Chapter 28

You should be more serious.

I am used to being looked at with contemptuous eyes, and I can understand Matthew's point of view to some extent. After the long vacation, I became the current Rabi, but before that, I was never a good student. I was often absent, lacked physical strength, and always felt suffocated and miserable.

Still, I forced myself to come here because it was better than being at Nelra's mansion. My test scores were low, I had no talent, and Nelra never allowed me to achieve good grades. Despite struggling and suffering, I managed to cover up the awkward atmosphere with Fehr and used the carriage to go back and forth to the academy.

There was a strange sense of freshness in the way Matthew spoke so boldly about Rabi, whom many teachers had ignored. However, as she recalled his past behavior, Rabi finally let out a low voice from her throat, saying, "Wait a minute." It was a single word, "Huh?" that expressed all her mixed feelings.

Matthew must have had something he wanted to say to Rabi for a long time. He seemed to avoid meeting her face and averted his gaze.

"I had heard rumors about you before, but your attitude in class was truly astonishing."

As he said this, his hair, which was black at the roots but white at the tips, caught Rabi's eye. Rabi's hair was closer to silver, but his was just white, creating a strange two-toned effect. Looking at his profile, she thought, "This must be what someone looks like when they've bitten into a bitter pill." There was no excuse for her behavior. Even if there were reasons, she couldn't justify them, and the fact that she had made the teachers uncomfortable was undeniable.

"Furthermore, what about those test scores? To be honest, you really slacked off."

Hearing his harsh words, Rabi was genuinely confused for a moment. "Rabi Heathfen, you are from a ducal family!" The young man shouted without considering the surroundings, and Rabi finally understood. By comparing it to the knowledge from "Harinez," she finally figured it out.

Matthew Zebra was praised as a genius from a young age. Although his magical power was not officially known, from the time he could understand, his delicate handling of wind was so impressive that even adults were amazed. His parents were filled with hope that this ability could make him a royal magician.

He was born to be such a person. Magical power is something that combines. When two high magical powers are multiplied, a child with even greater power is born, which is common knowledge. The higher the original magical power, the more a noble can aspire to greater heights. The opposite is true for lower nobles.

Matthew was from a much more fallen noble family compared to Rabi's Heathfen family. Both of his parents had low magical power, and they knew their child would not be much to expect. So, they conducted an "experiment." While he was still unconscious, a tiny fetus floating in his mother's womb, they took various strange medicines to enhance his magical power and continuously infused him with magical power, engraving words as charms.

Whether it was due to their efforts or just a divine prank, Matthew was born with an extraordinary amount of magical power. However, his hair color was a strange mix of black and white, and he was often looked at with strange eyes.

So, why did he become just a teacher with poor social skills? The answer is simple: he was from a lower noble family. No matter how well he handled magical power or how much he had, being from a lower noble family alone was enough to exclude him from becoming a royal magician.

Because he was rejected due to his class, he valued class more than anyone else. He believed in the power of a saint and, deep down, resented the saint who was loved by everyone, unlike himself. When it was revealed that the heroine, Nelra, was a saint, Matthew blindly loved her.

Nelra gradually unraveled his awkward and twisted personality, gently embracing him, but in the end, she never became his. That's why he secretly slipped poison into her sleeping lips, planning to follow her after. He was a yandere, saying he would do anything to be by her side, even in death.

Personally, I think he and Nelra, who always tries to poison Rabi, are a perfect match, but that's beside the point. As a born genius, he had never stumbled. He believed that, as an upper noble, anyone should be able to do what he could easily. Despite being an irregular genius born from a lower noble family, his rigid thinking never allowed him to consider that Rabi could be an ordinary person.

"Taking such a score just for fun... I really can't understand it."

So, he felt as if his own test questions were being criticized. Rabi had only given her best.

Rabi took a deep breath. The reason she always received insufficient papers was due to her past lack of seriousness. So, it was understandable. She could just brush it off with a laugh and try to minimize her interactions with him. Still,

"I despise nobles like you who hold back their power and just live."

Matthew spat out icy, cold words. Contempt was fine. It was a perfect match. Still,

—Is this really okay?

Matthew couldn't know Rabi's circumstances. But isn't it okay to be angry? She had indeed given her best. She had put in all her effort. Yet, her efforts were dismissed. "You..." A sound like an earthquake echoed. To her surprise, it was her own groan. She thought of her next line. A hard-headed yandere!!!

She couldn't say that, but unconsciously, she chose an aggressive line to spit out.

"You, black-and-white head, you idiot!!!"

Isn't it wrong to comment on someone's appearance?

She tried to retract her words, but what was said couldn't be taken back. The reason she chose this line was that he was sensitive about his white-tipped hair, which he had failed to dye many times. His character image was a zebra.

Matthew, insulted as a "black-and-white head," first looked like a clay figure, then slowly processed the content, and his face turned red with anger.

"An, an idiot? W, what are you...!!"

There was no turning back now. She steeled herself.

"However, I apologize for mentioning your appearance."

Still, based on game knowledge, trying to hurt someone was the lowest. She felt self-loathing. It was something he didn't want to be touched. Rabi had no knowledge of his birth circumstances, but she felt she had the right to be angry.

"Indeed, you must have had your thoughts about my past attitude, and I deeply regret it. However, that is separate from your behavior. Who has ever heard of a teacher who tells students to be serious while constantly harassing them and sapping their motivation!!!?"

Incidentally, there were a few students around, but they seemed surprised to see a younger girl shouting at a teacher. They watched as Matthew's face turned pale and Rabi's face turned red, thinking, "So, the famous Heathfen family's daughter is just a troublemaker," and passed by with a nonchalant look, as if to say, "Long live the weirdos."

"You must feel that I am lacking as a duchess's daughter. I did my best. I apologize for raising my voice about your appearance, but I take it back. I will say it again. Just as your black-and-white head is unfixable, I have my limits too! As a member of a ducal family, I understand if you despise me for being a disgrace. However, stop the meaningless harassment immediately! It's a waste of time!"

She panted heavily. Matthew, overwhelmed by the rapid shouting, opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, his eyes also turning white and black. Thinking, "I've done it," Rabi didn't mind adding a few more heroic tales to her reputation as a crazy young lady. The students were already ignoring her.

Sai, who seemed to have arrived late, quickly stepped between Rabi and Matthew, sensing the tense atmosphere. Matthew looked even smaller next to the giant knight. "Lady Rabi," he said briefly, and when the knight confirmed the situation, Rabi replied, "I was just talking to the teacher," and quickly turned away.

Rabi didn't know if her words had reached Matthew. Sometimes, no matter how much anger you throw at someone, it's meaningless. Like Nelra.

Matthew stared blankly at Rabi, who disappeared into the courtyard as usual. He had intended to vent a little frustration and try to reform the notorious young lady. But how did it turn out?

(Black-and-white... head)

To him, this hair was a complex. No matter how much he cut or dyed it, the two colors mixed like a curse. He was whispered to be a creepy child by adults. Matthew thought Rabi was just slacking off, being careless, and mocking him. When he was told, "Just as your black-and-white head is unfixable," he remembered how many times he had lamented his own unfixable situation as a lower noble.

He didn't know if Rabi's words about giving her best were true. His prejudice against upper nobles was deeply ingrained. However, recalling his own behavior, which he had been told was a waste of time, he felt deeply ashamed. He had to admit it was true, and it was embarrassing to be pointed out by just a little girl.

After that, Rabi's handouts were no longer short. They didn't apologize for their mutual insults, but occasionally, the number of papers distributed for assignments was one more for Rabi. It was Matthew's special edition. Seeing the elegant words, "Continue to study," she thought it was unnecessary, but it was his way of saying something.