Chapter 44: The Second Piece (3)

[44] 7. The Second Piece (3)

I’ve loved mirrors since I was young.

This was because of their two-faced nature.

They are merciless toward the ugly, but the ultimate flatterers when it comes to the beautiful.

The ugly see nothing but their ugliness, but the beautiful Discover their superiority in their reflections.

And I was, without a doubt, a superior being.

Every morning, when I woke up and looked in the mirror, I saw the continent’s greatest beauty, the Magic Tower’s greatest genius, and a girl loved by God.

How could I not love mirrors?

It was like having a dear friend praising me every morning.

…But lately, my mirror had been acting a bit strange.

Of course, the reflection it shows is still beautiful. Even *I* find myself lovely.

But [the reflection] isn’t as flawless as it used to be.

Some flaws were catching my eye:

My height is a bit too short,

My red hair is a bit too curly,

My skin is a bit too pale,

… And my chest is a bit too flat.

And the criticisms weren’t limited to my physical appearance. Lately, my mirror has even started commenting on my clothes.

‘That robe is too simple, isn’t it?’

So I hurried to change into something more extravagant.

‘That’s too flamboyant, isn’t it?’

Frowning, I put on something less eye-catching.

‘Isn’t that color combination a bit too tacky?’

Every choice was subject to criticism.

What’s more frustrating is that I can’t just ignore the criticism. I know, being the intelligent person I am, how legitimate it is.

But the moment I tried to avert my gaze, a face would come to mind and take hold of my heart.

Black hair, soft, gentle features that wouldn’t hurt a fly,

An oversized robe giving off a relaxed feeling,

And the mischievous smile he sometimes showed.

Thinking about him made my heart race. And I couldn’t help but…

Ridiculous!

This is just a side effect of overdosing on Melania Solution! Just a simple physiological reaction!

Just who am I?

In terms of beauty, no one on the entire continent can even compare to me.

And in terms of ability, even throughout history, it would be hard pressed to find someone who surpasses me.

My lineage too, a mage bloodline, is a hundred times more noble than any noble’s.

I am a once-in-a-millennium woman.

But… me? Like *Rem*?

A man whose arrogance knows no bounds?

Preposterous! Unthinkable! Absurd!

Of course, even *I* acknowledge that he’s talented. He even had the honor of lending me the top spot.

And I’m not going to deny that his looks are… captivating. There are times when he smiles, and I feel a part of my heart melting.

Therefore, if he got down on his knees and begged, then I *might* consider being his lover…

*BANG!*

I slammed my head against the wall as hard as I could. Pain immediately shot through me, but I didn’t regret it. Because, thanks to that pain, those ridiculous thoughts vanished.

I pressed my burning cheek against the cold wall, muttering miserably,

“This is ridiculous…”

***

I was studying in the library when…

“You like Rem, don’t you?”

The moment Marianne said that, I imagined a magic circle:

A masterpiece, with nine Salamis Type 7 amplification magic circles overlaid, twelve Voyager Model 2, Type 45 spatial control magic circles stacked on top, all finished off with a Sage Type 1, Type 2 explosion spell.

In other words, a magic spell that could erase Marianne from this world without a trace.

However, I quickly erased the circle from my mind.

A sage is not one who resorts to violence to solve all problems.

I decided to use a less brutal method to resolve this issue.

I shook my head, gracefully, firmly, and countered her claim logically,

“N-No, I don’t…! W-Why would I like s-someone like…”

“A-ha!”

However, Marianne, being the fool she is, didn’t seem to grasp my logic. She narrowed her eyes, suspicion filling them.

Then suddenly, she relaxed, as if deflated, leaning back against the chair.

“Well, I guess there’s no reason to dislike him. He’s good-looking, he’s smart, and honestly, out of all the boys at the Magic Tower, he’s the best, isn’t he?”

“W-Well, you do have a point, but…”

I frantically tried to think up some flaws.

“H-He’s so arrogant! And to be honest, he hasn’t been studying properly lately, and he even talks back to professors sometimes. He utterly lacks basic decency…! Ow!”

I clutched my head. A sharp pain shot through it. Turning around sharply, I glared at the culprit.

At least, I tried to.

“If you’re going to talk behind someone’s back, do it when they’re not around.”

“Rem…?”

I couldn’t help but look away. But my rebellious mouth moved without asking for permission.

“I-It wasn’t talking behind your back, it was stating facts! Lately, you haven’t even been studying, and sometimes, you even fall asleep in class.”

I pushed down the words that suddenly welled up inside me about how he wasn’t even aiming for the top spot anymore. A faint sadness dampened my chest.

Of course, it didn’t last long.

“Ow! W-Why did you hit me again?!”

“To let you know that it’s not okay to call someone arrogant to their face?”

“You could have just told me.”

“I figured you wouldn’t listen if I just said it.”

Rem smirked at me. My suspicions about him grew even stronger.

See? There’s no way I would like a jerk like this.

I am a genius of the century, the most clear-headed person of this era. How could I ever consider a sly jerk as my lover?

“Ah, and, thank you.”

With a sudden, disconnected remark, the book that had just been used to crack my skull flew into my hand.

I caught it and realized that it wasn’t the only thing he’d passed over with his telekinesis.

“Candy…?”

“You helped me borrow that book, so this is a thank-you.”

It was only then that I realized it was the book I had borrowed for him.

There is a special section in the Magic Tower’s library that is accessible only to those with certain qualifications. Last week, he asked me to borrow a book for him from that section.

Although it was a sudden request, I readily accepted it for two reasons:

First, I was also interested in that section,

And second, one of the qualifications for entering that section was to hold the title of top student at Al-Rain Academy.

…The very position he’d been ‘lending’ me.

Therefore, to summarize the situation:

“I-It’s not like I-I did it for you or anything, okay?”

I retorted, pushing the candy back at him.

“So, take it back…”

However, Rem simply shook his head, cutting me off. He dismissed my rebuttal as if it were annoying.

“It’s expensive, so eat it when you’re tired. And don’t resort to dangerous methods to stay awake anymore.”

“It wasn’t dangerous! I did some precise calculations to make sure it didn’t affect…”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure you did. Anyway, I’m leaving.”

And then, ignoring me, he turned and walked away.

I was speechless, and then, once he’d disappeared from sight, I sighed.

What a tragedy!

How could such a vulgar mind be combined with such brilliant talent?!

Well, cases in which both the personality and talents are great, like mine, aren’t very common.

But still, such a huge gap between his talent and his personality!

I lamented this tragedy, making a brief comment.

“…He’s so annoying. I don’t even want this…”

“So, can I have it?”

I jumped in surprise and looked at Marianne. Embarrassed at having spoken aloud without realizing I had an audience, I stammered,

“H-Huh? W-Why so suddenly…?”

“I have a sweet tooth.”

A sweet tooth, such an ignorant answer, but also a reasonable one.

I don’t want the candy, and Marianne does. So I should give it to her as a friend, my rational mind told me.

“Ah… No…”

But what escaped my mouth was completely different.

Suspicion appeared in Marianne’s eyes.

“Why?”

“Why… because…”

I looked at the candy without realizing it; at the same time, his words echoed in my mind.

[It’s expensive, so eat it when you’re tired. And don’t resort to dangerous methods to stay awake anymore.]

He might be a jerk…

…but he was worried.

About *me*.

I suddenly felt my face burn.

I shook my head frantically, trying to change the subject.

“J-Just… No!”

Marianne’s face lit up, as if she had known all along. Crossing her arms, she stabbed me with her words.

“Still going to say that you don’t like him?”

“…”

I wanted to retort, but I couldn’t find a suitable response. Instead, I simply lowered my head, trying to cool the heat in my face.

“Ahh… Remember when you used to complain about students who don’t study and just run around with their boyfriends? You said it was a tragedy of this era…”

“Sh-Shut up…!”

A snicker from Marianne, followed by a playful tone,

“Well, not that it’s any of my business. But if you are interested, you’d better act quickly. As I said, he has a lot of female fans.”

My shoulders jerked up. It wasn’t intentional, but unconscious.

Marianne, who must have noticed, whispered to me in a low voice,

“I know all their names.”

“…!”

I quickly raised my head and looked at Marianne. A playful grin was on her face.

“Want me to tell you?”

…Truly the whisperings of a devil.

My throat itched to say “yes.”

But I’m a new star of this era.

I firmly resisted temptation.

“N-No one even cares about that…!”

Then I stood up and put the books into my subspace pocket.

“You’re going to see Rem?”

“I am not!”

I stomped my feet, clearly conveying my anger, then left without a word.

…At least, I tried to.

Suddenly, a sudden thought made me stop.

Hesitating, I walked back to Marianne.

“What? You’re not leaving? Why did…”

“…You can have this one.”

I pulled out another candy and placed it on the table.

…It’s not a sage’s virtue to ignore a friend in need.

“Th-Then…!”

And this time, I ran away.

…

…

…

My feet, moving without a destination just to cool down my face, finally stopped in a hallway.

Rubbing my now-cool cheeks, I sighed.

And finally, I began to vent my frustration.

Unfair! This is so unfair!

To think that even my closest friend would treat me like this! After everything I’ve done for her!

This is unacceptable!

When the opportunity arises, I’ll clear up this terrible misunderstanding!

I absolutely do not like him…

“…?”

Suddenly, something on the floor caught my eye.

Confused, I picked it up:

It was a book, not very old, but a book that had clearly gone through a lot.

The leather cover was faded, and many pages had been torn out.

It had essentially lost its function as a book.

It was practically more trash than a book.

But instead of throwing it away, I took a closer look.

Because despite its condition, I could see how much care someone had put into it.

Traces of torn pages repaired with glue, or marks of leather being patched up.…

…Proof that someone cherished this book.

I quickly flipped through the pages to see if I could find a clue to its owner. And then, I did…

…An unexpected clue.

“‘L hereby swears to dedicate everything to C’…?”

I knew instantly that those were someone’s initials. I also realized that L meant Rem (Lamb).

Because the handwriting was unmistakably his.

But who is C?

Just who… took everything from L?

I felt a knot in my chest.

I shook my head to dispel the feeling.

Anyway, it seemed that the book belonged to Rem.

That’s great. I’ll just return it to him tomorrow in class…

“…”

Suddenly a thought crossed my mind. I looked back at the book.

Knowing that it was his, the traces of care he had taken with it seemed more prominent.

How much must he have been hurting?

Right, a sage is someone who can understand another’s heart.

…Besides, I owed him one for the candy.

He’s always holed up in Professor Killian’s laboratory.

I decided to return the book to him there and headed toward the laboratory.

…Ignoring the nagging questions about ‘C’ that were stinging my heart.