How To Live As An Academy Extra Villain chapter 122

122 – Underwater (2)

“Edwin Reed.”

“Ni… Nice to me…hee-hee…”

Herthi grasped the hand I extended. As if a faint electric current surged through him, Herthi shivered.

“Speak comfortably. We’re in the same first year.”

“Uh… um… well… I got it… no, I got it…”

Herthi’s attitude toward me felt unnaturally awkward, almost to the point of excessive trembling. Despite my attempts to speak gently, it seemed to have little effect.

It was utterly unclear why Herthi, who wasn’t even a commoner, treated me this way. It would have been easier to understand if he openly regarded me with embarrassment, like Pamela. Perhaps it was due to his innate disposition, fragile and delicate.

“Ah… this is driving me crazy, really… Why, in the world…”

“Why? It’s just amusing. No issues. Pamela, try teasing him a bit. It’s just…”

“Ah… seriously…”

Pamela still found me bothersome. Watching Herthi and me exchange greetings from a distance, I was tempted to tear my hair out. In the midst of this, Carné’s voice, drawing attention to Pamela, faintly reached my ears.

“Luno… hey. For now, you’re in charge of the Constellation Club. Counting on you.”

“I’m Edwin Reed. I’ll do my best.”

“…? Uh, well…”

The second-year male student who stood with Carné yesterday extended his hand for a handshake. His neat appearance, with combed hair and glasses, exuded a surprisingly kind aura.

“Hmm, hmm. You’re a bit different from what I heard. Can’t really trust rumors, can you…”

As I shook his hand and lowered my head, a look of surprise crossed his face. Perhaps it had something to do with his undisclosed background and Carné’s involvement.

“Anyway, welcome. Honestly, it was a bit challenging alone…”

After the greeting, Luno approached with a more friendly attitude and explained various situations to me.

The Constellation Observation Club was a small club consisting of about ten members. Luno, who didn’t particularly like constellations, had joined half by force because his lover, Carné, was the current club president. However, the club still faced a shortage of members and was in a situation where operating funds were being cut.

“…Even though we registered as a small club, we were in a deficit situation… it was a crisis. But then you came…”

“Why not cover the operating funds personally? The amount doesn’t seem that large…”

“For events like a ball, it might work, but for all activities within the school, you can’t privately raise funds. It’s for fairness, or so they say…”

His once-opened mouth poured out words like an unending waterfall. In the Constellation Observation Club, Luno was the only male student, he said.

However, there was no flower-filled garden before him. Despite his humble appearance and delicate nature, he always seemed to be oppressed by others.

Indeed, Luno appeared innocent at first glance. Could someone like him take on the role of a senior against people like Pamela? It seemed like a challenging task, even from my perspective.

“But as a guy, doesn’t Herthi exist? Or did Herthi recently join?”

“Ah, right… that’s true…”

Upon hearing my question, Luno suddenly made a bewildered expression.

“Yeah. Herthi hasn’t been here for long… and well, calling him a guy is a bit…”

Luno expressed Herthi’s fragility with hesitation. Perhaps he thought it went against politeness, as even that statement trailed off. He then nervously looked around, fidgeting continuously.

Fortunately, the rest of our group was at a distance, unable to hear his words. Just by observing his attitude, one could sense the suffering he had endured all this while.

“Luno! Why are you talking like that? Come over here quickly!”

His lover, Carne, waved at us while calling out to him. Surprisingly, Luno possessed considerable talent. He had never fallen below the top ten ranks in his second year.

Luno was halfway treated as a son-in-law in Carne’s family, and if even a small engagement ceremony took place, he was about to be engaged.

“Sigh…”

Pamela still looked at me disdainfully. Next to her, Herty seemed more genuine than before. His hazel eyes continued to glance in our direction.

Certainly, he was quite petite in appearance and stature. In many ways, he seemed delicate rather than bold. I might somewhat understand Luno’s expression…

“…Don’t get close to Herty. Approaching him within ten feet is forbidden. Got it? Don’t even speak to him.”

“…Pamela… don’t…”

Herty looked rather embarrassed upon hearing Pamela’s words.

“…But are they a couple, too? Like Carne and Luno. They seem quite intimate.”

“Huh.”

“Oh, no…! Pamela! Don’t lie!!”

It was an unintentional question. However, their reactions sharply contrasted. While Pamela answered promptly, Herty looked utterly dismayed. He stomped his foot and yelled at Pamela. Witnessing this, Pamela seemed to drift away in thought.

“…Ugh…”

***

I left the stone tower and immediately headed to the next location. Last night, I had arranged to meet Celen through the spirits.

The day I returned to the academy, it was already past midnight, and there were scheduled events all day yesterday, so we couldn’t talk separately.

“A Constellation Observation Club…? There was such a place…?”

“I stumbled upon it too. Thought a quiet setting would be nice…”

“Ah… I see…”

Celen trailed off with a cloudy tone at the end of his sentence, tinged with a sense of regret.

“Still, it’s a pity… it would’ve been nice to do it together… Should I switch now…?”

While I was absent, Celen had joined a physiognomy club called the Rose Circle. It seemed surprisingly enjoyable for her, being coerced by second-year girls. She seemed captivated by the variety of gardens and enthusiastically stamped her seal there.

Spirits tend to be fond of natural elements, so it suited her. And she seemed to have wanted to bring up something to me subtly, but at that time, I had already left the academy.

It was even after submitting the application that she learned the Rose Circle didn’t allow male students to join.

“Since yesterday was the last day… maybe I can transfer to the second year…”

“If only you had thought a bit more…”

“Never mind. If you’re that eager to join, it must have been something you really liked, right? Plus, it’s a chance to get to know other students better. They say they’re all friendly, right?”

“Even so…”

Celen’s expression still held a lingering sense of regret. One surprising aspect was that, unlike me, Celen had garnered the sympathy of others.

Those who heard Celen raise her voice to Eugene that day were only the students present in Classroom C. It was even early in the morning, and not all students had arrived.

Celen seemed to be displeased with this, even clicking her tongue as if it didn’t sit well with her. However, she didn’t feel the need to correct it.

If she had been criticized and condemned like I had, it wouldn’t have been easy to endure with her composure. Paradoxically, it could be considered fortunate.

“Now we can’t even be together… and our schedules have changed.”

“…”

“Other students think of us… think of us as a couple… won’t that blur our impressions?”

“Don’t worry about trivial things. It’s fine. Maybe it’s better that way.”

“Hmph.”

Upon hearing my response, Celen swiftly turned her head as if dissatisfied.

“…You really don’t have to worry. Soon, during external training, we can just apply for the same group.”

“Oh, right… that’s an option…”

“Isn’t it? Even if you don’t like it, we have to stick together.”

“…I don’t mind. Heh…”

Only now did Celen relax her expression, revealing a faint smile. Then, as if something crossed her mind, she asked a question, her fingers unmistakably playing with strands of hair.

“…But what about the other team members?”

“Well… that’s still…”

“What about Sisella… what will she do?”

“It probably won’t work out… I heard they’re planning to form groups with exchange students from the Holy Kingdom…”

“Sigh…”

“…?”

“…No, it’s nothing. By the way… Ellie…? Is she okay?”

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“Yeah. She’ll probably be back to the academy within this week…”

Though I didn’t mention that this outing was due to her illness, Celen seemed quite curious about Ellie’s absence. I had once casually mentioned it while discussing minor matters.

“So, um, Ellie will be included in the party too…?”

I found myself momentarily breathless at Celen’s question. Somehow, the ongoing dilemma I had been wrestling with weighed heavily on my mind. The golden pendant of Caneus still echoed within my embrace.

This had nothing to do with my personal preferences regarding Ellie. The current situation around me was already intricately entangled. Needless to say, the political situation was complex, and not just that – even the situation next to me, with Celen, was complicated.

The outcome of the last duel was clear in its implications. Now, Celen’s challenges ahead were intertwined with my responsibilities.

I found myself in a position where I couldn’t choose either side. Even if I were to push them away, would they obediently follow? What if it were the other way around? It was a matter that didn’t require deep contemplation.

“…Perhaps it’s not like that after all.”

Celen, hearing my response, fell silent for a moment. Then, she cautiously asked me.

“…But you’re still my closest, right?”

My response was already decided this time as well.