A home teacher for young Edmund. Even if she received only ten riddles as a salary, it seemed impossible. Even now, when he was supposed to be more mature, he was still so carefree when he was young…

In Anita’s mind, a young boy with bright blond hair fluttered about, avoiding the home teacher and running around.

He didn’t seem like a student she wanted to deal with.

“Well, let’s go celebrate our victory.”

“What? Where are we going?”

He nudged Anita’s back. When Anita, who was walking forward without understanding, turned to ask, Edmund squinted one eye.

“Didn’t I tell you I know a place that sells amazing beer?”

“…What if you die from acute alcohol poisoning?”

It was a serious question for Anita, but Edmund answered without a hint of hesitation.

“Well, then, nothing can be done.”

Indeed, alcohol is scary. Seeing the words that would have been dismissed as nonsense normally sounding oddly convincing. The reason, it seemed, was that the rational mind was not functioning due to alcohol.

“Well, I guess so.”

***

The clock’s hour hand was rushing towards 4. It was a quiet time when only a few diligent people were awake.

A man was studying, spreading out a thick book. He wasn’t particularly diligent. He was more like someone who had not yet finished his daily work rather than someone who had started his day early.

His gaze, which had been staring at unreadable letters, naturally turned towards the clock.

3:56.

He rubbed his head and wondered if the person who had kept him from sleeping until now was sleeping comfortably by now. because his room was always lit early.

3:58.

Rutger Baylan put down the pen he had been holding. There was no intention to study from the beginning. Holding a pen he wouldn’t use and spreading out a book he wouldn’t read would at least give him an excuse. It wasn’t just that he had been clinging to problems he couldn’t find the answers to.

He casually put on the coat that had been hanging on the back of the chair and left the room. You could consider it as simply starting the day a bit early. It was too late to go to sleep now.

He planned to take a quiet stroll during the peaceful dawn.

“No…!”

He would have had a pretty good start to his day if he hadn’t heard an strange scream from somewhere.

“Don’t die!”

Die?

What on earth is happening? A murder in the middle of the city.

He didn’t want to get involved in other people’s business, but if it was a big event like a murder, he couldn’t just ignore it. Rutger searched his pocket to see if there was anything that could be used as a weapon. There were only a few sheets of paper in his pocket that seemed useless in this situation.

“Wake up!”

The stranger’s shout had now turned into a sob, and Rutger’s hand, still fumbling in his pocket, came in contact with sharp piece of metal. He had forgotten to remove the tool from his pocket and had left it there.

Holding the piece, he headed towards the source of the voice. As he listened, the man’s voice seemed somewhat familiar, but it wasn’t the time to pay attention to such trivial details.

With the piece in his hand, he approached the rustling noise. Due to his narrow field of vision, he could only see the back of one person. Under the dim moonlight, the sparkling blond hair seemed somewhat familiar.

The suspicious man bent over, looking down at something, muttering continuously for the person to get up. Rutger’s pupils shook as he followed the man’s gaze. When he saw the scattered black hair on the grass, Rutger didn’t hesitate and rushed forward.

“Huh?”

Rutger thrust the sharp edge of the piece into the man’s neck. The suspicious man, making a foolish sound, leaned back, looking at Rutger.

“Hey… haven’t I seen you somewhere before? Who are you?”

Rutger had no time to deduce the man’s identity. His eyes quickly scanned the woman lying in the grass. As he feared, it was Anita. Under the moonlight, she appeared paler and weaker than usual.

After confirming that there were no noticeable wounds on Anita’s body and that she’s still breathing, Rutger removed the knife from Edmund’s neck.

He pushed Edmund out of the way and sat down on one knee beside Anita. Rutger stooped down and observed Anita for a while. Only after confirming the faint scent of alcohol and regular breathing from her did he rise.

“She’s not dead, is she?”

Edmund asked with a worried expression. Seeing Edmund’s foolish demeanor, Rutger rubbed his forehead. It seemed like he was somewhat unhinged.

Rutger had been about to yell at him for letting things get this far without stopping, but he held back. Despite appearances, Anita was quite stubborn. There was no way she would have listened even if he tried to stop her.

“Quit fussing; she’s alive.”

Earlier, Rutger hadn’t noticed Edmund’s demeanor and had not realized he was the student council president. Nonetheless, Rutger didn’t feel like using a title for him. No, especially because he was the student council president. He should not have let his junior end up like this.

Moreover, it bothered Rutger that Anita had been spending time with him recently.

Rutger looked at Edmund with cold eyes.

The student council president seemed unfitting for such a plausible title, lacking seriousness, resolution, and even the will to prevent his junior’s reckless behavior.

If he hadn’t found Anita, she might have lain in the field until dawn in the cold air. Thinking about it made Rutger dislike the man in front of him even more.

With a cold gaze, he looked at Edmund.

Edmund, who had been looking sadly at Anita, was pushed aside by Rutger. Leaving Anita like this was not an option.

Rutger lifted Anita.

“Ugh….”

Anita’s narrowed eyes trembled. Now that he looked closely, her forehead was covered in cold sweat. Rutger gently laid her on a nearby bench. Suddenly, Rutger’s gaze focused on Anita’s ankles. One of her ankles was severely swollen.

Though there was moonlight, it was still dark. Maybe he had seen it wrong. However, Rutger’s ominous suspicion turned out to be accurate. Under the relatively bright streetlight, Anita’s right ankle, compared to the left, was red and noticeably swollen.

“Ha.”

What had she been up to…

“What’s this? Why is your ankle like this?”