troubling him—But, again, Elliot saw Ada, started, glared at her fiercely, and ran off.
She ran into him in the cafeteria, where preparations for the evening meal were being made. She ran into him in the chapel. And in the music room. And in the reference room. She ran into him everywhere. Every time they met, Elliot started, and every time, he seemed to have grown more tired.
Finally, as Ada was passing by the main gate, there was Elliot again—
The instant he met her eyes:
“…You…!”
This time, Elliot didn’t ignore her. He strode up to her, as if he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Uh, um…”
Overawed, Ada wondered whether she should encourage him with a
You’re working very hard, aren’t you!
Elliot said, “What are you, a stalker?! Are you following me or something?!”
“N-n-n-no! No, that isn’t it!”
At the unexpected accusation, Ada explained in a panic.
She told him she was only patrolling the school in order to properly carry out her responsibilities as a member of the disciplinary committee. Elliot just happened to be wherever she went, and she hadn’t meant to startle him or get in his way. Of course, she said, it was perfectly all right for him to ignore her completely.
Ada spoke emphatically, seriously, earnestly, with an expression of utmost sincerity on her face.
“…Oh, yeah…?”
Even as he listened, Elliot’s brow was twitching. He seemed to be getting more and more irritated.
At last, when he’d heard her out, Elliot said:
“Ada Vessalius. You, you…”
Calling to Ada in a very low voice, glaring at her with dangerous eyes, he jabbed his index finger straight out at her in accusation:
“
You
—have
rotten timing
!!”
“………I-I’m sor…ry…?”
Bewildered by his intensity, all Ada could do was apologize.
“Aaah, dammit!”
Elliot spat the words out, kicked the ground lightly with his toe, and turned his face from Ada.
“I don’t have time for this. I’ve got to find it fast, or else—”
With that, he ran off. Left alone once again, Ada murmured, “So he
is
looking for something…” What could it be? If she knew that, she might be able to find it for him while she was out on patrol.
I wonder what Elliot-kun could be looking for so desperately…?
She was sure it must be something terribly important.
Gerald
Petty weeds can be withered at any time
When, after his fall on the stairs, Gerald dragged his aching body back to his own room, he found that another slip ofpaper had been pushed under his door. Gerald read its contents, then immediately crushed it in his hand and pressed the hand that gripped the paper to his forehead.
“Dammit, dammit, dammit…”
The message was written in an intentionally bad hand, just like the warning to resign from being prefect.
The “weeds” were probably him. And the “can be withered at any time”…
When he’d been pushed down the stairs, they’d gone easy on him, but if they felt like it…
At any time…they could…?
Did it mean they could kill him?
For an instant, he shuddered. Then anger welled up.
“That little creep Marcel…”
He said the name as if he were squeezing it out between his clenched teeth.
As a prefect, he was doing a good job. The only one he could think of who would harbor malice toward him was his assistant Marcel, who’d realized that he was secretly issuing orders to the younger students.
Prefects were expected to abide by even stricter rules than the other students, so that they could serve as models for them and give them guidance. Gerald’s treatment of Marcel had been a way to slightly relieve the pressure of his constricting life at school.
He hadn’t considered it as anything more. He’d even thought of himself as toughening up the effeminate Marcel. Educating him.
And even so.
“…That little rat!”
Gerald struck the door violently.
“I’ll find out for sure,” he muttered. Although he was convinced, he had no positive proof that Marcel
She ran into him in the cafeteria, where preparations for the evening meal were being made. She ran into him in the chapel. And in the music room. And in the reference room. She ran into him everywhere. Every time they met, Elliot started, and every time, he seemed to have grown more tired.
Finally, as Ada was passing by the main gate, there was Elliot again—
The instant he met her eyes:
“…You…!”
This time, Elliot didn’t ignore her. He strode up to her, as if he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Uh, um…”
Overawed, Ada wondered whether she should encourage him with a
You’re working very hard, aren’t you!
Elliot said, “What are you, a stalker?! Are you following me or something?!”
“N-n-n-no! No, that isn’t it!”
At the unexpected accusation, Ada explained in a panic.
She told him she was only patrolling the school in order to properly carry out her responsibilities as a member of the disciplinary committee. Elliot just happened to be wherever she went, and she hadn’t meant to startle him or get in his way. Of course, she said, it was perfectly all right for him to ignore her completely.
Ada spoke emphatically, seriously, earnestly, with an expression of utmost sincerity on her face.
“…Oh, yeah…?”
Even as he listened, Elliot’s brow was twitching. He seemed to be getting more and more irritated.
At last, when he’d heard her out, Elliot said:
“Ada Vessalius. You, you…”
Calling to Ada in a very low voice, glaring at her with dangerous eyes, he jabbed his index finger straight out at her in accusation:
“
You
—have
rotten timing
!!”
“………I-I’m sor…ry…?”
Bewildered by his intensity, all Ada could do was apologize.
“Aaah, dammit!”
Elliot spat the words out, kicked the ground lightly with his toe, and turned his face from Ada.
“I don’t have time for this. I’ve got to find it fast, or else—”
With that, he ran off. Left alone once again, Ada murmured, “So he
is
looking for something…” What could it be? If she knew that, she might be able to find it for him while she was out on patrol.
I wonder what Elliot-kun could be looking for so desperately…?
She was sure it must be something terribly important.
Gerald
Petty weeds can be withered at any time
When, after his fall on the stairs, Gerald dragged his aching body back to his own room, he found that another slip ofpaper had been pushed under his door. Gerald read its contents, then immediately crushed it in his hand and pressed the hand that gripped the paper to his forehead.
“Dammit, dammit, dammit…”
The message was written in an intentionally bad hand, just like the warning to resign from being prefect.
The “weeds” were probably him. And the “can be withered at any time”…
When he’d been pushed down the stairs, they’d gone easy on him, but if they felt like it…
At any time…they could…?
Did it mean they could kill him?
For an instant, he shuddered. Then anger welled up.
“That little creep Marcel…”
He said the name as if he were squeezing it out between his clenched teeth.
As a prefect, he was doing a good job. The only one he could think of who would harbor malice toward him was his assistant Marcel, who’d realized that he was secretly issuing orders to the younger students.
Prefects were expected to abide by even stricter rules than the other students, so that they could serve as models for them and give them guidance. Gerald’s treatment of Marcel had been a way to slightly relieve the pressure of his constricting life at school.
He hadn’t considered it as anything more. He’d even thought of himself as toughening up the effeminate Marcel. Educating him.
And even so.
“…That little rat!”
Gerald struck the door violently.
“I’ll find out for sure,” he muttered. Although he was convinced, he had no positive proof that Marcel
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