Group Project (3)

In group projects, there are various types of villains.

An incompetent group member who knows absolutely nothing about the subject and can't do anything. A whiner who always has appointments and nags everyone to hurry up and finish. A loose cannon who is pointlessly stubborn, ruins teamwork, and even causes serious discord.

As the examples above show, group projects have various villains, but the most representative one is the 'freeloader.'

Then what does freeloading mean? Literally, it's the 'criminal act' of using transportation without paying. In a group project, it refers to people who do nothing and simply expect everyone else to do it all—the so-called people who have sold their conscience.

However, as the meaning suggests, it isn't a crime if you pay the proper fare. In a group project, if someone has truly unavoidable circumstances or knows absolutely nothing about the subject, there are cases where they become the group's 'sponsor' and provide various accommodations.

Such as renting a study room outright or buying delicious food every time they attend a discussion, and so on. In such cases, they're not freeloading; it's like properly paying the fare and riding the bus comfortably.

Of course, it's not good to exploit this arrangement in reverse and solve everything with money alone. At the very least, you have to explain the circumstances and obtain the other members' consent first.

"I'll be counting on you. I've been keeping an eye on you."

Cute yet refined features. And a slender frame that looked less than 160 centimeters tall.

A brown-haired girl with the cute air of a walking doll, Aira smiled and greeted me. Judging by appearances alone, it looked like the greeting of a polite daughter of a noble family.

But I had clearly seen it before she greeted us: the way she had looked Benjamin and Leona up and down. It was absolutely not the gaze of someone treating them as equals.

She didn't look down on them as openly as Jackson, but should I say she carried a knife in her heart? I might have been overreacting, but after making myself a pushover so many times during group projects, I had developed a fairly keen eye for it.

Whether someone was willing to participate in the group project or intended to freeload.

For now, Aira's first impression was closer to the latter.

'The Marquess of Martius, huh...'

As everyone knows, a marquess is the rank directly below a duke, and the Minerva Empire has three marquess houses in total. The Martius family is a frontier marquess house responsible for the borders of the Minerva Empire.

In addition, my father once served with the Martius family, and as far as I knew, the Navy Knights, where Dave was currently training as a squire, belonged to them. The Navy Knights were closer to a special-forces unit conducting special operations than to a conventional military force, which was why they belonged to the military Martius family.

"...I'm Isaac Ducer Maishal. So you're a young lady of the Martius family. It's an honor to meet you."

I formally greeted Aira with a pleasant expression as she waited for my response. My first impression of her wasn't exactly good, but I could keep an eye on her as time went on.

Aira's smile widened after my greeting, and she looked at Benjamin. When their eyes met, Benjamin flinched and hurriedly greeted her.

"M-My name is Benjamin Blank! I-I look forward to working with you!"

"I'll look forward to working with you too. And..."

Finally, Aira turned her gaze to Leona. The moment their eyes met, Leona spoke with her characteristic emotionless expression.

"My name is Leona Lyons."

Unlike Benjamin, who had made such a fuss, Leona greeted her with an incredibly stiff expression and voice, like a piece of wood. An ordinary person might have let it pass, thinking she was simply peculiar.

But Aira apparently wasn't one of them. When Leona greeted her curtly, the corners of her raised lips dropped slightly.

"...That's it?"

And then she even asked again. Her tone had lowered as well, making it obvious to anyone that she was offended.

However, perhaps Leona didn't notice what she meant, because she replied in an even tone to the very end. The key point was how she tilted her head as if she truly didn't understand.

"I did greet you."

"...No. I just thought your personality was a little unusual."

Fortunately, it seemed to pass without incident. I noticed a trace of displeasure on Aira's face but pretended not to see it. I sighed inwardly as I watched.

Even in a different world, my luck with group projects seemed to be notoriously terrible. On top of that, we'd already thoroughly botched our first impression, making it difficult to predict what lay ahead. Of course, this wasn't Leona's fault; it was entirely due to Aira and her sense of entitlement.

As I said before, the gap between nobles and commoners—not between nobles themselves—is impossibly vast. A commoner has to obey without question if the other person, no matter how low-ranking a noble, orders them to.

I only thought that way because I'd come from a democratic society, but unfortunately, this kind of system was normal in this world. If I had been born here without my past life's memories, wouldn't I have lived with a sense of entitlement like Jackson or Aira?

"...Anyway, introductions are over. What should we do now?"

As the strange atmosphere continued, Aira got straight to the point. She seemed to be just as uncomfortable with the situation.

Her question reminded me of the group-project process Professor Virrus had explained a moment ago. In fact, it wasn't much different from group projects in my previous life; it was practically identical.

So we had to decide on the most important part right now.

Something someone absolutely had to do, but that I didn't want to do and wished someone else would handle.

"...Who wants to be group leader?"

We had to decide on the 'group leader' who would guide the members.

The moment I spoke and glanced around to gauge everyone's reaction, the others began darting their eyes around as well. This confirmed that human nature didn't change wherever people lived.

However, at this particular moment, our group was unusual. Benjamin, a commoner, would hesitate to step forward with two nobles—Aira and me—present, while Leona wasn't an active person as long as she maintained her persona.

In other words, that left only Aira and me as possible group leaders.

'I might as well do it myself.'

It was more comfortable for me that way. Even in my previous life, I had stepped forward with the mindset that I would rather do it myself than awkwardly worry about others' reactions.

I was about to open my mouth with an inward sigh.

"If no one else wants to do it, I'll take charge. That would make things easier for you too, right?"

An entirely unexpected situation unfolded.

Aira planted a hand on her hip and confidently declared that she would take the position of group leader. I stared at her in surprise.

No matter where her confidence came from, the group leader was the person who took on the greatest risk in a group project. If the members did their jobs, there was no problem, but the moment even one villain appeared, the leader was the one who endured every kind of stress.

Could Aira really handle the role of group leader? Genuinely worried, I voiced my concern.

"Are you sure? It won't be easy."

"Don't worry. Leave everything to me. You just have to do as I say. Got it?"

"... ..."

This sort of person could actually be more harmful. Since time immemorial, the most dangerous people have been those who are full of enthusiasm but incompetent. They can jeopardize not only efficiency but even their allies.

However, things would be different if she agreed to be the 'sponsor' I mentioned earlier. Aira didn't know it, but this assignment was easy enough for me to handle entirely on my own. I was the author of The Chronicle of Xenon; if I couldn't even do this, I ought to put down my pen.

In any case, I could only desperately pray that Aira was a leader rather than a dictator. If she really was the dictator type, the road ahead would be arduous.

If she was also a freeloader, she'd likely do nothing herself and merely give orders. Judging by the look in her eyes earlier, that possibility seemed somewhat high.

"First, has anyone here not read The Chronicle of Xenon through Volume 8? For the record, I've read all of it. I also have the books in my dormitory, so I can lend them to you if you want."

Had becoming group leader changed her attitude? Surprisingly, Aira was enthusiastic.

I was almost left wondering whether she could really be a freeloader after all. I replied with a look of renewed surprise.

"I've read them all."

"I've read them all."

The moment I opened my mouth, Leona said exactly the same thing as I did. We both paused in surprise, then looked at each other, neither of us knowing who had spoken first.

However, when Leona met my gaze, only the skin beneath her eyes twitched; she said nothing else and turned her head forward again. I felt slightly awkward.

I was the author, so that made sense for me, but how had Leona managed to get a copy? The Chronicle of Xenon was so hard to obtain that even Marie, the daughter of the Rechillis ducal family, had struggled to get one.

Then I tilted my head and looked at Aira. She had one eye raised and wore a surprised expression.

"...I see. You managed to obtain it somehow, even though it must have been difficult."

Judging by her reaction, she seemed to have assumed that Leona and I hadn't managed to obtain The Chronicle of Xenon. But what was worth noting here was how disappointed she seemed.

The Chronicle of Xenon was so astonishingly popular that every release sold out immediately, so a normal person should have considered it fortunate. To proceed smoothly with the project, reading even one more volume would make things easier.

But for some reason, she seemed displeased. Could it be that things weren't going the way she wanted?

"I-I haven't read them all. Actually, I haven't even read Volume 6..."

"Really?"

As though disproving my suspicion, Benjamin cautiously spoke up, and Aira's face brightened the moment he did. It was only natural for an inexplicable sense of unease to creep over me as I watched.

Then Aira lightly tapped her lips a few times before speaking to Benjamin in a tone that implied she was doing him a favor.

"I could lend them to you. Would you like me to? I bought all the way through Volume 8."

"R-Really? Then I'd be happy to..."

"But there's one condition."

"Pardon?"

Benjamin's eyes widened in confusion when Aira cut herself off midway and said there was a condition. I was just as flustered.

I discreetly glanced at Leona, but she still wore the unreadable expression she'd had earlier. Even so, I guessed she probably felt much the same as I did.

Meanwhile, Aira stretched the corners of her lips into a broad smile and stated the condition to the flustered Benjamin.

"What you have to do instead of me is..."

"I can lend him the books."

Before Aira could finish speaking, Leona cut in first. Her tone was as stiff and polite as ever, but it contained a hint of discomfort.

At that, Aira came to an abrupt halt. She pressed her lips tightly together and glared coldly at Leona.

"Did they teach you that it's all right to interrupt someone while they're speaking?"

Aira's chilly pressure continued. An atmosphere utterly unsuited to her doll-like refined appearance and tiny frame began to seep from her.

But Leona was no pushover either. Since she was sitting, she looked up at Aira and replied stiffly.

"I spoke because I didn't feel there was any need for Lady Aira to lend him the books. If I offended you, I apologize."

"Will a mere apology do? I'm upset now."

"... ..."

Aira kept pressing her with questions, but Leona didn't answer. Her face remained expressionless, yet I had the impression it held the unspoken thought, 'Do I really have to?'

At that response, Aira clicked her tongue, then warned Leona in a deliberately stern voice. Fortunately, she seemed to have decided to let it go.

"This is a warning. If you speak or act like that again, I'll remove you from the group. I'm the group leader, so I have the authority to do that. Understand?"

"Understood. Even so, I'll lend the books to Benjamin."

"Do as you please."

"Th-Thank you, Miss Leona."

Benjamin thanked Leona for lending him the books, but he still kept glancing at Aira. Seeing him grovel made me feel a little sorry for him.

I muttered inwardly as I watched the situation.

'There was no need to cause a rift...'

It might have been better if Aira had lent Benjamin the book and received something in return. Benjamin was a commoner, while Aira was a noble.

What Leona had just done was unequivocally an affront to a noble's authority. I wasn't concerned with such class distinctions, so it wasn't a problem for me, but other nobles would certainly look at her unfavorably.

As I said earlier, even if the other person was a young lord or lady who hadn't formally inherited their title, a commoner still had to bow. It was a kind of 'common sense.'

"Hmph. Commoners... I can't even get angry over something like this..."

"... ..."

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do you have something to say?"

"No."

I had a rough idea of what kind of person Aira was. It wasn't certain yet, but one thing was clear.

The moment we got on her bad side, this group would fall apart.

I had vaguely sensed it when she'd just said that, as group leader, she had the authority to do so. I'd have to keep watching her, but she seemed to dislike having her authority undermined.

'This is going to be a little exhausting...'

Perhaps something beyond a mere freeloader would emerge from this.

While I was thinking that, Aira stared intently at my face with a prim expression, then called my name.

"Isaac."

"Yes. Please go ahead."

"You can do this, right?"

At first glance, it might sound like a question expressing trust in me, but it also implied that she didn't trust Benjamin and Leona.

Apparently, she found me—another noble, and one who stood out in class—more trustworthy than a commoner.

On top of that, though she could never know it, I was the original author of the work at the center of this group project, The Chronicle of Xenon.

I could confidently say that, rather than merely doing well, I could chew it up and spit it out.

"You don't have to worry."

"Hmm. Really? Good. I'll trust you this once."

Was she already dividing us into nobles and commoners? Aira patted my shoulder twice in encouragement. Then she looked at Benjamin and Leona with a haughty gaze.

I stared at Aira, keeping my expression curt on the outside while letting out a deep sigh inwardly.

'I don't care about anything else, so please don't be ridiculously stubborn.'

Since I could do it all myself, I just hoped she wouldn't do anything that would sabotage us.

I didn't know whether she had any ability, but as the conflict with Leona moments ago showed, she definitely had a sense of entitlement. I wanted to avoid the group falling apart because of some pointless stubbornness.

'Just in case, I'd better keep the worst-case scenario in mind.'

Though things had gotten off to a rocky start, there hadn't been any major problems yet.

At least not yet. More importantly...

'Now that I look at her again, she's like a fairy.'

I believe everyone knows whom I was looking at when I had that thought.