Chapter 28

“You know…I was thinking earlier… maybe this world isn’t the same world as in the game I knew…”

“If you have time to say that, shouldn’t you be moving your hand instead?”

At the end of May, right after class was over, Gilbert and Cecilia, who had successfully reconciled, faced each other sitting at a round table in the dining hall.

They both had a reference book and a notebook.

Exactly as it looked like, they were in the middle of a study session for a test.

“Hey! Gil, listen to me properly!!”

“You’re the one who needs to listen and study properly. We’re done with this whole thing about having me teach you all the content. After all, I’m one year below you.”

“I know……”

Cecilia puffed out her cheeks.

Cecilia wasn’t bad at studying. Her thoughts usually wandered in disappointing directions, but she was reasonably smart. She had always managed to keep her scores in the top rankings.

However, that wasn’t exactly a good thing. In the beginning, she was working too hard and performed exceptionally well. Now if her results dropped too much, the school would try to contact her family about it, so in order to avoid that she had to keep studying like crazy to maintain her high scores.

Only the top management of the school knew that Cecilia was cross-dressing while attending classes. Even her homeroom teacher treated Cecilia as a male student. In other words, if a home visit was scheduled, the fact she was cross-dressing would be exposed to her parents.

No matter how much her parents pampered her, they would have never allowed her to attend the school like that.

“…Fine. So what did you want to talk about before?”

“Are you willing to hear me out?”

“If I don’t ask now, you’ll get noisy about it later, right?”

In the end, her stepbrother was the kindest.

Cecilia lowered her voice, checking beforehand if anyone else was nearby.

“So…I’ve been thinking about it recently…but things are a bit too far off from the world in the game I knew. I can totally understand that Gil’s personality is completely different but even Oscar and Jade behave a bit differently from what I expected, and the ‘Killer’ hasn’t shown up. Of course…the most divergent one is Leanne. The Leanne I knew wasn’t such an assertive and energetic kid like that.”

Always smiling like an angel. A girl who was pretty, fleeting and made one want to protect her.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

That was Leanne Lazaroa.

However, the current Leanne felt like a trainwreck running out of control. She was a tenacious girl going around spinning everything her own way, getting everyone around her involved in her plans.

“But you still have to make her connect with someone, right? At the moment who do you think it has more chances?”

“Aaah…let me see…”

Cecilia readily wrote down some names in her notebook.

Gilbert, Oscar, Jade, the school doctor Mordred, Oscar’s friend Dante, the twins Ein and Zwei.

“Considering the possibilities, I guess Oscar might have good chances. He also seems to have some interest in her.”

“Mmm. I think it’s impossible for His Highness.”

“What?”

“It’s not like I want to help him out, but since that will be clearly a waste of time, just let me tell you that His Highness is not an option.”

“Why!?”

“It’s just impossible.”

“Are you talking about me?”

Gilbert turned his face in the direction of that voice and saw Oscar coming.

And there was also an unfamiliar shadow next to him. That was–

(Dante!?)

Dante Hampton.

He had a bright, unusual hair colour that looked like a mix between green and blue and a frivolous smile. There was a choker around his neck, exposed by his carelessly unfastened uniform shirt. No matter where one looked, it was clear he didn’t look like a diligent student.

He was the third son of Marquis Hampton and Oscar’s friend.

–At least as far as everyone knew at the moment…

“What are you doing?”

“It’s exactly as you can see…we’re studying. It’s almost time to take the mid-terms, so we’re cramming.”

As soon as Oscar asked, Gilbert replied with a sloppy attitude. In the past, even if things got a little troublesome, he would always have a smile stuck on his face, but now he was frowning like a guard hound protecting Cecilia.

Perhaps it was opposite for ordinary people, but regarding Gilbert, that actually meant he had acknowledged Oscar and let down his emotional barriers in front of him.

But the one who answered right away wasn’t Oscar, it was Dante.

“Well, Oscar. Why don’t we join them?”

“Hmm?”

“What?”

Gilbert glared at Dante, after letting out an unfriendly interjection. However, Dante didn’t stop there.

“Weren’t we talking about studying a while ago?”

“Well…we did.”

“So how about we do it together? What do you think…rumoured prince?”

That last question was directed at Cecilia.

“Um… sure. Why don’t we study together?”

“Yay! Lucky!!”

Actually, Cecilia didn’t want to be involved with any other 'targets’, but it seemed strange to refuse it immediately, so she just nodded and accepted.

After that, Dante pushed another table next to them and connected them together. And then he sat next to Cecilia.

Oscar, feeling a bit dismayed, sat down next to Gilbert.

“Looking at you this closely, I can attest you’re really a beauty just like the rumours.”

Dante glanced at Cecilia while distributing the reference books and notes around the table.

Cecilia nodded vaguely at those inquisitive eyes.

“Aaah.”

“It’s really to the extent that both the future Prime Minister and the next King are being led around by the nose!”

At that moment, Gilbert and Oscar began to cough loudly. Both of their faces were equally reddening.

Dante moved closer to Cecilia.

“But …”

He gazed at her slowly from top to bottom. Cecilia twisted her body uncomfortably because that sleazy stare made her feel like she was being appraised on the spot.

“Why is a beautiful girl like you attending school dressed as a guy?”

Cecilia’s body temperature dropped instantly when she heard it.

***