Would You Go Out with Me?
TL/ED: Lolz
The Grade Assessment.
And the Disciplinary Committee.
Evaluation of Ian took a significant turn after the two incidents.
Walking through the academy, Ian felt the change.
People who used to avoid eye contact or nod their heads when their eyes met now stared directly at him, and some even greeted him.
“Ian, hi! Hehe!”
“Hehehe!”
There were even kids who would throw a sudden greeting and run away.
Later, Ian found out that the ‘Ian greeting’ challenge was trending on the Kirtos Network.
Curious, he asked Silvia why such a thing was popular.
— Ian used to be a confession bomber, right? If you greet such a person first, you might receive a confession. It’s about enjoying that thrill.
— Think of it in a positive way. Your delinquent image is gradually disappearing. If you really think you might confess, don’t approach lightly.
— As advice, don’t harbor delusions and confess.
Ironically, Silvia’s last piece of advice was a bit hurtful.
Saying that meant she still thought of him as a delinquent.
Anyway, the fact that his reputation was changing for the better was a positive development.
Moreover, with the upcoming Lantern Festival and the subplot involving the princess, interest was gradually fading away.
“This too shall pass.”
Ian decided to take the attention lightly.
◆
Before lunchtime.
In the Magic Department’s Mezai class.
“His gaze does seem to have changed a bit.”
“He used to fool around, but now he has a more gentle vibe.”
“Gentle? He won’t change into a good guy that quickly.”
“He’s also raising his rank quickly. Can’t personality change?”
Interest in Ian was buzzing even within the same class.
Lina Rosewell, along with her close friends Annie and Gabrielle, was in a corner of the classroom.
“Wow. Thanks to Ian, things are a bit better. Strange rumors about Lina don’t seem to circulate anymore, right?”
“Annie!”
“…Oh, right. Sorry.”
After the disciplinary committee for Lina.
Annie and Gabrielle were very worried about her.
All sorts of rumors were circulating about her, including absurd slander and malicious gossip.
Most worrisome was the fear that if Lina completely broke down, what would happen.
But their worries were in vain, as Lina returned to her usual self after the disciplinary committee.
Except for one thing.
Be cautious when mentioning ‘Ian’.
Lina became visibly gloomy whenever the word ‘Ian’ was mentioned.
She mumbled.
“…I feel so shameless. Is it okay to accept Ian’s help like this? I’m so grateful that I don’t know what to do now.”
Huff—.
Resting her face on her hands on the desk, Lina let out a deep sigh.
Annie and Gabrielle sighed quietly.
Whether eating lunch or having tea, there was always Ian.
It seemed as if Lina, like a princess grateful to the knight who saved her, couldn’t help but develop strong feelings.
“It’s not like he’s the only guy around. Oops!”
Gabrielle, whose waist was pinched by Annie, let out a small scream.
Of course, the question had already been asked.
“It’s not like that. We still have to talk properly. I have to say thank you, apologize, and ask for forgiveness…”
“But wasn’t Ian always a bit strange?”
“Yeah, right. A complete p*rvert.”
“Absolutely not. It’s a misunderstanding. It’s a misunderstanding. What a great guy Ian is. I told you. Someone framed him.”
“Must be a joke.”
“It’s true!”
Suddenly, standing up from her seat, Lina grabbed the hands of her two friends.
“If someone asks you about Ian, you have to speak well of him, okay?”
“… Yeah.”
“Got it.”
Lina was certainly serious. But with such passion in her words, it seemed right.
Gabrielle and Annie started to feel confused.
Holding hands, Lina spoke warmly to her friends.
“Of course, you two are dear and precious to me. Thanks for helping me.”
“What’s there to be thankful for?”
“Anything. I’ll repay you later.”
Lina smiled at her friends.
The scholarships and dormitory qualifications were nullified during the disciplinary committee.
Lina borrowed money from her friends and explained the situation to her relatives, begging them to cover the tuition for just one semester.
She managed to find a place to stay for now, so she could continue attending classes this semester.
With the scholarships gone, she could now take on part-time jobs.
In a way, it was a bit better than the past when she couldn’t even afford to eat.
In the midst of all this, she couldn’t help but think.
Why couldn’t I do this back then?
Of course, I know.
‘In fact, everything I’m doing now, I could have done back then…’
I just didn’t have the courage.
It was because the ‘kindness’ that confined Lina couldn’t be broken.
Only after breaking free did the world feel a bit bigger.
And that was it.
‘Thanks to Ian…’
If he, who had treated her so warmly, hadn’t been there.
If he hadn’t restrained her infected throat and purified her.
There were things she would never have experienced.
But how about Lina herself?
To the one who showed her kindness, she ended up causing harm.
Deep in her heart, she couldn’t tolerate such a situation.
It was partly her nature, and partly because of her upbringing.
“… Ugh.”
Once again, her breath was caught.
“Are you okay, Lina?”
She pulled a cold black handkerchief around her neck.
Ironically, as her throat tightened, it became easier to breathe.
“Haa… ugh. I’m okay.”
Lina managed to muster a weak smile.
“Let’s go to the hospital together.”
“My family doctor is good, let’s see him.”
Her friends comforted her.
“Thanks. But I know how to get better.”
Sorry to her friends, but there was only one person who could solve this. Ian.
And the first step of the apology to him, Lina knew exactly what it should be.
Lina took a deep breath and looked through her desk.
In the past, there would have been a lunchbox made by Ian.
But, of course, it was empty… or so it should be.
— Clatter.
There was a lunchbox.
She carefully took it out.
“What’s that?”
“This? Hehe. A lunchbox.”
But it wasn’t a lunchbox made by Ian.
“Oh. You’ve been going to the market every morning to buy ingredients, right?”
“Yeah. Hehe. Now I can make something edible, so I brought them.”
It was a lunchbox that Lina had practiced making several times.
“Shall we go eat?”
“Oh. Sorry. I won’t be eating this. Hehe.”
Carefully holding the lunchbox in case it shook, Lina took it in her hand.
‘Today, I will definitely convey this to Ian.’
Ian’s disciplinary committee.
She gained a chance to talk to him by helping him.
She vowed to prepare the lunchbox and talk to him.
“I’ll be back.”
With a determined face, Lina stood up from her seat.
Her lower lip trembled lightly with tension.
She cautiously lifted her foot towards Ian.
At that moment…
— Drrring!
The classroom door opened.
It was Professor Violet.
“Everyone, please pay attention. A new student has joined the Mezai class. Well… there’s no need for me to say to take care of her. She’ll be with us temporarily this semester. Even if you don’t like it, I’m sure you’ll take care of her on your own. I don’t quite understand why someone like her would come into Mezai, but… it’s bothersome.”
Murmurs filled the room.
For a moment, students were taken aback by Professor Violet’s introduction.
The gasp of a student sitting near the door reached everyone’s ears.
“Huh! T-the Princess?!”
— Clack clack.
Distinctive footsteps.
When everyone regained their composure, a radiant blonde beauty stood before them.
“Nice to meet you all. Shall we speak comfortably? This kind of school life has always been my dream. I guess I don’t need to introduce myself. I think you all already know about me. Please call me Asteria.”
A noble voice befitting a princess, yet a tone that contradicted the elegance expected of a princess.
No applause or welcoming greetings echoed in the classroom.
Everyone seemed frozen.
Understandably so, for she was a princess, carrying the noblest lineage of the dazzling yet ruthless imperial family.
“Feel free to sit wherever you like that suits your fancy.”
“I understand. Thank you, Professor.”
With a flicker of a smile toward Violet, the princess continued her stride through the classroom.
In the midst of it all, Lina Rosewell stood in her place, somewhat inconspicuously.
Princess Asteria, with her long golden eyelashes, swiftly scanned Lina before passing by.
— Light footsteps.
She was standing next to Ian.
Gracefully setting down her bag, the princess inquired.
“You, could you please guide me around the academy?”
◆
“You.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for guiding me.”
Ian turned to acknowledge the voice.
Flowing golden hair gently swayed as Asteria looked up at Ian.
Long golden eyelashes. Sky-blue eyes resembling the sky.
The gradually blinking, beautiful, and enchanting gaze was only a small part of her overall appearance.
Apart from her face, her figure was also striking.
Her body, seemingly pieced together like a violent mosaic, was the very symbol of the Third Princess’s allure.
<S*x Symbol>
That was the popular image of the Third Princess, Asteria.
Surely, half of the various rumors about her were related to jokes about her bust size.
At a secluded bench outside the academy.
I think this spot will do.”
Ian handed a sandwich to the princess and took a seat.
She sat close to him, almost sticking by his side.
Why was she sitting so close?
Ian couldn’t guess.
‘Certainly, during the disciplinary committee, she helped me.’
At that time, he thought there might be a connection with Pongpong.
After the committee, he tried to recall the setting of Fantasy X Academy multiple times.
However, he couldn’t remember the connection between Pongpong and Asteria.
Her subtle yet hard-to-read interest, without apparent reason. She was an essential character in the story, making her motivations intriguing.
“You seem to have a lot on your mind. I’ll allow you to ask anything. It’s okay to ask anything. Consider this as my thanks for guiding me to such a nice place.”
“Is that ‘you’ way of speaking part of your concept?”
“Ahaha. You’re straightforward as always!”
“Since you said I can ask anything.”
(TLN: The ‘you’ she uses, (그대), can also be translated as dear/dearie, it’s not impolite.)
Frown.
Asteria playfully closed one eye and then opened it.
“When addressing others in the palace, I always use ‘you’. Be it a teacher or anyone else. Except for family members higher than me. It’s a habit. On the contrary, this casual way of speaking is a result of effort.”
“Is it a reaction against authority?”
“It could be seen that way. The palace is more stifling than you might think. There’s a saying. Catch a mouse when it’s young, and it will grow up to bite you. Thanks to that…”
— Flutter
The princess picked up the hem of her own skirt and fluttered it.
“This is how such a princess was born.”
Smoothly.
Instead of gazing at her toned inner thighs, Ian met her eyes.
Staring intently into her blue eyes, Ian asked.
“Why did you come to me?”
“A good question.”
Asteria’s pink lips.
Her playfully curved lips foreshadowed that her next words would be unexpectedly out of context.
Slightly parted, her lips hinted at a forthcoming revelation.
“You. Would you go out with me, a true princess?”
Asteria Estrid
For future generations, she would be called the ‘Princess of Rebellion’.
Her gaze was both charming and fatally captivating.
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