Chapter 271: The Confession of Hatred

“Then I’ll be going now. Handle things well.”

Since Dyuf fainted and the lecture was canceled, and now that Hailga has resolved not to push forward with the Fake Lover Operation, it seems there will be no further issues.

Thus, I judged there was no longer any need to stay here.

‘It might feel like I’ve gained some free time right now, but considering I’ll have to make up for the lecture later… I shouldn’t waste the time I have now.’

Besides, today was the day for my private Whip Technique lesson with Skadi.

According to what she had arbitrarily chattered about last week, she has no scheduled lectures on Thursdays, so she has a big block of free time.

If I go early, I should be able to get that much extra time for Skadi’s instruction.

So, as I got up from my seat and was about to leave the classroom…

“Wait a moment!”

Hailga called out to stop me.

Surely she wasn’t going to ask for help after just saying with her own mouth that she wouldn’t push her problems onto others anymore?

I deliberately let that thought show on my face as I turned to look at Hailga.

But the words that came from her mouth were—

“Thank you. Young Lord.”

—just that.

As she said this, Hailga showed her teeth in a bright smile.

It wasn’t the elegant smile of a noble young lady.

But it overflowed with vivacity and vitality.

That smile looked infinitely more charming than any artificially crafted one.

“Thanks to you, I was able to make a decision that’s true to myself, one I won’t regret later.”

“……Hmm.”

Having no proper response, I let out my usual grunt and sharply turned my body.

And, wary that someone else might try to stop me, I hurriedly left the lecture hall building.

‘But is it okay to show up three hours early without even telling her?’

As I walked diligently, this worry suddenly crossed my mind.

But it soon became clear it was an unnecessary concern.

“Wow!! What’s going on~? You came so early~! Grandpa Rabbi and his friends are busy with some paper, they said~, so I had nothing to do alone and was so bored~! I’m super happy that Karbaldr came early~!!”

Skadi jumped up and down like a child and welcomed me sincerely.

Luckily, the timing seemed to have worked out perfectly.

Time flew by as I immersed myself in training, and before I knew it, it was time for dinner.

I planned to continue training with Skadi even after the meal, so I headed to the Dining Hall with her.

Somehow, there was a huge crowd of people gathered around the building.

“Is there something fun going on~?! Let’s go see quickly~~!!”

Seemingly curious, Skadi quickly ran ahead.

I was also curious about what was happening.

But the problem was that being led by curiosity and frivolously running was one thing, but squeezing through the crowd was an act that went against Karbaldr’s character.

“Hurry, hurry~!”

I had no choice but to walk normally, but Skadi, who had run ahead, came back, grabbed my wrist firmly, and started running again.

What’s more, she even took the lead and cleared a path.

Thanks to that, I could comfortably reach the front row while maintaining the Possession Body’s character.

But my gratitude towards Skadi was short-lived.

“Huh~? Hey, isn’t that Hailga~? What is she doing over there~??”

The moment I saw Hailga standing imposingly at the entrance of the Dining Hall building, my mind became complicated.

There were easels set up on either side of Hailga.

And on those easels were large canvas boards with the following words written on them:

“Sudden Confession”
“Rumor Clarification”

Moreover, the letters were in red Gothic script, and the background was painted a bright yellow, so it instantly grabbed one’s attention.

‘Looks like she decided to solve the problem today, before the rumors spread by that villain grow and turn into a scandal.’

I could also guess why she was doing this at this particular time and place.

Since everyone gathers at the Dining Hall during mealtime, there couldn’t be a more appropriate time and place to gather spectators and correct the rumors.

Even though the answer naturally came to mind like that…

“I don’t know.”

“Why~? Aren’t you friends~?”

“We are not friends.”

“You’re doing it again…”

Considering my duty as the Narrator, securing a spot in a good place to watch was clearly a good thing.

But my heart couldn’t see it as fortunate.

The one being watched was Hailga, but somehow, just looking at her made me feel so embarrassed and ashamed that I instinctively covered my face.

I desperately wanted to become a stranger to her.

Hailga herself seemed to feel embarrassed too, as her face was slightly flushed.

Judging by her expression, she probably also hoped that no one who knew her would show up.

Therefore—

“Should we go ask Hailga~?”

“W-w-wait. I think it’s better not to do that.”

—For the sake of both myself and Hailga, I urgently stopped Skadi.

“Why~?”

“Because…, well… the atmosphere seems a bit…, solemn, don’t you think…?”

“It does look like that~! Especially that writing over there~!!”

“…Anyway, so let’s just watch without disturbing. Seeing that it says she’ll confess and clarify something, she’ll probably start explaining once enough people have gathered.”

“Hmm~, then it’s better to wait quietly~!!”

Fortunately, the wait wasn’t long.

Perhaps word had spread that something interesting was about to happen, as people gathered in an instant.

Hailga, holding an Ether Microphone she must have borrowed from somewhere tightly in both hands, opened her mouth.

“A…, hello..! Thank you all for gathering! First, let me introduce myself. My name is Helga Vitnir!”

Even though she was the one who had stood on the podium as the grade representative and given a speech during last year’s Graduation Ceremony.

Perhaps because facing curious gazes without her Pretending was inevitably nerve-wracking, a slight tremor could be heard in Hailga’s voice.

“Probably… no, surely you’re all wondering why I’m standing here like this. The reason is not this side but the other side? Anyway! As written here, it’s to clarify a rumor!!”

Hailga pointed at the canvas that said “Sudden Confession,” then hastily changed her hand position to point at the “Rumor Clarification” side.

At her action, a question popped up from among the spectators asking if she wasn’t going to confess then.

“Of course I will confess too! But it won’t be the sweet confession of the kind you all are thinking!”

“Oh…” sounds flowed from here and there.

But no one left in disappointment.

Rather, they showed even greater curiosity and interest.

“To continue! The rumor I want to clarify is that I ‘like Drembi Opraushy’!!”

After hearing Hailga’s shout, the emotion that appeared on the spectators’ faces was bewilderment.

“Was there such a rumor? I haven’t heard it.”

“I’ve heard it.”

“She likes that Drembi guy?”

“Since she says she’s clarifying it, doesn’t that mean she doesn’t like him?”

“So what does she want us to do?”

“She’s making such a spectacle over just a rumor like that??”

The buzzing sound filled the surroundings.

Hailga must have anticipated such reactions.

Sure enough, she continued calmly without showing a hint of panic.

“I know! To others, it might feel like ‘just’ a rumor! Since it’s just a rumor anyway, you probably think I should just ignore it! But to me, it’s a very, very serious problem! Because!! I hate Drembi, that bastard, so, so much!!!!”

The moment Hailga raised her voice and shouted, a “Beeeeep!” sound erupted from the Ether Microphone.

Due to excessive volume, a feedback phenomenon had occurred.

At that sharp noise, the buzzing spectators reflexively shut their mouths.

But perfect silence did not come.

Because the last word Hailga had spat out a moment ago was repeated and echoed.

“Hate, hate, …ate, …ate, …te!”

It seemed Hailga’s shout was output through the microphone to the speaker, and that output sound entered the microphone again, causing a feedback loop.

“I really hate Drembi, that bastard. I hate him so much! Being linked by rumors is shameful for me! To that extent! It’s really horrible!!”

Once again, the word hate popped out of Hailga’s mouth and repeated.

“So this was the confession?”

“It’s definitely not sweet.”

“But what kind of person is this ‘Drembi’ that she detests him to that extent?”

“Does anyone know who ‘Drembi’ is?”

Interest in Drembi increased.

Of course, in a negative sense.

“Ah! Could it be Senior Drembi?? Right, right?!”

It was then that such a voice was heard from the back.

That voice was very unfamiliar, but its exaggerated tone was quite familiar.

Probably Pret had spotted Drembi in the crowd and shouted like that on purpose to draw attention.

“What, is that Drembi guy here?”

“Where, where is he?!”

“There he is, over there!”

“Is that the Drembi?”

Whether it was because the Opraushy Count Family’s status wasn’t high, or because everyone here had become part of the crowd, no one paid any heed to Drembi’s feelings and tried to pull him out as a spectacle.

Those who knew Drembi’s face pointed at him with their fingers.

Perhaps knowing there was nothing good about being involved in this, the people standing next to the villain quickly stepped back, putting distance between themselves and him.

“Hey, hey! Move aside, move aside! He probably has a lot to say too!”

The people in front parted to the sides, creating a path leading to where Hailga was standing.

Thanks to that, the villain’s bright red face came right into view.

Because he was grimacing and fuming, his already below-average face looked even uglier and nastier.

Perhaps he thought that if he left like this, he might become the subject of ridicule until graduation.

No, perhaps for his whole life.

Or perhaps he was so angry he couldn’t let it go without a confrontation.

The villain took large strides and stood facing Hailga.

“Hailga…!! What are you doing right now?!”

“What am I doing? It’s written right here, isn’t it? ‘Rumor Clarification,’ ‘Sudden Confession.’ I’m clarifying the absurd rumor that I like you, and confessing what my true feelings toward you are.”

“You, you…!”

“I brought an extra microphone just in case, do you want to use it?”

Even though the other raised his voice, unlike when she had faced him behind a building, Hailga was not intimidated in the slightest.

On the contrary, she even showed the composure to take out another Ether Microphone from her Inventory and hand it to the villain.

The bastard’s face twisted even more hideously…

“Wow…, I get why that girl started this. If a rumor spread that she liked a face like that, it would be unfair.”

“He really looks like he has a bad personality.”

“Totally agree.”

Such words could be heard from here and there.