Ch.262-19. Academy (3)

# -19. Academy (3)

“I did… Why! What’s wrong with that!?”

“No, it’s not that. I’m just surprised.”

Albert seemed more surprised by the fact that Rachel had a boyfriend than by the fact that they broke up.

He wanted to ask why they broke up, but that would be incredibly rude, so he refrained from asking.

“Aren’t you going to ask…?”

“About what?”

“You must be curious! About something…”

However, Rachel was hoping Albert would ask her about it.

She also wanted him to take her side and badmouth her ex.

“Can I ask?”

“Nothing weird…”

“Then… why did you break up? Not just that he dumped you, but why he did it.”

“He… cheated on me.”

Rachel’s voice trembled as she said this. Perhaps because of the sensitive topic, Albert’s voice also grew quieter.

“Oh…”

“But I forgave him once!?”

Suddenly, as if the memory angered her, Rachel’s voice rose significantly.

Albert tried his best to keep Rachel from moving around too much while focusing on what she was saying.

“After he cheated once, I got a bit anxious and became somewhat… clingy? But not too much! Just a little! That’s understandable, right!?”

“Yes, that makes sense. So what happened?”

“But yesterday I caught him with that woman again!!”

“Shouldn’t you be the one breaking up with him then?”

That was correct.

And Rachel from yesterday had thought the same thing. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Rachel let out a deep sigh.

“But… I couldn’t do it… How do you break up with someone…?”

“You just tell them it’s over.”

“That’s what I’m asking! How do I do that?!”

“You must have really liked him.”

Rachel was definitely not the type of coward who couldn’t speak up. She was a bit timid, but generally spoke her mind, so it wasn’t a matter of personality.

If that was the case… the only explanation was that she truly loved him.

“I guess so…?”

“But he broke up with you?”

“Yeah… He said he didn’t like how clingy I was… Just now… Just now.”

“It’s okay. Half the world is male. Even if it’s not him, there are plenty of people out there.”

As they say, you get over love with new love. Rachel would naturally feel better and forget about him once she found a new partner.

The problem was whether that was possible.

“But the men who would date me aren’t even a fraction of a fraction of that half…”

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“Why?”

“You’re plenty attractive. Excluding men who already have girlfriends… you’d have about half.”

Of course, considering the people Rachel would actually be interested in, the number would decrease further, but it wasn’t an absolutely small number.

“Then why don’t I get any approaches?”

“You don’t? That’s not because you’re not good enough.”

It was true that men often found it difficult to approach women who seemed too perfect. Thinking about it, Albert could understand what Rachel meant.

“But if it were me, I think I would.”

No matter how perfect the other person was, if I were those men, I would approach her.

I might worry about rejection, but I’d still try.

“Really…? Then why don’t you do it…”

“Huh?”

“Then you could just approach me…! Why not?”

This was strange.

She was sad about being cheated on, yet she was trying to cheat with Albert… Whether she wasn’t in her right mind or not, it was contradictory.

Forget cheating with cheating… Is that what this was?

“Wouldn’t that make me just like that guy?”

“So what?”

“Isn’t that completely illogical?”

“No…! Are you and him the same?”

They weren’t the same, but they weren’t particularly different either.

“How are we different?”

“We’re different…”

“How?”

“I said we’re different!”

There was no way a proper conversation could happen in this situation.

Albert spoke to Rachel with a resigned expression.

“Let’s just stop here for today and go home.”

“Why? It’s still early! Let’s go for round two. Round two!”

“No… let’s go home, okay?”

“Let’s go for round two!”

The two continued their endless argument.

Albert insisted on going home, while Rachel wanted to drink more, and neither was willing to back down.

Of course, in the end, one of them emerged victorious.

***

Under the beautiful night sky adorned with a bright full moon, we lost track of time as we continued drinking.

Looking at Rachel, who seemed to have no intention of going home, I said:

“You’re really persistent…”

“You’re going to end up drinking more anyway!”

“If you’re drunk, shouldn’t you just go home quietly?”

I wasn’t tired, but I wanted to go home.

I missed Ellie, and I wanted to see my children who were as precious as my own eyes.

Normally, I would have already arrived home, had dinner with my family, chatted cozily, and gone to sleep by now, but instead, I was sitting at an outdoor table in front of a general store, drinking with Rachel.

“I’m not drunk!? My memory is crystal clear.”

“No…? You’re drunk. Very drunk.”

“I’m just in that state… that state where I’m on the edge of being drunk… The world is spinning, but I can somehow bear it.”

Hearing her talk like that, she really might not be drunk.

But then again, the normal Rachel would never act like this… it was ambiguous.

“But why aren’t you drinking? Didn’t you come to drink with me?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Then why did you come… Just go your own way…”

“I came because I was worried about you, in case something happened to you.”

Rachel turned her head away, seemingly flustered.

“W-why would you worry about me…? Do you like me?”

“I do like you. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it…?”

Rachel was looking at me with the most wistful eyes.

“I’m not drunk… I’m telling you I’m not drunk…”

“I don’t know about that, but let’s go home.”

“Hey…”

“Yes?”

Rachel suddenly stood up from her seat.

It seemed she finally decided to go home.

“Yes, good thinking. Let’s go home…”

Standing up, she wore a serious expression despite being drunk and stood in front of me.

For some reason, she looked like she might be crying.

“What’s… wrong?”

At that moment, Rachel’s eyes were much clearer than I had expected.

Just like… the usual Rachel.

“Why didn’t you tell me you liked me…?”

***

I’ve known about the culture of marriage and have worried quite a lot about men’s issues until now.

And especially after my school days, those worries grew even more and tormented me.

I never really had anyone I liked.

So I had vague thoughts like, “Does love really exist…?”

Of course, those worries disappeared from the world the moment Albert declared he would help with my long-standing dream of revolutionizing the education system.

But Albert didn’t like me.

He was always looking at just one person.

It could have broken, but the possibility was never high. That’s why after he got married, I tried my best to let go of those feelings.

I even got a boyfriend for that purpose.

That was my intention, but dating changed my life more than I expected.

Many things changed, but the biggest realization was how much happiness comes from having someone who loves you.

That’s why I loved him too.

‘But why…’

Where there’s a meeting, there’s a parting.

All relationships have an end. But that end was so empty.

Even though it was a relationship that made me forget my first love.

And then that first love appeared in front of me again. And suddenly saying something like…

-I do like you. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it…-

Originally, I tried hard to give up somehow.

He already had a wife, and although Albert eventually took concubines, it would still be a betrayal to Sister Elizabeth, who had helped me so much.

But when he says things like that… honestly, it’s hard to resist.

“If you were going to do this… you should have done it all the way from the beginning… Why suddenly now…”

It was unfair… I tried so hard to forget, and just when I was somewhat succeeding, he came looking for me like this.

“I like you too… I really like you, okay? So…”

“Are you asking me out?”

“Huh…?”

“Isn’t that what you were going to say?”

“Are you seriously crazy…?”

Lately, he seemed to be going through some kind of midlife crisis, acting completely insane.

I could understand Lilith to some extent, but now Reina and… even me.

“If you’re okay with it, I don’t mind.”

“Stop talking nonsense…! What does that make of all the restraint I’ve shown until now!?”

“Is that so? That’s a shame.”

To be honest, I wanted to say yes and date him, just as Albert suggested.

But it was just too wrong.

For the first time in that quiet atmosphere, I obediently listened to him.

“I’ll just go home… I’ve sobered up because of you, so you don’t need to walk me home.”

“Good choice, but I’ll still walk you home.”

“You really don’t have to…”

“Let’s go.”

Albert still seemed to think I was drunk.

But when he insisted on walking me home like that, I didn’t feel too bad about it.

In the end, I headed home with Albert.

“Is it far?”

“It’s close, about a 20-minute walk from here?”

“That’s far.”

“But your face is really red too?”

He hadn’t drunk much, but he hadn’t abstained completely either.

He must have drunk quite a bit during that time, as I could clearly sense the alcohol in Albert.

When we arrived at my home in that state, I became worried about Albert.

I wasn’t concerned about his safety per se, but I was anxious that he might do something strange. Not only was he drunk, but he’d been acting weird lately, which made me even more suspicious.

Just before entering my home, I said to Albert who was standing outside the door:

“Or if you don’t want to go home, there’s a hotel nearby. Should I book you a room? It doesn’t seem right for you to go now? There’s still some time until the first train.”

Albert heard this and just stared blankly at my face.

Then he cautiously spoke up:

“Can’t I just stay at your place?”