“Nigel, why have you been in such a bad mood lately?”

It was a Saturday afternoon.

After finishing lunch and on the way to the library, Allen suddenly popped out and blocked Nigel’s path, striking up a conversation.

“…… Ah, I get it! Did you get penalty points from Professor Cledian?”

“No way. That was over a week ago. And Professor Cledian, who knew the situation, later gave me 2 bonus points, so the penalty points were canceled out…… Why bring that up?”

Nigel said with his arms crossed.

“Then…… did you break Professor Heres’ magic sphere?”

“No, not at all. That day, at Professor Heres’ recommendation, I took supplementary lessons after class, and the professor said I could break as many magic spheres as I wanted, as long as I didn’t go to the Swordsmanship Department.”

Nigel smiled wryly as he recalled that day.

“Or…… is it because Professor Roneh persistently recommends you transfer whenever she sees you?”

“That…… honestly, it’s tiresome, but it means she’s interested in me, so…… it’s okay.”

“Then why have things gotten bad between you and Noah?”

Oh no.

As if hit right on the mark, Nigel’s shoulders flinched slightly.

“…….”

“…….”

Nigel and Allen stared at each other for a long time without answering.

After the Flores Festival, Nigel’s behavior had clearly become strange to anyone who saw it.

During mealtimes or classes, he would slyly glance around to see if he might accidentally sit next to Noah, cleverly maneuvering Allen to sit in the middle.

The few times he ended up sitting next to Noah, he would stare straight ahead as if Noah were a monster from old tales that turned you to stone if your eyes met.

He even went so far as to directly talk to a girl from the Political Science Department who often blushed when looking at Noah, switching seats with her.

Even though he had never initiated conversations with other kids before!

Allen was worried sick about Noah’s new habit, his second friend and roommate.

“Sigh…….” @italics

That habit was none other than sighing constantly for no reason in their dorm room!

When Allen asked Noah what was wrong, Noah would silently curl up his long body tightly on the bed.

And then.

“…… It’s nothing.” @italics

He would utter words that anyone could tell clearly meant something was wrong.

Noah’s sighs grew deeper by the day, and on the very day Nigel switched seats with the girl to sit far from Noah, Noah’s sigh broke the record for the longest.

Unable to bear it any longer, Allen spoke directly to Noah this morning.

“Noah, did you have a fight with Nigel?” @italics

Despite being tall and well-built, Noah had a gentle personality. At Allen’s words, the corners of his eyes immediately drooped, and he just shook his head.

@”I’m fine, so please don’t say anything to Nigel.”

“……!” @italics

Hearing those words, Allen’s green eyes sparkled with passion.

Right after being accepted into Sienia Academy, Allen had written a bucket list.

And number 15 on Allen’s list of things he must do at Sienia was none other than…… reconciling friends.

Back to the present.

‘Allen must have held back a lot given his personality.’

Nigel noticed Allen looking unusually lively for someone who supposedly came to reconcile them.

‘He said he came to the academy to make friends, but hopefully reconciling friends isn’t his wish or something.’

Even he found the thought absurd, so Nigel quickly erased the idle thought from his mind.

“Nothing happened between me and Beselion.”

“Don’t lie. Why have things gotten bad between you two? Huh?? I haven’t been able to sleep well lately worrying about you two! See the dark circles under my eyes?”

“…….”

For someone claiming that, your eyes are sparkling with anticipation, Allen.

“Or could it be…….”

Allen cautiously continued.

Despite his worried tone trailing off, Allen’s cheeks were lifted high.

“Did Noah confess to you? Or the opposite? Did you get rejected?”

“You’re speaking nonsense as if Tilin is warm year-round.”

Nigel responded immediately with a rotten complexion.

“No, then why are you avoiding Noah?”

“…… Since when was it obvious?”

“Since the week you went to Histon. It would be weirder not to notice, you know? You suddenly started avoiding Noah whenever you saw him. How could I not notice?”

Tsk.

Nigel clicked his tongue.

‘And here I thought I was acting natural, but I was found out from day one?’

“You’re smart but surprisingly dense in some ways. Anyway, what change of heart made you do this? I’ll keep it secret from Noah, so tell this friend everything.”

Allen placed his slender arm on Nigel’s shoulder.

Nigel avoided Allen’s gaze and opened his mouth.

“…… It’s just.”

“Nigel, there’s no such thing as ‘just’ in this world.”

He’s full of holes when doing assignments, but nitpicky at times like this.

Nigel sighed once and looked at Allen.

“…… It may sound silly to say this now, but I wondered if I should be hanging out with him. Unlike him, I’m not even a noble.”

Clap clap clap……

Allen applauded dryly.

“Wow…… you sounded just like the Political Science Department.”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”

“That’s what I’m saying. What kind of ridiculous thing are you saying, Nigel! You know Noah isn’t one to discriminate based on status. Where can you find a kid as kind as him……!”

That’s the problem.

If he’s that kind-hearted, he might be easily negatively influenced by me. Just like…… Andy was.

Nigel bit his lip hard and swallowed his words.

“…… Don’t ever let Noah notice what you were just thinking. It will hurt him.”

Allen said, scratching his neck.

“He’d get hurt over something like that? That Beselion?”

You don’t know that Beselion has been sighing all day just because you changed seats?

This time Allen swallowed his words.

“Allen, I fully understand how you feel, and I’m really sorry, but please just stay put. I need time to think.”

“Huff…… Okay, I get it. But don’t drag it out too long. You’re friends, you know.”

Nigel’s eyes widened at Allen’s words.

As if he had heard something unexpected.

“Don’t tell me…… you don’t even think of Noah as a friend?”

Allen exclaimed loudly in agitation, drawing the attention of the surrounding students.

“…….”

In the end, Nigel avoided answering.

There was no way Nigel could become friends with Noah.

Because friendship should be a relationship where both sides are not calculating.

His actions of trying to get close to Noah solely for his own life, then immediately distancing himself because it might affect his life…… were by no means the attitude of a friend.

“…….”

Allen’s lips quivered as if he was about to speak, but he eventually closed his mouth.

However he took Nigel’s silence, Allen’s face looked hurt instead.

“…… Nigel, never let that feeling show. Never.”

Allen spoke softly, just loud enough for Nigel to hear, and turned around weakly.

‘…… Widrun was right. I should never have gotten involved with Noah…… or Allen in the first place.’

Seeing this new side of Allen, Nigel’s heart stung.

Yet there was nothing he could do for him. Which made it sting even more.

The day after saving Andy and the girls.

Nigel was summoned by Widrun and went to the principal’s office.

Upon hearing the news of a one-on-one meeting with the principal, Sid Cromwell gave Nigel an envious look, but to Nigel, it felt like walking through fire.

“…… Is it you again, Nigel Ars.”

The same tone of voice again.

A voice that despised people, no, a voice that didn’t even treat him as an equal human being.

A tone of voice that he couldn’t forget even if he tried not to remember anymore.

Without even waiting for Widrun’s permission, Nigel plopped down on the sofa and picked up a cookie from the plate on the table.

If he was going to listen to this bullshit, he at least needed this small pleasure.

Crunch.

Nigel roughly chewed and swallowed the cookie.

…… It was still disgustingly sweet.

“I hear you were accidentally found at an illegal place that steals the magic power of young girls to make magic replenishment potions.”

“You seem to want to say it was inevitable rather than accidental. Did you not hear that I was the one who replenished the magic of those kidnapped children?”

Nigel responded without any emotional agitation.

“You even dragged Allen and Noah into it.”

But this one was hard not to.

“It’s not like I wanted to……!”

“Regardless of your reasons, those two were involved in a dangerous place because of you. Am I wrong?”

“…….”

In the end, Nigel couldn’t say anything and closed his mouth.

Because it was all true.

It was just that things turned out well this time, but it was hard to say for sure that the two wouldn’t be harmed or negatively affected if something similar happened next time.

“I know very well the nature of people like you. Pretending to be innocent and noble on the outside, while the inside is filled with schemes so filthy they’re pitch-black.”

Crunch.

Nigel took a bite of the cookie.

“You’ll craft an elaborate scheme so that no one notices, and secretly enjoy the situation unfolding while pretending not to be alone behind it.”

Crunch.

“Last time you answered well, but this time it seems you know your own faults. It’s nice to see you making progress, Miss Nigel Ars.”

Widrun smiled brightly as he pushed his glasses up.

His intention to mock Nigel was so clear that Nigel laughed instead.

Nigel lifted the corners of his mouth wide, following Widrun’s lead.

“No, it’s just that it feels like talking to a wall. No wonder you’ve lived a long life, Principal.”

“What do you……!”

“Then I will stop taking up your precious time and take my leave now. It was a pleasure talking with you, Principal.”

Nigel left the principal’s office, still smiling.

Bang!

The loud sound of the door closing echoed through the quiet corridor.

Crunch.

Nigel chewed the remaining cookie pieces and savored the sweetness for a long time.

It was fortunate he ate the cookie.

Otherwise, Widrun’s sharp words would have pierced him directly without being obscured by the sweetness.