Chapter 12
It was a curious sight, but come to think of it, this level of welcome wasn’t that strange.
Noel was an undeniably precious presence to the students of the Black Eagle Class.
He was one of only three Skias in the class, known for his swordsmanship skills, earning him the title of ‘prodigy of the First Knights’. He had a positive and cheerful personality, a refreshing face that everyone acknowledged, and a sturdy physique befitting a member of the Knights.
Excluding Hanjee, the mama’s boy with a severe case of narcissism, and Sue, the sole blemish of the Black Eagle Class, Noel was the most decent and admirable person, which was why he was always popular.
Perhaps that was why ‘Sue’ disliked him even more.
“What have you been up to all this time? We couldn’t find you even when we went to your townhouse. My mother said your mother hasn’t been seen in social circles lately either.”
Hanjee, wanting to show off his closeness to Noel, blurted out unnecessary information. It could have been taken as rude, but Noel just laughed good-naturedly.
“Hahaha. Just this and that.”
“This and that? You’ll tell us what’s going on, right? I was really worried about you, you know, being your friend.”
Worried? He was probably just anxious about losing his Skia connection.
But I’m in no position to say that.
Sue pouted and rested her chin on her hand.
Anyway, there was definitely one good thing about Noel coming back to the academy. She wouldn’t have to get into pointless arguments with that annoying Hanjee. Just for that, Sue felt like thanking Noel ten times over.
Noel chatted with the students around him for a while. Then, a boy, unable to contain his curiosity, asked about the rumor that had been circulating recently.
“By the way, Noel, is it true that you were expelled from the Knights?”
“What?”
Noel, who had been laughing off the other questions, suddenly widened his eyes and asked back.
“What are you talking about?”
“Ah, no… Haha, there’s a rumor going around. That you were expelled from the Knights…”
“……”
Noel’s wide, blue eyes darted around. Then, a cheerful smile returned to his face.
“It’s just a rumor. I sprained my right ankle, so I’m on sick leave. I even submitted a leave of absence form.”
“Ah… I see. Of course, there’s no way you would be expelled, Noel.”
The boy, who had been momentarily scared, relaxed when Noel’s expression softened.
“Hmph. It’s strange that anyone would believe such a ridiculous rumor.”
Hanjee scoffed.
I believed it…
Sue felt a little embarrassed and clicked her tongue.
At that moment, Noel spotted Sue’s red hair among the crowd surrounding him.
“Ah, Byron, you were sitting there.”
He spoke to Sue, his face brightening slightly.
“…?”
Sue froze, her chin still resting on her hand, surprised by the sudden call of her name. She shifted her gaze to look at Noel and their eyes met. Because of the tiered seating in the classroom, Sue was looking down at Noel.
“Thank you for your concern yesterday.”
“Oh, um, yeah.”
Sue responded stiffly. Noel smiled awkwardly.
“Aren’t you being a bit cold? I came here because you asked me to.”
“Ah… Really?”
“Yes, really.”
The atmosphere around Noel instantly froze thanks to his attentiveness towards ‘Sue’. Hanjee’s expression, in particular, resembled that of a rotten fish. But Noel didn’t seem to care.
“I was grateful for that. Let’s get along from now on.”
Is he bullying me?
Sue gulped.
But contrary to Sue’s expectations, it didn’t seem like he had said it to bully her. And it certainly didn’t seem like empty words.
Noel, who had been casually talking to Sue all morning, even followed her to the dining hall for lunch.
Finally, unable to take it any longer, Sue stopped in her tracks and looked up at Noel.
“Noel, why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”
Sue knew better than anyone how the students here thought of her and treated her.
Noel was no exception. He was just a positive and sociable boy. There was no reason for him to suddenly act so friendly.
“Why?”
Noel tilted his head slightly and asked. Sue had a feeling he was asking even though he already knew the answer.
“Why? Suddenly acting like we’re friends…”
Sue sighed.
“Well, I just… I’ve always wanted to be friends with you.”
Really?
Sue desperately searched her memories, but came up empty. Noel had never been on ‘Sue’s’ radar. There was no way she would have any significant memories related to him.
“You’re kidding, right?”
Sue asked, and Noel frowned slightly.
“Why would I be kidding?”
“……”
Sue couldn’t answer his question.
“I think we could be good friends. I’m curious what you think.”
Noel tilted his head and met Sue’s gaze.
Friends…
Sue lowered her gaze slightly.
Well, Raines Noel was a very affable boy. That was why, even when ‘Sue’ had occasionally mocked him, he had just laughed it off good-naturedly, just like he had earlier.
The reason ‘Sue’ had disliked him was simply because he was ‘too nice’.
Noel waited patiently as Sue stood in the hallway, lost in thought.
“……”
“……”
“……”
“……”
“…Sigh.”
Finally, Sue decided to clear her mind of all the complicated questions and thoughts.
Thinking too deeply will only give me a headache.
He wasn’t even a character who appeared in the novel. If he was the one approaching her, there was no reason to reject him. More importantly, Sue didn’t want to reject him. Her first friend.
“Alright. Let’s be friends.”
What’s good is good, right?
Sue nodded, relieved, and chuckled. Noel, who had been staring at her intently, smiled back.
However, their relationship didn’t suddenly become close.
“……”
“……”
Contrary to his persistent attempts to talk to her all morning, there was hardly any conversation between them at the dining hall.
Noel, who had been chattering away just moments ago, was now silent. He seemed to be deep in thought.
Sue felt suffocated by the awkward silence.
It was proper etiquette to refrain from speaking during meals. But if this was how it was going to be, she would have preferred to eat alone. And she couldn’t think of anything to talk about.
Maybe she had forgotten how to converse after spending so long without talking to anyone other than Enzhe. The thought made her want to cry.
I’ll think of something to talk about next time.
Sue resolved as she chewed on her salad. If there was a next time, that is.
After finishing their meal, before heading back to the classroom, Sue stopped in front of the sky bridge connecting the academy buildings.
“Noel, I’m going to stop by the Golden Lion Class for a bit.”
“The Golden Lion Class?”
Noel asked, and Sue nodded.
“Yes, I’m going to see if Lady Enzhe is there.”
“Enzhe… Lopetrefer?”
Sue was surprised by his boldness in calling Enzhe ‘Lopetrefer’ without any honorifics. And what surprised her even more was…
“…Noel?”
The moment Enzhe’s name came up, Noel covered his mouth with one hand and lowered his gaze. His face, which had always held a hint of a smile, stiffened.
What’s wrong?
Sue couldn’t understand what it meant.
But only for a moment. Then, a smile returned to Noel’s face.
“Okay, see you later.”
He saw her off in his usual cheerful voice.
“Uh, yeah.”
Sue couldn’t bring herself to ask about his sudden change in behavior. She simply nodded, a troubled expression on her face.
***
In the center of each floor of the sixth-year building, which was shaped like a round egg, there was a large bulletin board. There were four times a year when this bulletin board became the center of attention, and today was one of those times.
The central hall of the sixth-year building was packed with students. Sue was among the noisy crowd gathered to see the bulletin board.
The spring evaluations had ended a few days ago. The long notice posted on the bulletin board was the final ranking list for the spring evaluations.
Sue was being jostled back and forth by the waves of people without any resistance. After a few minutes of standing there with vacant eyes, she finally reached the front of the bulletin board.
The reason why Sue was standing there with slumped shoulders and unfocused eyes was because the students had already received their individual report cards.
However, the overall rankings could only be checked in the central hall.
As expected, the name ‘Sue Byron Chiqmefriar’ could be found at the very bottom of the long sheet of paper.
“…Hehehe.”