CHAPTER 5 Act 3

When I talk with Mr. Seid, there are still certain questions in me that make me confused.

Why did he tell me everything about his plan instead of just talking to Zei?

And if I were him, I might be the first in the exams, and then ask for the information I needed

Whatever the case, he seemed to have his own reason.

The examination took three days, and it is now completed. They'll be releasing the test results today, which everyone has their eyes on. In addition, there were no harmful incidents during the examination, and everything was handled normally.

It was on this day that I was waiting for Hans Seid's reaction to the matter. What would it be then?

"I heard you have an exciting game in your class, Mr. Wyte?"

"Yeah, and I'm looking forward to it."

Ms. Shine is walking with me. We went to the Representatives' meeting and reported some issues to the Student Council. I try to avoid discussing what happened in my class with them. However, Ms. Shine already knew something, and there's nothing for me to be surprised about. Everyone has their own strategies for obtaining information.

"Are you that confident in your exam?"

"It's not like that, Ms. Shine; I'm concentrating on what'll happen after that."

"Why? Is it because of Mr. Seid? ...Oh, I'd want to see it as well."

"...But first, how's everything going with the Light Family? Have they sent anything?" I said to shift the subject.

Actually, Principal Eve hasn't sent me anything ever since I reported back to her. She seemed preoccupied the minute I walked into the principal's office, and our conversation was so brief that she didn't say anything.

"At the present, there are none."

"Hmm, it's rather unusual."

Thinking that way, we still have some issues in the Light Family.

"...It's because of Zei that we're having trouble," she said, and stopped walking; then I glanced back at her. She clenched her fist tightly without looking at me.

Remembering that day, Ms. Shine didn't say anything to me when Zei left the Family. She knew Zei and everything from the start, and she held her in the same respect as the Principal. But the tables are turned. I can empathize with her feelings since Zei betrayed me as well.

"Are you upset?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry you heard me."

"No, it's okay; I believe Zei overdid it as well."

"Uh... I didn't intend to... erm..."

Out of embarrassment, she continued walking.

From the looks of it, she was furious at what was going on in the Light Family. Ms. Shine is so devoted to the Light Family that she is willing to put her life on the line to stop opponents who seek to bring the Light Family down. And that characteristic has shaped who she is now. She now recognized Zei as her foe, and there was no way to go back to the things they were before.

"It appears that we will have a difficult time dealing with it."

"Erm..."

"Hm?"

She hesitantly asked, "A-Are you not hating Zei for what she did? She put all the problems behind us."

"Hatred, huh? It gets me sad a little, but I don't want to turn it into hate since she's my sister after all."

"If you were to choose between Light Family and Zei, which would you choose?"

"..."

It took me off guard that I didn't have an answer back to her. I hadn't considered it; no, I don't want to consider it.

"Oh, it was a little personal? Apologies..."

She tosses off her remark as if nothing.

"Are you serious about what you've said?"

"Hm? Uh... I just wanted to hear your response, but I guess that's enough of an answer I need; sorry for the inconvenience. Um, to make up, I'll buy you a drink later."

"This time again? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, leave it to me."

"Well, I guess I'll take it then..."

Like almost every day, she did offer me a drink. So to clear things up...

"Oh, how about we make it a date?" I said.

"D-Date?"

"'Yup. You don't want to?"

"Uh, no... I mean... W-what time?"

"After class tomorrow."

"Yes, I'll keep it in mind."

"Alright."

The embarrassment still sends shivers up my spine, but I don't show it to her. I don't want to turn down an offer like that, so I miraculously transform it into a date. My intentions are not bad, to put it simply. I just want to talk to her alone.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

After a few minutes of walking, we came upon a certain person.

"Greetings to both of you..."

A woman welcomes us with a graceful curtsy bow. Her elegance made him stick out at first. That person is Ms. Ruclise.

Ms. Shine met Ms. Ruclise with the same greeting.

"How's your exam?" Ms. Ruclise asked Ms. Shine, smiling a little.

"Everything is well; how about you?"

"There isn't a single issue."

These two were seemingly confident in their exams. They are aware that each of them poses a threat. If Ms. Shine reveals her flaws, Ms. Ruclise will be named Representative in no time.

It's a good thing their feud isn't widely spoken at school. As I previously stated, they are nearly identical in skills, but the difference is in experience. When it comes to managing the Light Family, Ms. Shine is an expert. Ms. Ruclise, on the other hand, is keeping up with us in a way that no one else has. She's an excellent student, and there's no denying it. Though I hope one day they settle down for good.

"You two, don't attempt to cause a commotion."

They both instantly look at me and then turn their heads away, as if I'm nothing. They were deafeningly quiet, but I needed to break the ice between them.

"Ehem, uh in any case, there's no issue in Class- 2?"

When I questioned Ms. Shine about her class, she was immediately brought back to reality.

"...A-Actually, nothing occurred there."

"Really?"

"It ended peacefully, yes."

"Isn't that a relief?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll double-check whether there was anything strange."

"Alright then, I will go now. See you later."

"Where?" Ms. Shine suddenly grabs my arm.

"To my class obviously. I'll walk with Ms. Ruclise together. You can go to yours as well."

Ms. Shine answered, "O-okay," with wavering eyes.

I'm not sure what that implies, but it's something that I always keep in mind. After that, we each went our separate ways.

"Are you sure you'd rather walk with me?" Ms. Ruclise said and stared at me.

"Isn't Ms. Shine in another class?"

"Indeed, but she—"

"I know, Ms. Ruclise. I'm not stupid."

"You stated that. But is that your answer to her?"

"I'm aware of the situation, but I'm not certain."

"How cruel. Both of you have known each other for some time and some students have speculations, you know?"

"Is that so?"

It is self-evident. She constantly buys me a drink for no reason. But today, I told her it was a date, which she readily accepted. Now what's left is to talk to her.

"Sigh..."

I let a deep sigh thinking about it.

"What are you upto Mr. Wyte?"

"Nothing. Um, who do you think will be on top score on the exams?"

"Who knows. Is there a problem?"

"...Hans Seid."

We're now in the outside room. It took us almost a minute.

"Oh, that guy? He's quite interesting."

"Did you think so?"

"He seems knowledgeable to what I think."

"Anyway, we'll see after the results."

When we enter the room, it appears that not everyone is present. All of the students were all in groups, and I saw Mr. Seid was alone, sleeping through his desk when something unanticipated struck our attention.

"M-Mr. Seid," a voice interrupts his sleep.

And that person was holding a water bottle, which he quickly poured over Mr. Seid's head. The man seemed to be terrified, yet he kept his strength to stand up.

Ms. Ruclise quickly explained, "He was being used."

"Seems so."

Apparently, that guy isn't in our class, but he was possibly being used by other students and instructed to disturb Mr. Seid.

Mr. Seid's reaction was insipid, as if nothing had occurred to him. He opened his eyes and stared at that person.

"Is that you?"

Mr. Seid asks him in a light tone, but he receives no answer.

"Give me that bottle," Mr. Seid said.

"Uh... I... I—"

After receiving the bottle, Mr. Seid abruptly hit the person with full force.

"—Urgh..."

At the moment, were all speechless.

The boy was laying on the floor with a slight open wound in his head.

"What the—?"

"Mr. Seid!"

Ms. Ruclise called out his name, and she approached Mr. Seid boldly. I'm surprised she was able to approach Mr. Seid after that. That's our class representative.

"What do you want?"

Ms. Ruclise replied, "Calm down and take a look around."

Mr. Seid scanned the crowd one by one until he saw me. As far as I can tell, his eyes are serene and lack any energy,

"And then what?"

"Please refrain from your behavior; you realize how much attention you get?"

"Hm... Who is this guy, anyway?"

Mr. Seid ignores Ms. Ruclise's statements.

"Hey, listen to me!"

"I don't care about you, but what's the problem with this guy?"

He looks at the person who poured water on him. That person didn't answer out of fear, and Ms. Ruclise stepped in again and got the attention of Hans.

"Hear me out, this guy is being used against you..."

"I don't care; he's bothering me."

I was astounded by Mr. Seid's calm demeanor. He wasn't yelling, but rather speaking in a calm tone.

"You're incorrect in the end, Mr. Seid. You shouldn't attack someone who irritates you. With just—"

"I'm not that kind of person."

He stated this while looking Ms. Ruclise in the eyes. We were all silent till the boy ran away as fast as he could to avoid embarrassment and danger. Ms. Frey, who was also watching the situation, pursues the student. All of my classmates were just gazing at each other, and none of us said anything.

In retrospect, this isn't the first time Mr. Seid has been bullied at this school. He had several attempts before the examinations started, but none of them resulted in violence, at least not until today.

At the same time, Teacher Firiel entered the room and stared at us, puzzled.

"What happened here?"

We don't respond, but she doesn't seem to mind, so she tells us to take our seats since she'll be announcing the exam results.

Everyone seems to calm down a bit, as if it was normal and used to.

"Oh, I see, Ms. Frey wasn't here. I'll let her know later."

Initially, she began calling out our names in alphabetical order. It took a while for me to hear my name.

"Here are your test results, Mr. Wyte."

I went in to the front and Teacher Fireil handed me the paper. In all seven subjects, I received a 678 out of 700 on my exam paper. Not bad, I'd say.

But when I heard Teacher Fireil's following words, I was even more surprised.

"That's all. And Mr. Seid, where's your paper? I didn't see yours but then double-checked it and couldn't find anything."

"Uh, my paper? I'm not sure."

"Huh?"

And the din grows louder. Even I find myself in doubt.

"..."

"What does it mean, Mr. Seid?" A random guy who introduced this mini game stands up and asks. He seemed anxious about something.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about—but it's not my problem if Teacher Fireil loses it."

Then suddenly, Teacher Fireil got more serious. She's being suspected for something she didn't expect.

This seemed intended from the start. I'm not sure what happened, and I'm not sure if Mr. Seid is telling the truth. Overall, this was an intriguing approach.

The guy says, "T-Then your score will be zero, right?"

"Not actually," Mr. Seid responded.

"Hm?"

"Sort of," Teacher Fireil said and added, "Mr. Seid can take another test because it's my responsibility since I lost it anyway."

"What? How did you lose it, Teacher Fireil?" A random girl asked, but received no response.

"Let me tell you all, Teacher Fireil did not contact me when she realized my paper was missing, no?"

"...H-he's right," our Teacher stated sternly.

"How can this be? Does it mean your score is now pointless? Are you running away in the game?"

"You're wrong. I can re-test like Teacher Fireil said and receive a score. A score is a score. Now that my score is still pending, are you going to wait for it?"

I'm sure it was his idea from the beginning not to participate in this small game; waiting for his score will be aggravating, but if we go forward, then we cannot include Mr. Seid in the game.

"Are you going to wait for my score or not? Decide now or else it will be problematic."

"..."

What a brilliant strategy, I could say. What will they say now?

The girl replied, "Of course, we'll wait for your score."

Instantly, stillness came into the room.

"Are you sure?" Mr. Seid's tone abruptly changed to serious.

"Y-yeah, right everyone?"

However, not everyone responds to that woman. Seeing the earlier incident, it's clear that it makes them all more cautious.

Mr. Seid didn't hesitate a bit when it came to beating down his enemy. And I've experienced the same thing before.

"Well, I guess that didn't work, huh? Alright then."

Mr. Seid then walks out of the room, as if he were escaping, although he isn't.

"Where are you going, Mr. Seid?" Ms. Ruclise asked.

"Would you want to accompany me in changing my clothes?"

"..."

Following that, Mr. Seid leaves.