"Oh, damn it!"
Felix snorted.
Stealing drugs!
Felix ruffled his wet hair. It was even more painful because I knew how much time and effort Lucy put into making it.
After returning to the dormitory again, Felix, who had not even thought of taking out a new uniform, took out another washed training uniform and put it on.
Maintaining neat uniforms in the academy was the most basic school rule. But at this point in time when she lost the medicine Lucy gave her, she didn't even feel like questioning it.
His friend Alec greeted him with a playful face when he appeared in the classroom wearing a training suit.
"Oh, Felix!"
He came over and put his arm around Felix's shoulder and asked.
"Have you finally decided to cut Archel-sensei?"
Felix, who had lost the energy to answer, walked to his seat trembling without answering.
"what's the matter?"
Adrian, who was sitting in his seat, asked while looking at his training suit.
"It is history time. Swordsmanship is tomorrow."
"I know. Someone stole my school uniform from the gym."
"A uniform?"
Adrian frowned at the absurd answer.
But another friend, Jarvis, who stood by, intervened with an understandable look.
"I think he knew you were Adrian."
"Yeah, it's exam period soon."
Alec helped too.
"Some of them are turning their eyes on to get Adrian's stuff."
In Xenomium Academy, there was a superstition that plagued the seniors during each exam period. That was an unverified rumor that 'if you take a test with the chief's stuff, your grades will go up'.
Most of the students felt sorry for the existence of the superstition or the students who believed in it. If you can get good grades just by having things on your body, you won't even need to study.
Unfortunately, however, some students were under so much pressure on their grades that they could not even make such a commonsense judgment. This was usually the case with students whose parents were very intrusive and aristocratic.
They were afraid of their parents. As long as he could avoid the scolding of his parents for his low grades, he was ready to do anything.
As a result, Adrian had to steal trivial items such as pens and ties from the students who wanted to raise expectations, even in superstitions, every time the exam period returned.
"… … Do you steal the clothes of the person who was washing because of that superstition?"
Felix said with his sullen eyes shining.
"Yeah, stealing is wrong."
"You have to ask for it as proudly as we do."
Alec and Jarvis proudly held up the pen they had received from Adrian.
"But it's strange."
Adrian asked a question with a face that he did not understand.
"As for the items that have been lost so far, the only thing I can think of is a pen rolling on the desk. Isn't it too much to bring a school uniform?"
It was true. The reason Adrian stayed silent even when things disappeared during the trial period was because the things that disappeared were trivial things that weren't very expensive.
It was certainly something that could be called suspicious, but Felix was so angry that he didn't have time to discuss it.
"I can't. I'll have to find them and rip them off or throw them away."
"Why are you so excited, not like you?"
Seeing Felix in pain as he pulled his hair out, Adrian asked with a puzzled expression.
"After all, there are a lot of spare school uniforms."
"Clothes aren't the problem… … !"
Felix, unable to continue speaking, ruffled his hair again and let out a painful moan.
Now he is angry with himself. To himself who couldn't properly manage the precious medicine Lucy gave him. To the pathetic self who stole the drug for such an absurd reason.
* * *
Felix's mood, which had fallen to the ground, was hitting the floor throughout class. It was because he was upset that he lost his allergy medication, and the disturbing dream he had at dawn kept coming back to him, making his mind even more disturbed.
Of course, all the sights I saw in my dreams were not real. Adrian was alive next to him, and the Duke didn't even know about Lucy's existence.
But nevertheless, every time he remembered Lucy standing next to his father in his dreams, pale and hazy, Felix's spine shivered.
I just wanted to meet her and talk to her about anything. I thought it would be reassuring to see with my own two eyes that she was okay.
And I had to apologize for failing to keep my promise yesterday and leaving first.
You must have been surprised.
As I remembered Lucy's face, who was standing there looking worriedly at her as she left the garden, my mind became more complicated.
After class, Felix left the classroom and went looking for Lucy. However, there was no way of knowing where and what classes she was taking, so she wandered around the academy halls.
As he strode forward, wearing a black training suit, the students in the hallway hurriedly split to the side.
Felix soon found Lucy taking a class in a classroom on this floor. He peered into the classroom through the slightly opened door.
Lucy was staring intently at the blackboard, with a wrinkled forehead. As the exam period was approaching, her expression of concentration seemed even more serious.
Lucy, who had been staring at the blackboard without taking her eyes off for a moment, twitched her stiff eyes a few times. Then this time, the back of his neck hurt, so he shrugged his neck like a jar.
He yawned without knowing that he couldn't even imagine that someone was watching him.
Seeing that, Felix grinned. She seemed to be feeling better than expected, so I was relieved.
… … Yeah, it was just a dream. My father doesn't even know about Lucy's existence.
because of a dream my mind that had been troubled all the time has calmed down.
He entered the next empty classroom. There he waited for Lucy's class to end.
Not long after, the sound of the door opening and the sound of a muffled roar were heard. After class, students rushed out into the hallway.
Felix made sure that Lucy was coming through the gap in the slightly opened door. Soon, in the noisy procession of students, a small face with light brown hair in a back braid appeared.
Lucy was walking over here, looking through her bag. His expression was not very good, as if something difficult had happened.
Felix caught Lucy, who was trying to pass by because of the bag. Lucy, who was led into the empty classroom by his hand, looked up at Felix with surprised eyes.
"Felix-senpai!"
She, who had been crying just before, quickly smiled brightly. But after seeing Felix, she was happy to see her for a while, and she looked at Felix's training suit and said:
"Senior, walking around in the classroom in clothes other than school uniforms is subject to penalty points!"
"I know that."
Felix nodded, putting a hand on his forehead.
"Someone took my uniform at the gym."
"A school uniform?"
"There is a myth that if you take an exam with the head of the grade, your grades will increase. I guess he thought I was Adrian and took it."
"Ah."
Lucy's face darkened in an instant at his explanation. She grabbed her bag tightly.
Felix then noticed one thing. Lucy, like Adrian, is also a senior in the grade.
"Why do you look like that? Who might have taken your belongings?"
"that is… … ."
After hesitating, Lucy took a deep breath and spoke.
"One of the jewelry I had in my bag is missing. I put it deep inside, but I think someone took it."
"accessories? When did you disappear?"
"I do not know. After checking what was in it this morning, I didn't look into it."
Seeing Lucy talking with reddened eyes, Felix was upset at the same time.
"Is it that important? Have you ever received a present? Or is it because it's expensive?"
Whatever it is, I can buy it anyway.
Those words lingered in Felix's mouth. Whatever it was, if it was valuable to Lucy, he was confident that he would save it at any cost.
"It was not a gift. It's not expensive either. That's for seniors later... … ."
Lucy looked at Felix and licked her lips as if to say something. But then he lowered his gaze and shut his mouth.
"To me?"
When Lucy couldn't finish her words, Felix asked again with a curious expression. But she shook her head.
"… … No, nothing. Anyway, this is strange."
She spoke quickly.
"Even though the exam period is approaching, this is the first time I have been digging through my bag and taking things. So far, the only items that have been secretly taken have been pens and hairbands on the desk. And most of them asked me to borrow it for a while, but they didn't steal it."
Adrian had already said that with a questionable face. Apparently, there must be someone in this academy who is obsessed with raising grades and doesn't hesitate to act recklessly.
"I can't help it. There are no clues, so I probably won't be able to find them. As long as the person who stole it doesn't return it to me."
Lucy said with a disappointed face.
"By the way, senior. What did you find me for?"
Changing the subject, she asked.
"Ah… … . I have something to tell you."
"What are you talking about?"
"I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday. I didn't keep my promise and left halfway through."
Felix scratched the back of his head with an apologetic expression.
"Since then, I've been worried about you… … ."
Lucy hurriedly waved her hands.
"I'm fine. On the contrary, the senior's expression was not good, so that was more worrying. Maybe because of me... … Are you mad at the Duke?"
Lucy's expression as she asked that question was cautious.
Felix was surprised. It was because she realized that her question contained the meaning of 'Isn't it because you were being scolded for being with yourself, not even a young girl of a noble family?'