Chapter 141 – Variable (3)

Star Class

Beep↑ Beep→ Beep↓

From the back row of the classroom, the mechanical sounds of a game could be heard. Two female students turned their heads in disbelief.

There, completely absorbed in her phone screen, was today’s new transfer student—Yu Sein.

The two students, watching her with puzzled expressions, began whispering to each other.

“What is she doing?”

“I asked her earlier, and she said it was a mobile game…”

“A game? Seriously? That’s ridiculous! She’s probably one of those girls who just wants attention. As if having a pretty face was enough… And besides, what was that introduction of hers? Something like, ‘My name is Yu Sein. Nothing special to mention. The end.’”

“Yeah, and she spoke in that dry tone… Just looking at her, you can tell she wants to seem special. So annoying. How did the Joaquin Academy administration place her in the Star Class?”

“Totally. Just being in the same class as her lowers our reputation. And from what I heard, she’s the third daughter of a minor noble from some remote region.”

“What? That’s basically a commoner. And yet she dares to act like this?”

“Exactly. Who does she think she is?”

They made sure their mocking was loud enough for Sein to hear.

But Sein completely ignored them. Without looking up from her screen, her fingers continued moving skillfully across the touchscreen.

Beep↗ beep↘ beep↘

One of the students pursed her lips in irritation.

“…Is she ignoring us?”

“How shameless. No, this won’t do. The bell hasn’t rung yet, so I’ll go teach her a lesson. Time to show her the difference in status.”

“I’ve got your back. Go put her in her place.”

At that moment—

“Hey, you two.”

A cold, sharp voice cut through the air from the front of the classroom.

The student who was about to stand up froze in place.

With a stiff movement, she turned her head like a robot.

There, staring at her with icy eyes, was Abel.

Beside her, Rachel rested her chin on her hand, watching the scene with amusement.

Under the gazes of the heirs of Nibelung and Mura, the student’s face turned pale.

Why them…?

She, too, was from a well-known noble family in England, but compared to those two, she was nothing.

No matter how prestigious her house was in a single country, in front of two families with transnational lineage, she was completely overshadowed.

The difference in status between them wasn’t just a metaphor; it was literally the difference between heaven and earth.

To make matters worse, Abel and Rachel were the least inclined toward aristocratic mindsets in the Star Class.

Especially Abel, who frowned every time situations like this arose.

She looked at the student with disdain and said,

“The bell hasn’t rung yet. What do you care what someone does in their free time?”

“I-It’s just that… she’s making too much noise.”

“Oh, I see. So talking badly about someone openly is fine, but playing on a phone isn’t.”

“……”

Abel dismantled her argument with a single sharp remark.

Rachel, who had been watching, decided to join in.

“Looks to me like you’re just trying to bully the transfer student. Well, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. But you know—”

“……”

Her unusually heart-shaped eyes gleamed with excitement.

Looking at the trembling student, Rachel chuckled maliciously.

“But come on, these things are usually settled with strength. Using status as an excuse is so outdated~ How about we settle it right now, you and me?”

“……!”

The student lowered her head. Her face, which had been pale moments ago, was now turning blue.

She glanced toward her companion for help…

…But her “friend” had already moved to another seat.

‘Damn coward!’

Meanwhile, Abel and Rachel continued their argument.

“Rachel! That’s going too far!”

“Why, Abel? Am I saying something wrong? Besides, it’s a bit cold for early autumn, a little action would warm us up.”

As all this was happening, Sein frowned and scratched her neck lazily.

“Ah, is this for real? They call this an ‘experience bonus event’? What kind of event gives such a low reward? This game is all luck and totally broken!”

Without a care in the world, Sein dropped her phone onto the desk and leaned back in her chair.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Even Abel, who had been all fired up, was left speechless.

With her gaze lost on the ceiling, Sein seemed completely detached from the situation.

“The more I think about it… she’s really strange.”

First, it was Leon van Reinhardt, and now, Yu Sein.

The second transfer student of the semester was just as peculiar as the first.

And it wasn’t just her odd appearance.

Throughout the morning, several guys had tried flirting with her.

Her silver hair and small face made her stand out easily among the students.

Sein was experiencing the same thing Abel had at the start of the semester.

But unlike Abel, Sein didn’t even acknowledge them.

She ignored them completely, even colder than Abel had.

Eventually, she put on her headphones, blocking out all external sound.

And after that… nothing but gaming, gaming, gaming.

‘Why did this girl even come to Joaquin Academy? Just to play games?’

Abel stared at her, trying to find an answer.

It was at that moment that the classroom door swung open.

All the students turned their heads to see who had entered.

Even Abel, who had been standing like a meerkat, shifted her attention to the entrance.

An outsider had entered the Star Class.

It was Kang Geom-Ma.

As soon as he appeared, the atmosphere turned ice cold.

He stopped at the podium and scanned the classroom.

“Geom-Ma!”

Rachel greeted him enthusiastically, jumping onto her desk.

“It’s been so looong!”

With her arms wide open, Rachel lunged toward him for a hug.

But Geom-Ma, with a slight turn of his shoulder, dodged the hug.

“BAM!”

In that instant, Rachel’s face slammed against the chalkboard. The green surface was dented in the shape of her face.

Her entire body convulsed like an electrocuted frog before collapsing motionless.

Silence filled the Star Class.

Just then, Ryozo ran in, out of breath from sprinting.

“Haa… haa… Geom-Ma, are you sure you were just walking? How fast are you?!”

Confusion reigned in the classroom.

Just when the bell was about to ring for the start of class—what were they doing here?

Abel was also bewildered.

Step, step.

Geom-Ma moved forward.

His grave expression made it so that no one dared to stop him.

He crossed the classroom, passing by Abel and the others, heading straight to the last row.

In a low voice, he spoke.

“I need to talk to you.”

Sein, who had been reclining in her chair, slowly lifted her head.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

She asked Kang Geom-Ma,

“Here or outside?”

“…”

Kang Geom-Ma glanced around. Then, turning his gaze back to Sein, he answered.

“In the hallway.”

Sein shrugged.

***

Kang Geom-Ma and Sein walked out into the hallway.

The students of the Star Class tried to follow them with their eyes, but the classroom door was already occupied.

Three girls were peeking out, showing only half of their faces through the doorway. From top to bottom, in vertical order.

Classroom | Rachel

Door | Ryozo

Frame | Abel

They were lined up.

Rachel murmured as she adjusted the broken bridge of her nose.

“What is this, what’s happening? Geom-Ma and the new girl already knew each other? Don’t tell me… could she be a secret ex-girlfriend or something?!”

“Sniff!” Rachel blew her nose hard, and a clot of blood shot out. Snorting with a breath tinged with the metallic scent of blood, she growled in frustration.

“God, Rachel! If you’re already stupid, at least shut up. And if you’re going to clean your nose, do it somewhere else. No matter how dumb you are, since when is it normal to smash your face against the chalkboard?”

Ryozo’s elegantly arched eyebrows twitched as she clicked her tongue in irritation.

“Besides, it’s not what you’re thinking, so stop getting all excited over nothing.”

“Then what is it?! Why did Geom-Ma talk to the new girl first? With me, he’s always so cold and distant!”

“……”

Abel slowly nodded. With a deep sigh, Ryozo murmured in a low voice.

“We ran into her at lunchtime… and it seems like Yu Sein is a distant relative of Geom-Ma.”

“!”

“!”

The two above Ryozo flinched in unison.

A strange tension hovered between the three of them.

Rachel’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Relatives? Family?… Then she’s my future in-law?!”

Her heart-shaped pupils dilated in an instant, as if they were ready to pop out of her sockets. Before she could pounce, Saki delivered a headbutt straight to her chin.

Thud!

“Akckkk!”

“Honestly, I’m more and more glad I transferred to the Wolf Class just so I don’t have to deal with you… But…”

“……”

Ryozo glanced sideways.

Abel was staring intently at Kang Geom-Ma and Sein, exuding an unsettling calm.

Her golden eyes were locked onto Geom-Ma.

Seeing this, Saki felt a strange sense of unease.

“Abel, you always act like you don’t care about anything. You always pretend to be indifferent. But if you’re going to be like this, I’d rather you act like this wild blonde mare over here!”

Ryozo puffed out her cheeks, her gaze sharpening.

Without realizing it, her instincts moved ahead of her thoughts.

With all her strength, Ryozo slammed her forehead against Abel’s blue emerald-haired head.

Thwack!

“Gahhh!”

A puff of steam seemed to rise from Abel’s head.

She clutched her head with both hands and looked up furiously.

“Hey, Saki! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Sorry.”

Ryozo rubbed her reddened forehead and apologized.

“It was an accident.”

***

“So, who are you?”

I got straight to the point without any pretense. Though the sound of movement behind me was slightly annoying.

When I frowned, the silver-haired girl smiled faintly. Just a moment ago, her gaze had been directed at the classroom door, but now it focused on me.

“For now, let’s go with the idea that we’re distant relatives. So relax that face. If someone sees us, they’ll think we’re mortal enemies.”

I stiffened. Why does she talk like this? Not even Gen Z speaks in this kind of tone.

“I’ve always heard about you from afar, but seeing you in person is interesting.”

“……”

“My name is Yu Sein. Affiliation Order of the Outer Church. My title is Saint.”

Order of the Outer Church. Saint.

Even for someone like me, who had played Miracle Blessing M, these concepts were unfamiliar.

No matter how hard I tried to remember, I had never heard of an organization by that name.

Saint. If taken literally, it refers to a sacred woman.

Why would someone like that enroll in Joaquin Academy?

How does she know about the ‘Status Window’?

There were too many questions.

“Since when is a Saint a kid like you?”

Sein smiled softly.

A charming dimple appeared on her left cheek.

“Originally, my intervention is what you’d call a ‘variable.’ If we compared it to a game… something like a cheat skill. So technically, I’m not supposed to interfere. Anyway, due to the penalty of divine punishment, I can’t get too involved. But I can serve as a guide… or something like a strategy book.”

“Variable, cheat—stop beating around the bush. So who are you really?”

“Wow, I’ve given you a ton of clues, and you still don’t get it. No wonder those three back there always struggle with you.”

Sein gestured subtly with her eyes behind me.

I tilted my head slightly.

The blonde, sky-blue, and blue-haired heads peeking through the door frame quickly ducked down like moles.

“Too guilty.”

Sein shook her head in disapproval.

My gaze returned to her.

Sein quickly added more explanation.

“Since I came all the way to the Academy, I’d love to tell you everything. But there’s a limit to what I can say. If I speak too much, I’ll receive a game penalty… divine punishment. And besides, I’m just a simple human, so I don’t know everything either. But if you still don’t understand…”

Sein clasped her hands together in front of her chest in a prayer gesture.

Then, closing her eyes, she recited softly.

Her pure and serene tone sent a shiver down my spine.

“May the blessing of the gods be with you.”

I held my breath. I had heard that voice many times before.

“…It was you?”

A faint smile appeared on Sein’s face.

♬~♩♪♫♪

As if responding in her place, the bell for the fifth period rang throughout the academy.

Sein walked past me.

Her silver hair swayed in the air like a wave.