国产午夜亚洲精品AⅤ

Chapter 120

“The way he speaks is a bit old-fashioned, but he is a good friend. He’s kind, gentle, and knows how to help those in need. He also ranked first in the midterm exams. And during the last group mission, he even helped our class, even though we were his competitors. He might seem a bit strange, but I’m sure you will like him once you get to know him. His appearance? Hmm... He’s definitely handsome,” praised Princess Charlotte de Gradias.

“... At first, I thought he was nothing but a thug. Turns out, he is one.”

That was Louis Ankton’s comment. When the interviewer pressed him for more details, Louis Ankton decided to flee, after saying that he didn’t want to get caught in any trouble.

“... I’ve often felt envious because he has many qualities I lack, like courage... I think he’s a good person. I want to get closer, but... I just can’t find the courage,” Scarlett said in an ambiguous tone.

“I don’t know him well, but I think he’s a good friend,” was Delphine Izadra’s reply.

“Reinhart? I think he’s a great friend! He works hard, is smart, and even has supernatural powers!” said Ludwig excitedly.

***

In the club room, after consolidating all the responses gathered from the interviews, the club president, Leiter Zabri, made a peculiar face.

“... I can’t tell if his reputation is good or bad.”

“Wouldn’t this be considered really good?”

“No, not really. Think about it. There were people who spoke well about him, but the ones who disliked him couldn’t even speak properly and all ended up running away, right?”

Indeed, although most of the responses gathered by the interviews were positive, those who seemed to dislike him were so afraid of being harassed in some way that they didn’t give an answer at all.

“Also, almost all the interviewees mention the fact that he has a bad personality. Which means, in reality, he’s a nasty piece of work. More to the point, he’s someone to be feared by his peers.”

Even those who had assessed him positively often mentioned that he had a bad personality.

Considering that his victims ran away in fear at the mere thought of their comments being published in a magazine, how notorious could Reinhart be?

Moreover, Erhi even warned that if one were to go and interview Reinhart directly, they might end up in a terrible situation.

“This guy, he’s not your ordinary thug.”

The club president shook his head, convinced that Reinhart was no ordinary troublemaker.

“Is that so?”

“Hmm... But it seems like more people like him than not...”

“So what?” Leiter smiled slyly. “Even if he isn’t all that bad of a person, if we make people believe that he is, then that’s all that matters.”

The pen is mightier than the sword!

It wasn’t quite the right saying for that moment, but it deeply embedded itself in the hearts of those in the room.

***

“... What? A newspaper?”

“Yeah.”

I was puzzled when I heard about it during my evening sparring session with Ellen. It seemed that some seniors had been wandering around Class A’s premises, asking people various things about me.

I was completely unaware of it because I’d been outside doing physical training.

‘What’s going on? Why are they digging into me? And what are they planning to use it for?’

“They were asking what kind of person you are.”

“... Why would they ask that?”

“I don’t know.”

Something felt off.

These seniors that I didn’t even recognize probably wanted to write some gossip about me in their newspaper. It was annoying enough that my back had been itching from all the recent trouble. Therefore, I didn’t want to cause more problems, but it wasn’t as if I could just barge into a club full of upper-years to stop it.

This was the first time I’d heard of something like a newspaper club. They must have been snooping around everywhere, and it seemed Ellen was questioned as well.

“So, what did you say?”

“I couldn’t give them an answer.”

‘Really? After all we’ve been through, she couldn’t say anything about what kind of person I am?’

Ellen seemed to think for a while longer before she casually tossed a question at me.

“What kind of person are you?”

“Huh?”

I was taken aback by her sudden question, and my mind went blank.

‘What kind of person am I?’

“Uh... now that I think about it, I’m not sure either.”

I wasn’t sure how to describe myself. It seemed like Ellen, looking at me from that perspective, had struggled as well, and did not eventually come to any conclusion either.

“Forget it. Let’s just carry on with what we were doing.”

I picked up my practice sword, and Ellen did the same.

Though it felt a bit odd, I knew that if I started complaining about what the seniors were doing, it would lead to an endless spiral of absurd nonsense.

***

It was June. To be specific, it was the first weekend of June.

A publication by the Monthly Royal Class, a Royal Class club that I shouldn’t have even been aware of, was placed in the lobby of each class.

Knowing that my story would be featured in the magazine, everyone grabbed a copy as soon as it was published. Anxiously curious, I picked up a copy as well, and unfolded it in the lobby.

I skipped over the minor stories as I searched for the section on me.

Figure Feature - Who really is Reinhart, A-11 from the first year of the Royal Class?

“...”

First, I’d transmigrated into this world as a demon prince, and now I’d made it into the school newspaper of the Temple’s Royal Class... How much more ridiculous could this character development of mine become?

—In recent days, first-year student Reinhart has been a topic of heated debate among the Royal Class. But who is he, really? We’ve sought to uncover his true identity...

‘True identity? What, am I some boss from the underworld?’

Well... honestly, if my true identity were actually revealed, it would turn not just the Temple, but the entire empire upside down.

It was evident that these people had done a thorough investigation into me. They even wrote that I was not of noble origin, but that my background was that of a street beggar. And they had documented how I was a student with supernatural powers as well.

Of course, none of this was exactly a secret.

—... While a significant number of students spoke highly of Reinhart, we could fully read between the lines...

“... What?”

—... We discovered that a considerable number of students are afraid of him. An anonymous interviewee clearly referred to Reinhart as a “thug”.

“... Who the hell said that?”

‘Me, a thug? Well, I guess it’s possible. I

have been causing trouble here and there, after all.’

In the end, the write-up did not quote any specific negative opinions about me, but implied that the interviewees had refused to provide answers on such matters because they were all frightened of potential retaliation. This was used as a basis to infer that I was definitely a bad guy.

‘What is all this?’

It was clear they had been determined to paint me as a villain right from the start. The intent to stir up trouble by picking on anything they could find was just too obvious.

Ultimately, the article concluded with the assertion that Reinhart had established himself as a figure of fear and terror among his peers, firmly labeling me as a bad guy.

Even worse, it was noted that since only the female students had good things to say about me, it suggested that this young man was crazy over women and only chased after girls.

The part about me only chasing after girls was eye-opening for me.

It made me realize that this had to be the work of some seniors who didn’t like how close I was with Olivia Lanche. There was no other reason for these upper-years to stoop to such vile actions.

“...”

I could feel the kids around me reading the newspaper in the lobby starting to glance at me warily.

Their looks clearly betrayed their inner thoughts: “Oh we’re screwed. This guy is going to start something again, isn’t he?”

“Hey, you jerks are making it seem like this ridiculous article is true!” I shouted.

My outburst only made the atmosphere more tense.

“... Damn it.”

Ironically, the outburst I’d just let out merely served to prove the article right.

“You get bad-mouthed because you act like this, you idiot,” said Harriet.

Harriet covered her mouth, laughing, as she saw my face turn red and purple. It seemed as though reading such a malicious article about me provided her with unparalleled satisfaction.

“Wait, were you the one who called me a thug?”

Harriet panicked and shook her head vigorously.

“What? No, that wasn’t me! I-I didn’t say anything!”

“Oh. It was definitely you.”

“No! It wasn’t me! Idiot! I, I was... I was actually trying to help you!”

Harriet, her cheeks flushing red, stormed off to her room, huffing and puffing. The clear signs of her being upset assured me it wasn’t her.

‘... I should apologize. I really need to say sorry for this.’

***

Eventually, I went to Harriet’s room and asked to speak to her, apologizing for saying unnecessary things. She seemed really upset, and had perhaps cried a little as well. Her eyes were red and puffy like a child’s, and it almost made me want to squeeze her cheeks gently.

Of course, I refrained from doing so, since it would probably make her angrier for at least another week. Instead, I brought her to the tea-time terrace and had her sit down.

She maintained an indignant air, not even looking my way.

“You’re actually the worst.”

“I said I’m sorry. So, what did you say during the interview, then?” I asked, and her face turned red, but for a different reason this time.

“I, I don’t know... I didn’t say anything.”

... It was obvious that she had actually praised me and not bad-mouthed me.

My guilt intensified.

To prevent me probing further, Harriet crossed her arms and changed the topic.

“Forget all that for now. What are you going to do about this situation?” Harriet asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you just going to let this slide? Isn’t it so unlike you to not kick up a fuss and cause a commotion over something like this?”

‘Oh.’

Even a troublemaker like me had certain expectations attached to them.

The guys who’d read the newspaper in the lobby had seemed to believe that things were going to be bad, but there had also seemed to be a sense of expectation.

The past pattern suggested that Reinhart would definitely stir up some trouble. Everyone expected that Reinhart would not just sit still, and that he’d flip everything upside down—seniors and all.

“Will he teach them a lesson?” That was clearly what they were anticipating. Harriet too, believed that I wouldn’t just overlook something like this, given my personality.

‘What now?’

In this situation, they were expecting the infamous delinquent to act out, to see just how wildly I could rebel.

Even so, I wondered if it was really necessary to go through with it. Annoying as it was, the fact remained that, despite the clear malice behind the article, some parts of it were still true.

‘Should I give them what they want?’

“If you just let this slide, all the seniors are going to think you’re actually like this. Are you okay with that?” Harriet asked.

“... Well, some parts of it are true,” I responded.

Harriet turned her head away, then looked back at me, startled.

“Y-You... Are you really... the type who... who only goes after... girls?”

“No, not that part!”

Feeling scared all of a sudden, Harriet covered her chest area with her arms.

‘Really?! You don’t even have anything to cover up! Why are you acting like this?’

“Right, now that I think about it, you... You only get along with girls... and aside from Vertus, you hardly ever talk to the guys...”

It seemed Harriet had taken my admission that there was some partial truth to the article and had read something entirely different into it. In fact, aside from the “chasing girls” aspect of it, everything in the article was true, which left me with no room for defense.

“And to think that you’re even close to some of the female seniors as well...”

“You scoundrel!” her expression said.

“I’m telling you, that’s not it! It just happened to turn out like this; none of it wasn’t intentional!”

“Then, who do you like? Do you have someone you like?”

If I said “you” here, I could probably witness her face exploding, but the aftermath would be unmanageable. I could not leave a permanent psychological scar on her just for the sake of a joke.

“I don’t particularly have someone...”

‘I mean, all the people I’m close to are dear to me, just not in a romantic way!’

“... So you mean to say that you’re just trying to be friendly to all the girls first?”

“Why do you put it like that?”

“My brothers always said that guys like you are the worst kind in the world.”

‘Now she’s bringing personal experience into this? Why is she even talking to her brothers about me? But then again, what her brothers said is kind of true... Guys like me are indeed the worst...’

It seemed Harriet was gradually getting the impression that I was a bad guy who wasn’t really into anyone but just recklessly flirted with everyone.

‘Damn it. All this trouble over one damn newspaper article?’

I let out a sigh.

Truthfully, I did not want to kick up a fuss over these trivial matters. Besides, it wasn’t clear what I could or should do about these seniors’ actions.

The prince of the Demon Realm, Baalier, would probably have endured it, so I would have to endure it as well.

But there was no way the thug Reinhart was going to let this slide!

“You know what, screw this. I’m just going to smash everything into bits,” I said.