Chapter 7
While I was still mulling over ways to mess with Leonard, the class period ended in the blink of an eye.
I’d completely wasted the lesson daydreaming about him. No, I couldn’t afford to fall behind—I had to get to the library quickly and find books that would help with the assignment.
Without giving anyone a chance to speak to me, I gathered my things and headed to the library. Fortunately, at this hour, it was empty, so I could browse the shelves in peace.
“……”
I found a book that would be perfect for the assignment—but I couldn’t reach it. It was on the top shelf. Even though I was taller than most girls my age, my hands couldn’t stretch that far.
I stood on my tiptoes, poking at the edge of the book, growing increasingly frustrated. After a while, grimacing and swinging my arms as hard as I could, trying to barely touch the book, a large, pale hand suddenly snatched it from behind me. I spun around, scowling.
“I was going to get this first…!”
“Is this the one?”
“……”
Seeing the cheerful voice, my expression darkened immediately. I couldn’t see my own face, but I could imagine.
I had deliberately chosen this quiet time, when hardly anyone would be here—so why were you here?
Leonard, with that friendly smile, didn’t speak. Instead, he handed me the book while I scowled silently at him.
“Here. Take it.”
I hesitated, debating whether to refuse and run, but reluctantly took the book. Leonard, taking advantage of the opportunity, spoke in his usual friendly manner.
“Hi, Raven. Doing some research?”
I had to nod, at least a little, since he’d handed me the book.
“Coincidence. I’m here for research too.”
“……”
“Well, we have the same class. If it’s okay, we could… do it together.”
From the moment Leonard shyly began to speak, I was already searching for an escape.
“No, I’m done.”
I spun around before he could finish.
“Th…!”
His hand brushed lightly against my shoulder before falling away. Then Leonard spoke in a rare, anxious, trembling voice. I couldn’t see his expression, as my back was to him.
“Um, Raven… if you’re still mad at me—”
“I said I’m not.”
I replied curtly and turned away.
When I glanced back, Leonard was no longer following me—but he hadn’t left, either. He just stood there by the shelf for a long time.
“…Tch.”
Stubborn, and yet I couldn’t deny feeling uneasy.
Clutching the library book tightly, I moved on.
“Haha, sorry… you know, midterm prep got in the way.”
“Hmm, hmm! Don’t worry about it. Our group leader is the famous second-ranking student. He’ll sort it out somehow.”
“……”
I closed my eyes tightly and massaged my temples. I knew exactly what they were angling for.
No matter how much I scolded them to do research properly, that girl wouldn’t finish her part, that boy wouldn’t write the report correctly, and the other boy certainly wouldn’t give a proper presentation. My earlier grim predictions had proven true—not surprising at all, given all the troublesome classmates I’d dealt with before.
“…Give it here.”
When I sighed and demanded it, joy lit up their faces.
As a commoner, I never expected to command the nobles in my group or succeed as their leader. It was far better to shoulder the assignment alone than attempt teamwork with this ridiculous combination.
From that day, I threw myself into the assignment like a madwoman. I worked to the point that a nosebleed would have been completely unsurprising. My roommate would scold me nightly to get some sleep, as the candle over my desk never went out until dawn.
I had examined so many materials that I felt as if I had befriended Julius Caesar himself. To be honest, I vomited three times from stress while working on this assignment.
After countless struggles, I finally shaped the assignment to a level that satisfied my standards. Naturally—four people’s work on my shoulders—it took considerable effort.
Day after day, fueled by endless cups of tea, I labored through the nights until the cursed presentation day finally arrived.
Waking from a night of reviewing materials, my head was still spinning. I grabbed my throbbing head, gathered the content summaries, presentation script, and report to distribute to the idiots in my group, and left the dormitory. Meeting their faces again made my headache worse.
As I trudged to the classroom, the voices of my male group members carrying through the door reached me.
“Seriously, we did nothing! Ah, it’s so easy when someone else does everything for you. This is why you need good groupmates.”
Laughter from a girl followed.
I sighed and rolled my eyes. Predictably, it was going exactly as expected.
“Wow, really? Lucky. If I had known, I would’ve asked to be in your group.”
“Only if you can handle his temper.”
Clearly, they were talking about me.
Then one of the other group members, suddenly recalling something, asked:
“But the presentation? You’re doing it, right? He did all the research and report work, and we barely know what the topic is.”
“Eh, he’ll handle it. A perfectionist like him won’t let anyone ruin what he worked on.”
The boy leaned back in his chair, chuckling, clearly enjoying his perceived authority.
“Annoyed, are you? Even as a commoner sponsored by a marquis, you should be grateful to just be here with us…”
Watching silently from the window, I flung the classroom door open with a bang.
“……”
All eyes turned to me. Even the students from the other group stopped talking, sensing my presence. Smart choice—they probably realized my patience was thin.
I glared at my groupmates and spoke.
“So, you’re not doing the presentation?”
I had expected to take on their roles from the start. I was in a desperate situation, not highborn enough to lecture nobles, and I had only become the group leader by chance. I wasn’t Leonard Klein with his exceptional leadership.
Still, no matter how obsessed with grades I was, or how often I brushed off being called a commoner, I had no interest in letting others benefit at my expense while gossiping behind my back.
I fixed my icy gaze on them.
“W-what did you say?”
I expected them to be speechless, but thick-skinned talent always amazes me.
The boy who was supposed to present, likely trying to save face, raised his head and spoke louder.
“So now you’re mad at me? Who do you think you are? It’s just one presentation, what’s the big deal?”
“Yeah, you had your excuse last time. Why be annoyed now? Besides, you know this topic best.”
The girl joined in, pretending her complaints were logical. I raised an eyebrow. I had worked with many failing groups before, but this was a first.
My tone wasn’t angered—it was just my normal tone. And who wouldn’t be annoyed in this situation?
“Sigh…”
I brushed my hair back and sighed. The girl, thinking she had won a point, crossed her arms and shrugged. My anger bubbled inside, but I remained composed.
Calm down, Raven. Don’t waste energy arguing. Once class is over, you’ll never have to see them again.
“You guys….”
I twisted my lips and chuckled softly.
“Shameless.”
“What?”
I taunted their reddening faces.
“I get it. If you can’t do the work, you cling to someone who can. And lucky you—it’s a lowly commoner like me. Pathetic.”
“Hey! You—”
“You didn’t even need to argue. I was going to present anyway. Take this.”
Cutting off the girl, I tossed the prepared paper to them firmly.
Done. No more lectures, no more arguing—just end it and never see them again.
“This summarizes the content. At least read it.”
“Wow… really…”
The group took the paper, annoyed, and the room cooled further. I had no idea why they felt proud, yet silent. Opening their mouths would have only made me angrier.
I reread my perfectly formatted script, slowly regaining composure. As I silently rehearsed the lines, a voice shouted from behind.
“Oh, Leon’s here!”
The classroom erupted at the opening door. I didn’t even need to turn to know Leonard had arrived.
What a noisy fool.
Pouting in displeasure, I refocused on my presentation.
“Hi, Raven!”
I silently wished he wouldn’t come closer, but Leonard cheerfully approached beside me. He glanced at the paper I was holding and spoke brightly.
“Your group’s presentation is by Raven? That’s me! Let’s do our best!”
I gripped the paper harder. It crumpled slightly, making a sharp crack somewhere.
Was he trying to provoke me?
Already frustrated by the idiots in my group, his arrival only reignited my resolve.
