TPCF 53

Chapter 53

“Sorry I’m late.”

Even without turning around, Anita could tell he had run all the way here, just from the ragged breath mixed into his words.

As far as Anita knew, the two of them hadn’t made any promise to meet later. So why was he speaking as if she had been waiting for him?

“Sorry to interrupt, but. You know there’s one more person here, right?”

Edmund’s nonchalant voice cut in. Anita felt relieved that she wasn’t alone with Rutger.

“Why don’t you step aside?”

“She seems scared of you. What exactly am I supposed to trust?”

“What was that?”

“Hold on… your face looks familiar. Do we know each other?”

Anita realized her decision had been too hasty. Before any unnecessary misunderstandings piled up, she stepped out awkwardly from behind Edmund.

“What are you doing here?”

There were so many things she wanted to ask him, but the moment she saw Rutger, the words stuck in her throat.

“What do you mean, what am I doing? I came to pick you up.”

Once, when she knew nothing, she might have let such words slide. But now they sounded different. He had come because he knew about Anita’s injury.

She was still trying to find a polite way to refuse when Edmund, who had been quiet until now, suddenly snapped his fingers.

“Got it! You’re Stalker Number One, aren’t you?”

“Number One? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Anita’s head was already beginning to ache. The last thing she wanted was to explain all that messy business with that stalker senior to Rutger.

“And who’s that supposed to be? Are you hiding something from me?”

“No…”

“So what if you are? Everyone has secrets they can’t talk about, don’t they?”

“Wait just a minute—”

“Why don’t you butt out? Don’t you have anything better to do as student council president?”

Clearly, neither of them saw Anita standing there. Otherwise, why treat her like a ghost?

Fine, then. She’d just play along recklessly. What did it matter now? Rutger already knew she had hurt her ankle anyway.

“Ah!”

As their voices rose, both pairs of eyes snapped toward her. Anita, secretly pleased, began her not-so-convincing act.

“My leg hurts. I can’t stand anymore… Come to think of it, I might have a fever too…”

Even to herself, the performance was awful. Her tone was flat, like reading a book aloud, and her face was expressionless.

But maybe because both already knew she was injured, they immediately stopped bickering and turned serious, examining her with concern.

Anita didn’t want to be left alone with Rutger. Luckily, Edmund also insisted on escorting her back to the dorm out of worry. And Rutger, of course, had come for the same reason.

So in the end, Anita found herself walking between the two of them.

And she was, in her own way, satisfied.

“You’re acting suspicious. Something happened lately, didn’t it?”

Rutger’s suspicious tone was more like an interrogation. Anita turned her head away as if she hadn’t heard and instead addressed Edmund.

“Thank you for walking me back, senpai. I know it must be a bother.”

Edmund glanced at Rutger with an almost pitying expression, then replied to her.

“It’s not much of a bother.”

“You must have a lot of free time, then?”

“Helping out a junior looks like free time to you? Now I’m curious what you think the duties of a student council president actually are.”

“You’re wasting manpower, that’s what. I can take Anita home. You should be off helping where they really need it.”

Between them, Anita only fidgeted with her fingers. Maybe bringing Edmund along had been too rash a choice.

She wasn’t sure if her existence was even visible to the two taller boys anymore. They started their sparring again, exchanging snide remarks without pause until even Anita, who had to listen to it, grew tired. If they wanted to fight so badly, why not do it in some quiet clearing? Why drag her into this?

Of course, saying that wouldn’t have stopped them. So Anita quietly covered her ears.

“Wasting manpower, huh? Like what?”

“That’s not my business. I’m not an insider, after all.”

They had definitely forgotten Anita was even there. At first, it had looked like they were each supporting her from either side, but now it was as if she were just a wall keeping them from colliding head-on.

As the argument grew more heated, their distance shrank, and Anita was naturally pushed out from between them.

What is this?

She was honestly confused.

Maybe Rutger’s excuse of helping her was just that—an excuse to pick a fight with Edmund.

Come to think of it, Rutger had always shown some inexplicable hostility toward Edmund. Back then she had thought it was just obsession, or maybe jealousy.

The two of them kept quarreling, not even realizing Anita had been left behind.

If they were so desperate to tear each other apart, why not just throw down a glove already?

Anita rubbed her face wearily. The fatigue showed plainly.

Actually, this wasn’t so bad. It was exhausting to walk between them, trying to read the atmosphere. Now that they had both gone off together, how much easier for her.

“What the—why are you still back there?”

Noticing Anita wasn’t beside him, Rutger finally glanced around and spotted her far behind.

If her leg had been fine enough to keep up with their pace, she wouldn’t have needed their help in the first place, would she? But Anita, like the civilized person she was, swallowed the words that rose to her throat.

“Beats me. I wonder that myself.”