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Chapter 43
“Thank you, for becoming my friend.”
“What are you saying? We should be the ones saying that. Thank you for becoming our friend.”
“Let’s get along well from now on.”
At the same time, Siana called over her informant friend who had been watching us from Class D.
The girl had already been observing our side ever since we suddenly appeared.
“What happened, Siana?”
“Jun became our friend.”
“All of a sudden?”
“Our goal is to become friends with the entire student body.”
Siana and I looked at each other and smiled.
“So, about that. Could I ask you to take care of my friend from now on?”
Siana’s informant friend turned her gaze to Jun.
“Jun, would it be okay if we became friends too?”
“O-of course. But are you really okay with being friends with me?”
“Of course. We’re already classmates.”
Jun and Siana’s informant friend clasped hands just like we had.
Seeing the emotional look on Jun’s face made both Siana and me feel strangely proud.
Even if Jun were to go through something terrible again, at least now there would be friends who would notice.
That was the best we could do for him.
The day after the incident, Liam came to find me again, as if it had already become routine.
This time, I had something I was curious about too, so I hurried over.
“Shall we take a walk?”
Since it wasn’t something we could openly talk about in front of other students, I immediately nodded.
Liam deliberately walked through a crowded hallway so that our conversation would be buried in the noise.
“The three of them will be expelled from the academy.”
“What? The disciplinary committee hasn’t even been held yet. The result’s already out?”
“The principal found out about it too. It was handled immediately.”
I wondered how the principal had come to know, but since it was a serious matter, I assumed Liam must have reported it quickly and didn’t press further.
“That’s a relief. I was worried Jun might get bullied again.”
“You already learned his name?”
“Yes. We decided to become friends from now on.”
“That was fast.”
Liam looked down at me in mild surprise.
I lifted my chin proudly.
“I told you. Making friends is my specialty.”
“Right. Thanks to you, this matter was resolved safely as well.”
“This matter as well?”
“Ah, I mean the things I do as Crown Prince.”
It seemed that even while attending the academy, he had many duties as Crown Prince.
Having to move around this busily even for student matters—
the position of Crown Prince really must be heavy.
“You’re a wonderful Crown Prince.”
“Praise from Kongkong… I don’t dislike it.”
Liam placed his hand on top of my head again.
Seriously, he was a repeat offender.
“Why do you keep putting your hand on my head?”
“Your head is at the perfect height.”
He’s teasing me for being short, isn’t he?
I glared up at him.
“Oh? You might want to relax that glare.”
“I feel like I just heard something insulting.”
“Even so, are you in a position to give me such a cheeky look?”
“As a citizen of the Grayson Empire, I believe I have the right to protest unfairness.”
Seeing that I wouldn’t back down, Liam eventually burst out laughing.
“Kongkong, you’re really amusing.”
Despite my protest, he ruffled my hair again before finally lowering his hand.
“I’m filing an official complaint!”
“To the student council?”
“I’ll tell my sister!”
“If I say I did it, Emma won’t say anything.”
It was frustrating, but I had to admit he was probably right. If I told her Liam and I had gotten closer, she likely wouldn’t stop him.
I don’t have a single ally. Sigh.
“How did you find out about this? By chance?”
“No. I searched every first-year class and every place where someone might get bullied.”
“That must have been difficult.”
“It was to help a friend in trouble. This much is only natural.”
“You did very well. Better than I did.”
I felt pleased at his praise, but I wasn’t planning to stop there.
“Of course, it’s an honor to help Your Highness with your duties—but surely you didn’t come empty-handed?”
I absolutely hadn’t done this expecting compensation.
I simply wanted a nameless friend to safely escape a difficult situation.
But if a senior kindly insisted on giving a reward, why would I refuse?
“Of course not.”
Liam placed several notebooks he had been carrying onto my head.
Again!
But this time, instead of getting angry, I carefully took the notebooks down.
When I opened them, each labeled by subject, they were filled with carefully selected, golden problem sets—exactly the kind likely to appear on exams.
“I am deeply honored.”
“Use them neatly.”
“For who?”
“You’re not the only one who’s going to look at them, right?”
I’ve been caught.
At the very least, I had planned to share them with Siana, who helped me.
I smiled awkwardly and hugged the notebooks to my chest.
“If there’s ever anything else I can help you with, please let me know anytime.”
“Do you need more notebooks?”
“What an upsetting thing to say. I just mean, if there’s anything I can do for our fellow students, I’ll gladly step up.”
Liam looked at me silently for a moment.
“Do you mean that?”
“I do. They’ll all be my future friends, after all. If someone is going to become my friend, I want to help them.”
“…You’re very admirable.”
Liam showed a bright smile I had never seen before.
It seemed I had impressed him quite a bit.
When someone with outstanding looks suddenly smiles so innocently, the impact is overwhelming.
Even the girls walking down the hallway covered their mouths in surprise.
Even I, seeing it up close, felt like there was a field of flowers blooming behind him. I ended up rubbing my eyes.
Is this that background effect they always use in romance comics?
“What’s wrong? Did something get in your eye?”
Meanwhile, the person in question had no idea and started worrying about me.
“No. I just suddenly felt the difference in status between an extra and a main character…”
“What are you talking about?”
“You can just assume it’s nonsense.”
“But your face is red.”
“Mine?”
When I quickly touched my cheeks, I felt a faint warmth.
Am I dying?
Why does my face feel like it’s on fire all of a sudden?
“I think I should head back to class.”
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“It’s just a slight fever. I don’t think it’s serious.”
“Don’t you need the infirmary?”
“No, I think I’ll be fine if I just sit down for a bit. I’ll go now.”
Leaving behind a worried Liam, I hurried back to the classroom.
“Olivia, what’s wrong with you?”
“I think I’ve caught a fatal disease.”
“That serious?”
“Yes. It feels like all the blood in my body is suddenly rushing through my veins. My head feels fuzzy from the heat.”
“What caused it?”
At Siana’s question, I sat down and thought.
What was the cause?
As I gently set the notebooks from my arms onto the desk, I realized.
“I think it’s an overreaction from anticipating high scores.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Probably nonsense.”
As class was about to begin, for some reason Liam’s smiling face wouldn’t leave my mind, as if it were engraved on the blackboard.
Ha. So this is why handsome men are dangerous.
I cupped my cheeks with both hands and waited for the heat to go down.
Fortunately, just as Liam said, the students who bullied Jun quickly disappeared from the academy.
Since Jun now had other friends around him, the three couldn’t recklessly retaliate while packing their things.
Of course, we also visited once a day to check that nothing had happened to him.
Perhaps because he had become closer with classmates besides Siana’s informant friend, Jun’s expression visibly brightened each time we visited.
“I’m glad Jun looks happier.”
“It’s all thanks to you and Siana.”
“Oh, how sweet. Our Jun.”
Even though we were the same age, Jun somehow felt like a younger brother.
I could understand why Liam and the other seniors liked patting my head.
Sometimes I even felt the urge to pat Jun’s head.
But since I would feel annoyed if a boy in my grade did that to me, I restrained myself.
With worries about Jun eased and club activities finished safely, I headed home.
Unfortunately, once again, Liam and my sister had other business and couldn’t walk home with me.
Lately, I felt like I was going home alone more often.
It did make me feel a bit lonely, but with midterms just around the corner, I was more focused on hurrying home to study.
Liam’s “targeted tutoring” notebooks were surprisingly helpful for studying on my own.
Even though he didn’t have time to personally tutor me as he promised, the notebooks alone were more than enough.
Thanks to that, studying almost felt… enjoyable?
“Ha! I can’t believe I’m saying studying is fun.”
Feeling proud of myself, my steps toward home grew lighter.
I grabbed both straps of my bag and almost skipped forward, lifting each foot into the air.
That was when—
“Hey.”
