod.

Judith felt sorry for Chase, but she comforted him earnestly.

“Chase, think positively. It’s a good thing, isn’t it? You have to study anyway.”

“…”

“The professor will teach you much better than I can, so listen carefully from the front row.”

Of course, that whisper was not comforting to Chase at all.

* * *

Before leaving the classroom after class, Professor Karel officially announced to the students that an accounting remedial class had been established.

It’s a class for the bottom 30%, so there wouldn’t be many eligible students. Yet, the students showed great interest in this new information.

Thanks to this, Judith became extremely busy. She had to handle their questions in place of Professor Karel, who had left quickly.

After being pestered for a while, the regular class hours were long over. But Judith’s work wasn’t finished yet.

Judith decided to stay in the empty accounting classroom to finish her tasks.

She sat alone at a desk. Seeing the application forms piled densely on the desk, her migraine returned.

When will I read all of this?

Moreover, Judith’s work didn’t stop at reading the applications.

Professor Karel had entrusted all matters related to class preparation to her, so she had to prepare all the lesson plans and materials herself.

It wasn’t difficult to provide some information to students aiming for high scores, but given the target audience, she needed to lower the level, which made it more challenging.

She skimmed through the notes summarizing the exam scope and the previous lessons.

While pressing her hand against her throbbing head, she heard a polite knock from outside.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Judith simply thought it was another student coming to submit an application.

She put down the pen she was holding and looked up to take a breather.

Creak-.

At the sound of the door opening, Judith’s gaze turned toward it. But an entirely unexpected person appeared.

It was Axel Fedelian.

Is this an illusion?

Since there was no reason for Axel to be here, it might be an illusion created by the deep subconscious desire to see him.

But the Axel in front of her was too vivid to dismiss as just an illusion.

As Axel stepped forward, a clean soap scent wafted in.

At this point, she could only think that what she was seeing was real and not an illusion.

Axel, who had come right up to her, smiled slightly at Judith and said.

“I heard you’re recruiting for the accounting remedial class.”

Eyes as calm as a quiet sea gazed at Judith.

Judith, trying to calm her wildly beating heart, finally managed to speak.

“And?”

“I came to apply.”

Axel took something out of his pocket and placed it on the desk.

A paper densely filled with neat handwriting. At the top right corner, it said Axel Fedelian.

For a moment, Judith wondered if she was seeing things. But even after blinking, the words on the paper remained the same.

“You’re applying?”

“Yes.”

Though she heard a clear answer, she still couldn’t understand.

Axel had received a high level of education since childhood and was proficient in accounting.

Hence, Judith asked with a skeptical face.

“Why? It won’t help you at all.”

“No, it will help.”

It was a firm answer. Hearing it, Judith was even more puzzled.

She has no idea what he’s thinking.

She pretended to organize the papers on the desk by tapping them.

“Only students in the bottom 30% can apply. You’re not eligible.”

He paused for a moment at Judith’s words, then opened his mouth.

“Then should I submit a blank paper for the accounting exam this time?”

“…What?”

“If I come in last place in this exam-.”

Judith had to interrupt his words.

“Axel.”

After calling his name, she stopped speaking. It wasn’t the right time, but she had missed his name so much all this time.

Judith bit her tongue hard enough to hurt and continued.

“Why are you saying such things?”

“…”

“Why are you trying to ruin your well-earned exam scores just to join the remedial class?”

The current Axel was strange. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t understand Axel’s behavior, and Judith was about to fall into a vain delusion again.

The intention behind his actions seemed to be to see her.

“Why do you keep…”

Making me misunderstand?

Judith barely swallowed the rest of her words. Axel, who had been staring at her, suddenly asked an unexpected question.

“There’s a rumor that you received a scouting offer from the professor, is that true?”

Judith didn’t give a specific answer. But he took her silence as affirmation.

“I see… That’s why you’re running the remedial class.”

Listening to his words, she finally understood.

The reason he came to join the remedial class, even though he didn’t need it.

It seemed Axel misunderstood the fact that Judith was running the remedial class.

He thought she had accepted the probationary teaching offer.

It was understandable why he would misunderstand, but…