46 Chapter 32: The Slips of Paper

I eyed them warily above my leafy meal.

Rei, Easton and Luke continued to chat away, unbeknownst my cautious stares.

Easton was obviously too stupid, and was not malicious enough to break into my room… Which left me to the choice of Luke and Rei.

"I talked to a girl today!" Easton squealed like a girl.

"You mean you annoyed her until she slapped you." Luke sipped his teacup, "The whole school probably knows by now."

"She didn't slap me…" Easton paused to ponder his answer, "She touched me…"

Easton's expression softened as he crumbled into a puddle of love.

Rei sighed with clear frustration.

Yeah… Easton was definitely off my list.

It was either Rei or Luke. But what would do break into my room for… unless…

My blood chilled and my heart thumped irregularly, I leaned onto my chair for support as I felt my legs weaken. No one was supposed to know wear the powerful shadow book was, except Emilia who was intended to find it. Emilia genuinely didn't know what I was talking about earlier, so the only solution was that…

Someone else had reincarnated with me. And they were determined to make my life harder.

And it was a good chance that they were either Rei or Luke. Who else would know my password and break in?

Rei was obviously smart enough to create a meticulous plan, but while Luke was not as strategically smart as Rei, he engaged socially enough to know how to make someone suffer emotionally.

Each of them was a formidable opponent, especially since I couldn't fight back since I didn't know who it was quite yet…

"Lady Ivory!" A maid hurried to my side, "Someone requested for your presence back in the foyer."

"Very well." I stood up, my silken skirt swooshing behind me as I walked away.

This need to be carefully considered later.

***

[ERROR; UNABLE TO LOAD, PLEASE TRY RELOADING…]:

I finished my meal and headed outside into the garden.

The cool, night breeze lifted my hair, caressing my face before quickly departing. I walked further towards the shadows, away from the school building. The fountains sprayed a thing mist into the air as I walked past, and animals darted away.

I picked up a stray twig, feeling out it's long and slender shape before swiping it at the air, like a sword.

After a while, I paused and touched the ground, summoning…

A horde of spiders with different shapes and colours scuttled from the shadow's velvety embrace as they surrounded me, never touching me, but at an arm's distance close.

"I wonder what would happen if I let them loose?" I muttered to myself, smirking despite myself, "But it's unnecessary, I can't ruin my plan so soon."

I swung the stick in an arc, letting loose a bit of mana and a blinding flash was released from the twig. Once the stinging pain from the sharp light disappeared, I stepped over the mounds of dead spider bodies,

"Please forgive me." I confessed as I walked away.

I didn't know who I was apologizing to. Maybe it was to the spiders, maybe it to was Ivory or maybe even to the world…

***

Ivory:

Who would even call me at this hour? It was already so late; they better have a good explanation. I huffed and puffed as I dragged my feet down the hallway, towards the foyer.

I quickly maintained my posture and expression as I opened the last door…

And peered at the person below the stairs,

"You're back!" I beamed, rushing down the stairs.

***

Luke:

I made my way to my classroom, just as I rounded the corner, I barely avoided bashing into Easton.

"Where are you going?" I asked, walking in sync with him.

"I heard everyone in our class wrote an anonymous confession about themselves and stuck it on the wall." Easton grinned with puppy-like joy, "I wanna see if there's any funny ones!"

"…It's 'I want to' not 'wanna'." I sighed, smiling despite myself.

"Yeah, yeah." Easton brushed it off, marching away from me, eager to arrive quickly, "Whatever you say gramps."

We rounded the last corner and swung open the classroom's door. Inside, dozens of slips of paper with tiny writing were plastered on each of the classroom's four walls.

"I should be one grade higher than you and Rei." Easton complained, looking around at the walls.

"It's not my fault you're so stupid." I retorted.

"…Not my fault." I heard Easton whine under his breathe.

"What's yours?" Easton jumped to my side, following my gaze.

"There." I pointed to the paper on the top of the wall.

'I know something that I shouldn't know.'

"How mysterious…" I drawled sarcastically, "And horribly dramatic."

I plonked onto the closest chair, lazing back like a cat.

"What secret do you know, huh?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Someone's crush or something?"

"Nothing of that sort." Luke shrugged casually, "Where's yours?"

"There." I pointed to the paper directly opposite of his on the opposite wall.

"I like food." Luke read out loud, "Seriously?"

"It's true." I shrugged.

"Isn't that one interesting?" Luke pointed to a slip of paper nearby.

'I have the knowledge of a thousand men, yet the world will never truly grant me what I want.'

"That's just another dramatic fool. Just. Like. You." I fluttered my eyelashes innocently.

"RUN WHILE YOU CAN!" Luke chased me out the classroom and down the hallways.