My High School Nerd Rival - Chapter 92

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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 92
But it was an illusion. They hadn’t actually touched at all.
For some reason she couldn’t bear it, so Ivy withdrew her hand from the water.
Before Cyrus did.
Back at the bench where they’d left their drinks, she shook off the droplets.
The water beads on the surface had left neat round marks.
She sat down, avoiding those marks. Soon Cyrus settled beside her.
The breeze grazed the fingertips of their lowered hands on the bench. As the moisture dried, they grew slightly cool.
Only then did she take a sip of ginger ale.
“……It tastes good.”
Beside her, Cyrus also drank from his cup. Without a word.
The silence stretched.
Between them there was only the sound of their surroundings.
The cold water falling from the Fountain, children’s laughter, leaves rustling in the breeze above their heads.
Then suddenly she looked down at her hands, now completely dry.
His hand lay right beside hers. A single finger’s width between them.
“…….”
Feeling strangely uneasy, she curled her fingertips and moved her hand to her lap with a small tap. Then she deliberately looked away toward the square.
The child whose chain had come loose earlier was riding a bicycle far in the distance.
“He’s riding well.”
As Ivy murmured this, Cyrus glanced in that direction too.
“Of course.”
The tone suggested he was saying: ‘I fixed it, so naturally it should work.’
The same way he’d been whenever he came first or received a prize.
“You’re annoying.”
Ivy pouted, and Cyrus finished his remaining drink in silence before tossing the empty bottle into a nearby trash bin.
It went in perfectly.
Ivy was still holding her empty cup, ice clinking inside it.
She didn’t particularly want to remind him of her terrible basketball skills.
After a moment, Cyrus checked the time and stood up.
He took a step, then paused. Then he turned back to face Ivy directly.
He bent down. Warm weight settled on the back of her hand, and his fingers curled around hers with unmistakable intent.
“…….”
So Cyrus had taken her hand.
There had been times before when he’d held her hand or arm. They’d all had legitimate reasons.
Well, ‘accidents’ couldn’t really be called legitimate.
In any case, there had always been context.
So was there context now too?
But before she could think of anything else, he spoke.
“We’re going to be late.”
Ivy stood up.
Cyrus started walking ahead, and Ivy followed as if drawn along.
Their hands remained connected.
The path back to the main street.
His pace was slow for someone who’d just warned they were running late.
Ivy walked half a step behind, being pulled along, until at some point they were walking side by side. She wasn’t sure who’d matched their stride.
His large hand repositioned hers, this time grasping it firmly enough that their wrists touched.
The two hands, still cool from the Fountain, seemed to soften and warm together.
And so they walked down High Street.
There were more people than when they’d first arrived. It seemed like someone might be looking their way, or maybe not.
“……So, you’re not going to let go?”
She asked, conscious of the glances around them.
Even as she said it, Ivy found herself thinking: what if he actually does let go? A strange thought.
She must be losing her mind.
And Cyrus, without even turning to look at her, answered.
“No.”
There was nothing more.
If he’d at least offered some logic about why holding on was justified, she might have laughed and countered him. But he gave her nothing.
They passed the clothing shop where he’d chosen a shirt, crossed the street, and then the Bus Stop where they’d gotten off the shuttle earlier came into view.
Her pace slowed.
This time it was Ivy’s doing, and Cyrus didn’t hurry her. He simply matched her slower pace.
They sat side by side on the bench at the Bus Stop.
Close enough that their shoulders nearly touched, their hands still intertwined.
They didn’t speak.
Conversation had a habit of ruining the moment anyway, so perhaps it was right to keep it at bay for now.
They hadn’t waited long before the shuttle appeared in the distance.
Ivy’s gaze dropped. On Cyrus’s thigh, she could see their hands, knotted together.
So much more solid than the fleeting touch in the Fountain water just moments before.
There was meaning in this.
That was what she felt.
And she couldn’t deny it.
Before she could think any further, the shuttle drew nearer.
Unlike when they’d arrived, the shuttle was now packed with students. Faces irritated by the heat crowded the windows.
When the bus stopped in front of them, Ivy finally pulled the hand she’d given him around behind her back in a panicked motion and stood up.
She knew her hand was trembling as she withdrew it. He must have felt it too. So he didn’t hold on any tighter.
The bus came to a complete stop and the doors opened.
Students poured out, and soon Ivy boarded the now-empty bus and took a seat.
Cyrus sat directly behind her.
She couldn’t see him, but she felt his unmistakable presence behind her.
Ivy looked out the window. The bus circled around, and the landscape of Town gradually receded.
The image of them reflected in the mirror, the rippling water of the Fountain, and the feel of their hands grasping each other for no reason at all.
The bus’s return to school seemed to happen too quickly.
They were back at the School Gate.
Cyrus, getting off first, turned back to Ivy and extended his hand.
Because the bus steps were high?
Or maybe there was no reason for it this time either.
She wished that were the case.
She stepped down from the bus, leaning her weight on the hand that was still the same temperature as before.
But this time, Cyrus’s hand fell away.
As if nothing had happened.
“Good work today.”
He walked past her toward the School Gate with the Paper Bag in hand.
Ivy watched his retreating figure.
‘……What?’
Just moments ago, he’d said he wasn’t going to let go.
She was sure of it.
Ivy looked down at her now-empty palm. Left with only the sensation, there was nothing else.
Cyrus, a few steps ahead, turned back to look at her.
“Ivy.”
It was unmistakably a reproach—why aren’t you coming?
Did he really not know why she was doing this?
Ivy walked faster, huffing indignantly. She even passed him.
Though he caught up with ease with those long legs, annoyingly unhurried.
Of course, she hadn’t wanted to hold hands on campus anyway.
Ivy had that much sense.
She was still running into students heading to the gate to catch the shuttle.
But still!
Just—
……Cyrus let go far too easily.
* * *
The Dormitory was unusually loud.
Because the weather was hot, everyone had decided not to go home and instead lounged about in the cool common area.
The moment Cyrus sensed the noise, he immediately changed direction.
“I have something to do at the Library.”
He hated loud noise with a passion, so Ivy simply nodded as if to say of course.
“Understood. Take care.”
She entered the Dormitory alone. As she opened the glass door, Emily waved from where she was sitting on the sofa.
“Ivy!”
As she approached with a smile, Emily emerged from among the students with eyes gleaming with interest.
Was something good happening?
“You went on a date with Cyrus?”
Ivy’s eyes went wide. She glanced around quickly. Fortunately, the noise from the sofa was far too loud, and there was no one nearby.
“It wasn’t a date—it was research for an assignment. Where on earth did you hear such a ridiculous rumor?”
“It’s solid information. Yesterday in the Library, I was finding books for Montrose, and Joy came and told me you two were going on a date today.”
“Good grief.”
Ivy pressed her forehead. How could Joy spread such nonsense to Emily and Fabian.
When she got back to the room, she’d teach Joy a lesson—by refusing to show her the answers to her math homework, only the steps.
“Anyway, it wasn’t a date. But why are all of you so excited about this?”
“Oh.”
Emily pointed to the cork bulletin board in the Dormitory.
A single sheet of paper someone had posted without permission.
[Who is our school’s princess? Vote now!]
Below it was a printed QR code.
“There’s voting going on at the Anonymous Message Board. To see who looks like a princess. Everyone’s going crazy saying they’ll be the one.”
Emily waved her Mobile Phone, showing the voting screen.
Vaguely visible graphs.
Ivy’s heart seemed to skip a beat.
“I thought the whole princess thing had died down, but it seems like ever since someone posted this vote, it’s started up again.”
Who posted this vote?
Of course, Emily seemed unconcerned about such things.
Which made sense. This was just—a fun game.
Everyone thought so.
“Do you know who’s in first place right now?”
She shook her head. Her palms had grown sweaty.
Emily’s mouth quirked up as she answered.
“Logan.”
“……What?”
The tension that had shot up to the ceiling suddenly eased slightly.
Then someone suddenly stood up on the sofa and raised both arms triumphantly.
“Presenting Princess Logan!”
……It was Logan himself.
Laughter erupted in the hall.
A cushion flew at him. Jeers of “Get out, Blake!” rained down.
Ivy laughed a little too.
Yes, this was a joke. No one was seriously looking for a princess. It was just an excuse to distract from the tedium of school life.
“And on the girls’ side, Mia’s in first place. Would you believe she’s going around asking people to vote for her?”
“I should vote for Mia too.”
“What? Not Joy? Joy’s in second place.”
Joy was from the Carter family. But seeing that people voted for her instead proved it was just a popularity contest.
“And don’t be surprised, but you’re on the list too, Ivy.”
“What?”
“You have three votes.”
Three votes.
It didn’t seem noticeable, so it was probably fine. Someone probably voted for her as a joke.
“I’m going to head to my room. My feet are tired from all the walking.”
Ivy smiled gently and went straight up the Dormitory stairs.
Her pace quickened as she climbed toward the room.
She hurried to open the door. The room was empty.
Ivy pushed the door closed behind her with her back. Then, with trembling hands, she pulled out her Mobile Phone and checked the Anonymous Message Board.
The voting post was still receiving real-time comments from students.
* * *
[Anonymous 25]
Now I’m actually starting to see Logan as the princess. Is it just me?
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[Anonymous 21]
L O G A N G E T O U T
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[Anonymous 3]
ㅋㅋㅋㅋ2222
[Anonymous 13]
What does this have to do with finding a princess ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
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[Anonymous 16]
It’s funny asking people to vote for a princess that doesn’t even exist in the first place
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[Anonymous 8]
Or maybe there really is a hidden princess. Someone quiet
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[Anonymous 26]
Don’t look for quiet people on the Anonymous Message Board. You’ll summon Cyrus.
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[Anonymous 1]
Did you find me?
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[Anonymous 26]
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ You’re fast. Were you number 1?
[Anonymous 27]
But seriously, isn’t there anyone who actually looks like a princess?
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[Anonymous 25]
Logan
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[Anonymous 1]
Cyrus
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[Anonymous 12]
Mia
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[Anonymous 27]
Depressing.
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[Anonymous 28]
Real talk though—without the Glasses, doesn’t someone kind of look like one?

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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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