IRBC 8

Chapter: 8

“What—what? Taylor is in our class too?”

“Gasp! My parents told me to get close to Taylor!”

“It’s nice that we’re in the same class.”

“Yeah, he’s so handsome. It’s a feast for the eyes.”

Inside the classroom, several groups had already formed among themselves. They were probably students who had gotten to know each other through social gatherings before enrollment.

“That seat over there looks good.”

“Yeah. David, you sit alone.”

“What? Why?”

“Because when I’m with you, I get angry…! Really angry…!”

At my words, David frowned deeply, clearly displeased. But there was no way I was giving up sitting with Koi.

Saying that David made me angry was true, of course—but there was another reason as well. Rosemary was also in Class 1-A.

“Koi, do you want to sit by the window?”

“Uh, y-yeah…! Th-thank you, Joy.”

As we sat down, I could hear David grumbling behind us. I pretended not to hear and waited for Rosemary to come in.

It wasn’t long before the girl I’d been waiting for entered.

As Rosemary approached with small, careful steps, her pink hair—reaching all the way down to her waist—flowed in soft waves over her neatly worn sky-blue uniform. She was lovely no matter when I saw her.

“Huh?”

As if she recognized me, Rosemary walked straight toward my seat.

“Hi! We met yesterday—do you remember me?”

Oh my. Our Rosie even had such a pretty voice.

Yesterday, thanks to David, we hadn’t been able to talk properly before parting, so it was a shame. For her to come and speak to me first like this…

As expected, our household’s heroine was the prettiest and kindest in the world!

Hiding my excitement as calmly as I could, I introduced myself.

“Of course I remember. My name is Joy Micaela. You can call me Joy.”

“I’m Rosemary Weaver. Please call me Rosie—that’s my nickname.”

“What a beautiful name. Ah! Let me introduce my friends too. This is my roommate, Koi Philia, and the one sitting behind us is David Taylor.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Rosemary greeted Koi and David. Her social skills were top-notch.

Koi shyly returned the greeting. She looked a little awkward, but she also seemed happy to have made a new friend.

The problem was David. He was still sulking because he’d been made to sit alone.

Perhaps because of that, he seemed to halfheartedly acknowledge Rosemary’s greeting.

“Rosie, if it’s okay with you, would you like to sit with us? There’s an empty seat next to David.”

“I’d love to. David, would that be all right?”

I shot David a pointed look behind Rosemary’s back. He made a sour face, but when I kept staring at him, he finally replied reluctantly.

“Yeah. You can sit here.”

“Thank you!”

Even as he said it was fine, David didn’t look fine at all. And our Rosie didn’t notice his mood in the slightest.

She had everything, but among all those things, she lacked tact. This was where the default trait of a female lead truly shone. Rosemary smiled brightly, completely unaware.

“Ah, so my brother misunderstood things?”

“Yeah. I just wanted to say hello to you.”

While chatting before class started, I explained what had happened yesterday.

Fortunately, Rosemary seemed to understand. She smiled brightly and said she’d tell her brother, which made me incredibly grateful. It felt like I could finally breathe easy.

Just as I was feeling relieved, the professor for the first class entered.

“Everyone, please take your seats.”

He was well over 190 centimeters tall, with a solid build that felt intimidating. His face was stiff, as though devoid of emotion.

His flat, monotone voice and his precise, knight-like stride made him seem almost like a robot.

“S-so scary…”

Koi murmured in a small voice. She wasn’t the only one—other students were whispering similar comments to the friends beside them.

“Silence.”

Bang!

He lightly raised his thick hand and brought it down on the lectern.

The motion itself was light, but the result was disastrous. With a loud crack, a fissure ran through the wooden lectern.

The students in the front rows shrank back, trembling. In fact, the only ones in the classroom who weren’t shaking were David, Rosemary, and me.

David didn’t care whether the professor was angry or not. Rosemary was just rolling her eyes around, apparently trying to grasp the situation.

And as for me, I wasn’t scared at all. Naturally. I’d taken this professor’s class in my previous life. This professor was—

“…Ahem.”

The professor’s gaze wavered slightly.

“The lectern is rather weak.”

Lowering his eyebrows, he lifted his head and slowly scanned the classroom before speaking.

“…I am Petrus Hillio, and I will be teaching you the Fundamentals of Spirit Studies.”

As soon as he finished speaking, tears welled up in the spirit studies professor’s eyes. Soon, a single tear slid silently down his rough cheek. Confusion spread across the faces of the students seated in the classroom.

The professor is crying again.

The atmosphere in the classroom froze at the professor’s sudden tears. The children could only stare blankly at him, unable to say a word.

At that moment, a neatly raised hand popped up among the students.

“Professor, you don’t need to be so nervous.”

I stared intently at the student who had just raised his hand. I didn’t remember anyone saying something like that in my previous life.

“What is your name?” the professor asked, wiping his tears with his sleeve.

With a gentle smile, the student answered.

“My name is Mishitain Porta.”

“Porta? Then you must be Aiden Porta’s younger brother.”

“Yes. Aiden Porta is my older brother.”

“You resemble each other—especially in how kind you are.”

The professor’s expression softened a little, as if his tension had eased. Students around the room turned their heads to look at Mishitain.

I did as well.

Mishitain Porta… He wasn’t particularly memorable in my previous life.

He had light brown hair and green eyes, with a gentle, deer-like impression. Mishitain was so strikingly handsome that passersby would turn back for a second look—enough to rival David, the male lead of this world.

But in my previous life, I remembered him as a much quieter child who preferred being alone.

After every class, he would go straight to the library and diligently study, and unsurprisingly, he always placed second.

Who took first place? Naturally, it was David, who was smart even without studying.

“Ahem. I apologize for showing you such an embarrassing sight. It’s my first time teaching first-year students, so I was nervous. Since this is the first class, let’s begin by taking attendance.”

While I was lost in memories of my past life, Professor Petrus called out the roll. Each student waited for their name to be called, then raised a hand and answered.

Since my number was relatively early, I had already raised my hand and responded. The professor continued calling on the students who followed.

I turned my head and looked at Mishitain’s back as he sat farther away. No matter how I thought about it, I didn’t remember anything like this happening before. I racked my brain, but nothing in particular came to mind.

Then, at one point, Mishitain turned his body slightly in my direction.

Huh? Did our eyes just meet…?

The moment I felt our gazes meet, it didn’t seem like he was about to speak to me. Instead, he moved his lips slightly, as if muttering to himself.

Then his eyes curved into a thin smile. His gaze was fixed squarely on me.

Why is he smiling at me?

Ah—maybe he was smiling at Koi, not me? Or at Rosemary, who was sitting behind me?

I hoped he wasn’t smiling at Rosemary. David, you might need to stay on guard.

“Now that attendance is complete, I’ll explain how the class will proceed. Spirit studies is originally divided into six elements: water, fire, wind, earth, light, and darkness. However, in the first semester of your first year, you’ll only study the four basic elements.”

As the professor began the lecture, Mishitain turned back to the front. Still feeling puzzled, I stared at his back while half-listening to the explanation.

“Light and darkness have a very broad scope, so you’ll study them in the second semester of your first year. Like your other subjects, there will be monthly quizzes, a midterm evaluation during the semester, and a final evaluation at the end of the term.”

At the mention of exams, the students groaned. Beside me, Koi scribbled down the professor’s explanation in her notebook, her face looking miserable.

“The difficulty will be adjusted according to your progress, so there’s no need to worry too much. That concludes the explanation. Are there any questions?”

Professor Petrus slowly scanned the room, as if waiting for someone to raise a hand.

“Professor, I have a question.”

In the silence where everyone was hesitating, someone raised his hand.

“Oh. Student Mishitain. Go ahead.”

“Are you also a spirit contractor, Professor?”

“That’s correct. I am a spirit contractor who has formed a contract with a high-ranking earth spirit.”

A wave of admiration spread among the students. Professor Petrus looked a little embarrassed.

“I have a question too! What kind of things can a high-ranking earth spirit do?”

“Me too! How do you become a spirit contractor?”

“What kind of aptitude do you need to become one?”

Starting with Mishitain’s question, students began raising their hands one after another. The classroom quickly grew noisy. It seemed they had realized that Professor Petrus wasn’t as scary as he first appeared.

Faced with the sudden barrage of questions, the professor looked flustered and waved both hands.

“Now, now. Please ask your questions one at a time.”

As the students stopped being afraid of him, the professor’s expression gradually brightened. Unlike the others who were focused on his explanation, I stole a glance at Mishitain, the one who had started it all.

Just like earlier, he was acting completely differently from how he had in my previous life.

For some reason, the feeling unsettled me.