The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 81

Episode 81

Huffing, Rose held her breath and pressed her back firmly against the sofa. Gripping the sofa cover tightly with trembling fingers, she finally spoke.

“Why… why are you like this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Saying those things so boldly, without a hint of hesitation…”

“Did I say something extraordinary? All I said was that I’m going to miss you while we’re apart.”

Huff, Rose took a deep breath again. 

Jasper’s overt expression was making her head spin. She never expected Jasper to be so straightforward, so she had no immunity at all.

‘I must look so embarrassed…!’

Ironically, the one who had spoken was still composed as usual, while Rose, not knowing what to do, huddled her shoulders. The tingling sensation from her lower back made it difficult to sit still.

‘Jasper might be used to this, but… I’m not.’

Rose speculated that Jasper probably knew how to deal with the opposite sex. After all, there were always girls around Jasper without fail. She also felt a sense of defeat that she, who had been so focused on her studies, couldn’t handle Jasper in this situation.

Jasper watched Rose, who seemed lost in her thoughts, with keen interest. His large pupils were rolling ceaselessly, and his unruly bangs were flickering and swaying in the air.

“Rose Bell, you’re really funny.”

Rose hesitated for a moment and then let out a long sigh.

“I know. It probably seems cheesy.”

“No, I meant it was cute.”

Jasper spoke in a casual tone, but the meaning behind his words was anything but. At least, that’s how Rose interpreted it.

Rose stumbled and stood up abruptly from the club room sofa. Unsure of what to do, she spoke in a trembling tone.

“D-Don’t say that, Jasper.”

“I’m not particularly fond of teasing words either. But given your reaction, there’s not much I can do.”

Feeling embarrassed, Rose muttered.

“You… confidently saying you want to tease me.”

“Well, it’s because I like you…”

“Ah! I should go now. I’ll leave, Jasper. Thank you for letting me know about Redmark. Take care.”

In the end, Rose interrupted Jasper and spilled out her words before quickly darting out of the club room. From behind her, she could hear Jasper’s muffled laughter.

Once out of the club room, Rose took a few deep breaths. Her heart was pounding fiercely.

As time went on, it seemed like Jasper was quickly learning how to shake her up.

With her clenched fist, Rose tapped her chest a few times, but her heartbeat showed no signs of calming down.

‘No… ‘

If things continued like this, she felt like she wouldn’t be able to regain her composure in front of Jasper.

* * *

Two days later, on the day Rose had agreed to have real-time communication with her mother, Anna, relief awaited her to soothe the complexities that had troubled her for the past few days. 

It was the day they had promised to communicate in real-time through the makeshift communication exchange within Berkley Academy.

Inside Berkley Academy, there was a makeshift communication exchange where students could use communication devices if they wished. Although the establishment of communication exchanges in Quilts had happened recently, the use of communication devices had spread across the continent about a decade ago. 

This was made possible by the revelation that magic signals could be absorbed by mana stones, converted into a specialized mana signal, and transmitted to distant places. 

Now, it is possible to have real-time conversations even from a long distance.

However, letters were still a more prevalent means of communication. To transmit mana signals to specific locations, an operator had to manually specify the coordinates each time.

Rose went to the communication exchange at the appointed time and stood in front of the mana communication device, clutching the receiver with trembling hands. She brought it close to her ear with a nervous heart.

Soon, the voice of the operator came through the receiver.

-Connecting to Northern District Exchange 37, Window 9.

“Yes, thank you.”

Rose held the receiver with both hands and swallowed nervously. Unknowingly, she tapped her toes anxiously.

‘Finally, I’ll be able to hear my mother’s voice.’

The last time Rose couldn’t go to Quilts was during the previous summer vacation, so it had been almost a year. They had consistently exchanged news through letters, but having a voice conversation felt completely different.

Every second waiting for the connection to be established felt like an eternity. At the end of the anxious wait, a voice from the faraway land of Quilts finally reached Rose’s ears.

-Rosalie… is this Rose?”

“Yes, Mother, it’s me.”

Rose bowed her head deeply and shivered. Indescribable emotions enveloped her entire body.

-Rose, huh? Oh my, sweetie, how long has it been? Huh? Are you feeling okay, any discomfort?

Anna’s voice sounded a bit choked. Rose felt her nose getting stuffy, but she tried to answer confidently.

“I’m doing well. I’m just worried about my family back in Quilts.”

-Everything is the same here. We’re always worried about you, Rose. We’re always concerned because you’re alone in the academy.

Rose suppressed her surging emotions and quickly explained her current situation. It was all good news. She enjoyed her studies, made good friends, and so on.

The time allotted for ‘private communication’ between individuals was a maximum of 15 minutes. Originally, due to the high communication fees, they probably couldn’t even afford 15 minutes, but fortunately, being an academy student granted them various discounts.

Nevertheless, once they started the communication, the 15 minutes felt incredibly short and cruel. Speaking with a sense of urgency, Rose said.

“I found out about Father’s whereabouts.”

-Really? How?

Rose hadn’t yet told Anna the story about being sought after by the Redmark Summit. 

Adding to that, if Anna were to find out about the debt Rose was in due to George running off, it would be deeply distressing.

While the truth needed to be conveyed eventually, Rose couldn’t bring herself to speak of it just yet. As Rose hesitated, Anna, with a voice full of concern, asked.

-Sweetie, is something wrong?

“Ah, no. Nothing at all…”

Rose attempted to continue speaking casually, but her voice choked as the endearing term ‘sweetie’ overwhelmed her with emotions.

-Have you met him again by any chance?

“With Father… I haven’t seen him since we parted the last time. Rumor has it he’s in Valloch.”

-Valloch…?

Anna’s deep sigh reached Rose through the mana signal.

-It seems he hasn’t changed.

“Have there been any communications related to Father in Quilts?”

-No news at all.

It seemed the gang hadn’t yet reached Quilts. While Rose was relieved, she couldn’t fully let go. If they didn’t find George soon, eventually, the family in Quilts would also be in danger.

At that moment, Rose was more worried about Quilts’ family than her safety. Anna hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low, concerned voice.

-Rose, I fear I burden you too much by being in the capital city.

Anna’s voice was gentle and soothing, but beneath it lay a profound sadness.

-Truth be told… I’m utterly fed up with George. He’s exasperating me.

Before marrying George, Anna, though from a noble family, had carried herself with pride as a noblewoman. Even in frustrating circumstances, she had never raised her voice.

Rose was taken aback by Anna’s uncharacteristically rough tone.

-You must have seen a lot of ugly things when you were in and out of the gambling houses looking for your father. There must have been many rough men in those places. You’re still so young to go through such experiences.

Rose deliberately raised her tone to reassure Anna.

“Mother, really… I’ll be an adult in a few months.”

-To me, you’re still a child. I feel like I sent you away too early. I should have taken care of you more… Were there truly no dangerous moments, Rose? You don’t need to act tough all the time.

Rose’s lips quivered. Speaking with Anna in her voice, buried emotions from her childhood seemed to surface.

She wanted to tell Anna that it was too difficult, just like when she was a child. She wanted to say that she was terrified when the gang’s men took her away. 

Whenever she thought about what might have happened if Jasper hadn’t saved her, her body still felt frozen with fear.

On the other side of the communication device, Anna’s voice, heavy with emotion, continued.

-Sweetie, I miss you so much these days. 

“Me too….”

Rose couldn’t gather her overflowing emotions and began speaking.

“I… I miss you too, Mom.”

The moment she used the endearing term from her childhood, tears welled up in her eyes and one by one, dropped down. Rose quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, but the choking in her throat didn’t subside.

“I… miss you…”

-Yeah, it must have been tough on your own. How did you endure? How did you… all by yourself?

Rose held the receiver tightly, sobbing. She had thought she had no tears left, but recently, tears seemed to burst forth in succession, making her realize just how difficult it had been for her all this time.

She had often hidden her pains and bravely faced the world, but now, in front of her mother’s voice, she felt powerless and weak. She wanted to lean on someone who genuinely cared for her and vent her frustrations for a moment.

“Mom, actually… something frightening happened not long ago. It was so… so terrifying.”

Anna asked with surprise and fear in her voice.

-What? W-What happened? Tell me in detail.

“Everything is mostly resolved now. Fortunately, a friend helped me…”

As Rose spoke, she paused for a moment. 

In that instant, Jasper’s face filled her mind.