I Became The Academy’s Narrow-Eyes - Chapter 38: Bad Friend (2)

‘Why is such a shabby man beside our young lady?”

It was like the gaze of a mother looking at the ill-mannered friend her daughter brought home.

‘So do I seem like a bad friend in her eyes?’

No.

What did I even do?

Such an unjust feeling didn’t last long.

I contemplated my appearance.

-Tugging my hair, smiling casually.

Exactly.

My face was designed by the creator to give a cheeky yet harmless impression.

Anyone would call me ‘a weirdo’.

Anyone would label me ‘a shabby guy’.

Anyone would say I’m ‘silly’.

“…”

Yena had a meticulous personality and standards, befitting of her role as Drin’s guardian.

Given her even chilly gaze towards Adryn, Adella and Mizu, who were from a high-ranking noble family, it was only natural for her to disapprove of someone like me being next to Drin.

“…”

Then, Miss Drin opened her mouth.

“First, this is Mr. Ceylon. He’s an academy student.”

“An academy student?”

That reduced the disapproval in Yena’s gaze by about 20%.

‘This is the power of education…!?’

Indeed, education was king.

There was a reason why parents sacrificed their lives to send their children to good universities.

Even in this world where status was everything, education was one of the greatest virtues.

Of course.

It still wasn’t enough.

The disapproval in Yena’s gaze had decreased by 20%, but the remaining disapproval still seemed fatal.

Exposure to that amount of disapproval could lead me to a critical condition, prompting me to keep a distance from Miss Drin.

“Being an academy student and you mean- are you an upperclassman then?

Yena evaluated me with a sharp gaze hidden behind her polite demeanor.

“Oh, I’m not an upperclassman. I’m a participant who, like me, participated in this year’s entrance exam.”

Yena’s head tilted ever so slightly.

‘So why are you a student already?’ seemed to be the implication.

Miss Drin nodded as if she understood, and spoke.

“His grades are outstanding and his admission is practically confirmed, hence I introduced him as a student.”

Did I hear her say, ‘this guy is my friend’ in the tone of Miss Drin’s voice? Was I being overly conscious?

In that case, never mind. It was an overactive consciousness.

‘Oh, yes.’

My mood was rather uplifting.

“Huh. Well, that’s impressive.”

Thankfully, due to Miss Drin’s introduction full of favor, the disapproval in Yena’s gaze lessened considerably.

However, the disapproval was still palpable.

I was impressed.

‘How bad is my first impression?’

I marveled at my ability to understand.

A characteristic of a weirdo.

The worst first impression.

That characteristic was fully expressed in my face, and Yena’s attitude was probably the result of it.

Thinking about it, Yena’s awkwardness towards me was rather welcoming.

Should I say it’s burning?

I’m determined to see how much I can raise the evaluation that started from a negative point.

“This is Miss Adryn of the Teln family.”

“Miss Adryn, welcome to the Lebringer residence.”

“Huh? Oh, yes! I’m Adryn of the Teln family! Thank you for inviting me!”

“This is…”

Then, Miss Drin was about to introduce Adella and looked at me.

She seemed to be concerned about what had happened between Adella and me during the exam.

I nodded my head, indicating that it was okay.

At this point, it would be more beneficial for both me and Miss Adryn to maintain a moderately close relationship with Adella rather than avoiding her.

“…”

Adella, who was uneasy about the brief awkward silence.

“Miss Adella of the Espien family.”

Miss Drin continued the introduction belatedly, but the anxiety on Adella’s face didn’t fully disappear.

“Miss Adella, welcome.”

“Th-thank you for the welcome.”

“This is Miss Mizu of the Bauer family.”

Miss Drin introduced the rest of the group.

The three of them exchanged greetings with Yena, looking intimidated.

High-ranking noble children feeling intimidated by a mere maid?

Someone might call this an unbelievable sight, but not in my eyes.

The maid’s outfit Yena was wearing was based on the standard maid uniform, but there were subtle differences compared to the uniforms of the other maids that could be seen beyond the door.

It was evidence that she held the distinct position of a lady-in-waiting, not a simple maid.

Thus, Yena was a noble of a noble family, just like the three of them, and above all, she was a person trusted by the Lebringer family to serve as the guardian of their precious daughter.

Although Yena was standing in front of us as a maid in formality.

In the actual world of nobility, her status was much higher than that of Miss Adryn, Adella, and Mizu.

The world of nobility, it was disgustingly complicated.

“…Miss Mizu, welcome.”

“Um… Excuse me.”

Now that even Miss Mizu of the Bauer family, who could be openly despised by the Lebringer family, a prestigious swordsmanship family, has been welcomed.

It was concluded that I was the only one among Miss Drin’s guests who did not hear ‘welcome’ from Yena.

In such a situation, Miss Drin said,

“Yena? Ceylon here couldn’t find a place to stay, so we’re planning to let him stay at our mansion until the entrance ceremony. Could you prepare a room?”

Psh!

It seemed like such a sound came from Yena.

Yena’s gaze lingered on me for a moment just before it reached Drin.

It was a momentary moment.

Although it was a momentary moment, I felt a pressure as if I was being buried deep in the ground.

The meaning contained in Yena’s gaze was clear.

‘Don’t even dream about it.’

Yena looked at Drin and nodded her head.

“Understood, Miss. I will promptly find a place for Sir Ceylon to stay.”

A subtle difference in nuance.

The clear change in meaning that arises from it.

Yena will faithfully fulfill Drin’s request and find a guest room for me to stay in.

However, that guest room will not be in the Lebringer mansion.

“Thank you.”

Miss Drin thanked Yena purely, whether she didn’t notice it or didn’t care even if she knew.

‘So this is how it ends up.’

So it seemed that the place where I would stay until the entrance ceremony was changed from Miss Drin’s mansion to somewhere else.

It would be a lie to say I’m not disappointed, but on the other hand, I had a vague expectation that this would happen.

Miss Drin is a young lady from one of the eight major families.

I am a commoner.

The worlds we live in are different.

Even if Miss Drin has an angelic personality and becomes friends with me, whether that relationship is recognized by others is a completely different story.

“Do you have any other instructions?”

At Yena’s words, Drin nodded her head.

“I’m planning to have a dinner party with these guests today, could you prepare a place?”

Then, a look of difficulty appeared on Yena’s face.

“Miss, actually that’s-”

“Hmm? Is there a problem?”

“Actually, there has been a problem.”

“What happened?”

“The kitchen manager, who was supposed to arrive at the main house today and start work, has fallen ill and is currently receiving treatment.”

“Could it be, Mr. Ryan?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Oh my.”

Drin’s face twisted with difficulty and even greater worry.

“Is Mr. Ryan okay?”

“Fortunately, they say there is no danger to his life.”

“Phew…”

Miss Drin sincerely relieved and stroked her chest.

“However, it seems to be difficult for him to return to work. According to the priest’s opininon, he needs at least a few months rest to engage in vigorous activities.”

Miss Drin nodded satisfactorily.

“I’m disappointed that I can’t eat Mr. Ryan’s cooking for a while, but it’s a relief that there’s no risk to his life. Please give him the fullest support so he can recover.”

“I understand.”

At such a sight of Drin, Yena showed a very soft smile.

It seemed to say, ‘our lady, how kind and remarkable she is.’

What kind of motherly figure is she?

“Oh, wait- then-…”

Miss Drin showed her dilemma late.

Yena nods and says with a face of shame.

“Yes. No matter what, it seems tough to serve dinner to guests at the house tonight.”

“Ah.”

Miss Drin, with a face laced with disappointment and embarrassment, looked at our faces.

Yena’s expression also twisted into sorrow and pain at the sight of Drin.

To invite guests to a dinner party at a mansion like Lebringer and then have to cancel the dinner party due to personal reasons.

This couldn’t be anything but a truly humiliating situation for our Miss Drin and the Destroyed.

“Ah, that…”

“Uh…”

“Gulp…!”

The disappointment of Adryn, Adella, Mizu also seemed enormous.

No matter how burdensome it is, the opportunity to have contact with the Lebringer didn’t come easily.

It was a regrettable situation for everyone.

However.

For me right now, it was a very welcome situation.

Yena. It was an opportunity for me to score points with that lady.

I carefully raised my hand and said.

“Excuse me. Is the mansion ready with ingredients and facilities?”

“Yes, this main house is a mansion of the Lebringer family. Of course, all the ingredients and facilities are fully equipped at the highest level.”

I said to Yena, who said that and added ‘although it’s not a fact to be proud of now’.

“So, could I- take charge of cooking for tonight’s dinner?”

“What?”

Yena took a moment to try to understand my words in surprise.

She soon laughed bitterly.

“Thank you for your heartfelt kind words. However we cannot burden an outsider with the responsibility of a dinner party at the house of the Lebringer family.”

Was Yena touched by my attempt to overcome the situation?

I felt the disdain towards me in Yena’s gaze diminish significantly.

It’s not enough.

I didn’t bring up this conversation to simply raise my appeal from -100 to -90.

I continued speaking, recalling one of my avatar’s abilities.

“Will you trust me once and give me a chance?”

“….What?”

“I’m actually pretty confident in my cooking skills.”

I know a certain avatar who always cooked for her allies.

Inspired by that, I added a bit of culinary talent when creating this body.

[Trait : Absolute Taste]

[Grade : Legendary]

So, I was confident in my cooking.