I got up from my seat and moved to a patch of grass a short distance away, sitting down with half my body hidden among the bushes.
The green-haired child watched me and let out a small laugh before quickly lowering his head.
To be honest, I liked children.
But dealing with them was incredibly difficult.
You had to be careful not to break them, they cried whenever you said the wrong thing, and most importantly—
They didn't like me.
Even though I liked them.
Just then, a bucketful of water came crashing down over my head.
I'd been lost in thought and failed to react in time.
I simply sat there, drenched, blinking blankly.
“Pfft! You look like a drowned rat!”
I looked up at the mocking voice.
Klein stood there, pushing back his hair and grinning.
Even at his age, his looks were ridiculously unfair.
“Is this your way of asking me to play with you?”
“What? As if I'd ever do that!”
“Ah...”
Then there was only one possibility left.
I looked up at him.
“Do you want attention?”
“...”
“Sorry, but if you hate me that much, wouldn't it be better if we just pretended not to know each other?”
Klein let out an incredulous laugh.
Crossing his arms and leaning onto one leg, he sneered.
“Are you still sulking because I used you?”
“Yeah.”
My immediate answer made him point at me triumphantly.
“Ha! I knew it! I thought you said you couldn't remember anything!”
“Funny enough, being framed as a thief is one memory that's still crystal clear.”
“Q-Quiet down!”
Afraid Medina might hear, Klein hurriedly covered my mouth.
The moment our eyes met up close, his face twisted into a scowl.
“Stop looking at me!”
Kids were really hard to deal with.
I obediently lowered my gaze.
The hand covering my mouth loosened.
Then I heard his slightly bewildered voice.
“W-Were you always this obedient?”
“I won't tell Medina. Besides, I don't plan on staying in Class One for long anyway. We probably won't run into each other much.”
Well, we'd still see each other in the dormitories.
But unless I did something first, Medina probably wouldn't approach me.
“You don't plan on staying in Class One?”
“I lost my memory, remember? That means I forgot everything I learned too.”
“Tch.”
As though he'd expected that answer, Klein looked me over disapprovingly before standing up.
“Just thinking about never seeing you again makes me feel relieved.”
Thanks.
Appreciate it.
“And I seriously don't get why you're acting so confident. Fine, I used you. But did you conveniently forget all the times you bullied other kids?”
The novel had never gone into detail about how Lopez treated people, so I honestly didn't know.
“Be careful. There are a lot of kids who hold grudges against you!”
“Thanks for worrying about me.”
“I'm not worried! I'm mocking you!”
Klein huffed angrily.
Apparently out of things to say, he turned around and ran back toward Medina.
I waved goodbye.
He ignored me completely.
“Medina! Let me play too!”
“You weren't bullying Lopez, were you?”
“Nope! Just like you said, I went and made up with him!”
Was that what he called making up?
I felt like I'd just been insulted for five straight minutes.
Chester's indifferent gaze briefly landed on me before shifting away.
He's calculating.
He's figuring out when he'll be able to use me.
To avoid his stare, I quietly got up and headed toward the showers.
I'd played outside long enough.
That should be fine.
As Lopez trudged away toward the shower room, completely soaked, the other children finally relaxed.
“Doesn't Lopez seem kind of scary?”
“He's the one who did something wrong. Why does he keep acting pitiful?”
“Even Medina's walking on eggshells around him!”
“It's okay,” Medina said gently, smiling. “He lost his memories. He must be confused. Let's not be too hard on him.”
The children weren't convinced.
They already knew Lopez had always had a nasty personality.
But this time, he'd crossed a line.
Medina had nearly been expelled from the orphanage after being falsely accused of theft.
To the children, Medina was like a kind older sister.
Everyone liked her.
Naturally, they were wary of the person responsible for hurting her.
And considering Lopez had already been intimidating and unpleasant before, their resentment only grew stronger.
“Medina's too nice for her own good.”
Even so, Klein didn't dislike that part of her.
In fact, he'd fallen helplessly under the spell of her kindness.
“What if someone takes advantage of you someday?”
“Then you can keep protecting me, Klein!”
The moment she answered, the corners of Klein's mouth shot upward.
“Of course! I'll protect you!”
“Hehe.”
Medina smiled sweetly.
Instantly, both Klein and Chester's faces turned red.
Klein glared at Chester.
“She wasn't smiling at you.”
“I know. I just think Medina's smile is pretty.”
Chester's blunt honesty brought a faint blush to Medina's cheeks.
Seeing that, Klein immediately grabbed Medina's hand and pulled her farther away from Chester.
“Hey, aren't you on snack duty today? Shouldn't you be leaving already?”
Chester's eyebrows twitched irritably as he stared at their joined hands.
Medina sighed quietly between them before carefully asking Chester,
“Chester, want to come with us?”
Klein nearly exploded.
I was trying to separate you two!
“Medina, you're just going to leave me here by myself?”
“Then let's all go together. You guys keep playing! We'll bring snacks back!”
At last, Klein succeeded in dragging Chester away and shot him a victorious grin.
The three of them were heading off to get snacks when they suddenly froze.
A familiar voice echoed through the hallway.
“...You'll die.”
The chilling words made Klein bite his lip.
Has he lost his mind? Who's he threatening now...?
Lopez continued.
“If you keep following me, you'll die.”
“W-Why?”
“Because...”
A dramatic pause followed.
“I'm an evil witch.”
Klein and Chester both exhaled sharply.
That was the dumbest threat they'd ever heard.
“...”
“Are you not scared?”
“You're annoying!”
The brutally honest response from the green-haired boy made Lopez place a hand over his chest as though wounded.
“Your direct way of speaking has deeply shocked me. To calm my heart, I think I need some time al—”
“WAAAHHHHH!”
“—with company.”
Looking slightly dazed, Lopez grabbed the green-haired boy, Bill, and started toward the showers.
The moment they saw that, Klein and Chester rushed over and blocked his path.
“Hey! Hey! What are you doing?!”
Lopez immediately stepped backward the instant Klein appeared.
The avoidance was so blatant that Klein's eyebrow shot upward.
What am I, garbage?
His mood instantly soured.
“I was going to help him shower...”
“Are you insane?! He's a boy!”
“We'll do it. Move.”
Chester shoved Lopez aside and pulled Bill over to him.
The push wasn't particularly hard.
Yet Lopez lost his balance immediately and fell flat onto his backside.
“Ah!”
The startled cry made Chester flinch.
Apparently, he hadn't expected Lopez to topple over so easily.
His face filled with panic.
Medina hurried over and helped Lopez up.
“S-Sorry. Chester didn't mean it—”
“Ah, right. I'm still a kid, but I guess helping a green-haired boy shower would be weird. There's only a two-year age difference, after all.”
“...Huh?”
As though he didn't care at all about being knocked down, Lopez simply muttered to himself and walked into the girls' shower room.
Chester stared blankly after him.
He hadn't meant to push him that hard.
The old Lopez would have snapped back or complained.
But this one had simply left.
“Bill, why were you with Lopez? Why weren't you playing with us?”
At Medina's disappointed question, Chester finally tore his gaze away from the shower room.
Bill fidgeted with his fingers.
“B-Because he's pretty...”
The unexpected answer nearly sent Klein into orbit.
“Are your eyes attached to your feet or something?! Anyone can see Medina's the prettiest!”
“Klein!”
Medina smacked his arm, her face turning bright red.
“Stop teasing me!”
“I'm serious.”
Klein grinned.
Beside him, Chester nodded in complete agreement.
Medina looked at them helplessly before turning back to Bill.
“But Bill, weren't you scared of Lopez before?”
“Back then, he always looked at people like this.”
Bill dramatically pulled the corners of his eyes upward.
Medina nearly burst out laughing.
“And now?”
“He seems nice! It's fun teasing him! The way he gets flustered is cute! He doesn't bully anyone anymore, and he's really quiet now! Ever since he lost his memories, it's like he became a totally different person!”
Bill beamed.
Then he happily ran into the shower room.
Watching him go, Medina looked worried.
“I just hope he doesn't get hurt...”
Even if Lopez had lost his memory, that didn't mean his sharp tongue had disappeared.
She was worried that young Bill might end up getting his feelings hurt.
As Medina spoke, Chester and Klein exchanged a silent glance.
Inside the shower room, I lowered my head and rubbed my aching backside.
“Ow.”
I poked at it experimentally.
“There's a bruise on my butt!”
I pressed it a few more times.
It hurt quite a bit.
