Chapter 28
First impressions tend to last a long time.
If someone makes a good first impression, people naturally feel favorably toward them until a particular incident occurs; if the impression is bad, they look at that person with suspicion no matter how many good deeds they perform, or deny that they ever did such things.
In other words, people put on what is commonly called 'colored glasses,' and their influence on relationships is too enormous to ignore.
And since Jackson held a grudge against me, he was the kind of bastard who would hate me no matter what I did.
"Do you know him?"
In the awkward atmosphere, Nicole asked me about Jackson. She was fairly perceptive, so she must have noticed that he was making me uncomfortable.
From the outset, her question had been about an 'acquaintance,' not a 'friend.' Since he was indeed an acquaintance, I nodded.
"Yeah. We're both literature students."
"Ah~ I see..."
"Don't think of you and me as equals. It's utterly repulsive."
Before Nicole could say anything, Jackson's verbal abuse pierced our ears. She blinked, as though wondering whether she had heard him correctly.
Meanwhile, Jackson wore an expression suggesting that his outburst had been completely sincere. I knew he was steeped in a sense of superiority, but I had never expected him to say it so openly.
"This has really ruined my mood. Hey, how much are this and that?"
"Pardon? Um... 27 gold and 59 silver in total..."
One gold is worth approximately 100,000 won when converted into South Korean currency. Since one gold is worth 100 silver, you could say the total was roughly 2.76 million won.
Despite the absurdly high price, Jackson merely looked displeased and spoke as though he didn't care about the cost at all.
"Tsk. The design is awful, yet it's needlessly expensive. Rex, pay for it and come along."
"Understood."
Perhaps he wanted to escape the sinking atmosphere as quickly as possible, because he hastily stripped off the outfit and ordered his attendant, Rex, around. Rex carefully picked up the formalwear Jackson had thrown onto the floor.
Then, as Jackson had ordered, he took a pouch from his pocket, counted out the money one coin at a time, and handed the gold coins to the employee.
"Here are 28 gold. Keep the change."
"Ah. Th-thank you."
"What are you doing?! Aren't you coming?!"
The attendant was by no means slow, yet Jackson shouted at him impatiently. The employee flinched at the yell, while Rex answered without even blinking, as though this happened all the time.
"I'm sorry, young master."
"Hurry up. And..."
After berating his attendant, Jackson looked at me. I met his fierce gaze without backing down.
After staring at me intently for a while, he cast a quick glance at Nicole, who was standing beside me. Then he curled up the corner of his mouth and spoke mockingly.
"Don't tell me you came to buy formalwear with your sister. Surely you aren't planning to attend the freshman gathering?"
"I am."
"... ..."
There was no need for anything else. The best way to respond to mockery was with a blunt answer. When I shot back as though it were nothing, the area beneath Jackson's eye twitched.
Jackson's expression briefly cracked, but he soon sneered and spoke as though I were pathetic.
...Yeah. You'll find out when you attend. It's not a place someone like you is fit to enter."
"... ..."
"Let's go, Rex."
"Yes, young master."
With that, Jackson turned and began walking away. Before leaving, his attendant, Rex, turned his head back to look at me. His brilliantly shining green eyes were striking.
Afterward, the attendant bowed his head and apologized, as though he felt sorry for everything. Unlike his master, he was far more perfect where character was concerned.
...Who the hell was that?"
By the time Jackson and his attendant had completely left, Nicole asked in a voice filled with both anger and disbelief. The fact that she even cursed gave me a rough idea of how furious she was.
I examined her face. If anything, I was understating it when I said she looked as though she might kill someone on the spot.
Honestly, I would have been furious too if one of my siblings had been openly insulted by someone else.
I thought carefully about how to explain Jackson to Nicole in a way she would understand, then told her what I knew.
"His name is Jackson, and he hates me. I hear he's from a count's family that's famous for having a lot of money?"
"A wealthy count's family... Kerrison?"
"Huh? That's right. How do you know?"
"It would be strange if I didn't. In terms of wealth, Kerrison ranks among the top ten houses in the Empire."
The Kerrison Count's family must really be famous.
"But why is that guy saying such strange things to you? Did something happen?"
"Well..."
I explained everything so Nicole could understand, starting with Jackson hitting on some pretty female students from the very first class and continuing through everything that happened afterward.
However, I didn't mention Cecily and Rina by name, instead referring to them as 'pretty female students.' Nicole knew what those two were like, so if I mentioned them directly, she would probably assume I had gotten myself involved in something troublesome.
The explanation ended up being rather long, but Nicole seemed to understand everything and summed it up simply.
...So he's just throwing a fit all by himself?"
"Something like that."
Just as Nicole said, Jackson was throwing a fit all by himself. Since the women he liked were friendly with me, he couldn't help but feel jealous and resentful. To make matters worse, those women showed absolutely no interest in him.
Of course, he hadn't given up and still spoke to them whenever an opportunity arose, but both Cecily and Rina treated him strictly formally. In particular, his popularity with Rina must have dropped even further after that incident with the seating arrangements.
They say staying still gets you halfway there. That was exactly what I wanted to tell Jackson.
"Isaac. If he starts bullying you directly, tell your big sis. I'll figure something out somehow. Understand?"
In the meantime, Nicole seemed to think for a moment before placing a hand on my shoulder and urging me earnestly. I turned my head and met her gaze.
Her expression was filled with concern.
"Uh..."
If Jackson started bullying me, wouldn't Rina act first? Or Marie, who was close to me, might deal with him. Unlike Jackson, Marie had no sense of entitlement, but she was still the daughter of a ducal family—a girl who could make even a count seem insignificant. However, Nicole would have no idea about any of this until I told her.
Perhaps she interpreted my darting eyes in another way, because Nicole gently stroked my head. The angry expression had vanished without a trace, replaced by nothing but a kind smile.
"Don't tell me you can't answer because you're worried something might happen to your big sis? If that's the case, don't worry. Big sis has some connections too."
"...Okay."
"Then shall we buy your clothes? Excuse me?"
"Ah, yes! How may I help you?"
At Nicole's call, a female employee who had been waiting in the distance hurried over. She had clear skin and an innocent, somewhat inexperienced-looking face.
"We need clothes for him. Do you have a red suit? Preferably one as close as possible to the color of his hair."
"Hmm... A scarlet suit... Just a moment. I'll take his measurements first."
Despite the minor incident, the schedule for having my formalwear made remained unchanged. When the employee brought over a measuring tape, I stood in front of a full-length mirror and spread both arms wide.
The employee flinched, then watched me carefully before asking in a timid voice.
"Um... May I touch you?"
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"The previous customer told me not to touch him..."
"... ..."
That guy must have made a scene before he even left. I sighed and answered quietly.
"...I'm fine with it, so just go ahead."
What a petty, class-ridden society.
*****
The weekend was precious to everyone. Some people could enjoy a blissful rest, while others soothed the fatigue of body and mind by indulging in their hobbies.
The princess of Helium, Cecily, tended to spend her weekends chatting with Rina. Rina was the first human friend she had made since enrolling at Halo Academy, and they shared similar interests, so there was no one with whom Cecily felt more comfortable.
Although they had quarreled after Rina revealed the contents of Volume 8 of The Chronicle of Xenon, the matter was settled when Rina apologized first. Cecily had been adamant that she didn't want to grow distant from Rina, so she accepted the apology.
"Here. It's yours."
Inside a cafe with a distinctly old-fashioned atmosphere.
Rina placed a book on the round table and spoke to Cecily, who was sitting across from her. The book she had set down was none other than the recently published Volume 8 of The Chronicle of Xenon.
Cecily stared intently at Volume 8 of The Chronicle of Xenon on the table, then carefully picked it up. She flipped through the pages and checked the contents, if only briefly.
A little while later, after confirming that the book Rina had given her was genuine, Cecily closed it with a satisfied expression. Rina watched her in disbelief and asked,
"Don't tell me you checked it because you didn't trust me?"
"Yeah. You could have just changed the cover, after all. I hear scams like that are common these days."
"You know that hurts, right? Have you forgotten who I am?"
"Of course I'm joking, just joking. There's no way Rina would do anything strange to me, right?"
It was a somewhat unpleasant thing to say, but Rina held it in. The sin she had committed against Cecily was simply too great.
Everyone was different, but normally, when someone revealed the ending while an exciting story was still unfolding, people were bound to get angry. Even if it was said by accident, the other person's displeasure didn't change.
And yet Rina had told Cecily the identity of the person who had set Xenon up. It had all happened because Rina had assumed Cecily had obviously read Volume 8 already.
Afterward, Cecily had gotten angry—a rare occurrence—and Rina had also felt hurt, leading to an argument between them. Fortunately, they had calmed down and reconciled, but Cecily had stopped sitting beside Rina after that.
"Phew... All right. And let me remind you: never tell anyone that I bought Volume 8 for you. Understand?"
"Of course. I'll take this secret to my grave."
Rina chuckled as she watched Cecily hug Volume 8 to her chest with a blissful smile. By the time Cecily finally went to her grave, her own descendants might well be buried there with her.
Rina briefly entertained that silly thought, then shook it away. What mattered now wasn't Volume 8, but asking how Cecily had been doing.
"How's life at the Academy? Are you managing?"
"No problems so far. You're helping me, after all, Rina."
"Even I have my limits. Is there anything bothering you or anything you're curious about?"
Cecily had lived for more than a hundred years, but this was her first time living in human society. Fortunately, demonkin culture had many similarities to human culture, so she had managed well enough until now.
However, she occasionally startled people. The biggest example was her use of magic to fly through the sky. Since magic was forbidden at Halo Academy except in certain areas, Rina couldn't help but be startled.
"There's nothing in particular I'm curious about, but as for what bothers me... the gathering?"
In response to Rina's question, Cecily tapped her cheek with her index finger. Tap—tap—
At that answer, Rina slightly raised one eye. Cecily had just decided to attend the freshman gathering with Rina as well.
"The gathering? Why?"
"I'm curious what they'll talk about at the gathering. Students from science as well as literature are coming to the freshman gathering, aren't they?"
"That's right. Still, The Chronicle of Xenon is bound to come up, right? I can say that with certainty."
"You're right. It would be a shame if The Chronicle of Xenon didn't come up."
The Chronicle of Xenon was at the center of attention, so it could hardly be left out of the gathering's topics. Besides, a new volume had recently been released, so all sorts of discussions would surely take place.
"Come to think of it, what are you going to wear to the gathering?"
"I have a dress I brought from Helium, so I'm planning to wear that."
"Can you tell me what it looks like?"
"As for what it looks like..."
Cecily set the book down for a moment in response to Rina's question. Describing a dress was simple enough—she only had to draw it on the tabletop with her finger.
Rina began imagining it as Cecily drew on the table with her finger. Before long, the more Cecily drew, the more Rina's face went from surprised to completely blank.
Eventually, she became plainly flustered. Rina slowly raised her head, then stopped halfway.
Her gaze had stopped precisely at Cecily's chest, which even now, while she was dressed casually, boasted an overwhelming presence.
Rina raised her gaze a little farther and met Cecily's face. Cecily had finished her description and wore the same calm expression as ever.
"...Are you really planning to attend the gathering wearing something like that?"
"Yeah. Is there a problem?"
"No. There isn't a problem, but..."
Rina couldn't figure out how to explain it. The dress Cecily had described was clearly simple in appearance. That much was certain.
But perhaps the problem was that it was too simple. Rina asked her in a voice filled with concern,
"...Isn't it too revealing?"
Cecily's response was even more outrageous.
"No matter what I wear, it'll be revealing, won't it?"
"... ..."
Rina was left speechless by the blunt answer.
As Cecily said, with a figure like that, any dress would look revealing. But the dress Cecily planned to wear was so daring that it went far beyond that.
"Even so, maybe... isn't that a bit much? There's way too much skin showing..."
"I know what you're worried about, Rina. Still, you don't need to worry. I can endure this much. More importantly..."
Cecily trailed off, then gave her characteristic mischievous smile.
"Because there's someone whose reaction I'm looking forward to seeing."