42 – Tina Everett (1)
After lunch, Tina was not in her seat when she returned to her classroom.
I looked around for a while, wondering if I had gone to the bathroom, then turned to Aden, who was nearby.
“Aden, have you seen Tina?”
“Tina? I’m not sure. Wasn’t she with you?”
Since we were going to go to the studio together after lunchtime, the guy with a surprised expression said he thought he was with me.
Which means, until recently, it wasn’t in the classroom.
Where the hell did you go? Did you even try to escape from the group assignment?
Amman Even a guy who is usually busy making a fuss and flirting doesn’t have that kind of personality.
“Then I’ll look for it. But aren’t you preparing for the assignment with Lorne? If we don’t start soon, we’ll be late.”
“Ah…. hahahaha. I think it will start soon.”
“Really?”
A guy who averts his eyes with a somewhat awkward smile.
What a big deal. No matter what, these guys who were pretty diligent in their studies didn’t even start until now.
Come to think of it, I haven’t seen these guys together lately.
When it comes to group assignments, it’s possible for them to get together and try to figure out how to do it, but it’s to the point where it feels like they’re avoiding each other.
‘What’s going on?’
I think there’s a small chance that the two of them will collide due to personalities or other reasons while doing group assignments.
Aden’s personality is also famous in the original work, so he tends to be Nene, and Lone is also close to the personality of trying to adapt to others as much as possible.
Anyway, I hope it’s not really a problem.
It’s none of my business whether they fight or not, but if there’s something awkward between two guys around you, there are times when the person in between will bleed.
I have never been in a situation like that.
“Anyway, work hard. If Tina comes, tell her to come to the workshop.”
“I will.”
After waving my hand moderately towards Aden, I headed for the workshop.
I thought that maybe Tina might arrive first and greet me with her characteristic innocent smile.
* * * *
Tina Everett.
Her land where she has lived is a rain forest called Murnar in the extreme southwest region of the Alcadia Empire.
It is a small garden of peace that subhumans, such as the subhumans who were persecuted in this land long ago, took shelter in search of a place to live. It became a known subhuman village.
Among them, Tina, who was a beastman, was born and raised there since her childhood and has often touched her herbs.
Even herbs with similar shapes that are difficult to distinguish with the naked eye could be quickly distinguished by smell, and in the case of herbs familiar to the nose, it was possible to quickly find them by smell even from a distance, so they sold herbs on the market or based on them. This is because they have been making potions and secretly distributing them as their business.
Originally, Tina also had a dream to spend her whole life there and just live in the arms of her parents, but at her father’s recommendation, she entered the academy to see the wider world.
However, he hid the fact that he was a beastman. Disguised as a normal human being.
– Tina. Keep in mind. Amman, even if on the surface we became equal to humans, they don’t treat us kindly. So, even if you go to the academy, you should be careful not to reveal your identity.
– Yes, Mom.
Before leaving for her academy, Tina held her in her arms and recalled her mother’s request to her.
Yes. Still, the treatment of beastmen in this country is quite cold.
When I went to a restaurant in a human village, there were times when a glass flew from the table next to me, and there were times when someone criticized why a beast crawled into the restaurant.
Although Tina experienced it herself, she never really hated humans.
Not all humans are like that. Because she had no doubt that there would be people who would welcome them.
She wouldn’t even dare to enter the academy if her fear of it was so great.
– My name is Tina Everett. Isn’t it rude to talk suddenly?
– I’m not going to be rude. I must be Bel Denau.
However, after she entered the academy, she made friends, and as the number of people around her increased, anxiety naturally developed in her head.
What would happen if her friends, who now smile in front of her eyes and treat her like no other, find out that she is a beastman?
Really, can these people treat you as the same friend?
This alien animal ears and tail on the head.
Even if you don’t hide this, can you look at yourself like a normal human being?
‘I don’t know.’
Terrified of that fact, she ran away from an assignment with her friend and hid in her infirmary.
Nostalgia to make Moquer’s prank.
If she saw that flower, it was clear that she would lose her temper, and she was conspicuous enough to rush at him, revealing her ears and tail, which she had been hiding so far.
What a cowardly act.
By now, Belle must be sitting alone in her studio, wondering why she is not coming even as she suffers.
She can’t be a friend and help, but it’s like she’s just getting in the way.
‘What about tomorrow? The day after tomorrow?’
Originally, she would have to work with him in the workshop for the next four days.
Where is that? It’s like a peninsula, so I’m going to run into him tomorrow morning, but at that time, she didn’t know what to say.
I’ve been trying to come up with plausible excuses for the past few days, but it’s just impossible.
You can’t touch Nostalgia in the first place. Just spitting out the fact that she can’t get close to her would be tantamount to announcing the fact that she was a beast.
“Haa….”
Pulling her blanket over her head, she let out a deep sigh.
She could feel that she was less stuffy than usual thanks to the fact that she had pulled out the ears and tail of the beast tribe that she had been hiding so far, but somehow, inside her chest, her stomach felt stuffy as usual.
After all, is the answer to inform Bell?
Although that thought passed through her mind for a moment, she could see herself shaking her head saying no.
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Apart from Belle keeping this a secret, she couldn’t move as long as there was the possibility that her best friend might stare at her with disgust.
“… I am really pathetic.”
The self-talk that flowed out inadvertently lingered under the blanket and entered her ears again.
Tina, who was bending her back like a shrimp with her pillow in her arms, was about to surrender her body to the pouring water.
Knock!
“Tina, are you here?”
“…… !?”
With the sound of her infirmary door being opened roughly, came the voice of the man she never wanted to meet.
At the same time, it even has a sweet scent that tickles the nostrils.
Before she had the idea to hide her tail, the curtain pulled back, revealing Bell through it.
* * * *
After confirming that Nostalgia had arrived at the workshop, I took out the seedlings and placed them on plastic to check their condition.
Certainly, as stated in the dictionary, there was no particular scent. It really seems like a scent that humans can’t smell.
Other than that, I put the herbs I had prepared in advance on the crafting table and arranged the necessary preparations neatly.
Then, in an instant, the same classmates who rented the studio next to us passed by the hallway, saw me, and started talking to me.
“What is it, Bell? How did you get Nostalgia?”
“Through acquaintances. Didn’t you guys save her?”
“Oh. She must be hard to find.”
“Then how are you going to make it?”
I’ve heard that nostalgia is a key element in Moquer’s mischief.
Without it, wouldn’t it be impossible to make a potion in the first place?
“It seems that the girl I am with has asked the seniors in the alchemy department to get a reagent made of nostalgia. If you make it with it, the effect will be weak, so you won’t get an A… I can’t help it.”
“Whoa.”
I let out a low exclamation as a reflex at the thought that I had thought of ways to survive.
There was such a way.
In other words, the most important thing in preparing this potion was how to solve nostalgia, which is hard to find on the market.
In other words, it means that we, who were lucky enough to get a high-quality Nostalgia through Elisha, have a chance of getting a higher score than the other groups.
‘I should have given some to Lone Joe.’
The people themselves declined, so we decided to just use Nostalgia by ourselves, but somehow it feels like writing a foul play.
Is this why society is all about networking?
“But Tina seems to be going to the infirmary. Where is she sick?”
“What? Health room?”
With a trivial thought in my head, I was about to finish cleaning up before work, but I hurriedly turned my head at the voice I heard through the door.
He went to the infirmary? Why?
Did you get sick somewhere?
“When did you see it?”
“It must have been around the beginning of lunchtime, right? Didn’t I tell you?”
“Uh.”
It’s not like I didn’t say it because I thought I was faking it if I said I was sick.
Even if he’s an idiot, he’ll understand that it’s more of a nuisance to not say anything in the first place and not participate in the assignment.
“Thank you. I have to go.”
“Yes. Oh, lock the door and go? It seems that there are many guys stealing materials during assignments.”
I don’t know who they are, but they’re really blind to their scores.
First of all, as advised, I locked the studio door with a key and went outside, heading straight to the infirmary.
I have been memorizing the location because I visited it the other day because I had an abrasion during sparring.
【I’m out of town. Cadets on business, please press the paging device in the infirmary】
As soon as I arrived at the door, I was dumbfounded by the paper I saw.
It was like that in my previous life, but this seems like a phrase that always sticks to the infirmary.
Knock!
“Tina, are you here?”
As soon as I went inside, I called out to Tina in a loud voice.
Seeing that the curtains were all pulled back, it seemed like no one was there anyway.
Except for one spot.
Cheeruk.
As if there was nothing more to see, I opened the tightly closed curtain and pulled it back.
With the intention of handing over an apology to anyone I don’t know inside.
“Be, Bell!?”
As expected, Tina’s surprised voice came from inside.
I spoke out with the intention of spitting out a single voice at the guy.
“Honey, you don’t say anything to people… What!?”
Kung!
Exactly, I was trying to take it out.
Even if you didn’t fall back unsightly from something that suddenly attacked your body.
After belatedly coming to my senses, I saw his trademark puppy dog ears sticking out from between his orange hair.
… What else is this