“Big Sis!”
“Hey! Hey!”
Klein must have been right behind me. He rushed over in a panic, grabbing me and hauling me back to my feet after I sprawled across the ground.
“Damn it! Who was that?! Why the hell would someone trip a person who's just walking along?!”
He exploded with rage, proudly showing off his foul mouth.
“Don't swear... Swearing is only allowed when you're rapping or when you smash your toe into a corner.”
My knees and palms throbbed, but thankfully I wasn't injured.
Klein stared at me in disbelief as I calmly dusted off my hands and clothes.
“What's rap?”
That's what you're curious about?
“You know, like... 'Check it out,' and stuff like that...”
Though now that I thought about it, did rap even exist in this world?
“Pfft.”
“Khk.”
I heard Bill and Klein struggling not to laugh.
Why were they laughing when they didn't even know what it meant?
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No.”
So could you please let go now?
I pulled my hand free from Klein's grip.
The kid who'd tripped me had already disappeared, making it impossible to figure out who it was.
Pretty fast for a little brat.
I'd been planning to teach them a lesson.
Looks like there were still quite a few kids who hated Lopez.
Medina, Klein, and Chester settled down at the table in front of Lopez.
Lopez sat across from Bill, though her attention was elsewhere.
“Castella cake... What an outrageously luxurious bread.”
Despite her grumbling, her flushed cheeks made it obvious she liked it.
With sparkling eyes, Lopez carefully picked up the castella.
Just as she was about to take a bite—
Splash!
A bucket of water poured over her head.
The soft, fluffy castella instantly became a soggy, miserable mess.
The shock of losing her bread froze Lopez solid.
Klein shot to his feet, but the child responsible immediately burst into tears and apologized.
“S-Sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't do it on purpose! Really! My hand slipped! I swear!”
Anyone watching would think we were the bullies.
Well, if it wasn't intentional...
Lopez calmly waved a hand.
“No, it's okay.”
Mistakes could be forgiven.
She even comforted the crying child.
When the kid turned away with a small smile tugging at his lips, Klein clenched his fist.
“That idiot...”
She fell for an apology that easily?
Watching Lopez act so gullible made anger surge inside him.
At the same time, seeing how disappointed she was over losing the bread bothered him.
Then he suddenly caught himself.
Why do I care?
“What do you mean bothered?!”
“What are you muttering about by yourself, Klein?”
Medina tilted her head in confusion.
Ignoring her completely, Klein abruptly stood up.
Then he marched off, grabbed a cup of water, returned, and dumped it over the other kid's head.
“AAAH! Wh-What?!”
“Oops. My hand slipped.”
Klein grinned and shook the empty cup.
The boy's face turned bright red.
Realizing he'd been mocked, he trembled with fury and pointed at Klein.
“Y-You...!”
“What? Is there a problem?”
The boy glared at him.
“Or do you want to explain it to a teacher?”
That made him flinch.
Apparently he'd realized Klein knew the earlier incident hadn't been an accident.
Guilty conscience exposed, the boy could only shake with rage before hurrying away.
“Hmph. What a loser.”
Klein returned as if nothing had happened.
This time, Medina stood up.
“Medina?”
“Just a second. Lopez looks upset...”
She wanted to comfort her.
But Lopez had already picked up her tray and stood.
Seeing that, Medina hesitated before awkwardly sitting back down.
“Big Sis, where are you going?”
Bill tilted his head.
“To ask for another piece of bread.”
“I wanna come too!”
Holding Bill's hand, Lopez walked toward the serving counter.
“Hello, ma'am. My bread got wet.”
Because of someone's mistake, she hadn't gotten a single bite.
Lopez boldly requested another serving.
Or rather...
She tried to.
“The lunch b-bread... today's lunch br-bread... no, the lunch breaaaad...”
The more she spoke, the stranger her pronunciation became.
Her voice gradually shrank.
The cafeteria lady struggled not to laugh.
“...Sweetie, what was that?”
“...My tongue got twisted.”
“Pfft!”
“Khk-khk!”
Everyone nearby burst out laughing.
“Not the side dishes. The bread they served today! Please!”
This time she managed the pronunciation perfectly and looked at the woman proudly.
Unfortunately, the cafeteria lady wore an apologetic expression.
“Oh dear. We order exactly the amount of bread we need. There aren't any extras.”
Lopez's world collapsed.
By then, Klein and Chester had approached carrying their own trays.
Watching Lopez stand there frozen like a statue, both boys frowned.
Why does she look so pitiful?
Without a word, Chester shoved his bread toward her.
“I don't need it.”
Lopez blinked in surprise.
“They said there weren't any leftovers. Did you get two?”
Just take it already.
Chester frowned.
“It's for you.”
After checking his tray and confirming he really was giving up his only piece, Lopez shook her head.
“It's okay. I can't take someone else's bread.”
She tried to leave.
Chester stubbornly blocked her path and pushed the bread closer.
“Take it.”
Ever since getting sick, Lopez had grown noticeably thinner from eating nothing but porridge.
It's just repayment for saving me.
That's all.
I don't mean anything by it.
Chester repeated those words endlessly in his head.
Almost like he was hypnotizing himself.
Seeing he clearly wouldn't move until she accepted, Lopez finally gave in.
She took the bread, split it in half, and handed one piece back.
“Here. Thanks. I'll enjoy it.”
Her bright smile made Chester's face grow strangely warm.
Before he could fully understand that feeling...
The exams arrived.
At Sunflower Orphanage, exams were held during the second and fourth quarters.
Like any ordinary school, students were tested on what they'd learned and ranked according to their scores.
The unusual part?
Everyone received the exact same test regardless of age.
That's why the classes have such a wide age range.
Like Bill being in Class One.
Depending on the results, Class Two students could move up to Class One, while Class One students could be demoted to Class Three.
Considering how tiny Class Three was, most of the children here were apparently quite smart.
And today was the fourth-quarter examination.
I picked up my pencil and stared at the test paper.
Thankfully, I could read the language.
But what I want... is a failing score.
Honestly, the lessons weren't difficult.
Learning about this fantasy-romance world was pretty interesting, so I'd even paid attention in class.
But I had absolutely no intention of standing out.
I'm not the heroine with some hidden noble birth.
Drawing attention from the teachers would only cause trouble.
I need to become invisible.
I'd already attracted enough attention as it was.
From now on, I needed to reduce my presence.
That way, when I eventually escaped, nobody would notice until it was too late.
By the time they realized I was gone, I'd already be far away.
If I want to return to my original world, I don't have a choice.
Come to think of it, I'd need money if I wanted to travel around gathering information.
Lost in thought, I confidently marked Choice 3 for every answer.
When I finally looked up, my eyes met Bill's.
His eyes widened.
Then he hurriedly covered his test paper.
I'm not cheating.
Thus began a mysterious silent battle between me and Bill.
A few days later, the results were announced.
Heart pounding, I looked at the teacher.
“Lopez.”
“Yes.”
“Zero points. Demoted to Class Three.”
...
Teacher.
Does that mean not a single answer on the entire test was Choice 3?
Besides me, there were only three students in Class Three.
The gloomy atmosphere alone proved how thoroughly the teachers neglected this classroom.
More importantly, the expressions on the three children staring at me were far from friendly.
Those two boys must be twins.
They look exactly alike.
One of them—a sharp-eyed red-haired boy—narrowed his eyes and examined me.
Then something seemed to click.
He pointed at me and shouted,
“Ah! It's Mean Lopez!”
So my reputation had spread all the way to Class Three.
The boy stuck out his tongue dramatically.
“Bleh! Nobody's gonna want to sit next to Lopez!”
I decided to teach the adorable child a little reality.
“There is a way to force myself into the seat next to you...”
“Stay away from me!”
Kids.
Let's use nice words.
Even though they looked wary, we were classmates now.
It seemed polite to at least learn their names.
“What's your name?”
I asked the boy who'd spoken first.
He immediately turned his head away.
“What do you need my name for?”
It was obvious he had absolutely no intention of telling me.
In that case...
I'd just have to make him say it.
