Insult?

The day after the “soft chest incident.”

Ian and I were keeping an awkward distance from each other.

Why did I have to let my guard down again right then?

No, that's not the point. Why did I react so strongly just because someone touched my chest?

Can guys touch each other's chests…?

…Anyway!

I was just startled yesterday, so I overreacted a little. It's not like I was embarrassed because someone touched my chest.

If I say that's not it, then that's not it.

Ian seemed embarrassed about touching my chest, too.

Whenever our eyes met, he'd blush and look away.

But every now and then, his gaze would drift to his hand and my chest… He is a guy, after all. Guess he enjoyed it, huh?

It was funny enough that I wanted to tease him, but I held back in case I ended up taking splash damage, too.

“Um… about yesterday…”

“Don't apologize. If I hear it one more time, I think I'll actually develop a complex.”

“O-okay…”

I wasn't kidding. Since yesterday, he'd been apologizing about once every five minutes.

The first couple of times were fine, but after he'd been doing it all day, I was so sick of it that I was starting to get annoyed.

“It was an accident, wasn't it? Why are you taking it so seriously?”

“But you screamed so loudly yesterday…”

“What?”

“I'll shut up.”

I silenced Ian's nonsense with a glare, just as Cain, the professor in charge of [Sword Basics], came in.

“Good! Everyone's here.”

Cain looked around once, didn't bother taking attendance, and coolly began the lesson.

“Yesterday, we worked on your stamina. Starting today, we'll get down to learning the sword in earnest. But! You all already have your own swordsmanship, don't you?”

That was true. Most students in Class A were nobles, and many of them came from prestigious families.

It wasn't a matter of discrimination or anything. Those kids had simply received better training. Maybe that's why there was only one other commoner besides me.

…Not that I was a commoner to begin with.

Anyway, most of them had already learned their families' swordsmanship.

“So what I'll teach you is the fundamentals, stamina training, and practical experience through sparring. Now, go ahead and practice however you like!”

You can ask me for advice or spar with the other students!

Cain said that as he looked around at the students.

“Of course, we've also prepared private practice rooms for students who don't want others to learn their swordsmanship. I'll personally supervise the sparring, and we've got clergy on hand to prevent any accidents, so feel free to fight to your heart's content.”

Clergy. In other words, people who wielded divine power.

Especially if they were clergy working at the academy, they could probably even reattach an arm.

That's why accidents didn't happen during sparring at the academy.

“El. Want to spar?”

“No.”

I felt bad for Ian, but I turned down his offer without hesitation.

“We'll fight during the ranking match at midterms. Until then, let's save our strength.”

There'd be no fun in fighting now.

“If that's what you want.”

Ian said that and went into a private practice room. With talent like his, he'd be even stronger by midterms.

Just as I was about to go into a private practice room myself, looking forward to fighting Ian then…

“Could we talk for a moment?”

“Hm?”

Several girls stood in the direction the voice had come from.

“I'm Siren Jegen Nagen, the second daughter of the venerable Count Nagen family.”

“I'm El.”

A purple-haired girl who seemed to be their leader introduced herself, so I told her my name, too. Then one of the lackeys standing behind Lady Nagen shouted.

“Hey! How dare a commoner hold her head high in front of Lady Nagen!”

“Calm down, Colan. We're at the academy. We should overlook a little breach of etiquette.”

“…?”

What were these people even talking about?

The girl called Colan was yelling at me for not showing proper respect, while Lady Nagen pretended to stop her as she took a jab at my manners.

…What's going on?

“Um. What is this about?”

“Hey! Who said you could speak? Her Ladyship hasn't said anything yet!”

What do you expect me to do, then?

Just as I was starting to get annoyed, Lady Nagen spoke up.

“It's nothing much. I noticed you seem to spend a lot of time with Lord Ian. I don't know what kind of relationship you two have, but wouldn't it be better to keep your distance from now on, for his sake?”

“…?”

What are you talking about?

“You don't seem to understand, so let me explain again. Lord Ian is the eldest son of House Gaillis and the Hero's son, you know? Just having a commoner like you cling to his side will make people think less of him. So for his sake, don't go near him again. Understood? I trust that even a commoner as dim-witted as you can understand that much.”

“…”

Wow… So when someone is truly dumbfounded, all you can do is marvel.

So she's telling me to quit fawning over Ian and get lost?

Judging by the jealousy in her eyes, she probably couldn't stand seeing someone hanging around handsome Ian.

“…Ha.”

Maybe she heard my quiet chuckle, because Lady Nagen and her lackeys scowled at me.

Come on, it was funny. If I took off my disguise, these girls would be groveling in no time.

I wasn't going to undo my transformation over something this trivial, but that didn't mean I was going to do what those bitches said.

“This doesn't seem to have anything to do with me.”

That one remark made their faces scrunch up in a ridiculously funny way.

“Look. I'm trying to be nice, but you just don't understand…”

“You weren't exactly being nice.”

Oh. Her face was even redder than Ian's had been yesterday.

She was ugly to begin with, and she looked even worse now.

“Well, I'm off.”

I left the girls muttering behind me and went into a private practice room.

No, I was about to go in.

“You slut, selling your body for a place here.”

“What?”

Until I heard that.

One of the things that made me fly into a rage in this world.

Sexual harassment. Or a sexual insult.

Maybe it was because I'd been a man in my previous life, or maybe because I kept convincing myself I was still a man.

Whenever I heard that kind of sexual harassment, I felt like I lost all reason.

“Isn't it true? You lost your duel, but you still got into Class A. Did you sell your body to get in? With those vulgar, cow-like breasts.”

Lady Nagen's—no, the purple-haired bitch's sexual harassment continued.

“You're only hanging around Lord Ian because you're trying to seduce him with that whorish body of yours, aren't you?”

“Oh, that's right. I heard you conveniently managed to get Lord Ian to touch your chest yesterday. Are you going to deny that, too?”

The purple-haired bitch's face was filled with mockery and smug triumph as she said that.

I wasn't arguing back and was only frowning. Did she think she'd won?

“Here.”

After harassing me for a while, the purple-haired bitch tossed a glove at me and said,

“I'm challenging you to a duel. If you lose to me, stay away from Lord Ian from now on.”

“…”

I silently nodded.

She'd set things up this perfectly for me. I ought to make her regret being alive.

When the purple-haired girl and I stepped into the sparring arena, a crowd of students came over to watch.

-Isn't that girl in 30th place? Why would she accept Lady Nagen's challenge?

-I know. Lady Nagen is ranked fourth overall.

-She's in for it now.

-Didn't she lose in the entrance exam, too? Why is she in Class A?

Most people seemed to think I was going to lose.

“Can you hear them? No one thinks you'll win. If you get down on your knees and apologize now, I'll let you off.”

“Ha.”

I really shouldn't have lost to Ian that day.

Even trash like her was looking down on me.

“Both sides, ready!”

At Cain's command, the purple-haired girl drew her sword and took her stance.

I, on the other hand, didn't even draw my sword. I just crossed my arms and looked at her.

“What? Aren't you going to get ready?”

“I don't need to.”

My sword was too good to waste on a bitch like her.

“…I don't know where you're getting that confidence, but I'll make you regret it.”

With that, the purple-haired girl gathered her mana.

It was weak—not even worth comparing to mine, and embarrassingly feeble next to Ian's.

“Begin!”

As soon as Cain announced the start of the spar, the purple-haired girl charged at me.

She probably thought she was fast, but her attack was slow enough to make me yawn.

-Thwack!

“Guh?!”

Before she could reach me, I charged at her instead and planted a fist in her face.

With an ugly scream, the purple-haired girl's teeth went flying through the air.

This is only the beginning.