"My whole body hurts!" Franchesca was lying half-slumped over a cafeteria table. "That teacher wants to kill us."
Zagressa's class was called a living hell in-game, so I was already prepared for the worst.
Thank you, Karla, for your equally brutal training.
"I wasn't expecting Cecil to enjoy fighting that much." We ended up sparring about twenty more times.
I already knew that beneath that carefree persona, there was a hidden side of him that relished the thrill of a good fight.
"At least you got a decent partner," she said, sitting up straight. "Mine was some useless C class bug." She crossed her arms in frustration. "I didn't meet the teacher's expectations because of her," she added, taking an angry bite of her snack.
"This is why I hate those kinds of people." I just laughed at her slightly out-of-pocket comment.
But she seemed to realize something. "Ah. Not you, of course. You're at least more entertaining than them." I'd never seen this flustered side of her before; it was quite endearing.
The more time I spend with her, the less I understand how she ended up becoming an evil character.
Speaking of…
I still haven't seen the main character, even though I've been exploring every place I could reach by now.
"I'm still hungry," I excused myself to go buy something.
I'm afraid I've caused a butterfly effect, changing everything.
But I haven't done anything too extreme…
Whatever. I'll find her eventually.
"Ugh, what is she doing here?"
Hm?
"I can't believe she has the courage to show her face around here."
"I know, right? If I were her, I'd be too embarrassed to show my face in public."
These comments… they happen only when the main character is here.
"Ha, not even the plebs in the lowest classes want to be with her."
"This academy truly accepts anyone. I guess every place has its downsides."
"What do you think you're doing here?" Franchesca slowly poured water over the main character's head, soaking her hair.
!!!
"You were lucky enough to be accepted here." She stopped pouring and slammed the glass on the table. "Don't push your luck by showing your cursed existence in front of everyone else."
A crowd gathered around Franchesca and her victim.
A cold personality that's unapproachable, eyes that seem to tell you to end your life — that you're the lowest of trash.
I'd stepped away from her for just a moment. What happened? She was acting normal before I left.
I pushed my way through the crowd and saw them: Franchesca Von Themys standing over her, looking down.
Kaida Thican, the main character of Dragon's Roar.
She stared at the table, silently waiting for help that wouldn't come — no one in the cafeteria would dare go against Franchesca.
At least, that's how it originally went…
"Fran! What are you doing?" I stepped between Fran and Kaida.
"What are you doing? Don't you know who she is?" I sensed something different in her tone — it wasn't the same one she'd used with Kaida.
I looked at the soaked girl, her short, messy pink hair clinging to her face, yellow eyes wide with surprise that someone had stepped in.
"I know who she is…" The problem was that I had no realistic reason to help her; I'd never even spoken to her until now.
"Then why are you defending her?" To everyone else, her tone might have sounded the same, but I heard a flicker of pain in her question.
"Regardless of her circumstances, she shouldn't be judged for her father's actions." I knew her father hadn't done anything wrong — I'd played the game — but only Kaida knew that.
"As far as we know, she might have been a victim too."
"The daughter of a sinner, found at the center of the incident as the sole survivor, is also a sinner." That's what everyone believed.
"If Miss Goldenlaw and the teachers at Aurum Academy accepted her, then there's something we don't know."
…
…
Those few seconds of silence felt like an eternity.
By the way she looked at me, I might have just ruined our friendship.
She looked like she hated me. But I also saw something else…
"Tch." She turned around and walked away. The crowd parted to let her pass.
It didn't matter. We'd only known each other a day — not enough time to call her a friend.
I'd much rather stand on the main character's side… that's the side with more probabilities to win.
…
I heard a whispered, "Thank you," from Kaida.
…
I left without looking back at Kaida, following Franchesca instead.
I ran to catch up to her.
She was walking alone down an empty hallway.
"Fran, wait!" My voice echoed, making her stop.
I didn't know what to say next. She'd bullied someone, and I'd protected the victim.
"Listen, I…"
I knew I'd done the right thing. There was nothing to apologize for.
"I did exactly what I thought was right." If this was where our friendship ended… "I stand by what I said — you had no reason to do that to her."
No… I didn't want it to end.
"And that's precisely why I did it…" She still hadn't turned around. "The way you were with me was completely different."
I wondered what expression she was making right now.
"It's because you were so kind to me — even though I became an outcast — that I know you're a good person."
"And… most importantly…" I wanted to save her. "We're friends, and friends call each other out when they're wrong." I wanted to know more about her.
"If you really want to stop being my friend after this… I won't let you. I'll keep sitting next to you in class. I'll keep eating with you." I wanted to learn what the game never showed me.
"Whenever there's a group project, we'll be partners. Whenever you do something bad, I'll call you out. Whenever I do something bad, you'll call me out —" because…
"Because you're my friend."
…
I hoped my words reached her.
"Haha, I knew it…" She still hadn't turned around, but at least she was talking. "You really are interesting. Defying me, Princess Franchesca Von Themys of the Montanev Kingdom."
She finally turned, eyes closed, a small smile on her face, chest puffed out with pride.
"Only someone worthy of defying me deserves to be my friend." She turned back around.
"I forgive you for your defiance — since it was for our friendship. I swear I'll be a bit kinder, even to that sinner."
That's the right choice, Fran. My friend.
She resumed walking, stopping after a few steps.
"What are you waiting for, peasant? You have to compensate for my forgiveness with something equally valuable."
Even though I hadn't apologized — nor was I wrong…
"Haha. I'll buy you a good drink to thank you for forgiving me." I caught up to her, tapping her shoulder.
"Then prepare your wallet. I only drink the finest beverages."
"I'd expect nothing less from you." We walked on, searching for a good spot in the city.
A small sigh escaped Fran's lips — a relieved sigh that told me everything was okay.
And with that…
My second day at Aurum Academy came to an end.