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Chapter 5
I got up from my seat and sat down half-hidden in a patch of grass some distance away.
The green-haired child watched me for a moment, let out a small laugh, then hurriedly lowered his head.
To be honest, while I liked children, I found them extremely difficult to deal with.
They felt fragile, like they might break if I wasn’t careful. They cried whenever I said anything. And most importantly, they didn’t like me.
Even though I liked them.
Just then, a bucketful of water poured over my head.
Since I’d been lost in thought, I failed to react in time and simply sat there blinking.
“Pfft! You look like a drowned rat!”
At the mocking voice, I looked up to see Klein brushing back his hair with a grin.
Despite being so young, his looks were already unreal.
“Are you doing this because you want to play together?”
“What? Like I’d ever do that!”
“Ah…”
Then there was only one possibility left.
Looking up at him, I asked,
“Do you want attention?”
“……”
“Sorry, but if you hate me that much, wouldn’t it be better if we just ignored each other?”
Klein let out a disbelieving laugh.
Then, crossing his arms and shifting his weight onto one leg, he sneered,
“Are you still sulking because I used you?”
“Yeah.”
The moment I answered, Klein pointed at me triumphantly.
“You said you lost your memory!”
“Oddly enough, I remember being framed as a thief pretty clearly.”
“……C-Could you keep your voice down?!”
Apparently terrified that Medina might overhear, Klein quickly clamped a hand over my mouth.
When our eyes met up close, Klein’s face twisted dramatically.
“Don’t look at me!”
Kids really were difficult to handle.
I obediently lowered my eyes.
The pressure on my mouth eased, and a slightly flustered voice followed.
“W-Were you always this obedient?”
“I won’t tell Medina. Besides, I don’t plan on staying in Class One much longer, so we probably won’t cross paths anyway.”
Well, technically we’d still see each other in the dormitory, but unless I did something first, Medina probably wouldn’t approach me.
“What do you mean, you don’t plan on staying in Class One?”
“I forgot all the class material after losing my memory.”
“Tch.”
Looking displeased, as if he’d expected exactly that, Klein stood up.
“Thinking I won’t have to see you anymore really makes me feel refreshed.”
Mm, thanks.
“And I seriously don’t get why you’re acting so confident. Fine, I used you—but did you conveniently forget all the bullying you did to the others?”
The novel never explained exactly how Lopez bullied people, so honestly, I didn’t know the details myself.
“Be careful. There are a lot of kids who resent you!”
“Thanks for worrying about me.”
“That’s not concern, I’m mocking you!”
Klein fumed angrily.
Apparently done talking, he stomped back toward Medina.
As a farewell, I waved lightly at him. He ignored me completely.
“Medina! I’m joining too now!”
“You didn’t bully Lopez, did you?”
“No! Like you said, I went and made peace with her!”
Was that his version of reconciliation?
I felt like I’d just been insulted the entire time.
Chester’s indifferent eyes briefly landed on me before drifting away.
He’s sizing me up.
He was calculating when he could use me.
To avoid his gaze, I quietly stood up and headed toward the shower room.
I’d played enough for today anyway.
Once Lopez trudged away toward the shower room, dripping wet, the children finally relaxed.
“Doesn’t Lopez feel kind of scary now?”
“She’s the one who did something wrong, so why does she act like the victim?”
“Medina keeps worrying about her!”
“I’m fine. She lost her memory, so she’s probably confused. Let’s not be too harsh on Lopez.”
Medina smiled gently while calming the others.
But the children still looked dissatisfied.
Everyone already knew Lopez had a nasty personality.
But this time, she had crossed the line.
Medina had nearly been expelled from the orphanage after being falsely accused of theft.
To the children of the orphanage, Medina felt like a kind older sister everyone adored.
Naturally, the person responsible for hurting someone they loved became the target of everyone’s hostility.
And since Lopez had already been scary and irritating to begin with, their resentment only deepened.
“Medina’s too nice for her own good.”
Even as he said that, Klein didn’t dislike that kindness at all.
He himself had helplessly fallen for it.
“What if you end up seriously hurt someday?”
“Then Klein can just keep protecting me!”
At her response, the corners of Klein’s mouth instantly shot upward.
“Yeah, I’ll protect you!”
“Hehe.”
As Medina smiled adorably, both Klein and Chester flushed red at the same time.
Klein immediately glared at Chester.
“She wasn’t smiling at you, you know.”
“I know. I just thought Medina’s smile was pretty.”
At Chester’s blunt honesty, a faint blush spread across Medina’s cheeks.
Seeing that, Klein abruptly grabbed Medina’s hand and yanked her away from Chester.
“Hey, aren’t you on snack duty today? Shouldn’t you get going?”
Watching Klein hold Medina’s hand, Chester’s eyebrow twitched with annoyance.
Sighing quietly between the two boys, Medina carefully asked Chester,
“Chester, do you want to come too?”
I separated you two on purpose, so why are you inviting him?!
Klein puffed his cheeks dramatically.
“Medina, so you’re just leaving me here alone?”
“Let’s all go together. Guys, keep playing! We’ll bring snacks back!”
Having successfully interfered anyway, Klein shot Chester a victorious grin.
Medina, Klein, and Chester were heading to get snacks after washing up when they suddenly stopped in the hallway after hearing Lopez’s voice.
“…You’ll die.”
At the chilling tone, Klein bit down on his lip.
Has she gone crazy? Who is she threatening now…?
Lopez continued speaking.
“If you keep following me, you’ll die.”
“W-Why?”
“Because… I’m an evil witch.”
At such a ridiculous threat, both Klein and Chester exhaled in disbelief.
“……”
“Aren’t you scared?”
“You’re annoying!”
At the green-haired child’s blunt response, Lopez placed a hand dramatically over her chest as though wounded.
“Your brutally honest way of speaking has shocked me deeply. In order to calm my heart, I think I need some time al—”
“WAAAHHH!”
“—together with someone.”
With a slightly absent-minded look, Lopez grabbed the green-haired boy, Bill, and tried to drag him into the shower room.
The moment they saw that, Klein and Chester hurriedly blocked the entrance.
“Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing?!”
The instant Klein appeared, Lopez subtly stepped backward.
Seeing her so openly avoid him made Klein’s eyebrows shoot up.
What am I, some kind of filthy garbage to you?!
Klein was offended.
“I was going to help him wash…”
“Are you insane?! He’s a boy!”
“We’ll do it. Move.”
Chester pushed Lopez aside and pulled Bill away.
The shove sent Lopez tumbling backward onto the floor.
“Ah!”
Startled, Lopez let out a short cry, making Chester flinch.
Apparently he hadn’t expected her to fall over so easily, because his face immediately filled with panic.
Medina rushed over and helped Lopez up.
“S-Sorry. Chester didn’t mean to…”
“Ah, right. Since I’m young, I guess helping Green Hair shower would be a little weird. There’s only a two-year age difference anyway.”
“…Huh?”
Apparently unconcerned about falling over, Lopez muttered that to herself before slipping straight into the girls’ shower room.
Chester stared blankly at the shower room door in confusion.
He hadn’t pushed her on purpose, but…
If it had been the original Lopez, she definitely would’ve snapped at him angrily.
But she stayed quiet.
“Bill, why were you with Lopez instead of playing with us?”
At Medina’s disappointed tone, Chester finally looked away from the shower room.
Bill fidgeted awkwardly with his fingers.
“B-Because she’s pretty…”
At the unexpected answer, Klein exploded.
“Hey! Are your eyes on the bottom of your feet? Anyone can tell Medina’s the prettiest!”
“Klein!”
Medina’s face flushed bright red as she smacked Klein’s arm.
“Stop teasing me!”
“But it’s true.”
Klein grinned shamelessly. Beside him, Chester nodded in agreement.
Medina looked at the two boys with an exasperated expression before quietly asking Bill,
“But Bill, weren’t you originally scared of Lopez?”
“Back then, Lopez always looked at people like this.”
Bill dramatically pulled the corners of his eyes upward.
Medina barely managed to suppress her laughter.
“But what about now?”
“She seems nice! It’s fun teasing her! Her confused reactions are cute! She doesn’t bully anyone anymore and stays quiet now! After losing her memory, she feels super kind! Like a completely different person!”
After saying that, Bill happily skipped into the shower room.
Watching his retreating figure, Medina looked worried.
“I just hope he doesn’t get hurt…”
Even if Lopez had lost her memory, surely her sharp-tongued personality hadn’t disappeared completely.
Medina worried that Bill might end up emotionally hurt by something Lopez said.
Watching Medina, Chester and Klein secretly exchanged glances.
After entering the shower room, I looked down at the sudden throbbing pain in my backside.
“Ah. My butt’s bruised!”
When I poked it carefully, it hurt quite a bit.
