Chapter 77

When Judith turned to look at Rodesha, she noticed her face looked more haggard than usual.  

“Did you stay up all night? Aren’t you overdoing it?”  

“No, it’s just that my parents have been nagging me more than usual. It’s the final exam, after all.”  

As Rodesha said this, she glanced at Chase, who was still frowning.  

“You don’t look any different from usual. Are you confident about graduating?”  

“Why are you worrying about that?”  

“Oh, I’m not worried. If you can’t graduate and your wedding gets delayed, I’d actually be happy. That would give Judith more time to think.”  

“……”  

“And who knows? By then, Judith might change her mind again.”  

Chase pressed his lips together, seemingly at a loss for words in response to Rodesha’s blunt remark.  

Meanwhile, Judith watched the two of them banter with curious eyes.  

She distinctly remembered how, when they first met, Rodesha seemed to be cautious around Chase. Yet at some point, the two had grown close enough to bicker comfortably, even without her around.  

When did Rodesha and Chase become so friendly?  

It must have been due to sitting together during accounting class and spending every lunch break together.  

As Judith watched the two, she found herself smiling without realizing it. Chase noticed her expression and asked in a disgruntled tone,  

“Judith, why are you smiling all of a sudden? You don’t think, like her, that I won’t graduate, do you?”  

Though he had seemed unaffected by Rodesha’s comments, Chase looked slightly hurt at the thought that Judith might agree.  

Judith quickly waved her hands and explained why she had been smiling.  

“It’s not that! I just thought you and Rodesha seem to get along really well now, and that made me smile.”  

But Chase’s expression grew even stranger after hearing her explanation.  

Was my explanation lacking? 

Judith hurriedly added more.  

“Well, it’s just that I never expected you two to get along so well at first.”  

Now, however, both Chase and Rodesha were wearing awkward expressions.  

Why are they acting like that?  

Unable to guess the reason for their reactions, Judith tilted her head in confusion. Chase sighed and muttered,  

“How do I look like I get along with this girl?”  

Rodesha chimed in to agree with Chase.  

“Yeah, Judith. Me getting along with this idiot? What gave you that idea?”  

Seeing how in sync they were, they certainly seemed close…  

Normally, Chase ignored other students as if they were invisible.  

Yet, he always responded to Rodesha’s words and even showed her some consideration.  

And Rodesha didn’t seem to have any trouble dealing with Chase, either.  

But Judith knew that if she were to say this out loud, they’d both get upset, so she quickly changed the subject.  

“Um… if I was mistaken, I’m sorry. Anyway, Chase, you’ve worked hard, so I’m sure you’ll graduate. Your grades have improved a lot in the tests you’ve taken during the supplementary classes.”  

Finally, Chase’s tightly scrunched expression softened.  

“If you think so, then fine.”  

Since Judith said so much, even Rodesha didn’t press the issue of Chase’s graduation any further.  

After all, she had seen how diligently Chase had participated in every class.  

Looks like the situation is settled now.  

Judith glanced at the clock. There was still some time left before Professor Karel came in to start the lesson.  

Should I review the material for today’s class? 

She was thinking to herself when Rodesha spoke up again.  

“Oh, I almost forgot to ask. What are you doing after the exams are over?”  

“Huh?”  

Judith looked up from her book, and Rodesha continued,  

“If you’re free, why don’t we all go somewhere together? We can include Rodein, too.”  

As soon as she heard this, Chase made a face.  

“With him, too? No thanks. I’m not interested.”  

But Judith seemed quite intrigued by Rodesha’s suggestion.  

“It sounds like fun to hang out together. I’m in.”  

Recently, Judith had been finding it increasingly enjoyable to spend time with others. When she immediately agreed, Chase looked at her in surprise.  

After hesitating for a moment, he reluctantly said,  

“…Then I’ll go too.”  

“Didn’t you just say you weren’t going?”  

“Well, it could be dangerous if you all go wandering around on your own, so someone needs to act as a guardian.”  

“Oh, please. You’re only coming because Judith is going.”  

As Rodesha and Chase started bickering again, Judith stifled a laugh and asked,  

“So, where are we going?”  

“Hmm, I haven’t thought about it in detail yet, but my family has a villa in the forest. We could go there, pick chestnuts, row a boat on the lake—it’d be fun, don’t you think?”  

A villa in the forest, and rowing a boat on the lake…  

Judith’s heart swelled with anticipation, as she had never experienced anything like that before.  

Her eyes sparkled with excitement, but then a question came to mind.  

“Does Rodein know about this? Has he already agreed?”  

Rodesha scratched her head and replied,  

“No, I haven’t mentioned it to him yet. I was planning to bring it up when I see him later.”  

Judith frowned slightly, worried that the plan might fall through if Rodein didn’t agree. But Rodesha added confidently,  

“Don’t worry. He’s been so stressed out about the exams that I’m sure he’ll say yes.”  

That was a relief. Judith’s expression brightened significantly.  

As the two began excitedly discussing what they would do, Chase mumbled quietly to himself.  

“What about my opinion…?”  

* * *  

Soon, exam season arrived. Out of all the exams, the accounting test was unfortunately scheduled last.  

True to Professor Karel’s reputation for creating notoriously difficult exams with completely unfamiliar question types, this accounting test was no exception.  

The classroom was filled with the sound of pens scratching against paper and the groans of students struggling in despair.  

Two hours later, the exam finally ended.  

“It’s over…”  

Rodesha, who had taken the exam alongside Judith, looked dazed. Spotting Judith tidying up her desk, she quickly ran over.  

“Judith, how did it go?”  

“Um…”  

Judith trailed off before replying,  

“I’m not sure if I did well, but at least there wasn’t anything I didn’t know.”  

At her answer, Rodesha looked even more dazed but quickly composed herself.  

“Looks like you’ll be the top scorer again this time. Well, I guess it can’t be helped.”  

Not knowing how to respond, Judith simply shifted her eyes. Rodesha shrugged and said,  

“Anyway, now that all the exams are over, let’s go on that trip we talked about. I mentioned it to Rodein, and he seemed excited about it.”  

At that moment, Rodesha spotted Chase approaching and called out to him.  

“Chase! How was the exam?”  

Chase stayed silent for a moment. Judith studied his expression but couldn’t read it.  

Was it too difficult for him? 

She started to worry, but then—  

“Well, I answered more questions than I guessed on.”  

“Really?” 

It sounded promising.  

So his hard work wasn’t in vain after all.  

The image of Chase nodding off while taking notes and frowning as he worked through problems flashed through Judith’s mind. She felt a lump in her throat.  

Seeing Judith’s emotional expression, Chase looked at her curiously and asked,  

“Why are you so happy, Judith?”  

“…? Of course I’m happy.”  

Her immediate response made Chase stare at her for a moment before breaking into a wide grin.  

“What?”  

“Nothing.”  

Rodesha, however, frowned and asked,  

“Why are you smiling like that? It’s creepy.”  

Chase sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and replied as if he had no choice.  

“You saw that, didn’t you, Rodesha? Judith is really rooting for me to graduate.”  

“…You’re smiling like that over something so trivial?”  

Rodesha looked disgusted, but Chase seemed quite pleased with himself.  

However, his cheerful expression gradually stiffened.  

What’s wrong?  

Judith followed his gaze and froze in surprise.  

Outside the classroom, Professor Karel was standing with a serious expression.  

“…Professor?”  

Students passing by greeted him nervously, but he ignored them and walked straight toward their group.  

Judith, thinking he might be there to see her, stepped forward in confusion, but to her surprise, Professor Karel walked past her and stopped in front of Chase.  

“Chase Cardandy, now that the exams are over, you must have some time. Come with me.”  

“…What is this about, Sir?”  

Since it was Professor Karel, Chase looked slightly intimidated as he asked. He wondered if there was an issue with his graduation.  

Professor Karel glanced briefly at Judith before replying.  

“There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”