The Reason I Keep Avoiding My Childhood Friend

“It doesn’t suit you?”

“I will try a little harder.”

“Yes. If it’s hard, tell me.”

I didn’t know if he would help me solve it or if he would help me give up. It’s embarrassing that I couldn’t greet Miss Katie, but I’ll choke to death if I stay here any longer. I looked up and said quietly.

“I’ll get going, then.”

“Yes. Work hard.”

Mister Dave didn’t stop me either. I greeted him and walked out slowly. I closed the lab door and sighed. When will I get comfortable with Mister Dave? No, will there ever be a day when I will ever be comfortable?

Feeling nervous, I went to visit Uncle Popo, stroking my arm where all the fluff rose up.

However, I think it was my great arrogance to think that I would be lucky today just because I was in a good mood. There was an accident in the morning, and I got nervous when I met Mister Dave, and several of the problems I showed Uncle Popo turned out wrong.

I even did a self-congratulatory dance saying I came up with the right answer. Tears of shame covered my eyes.

“It would be nice to do it again.”

“Yes.”

“Would you like some candy?”

Uncle Popo held up a candy and waved it, probably because I looked sullen.

“Thank you.”

I politely received the worksheet and the candy, took a seat in the lab assigned to me, and started challenging the problem again.

In fact, I was not officially registered as a sage, so I couldn’t be assigned to a lab. But luckily, one lab was empty, and Mister Dave took care of it for me. Mister Dave was actually very considerate of me, I don’t know why he seemed so scary to me.

I grunted and solved the problem again and again. I don’t know whether it’s difficult because I didn’t study so much in my previous life, especially because I gave up on math, or was the problem difficult. I don’t remember anything like calculus to be exact, so I can’t even compare.

This was my level, so that was why Mister Dave said earlier that math was too much.

I should focus on the problem, but I kept thinking of Mister Dave. Was it because I haven’t seen him in a while?  I cleared my worries again and focused on the problem. I did exactly what was said! Why were the answers different!

Instead of grunting, I solved the problem by hissing and exhaling through my mouth. It was then. A knock came. I was puzzled because there was no one who would come to see me. Could it be that they were looking for someone else and went to the wrong room? Or was it Miss Katie, whom I hadn’t seen before?

“Come on in.”

“Miss Aide?”

The door opened slightly and Maria, the office assistant, entered. She belongs to the administrative office of the Sage’s Study and supports the convenience of the sages.

“Sister Maria, what brings you here?”

Someone with no reason had come, so I just said that question out of the blue. Sister Maria smiled slightly.

“A guest has come.”

A guest? You mean I have guests? No, even if there were guests, why does Sister Maria guide them directly? It was obvious that if there were people coming to look for me, they would come to me on their own. No one needed to be guided.

“Who is it?”

“The name is Baron Owen.”

I had never heard of that name. And a noble too. Why did a noble come to see me? Sister Maria, who noticed from my expression that it was a stranger, asked me.

“He said he really wanted to see you, should I decline?”

Even if he really wanted to see me, why on earth does he want me? How did he know me? I tried to think about it, but it was strange that he knew me who had no reason to be known anyway.

“Are you sure he came to see me?”

“Yes. It is true that he came to see Miss Aide.”

I was curious.

“I’ll see him.”

“Will that be okay?”

“Since they’re not a dangerous person, Sister Maria brought them here, right?”

As I laughed with slightly mischievous intentions, Sister Maria responded with a meaningful smile like a wielder of a secret weapon.

“He is a person guaranteed by the imperial palace.”

I almost let out a sound. I was already surprised that a nobleman came, but he was guaranteed by the imperial palace? Why did such a person come to look for me?

Sister Maria’s smile grew strange at my bemused expression.