Chapter 44: Study Group (But Not Really)
Somewhere in Chile, there’s supposedly a word that can be summarized as, “Who wants to volunteer as leader?”
I couldn’t recall it precisely, but the idea was that everyone knew something needed to be done, yet no one wanted to take responsibility, so they silently hoped someone else would step up.
That word came to mind as I realized that most of the exchanges between Anastasia and me were just us gauging each other’s reactions.
When even my best attempt at conversation failed, we both, as if by mutual agreement, fell silent and pretended to read.
More accurately, we both pretended to read while secretly hoping the other would start a conversation. If I was doing it, Anastasia probably was too.
I lost count of how many times our eyes met when I glanced at her mid-read.
Two hours.
That’s how long we spent pretending to read while covertly stealing glances at each other.
…Inviting her to sit down only to end up like this felt pathetic.
I tried initiating conversation here and there, but we never managed to exchange more than ten sentences at a time.
For example, I asked what perfume she used, only for her to reply she didn’t wear any. That was the end of that topic.
I considered bringing up swordsmanship but stopped myself. It wasn’t a topic I knew much about or found interesting, while Anastasia was clearly knowledgeable in that field.
Her sword was of high quality, and her stances were far superior to my clumsy attempts.
More than anything, I didn’t want to sit through a conversation about something I didn’t understand.
If she was anything like me, the moment we touched on something she was passionate about, she’d probably get carried away and talk endlessly.
One of the few things I’m good at is reflecting on my own behavior.
Back in high school, I once decided to make friends by talking about video games nonstop.
The moment I realized how annoying I must’ve been, I gave up on making friends altogether.
Accepting that I wasn’t cut out for friendship brought me a strange sense of peace.
That aside…
I still remember the faces of those poor kids who had to endure my endless rambling back then.
I didn’t want to make Anastasia wear that same expression.
I briefly considered simply managing my facial expressions, but I knew I wasn’t good at hiding my emotions.
“…”
Since I was the one who invited her to sit, it felt wrong to get up first. On the other hand, she didn’t seem inclined to leave either—or perhaps she wanted to leave but felt too awkward to do so.
Either way, the result was the same.
The one to break this punishment-like silence was none other than Dogeon.
“Oh, Hoyeon!… Ma’am. And Anastasia, too?”
He had started addressing me casually but instantly shifted to formal speech upon noticing Anastasia. The quick switch sent a chill down my spine.
How could someone transition so smoothly? Even I couldn’t pull that off.
“Oh, you’ve arrived.”
“And you are… Dogeon, was it?”
“I never expected Anastasia to remember me! It’s an honor. As I mentioned before, my name is Han Dogeon. It’s a pleasure to meet you again.”
For some reason, Anastasia’s expression toward Dogeon wasn’t particularly friendly.
It was subtle, but her face hinted at dislike, as if she were looking at something unpleasant.
…What’s this about?
“…Yes, nice to meet you.”
Her tone was anything but sincere.
Come to think of it, standing naturally beside Dogeon was Ethan. Dogeon surely noticed, so why hadn’t he said anything?
“…My name is Ethan. Dogeon mentioned there would be a study group here, so I came to join.”
Ah, so Dogeon brought him along. Damn extrovert. His friends were multiplying.
I’d expected him to be a cocky delinquent, but instead, he was unexpectedly polite. Calling this a “study group” was a stretch—it was more like a casual study session among friends.
But seriously, why are you even here?
“I don’t recall inviting you.”
I subtly hinted for Ethan to leave. Though we were in the same class, and he looked intimidating enough that I couldn’t outright tell him to go away.
“…I thought Anastasia would also be participating. Was I mistaken?”
Strictly speaking, Anastasia wasn’t participating in a study session. She’d just come to chat with me. Still, I understood what Ethan was implying:
“Why does she get to stay, but I don’t?”
That phrasing pricked my conscience, but it didn’t change my decision.
“One extra person is fine, but two is a different story.”
In other words, no.
“Hoyeon, wouldn’t it be fine to include one more person? Since we’re all here to learn, it would be kind of you to help Ethan as well.”
Why was Dogeon butting in now?!
With Dogeon vouching for Ethan, I felt it would be difficult to turn him away outright. But I really didn’t want to include him.
Then it hit me—I could use Anastasia. As a northern duchess, she held considerable authority and had arrived first. If she said no, I’d have a valid excuse to refuse, even to Dogeon.
“I don’t mind.”
Ah, wonderful.
I hadn’t even asked the question, but the moment our eyes met, she answered. I didn’t have the energy to argue.
“…Fine. One more should be okay.”
“Thank you for your generosity.”
And with Anastasia now pulling out a notebook of her own, I found myself stuck teaching not one, but three people.
…What else could I do? Letting out a resigned sigh, I opened the math textbook.
***
Meeting Ethan had been pure coincidence—something I thought might happen eventually.
It was after enduring Georg’s torturous excuse for a class and on my way to Hoyeon’s session.
We were in the same class, though he’d been a lower priority due to my focus on Hoyeon. Still, he was a necessary ally in the long run.
His appearance and mannerisms screamed delinquent, but I knew it was a disguise to conceal his identity as an Apostle of the Church.
Fortunately, he showed interest first, making things easier.
When I mentioned studying with Hoyeon, I invited him to join if he wasn’t busy.
The moment I mentioned her name, he agreed without hesitation.
But when we arrived, Anastasia was already there. For some reason, she didn’t seem pleased to see me.
Neither did Hoyeon welcome Ethan’s presence.
Had they been having some kind of girl talk? There was no way for me to know.
Even keeping up with Hoyeon’s studies was overwhelming enough.
“So, exponential functions and logarithms are inverse functions… Anastasia, do you know what I’m saying?”
“W-What? Oh, yes! Of course. Um… they’re inverse functions, right?”
“…Do you even know what an inverse function is?”
“…Something difficult?”
To be honest, I didn’t understand a thing either. I’d stopped studying math back in middle school. Throwing logarithms into the mix was just cruel.
Predictably, Anastasia didn’t understand a word. Ethan, however, caught on surprisingly quickly.
“So, if a is raised to the power of x equals b, then x is the logarithm of b to the base a, right?”
As expected of an Apostle of the Church, he wasn’t just physically strong—he was sharp, too. Gloria had shown sharp deductive skills in the original story, so it made sense.
“Exactly, Ethan. Now, Anastasia, do you even know what a function is?”
“…No.”
Hoyeon sighed deeply but patiently began explaining functions to Anastasia, while Ethan quietly absorbed knowledge on his own.
“So, how do you read this again…?”
“You start with the small number below, the base, and then the large number above, the argument. So, this is the logarithm of 64 to the base 4. The answer is 3.”
Hoyeon, sharp as ever, responded precisely to even the smallest murmurs.
I had imagined Hoyeon struggling to teach math, gritting her teeth as she tried her best. Instead, she looked like a professional tutor.
Well, professional tutors wouldn’t complain, though.
Watching her reminded me of an old friend—someone awkward with people but enjoyable to be around.
“Surely you can manage multiplication tables?”
“What do you take me for? Of course I can!”
I didn’t know what Hoyeon expected from Anastasia, but I’d bet her knowledge didn’t extend much beyond multiplication.
“…Let’s take a break.”
“Do we have breaks? Excellent, let’s rest a bit.”
Even someone like Ethan, who acted like a delinquent, grew quiet in the presence of royalty and nobility. Then again, he wasn’t a real delinquent, just playing the part.
“Dogeon. I distinctly remember inviting only you.”
“Ahaha… Well, you see, I couldn’t just turn away someone who wanted to join.”
As I stretched lazily, Hoyeon suddenly addressed me with a slightly irritated look.
“Even so…!”
“Didn’t you also invite Anastasia?”
“Well, yes, but I didn’t invite anyone else. She just happened to come on her own.”
“I see.”
So Anastasia’s presence here was purely coincidental? What a stroke of luck.
“Exactly.”
“Then I apologize.”
It seemed Hoyeon really intended to teach only me. Since I’d ruined that, I felt the need to apologize.
“…No, there’s no need to apologize. It’s fine.”
“No, please accept my apology. It’s bothering me.”
This was also an apology for not being able to focus solely on her. As much as I felt sorry, I couldn’t devote myself to just one person.
As long as there was a chance, I didn’t want to give up.
“…Fine, if you insist…”
For a moment, it felt like the princess act had slipped, and I couldn’t help but smile.
But it didn’t last long.
“Pardon the interruption, Hoyeon. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you privately. Would that be alright?”
Ethan’s sudden interjection broke the mood.
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