My High School Nerd Rival - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 16
Owen’s sharp retort delivered, he spun on his heel and vanished down the hallway, his entourage trailing behind him.
“Do you know him?”
At Quinton’s curious gaze and question, Ibi felt her shoulders stiffen—but she forced a laugh.
“S-surely you don’t think I’d know the headmaster’s guest somehow? What makes you think that?”
“The way you talk is similar.”
“No, it’s completely different!”
Ibi waved both hands frantically, then made to follow Owen in the direction he’d disappeared. She needed to give him a serious warning about this.
Talking to Quinton like that—what was she thinking?
“Are you planning to keep coming to school?”
But Quinton spoke again before she could turn, stopping her mid-stride.
“Well, yes, I suppose. Look, if you have something to say, just say it quickly, would you? I have somewhere to be.”
“It’s about being partners. If you’re staying at school, it has to be you.”
Partners?
That sounded like a word reserved for galas.
So Cyrus Quinton was asking her to be partners with him?
She wasn’t interested enough to know, but did they really need partners for something during New Year Resolution Week?
“Why on earth should I be partners with you? I absolutely refuse!”
“You can ask me all you want, but it won’t change anything. The teacher decided.”
“What?”
When had teachers started deciding who students partnered with for school events? It seemed like the kind of thing students would hate.
“Do you do everything a teacher tells you to?”
“Only when there’s no good reason not to.”
“What do you mean there’s no good reason? Do you even want to be partners with me?”
“No.”
……
“But I don’t dislike it either.”
What a moving answer. Ibi wanted to scream.
Rather than spend a semester with a boy like him, she’d sooner make some ridiculous dance video with that obnoxious “Angel,” Tiffany Vance.
“It’s just writing experiments and reports together for one semester.”
Experiments. Reports. Partners.
It seemed the “partnership” Ibi had imagined wasn’t what he meant at all.
“Are you talking about the Experimental Chemistry Course?”
“What else would need partners at school?”
Plenty of things.
Plenty—but nothing that could happen between the two of them, so saying “nothing” was technically true.
“Is that what you wanted to tell me this morning?”
Cyrus had shown her that printed document but seemed to have more to say. He hadn’t pushed further when Ibi mentioned dropping out, though.
“Yeah.”
“And asking Joy about me—that was the same reason?”
“Joy?”
“My roommate.”
“Right. Anyway, if you won’t be my partner, I’ll have to tell Teacher Chen.”
“I thought you’d be doing the experiment with Logan, your roommate.”
“That won’t work. So are you staying at school or not?”
He pressed for an answer, ready to suggest they start writing the experiment proposal right then if she said yes.
“Yes, I’m staying at school.”
“Then—”
“No! I’d rather die than be partners with you. Even if every other student disappeared and you were the only one left in this entire school, I still wouldn’t—”
His eyebrows rose slightly. He seemed a bit surprised by her vehemence.
“Absolutely not. Understood?”
After driving the point home definitively, she didn’t wait for his reply and spun around, running after Owen with heavy footsteps.
At the end of the hallway, Ibi glanced back at where he’d been standing.
Cyrus Quinton was already gone.
* * *
After leaving the building and passing through the School Garden, Ibi witnessed something quite remarkable.
Tiffany Vance was exacting revenge on Ibi’s behalf.
“I’m Tiffany Vance—surely you’ve heard of me? If you’re someone interested in current trends, that is.”
Tiffany blinked her wide eyes, showcasing her cuteness, to none other than Owen, who looked thoroughly uncomfortable.
Ibi held quite a few critical opinions about Tiffany, but she decided to let 0.1 percent of them slide.
Tiffany was delivering heavenly punishment for daring to have that strange conversation with Quinton without Ibi’s permission.
“Did you come to support the school? If you’re from a company’s PR team, you couldn’t possibly not know me. Right? Where are you from?”
It appeared Tiffany rather liked Owen.
Which made sense, because except when he was fussing over Ibi with inappropriate zeal, Owen was simply a decent-looking adult man.
One who radiated wealth and ease. (Which was genuinely the case.)
“I’m sorry, student, but I really must be going—”
“You came by helicopter, didn’t you? Could you show me inside?”
“That’s not really—”
“Good heavens, surely you don’t think I’m asking for filming purposes? Of course I have my own private helicopter.”
Tiffany pressed forward eagerly while Owen retreated, startled.
Ibi bit back her smile as she approached them. Tiffany looked overtly wary, but Ibi paid no mind.
“Excuse me. The headmaster is looking for our guest, so you should probably go quickly.”
Owen turned to Ibi with visible relief.
“That does sound urgent. Thank you for letting me know.”
With an expression that screamed “I love you, princess,” he swiftly escaped.
“Angel, don’t you have any sense of timing?”
The moment he was gone, Tiffany dropped her saccharine expression and shot Ibi a sharp look.
“Huh?”
“I was having an important conversation with him. Didn’t you notice?”
“Well, I was just doing an errand.”
“My goodness, Angel. You really don’t understand where you stand, do you? You need to make a good impression on me.”
“On you? Why would I?”
When Ibi asked with genuine confusion, Tiffany frowned briefly, then leaned close to her ear with a sinister smile.
As Ibi inhaled, a strong perfume scent filled her nose. She reflexively held her breath.
“You blackmailed Joy Carter. Didn’t you?”
It was complete nonsense. But Ibi, holding her breath, couldn’t answer.
“You used the hint I gave you, right? There’s no way Carter would withdraw her complaint otherwise, not with that pride of hers. Isn’t that right?”
Tiffany smiled with absolute confidence.
“I’m curious—how excited would everyone get if they found out that you, the excellent student and class president, are actually a coward who blackmails people? Hmm?”
“Tiffany.”
“Now do you understand? It’s time we started a new kind of relationship.”
“So this new relationship you’re talking about—”
“It’s simple. You like doing assignments, right? And I like protecting my Angel. Don’t worry. I promise. Your secret stays with me forever.”
“You want me to do all your assignments?”
“Just help each other with what we love. To be honest, I liked what you did. I never thought you could make Carter so obedient.”
“Um…”
“How was it? When a girl who was born with everything and was always bored experienced blackmail for the first time?”
A girl born with everything.
On the surface, Joy might look that way.
Even Ibi, who was her roommate, had thought so. Other students certainly did.
But Joy was—
A girl robbed of her mother’s love the moment she was born.
That love which should have been given to everyone as naturally as breathing, Joy had only just barely earned for herself.
“Thanks to you, Joy learned a lesson too. That a reputation gained without any effort doesn’t work everywhere.”
Ibi wanted to turn around and head straight to the Dormitory. But if she didn’t settle this, Tiffany might use other students to cause Joy trouble again.
It seemed Tiffany was obsessed with tearing down Joy, who was famous wherever she went without even trying.
“Anyway, I’ll let you know the assignments that need to be submitted and when they’re due.”
“Got it.”
Ibi nodded readily. Tiffany curled her long hair around her finger with a smile brimming with victory.
“Good. Honestly, checking edited versions isn’t easy either. The upload schedule is so tight.”
“I can imagine. You have to showcase new products before anyone else.”
Ibi shrugged and glanced at Tiffany’s headband—a design with a white ribbon hanging from a metal brand logo.
“But Tiffany, you should be careful not to be misunderstood.”
Ibi looked around, then stepped closer to her, tilting her head with a small smile.
“That design doesn’t come in white.”

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