The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 70

Episode 70

Rose heard the pounding of her heart. Her heart seemed to be pounding right next to her ear, a loud and erratic rhythm.

For how long had she and Jasper been staring into each other’s eyes like this? 

Rose couldn’t guess the passage of time. It felt as if time had briefly stopped and gotten stuck in this place. 

It was a strange sensation, unlike anything she had ever experienced, as if the fabric of reality itself was warping.

Then, Rose belatedly regained her senses and quickly turned her head away. The handkerchief that had been on her forehead fell. She cleared her throat discreetly and shifted her hips away from Jasper.

Jasper paused for a moment and then casually said.

“I’ve finished wiping it all.”

“Um, yeah.”

Jasper looked at Rose, who was frozen in place and asked.

“What’s wrong?”

That indifferent question left Rose feeling dazed. What was going on exactly? This was actually what Rose wanted to ask Jasper.

‘Is this nothing, too? Did Jasper just do it out of friendship without any thought?’

As Rose thought along these lines, the remaining warmth inside her seemed to completely dissipate. The heart that had been pounding just moments ago suddenly slowed down. A chill ran through her chest as if it had frozen over.

With trembling hands, Rose brushed away a few loose strands of hair. Unidentifiable emotions were pressing down on her relentlessly, and she was beginning to feel suffocated.

‘No. Pull yourself together, Rose Bell. Don’t overthink it. Don’t think too deeply…’

It wouldn’t change anything or gain anything anyway.

Taking a deep breath, Rose grasped the armrest of the sofa and stood up. Then, she cleared her throat and tried to speak in the calmest voice she could muster.

“Thank you.”

“Feeling dizzy?”

“No, I’m fine now. I feel like I owe you for no reason…”

“It’s strange to pretend not to see someone bleeding in front of you. That’s even weirder.”

Rose nodded, trying to appear composed, and Jasper furrowed one eyebrow, examining her complexion.

“Are you okay? This won’t work. Let’s skip tutoring for a while.”

Rose, who had been standing there dazed, was startled and instinctively reached out. 

“Oh, no. There’s no need for that.”

“You might collapse if you keep this up. You already look fragile.”

Rose felt a bit hurt by Jasper’s consideration, just like during the midterm exam. She had thoroughly enjoyed today’s tutoring session before the nosebleed.

With a somewhat dejected tone, Rose spoke.

“But… you’ve just started to enjoy Magic Engineering.”

“Come on, you don’t have to make that face.”

“What kind of face…?”

“It’s like I’ve bothered you.”

As Jasper said, Rose had a very forlorn expression. It was a combination of the distress caused by Jasper’s actions and her disappointment, and her features drooped downward.

Rose murmured.

“I’m just disappointed.”

“…Are you bothered by teaching me?”

“Not at all. I find it interesting. Teaching you helps me solidify my understanding of the basics…”

“Okay. But still, let’s reduce tutoring to once a week for now.”

Jasper declared firmly, his gaze leaving no room for argument. Rose reluctantly nodded, and Jasper muttered under his breath as if talking to himself.

“When does this contest or whatever it is end?”

“Oh, it’ll wrap up by the middle of this summer. We have to submit the finished product before the start of the fall semester.”

Jasper fell silent for a moment, wearing a subtle expression. Then he spoke again.

“…You’ll be busy during the vacation too.”

“Yeah, I’ll probably be in the lab all day. But now, shouldn’t we head back to the dorm? There isn’t much time left until curfew.”

Jasper nodded and stood up first, then extended his hand towards Rose without saying a word. Rose looked at Jasper’s face and his outstretched hand.

‘Is he offering to hold hands?’

Rose’s pupils trembled. Normally, she might have taken Jasper’s hand without hesitation. But for some reason, it didn’t seem right now. 

Just the thought of her hand touching his large, firm palm made her chest tighten, and she felt strangely tense. It didn’t seem like an ordinary, harmless gesture between friends.

With her nerves on edge, Rose contemplated Jasper. However, she thought that refusing the hand offered in kindness might hurt the other person.

After hesitating for a moment, Rose tentatively touched Jasper’s fingertips with her own and mumbled softly.

“I am fine now…”

A tingling sensation spread from the point where Rose’s hand touched Jasper. As always, Jasper’s body felt warm. His warmth quickly thawed Rose’s hand, which had gone cold due to poor circulation.

Jasper hesitated for a moment as he held onto Rose, then extended his hand even further without a word.

“Oh.”

In the blink of an eye, Jasper’s hand wrapped around Rose’s wrist and lifted her to her feet. Rose’s body was effortlessly lifted as Jasper guided her up. Jasper’s strength was so considerable that Rose’s heels lifted off the ground slightly.

As Rose tried to steady herself, Jasper spoke abruptly.

“Eat well. You’re too light.”

“I-I’m eating…”

“But you had a nosebleed?”

Rose clenched her lips and had no rebuttal. Jasper finally released Rose’s hand and turned towards the door.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah…”

Rose followed Jasper, fidgeting with the part where he had held her. Her wrist felt as if it were throbbing.

* * *

Briley Lawrence has been going through a lot of concerns lately. It’s because the two friends she’s gotten closest to at Berkley Academy are both not doing well.

She endured the mundane weekday classes, eagerly awaiting Saturdays for Club activities, but today, sitting between Rose and Rebecca, she noticed them both sighing alternately.

Briley didn’t need to ask why they were acting this way; she could guess the reasons. It was probably because of Jasper for Rose and Caleb for Rebecca.

‘…Those darn Imperial guys are causing problems.’

Today, Jasper couldn’t make it to the club due to a rugby match, and Adela said she wasn’t feeling well.

‘I guess it’s a relief that just the three of us are gathering…’

Suppressing the urge to tear out her hair, Briley forcefully stood up from the sofa.

“Hey, guys. How about a cup of tea each?”

Rebecca weakly nodded her head, while Rose turned to Briley.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Great. After we finish our tea, let’s go for a walk!”

“Sure, sounds good…”

At least Rose mechanically responded, which was a relief.

Briley skillfully started making tea, pulling out the teapot. She chose an herbal tea that might help soothe the spirits of her two friends who seemed drained. The fragrant aroma filled the club room.

If this had been the usual Briley, she would have tried to liven up the atmosphere no matter what, but now, even that felt delicate. Especially given Rebecca’s situation.

When Briley heard the news that Caleb Sidoor’s engagement had been called off, Rebecca didn’t seem particularly shaken. She was surprised, of course, but it didn’t look like she cared too much.

The problem was that shortly afterward, rumors began to spread that Caleb might completely withdraw from the academy. This was an unexpected turn of events even for Briley.

Caleb hadn’t been seen on campus for several days now. There were even stories circulating that he had already started the process of withdrawing.

‘What on earth happened to Caleb? Dad said his family was strict, right? Did he get summoned home? He shouldn’t have broken up with Rebecca in the first place, he’s so frustrating.’

Briley fought the urge to pound her chest. At that moment, the sound of boiling water emerged from the pot created by the power of mana stones. Briley poured the tea somewhat roughly and lost herself in thought.

‘Rebecca just wanted to have a conversation with Caleb to clear things up. But now that Caleb has turned into that kind of mess, it’s no wonder Rebecca is distressed. He’s a guy who has done nothing but bring negative influences to Rebecca from start to finish.’

As frustrating as it was, Briley could understand why Rebecca had lost her mind to some extent. No matter how much she resented it, Rebecca probably didn’t wish for Caleb to fall apart like this.

Despite the peaceful scene of Briley preparing tea as a refined lady, her mind was filled with angry mutterings.

‘But what’s wrong with Rose these days?’

Since a few days ago, Rose had been behaving strangely. She would often space out and suddenly blush. At night, she couldn’t fall asleep for a long time and tossed and turned. There were even sounds of her kicking the blanket aside.

At first, Briley thought it was because she visited Ethan Conway that she was feeling so down. 

However, the more she observed Rose, the more she seemed like a girl in the throes of excitement and confusion.

And, of course, Briley was convinced that the object of Rose’s excitement had to be Jasper. Rose only wore that vacant, dazed expression when the topic of Jasper came up.

‘Though she seems to be clueless herself.’

As Rose’s eyes became more unfocused, Briley grew increasingly uneasy.

‘What did Jasper do to make her lose her mind like this? That guy, seemed so confident last time… Did he manage to seduce Rose? Is she under some sort of spell? If so, Rose might just fall for him hook, line, and sinker.’

Briley poured tea into the cup as she gnawed on her lips.

‘No, this can’t happen. I can’t just hand Rose over to that unlucky and picky gentleman.’

After all, Jasper had a prospective fiancée. Although Jasper himself didn’t seem eager to get engaged, as a member of a prestigious noble family, it wouldn’t be easy to defy the family’s wishes. 

Just look at Caleb, who broke off his engagement once and then disappeared from the academy completely.

Especially the Duke of Conway had recently taken quite an interest in Rose, going so far as to forcibly remove her from his brother’s life.

‘…This is just… not good at all.’

While Rose’s heart might be directed toward Jasper, there was nothing Briley could do but worry for her friend as she observed the situation.