章節 21: Crystal Walls

Crystal never believed in things such as fate, destiny or even justice. Not before meeting Emilia, at least.

She was a firm believer of logic.

Every person's actions were always fueled by their motivation, which in turn was fueled almost entirely by benefits. The benefits did not always have to be monetary, of course. Monopolizing a person could also count as a 'benefit'.

Using this simple approach, Crystal was always able to detach herself from the world and view things as an observer. This allowed her to see things that were otherwise often overlooked.

If someone approached her seeking friendship, there could be many reasons behind their approach.

Perhaps they thought she looked good, and hanging out with her would boost their own perceived 'social status'.

Perhaps they sought to benefit from her academic excellence, boosting their own performance by learning with her.

And perhaps they could even be after some other 'benefits'.

Regardless, they were always firmly rejected, and Crystal remained without a close friend from childhood till now.

Even if she knew they could bring her benefits in return, Crystal felt repulsed in her heart.

Maybe the only thing she could never rationalize were her own actions.

Why did she never accept their offer when it would clearly bring her benefits as well?

Once she grew older, Crystal realized that while her mind always followed logic, her actions were always dictated by her feelings.

Even if she felt disappointed with herself, she had to accept that deep down in her heart, she was an idealist. An idiot who ignored logic and facts.

Shortly after this realization, she started high school, and on the first day itself she had a rather 'fateful' encounter.

'Emilia White'.

Perhaps the name was well known amongst the rich people in the city, but that was the first time Crystal had heard it from the lips of this innocent looking rich beauty.

Crystal realized how hypocritical she must have looked when they first met.

If Emilia thought the same way as her, then logically, the likelihood of their encounter being purely from chance was nearly zero.

A poor student like her probably already knew the school had a special class full of rich and dumb people, and was seeking someone to leech off of.

And surely, the girl was used to being approached and 'helped' by 'peasants' like herself. The more she pretended to be indifferent, the more hypocritical she must look in Emilia's eyes.

But Emilia's attitude towards herself refused to follow any 'logic' at all. It was full of warmth, and it scared her.

'What does she want from me?'

That was what she kept wondering. And until she could figure it out, her fear made her keep her distance.

The difference between both their social and financial status was too large. And even in terms of looks, Crystal wasn't delusional enough to believe herself to be superior.

So the only 'logical' benefit Emilia could gain from her would be academics, and perhaps this was the reason that when Emilia approached her for help in tutoring, both relief and disappointment flooded her idealist heart.

There really is no such thing as fate.

The world operates on benefits.

And then she kissed her.

Well, it was only on her cheek. But the moment the girl's velvety soft lips brushed against her skin, a jolt ran through Crystal's spine, instantly obliterating all disappointment from her heart and soul.

The absurd thought that 'studying' is just an excuse for her to get close burst forth, and Crystal held on to it even if it made no sense.

"I really am an idiot."

She knew she was doomed.

A pathetic idiot who allowed her hormones and wishful thinking to control both her thoughts and actions. That's what she thought of herself.

The weekend was still far away, and from then on Crystal intentionally buried all thoughts of 'Emilia White' deep in her mind, and focused obsessively on her studies.

Just a typical rich and pretty girl. The weekend wasn't too far, and she'll definitely know her better then. The ugliness of her personality and fickleness of her thoughts would surely disillusion herself once exposed, and she will be free once more.

At least, that's what she thought then.

But Emilia seemed intent on clutching Crystal's heart firmly in her claws.

Every time she managed to put the thoughts of the girl out of her mind, she would hear of her again. If it was not her being unjustly bullied by her childhood sweetheart, then it was her saving someone from being bullied.

That was still alright. After all, for a rich young miss like her, it probably took no more than a single word to stop an 'incident' she had stumbled across. Crystal could still justify it as her 'whimsical' personality.

But then she went and did it. She shattered all of the prejudices that Crystal had been painstakingly trying to build around her heart to protect herself from the claws of this lethal poison called 'Emilia'.

Crystal could no longer delude herself after confirming the rumors.

Penny was surely biased, and her behavior made no secret of her obsession over the 'princess'.

But Crystal had already filtered the facts from exaggerations through multiple sources, and it remained a fact that Emilia had completely disregarded her image and safety for the sake of upholding… justice.

The very same justice that Crystal held so dear to her heart, but never dared to pursue.

She was a coward, and she knew it. She prioritized her own safety, the safety of her loved ones, her personal image… everything was above justice.

The muddiness of her heart disgusted Crystal.

But Emilia's heart was pure.

Maybe it wasn't completely pure, but Crystal felt that it was surely clear enough that someone like her would have no room to judge its 'purity'.

And so the walls shattered, and the 'poison' started to seep in. Crystal could no longer bring herself to keep Emilia away.

Crystal felt resigned as Penny kept blabbering about how illustrious her princess was. She really should have curbed her curiosity and kept herself away from the rumors.

"Join us! The Royal Guards!"

"I can't, Penny… I don't have the time."

The petite blonde girl looked at her tearfully. "No one else from your class wants to join, they all just laugh at me! At least you should join, you even nodded when I said the princess was the coolest!"

Crystal felt a headache coming at the girl's forceful approach. Looking at the clock, her eyes suddenly lit up.

That's right, she could just leave!

"Ah, look at the time! Almost everyone's already left, let's go! We'll talk some other day about this club thing, okay?"

She ignored Penny's sulking and quickly packed up her books.

There was a particular bunch of students in class A that refused to study less than her, and would never leave 'self-study' until she left.

They breathed a collective sigh of relief as they saw her get up, because they were also forced to listen to Penny's loud blabbering.

With her little sister like looks, some of them found her endearing, but none of them would waste their time on a worthless club like that. Maybe only the idiots in class C would be stupid enough for it.

When Crystal opened the gate and wanted to escape in a hurry, however, her expression froze in disbelief. Was she starting to hallucinate now?

"E-Emilia?"

"PRINCESS!"

Penny's shout reassured her that she wasn't hallucinating, and she smiled in relief.

The students behind them left shortly after making fun of Penny, which the girl was too busy to notice because she had just got the opportunity to hold the hand of her 'idol'.

Emilia's face was red as she awkwardly patted Penny's head.

"T-That's enough. L-Let's go talk in the cafeteria."

She didn't know why Emilia looked more embarrassed than herself, but the girl hurriedly led them to the cafeteria building, and Crystal was even surprised that Penny could keep up with them with her short legs.

The diligent looking girl with bob cut black hair kept glaring towards the oblivious Penny on the way, and Crystal wondered what personal conflict the two of them must have.

It didn't make much sense for a class C and class S student to have much interaction, right? Then, if the only common link between them is Emilia, the cause must stem from her.

But that girl was clearly a close confidante, while Penny was nothing but a fangirl.

Crystal's brain spun rapidly as she came to a rather uneasy conclusion.

'There are two big possibilities. First, she has a crush on Emilia and is deeply jealous of anyone who comes close. And second is she hates anyone without value associating with them.'

As for why she hadn't been so hostile to herself, that was also clear.

'Maybe she barely accepted me due to my 'academic' or future value, but Penny doesn't have that.'

Crystal nodded to herself, hoping that the second possibility was true.

It made her really uneasy to think someone so close to Emilia would obsess over her. Someone like that would surely be able to take all kinds of advantages, and just the thought made her feel disgusted.

'Sorry Penny, but I really hope she just thinks you're a worthless piece of trash!'