26 – Lunch 5
I extended my hand with the utmost kindness, but the man showed no sign of moving. Huh, did he faint?
“How hard did you study to fall asleep in the cafeteria like this? Indeed, you’re amazing, senior of the academy. I don’t really want to follow your example, though.”
“*Sigh!*”
Other students who were watching burst into laughter upon hearing my words. Since everyone here is from the academy, they had all seen exactly how the man had collapsed.
If he had just tripped over my leg, he wouldn’t have fainted. The reason he fainted was because he had run with his body enhanced by mana.
“This punk!”
Seemingly embarrassed by his friend’s ridicule, a man who seemed to be the friend of the guy shouted at me. Considering his huge build and the sword at his waist, I could tell he was a swordsman. He reached out to grab me as if to restrain me.
However, his hand didn’t reach me. Someone had grabbed the man’s arm before I could even dodge.
The giant man’s reaching hand and the hand that grabbed it were incomparable; the latter was thin and fair. The man tried with all his might to shake off the hand that had grabbed him.
“Ugh.”
But no matter how hard the man struggled and resisted, he couldn’t shake off the thin hand. The woman who held the man’s arm tightened her grip and spoke in a low voice.
“What were you trying to do?”
“Y-Yohanna. Let me g-goo!!”
The person holding the man’s hand was Yohanna. She, who had been sitting across from me, had swiftly moved and grabbed the man’s arm.
“When did she move, anyway?”
The man had definitely seen Yohanna sitting in her place before he reached out his hand.
The man, who was now kneeling in agony, must have felt the strength Yohanna exerted. It looked surreal to see a man with a massive build kneeling in agony in front of a woman.
The reason why he, a senior in the third year, couldn’t shake off Yohanna, a sophomore, was simple.
Yohanna was much stronger than him.
Yohanna is the top student in the second year.
If you combine the scores up to the third year, Yohanna would be second.
What this means is simple. Among the students, excluding Joden, there is no one who can defeat Yohanna.
Without hesitation, Yohanna broke the hand of the guy who had been holding her with a unique expressionless face. When Yohanna let go of his hand, the man screamed in agony.
“aaargh!”
The man’s scream echoed through the cafeteria. Yohanna approached me, leaving the man alone.
“Any injuries?”
Unlike when she broke the man’s arm, she expressed concern and asked me with a worried expression.
“Yes! Thanks to you, I have no injuries. But it doesn’t seem the same for him over there, does it?”
I pointed to the man who was still lying on the floor, crying.
“Really, no injuries at all?”
Ignoring the man I pointed out, Yohanna came close to me and checked everywhere to make sure I really had no injuries.
“Want to go to the infirmary?”
“I appreciate the concern, but I’m really fine!”
I wasn’t injured in the first place. Joden froze the person who drew the sword in the first place, and Yohanna dealt with the person who reached out to me.
Watching all of this, the vulture scolded his incompetent subordinates.
“What are you doing, you useless fools! Get rid of these useless guys right away.”
“Yes!”
The vulture’s subordinates took care of the person who fainted with my leg and the person suffering from a broken arm by Yohanna.
“My subordinates were rude. Yohanna, sorry about that, but can I treat you to a meal next time?”
[“Sure!”]
The vulture’s subordinates responded, and Yohanna, ignoring the apologies, looked at me and nodded.
trash approached Johanna with a seemingly relaxed smile.
“Johanna?”
Johanna either didn’t hear or was still checking if I was injured.
“Sigh.”
As Bureugi was completely ignored, a suppressed laughter echoed among the students watching us.
Bureugi tried to identify who was trying to laugh, but with so many people around, it wasn’t easy.
“Tsk.”
With a fierce glare at the onlookers, Bureugi, accompanied by his subordinates, walked out of the cafeteria.
“You, be careful.”
Before leaving, he put his hand on my shoulder and said in a stern voice. The moment his hand touched my shoulder, I felt an unpleasant sensation as if insects were crawling all over me.
“Thanks for your concern. Take care of yourself too.”
In my heart, I wanted to cut off Bureugi’s hand that was on my shoulder.
“I’ll make sure to make your academy life enjoyable from now on.”
But I couldn’t do that right now.
“Oh~ I’m looking forward to how you’ll make it enjoyable. I’ll make sure to make your academy life enjoyable too.”
That’s why I liked the mask. I just needed to focus on my voice without worrying about facial expressions.
As I countered each of Bureugi’s provocations, the students watching seemed tense, and the sound of them swallowing saliva could be heard.
“Let’s go.”
Finally removing his hand from my shoulder, Bureugi and his subordinates left the cafeteria. Strangely, no one paid us any attention as we left, especially considering I was the most approachable among them.
I took a seat and looked around. Everyone in the cafeteria was watching me.
Even though Lucas looked at me with concern, he seemed to be thinking about how to act.
Despite the academy’s principle of equality, as the imperial prince, there were political aspects I had to consider.
Sephia, who had been ignoring me coolly until just now, now gazed at me with a worried look, perhaps because I was involved with Beruge.
Clara’s pupils had been shaking uncontrollably since Joden appeared, but now she was looking at me with a slightly relieved expression, perhaps because I was involved in a bigger incident.
In addition to these three, all the special class students were looking at me with concern.
It hadn’t been long since we met, but they were looking at me with such concern. Professor Elysia really did choose her students well.
I raised my hand to reassure them that I was okay. However, their worried gazes didn’t change.
It would have been natural for them to look at a prince with such eyes, but they were mistaken.
It’s not me who is involved with Beruge.
It’s Beruge who is involved with me.
“Everyone, please return to your seats and have your meal.”
The noisy cafeteria quieted down at Joden’s words. Everyone returned to their seats and started eating.
There was no foolish student who opposed Joden after witnessing the magic he had just shown.
As Joden passed by me, he whispered softly.
“You’ve changed a lot.”
“Ahahahaha.”
Upon hearing his words, I couldn’t say anything but smile faintly. It was awkward to be seen like this by the Joden who knew my past self.
If it had been me back then, how would I have acted?
I had already finished my meal and was fiddling with the nearly empty lunch tray.
If it had been me back then, the moment the beggar touched my mask, I would have smacked his head with it.
Leaving the aftermath for later, I did what I wanted right away. In those days, I truly lived like a beast.
“·····”
While contemplating about myself during that time, I felt a gaze, and when I looked up, Johanna was staring at me with a displeased expression.
“Do you know that person?”
Even if Jordan spoke quietly, Johanna, who was close by, probably heard. Moreover, Jordan used polite language, so it must have piqued her curiosity.
“Yes, I received a lot of help from him before.”
“How long have you known him?”
We met almost immediately after I came in.
“About six months. Why do you ask?”
Johanna, who heard my words, muttered about six months. Why is she reacting like this?
“You’re not going to join the student council, are you?”
It was a somewhat abrupt remark.
Why bring up the student council all of a sudden?
“I did receive an offer, but···.”
Upon hearing that I received an offer to join the student council, Johanna looked at me closely and said, “When?”
“We met on the day of the entrance ceremony, before going to the inn. Oh, of course, I declined.”
Upon hearing that I declined, Johanna seemed relieved. And perhaps realizing that she had leaned in too much, her face slightly reddened as she distanced herself.
Still, she didn’t stop asking questions, apparently not satisfied yet.
“What does that person’s words mean?”
It seemed like Joden was bothered by the comment that his personality had died a lot.
“It’s nothing special!”
No matter how much I could answer, it was a bit awkward to talk about myself at that time. How could I explain that I acted like a beast?
When I avoided the answer, Johanna looked at me with a slightly annoyed expression.
And then, she said something completely out of the blue.
“Graduate and come into our family.”
“Pardon?”
its a marriage proposal right? right? nah im joking