Chương 65: Let’s pretend
To distract myself, I tried hanging around the library more. I put the books away, dusted the shelves and often helped readers find books. At first, I thought the girls would complain why a boy was lounging around their territory freely but they didn't really complain. In fact, they were more welcoming than most boys who were jealous for some reason.
I made little progress with the foreign letters but according to the librarian (who was now 25 and a brunette… somewhat of a beauty?), I was better than the average. Yeah, I already knew that much. I did have good memory but it was nothing compared to what it was in my last life. And the more I compared my memory of this world to the previous one, the more pathetic I felt. I knew I was being hard on myself but at the same time, I just… wanted to be better.
"That should be enough for today. Maybe try reading a picture book in Sea tongue," she said.
She'd stopped shedding years around 20. And was slowly gaining it all back again. Apparently, she went through 20 to about 80 every two weeks. She didn't tell me the reason why and although curious I didn't probe too much.
"Will take me a while," I said.
"But will be more useful than wasting all these good papers."
I found writing on paper to be far easier than on a small blackboard with chalk. That stuff was triggering all sorts of allergies. But she was right, paper was expensive and I was wasting a lot of it.
From that day on, I limited my exposure to the outside world. I only went of the dorms twice. One, to get some exercise and two, to play with Mike and the others. I didn't really spend my entire day in my room though, rather I spent most of it in the library. I guess the library being a part of the dorms was a good thing after all.
Mike did notice my sullen mood but he opted not to comment. He was young but he was really considerate. We were probably going to be good friends… assuming he didn't betray me of course.
Actually, I didn't trust people as easily as before. Sure, I didn't let is show, but on an instinctive level I put up a barrier between me and the rest of humanity. I had a feeling some of them noticed that. Den was probably the first to.
Anyway, I exercised more than before and gradually increased it. I didn't want to accidentally screw my body just to satiate my urge to not cry. I also spent an extensive amount of time reading through foreign texts in the sea tongue since I wanted to visit the underwater cities one day. Reading without knowing the letters was pretty exhausting though. I had to look up letters and words almost every time. Still, I was making some progress which was good enough for me. For now at least. The same couldn't be said about the demon tongue though. That was beyond me.
I didn't encounter Nisa or that boy. And Shia wasn't really visiting lately either. The rumors had more or less calmed down but something new was rolling. Namely, I was heartbroken. Technically that wasn't a rumor, rather, it was the truth. But people made up all sorts of fantasies about me asking this person and that person and all that; apparently, I'd even asked out a guy too. I couldn't even begin to care at this point.
So, as usual, I buried my face in books and work. And just like that, the week passed. Den didn't visit, I didn't make any significant progress in anything but things were at least moving….
Once this night ends, I'm officially back to school, huh?
"Your class starts tomorrow, right?" Gerar opened the window. Mine was already open. "And that girl is in that class?"
Beginner classes mostly had young kids like me. But some students were older than most. 'It's never too late to learn' was this school's motto. It made sense in hindsight but what if you were on your deathbed? What would learning something do to you then? Not a great example but just food for thought.
"I'll be fine."
"If you say so," he said. "I wanted to show you our practical grounds but you seemed so busy, I didn't. So, how about I take you there tomorrow?"
"I don't have any practical classes for months, so I'm fine," I said.
On any given day, I was required to take two classes. But I could opt to take all four if I so desired. I had two subjects I'd need to take practical classes on: One, spirit taming and two, etiquette. But the first class wasn't due for at least three months, so I was good for now.
"Okay."
During these last few days I figured some things about Gerar. The guy was nice, sure. But he hated Shia. Obviously, he didn't let it show and acted meek around her but boy did that guy hate her guts. Enough to spread rumors. Yes, this guy spread rumors about Shia. And he might have spread some rumors regarding my rejection too. Boy was I glad I didn't say who I proposed to, otherwise he'd have ruined my and her life too.
Right now, I didn't have any way stop him without antagonizing him for real, so I tried to keep our interactions to a minimum. Part of why I didn't spend too much time in my room. Gerar though, never went to class or did anything; he just spent his whole day inside his room. He sometimes visited the library every once in a while, but that was about it.
That said, I turned in for the night and tried to sleep. Den was probably near Axel Port by now or maybe he even reached the port and was already on his way home. If everything went right, he and mom would probably go on a journey together, at least that was my guess. Sooner or later the church would find out she murdered a priest and would punish her for it. So leaving seemed like the best bet. It was also why she didn't come with me.
Sigh.
Let's just sleep.
***
For the first time, I put on my uniform. A clean white shirt with a navy blazer and navy pants. It kind of looked like a suit but was somewhat long like an overcoat. Or maybe I'm too short? Some fancy golden embroidery over the breast area and a small badge. Navy was the noble color. High nobles wore golden while commoners wore green. If you were attending classes, you were required to wear your uniform.
This was comfortable so I didn't really mind. How would this feel in summer though, was the real question.
I'd woken up earlier than usual, finished my exercise and library duties so I was pretty much done for the day and could take all the classes I wanted. Assuming the classes weren't terrible, I planned on taking all of them. Specially that teacher, Chamille Alphonse's. She turned me down, sure. But I had no plans on making things awkward between us. And I had no plans on not stealing glances either… obviously without the whole heavy breathing and ogling; discretely as they come!
With all that in mind, I went into the first academic building, slowly traced my steps to the fourth floor and searched my way into one particular classroom. Half full, still some time before the first class. I didn't see anyone I knew and the first seat was empty, so I took it; the seats were wide so four kids could sit as long as they were okay with rubbing shoulders. Moments later a kid walked up to me. "That's Arom's seat. You shouldn't sit there."
A lot of kids were looking my way. Not just kids, there were some adults mixed in too. Almost all of them were commoners but some were nobles. No high nobles so far.
"Are seats reserved for students?" I asked. It was merely curiosity.
Yet, the kid's face paled as he slowly backed off. The fuck? As time went on, the classroom filled and eventually I noticed two familiar faces. One, Mike. We were in the same class I guess. I inwardly screamed YESHH. And the second… that fat kid from before. Our eyes met and he grumpily made his way to me. He glared down, wait no, he was just tall. "He-hey," I said.
Was this his seat? Was that why the other kid warned me? Why am I so thickheaded sometimes?
"You're in this class too?" He said, taking his seat next to me. He took literally half of the bench space all by himself. impressive….
Nodding to myself I moved a little to my left. "Yeah." I didn't really see him the first day, or maybe I wasn't paying attention.
Before long, Mike took his seat on my left and the three of us started conversing. What were we talking about? I had no idea. I just nodded… and smiled.
"Take your seats," Miss Chamille came in, set down some papers on her table, eyed me once and started taking attendance. She wasn't fazed at all.
Let's pretend I'm not either.
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