Liar and Liar - Chapter 34

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 34

* * *

‘Did he finally get the message?’

Frederick showed no particular reaction to the note.

She didn’t want to act so rudely if she could help it, but from Danielle’s perspective, it was her own special measure.

Even after that, Frederick occasionally continued his pseudoscience provocations, but Danielle completely blocked them. It wasn’t easy though.

Really not easy at all.

“I tried past life regression over the weekend.”

“….”

“Apparently I was a prince of Chosun (Joseon). My mother praised my orchid painting for being beautiful.”

To think someone could provoke another person like this. Danielle cultivated enlightenment like a monk in the middle of California.

Endure it. Endure it. Endure it. If you react, you lose.

Inside, her inner voice was screaming. That’s all a scam, you idiot. Past life, what past life! Danielle’s teeth chattered from trying to hold back her inner voice from bursting out.

What kind of Joseon prince are you? Do you think every Tom, Dick, and Harry was a prince or princess? And how much did you waste on that nonsense? Do you have money overflowing? If you’re going to throw it away like that, you might as well donate it!

“What do you think?”

“…That sounds…interesting. Sounds good. Enjoy your life.”

By leaving words that could be loosely translated as ‘live like that forever,’ Danielle blocked any further conversation. It was definitely a major crisis. She managed to get through it somehow though.

‘Now there really can’t be any more, right?’

Even a nonsense vending machine eventually sells out. Danielle wanted to live a peaceful daily life now too.

In the library, she had written a note saying something like ‘please stop paying attention,’ but the real truth inside was ‘I want to stop paying attention.’ Because it was becoming increasingly impossible.

Now she could recognize Frederick Bastia even if he was just at the edge of her vision. She could hear his voice from far away. If their hands accidentally brushed, she’d think about it all day.

‘I think I’m really infected with a virus….’

Was it because she’d been tormented by pseudoscience too much?

Her nerves were definitely on edge from the harmful overstimulation called ‘Frederick Bastia.’ Otherwise, there’s no way such conversations would bother her.

During PE time that had become free time. As Danielle was bouncing a volleyball upward with both hands together, the word ‘rick’ pierced her ears. It had been a long time since her ears reacted this way even when he wasn’t in her field of vision.

“Did you hear they’re adding a real kiss to the theater festival script this time?”

“Yeah.”

“So you’ll kiss Stella? Wow.”

“It’s just a cheek kiss. That’s all it is.”

Thud.

Crash.

Danielle mindlessly hit the volleyball high into the air, failed to react to it, got hit in the forehead by the ball, then fell backward and collapsed on the floor. The surrounding students approached Danielle.

“Geez! Danielle, are you okay?”

“Ah, I’m, fine….”

Danielle pressed her palms against the floor and raised her upper body.

‘Stella….’

Stella Bellavia. Among the students at this school, she was one of the rare people whose persistence and patience Danielle acknowledged.

Among the girls who had rashly approached Frederick only to be rejected, only Stella maintained an appropriate distance from Frederick while steadily building their relationship. This time, she was his so-called theater festival partner.

Because she was multi-talented and pretty, Stella didn’t cling to or throw herself at Frederick, but instead secured the spot next to Frederick and monopolized his time by landing the lead role in the theater festival. It was a tenacity that made Danielle stick out her tongue.

‘It’s none of my business.’

However, Danielle unconsciously turned her head toward where Frederick would be. It was a mistake that rendered all her past efforts to avoid looking at him, even by accident, completely futile.

“….”

Why. Don’t look at me.

She thought he was just drawn by the commotion. Danielle lightly ignored Frederick’s gaze that was looking at her. This was enough.

However, Frederick Bastia’s thoughts seemed different. Danielle soon learned what the mega bomb he had prepared was.

* * *

The entire class was gathered in the library to decide on science project topics. Frederick’s words fell like a bomb right in the center of the library.

“I’ve been thinking.”

The gazes of students who had been chatting in small groups suddenly focused on Frederick. As always, he was surrounded by students, and Danielle was sitting with a book on a single-person sofa against the wall.

“The Earth is flat.”

Excuse me?

Danielle’s mouth fell open as she became dazed. What did I just hear?

The kids also took Frederick’s words as just a joke.

“What are you saying? Are you a Flat Earther? Hahaha.”

“I’m serious though?”

The kids were flustered when they heard Frederick’s serious answer. Danielle gripped the book in her hands tightly. Their eyes met as if it was a natural progression.

Are you still going to ignore me even now?

I can turn the truth you believe in into an illusion.

Looking at his gaze that seemed to say that, Danielle slowly realized. That she had been irreversibly caught by Frederick Bastia.

All the kids from Danielle’s class gathered in the Small Conference Room in the library. Danielle, sitting in the corner, had her gaze fixed not straight ahead but on the materials on the desk.

【The Three-Body Problem】

This is like Earth being affected by two suns. Predicting the orbital motion of gravity acting between three objects is very complex and practically impossible to predict.

“It’s amazing that the teacher actually approved this topic.”

“She probably meant for us to investigate it ourselves.”

The class’s science project topic really became ‘Is the Earth flat?’ That was the extent of Frederick Bastia’s influence.

【In other words, if there were two suns, apart from variables like thermal energy, it would have been difficult for Earth to develop civilization. Planetary-scale disasters severe enough to destroy civilization would have occurred without any cycle or warning.】

Danielle thought both this class and herself were facing a crisis of destruction. The reason was obviously the third planet called Frederick Bastia that had intruded between the sun and Earth, which had been peaceful and tranquil without problems.

‘I can’t believe not a single parent complained about this….’

Maybe they thought of it as the kids’ playful spirit of inquiry, or the teacher explained it well in between.

Or maybe they just let it slide because he’s the only son of the Bastia family.

For some reason, Danielle felt the third reason seemed most plausible.

“But could the Earth really be flat? I looked it up yesterday. They said on YouTube that the government and scientific community are hiding the truth.”

“The data saying Earth is round is actually fabricated. Listening to it, some parts do make sense….”

This is chaos. Danielle raised one hand to press her forehead. Just listening to it felt like a headache was coming on.

“Talk to me for a bit.”

Danielle finally spoke to Frederick first. Frederick, who responded with his usual gentle smile instead of words, obediently followed Danielle.

The place Danielle took Frederick to was the deserted building backyard.

“Stop it.”

“Stop what?”

You know exactly what I mean, so why are you pretending not to know so innocently?

“Stop inciting the kids with sophistry.”

“I don’t think it’s sophistry? We haven’t actually seen Earth ourselves.”

Frederick saying this was shameless and nonchalant. Like a young child poking a small bumblebee’s bottom with a thin twig.

Danielle could cite more than ten pieces of evidence that Earth is round right now, but at the same time, she knew very well that it would be completely useless.

“There’s no one listening anyway. So let’s just talk straight. What’s the problem?”

“Really? Should we?”

When Frederick took a step closer, Danielle regretted standing so close to the wall.

“Why did you ignore me?”

“….”

Whether it was due to the suddenly shortened distance, the fabric softener scent resembling a quiet forest enveloped Danielle.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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