The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 11
Episode 11
Jasper was talking to the person next to him with a crooked smile. The person he was conversing with was Caleb Sidoor.
The son of the Earl of Sidoor, the heir apparent to the title.
Caleb was originally a year older than Rose and Jasper. However, he had a major fall accident last year, which left him seriously injured and forced him to take a half-year break before returning to the academy.
‘There are a lot of unfamiliar faces this year.…’
From transfer student Briley to Caleb Sidoor. Even though it was their graduating year, there was an air of tension and excitement greater than when they were freshmen.
Briley leaned in close to Rose and whispered,
“Who’s the silver-haired guy next to Jasper? He’s handsome too.”
“Oh, that’s Caleb Sidoor.”
Jasper’s dazzling impression had drawn attention first, but Caleb was also quite famous for his good looks. That was part of the problem—having a face that turned heads.
You should enjoy life while you can. That was Caleb Sidoor’s philosophy as the heir.
Caleb Sidoor didn’t hinder those who approached him, nor did he cling to those who left. He dated without commitment, changing romantic partners multiple times without any qualms.
Rose wasn’t particularly interested in academy romance, but she knew quite a bit about Caleb. That was thanks to her previous roommate, Rebecca Sherman.
‘It was a real mess back then.’
Rebecca had briefly dated Caleb at the beginning of the previous year. It lasted less than a month.
During their relationship, Rebecca would incessantly talk about Caleb, and after they broke up, she spent three days curled up in her bed like a wounded animal.
‘She was happy she wouldn’t have to see his face due to his leave of absence.’
Seeing Caleb’s return, the person most likely to be a bundle of nerves would probably be Rebecca.
Briley led Rose and spoke as they walked slowly towards the lobby.
“Sidoor, uh, the Earl’s son?!”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“First or second son?”
“First.”
“Ugh.”
Briley stuck out her tongue and made a disgusted expression that reached up to her forehead.
“Why?”
“The first son is not particularly well-liked. Especially if he’s from a noble family. Do you know how much they judge based on lineage? It’s tiring.”
“Senior Caleb doesn’t have that kind of personality. …Probably.”
Caleb seemed to meet people from all walks of life without considering his family’s prestige. In a positive light, he was open-minded; in a negative light, he was frivolous.
Rebecca was even more fired up when she found out that Caleb started dating an extreme dancer right after breaking up with her.
“But why do you call him ‘senior’?”
“He’s originally one grade above us. He took a leave of absence and seems to have returned now.”
“Oh my. That’s quite intriguing.”
“Intriguing? Why…?”
“I like dating older guys.”
Briley’s eyes twinkled. Her gaze, which had been fixed on Jasper just a moment ago, had now shifted towards Caleb.
Rose expressed her confusion.
“So, you prefer Caleb over Jasper?”
If it were her, she wouldn’t have been concerned about Caleb at all. The fact that someone beside Jasper caught her eye was intriguing in itself.
“Um, not really. Both are fine, you know, in a way. It’s just that over there feels a bit more dangerous, you see?”
“Is that so?”
During the academy break, it seemed Caleb had spent time in the southern region. His skin had noticeably tanned.
His hair was silver, contrasting with his skin, and his eyes were reddish-brown. He had an unconventional aura.
Briley grabbed Rose’s arm a little tighter and whispered.
“But he’s handsome. Jasper, I mean.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Rose immediately nodded her head.
As a born engineer, Rose felt most comfortable discussing objective facts. It was an undeniable fact that Jasper Conway was handsome, and she did not doubt that.
“Haah. Seeing something beautiful lifts your spirits….”
It was as Rose entered the lobby, accompanied by Briley’s murmur. Jasper, who had been casually talking to Caleb, turned his head.
Thud. Rose halted her steps. It seemed like Jasper’s gaze was directed towards her.
Rose swallowed a dry gulp. This was almost two months since she had seen Jasper, ever since their encounter in the laboratory. His hair seemed slightly shorter. The piercing gaze that seemed to see through people remained unchanged.
Others naturally showed interest in the direction of Jasper’s gaze. Rose felt more eyes on her and Briley than before.
Curious, overt stares. It was unsettling.
Poke. Poke. Briley nudged Rose’s arm and spoke softly.
“…What’s up? Rose, do you think he’s looking at you?”
“Oh, no way.”
Rose instinctively denied it. Briley shrugged her shoulders.
“Then is he looking at me?”
“Maybe…”
“Because I’m too pretty?! Geez. He’s got eyes, too.”
The lobby was bustling with people. Briley seemed completely unfazed by the crowd, but Rose was increasingly uncomfortable.
For now, she wanted to escape from here, and especially from Jasper’s gaze.
“Briley, I think I should head to the classroom before it gets too late.”
“Oh. Already?”
“Yeah. The mineralogy classroom is a bit out of the way.”
“I see. Can’t be helped.”
Briley raised an eyebrow. She looked like an abandoned cat on the street. Flustered, Rose grabbed Briley’s hand and spoke.
“Um, we have the same class in the afternoon, right? Let’s see each other then.”
“Oh, right! We’ll also have lunch together during the break, right?”
“Of course.”
“Mm. Take care. I’ll miss you so much while we’re apart….”
Briley pouted and then pulled Rose into a quick hug.
“Oh, um.”
Rose stumbled. Briley released her casually and waved her hand.
“Goodbye.”
“Good, uh, listen well in class.”
“Mm…”
“Fight on…!”
Rose awkwardly made a fist gesture and then turned her body to head west. Her footsteps quickened.
The first class of the spring semester for the fourth year was mineralogy.
At Berkley Academy, lectures were divided into three categories: mandatory courses taken by all students, advanced major courses based on their second-year specialization, and elective courses.
Mineralogy was one of the least popular elective courses. It focused on distinguishing between different minerals and gemstones. To some, it might seem like staring at rocks all day and could be perceived as boring.
However, for Rose, the gemstones weren’t just rocks. Gemstones determined the level of magic engineering technology. To think she could touch raw, unrefined gemstones—gems that hadn’t undergone the purification process—was exhilarating.
Rose saw this as one of the privileges that academy students enjoyed.
‘I’m looking forward to it. It should be interesting.…’
Despite the general reluctance towards Monday morning classes, Rose registered for mineralogy without hesitation. She was excited about getting to examine various gemstones firsthand.
The mineralogy classroom was located in an isolated area at the western end of the main building. Right next to the classroom was the gemstone storage room.
With an excited heart, Rose headed west. As she got closer to the classroom, the number of people in the corridor decreased. The western part of the main building mainly housed staff lounges and storage rooms, making it less frequented by students.
When Rose was about halfway to the classroom, she heard footsteps behind her, getting closer and closer.
Initially, she didn’t pay much attention, but as the footsteps behind her gradually quickened, she became more aware.
‘…What’s this?’
Slowing down her pace, Rose glanced back.
“Ah.”
Filling her field of vision was a familiar face. His deep and resonant voice echoed through the quiet corridor.
“Rose Bell.”
Jasper had somehow approached and stood just a few steps away from her. The distance between them was about three steps.
As always, Jasper wore a slightly anxious expression. After a moment of blinking, Rose awkwardly waved her hand.
“…Hi. It’s been a while.”
Jasper just nodded. Rose alternated her gaze between the classroom and Jasper.
“Jasper, are you heading this way too?”
“Uh.”
Rose found it strange that Jasper would be here if not for the mineralogy class.
“What class are you attending?”
“Mineralogy.”
Rose was taken aback by the unexpected response.
“…You’re taking mineralogy too?”
Jasper raised an eyebrow.
“Why? Is it strange for me to take mineralogy?”
“Kind of…?”
Rose answered honestly. Jasper Conway, inspecting rocks – it was a truly unimaginable sight.
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t take it?”
“Of course not. I’m glad we’re in the same class.”
“Doesn’t seem like it from your expression.”
“No. I’m, glad, I mean. We might be late for class. Let’s go quickly.”
As Rose began walking ahead, Jasper followed her, his face showing a touch of annoyance. Silence settled between them for a moment.
Rose gripped her bag handle tightly, trying to clear her dizzying thoughts.
‘This semester is turning out to be quite unusual.…’
Unexpected events were occurring beyond her expectations. For someone like Rose who valued planning, it was a disconcerting situation.
Walking slowly behind Rose, Jasper spoke up after a while.
“I saw you in the lobby earlier.”
“…Huh?”
Startled, Rose turned to Jasper. Standing so close, his imposing presence felt even more overwhelming.
“You ignored me.”
“Not ignoring… but… weren’t you talking to Senior Caleb?”
Jasper frowned.
“You know Caleb?”
“Not really… He’s just… well-known.”
She swallowed the words that her last year’s roommate had been Caleb’s ex-girlfriend. Thanks to Rebecca, Rose had learned quite a bit about Caleb. Most of it was information she didn’t want.
For instance, that Caleb liked strawberry syrup or that his pet’s name was Brightening Thunder… things like that.
Jasper’s expression turned somewhat sharp.
“You were with someone I’ve never seen before.”
“My new roommate, Briley Lawrence.”
“Lawrence?”
“Yeah. She transferred here this year.”
“I see.”
Jasper let out a small sigh.
“That Lawrence girl? So that’s why everyone was making a fuss since morning.”
There was an edge to Jasper’s voice. Of course, Jasper wasn’t the most easygoing person, but right now, his sharpness seemed more intense than usual.
“Do you dislike Briley? Or is it something about the Lawrence family…?”
Rose felt awkward. She had tried to connect the two. It felt like she had messed up right from the start.