Ch.190Second Year (4)

They say curiosity killed the cat. I momentarily lost my senses when I heard the introduction from the pink-haired student, Cherry.

The atmosphere she gave off now was completely different from what she had shown in her fan letters. The contrast was so stark that I wondered if someone else had written those letters for her.

The Cherry from the fan letters was lively, full of energy, and brimming with girlish sensitivity, but the Cherry before my eyes was the complete opposite.

Her voice lacked strength as if she might die at any moment, and her gloomy aura invaded the surroundings, making observers uncomfortable. To top it off, her bright cherry blossom-colored eyes were dead black.

What on earth had happened to this girl? Had she experienced some major trauma since we exchanged letters? Even people in despair don’t end up like this Cherry girl.

Even shut-ins just sit quietly doing nothing, whereas Cherry had actually come to class. As I said before, she truly resembled a living doll.

“Roseberry? Is she really from the Roseberry Count family?”

“Looking at her hair, it seems certain.”

“But something feels… strange. Is she sick?”

When Cherry revealed her full name, the classroom began to stir. The Roseberry Count family is among the more powerful in the Empire of Minerva. More than half of the philosophy books published in the Empire of Minerva came from the Roseberry family.

The students were whispering probably because of her background, but the uncomfortable atmosphere made them uneasy. Even with a doll-like pretty face, anyone would look strange with such lifeless eyes.

“Alright, Cherry. Can you answer my question?”

“… …”

While the classroom filled with whispers, Elena asked Cherry again. The students’ murmuring stopped simultaneously, and numerous gazes turned toward Cherry.

I too waited for Cherry’s answer with my hands behind my back, but she just stared at me without blinking once. Elena, seemingly displeased by this, slightly furrowed her brow and spoke again.

“Cherry?”

“…Yes.”

“If you don’t know, I’d appreciate if you just said so.”

“…I don’t know.”

Cherry immediately answered that she didn’t know in response to Elena’s words. Her voice still completely lacked any sign of life.

Elena seemed to notice something strange about Cherry, raising one eyebrow with a puzzled expression. But that lasted only a moment before she instructed Cherry to sit down.

Following her instruction, Cherry sat down, but her gaze remained fixed on me. I wanted to ignore it, but her stare was so intense that it was difficult to disregard.

“Is there anyone else? Even if it’s not the correct answer, I’ll give extra points for clearly explaining cause and effect.”

“Me!”

“Good. What’s your name?”

Elena continued with the lecture afterward. I stood beside her, quietly observing.

Occasionally, some students would suddenly direct questions at me, but I could answer them easily. Most were from lectures I had heard from Professor Elena, so they were relatively simple.

“History isn’t just about recording past events. Everyone has their own history. If you carefully observe what someone has done in the past, you can predict what they might do in the future.”

“Professor, may I ask one question?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Since we just mentioned the Biography of Xenon, how do you predict Xenon’s future actions? I mean the author, not the character in the book.”

“Hmm…”

At the student’s question, Elena put her fist to her chin, appearing deep in thought. I felt a twinge of discomfort as my story came up, but I remained quiet.

Honestly, I was curious about her answer too. When I spoke with Elena, we focused on history rather than the Biography of Xenon.

As the saying goes, history predicts the future through dialogue with the past, so predicting someone’s actions isn’t difficult.

Of course, that’s only when the subject’s past is clear; if it’s uncertain, prediction becomes nearly impossible.

“To be honest, it’s difficult to say. There are countless hypotheses about Xenon, but almost nothing definitive has emerged. It’s really hard to predict someone’s actions based solely on their achievements.”

“Then how should we interpret historical figures whose records have been lost? Sometimes their actions don’t seem to make sense.”

“What’s your name?”

“Michael Destora.”

Judging by his lack of a middle name, he’s probably a commoner, but his neat brown hair and clear blue eyes gave him a clean impression. He wasn’t exactly handsome, but he exuded a warm atmosphere.

Elena seemed pleased with Michael’s question, smiling with satisfaction. Well, such questions come from people with deep curiosity, so it’s natural for a professor to appreciate them.

“That’s an excellent question. I’ll give Michael extra points.”

“What? Oh, thank you.”

“As Michael pointed out, there are histories where records have disappeared. Why? Because history is recorded by humans, not gods. History should always be objective, but ironically, it’s written according to people’s subjective views. Especially in cases where records have disappeared…”

Elena began explaining earnestly in response to Michael’s question. I stood beside her, quietly listening to her explanation.

Nevertheless, what bothered me most was Cherry. Wondering if she was still watching me, I shifted my gaze to find her staring intently at me.

I couldn’t understand why I had attracted such attention from her. Was red hair really that fascinating?

‘I hope she doesn’t follow me later.’

How should I deal with her if she does? Unable to ignore her gaze, I met her eyes.

Cherry didn’t avert her gaze even when our eyes met. Feeling awkward, I nodded slightly, and only then did she show a reaction.

Blink- Blink-

By slowly blinking her eyes. Her lips also changed subtly, showing what seemed like curiosity.

I gave a bitter smile before turning my head toward Elena. For now, I planned to focus on the lecture.

I would consider Cherry’s situation gradually, but I wouldn’t ignore it completely. How could I disregard a fan who had sent me such passionate fan letters?

I couldn’t help but be concerned due to uneasiness. I would observe for a while, but if I noticed any ominous signs, I would act immediately.

“That’s all for today’s lecture. Thank you everyone. Issac.”

“Thank you all. I look forward to working with you.”

As time passed, the lecture ended. Elena and I headed out of the classroom to the sound of enthusiastic applause from the students.

The hallway was already crowded with students, perhaps because classes from other sections had ended. The situation was quite different from last year, giving me mixed feelings.

“It’s definitely different from last year. Last year, it was empty when we came out.”

“Indeed.”

“By the way, do you know that pink-haired girl?”

I shook my head at Elena’s question. I had anticipated such a question, so I wasn’t even surprised.

“No, I’m seeing her for the first time. I don’t know why she’s acting like that either.”

“Hmm… really? She looked anxious, with lifeless eyes, as if suffering from depression… Do you know anything about the Roseberry family?”

“Don’t you know, Professor Elena?”

“I’m an elf. I might know about history, but I’m not particularly interested in how human society works. Besides, you’re a nobleman, so I thought you might know?”

“I don’t know much either. I’ve heard they’re a family centered around philosophy, but beyond that, I’m not sure.”

It seems she also felt that the atmosphere Cherry gave off was unusual.

In response to my answer, Elena seemed to be thinking deeply, looking ahead with her mouth closed, then shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, she must have a reason for being interested in you. Or maybe she’s just fascinated by your red hair or golden eyes. You noticed the gazes directed at your hair earlier, right?”

“I think there were more gazes directed at you, Professor. You’re an elf after all.”

“Is that so? Anyway, how was the lecture? Was it easy?”

“It was manageable.”

“Just keep doing that. The second-year class is tomorrow, so today just read books in the research lab and then go.”

“Alright…”

WHACK-

“Ugh!”

Just as I was about to answer, something strongly grabbed my hair, making me flinch. My hair, which I had been forced to grow because of Mora, occasionally gets caught on things.

I thought this might be another such instance, but something felt different. It felt like someone was grabbing my tied-up hair with their hand.

With many people passing through the hallway, it could have been a prank. Wincing at the pain as if my scalp was being peeled off, I turned around. If it was a prank, I intended to scold them harshly.

But as soon as I turned around, I couldn’t help but be startled.

“…Huh?”

“… …”

The first thing that caught my eye was pink hair. Looking down, I saw pink eyes as rotten as dead fish, a doll-like pretty face, and finally, a voluptuous chest that even the winter school uniform couldn’t conceal.

It was Cherry Blossom Roseberry. She was holding my tied-up hair with one hand, looking up at me.

Her eyes, deep as the bottom of the ocean, felt somewhat terrifying.

“What are you doing… Cherry?”

Elena, who had also paused when I flinched, looked puzzled for a moment before widening her eyes upon seeing Cherry grabbing my hair. Meanwhile, Cherry continued to hold my hair without letting go, staring at me intently.

Suppressing my confusion, I called out to her in a gentle voice.

“…Is something wrong, Cherry?”

“…Red.”

Cherry opened her mouth, blinking her eyes slowly. She spoke without any vitality, as if she were a doll rather than a living person.

What does she mean by “red”? Neither Elena nor I could understand what she meant.

Meanwhile, Cherry stared at my face before shifting her gaze down to my hair. After examining it carefully, she blinked once and rummaged through her uniform pocket with her free hand.

Rustle- Rustle-

“Red.”

What she took out was a small glass vial the size of a finger. It was sealed with a cork stopper, making it very convenient for storage.

However, what was stored inside was enough to make me shudder. Because…

“Uh…”

Inside the glass vial was a single strand of thin hair. And it was a vivid red color.

While I couldn’t comprehend why it was in a glass vial, Cherry spoke in her characteristically gloomy voice.

“From the letter.”

“… …”

“This is also red.”

She alternately looked at my hair and the single strand stored in the glass vial, then tilted her head.

“Author Xenon?”