Chapter 9

"talking" (Mc to system) [System]

The chat with Amelia was very pleasant. After all, who could resist a gentle and charming woman! However, Amelia had to attend an afternoon tea party, so Ifia had to bid her farewell for now.

Even though Amelia had invited Ifia to join the afternoon tea, the thought of being in the same room with numerous noble daughters made Ifia hesitate. In the end, she found it more comfortable to return to her dorm and relax.

After agreeing on the time to sign up for the club tomorrow afternoon, Ifia reluctantly waved goodbye to Amelia.

Now, the more Ifia looked at Amelia, the more appealing she seemed. Even without any system tasks, Ifia felt like she would like to be friends with Amelia.

Having had enough wandering outside, it was time to return to the dorm.

Guided by the system map, Ifia smoothly returned to the dorm and saw the diligent female lead still studying. Her hardworking appearance was so focused that it gave Ifia a sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of her high school days.

Back then, she had watched her roommates and classmates study day and night, developing dark circles under their eyes, walking while reciting textbooks, wishing to transform into a studying machine that never rested.

But she was different, during the day, she read manga in class, stayed up late playing games at night… In the end, her family donated two buildings and sponsored five on-campus labs to the university, successfully leveraging internal connections for admission.

It had to be said that no matter where you were, the privileged class lived comfortably.

As for those exposed in the news, their backgrounds were evidently not strong enough.

At least, during Ifia's time in school, nothing untoward happened.

However, fortunes change, and now she has lost her family background, becoming nothing more than a pitiful and helpless impoverished girl. She doesn't even have enough for the next semester's tuition.

Sigh!

Ifia sighed and decided to lie on her comfortable bed, silently licking her wounds. It was just a matter of missing out on some snacks, drinks, and novels and manga…

However, perhaps due to oversleeping the previous day, she had no sleepiness now.

Ifia, who was already successfully lying on the bed, propped herself up with one hand and looked at the still focused Irene. Then she thought about Prince Carloy, who was blind… Because of being a month late to report, she had no idea how the plot had developed by now.

The useless system didn't even provide a plot hint, she had to guess everything!

After enduring for a while, Ifia tentatively extended her foot, attempting to chat with Irene, "Irene, do you know any influential figures at the Pulis Academy? I'm a bit curious!"

Perhaps Irene was tired from studying, or maybe she considered it a matter of courtesy. She put down the pen in her hand, looked up at Ifia, shifted her chair into a more comfortable position, and then spoke, "Influential figures at Pulis Academy? Certainly, there is Amelia, the daughter of Duke Barlen. She is a respected noble with remarkable intelligence, holding the top position in our grade for three consecutive years."

To Ifia's surprise, the first person Irene mentioned was Amelia.

Upon hearing Irene's praise for Amelia, Ifia immediately nodded in agreement.

Looking at it this way, the female lead, Irene, seems to have a favorable impression of the villainess. Whenever Amelia's name is mentioned, Irene's eyes seem to light up. So how does their relationship develop into one of mutual dislike later on?

Is it because of Prince Carloy?

Suddenly, there's interest in the subsequent plot!

"Amelia is indeed respectable. Besides her, are there others?"

"The heir to the royal family, Prince Carloy, is also an impressive person. He treats people with kindness and courtesy, often organizing charity events. In the future, he will surely be a king beloved by the people."

Compared to the admiration when mentioning Amelia, Irene, who was originally open and frank, suddenly seemed a bit shy when talking about Prince Carloy. The flickering gaze and blushing cheeks indicated the blossoming of a teenage crush.

Ifia rolled her eyes, hummed softly, and, due to her strong dislike of Carloy, couldn't help but ask with a teasing smile, "How about Prince Carloy's academic performance?"

"..."

Ifia took aim and delivered a fatal blow.

The adoring expression on Irene's face immediately changed. She pursed her lips and reluctantly said, "Prince Carloy is just slightly behind Miss Amelia, but I believe he will continue to work hard to strive for the top."

"So, he's the eternal second place!"

"..."

Any girl would get angry hearing criticism about someone they secretly admire.

Irene gave Ifia a silent glare, noisily moved her chair back to its original position, and adopted a refusal-to-speak demeanor, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation with Ifia.

Seeing that the female lead was not in the mood for playful banter, Ifia, who hadn't yet gotten to the main topic, naturally wouldn't give up this opportunity.

"Sorry, I prefer people with good academic performance because I think they are impressive… Maybe they've put in countless hours of hard work behind the scenes, so there's no reason to deny their achievements for any reason."

Ifia could be flexible when needed, and her sincere words obviously touched Irene.

She immediately forgave Ifia for her lack of respect toward Prince Carloy.

Seeing Irene's improved expression, Ifia seized the opportunity, "Irene, have you interacted with Miss Amelia and Prince Carloy?"

"No, the various grades at Pulis Academy don't interact unless it's the same club or public event. The chances of bumping into each other are slim… Oh, if you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse in the cafeteria! The nobles like to dine on the second floor of the cafeteria, finding the food on the first floor too rough."

Although Irene secretly admired Prince Carloy, she clearly didn't like other nobles.

However, Ifia obtained important information from this. According to Irene, the plot in the book had not yet unfolded. So, the scene Ifia encountered in the small forest earlier was like an Easter egg in the plot? And it explained why Prince Carloy dislikes Amelia.

Having obtained the answers she wanted, Ifia didn't continue probing on that topic but instead inquired about the clubs at Pulis Academy.

Although she had received internal information about the clubs from Amelia, it never hurts to be more prepared!

"Irene, have you joined any clubs?"

"Yes, because I used to write some poems for the newspaper, I gained some popularity, and the Poetry Club invited me to join… Ifia, have you decided on which club to join? Pulis Academy has implemented a mandatory club enrollment requirement this year, or else you'll be expelled."

Indeed, supporting characters in the control group couldn't compare to the female lead.

Upon hearing the word "expelled" again, Ifia immediately wilted, like a deflated fruit.

Not giving up, she asked, "I heard that the club requirements at Pulis Academy are very high. Is it difficult to get in?"

"Yes."

Confirming once again that she, as a little waste, couldn't join any clubs, Ifia gave up completely.

She might as well take the route of internal recruitment!

Thinking of the art club mentioned by Amelia, and seeing that Irene was still willing to chat, Ifia immediately inquired about the specifics of the art club.

"Irene, what do you think about the art club? I want to join that club."

However, as soon as Ifia mentioned the art club, Irene's expression changed immediately.

She looked up at Ifia in shock, with a look of 'Are you kidding me?' Clearly, the art club at Pulis Academy was not an ordinary club.