n

n

n‘Young ones are so impressionable… it’s easy to dye them in any color—like a blank canvas.’

nNot only had I improved Anabelle’s opinion of me, but even the whole class now had a better image of my person. I had truly killed two birds with one stone, no?

nOpinions breed image. Image breeds reputation. Reputation breeds identity. Identity breeds position. Position breeds capacity… and that capacity defines an existence.

nAll I had just done was to shift something so minute, seemingly inconsequential. But, the rewards would be enormous.

nThat was a guarantee!

n**************************

nThree Days Later

nClasses ended for me, and it was already late in the afternoon. Others began leaving the class to attend their Electives courses, but such things didn’t concern me.

nI had something more important to do…

n“J-Jared Leonard… here…” A soft voice called out to me.

nI had been expecting her all day, but she really held on to the book until the last minute—Anabelle, that is.

nI glanced in her direction and flashed my usual calm smile.

n“Oh, you’re done already. That’s good.”

nShe returned my smile with hers, a sharp contrast from the glare she would usually give me.

n“Thank you for lending me this book. If it’s not too much to ask, I’d like you to tell me when you’re returning it. We could go together, so I can borrow it from the library at the same time…”

nHer voice sounded shrill and tame for some reason. Over the past few days since I lent her the book, the air around us had certainly loosened. We now exchanged greetings, and Edward often made small talk with me, though not much, since I always made myself occupied.

nCurrently, he was attending an Elective amongst over two-thirds of the whole class. That made the Lecture Hall nearly empty, giving Anabelle and me ample time to discuss.

n“Alright, no problem. I’m guessing you’ve not completely digested the contents in the book.”

n“Y-yeah. Lewis Griffith’s words are quite deep. I need more time to cross-reference this with other materials and draw a reasonable conclusion.”

n‘Ah, she’s talking about her assertion from that time!’ My thoughts rang, remembering how she declared in front of everyone that the Great Sage’s materials and theories were incomplete.

n“I see… you hold a keen interest in him, the Great Sage Lewis Griffith, uh?”

nHer face morphed from the somewhat nervous look she had, to a more confident one. Passion blazed in her eyes and I could tell that she was excited about the topic.

n“Yeah! I’ve been studying him and his works ever since I was a child, after all! He inspired me to be a Scholar, after all!”

nI could sense that this was genuine affection toward the man whose works must have lit a bright fire in the girl’s heart. It just felt weird because the man in question was me, and having a very cute fangirl fawning all over my works just made things a bit awkward.

n“I think every Scholar sees Lewis Griffith as motivation, though. Even Magic-Users also admire him…”

nMy response seemed to surprise Anabelle a little, as she looked at me in a peculiar, strange manner.

n“Hm? I guess… but it’s not like how I feel. I somehow feel like he’s my rival, you know? I mean, I’m working so hard so I can catch up to him and surpass him! It’s not like I worship him of anything… even though he’s so amazing and handso-, I mean, intelligent. Ahem!”

n‘You almost said ‘handsome’, didn’t you?!’

nThis girl was giving me mixed signals, and I couldn’t tell if her admiration for Lewis Griffith was purely academic, or if it extended into something deeper. A chill ran down my spine when the thought surfaced and I quickly buried it.

n‘You don’t even know how I looked like back then!’ I nearly screamed at her, but kept it within me.

nWell, I wasn’t that bad-looking, but my facial features couldn’t exactly be said to be top-tier. In fact, compared to how I looked now, my past self may have as well been trash.

n‘Must be due to my current noble bloodline…’

nIn any case, I took the book from Anabelle’s hand, though her tight grip on it before she finally released what was mine, clearly showed how unwilling she was to part with it.

nI could have extended her time with it, but that would only bring suspicion upon me. Why would I borrow a book for two weeks and lend it to another person, when I could be using it?

nI had to act natural.

nPlus, something told me that no time I gave Anabelle would be enough to satiate her uses for the book. It would just be best if she borrowed it from the Library after I was done.

n“It’s Friday, already… last day of our first week.”

nI had to wrap things up with the pair of both Anabelle and Edward before more time elapsed.

n“It’s nice to see that someone feels the same as I do. I also share your opinion, Anabelle. Lewis Griffith… I intend to surpass him.”

nMy sudden statement, devoid of any lies, struck a chord within Anabelle the moment they were uttered.

nHer eyes widened in surprise as I gave her a fierce look to show I was serious. Sparkles showed in her clear blue eyes and I could see more of her excitement build up.

n“Kyiiiiii!!!” She suddenly let out a squeal that caught me off guard.

n“So, you feel the same way? I knew it! I mean, I’m always watching how you read during your spare time, and how you look at the flowers in the garden, plucking quite a few. I assume those are for experiments, right? You also brilliantly answer the questions in class and give your ideal opinion. You mix in your assertion, argument, and possible proof when offering an answer! Do you know the significant similarities in those things?”

nAnabelle was rambling now, she couldn’t be stopped. My statement had opened a chatterbox that exceeded my control.

n“I-I guess it’s—”

n“—That’s right! It’s what Lewis Griffith used to do back in his school days!” Anabelle refused to let me complete my excuse of a response and just continued speaking.

nPerhaps I didn’t have everything under control as I had initially thought.

n