Chapter 16

Suddenly, the door to the balcony opened roughly as the person who opened it barged in.

"...There you are!"

At the sound of the sudden, sharp, and penetrating voice, I turned to look at Rita, whose breath was heavy. She was panting heavily, and in her eyes, I could see sadness and fear. But then she glanced to my left, her expression hardening slightly when she saw Teresa. Her gaze returned to me, clearly unhappy.

"Rita! Why are y—"

It wasn't just her who had come. Charles was there too, seemingly chasing after her.

"Um..." Teresa exclaimed nervously.

"Rita—"

"Why are you so hard to find, Masamune? Why are you here? Didn't I tell you? 'Wait for me so I could find you,' didn't I say that before? I said that right? Then why is it so hard to find you?"

Her tone was sharp and cold.

"I was waiting for you here while you were still dancing with Charl—"

"I don't care about him!"

Rita interrupted.

"I didn't have a choice; he asked me first, and Grandpa gave his permission. I know you'll be late because you've to change. But why I didn't see you there? When I didn't find you, do you know how crazy I became? I was thinking you'd left me like my parents did. If you're angry about me dancing with Charles, I was planning to spend the rest of the party with you alone. I don't care that you're my butler. But why are you here with her instead of me, huh?"

I sigh, poor Charles. Furthermore, the way Rita angry at me.

"That's because we were both late and ended up here on the second floor by coincidence. I was hoping to see you from here because there are too many people down there. You don't have to be angry, Rita."

Teresa, on the other hand, seemed to take a few steps back. Behind Rita, I noticed Alexandra and Mashiro, while a few guests had begun to take notice of the scene. Thankfully, the glass window behind us was enough to muffle Rita's voice and preventing the situation from escalating further.

"Rita, that's enough." Charles said, trying to calm her.

"Silence, Charles!" Rita snapped. "Why are you chasing me when you already have her as your fiancee? You should stop this, alright? I don't like you."

Fiancee? I froze at Rita's sudden revelation. So, Charles is Teresa's fiance? All this time?Meanwhile, Teresa's nervous expression seemed to confirm the truth of Rita's words.

"Huh, I see," Rita continued. "I knew she'd been hiding her real identity as the Princess of Larsenburg, but I assume you knew that, right? Grandpa said you're the youngest millionaire, a genius who doesn't rely on his family fortune. But I like you because of who you are. You are always by my side, and you promised me that. Then why?!"

"I didn't know anything about it, and it doesn't have anything to do with me being a genius. Besides, I'm not a genius. Please calm down—"

"Liar!" Rita spat. "Then why are you with her instead of me? Do you think that girl is better than me just because she's a real princess? I've worked so hard to meet everyone's expectations, but why... why won't you look at me?!"

---

A day has passed.

After what happened last night, our group has become awkward. Even Rita has grown distant and is now ignoring me.

This situation confuses me. I've always thought of them as good children, and sometimes, given my mental age, I see them as my niece and nephew.

I knew that I'm not the past me. I've been reborn. I'm now a different person a soon an 11 years old, boy named Masamune. I'm a kid now, and yet, I've never felt any attraction toward Rita. That's impossible. Me, like Rita as a woman, it's impossible for now.

"Alright, folks. We're going to the schoolyard to observe nature," the teacher announced.

I packed my books as everyone left the classroom.

We have some kind of outdoor class today. There's a farm nearby, and the teacher wants us to study nature. For this class, the teacher form groups of three.

I hummed, "Let's get along, shall we?" I said, noticing Teresa looking away from Rita.

That's right. My group consists of me, Teresa, and Rita.

Well, this is somehow even more awkward than I thought.

"Y-yeah, let's do our best!" Teresa managed to say, trying to keep the mood light.

"Hm…" Rita merely hummed in response.

"That's right!" Teresa suddenly perked up. "Masamune told me about his homeland. I really enjoyed his story!"

"Really?" Rita hummed again, coldly. "Good for him."

Teresa, trying to make amends for what happened yesterday, was met with a cold shoulder from Rita. I sighed. This is why I hate dealing with angry kids. I thought that, since they're just elementary students, they might be more wholesome, but they're no different from adults. Still, I'd wish for the best for all of them.

The outdoor activity is just reading books outside. Thank God it isn't raining. I have trust issues with this country's weather, so why did the teacher even plan this?

Currently, Teresa decide to join other to see the scenery around the school because how big it was, beside there's football pitch, there's even a farm in school land.

"Hey, can we talk, Rita? What's wrong with you since yesterday?" I asked.

"Nothing's wrong with me. I treat people like this all the time so I can protect myself. Don't worry, it was my fault for letting my guard down around you. That's right..." She looked at me emotionless. "I heard that you have some business with my grandpa, right? You're not using me, are you?"

I'm not a pity person. Clearly, Rita needs some time, and she's still angry. When the teacher put us together in the same group, it was clearly the wrong time to meet.

"I never tried to do that. The reason I have a business with him is my skill. You're my friend, Rita. Hey, about what you said last night..."

"Ah... that one. I was caught up in the moment. In fact, I always hate someone like you. You're just like my parents. You know everything about me while I don't know a single thing about you. From now on, please don't talk to me so casually." Rita said then opened her book.

"Okay, just talk to me again when you want it."

There's no responded, she completely ignored me.

Well, if she wants to resolve it this way, I won't force her.

I opened my notebook and checked my to-do list for the upcoming meeting with a potential sponsor in New York. According to the schedule, I'll be flying out on Friday. From Saturday to Monday, I have meetings lined up with four corporations. Since I'm a minor, Uncle Nick and Grandpa will be accompanying me.

Money is crucial in this sport. Formula One requires at least 150 million USD for next season. With me here, I can provide Brawn GP with what they lacked before. In my past life, Brawn GP's shortcomings were time and money, and I'm trying to address that flaw now.

On the other hand, getting in touch with potential sponsors gives me the chance to build relationships. After all, I need a significant amount of money for my own investment plans.

As for how this will affect my attendance at school, it won't be an issue. This school allows students like Mashiro to skip classes as long as it's for important matters.

"Hey! I think I found a rabbit hole!" Teresa called to both of us from a distance.

Suddenly, Rita stood up with her books and walked off somewhere. I noticed Charles looking in her direction and look at with concern.

Honestly, they're bright kids. Mashiro and Rita are geniuses in their own right. Charles is a bright guy, he has a lot potential. Charles has a talent for handling women, and Rita is still young—she'll probably grow to like him over time.

"Masamune, hurry up!" Teresa called again.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," I responded.

I stood up and walked over to Teresa.

"Rabbit hole? Where?" I stopped beside her as she pointed at it and touched the hole.

"Look! I think it's really a rabbit hole, right? Look, there's even a—"

"Watch out!"

---

Stones?

Just a question, did u prefer slow or fast pace?

What kind of world should I include?