My High School Nerd Rival - Chapter 46

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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 46
He doubted his ears first.
It was the most absurd thing he’d heard in his entire life.
Like her? Evelyn Underwood?
It was so ridiculous he couldn’t even manage a laugh.
It was true that she stood apart from the other students somewhat.
She was his lab partner, and as class president, she did look after him fairly well.
But that was all there was to it. Probably.
Fortunately, Evelyn seemed to think the same way.
“I-I don’t care!”
The fact that she’d immediately launched into a rebuttal proved it.
……
But silence filled the room again.
How could she even think about entering the Debate Competition when she couldn’t even refute something this simple?
If given the chance to speak, he would have point by point dismantled Joy’s argument.
For instance.
For instance.
For instance.
……Though nothing came to mind at the moment, he certainly would have.
Definitely.
“W-wait, the premise itself is flawed. Does that bot really have that function? You’d have better luck saying Tiffany considers me a friend.”
What?
Cyrus felt a surge of irritation, but then realized there was no need for it.
Because he absolutely did not like Evelyn Underwood.
He revised his plans and knocked on the door irritably, determined to put an end to this ridiculous debate at once.
Soon he heard rustling from within, and the door opened.
……
The shocking scene visible through the crack made him momentarily lose his words.
There stood Evelyn.
With a pristine white sheet mask slipping halfway down her face.
‘Should I……’
Remove it for her? Or point it out?
He forced his restlessly twitching fingers to steady.
She was certainly high-maintenance.
He barely suppressed the urge to interfere and calmly handed her the documents.
The way she accepted them without noticing what was stuck to her face—whether it was foolish or endearing, he couldn’t decide.
He sighed and turned to leave.
But before he’d even taken five steps, he habitually reached up to touch his glasses again.
Evelyn Underwood was truly a ridiculous person.
* * *
‘That was well done.’
She must have been eleven.
It was around three years after she and the Nanny’s son had begun regularly exchanging problem-solving worksheets—was it then?
He had written something like praise on her essay.
No, it had definitely been praise.
Upon finding those unfamiliar words, Evelyn’s face had flushed crimson, and she’d made up a lie about stomachache before retreating under her blanket.
‘He complimented my writing.’
The boy who’d always said “Wrong!” suddenly said something like that, and it made her happier than any praise from anyone else.
Enough to make her whole body tingle and her heart race.
‘Did I really do that well?’
Evelyn wanted to give that good feeling back to the boy.
She used to send cutting remarks because she thought of him as a rival competing for the Nanny’s affection, but truth be told, his solutions were always elegant and precise.
‘……Should I ask his name?’
The reason she’d never asked for his name despite three years of exchanging words almost every week was that once she did, everything would change.
They had always called each other “you.” But if Evelyn called the boy by his name, he would have to call her by hers as well.
In that case, the appropriate address for him to use might not be “Evelyn” but “Your Highness.”
She didn’t dislike being called that, but she didn’t want to be called that by a rival.
She wanted to compete fairly.
‘No, I shouldn’t ask his name.’
If they met someday, she’d ask then. Instead, this time she would write him praise.
You know, I actually like your solutions.
……Though in the end, she never did send it.
Period 5
Once the Debate Competition ended, winter gradually began to slip away.
On an afternoon when the cold had loosened its grip.
Evelyn, leaving her Literature class, was met by Joy, who arrived bearing two pieces of news and began with the most classic of framing devices.
“I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”
“The good news, obviously. What? Did they decide not to give you penalty points for sneaking out?”
“Unfortunately, the penalty points are confirmed. Besides, that’s not even the good news.”
Joy shrugged lightly and immediately shared the good news.
“Valentine’s Day is coming up soon.”
“I know. That’s why the Dormitory Student Council booth is taking flower delivery orders right now.”
When she’d been at the Royal Palace, Valentine’s Day hadn’t been particularly important.
But the School was different. The students approached this day with the reverence of preparing for a religious ceremony.
Even though it didn’t award any extra credit.
The Dormitory Student Council set up a booth a week before Valentine’s Day and took orders for flower deliveries.
Who to send them to.
What message to include.
And most importantly, what color flowers to choose.
While there was ostensibly a charitable fundraising purpose, it was essentially a popularity contest run by the Student Council.
In the end, what the students cared about was “who receives the most flowers.”
Consequently, Valentine’s Day was a miserable affair for Evelyn, who belonged to the Dormitory Student Council—a day of unpaid labor with no extra credit to show for it.
“How is that good news?”
The only silver lining to the whole event was being able to give flowers and chocolate to Joy and Emily.
Evelyn had no experience doing things like this with female friends before, so that part was rather thrilling.
“Because of the bad news I’m about to tell you.”
“Go on. I doubt there’s anything more dismal than unpaid labor.”
“Cyrus heard.”
“What?”
“What we were talking about in the room after the Debate Competition ended.”
There was news more dismal than unpaid labor.…
Evelyn stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face Joy.
The conversation they’d had after the Debate Competition.

That absurd moment she’d tried so hard to erase from her memory.
Cyrus had heard it?
“H-how did you find out that Cyrus heard?”
In fact, Evelyn had tried to catch glimpses of his expression several times in class and at the Library, wondering if he’d heard.
But seeing no change from his usual demeanor, she’d naturally assumed he hadn’t.
“I just asked him straight up whether our conversation had reached the Hallway. And he said it had.”
Why on earth would you ask him that!
Evelyn wanted to demand an explanation, but that wasn’t the pressing concern right now.
“S-so? What happened?”
“Huh? He just apologized right away.”
Joy answered as though it were obvious.
Right, an apology comes first. After all, they’d been talking about him in his absence.
“Wait, wasn’t Cyrus really angry?”
“No? Not at all.”
“He wasn’t angry? We’re sure he actually heard what we said?”
If it were Evelyn, she would have immediately hired a lawyer and sent documents. Defamation, spreading false information, things like that.
“Yeah, he looked like he didn’t care much about it. Maybe because it’s true?”
“……That can’t be right.”
Cyrus probably thought it was beneath responding to.
Which, truthfully, it was.
“Anyway.”
Evelyn sighed and asked the crucial question.
“What does this have to do with Valentine’s Day?”
“Goodness, Evelyn. You don’t know an important social convention? Where have you been all this time? Were you locked away somewhere?”
Well, she had been locked away in the Royal Palace.
So her social skills among peers were a bit underdeveloped.
Since she couldn’t say that, Evelyn just smiled.
“Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to apologize! If you give someone chocolate while saying you’re sorry, who would refuse your apology!”
“That…… works?”
Evelyn tilted her head uncertainly.
She’d never heard anywhere that Valentine’s Day was an excuse to apologize.
“What do you think, Emily?”
Joy grabbed Emily as she was leaving class and asked her how perfect Valentine’s Day was for conveying an apology.
Emily responded with even a round of applause in agreement.
“Exactly! Valentine’s Day is the best for apologies! After my friends and I have a fight, I always make up with them on that day. That’s common sense, right?”
Gentle, kind Emily didn’t seem like the type to fight with friends, but…… if she said so.
“See? So Evelyn, you should definitely apologize to Cyrus on Valentine’s Day this time. Got it?”
“Wh-yes, I……”
Something seemed off about this, but it was true that she owed Cyrus an apology, so she nodded for now.
Unaware that Emily and Joy were exchanging knowing smiles and high-fives behind her back.

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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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