Translator: Nox

40 - Can I Cry Now?

Episode 40

"Haaam..."

Ibi rubbed her eyes and yawned softly.

She had studied late into the night, reviewing what she had learned from Professor Maless all day yesterday.

She was a little tired because of it, but she felt good.

'Yesterday was really fun.'

First of all, Professor Maless's class was very interesting.

Contrary to his intimidating first impression, he explained in detail the parts that Ibi found difficult.

Even when she didn't understand and asked again, he didn't get angry, but smiled and said, 'Oh, I guess I explained it too difficultly,' and explained it again.

'He's a really kind professor.'

To meet such a good professor.

The second enjoyable thing was the conversation with Arcel and Ruska.

The three continued to talk until the next class started.

Not only did they come back to her, but they kept asking what classes she was taking so they could take classes together.

In the meantime, they ended up talking about various things.

It was nothing special. Trivial stories like how life at the Academy for the Gifted was, and if there was anything difficult.

Then, Ruska sighed, saying that he had already broken curfew twice and received a lot of demerits.

Arcel scoffed at Ruska, saying that if he was expelled, Marquis Ragselb would throw him into the pond.

'They said they were friends.'

Arcel scolded Ruska, but he was definitely very comfortable with him.

'I'm jealous.'

It would be fun to hang out with such a close friend every day.

Shortly after Ibi closed the door and came out.

"......"

Irene quietly followed her out.

\ \ *

Ibi went to the garden first.

The gardeners prepared flowers at dawn to decorate every corner of the Academy for the Gifted.

When Ibi entered, they greeted her familiarly.

"Hello, Ibi. Did you come to get flowers? We have them ready here."

Now they handed Ibi the flowers they had neatly arranged.

At first, they gave her the leftover flowers, but now everything in Ibi's arms was fresh and undamaged.

Ibi, realizing this, smiled and bowed her head.

"Thank you always!"

After giving her thanks, Ibi headed to the dining hall with the flowers in her arms.

As she entered the dining hall, it was filled with the savory smell of freshly baked bread, along with the smell of vegetable soup and omelets.

A bright smile returned to Ibi's face.

Ever since she came to the Academy for the Gifted, only good things have happened.

Clean new clothes. Plenty of ink, notebooks, and pens.

And even her own bed with a soft, warm mattress and blanket, not stuffed with straw.

That alone made Ibi feel like she had become a princess in a fairy tale.

But the happiest thing of all was mealtime.

Meals at the Poorhouse were always divided equally. But that meant there was never enough.

Even if she ate every last drop of the thin soup, she was hungry from the moment she finished clearing her tray.

So, on the days she went to clean the upper school, the staff at the cafeteria there would give Ibi all the leftover bread.

How much she had worried about secretly eating just one on the way back to the Poorhouse.

Of course, she didn't touch it because she was thinking of her friends, but still.

Sometimes, after playing excitedly with her friends, she would eat dinner in an instant and be very hungry before going to bed.

On those days, she had to go to sleep drinking only water...

'Here, I can eat as much as I want.'

There are dozens of kinds of bread. And just as many kinds of ham, cheese, salads, and even fruit.

There are also plenty of milk and juice, and plenty of jams with the names of fruits she's never heard of. Dinner is even more plentiful.

'There was so much meat.'

She remembered the day she had her first proper dinner here.

There were soups and salads, as well as dishes she had never seen before.

Then, when she received the steak, Ibi stood there blankly with a fork and knife in her hands for a long time.

'I can eat it all by myself.'

At the Poorhouse, the only day they could eat meat was once a month when the butcher brought over scraps.

They couldn't grill it either, so they made it all into stew.

After the meal, the children would boast about how many pieces of meat they had in their stew bowls.

The most Ibi had in her bowl was five pieces.

She had bragged about it to the children for a whole month, but now she could eat a big steak all by herself.

And they would even give her more if she wanted.

It wasn't just the meals. Whenever she came to the dining hall between meals, there was always tea and cookies.

On the first day, she ate five cookies all by herself because she knew she could eat as much as she wanted, and her stomach bulged out.

"Ibi, you're here."

"Hello!"

"Mushroom omelet again today?"

"Yes, please."

She greeted the staff member she had become familiar with and quickly put her meal on a plate.

Crispy, well-baked bread with butter and jam, as well as ham and cheese, and even an omelet filled with cheese and mushrooms.

Because she piled it up so high, the tray was heavy and her arms were shaking. And the flowers she was holding were heavy too.

Ibi quickly went to the nearest table and put down the tray and flowers.

"Haa, heavy."

She tapped her arms and looked around, but she only saw staff members putting out bread or organizing food, and hardly any other students.

It was because she had woken up and come out earlier than anyone else.

It wasn't because she was hungry and came out early. Rather, she had gone to bed late after studying, so she wanted to sleep in a little longer.

But Ibi had a reason to come to the dining hall earlier than anyone else.

'Everyone is uncomfortable with me.'

When Ibi entered the dining hall, the students would whisper and stare.

They would give her wary looks, as if afraid that she might sit near them.

Ibi eventually chose to either come and eat earlier than anyone else or eat last.

'It's better to eat early in the morning.'

That way, she wouldn't be late for class. Conversely, she would eat the latest for dinner.

She wasn't particularly sad or upset.

'It's always been like this.'

She had already experienced it before, so she didn't get hurt now.

However, she would sometimes feel lonely when she ate alone in the quiet dining hall.

'I miss my friends.'

She remembered the noisy mealtimes at the Poorhouse.

There wasn't much to eat, but everyone ate together, chatting at the same time.

Ibi was missing those boisterous times when she poked the omelet with her fork.

"Can I sit here?"

Ibi was surprised by the sudden voice and looked up.

Soon, Ibi's eyes widened in surprise.

It was Irene standing in front of her.

"Ah, Irene... Miss?"

At those words, Irene frowned slightly.

"I'd like you to just call me Irene. More importantly, can I sit here?"

"Ah, yes. Yes! Please sit down!"

Ibi nodded urgently at the sharp voice and offered her a seat.

Irene sat down quietly in an elegant posture.

Ibi stared at her, nervous.

The savory smell of bread that had made her mouth water just a moment ago was no longer felt.

'Why? Why?'

Only countless question marks were floating in Ibi's head.

It was a time when no one had come yet. Of course, there was no reason why Irene couldn't eat at this time.

But for her to sit in front of her in this large dining hall was obviously intentional.

Her hands trembled with nervousness.

Why did Irene deliberately come at this time and sit in front of her?

'I had fun for the two days we spent together last time.'

But it was difficult to even make eye contact while in the same room, so there was nothing she could do.

Besides, what if she made a mistake because she didn't know the etiquette of the nobles?

So, after thinking about it, Ibi put the flowers she had gotten from the garden in the vase in the hallway in the morning.

On the day of math class, she also brought some to put on the professor's desk.

'I didn't do anything else...'

Was she upset about that?

Then Irene opened her mouth.

"Aren't you eating? Do you not like omelets?"

"Ah, no! I like them! I'll eat well!"

Ibi hurriedly shoved the omelet into her mouth.

And Irene stared at Ibi, who was chewing on the omelet, and bit her lip tightly.

Her gaze reached the small mouth that was munching on the omelet.

Looking at that, Irene thought.

'It's still too small. And cute...'

She recalled the moment she first saw Ibi.