Placing First part 2

"You" James face turned red with anger but at the same time he got a little scared.

With his lack of friends at the academy and overwhelming amount of

information he had to learn about the world, Kyle hadn't been able to gauge the level he was at compared to the other students. He had intended on taking this

test seriously in order to determine that — which resulted in this.

For the record, he had scored full marks in every subject.

He had a hunch his score had ranked in among the top students, so he had

decided to drop by and the peek at the results before leaving — but was caught

by James.

What should I do...

He wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible, but it didn't seem like

talking would make the other boy back down. Perhaps he should try leaving

forcefully. Just as he thought that— "Stop it, James. Jealousy is an unsightly look for a noble."

Collette suddenly interrupted him, having approached at some point. Her

comment seemed to hit the mark, as Jame's face twitched with rage.

"J-Jealousy? I'm afraid I can't let that pass. I simply wanted to reveal the

cheater..."

"First place isn't so easy to achieve simply by cheating. Unless you have

concrete evidence of how he cheated?"

"T-That's..." James was cornered by Collette's rational rebuttals.

"If you don't have any, then what you're saying is a baseless accusation. It's

an insult to the dignity of the academy, and I'm afraid I can't overlook it as the

class representative," Collete declared strongly.

An additional voice then spoke up in support: "I didn't hear the whole thing,

but I understand what you're saying. It's exactly as Collete says, James."

It was William. He had appeared from somewhere together with Prince Nathan.

P-Professor William..."

"There have been no signs of cheating, nor attempts at bribery detected on

the academy's side. This examination result was completely obtained by Kyle's

own efforts. That, I can guarantee," William stated clearly.

Tch..." Completely lost for words, James' face screwed up in frustration.

"H-Hmph! I won't accept this!"

"Well ,it doesn't matter if you accept this or not but by saying this you have not just accused Kyle but the academy without any evidences Mr James. I hope you are ready to bear the consequences. " William spoke in a slightly angry tone.It seems James accusations on Kyle had angered William. So he was using this as an excuse to punish James.

"Whaat" James cried loudly, his voice trembled as he done that.

"Your punishment will be decided after talking to your father, Mr James."

"Buuu t.ttt" James tried to defend himself but was not able to find words to do that."

"But what Mr James"

"Nothing"He deposited those words behind, before quickly leaving the scene, with his

gang of followers retreating with him.

"All right, everyone. Head to class if you're done checking the grades.

Class is about to start," William said, clapping his hands together. The

gathered onlookers started to scatter in every direction.

Free from the attention, Kyle turned to Collette and William. "Thank you very

much," he said, bowing his head in gratitude.

"Hmph," Collette huffed quietly. "...It's not like I was intervening for your

sake. I won't lose next time," she declared, before turning around and leaving

too." Congratulations, for your good results Kyle. I should also leave now professor William. Nathan said this and left together with Collette. Kyle and William watched her retreat.

"She's not a bad girl, you know. She just has a lot of pride and a rigid sense of

duty, so she's strict with herself and with others," William said with a wry smile.

So it seems," Kyle agreed with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Are you going to study at the library again today, Kyle?"

"Yes, that's the plan."

"I see. Then let's have tea in my research lab. You can drop by whenever

you're ready."

"Sure."

That day, after school, Kyle visited William's research lab. After preparing the tea

with precision and letting it steep for a moderate amount of time, he poured

the tea from the teapot into the teacup. A floral scent wafted through the

room. Once the last drop fell into the cup, Kyle offered it to William.

"Here you are."

"Thank you. There's nothing like the tea that you serve. Even though they're

the same tea leaves, the fragrance is completely different when I pour it," William noted, enjoying the fragrance flowing from the tea.

"I'm just following the instructions I read in a book. Anyone could do it if they tried."

That's not true. There may be different ways to make it taste good, but

there'll be differences based on who prepares it." William smiled happily as he

elegantly sipped the tea.

The instructors of the Royal Academy of Erugenia were typically researchers

first, having only been assigned teaching duties during their free time. Thanks to

that, the class instructors had very little interest in the students, and few

bothered to interact with them outside of the classroom. It went without

saying, then, that cases where instructors held frequent tea parties with their

students were extremely rare.

Yet, by some curiouscircumstance, Kyle and William had become close enough to

have tea together quite often.

It all started when William extended an invitation to Kyle while he was working

hard during one of his daily study trips to the library. At first glance, William

appeared to be a graceful and heroic noble son — but contrary to his looks, he was wildly candid in personality. His only minor drawback was his

inability to hear his surroundings when he was in research fever mode or in rage.

William was unlike the other royalty and nobility that Kyle had met up until now

— he never treated Kyle any differently because he was an orphan. Perhaps

that was why the two had hit it off once they started having tea parties;

nowadays they were close to the point that conversation naturally flowed

between them.

The only person Kyle could relax around in the midst of his oppressive

academic life was William.