Chapter 138 Volume III - Chapter 59: A Boy Who Knows About Maths
~ding! ~ding! ~ding! ~ding!
The sound of the bell filled the corridors and then the classroom. The math teacher took one last look at us and gave us the questions he wanted us to solve in the next class, then left the classroom without saying a word.
It was lunchtime, so every single one of the students who wanted to get their lunch early literally flew out. So, there were only a few people left in the classroom. One of them, of course, was me.
"Clara, shall we eat together?"
I smiled when I saw one of my classmates next to me.
"Sorry, I have to go to the library. I already have my own food."
I showed her the lunch box I had taken out of my bag and she sighed slightly. But didn't seem upset at all and went off to ask someone else the same question. She didn't even look back at me.
At least you should have looked a little upset...
That's why I don't like it here so much, I at least had real friends at my old school. But here... they only care about their own interests. I should have spat on my brother and gone to a normal school instead of a private school where only people with a lot of money or nobles can go.
Anyway... at least the library is unnecessarily big.
With that, I took my lunch box with me and made my way to the library. It didn't take me long to get there.
"Hello."
"I'll stay until lunch break is over, Clara Tenebra."
The librarian typed my name on the screen in front of her, then smiled and a green light appeared above the library's open door, which looked like it was made for giants. I passed smoothly through what would normally be an invisible wall.
I made my way to a place in the corner of the huge library with huge bookcases and tables everywhere, and as soon as I found an empty table, I opened my food. Then I took a small device out of my pocket and put it in front of me. The light on the device suddenly lit up and a holographic screen rose above it.
When it reached the size of a computer screen, the device stopped and a smile appeared on my face. I started to look at things related to my studies while eating my food.
This was how I spent my day at school, just studying because the exams the school gave were... extremely difficult.
I'm not as smart as my brother, as both of them, but I used to get good grades. At this school... I'm either average or below average. I want to go to my brother with good results when he's doing so much for me, but... that's all I can do.
So, I spend my time studying.
I took a bite of the bread I had prepared at home and started to chew it, while I continued to read what was written on the screen. I read, solved, read, got stuck, learned, solved, and continued...
I finished my lunch, and more than half of the hour-and-a-half lunch break was over, but I didn't stop. And then... I got stuck on a question again.
No matter what I did, I couldn't find the answer. It was obvious that I had made a mistake somewhere, but... where? That was the important question.
I frowned and tilted my head a little and focused on the question.
I've skipped enough questions today. I don't want to skip any more. I must have made a very simple mistake somewhere... I certainly did.
"You got the angle wrong."
My focus suddenly broke. I reflexively turned around and looked at the person speaking to me.
He had black hair and eyes that looked somewhere between yellow and brown. He was taller than me but shorter than his peers. He had an idiot's smile, an innocent one even, on his face and he was looking not at me but at the screen in front of me.
"You should take the angle as thirty-two, not twenty-two. There was a processing error."
I didn't check the accuracy of his question, I just kept looking at him and so he finally turned to me.
"Ah... Am I disturbing you? I just wanted to help you. I just solved the same question."
Without saying anything, I turned away, checked the question, and realized that he was indeed right.
I had really made a needless mistake...
"Thank you."
I waited for the boy to leave and moved on to the next question. This time, the boy spoke again.
"It seems you couldn't do the previous question either, the part between the purity of the mana and its efficiency is reversed."
I checked the question. What I found was that he was right again...
"Thank you."
"You make too many processing errors. If you have something on your mind, you might need some rest."
I turned around again and looked at the boy.
He had the same smile on his face and was looking at the screen as I was looking at him. When he realized I was looking at him, he turned back to me just like before and put his hand behind his head.
"Ah... Sorry, I seem to have disturbed you again. I apologize, I'll leave."
He started to turn around and looked at the clock on his arm.
"Wait."
He paused and his eyes turned back to me.
"Are you good at math?"
His smile became a little awkward and he suddenly became timid.
"Hahaha... Well, sort of?"
"What did you get in the last exam?"
"Ninety-seven."
The feeling he gives me is good, he doesn't act like he has any ulterior motives. He was even embarrassed when he told me his grade, so he doesn't like to praise himself.
In short, he's the first person I've seen at this school who acts like himself, but the important thing is... he's good at math.
So, he can help me, he actually seems like a nice guy. I don't mind if I get extra help. Besides... I don't really have any friends. It wouldn't hurt to make one through studying.
"You like solving problems, don't you?"
"Yes. When I see something wrong, I want to fix it."
"And do you have free time?"
He was surprised for a moment.
"I'm free right now?"
"Then can you help me?"
He waited for a moment. Then his surprise quickly gave way to a smile and excitement. He suddenly became a confident person.
"Yes! I like to help people."
"Okay, then sit next to me. I have some questions."
I pulled the chair next to the desk toward me and the boy waited for a while, then sat down and turned back to the screen, not even looking at me.
He must really like solving questions...
"Ah, I'm Clara. What was your name again?"
The boy continued to stare at the screen for a short while, then turned back to me. His smile widened for a moment, then he spoke with the same excitement.
"Paul, Paul Demens."
*******
"We don't have to wait for tomorrow. Let's try to track down someone from James' group. Actually... if he figures out who told you all this, he'll target them, so it'll be easier. Call one of them, find out where they are, and let's go to them."
I was excited to be able to finish the Adrian thing quickly. The 'study group' I had joined because I could observe him was already getting on my nerves.
After getting rid of Adrian, I could get out of that group and continue my life as if nothing had happened.
"Done!"
Adrian picked up his watch and quickly dialed a number. It took a very short time for the call to be answered.
"It's me, Adrian. Where are you right now, Risa? James might be targeting you. He knows you spoke to me last time."
Adrian's face turned strange a moment after he said that.
"So... where are you?"
What could he have heard that would make him react like that...?
"Okay, a friend of mine and I are on our way there."
When Adrian lowered his watch, his face was still strange and he looked surprised.
"What happened?"
"The first impression I got from her was that she was like a leader, precise and logical. Even her voice was usually calm. But the moment I said James might be targeting her, she started stuttering. It just felt... strange. I didn't know they were so scared of him."
Was someone we'd never even heard of really terrorizing the academy that much? This James guy... He kept himself and his group pretty well hidden.
"I see, where was he?"
"He was on his way to his room, so we're going to the dorms."
He's going to the dorms... If James is a planner, he's not going to miss this opportunity.
"Let's make it quick."
With that, I turned toward the dorms without waiting for Adrian, and I didn't need to adjust myself to him since he was already following behind me.
"We're trying to catch James' people, right?"
"Yes."
"What are we going to do with them?"
"We're going to see if James already has any plans to visit somewhere and his current location. Then we're going to set up a conspiracy and spread rumors about him, and the rumors have to be weighty and with evidence, but the students have to know that we're the ones who started the rumors. If the rumors about James pass a certain stage, with evidence, the academy will take action. It will also serve as a warning to anyone who might try to take his place."
"That seems... too simple. Are you sure it will work?"
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"You don't really need to understand, just do as I say."
"W- well, okay..."
With that, we moved quickly toward the dormitories, and that's when I realized that the students on the road were looking in our direction.
No, they weren't looking at me. They were looking at Adrian. The number of people looking at me was therefore quite small, but it was still disturbing.
I paused, saw someone looking in our direction, and frowned.
"What is it? Is it that interesting to see a passerby?"
The boy realized I was looking at him and averted his eyes. Then he changed the direction he was going without saying anything.
"Tch."
I continued to move forward, even more uncomfortable.
"What did the bo-"
"He made me uncomfortable, and he doesn't need to do anything else."
I quickened my pace and focused completely in front of me. The dormitory buildings finally came into view, and the number of students around became fewer and fewer as we moved away from the café area. So, I started looking around at the few groups of students I could see.
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