Ch.28Meeting (3)

A person’s first impression tends to last a long time.

If the first impression is good, you’re likely to maintain a favorable opinion of that person until a specific incident occurs. Conversely, if it’s bad, you’ll view their good deeds with suspicion or deny they happened at all.

This is what’s called wearing “colored glasses,” and it has a tremendous impact on human relationships that can’t be easily dismissed.

And since Jackson holds a grudge against me, he’s going to dislike me no matter what I do.

“Do you know him?”

Nicole asked me amid the strange atmosphere. She’s quite perceptive, so she must have noticed that Jackson was uncomfortable with me.

Her question wasn’t “Is he a friend?” but “Do you know him?” Since he is indeed someone I know, I nodded.

“Yeah. He’s in the same literature department.”

“Ah~ I see…”

“Don’t put yourself and me in the same category. It’s extremely unpleasant.”

Before Nicole could finish speaking, Jackson’s harsh words pierced my ears. Nicole blinked, as if wondering if she’d heard correctly.

Meanwhile, Jackson wore an expression of genuine displeasure, as if his outburst had been completely sincere. I knew he was steeped in elitism, but I didn’t expect him to speak so bluntly.

“You’ve just ruined my mood. Hey, how much are these?”

“Pardon? That… the total comes to 27 gold and 59 silver, but…”

One gold is worth about 100,000 won in South Korean currency. And since 1 gold equals 100 silver, it’s roughly 2.76 million won.

Despite the outrageously high price, Jackson merely showed dissatisfaction, speaking as if he couldn’t care less about the cost.

“Tsk. The design is terrible, yet unnecessarily expensive. Rex, pay the price and follow me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Seemingly wanting to escape the tense atmosphere as quickly as possible, he carelessly threw off his formal attire and ordered his servant Rex. Rex diligently gathered up the ceremonial clothes Jackson had tossed on the floor.

Following Jackson’s orders, he took out a pouch from his pocket to pay, counted out the gold coins one by one, and handed them to the employee.

“Here’s 28 gold. Keep the change.”

“Ah, th-thank you.”

“What are you doing?! Hurry up!”

Though the servant wasn’t moving particularly slowly, Jackson shouted irritably. While the employee flinched at his outburst, Rex didn’t even blink, as if this was a regular occurrence.

“I apologize, young master.”

“Move faster. And…”

After berating his servant, Jackson looked at me. I met his fierce gaze steadily.

After glaring at me for a while, he glanced briefly at Nicole standing beside me. Then, with a sneer, he spoke in a mocking tone.

“Don’t tell me you came to buy formal wear with your sister? Surely you’re not planning to attend the freshman gathering?”

“Actually, I am.”

“…”

When it comes to sarcasm, the best response is a blunt answer. Jackson’s eye twitched when I replied so nonchalantly.

Though his expression faltered momentarily, he soon regained his composure and spoke with contempt.

“…Fine. You’ll find out when you attend. That it’s not a place for someone like you.”

“…”

“Let’s go, Rex.”

“Yes, young master.”

With those final words, Jackson began walking away. Before leaving, the servant Rex turned his head back to face me. His brilliantly sparkling green eyes were impressive.

Afterward, the servant bowed his head apologetically, as if feeling responsible. Unlike his master, the servant seemed more perfect in terms of character.

“…What’s with that bastard?”

Once Jackson and his servant had completely left, Nicole asked in a voice mixed with anger and bewilderment. The fact that she even included a curse word shows how angry she was.

I examined her face. To slightly exaggerate, she looked ready to kill someone.

Honestly, if it were me, I’d be furious too if my sibling was openly insulted by someone else.

I thought carefully about how to explain Jackson in a way Nicole would understand, then told her what I knew.

“His name is Jackson, and he’s someone who dislikes me. I heard he’s from some wealthy count family?”

“A wealthy count family… Carryson?”

“Huh? That’s right. How did you know?”

“It would be strange not to know. The Carryson family ranks within the top 10 wealthiest in the Empire.”

The Carryson Count family seems quite famous indeed.

“But why is he saying such strange things to you? Did something happen?”

“Well…”

I explained it so Nicole could understand. Starting with how Jackson had bothered Cecilly and Rina from the first class, and everything that followed.

However, I didn’t directly mention Cecilly and Rina’s names, referring to them as “pretty female students” instead. Nicole probably knows who they are, and if I mentioned them specifically, she might think I got involved in troublesome matters.

Anyway, though my explanation was a bit long, Nicole seemed to understand everything and summarized it succinctly.

“…So he’s just throwing a tantrum by himself?”

“Pretty much.”

As Nicole said, Jackson is having a meltdown all by himself. It’s understandable that he’d be upset when the women he’s interested in are friendly with me. Moreover, those women show absolutely no interest in Jackson.

Of course, he doesn’t give up and tries to talk to them whenever he gets the chance, but both Cecilly and Rina respond to him formally. Especially after the seating arrangement incident, their opinion of Jackson probably dropped even further.

“If you don’t do anything, you’ll get at least halfway there” – that’s exactly what I want to tell Jackson.

“Issac. If he starts bullying you directly, tell me. I’ll figure something out. Understand?”

After thinking for a moment, Nicole placed her hand on my shoulder and urged me. I turned my head to face her.

Her expression was filled with concern.

“Um…”

If Jackson starts bullying me, Rina would probably step in first. Or maybe Marie, who’s close to me, could handle it. Unlike Jackson, Marie may not have a sense of authority, but she’s the daughter of a duke family that could make a mere count seem insignificant. However, Nicole wouldn’t know this until I tell her.

As I rolled my eyes, Nicole seemed to interpret it differently and gently stroked my head. The anger on her face had completely disappeared, replaced by a kind smile.

“Are you worried something might happen to me? Don’t worry about that. I have some connections too.”

“…Alright.”

“Now, shall we buy your clothes? Excuse me?”

“Yes! How can I help you?”

At Nicole’s call, a female employee who had been waiting from a distance hurried over. She had clean skin and a somewhat naive impression.

“I need clothes for him, but do you have a red suit? Something as close as possible to his hair color.”

“Hmm… A crimson suit… Just a moment. Let me take his measurements first.”

Despite the minor incident, the schedule for fitting my formal wear remained unchanged. When the employee brought a measuring tape, I stood in front of the full-length mirror with my arms spread wide.

The employee flinched, then looked at me nervously and asked in a timid voice.

“Um… Is it okay if I touch you?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

“The previous customer told me not to touch his body…”

“…”

So that guy was being difficult before he left too. I sighed and quietly replied.

“…I’m fine with it, so go ahead.”

What a petty class society.

*****

Weekend time is precious to everyone. Some people can enjoy sweet rest, while others engage in hobbies to relieve mental and physical fatigue.

And Cecilly, the Princess of Helium, tends to spend her weekends chatting with Rina. Rina was the first human friend she made after entering Halo Academy, and since they share similar interests, no one makes Cecilly feel as comfortable as she does.

Although they had a disagreement when Rina revealed the contents of Biography of Xenon Volume 8, it was resolved when Rina apologized first. Cecilly also had no desire to distance herself from Rina, so she accepted the apology.

“Here you go.”

Inside a café with a distinctly antique atmosphere.

Rina placed a book on the round table and spoke to Cecilly sitting across from her. The book she put on the table was none other than the recently published Biography of Xenon Volume 8.

Cecilly stared intently at the book on the table before carefully picking it up. She then flipped through the pages to briefly check the content.

After confirming that the book Rina had given her was genuine, Cecilly closed it with a satisfied expression. Rina asked in a somewhat bewildered voice at her behavior.

“Don’t tell me you were checking because you didn’t trust me?”

“Yes. You could have just changed the cover. I heard such scams are common these days.”

“You know that hurts me, right? Have you forgotten who I am?”

“Of course I’m joking. Rina would never do something strange to me.”

Though it was somewhat offensive, Rina held back. The sin she had committed against Cecilly was too great.

People may differ, but generally, when someone reveals the ending in the middle of an exciting development, it’s natural to get angry. Even if it was a mistake, the other person’s displeasure remains unchanged.

Yet Rina had told Cecilly who had trapped Xenon. The disaster occurred because she thought Cecilly had already read Volume 8.

Afterward, Cecilly rarely got angry, and Rina also felt bad, leading to an argument. Fortunately, they calmed down and reconciled, but since then, Cecilly hasn’t sat next to Rina.

“Sigh… Alright. And I’m warning you, don’t ever mention that I bought Volume 8 for you. Got it?”

“Of course. I’ll take this secret to my grave.”

Rina smiled wryly at the sight of Cecilly hugging Volume 8 tightly with a happy smile. By the time she enters her grave, her descendants might be joining her too.

Though she had a brief irrelevant thought, Rina shook it off. What’s important now is not Volume 8, but asking about her recent situation.

“How’s academy life? Is it manageable?”

“No problems so far. You’re helping me, after all.”

“Even I have my limits. Is there anything bothering you or that you’re curious about?”

Although Cecilly has lived for over a hundred years, this is her first time living in human society. Fortunately, demon culture has many similarities with human culture, so she’s been managing without much difficulty so far.

But occasionally, she does things that surprise people. The most significant example is flying through the sky using magic. Since magic is prohibited at Halo Academy except in specific areas, Rina couldn’t help but be startled.

“I’m not particularly curious about anything, but what bothers me is… the gathering?”

In response to Rina’s question, Cecilly tapped her cheek with her index finger and answered.

At that answer, Rina slightly raised one eye. Cecilly had also decided to attend the freshman gathering following Rina.

“The gathering? Why the gathering?”

“I’m curious about what kind of conversations will take place. The freshman gathering isn’t just for literature students; martial arts students come too.”

“That’s true. But I’m sure Biography of Xenon will definitely be discussed. I can guarantee that.”

“Indeed, as you said, it would be disappointing if Biography of Xenon were left out.”

Given its central position in current topics, Biography of Xenon is an unavoidable subject at the gathering. Moreover, with a new volume recently released, there will be various discussions.

“By the way, what are you planning to wear to the gathering, Cecilly?”

“I have a dress I brought from Helium, so I’m thinking of wearing that.”

“Can you tell me what it looks like?”

“What it looks like…”

In response to Rina’s question, Cecilly briefly put down her book. To describe the dress, she simply drew a picture with her finger on the table.

As Cecilly drew on the table with her finger, Rina began to imagine it in her mind. As Cecilly continued drawing, Rina’s expression moved from surprise to increasing blankness.

Furthermore, by the end, her dismay was evident. Rina slowly raised her head but stopped midway.

Her gaze stopped precisely at Cecilly’s chest area, which commanded an overwhelming presence even in casual clothes.

Rina raised her gaze slightly more to meet Cecilly’s face. Having finished her explanation, Cecilly maintained a composed expression.

“…Are you really planning to wear something like that to the gathering?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“No, there’s no problem, but…”

Rina couldn’t figure out how to explain this. The appearance of the dress Cecilly described is certainly simple. That’s for sure.

But is it problematic because it’s too simple? Rina asked her in a concerned voice.

“…Isn’t it too revealing?”

Cecilly’s response was even more remarkable.

“I’ll look sexy no matter what I wear, won’t I?”

“…”

Rina was left speechless at the direct answer.

As she said, with that figure, she would look sexy in any dress. But the dress Cecilly plans to wear is extreme to the point of being radical.

“Even so, isn’t it… a bit much? The exposure is too much…”

“I understand what you’re worried about, Rina. But don’t worry. I can handle this much. Besides…”

Cecilly trailed off momentarily, then smiled with her characteristic playfulness.

“There’s someone whose reaction I’m looking forward to seeing.”