44 - Can I Cry Now?
44
Inside was the handkerchief I had given to Professor Sian.
'So he really did send it!'
Only then could I truly believe that this was a gift for me. Ibi carefully folded the handkerchief and put it in her pocket, then hugged the gift box tightly.
'I should open it in my room.'
The ribbon was made of pretty fabric.
If I untie it carefully, I can use it to tie my hair later.
The wrapping paper too.
A red paper with a pretty pattern and even a scent that I wouldn't get tired of looking at all day.
I should carefully tear this too, fold it well, and keep it.
Ibi couldn't hide her joy and went up the stairs.
'What did he send me?'
Anything was fine. Even if it was just a piece of paper, I would be happy.
Just the fact that someone thought of me and sent me something with such pretty packaging was enough to make me happy.
Just as I was about to hurry up to my room.
"Hey, you."
Someone blocked Ibi's path.
I looked up and saw several students wearing luxurious shawls over their school uniforms blocking my way.
They were probably around 13 or 14 years old.
Anyone could tell they were daughters from wealthy and high-ranking families.
Ibi quickly lowered her head at their unfriendly gaze.
One of them, a student with red hair, raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth.
"Are you sure that gift is really for you?"
"Excuse me?"
Ibi's eyes widened at the unexpected question, and the student spoke again.
"I'm just asking, just in case. It's strange that a child from the Poorhouse has a guardian and receives such a plausible gift. I was wondering if a gift meant for someone else was delivered to you by mistake. Or else..."
The girl snorted.
"Maybe you're pretending to receive a gift because you're ashamed of not having one."
Ibi couldn't understand what she was saying at all.
Then another female student standing next to her chimed in.
"Izriella is right. Honestly, I thought it was strange from the moment I heard that child's name being called."
"You think so too, right?"
Izriella.
The moment Ibi learned the name of the student who had stopped me, I stopped moving.
Just as Arcel and Ruska were famous among the male students, there were those among the female students who were particularly admired.
The first was naturally Irene.
That's why the female students flocked to follow Irene wherever she went.
But Irene wasn't the only popular one.
'I heard Izriella's name every day too.'
She was said to be the granddaughter of a distinguished noble family with territories in the central region.
It was said to be a family that had been around since the founding of the country and had the most prosperous territory in the central region.
For such a person to suddenly stop me and ask if the gift was mine.
This was definitely not a good situation.
Izriella sneered at Ibi, who was frozen in surprise.
'So this is Irene's roommate.'
The thought of Irene twisted Izriella's lips.
Until last year, she had been the flower of the capital's young social circles.
But the moment Irene, who had come to visit from the south, appeared, she was robbed of all the attention she had received until now.
After that, people only talked about Irene.
Even her parents, instead of comforting Izriella, who was upset, urged her to get close to Irene.
It was the same when she entered the Academy for the Gifted this year.
"Make sure you become friends with Irene. I'm telling you to bow down to her."
So when she first met Irene, she greeted her first and pretended to be happy.
But her twisted heart didn't ease easily.
So when she heard about Irene's roommate, she pretended to be worried and sneered.
"I heard a lowly child came in as your roommate? Aren't you worried? What if they come into the room and take things without Irene being there?"
She had seen Irene's eyes turn fierce at those words.
Up to that point, she felt relieved, but from the next day, Irene openly ignored Izriella.
"Izriella, that ribbon..."
"Oh my. You have an eye for things. This is a gift I received from my brother this time. Isn't it pretty?"
"Ah, I see."
Then she muttered as if she was sorry, as if for everyone to hear.
"It's a color that's out of fashion in the south..."
This was just the beginning.
Irene pretended not to be interested in the conversation.
But if Izriella tried to brag even a little during the conversation, she would immediately make that boast look pathetic.
In the end, Izriella dropped out of the group that followed Irene.
After that, Izriella only thought about how to embarrass Irene.
But there was no way.
There was no way I could beat Irene in anything.
So she decided to target this, which Irene had reacted to the most.
'Surely she's ashamed of having a roommate like this.'
That must be why she glared at me when I mentioned this kid.
I can't attack Irene directly. So I had to scratch Irene's nerves by touching this easy target.
But then she happened to see Ibi receiving a gift.
The guardian is an anonymous professor that no one has ever seen.
Perhaps the staff at the Academy for the Gifted, feeling sorry for the vacant guardian position, simply put up a name.
'No way. Who would bother sending a gift to such an orphan?'
She must be pretending to receive it because she doesn't want to be intimidated.
Of course, it didn't matter if she wasn't.
Even so, what could this child complain to me about?
Or it would end with just saying it wasn't.
"You, if that's really your gift, open it here and now."
"But..."
Ibi was embarrassed by the command-like words.
It was the first gift she had ever received, just for herself.
I was going to take it to my room and open it as carefully as possible, but now I have to open it right here.
"What are you dawdling for? Are you lying about receiving a gift by putting anything inside?"
"No!"
I had never even thought of doing such a thing.
"Then open it here. Let's see how great your guardian is."
At Izriella's urging, Ibi slowly put the box down.
'If I untie it as carefully as possible, it'll be okay.'
Thinking that, Ibi slowly untied the ribbon.
Meanwhile, the children who heard the commotion gathered around.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know. I overheard that it might not be that child's gift?"
As Ibi was about to tear the wrapping paper, Izriella stepped forward as if frustrated.
"What are you dawdling for? You can just take it and open it. Do I have to do everything myself?"
She reached out roughly and snatched the gift from Ibi's arms.
"Give it back!"
But Izriella didn't listen to her and pushed Ibi away with her hand.
"Ah!"
The small body fell backward helplessly.
Rip!
Izriella roughly tore the wrapping paper that Ibi was even careful to touch.
Then, Izriella opened the wooden box inside and turned it upside down.
Thud!
Then, an object wrapped in cloth fell out of the box.
The thing that was slightly revealed outside the cloth looked like a bead made of opaque glass.
Izriella grabbed it.
It was a stone the size of an adult's fist.
"What is this?"
A smile appeared on Izriella's face as she said that.
"It's just as I thought. Putting a stone like this in and pretending to have received a great gift. How shameless."
Saying that, Izriella sneered at Irene, who was watching with a stiff expression among the children.
"Irene. This child is your roommate, right? Really, how did you end up sharing a room with such a child... If it were me, I would protest strongly to the Academy for the Gifted, even if I felt uncomfortable."
Then, as if she didn't want to hold it any longer, she tried to throw the stone away.
"No! Give it back!"
Ibi rushed over and caught the stone falling from her hand.
"......?"
Then, the moment I received it, I felt something strange.
'Warm?'
I thought it was just a cold stone when I received it, but the moment I received it, I suddenly felt warmth from the stone.
Then.
"Oh!"
A surprised voice erupted from among the students.
The stone in Ibi's hand began to glow faintly.
"That's a Magic Stone!"
At someone's cry, the lobby instantly became noisy.
