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Chapter 33: The Trouble of Being Popular

No matter which world you’re in, 8 AM classes will always make you drowsy.

In the early morning, the teacher’s slightly childish and inexperienced voice mixed with the giggles of classmates and the scratch of pens on paper creates a lullaby for Roy.

For Roy, facing the lectures alone after parting with Alice every morning was pure torture.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t escape the responsibilities of being a student.

The courses at the Magic Academy, whether history, politics, or even literature, all relate to the extraordinary. In that sense, stockpiling knowledge wasn’t a bad thing, and Roy didn’t want to be a bad role model for a certain little maid. If he ended up flunking, how would he hold his head up in front of Alice?

However, his homeroom teacher, Barbara, had a soft personality and taught with a slow, flowery manner, which meant most students’ attention was more on her curvy figure than on the class.

“Anyway, that’s it for today’s lesson~” With the end-of-class bell ringing, Barbara let out a sigh of relief, as if she couldn’t wait for class to end more than her students.

As soon as class was over, a certain black-haired catgirl led the charge, and a bunch of students rushed outside to stretch their stiff bodies.

Roy was planning to join them for a walk to shake off his morning drowsiness when suddenly, a golden-haired woman crossed her arms and placed her fancy little fan right in front of him.

“Good day, Mr. Roy.”

The students around them had mixed reactions—some jealous, some disdainful.

Beneath Roy’s calm exterior, he felt a clash of headaches.

Yana Shanik, the daughter of a marquis from the Golden Sands Kingdom.

She was quite busty and pretty enough, though not as stunning as Charlotte, Alice, or Nia. Still, she was the hottest beauty among the newcomers and had gathered quite a few admirers.

Normal enough guys wouldn’t hate a pretty girl unless she had a horrible personality.

Rumors suggested Yana often bullied classmates using her power and flirts with the guys she liked, only to toss them aside once she got bored, making her a total heartbreaker.

Setting aside the rumors, Roy vividly remembered how this pampered vicious woman bullied Alice in the original story, which had once shot his blood pressure through the roof.

Even though nothing of the sort had happened now, it was hard for Roy to feel friendly toward a bully.

“Good morning, Yana. Is there something you need?” Roy replied coolly, staying polite but somewhat indifferent.

Two dashing boys followed closely behind her.

One of them immediately looked miffed: “Mind your attitude! It’s an honor for you that Lady Yana is talking to you!”

“Shut up, Haman.” Yana put a hand to the corner of her mouth and shot a cold glance, “Mind your manners—Roy is my friend.”

Under Haman’s reprimand, the latter instantly looked a bit anxious and lowered his head like a scolded pup.

Turning back to Roy, Yana replaced her stern look with a smile: “Please forgive me, Mr. Roy. These lowly commoners just don’t know their place.”

Roy couldn’t tell if this was a rehearsed act or if she was just winging it, but Yana’s obvious desire to dominate, as if sizing up prey, sent a shiver down his spine.

Other nobles like Charlotte never had such a gaze. That crimson-eyed pride might sometimes flare into anger, but it never bore the coldness of viewing someone as a target like Yana’s.

Roy was fully aware of what she was thinking.

A ‘scummy man’ tarnishes his own name, but it’s also a title that signifies a charming guy. Yana probably figured winning over a guy who had Charlotte and Alice wrapped around his finger would elevate her above those two girls.

Roy had no intention of feeding her vanity.

Even a soft-hearted gigolo has standards about whom to chase after.

“Sorry, I’m busy.”

As Roy was about to stand up, the two boys blocked his path one after the other.

A smirk danced on Yana’s face: “Hold on a sec.”

“What could possibly be more important than this?”

The golden-haired woman folded her fan and then rudely flicked it toward Roy’s chin, the irritating scent of her perfume driving him to irritation.

She seemed quite confident in her appeal.

Darn it! They say good men shouldn’t fight with women, and a gentleman should treat ladies with respect, but this woman was really getting on his nerves!

Just as Roy’s patience was wearing thin, a cheerful and breezy voice floated in from the classroom door.

“Classmate, may I ask if Roy is here?”

Almost everyone in the room, including Roy and Yana, turned instinctively toward the voice.

It was a girl with a radiant smile, youthful energy, and a greenish-blue side ponytail. Her pure white uniform couldn’t hide her stunning figure, and the snug white stockings accentuated her curves perfectly.

The boys instantly perked up.

But Roy was even more eager.

“As I just mentioned, I still have things to do.”

With that said, he ignored the blonde woman’s reaction, slipped past her flunkies, and headed straight for the door.

“That girl is so cute, three minutes—I want her entire history!”

“Looks like she’s the unofficial class beauty in class three; I wonder what her name is…”

While the boys were still whispering, they saw Roy going straight up to the green-haired girl, chatting and laughing as they walked out together.

In an instant, the expressions on the boys’ faces turned stiff as boards.

Wait, brother, you moved way too fast! We didn’t even get a name before you jumped in?!

Left behind, Yana watched Roy’s retreating form with a flash of darkness in her eyes.

“Very well, you’re the first man to dare reject me.”

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As they stepped out of the classroom, Nia shot him a playful look: “By the way, who was that woman? She can’t be your girlfriend, right?”

Roy nearly choked on his own spit.

“Cough, cough! That joke’s not funny; she’s the one bothering me.” Roy said deadpan.

“Tsk, tsk, being a popular guy must be hard work.” Nia exaggeratedly shrugged.

Roy was amused by her words and rolled his eyes at her: “Like you have the right to say that, popular one.”

The Forest Elf could lower her aura, hide her true lineage power, and even use illusions to disguise herself simply.

But even so, Nia’s lovely looks and bright spirit just couldn’t be concealed.

Though she entered school quietly, in just a few days, her name as the new class flower had spread around.

Unlike Charlotte’s haughty demeanor or Alice’s cold silence, Nia was all smiles and friendliness, radiating contagious energy that drew people in.

Moreover, Nia enjoyed making friends; in fact, in just those few steps down the corridor, many people were greeting her.

In a sense, Nia was even more popular than Charlotte and Alice.

Unlike Roy, who had a mixed reputation as hit-or-miss, Nia was genuinely well-loved by everyone.

 

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