IRBC 7

Chapter: 7

Rosemary carried a plate of food as she searched for her older brother. Fortunately, pink hair was easy to spot, so she quickly found Enoch sitting by the window in the distance.

Careful not to spill anything, she walked toward him. Her light steps were filled with excitement. Seeing Enoch on the academy grounds after enrolling herself made her feel strangely happy.

“Brother!”

“You’re here? Sit down quickly.”

As she called out to him, Enoch’s expression—previously stiff and unreadable—softened instantly. He waited until Rosemary sat down across from him.

“You should’ve started eating first.”

“I figured you’d be here soon. It’s nicer to eat together.”

Enoch picked out a few items from his plate and placed them onto Rosemary’s. They were all foods she liked.

“Eat up, Oppa. I brought plenty for myself.”

“I have a lot too, so it’s fine. The academy food is good—eat slowly and enjoy it.”

The siblings took care of each other affectionately. Rosemary was thrilled to be sharing a meal with Enoch after so long—especially here, at the academy instead of the estate.

She didn’t know how long she had waited for this moment. Unable to contain her happiness, she kept smiling.

As they began eating, Enoch—ever perceptive—was the first to sense something strange.

Someone was openly staring in their direction.

Enoch turned his head toward the source of the gaze and met the eyes of a girl. She had light blond hair and clear, sky-blue eyes that stood out.

Startled when their eyes met, the girl sitting at the neighboring table quickly turned away. The sight felt familiar to Enoch.

Because of his striking looks, this sort of thing had happened often since childhood. Over the past two years at the academy, many female students had blushed while sneaking glances at him.

‘She must be a freshman.’

Rosemary wasn’t particularly large herself, but the girl looked even smaller. Her pale complexion made her seem almost sickly.

Enoch hoped the frail-looking girl hadn’t fallen deeply for him. He had no intention of dating anyone.

He worried she might collapse from heartbreak over nothing.

“Oppa? What are you staring at?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Let’s eat.”

At Rosemary’s question, Enoch turned back. But as soon as he resumed talking with her, he felt that same gaze again.

This level of persistence was new. He hadn’t even been at the academy that long—falling this hard already would be troublesome.

This ridiculous popularity never seems to fade.

The gaze was directed toward Rosemary’s side, but his sister seemed completely unaware. Was she staring because Rosemary resembled him?

The owner of the gaze was more calculating than expected. Throughout the meal, Enoch found himself subconsciously angling his face to hide his profile.

If Joy Michaela—the one staring—had known what he was thinking, she would have burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all.

***

“Aren’t you going to eat? What are you doing?”

“Ah—yeah, I am, I am.”

I had slowed down because I kept glancing at the neighboring table. David noticed immediately and tapped my plate with his fork.

His face was full of disapproval.

“Is there a problem?”

He asked gruffly. I pretended nothing was wrong and popped a cherry tomato into my mouth. Its refreshing taste spread across my tongue.

“What problem?”

“You can’t focus on your food. If that’s the case, why don’t you talk to her? Or should I do it for you?”

Gasp! Look at David, this diligent male lead.

I’d been frustrated because I couldn’t make eye contact with Rosemary no matter how long I stared—this was perfect timing. I nodded eagerly.

At last, the protagonist would step in.

“Yeah. Talk to her for me.”

“……Me?”

“You just said you would. I want to be friends with her.”

David’s face crumpled instantly. He glanced back and forth between me and the neighboring table.

“Why do you want to be friends with her?”

His tone lost all pretense, clearly caught off guard.

“She’s pretty.”

My answer came out without thought. But it was true—what could I do? Our Rosie was beautiful.

David, however, seemed unable to accept that answer. He stared at me as if he’d bitten into something unpleasant.

After letting out a sigh, he warned me,

“Focus on your studies.”

“Huh?”

“Romance is out of the question for now. You’re only allowed to be friends. Got it?”

What was he even saying?

While I stood there blinking in confusion, David actually got up and headed toward the other table.

His steps were decisive. Was this finally Rosemary’s first encounter? I watched him with a pounding heart.

But David headed somewhere completely different from what I expected.

No way…

My bad feeling became reality the moment David stopped walking.

“Wait—!”

I hurriedly reached out, but before I could stop him, David opened his mouth.

“Excuse me. My friend wants to get to know you.”

“…?”

At his words, Enoch turned to look at me.

Yes. The person David spoke to wasn’t Rosemary—it was Enoch.

“Uh… me?”

“That’s right. Her name is Joy Michaela.”

After saying that, David muttered under his breath, Why do I even have to do this?
Enoch stared at me, then rolled his eyes slightly.

“Oppa, go say hello. I’m fine.”

Urged on by Rosemary, he stood up as if he had no choice.

I wanted to scream at him not to come. But contrary to my desperate wish, Enoch stopped right in front of me.

“…I’m Enoch Weaver. Third year. Majoring in Management and Defensive Magic. Um… your name is Joy, right? You’ve been glancing my way for a while. I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in dating anyone right now. I’m fine with just being friends, though.”

Damn it…

I got dumped by a guy I wasn’t even interested in.

And in a crowded cafeteria, no less! Everyone at the surrounding tables was staring at me.

I wanted to die.

“Joy! Why are you sulking? It’s not my fault you got rejected.”

“Da-Da-David…”

I barely touched my food before rushing outside. With all those eyes on me, I couldn’t stay any longer.

Koi and David hurried after me.

“If you’re staying friends, isn’t that a good thing?”

“Da-Da-David… Jo-Joy… wa-wanted to be lo-lo-lovers, not ju-just fr-friends…”

“No! That’s not it!”

I stopped abruptly and cut off my friends’ chatter.

“The one I wanted to be friends with was the pink-haired girl next to him!”

Both of their eyes widened. David and Koi looked at each other.

“Uh… I see. Well, if that’s your preference… we should respect it…”

“Jo-Joy! I-I’m on your side…!”

What were they even talking about? I realized they were seriously misunderstanding something.

I did like Rosemary—but not in the way they were thinking. Every time one misunderstanding cleared up, another appeared.

It was so absurd I laughed.

“Listen carefully. I like men who are handsome, kind, smart, and gentle! Enoch is not my type!”

“B-But Enoch is handsome…”

“Oh, Koi. Enoch isn’t handsome—he’s pretty. And he’s only a third year. He’s way too young. How old do you think I am, dating a fourteen-year-old—”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re twelve.”

David cut in immediately. I cleared my throat and rushed to end the conversation.

“Anyway! I just wanted to be friends with the pink-haired girl. Got it?”

David and Koi nodded at the same time. Thankfully, all that explaining paid off.

All I wanted was to talk to Rosemary. Instead, I couldn’t even speak to her and ended up with a pile of misunderstandings.

Why did this have to be such a headache? I sighed deeply and pressed my forehead.

No weird rumors will spread, right?

The cafeteria wasn’t quiet, and only a few students near our table could’ve heard. Surely it wouldn’t turn into a big deal.

That was my careless assumption.

“Did you hear? Apparently a freshman confessed publicly to Enoch Weaver.”

“Yeah, and he rejected her, right?”

“That freshman sure was brave.”

The next day—contrary to my expectations—the incident had spread across the entire school.

On the way to class, I heard students whispering in the hallway. David, walking beside me, poked my side with his elbow.

“Isn’t that about you?”

“…Shut up…”

“What?”

“Da-David… Jo-Joy says ple-please sh-shut up…”

Koi neatly translated for the clueless David. At my words, David’s face crumpled as if deeply shocked, even looking a little dejected.

Ignoring him, I quickened my pace, afraid someone might recognize me.

“A-At least we’re all in the sa-same class. Th-That’s a reli-relief.”

Koi beamed as she checked the class assignment sheet. Seeing her bright smile calmed me.

Yeah, Koi. At least you’re happy…

After passing countless doors, we arrived at the classroom we’d share for the next year. A brown door marked 1-A stood before us, stirring old memories.

“What are you doing? Let’s go in.”

Impatient as ever, David opened the door before we could respond.

The moment he stepped inside, the classroom erupted into murmurs.