Volume 1 Chapter 2.2
Secrets Told at the Fountain, Parties
Won't Save Anyone Part 2
Translator : PolterGlast
There was an hour to
spare before orientation would begin in each classroom. Nina arrived in front
of a fountain that stood quietly away from the classroom building.
The ring-shaped
fountain was completely dried up, and moss was growing all over the concrete,
indicating that it had been abandoned for some time. Perhaps it was a mistake
to build the fountain in such an inconspicuous place in the first place.
She sat down on a
bench facing the fountain and let out a small sigh.
"...... I guess
my life is similar."
After making sure that
no one was around, Nina took out an object from her bag that was about the size
of her pinky finger.
It was a cute little
doll in the shape of a rain frog, dressed in a suit lavishly decorated with
sequins. It was the only precious thing she had ever owned, given to her by her
older sister when she was a child.
Nina let out her
emotions for the first time today as she held the rain frog doll in her palm.
"......I don't
really want to do this~!"
Although there was no
way she was going to get a response from the expressionless frog, she went on
regardless.
"The person who
came up with this school system is really insane! As a student, one is supposed
to be active in studies and sports! Just what the heck is a <duel> even
for!?"
With this doll, she
could speak her true feelings, which she could not let anyone in the world
hear. The mask she always wore in public was completely peeled off.
"The students are
all upper-class elites! I'm exhausted! I should have refused to attend school
right away!"
She couldn't imagine
spending three years in such an abnormal environment. Of course, there were no
guarantees that she would still be alive in this school in three years' time.
─No, I have to accomplish it no matter what it takes.
Nina tightly clutched
the rain frog that looked up at her with an expression of zero affection.
If by any chance she,
the youngest member of the Stingray family, were to be expelled from the
school, she had no idea what her father, who was extremely concerned about
public appearances, would do to her.
She recalls her
father's words as he placed his hand on Nina's shoulder when she was still a
child, while he was dragging her around to social gatherings.
"Although not as
powerful as her two older brothers, this child also has a highly renowned
psychic ability......"
"Such a small
child has psychokinesis so powerful that it could cause a mountain to
collapse......"
"Haha, what an
exaggeration. <Queen of Calamity>, you say?......"
"She will
graduate from Heiberg Academy at the top of her class? That's too early to tell......"
Nina was able to
ignore the adults' impassive stares, clad in an innocent smile.
By that time, Nina had
already noticed.
The hand that her
father placed on her shoulder was not filled with love. She realized that her
father was using her as a tool to increase his political power.
She wondered what
would happen to her if she revealed her secret to him.
"Anyway, that was
a real close call earlier......"
The memory of being
entangled with three students before the entrance ceremony came back to her
vividly.
"...... It just
so happens to work, but this can't go on forever, can it?"
She couldn't seem to
suppress her bad habit of going into soliloquy mode whenever she found herself
in the mood.
The same feelings as
usual - fear, frustration, guilt, and other kinds of rough impurities, kept
piling up inside her heart.
Suddenly, she saw a
piece of concrete the size of her pinky finger lying in front of her. It was
probably debris from the deteriorated fountain.
Nina extended her palm
to the piece and concentrated all her mind on it.
"...... Move,
move, move!"
No matter how much
Nina wished, the piece would not budge. It neither floated nor shattered, but
simply remained in the same state it had been in all along.
"Well, I guess
it's only natural......"
Nina let out a sigh
for what might be the second time today.
She is not a psychic,
so there is no way she could have moved that piece of debris.
Nina had no idea how
real psychics could make objects levitate or explode.
She had never been
able to create a psychic phenomenon, even though she had tried to put her power
into her palms and concentrate her mind with a suitable expression on her face,
just as she had seen the others do.
The reason why such a
person was feared as a powerful psychic and was exempted from the entrance
examination to enter the Heiberg Academy was only because she kept on accumulating
small lies.
"...... I wonder,
why things ended up like this."
It started out as a
mere coincidence.
It is said that the
psychic ability usually manifests itself at the age of four or five, when one
begins to understand things. The underlying mechanism is still unknown, but
that is the way it works anyway.
Children born into the
Stingray family were subjected to a screening process at that time.
If a child does not
show any signs of psychic ability, he or she will be expelled from the family
and placed in foster care with a distant relative, even if he or she is the
child of the family's own parents. On the other hand, the Stingray family has
sometimes forcefully adopted a child from a branch family that has developed
psychic abilities.
Nina, the youngest of
three siblings, was no exception to this rule.
During this time, the
child Nina was under constant surveillance. This was because a child who could
not yet control his or her psychic abilities might have a spontaneous outburst
of these abilities at any moment.
It was about two weeks
after the screening process had begun that something happened.
Accompanied by her
butler, Swanson, Nina was climbing a mountain owned by the Stingray family.
Apparently, her father was intrigued by a dubious thesis that the vastness of
nature could aid in the development of psychic abilities.
That said, the gently
sloping paths were enough for a child's feet to climb, and it was pure joy for
her to be able to breathe fresh air for the first time in a while.
"...... Wow, it's
beautiful."
When they were about
halfway up the mountain, Nina casually pointed to a mountainside in the
distance.
The trees there were
of a completely different color than the surrounding forest, which caught her
interest as a young girl.
However, none of the
adults around her recognized it as such.
That was
understandable.
The moment Nina
pointed her finger, the slope in that direction suddenly began to collapse.
"...... Eh?
W-What? What's going on?"
With a thunderous
roar, trees, boulders, and masses of mud and soil of unusual colors began to
slide down the slope.
Of course, no one
noticed that Nina herself was the most bewildered of everyone. The catastrophic
scene made everyone present foresee the birth of a new talent.
After that,
incomprehensible phenomena kept occurring around Nina.
A cupboard collapsed
even though she did not touch it, a bird flying in the sky suddenly fell, and a
water pipe burst, spraying a large amount of water.
Only Nina knew that
they were entirely coincidental.
The cupboard was just
deteriorating due to aging, the bird just bumped into another bird in mid-air,
and the burst of the water pipe was probably the result of the earthquake that
had occurred the day before.
Still, the adults
never doubted that Nina had a special talent. Her father, who had never been
interested in his daughter from the beginning, was completely satisfied after
receiving the butler's report.
Of course, there were
many times when she wanted to reveal the truth.
But Nina knew what
would happen to children who were judged to be fakes, and most of all, she did
not want to disappoint the butler who was looking at her expectantly. So she
kept pretending that she was someone with a psychic ability.
Fortunately, Nina had
a transcendent talent for acting.
She also created a
setting where her abilities were too powerful to control, which also helped,
and until now, no one has ever uncovered her secret.
"......If I
confided everything to someone, would it make me feel better?"
How many times have
she thought that?
It is a dream that
will never come true. Now that she's at the Heiberg Academy, there's nowhere
she can run away to.
◇
An information board
was installed at the entrance of the classroom building, where a list of class
assignments was posted. There were almost no students in the vicinity, probably
because she had stayed in front of the fountain until the very last minute
before the end of lunch break.
There was only one
student who was staring at the information board with a serious expression on
his face.
Pale-orange skin,
unkempt black hair, and slitted eyes the color of the night. His uniform, worn
unceremoniously, was torn in places and stained with mud all over.
The same person seen
at the entrance ceremony who took part in the <Screening test>.
".........What?"
The boy, who seemed to
have Eastern blood in him, turned a dubious face toward Nina. She seemed to
have been staring at him without realizing it.
"...... Ah,
excuse me."
"Hm? By any
chance, are you......"
What he directed at her
was a smile. The corners of the boy's mouth were lifted up, and he even showed
his white teeth in an exemplary smile.
And yet, there seemed
to be no light shining in his eyes. It was as if there was nothing interesting
in the world.
To mend the awkward
silence, the boy finally opened his mouth.
"...... Yup,
you're Nina Stingray, right? I never imagined that we would be
classmates."
"I'm honored that
you know me. By the way, what is your name?"
"Uh, ...... do I
have to answer that?"
"Yes?"
There would be no way
for anyone to refuse to introduce themselves in such a situation. Nina wondered
whether she hadn't conveyed the question correctly.
"I see you had a
little trouble hearing me, so let me repeat the question. May I ask your
name?"
"Stingray-san,
you came here to find information about your class, I presume?"
"Um, please hear
what people said......."
"I heard someone
talking about it earlier. You're in [Class 8]."
"......T-Thank
you very much."
The conversation was
somewhat confusing, but she decided to express her gratitude anyway.
After seeing the boy
who raised his hand lightly and walked away, she turned her attention to the
information board just to be sure. Finally, she found a number written next to
her own name, which was, as a matter of fact, written as [Class 6].
─What you're telling me is totally different!
Nina looked around in
a panic. The boy who had just lied to her was already heading toward the inner
hallway.
Normally, she would
have just let it slide, but for some reason, she couldn't seem to bear it this
time.
"Turns out I'm
not in [Class 8], though?"
The boy looked
surprised for a moment, as if he didn't expect her to come after him.
However, he
immediately returned to a cold expression and muttered in a very low-pitched
tone.
"Sorry, sorry. I
guess I misunderstood it a little bit."
"You said some
random thing to quickly end the conversation, didn't you?"
She finally noticed
why she couldn't let it slide.
The sense of
discomfort emanating from the boy's attitude probably stemmed from hostility.
Nina's two older
brothers are members of the <White Knights>. They are hailed as heroes,
but it is not surprising that there are those who secretly harbor a grudge
against them.
"It was really
just a misunderstanding."
Even so, the boy did
not seem to be perturbed.
"You see, I heard
that this academy is a rather harsh place. I thought it would be good to have a
little ordeal on the first day of school to get one's mind right. I'm not
necessarily expecting you to be grateful though."
"What kind of
reasoning is that?"
"There is a
saying, [misfortune is God's guidance]. There is always a reason behind
misfortunes. Who knows, maybe your school life from now on will be a pursuit of
the significance of being told the wrong class."
"I've never heard
such a saying before......"
"Well, of course,
I just made it up after all."
It had been a long
time since she had experienced a situation where she couldn't close her mouth
out of shock.
The stress that had
accumulated since the entrance ceremony could collapse the levee of reason at
any moment.
"You
really talk a lot, huh...... Despite being unable to read numbers
properly."
"There
are all kinds of people in the world after all. Well then, see you some other
time."
The boy left
after he was trying to sway her to the end of the conversation.
─Gosh, what's wrong
with that guy~!?
Just before
her rationality collapsed, Nina was able to take a deep breath to calm herself
down.
Don't worry, everything will be fine.
Unless we are in the same class, I will not have
anything to do with him in the future.
The moment she
stepped into the classroom wearing a graceful and calm expression, Nina sensed
that the atmosphere in the classroom froze for a moment.
The students,
who had not yet taken their seats and were still engaged in idle chit-chat in
lieu of self-introductions, turned their eyes to her warily.
Nina was used
to being treated like this.
Even if they
were to treat her like a monster, it would mean that she didn't have to worry about
anyone harming her. And that's good enough for her.
Nina silently
made her way up the stairs and sat down on the rightmost seat on the top row.
There was no
particular reason why she had chosen this seat. She simply assumed that there
would be less trouble with no one sitting around her.
Nina was
planning to go about her day quietly, but one of the students, paying no
attention to the atmosphere in the classroom, spoke to her.
"Nina-chan
...... I presume? Is the seat next to you vacant?"
The student's
smile radiated an openness reminiscent of the morning sun.
Her deep green
eyes sparkled, and her orange short-cut hair gave off an impression of
liveliness to her surroundings.
Nina was taken
aback, but quickly regained her composure.
"Of course
it's vacant. Please have a seat."
"Thank
you!" Before Nina could finish her sentence, she slid into the seat next
to her. "I've always wanted to talk to you, Nina-chan."
The girl, who
identified herself as Emma Licorice, was apparently worried about whether she
would fit in well in class.
With such a
bright personality, it seemed like she would be able to make friends quickly,
but in reality, Emma seemed to be seriously anxious. Nina thought it was
amusing.
As soon as she
introduced herself, Emma began to bombard Nina with questions one after
another.
About whether
or not the rumors that Nina, who developed a psychic ability when she was four
years old, caused a mountain near her house to collapse was true or false.
About the type of gemstone that fitted into the brooch she wore on her chest.
About her life in the Stingray family, one of the most prestigious families in
the country.
"Eh,
Nina-chan, are you living in the dormitory, as well? I thought you had a villa
or something like that somewhere nearby."
"Of
course not. It is the school's rule that all students must live in the
dormitories. I'm strictly abiding by that rule."
"Really!?
Then we will have lots of opportunities to play together from now on!"
Nina has a
habit of putting up an invisible wall between her and others before interacting
with them, but she was able to answer Emma's questions in a natural way.
Perhaps it was
because she enjoyed seeing Emma's eyes sparkle with anticipation and
excitement, and more than anything, it was because she did not feel anything
like hidden intentions in her behavior.
─Maybe I could finally
lead a normal school life.
Nina secretly
crushed the sweet thought that suddenly came to her mind.
Emma is indeed
a good girl, and the days she will spend with her may be filled with joy.
However, the
place where they met is simply not favorable.
This school is
not a place where youthful activities are encouraged. It is a place solely for
competition for survival, and if one of them drops out, even the memory of
their time together will be erased. In such an environment, there is no way
friendship can be nurtured.
Besides, Nina
thought.
No matter how
kind she may be, if she found out her big secret, she wouldn't treat her the
same way as she does now.
"......
Oh, there you are! I've been looking for you, you know!?"
Unaware of
Nina's sentimentality, Emma waved to her friend as he entered the classroom.
The boy tried
to ignore her once, but seemed to have decided to relent when Emma didn't give
up. He let out a deliberate sigh and came lazily up the stairs.
─That guy, no way.
Nina
questioned Emma with an expression as if she had just heard a bad joke.
"Emma?
Are you by any chance friends with him?"
"Yes, I
am."
"Umm,
sorry. I'm a little nervous around people......"
"It's my
first time meeting him, either. Don't worry, Jin-kun is a nice guy."
A nice guy?
Him?
It seems that
we have fundamentally different concepts of good and evil.
The memory of
the trouble that occurred just a few minutes ago in front of the information
board overlapped with the grumpy face in front of her.
"......Hello",
Nina squeezed out the last ounce of her strength and greeted him in a friendly
manner. "I see we are in the same class, huh?"
"............ge."
See? Now you're giving me that annoyed look again!
Also, go ahead and at least introduce yourself!
She had the
urge to complain, but that would be unbecoming of the daughter of a prestigious
family.
It's okay, he's tired from the exam. Otherwise, he is
just shy.
As she was
making up some reasons to accept him favorably, the boy sat down a little
further away from the two of them.
"Jin-kun,
why don't you join us here?"
"Don't
mind me, you two just go ahead and have fun."
"Arere~,
are you perhaps shy around such a beautiful girl like Nina-chan?"
"Of
course not."
The male
student called "Jin" looked at Nina with a gaze that was far from shy
or embarrassed.
"I just
don't know what kind of conversation I should have with such a rich young
lady."
As expected,
Nina couldn't keep her mouth shut any longer.
"Emma-san,
I'm sure he just hates being around people. Let's leave him alone."
"Oh, you
know how us commoners feel, huh? Good for you."
".......Right.
We don't have to go out of our way to entertain him. I'm sure he's more
interested in playing with frogs and snakes in the forest."
"Hold on
- hold on, why are you two suddenly on edge?"
Emma looked
puzzled as she was sandwiched between two people who were saying things to each
other without making eye contact.
Nina hurriedly
made amends.
"I'm
sorry, Emma-san. There were a lot of things happened between us."
"Ah, so
that's the kind of relationship you two had! Sorry, I didn't notice it!"
"Emma-san?
I have a feeling that I'm being terribly misunderstood......"
While the
instructor of the sixth class was explaining the curriculum to the students,
Nina was endlessly cursing him behind her solemn expression.
─Even though I am
already exhausted from dealing with this bunch of uncouth elites, just what's
wrong with that guy?
─Is it even appropriate
to behave like that to someone one has just met for the first time? Is it
written in the ethics manuals? Is my common sense wrong?
─Go back and start over
from your previous life! You should fill out a written pledge that you will
never be impertinent with someone you met for the first time and then come back
again, you idiot!
─A~a, gosh, I can't do
this anymore! There's no way I can spend three years in a place like this!
Nina's true
feelings, which she was desperately trying to hide, were already screaming and
thrashing about.
◆
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Aiden Elliott
Marvin Sanchez
Matthew Shuler
Swagaraga
[Gold]
Godman gaming
[Silver]
Adrian Betancourt
ArUnInAcTiOn
CoolmanMTD
Daniel Saldana
Glasses Kun
Nazmun Saikat
Thiago Leite Denedai
Zyran
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Duncan Rodgers
Freyja Bjarnadóttir
Muzic Yasko
XXX Demon Hunter XXX
Стас Удрис
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
