Vol 7 Chapter 3 (2/2)
“Again, that’s your job You were always great at pretending to be a girl”
“That hurt, Larry You broke my heart”
“I’m surprised you knew that expression Do you even knohat it means?”
“Aha! If I took this case to court right now, I bet I’d win”
“Whatever”
Finally, Nick spoke up with an elegant s we can do in this particular case but sit back and watch, I’m afraid”
Larry pursed his lips, but he eventually came around
“Once a girl gets e her irls cut off the thing in one go Apparently guys can’t, though” She took out a round tin frorabbed a piece of chocolate fro it into her mouth “FYI, these chocolates are part of my soul You can’t have any!”
“I don’t want any And that is one cheap soul you’ve got”
“You can’t judge a product by how much it costs in the store, Larry One bit of this chocolate, and you’ll become as clean and pure as I am”
“I don’t need any poison, thanks,” Larry declined, and stood “Let’s take a break Tea, anyone?”
As Larry departed, Nick spoke up
“Come to think of it, have you heard that the date has been decided for the 13th day of the fourth month?”
“For what?”
“Pardondance party”
“Oh, that”
A complicated expression rose to Larry’s eyes as he poured cold water into the kettle
The spring dance party was an annual event held by secondary schools in and around the Capital District In a way it was an educational event for young elites to learn to fraternize in high society
Students had to be in their fourth year or higher to participate In other words, the newspaper club ible
Because the party was hosted by the school, students could dress up in fancy clothes, stay out late with their boyfriends and girlfriends, and enjoy great food, music, and dances all with their parents’ implicit permission
A condition for attendance, however, was to be registered with a date of the opposite sex at least 10 days before the dance
Every year there were unfortunate students who failed to find a date, left to watch enviously as their friends attended the party—and a large proportion of them were fourth-years, for whoible to attend
“Will you be attending with someone, Larry?” Asked Nick
Larry meticulously wiped off every droplet of water fro on the switch Then he replied, “if there’s a saintly girl out there who’d be willing to dance withat, is it?”
Nick smiled
Larry returned to the desk and lowered his voice “Look I want Seron to go to the dance with Megmica asher”
“Indeed So what shall we do? Presently Seron is but an e such husks as a child and decorating trees with them, but that certainly isn’t an option for us”
It was hard to tell if Nick orried or amused by the situation, but ultimately he seemed to feel a mix of both
“There’s not much we can do,” Larry admitted, “but hope for a miracle”
“If Meght be able to talk it out,” Natalia said, serious for once, “but she’s really giving the chorus club her all Running away from us”
That hen someone knocked on the door
Seron was plodding back down the hallhen it spotted the open office door and Natalia’s head sticking out of it
“Welco a VIP by the name of Strauski for tea”
Natalia did not often use such a tone of voice But Seron was more affected by the content of her words
“Ah!”
Holding back the urge to turn tail and run off, Seron quickly strode to the door
“Co way—
“Hiya, Big Bro! It’s been a while!”
Twelve-year-old Strauski Kurt gave Seron a smile and a wave
Seron stood with jaw on the ground, swaying like a metronome
“I didn’t lie, did I?” Natalia said innocently
“Nat…I see now You were the devil”
Strauki Kurt was one of Meg’s brothers She had an even younger brother named Johan as now 10 years old
Kurt had started attending his sister’s school this year, co by car After class, he let Meg take the car and took the streetcar home
He was still quite short, only at about Jenny’s height Kurt had fair skin and dark eyes just like his sister, and black hair cut short
He looked—and was—outgoing and playful
The Strauski fa at the drama club’s fall performance The entire newspaper club met them there
“So this is the newspaper club! It’s just as ritzy as Big Sis said it was!” Kurt exclai
Nick and the others were also on the sofas for tea Jenny was at the darkroo quite surprised
Seron took a seat on the sofa, in the mica but her brother
“How’s school going for you, Kurt?” Asked Larry
“Great! I got lots of classes, the cafeteria food’s awesome, the uniforms are cool, and there’s lotsa kinds of people around,” Kurt replied with a grin “Big Bro Larry! You gotta give me your military sciences superintendence! First-years can’t take any courses!”
Kurt’s dream was to join the Sou Be-Il Royal Army’s cavalry
“All right! I’d be happy to help I can lend you so up on the others before second year,” Larry replied, s at the descendant of his ancestors’ enemies
“Thanks!”
“Your Roxchean’s very good, Kurt You sound like a native speaker,” Nick commented
“Thanks! I got in trouble with the teacher for not using proper language, though I use Roxchean at ho Sis and Mom don’t like it cause they wanna be coh, so it’s boys versus girls at our house! Boys use Roxchean, girls use Bezelese!”
“You guys are a riot Here, have so out her tin
“Whoa! Thanks, Big Sis Nat! Can’t believe you’re allowed to bring snacks to class in secondary school This rocks!”
Kurt picked up two of the eight re, but Kurt did not understand thebehind his action
“Good, good Eat up, kiddo So how’s your first month here been? Made any friends?”
“Hmm…not as many as I wanted And I couldn’t pick a club either”
“Oh? How many friends have you made so far?”
“Let’s see…I got addresses and nu out with…”
Kurt reached into his slightly-large uniforenda
The 4th Capital Secondary School’s student agenda was expensive, as evidenced by the leather cover Kurt flipped through the pages until he reached the address book
“Fifty-seven”
“Wow!” “Not bad” “Hm”
Natalia, Larry, and Nick were floored Jenny cast Kurt a discreet glance as she sipped on her tea Seron, still as ghostly as ever, remained seated silently on the sofa
“Not hed
“Are you kidding?” Larry retorted, “fifty-seven friends in your first month of secondary school! That’s a lot!”
“But there’s hundreds of first-years at school Fifty-seven’s not much at all,” Kurt reasoned, confused
“It’s certainly an incredible number,” said Nick, “even as a fourth-year, I don’t believe I have so many friends”
“So to be proud of, that’s for sure,” Natalia said with a nod “So what’s your secret? They all guys? Or girls?”
“Why do you have to be so extreme, Lia?”
“Perhaps they’re all teachers”
“No way, Nick!”
Kurt thought for a
“Hirls”
“Whoo! You little ladykiller, you! I thought it’d be harder for you to get contact info frouys—that’s what usually happens with first-years So what’s your secret? Tell us all so that Roxche’s Least Popular Guy here can learn a thing or two,” Natalia said, pointing at Larry
“Hey! It’s true, but you don’t have to rub it in,” Larry replied, “and I admit I’m kinda curious too How’d you do it, Kurt?”
Kurt’s response was simple
“Okay, so here’s what you do Talk to the girl for a bit, and then thank her and make sure to say at the end, ‘I love you’! It’s that easy”
Larry went silent, his eyes turning to dinner plates
“Pfft!” Natalia, on the other hand, burst into laughter “Ahahaha! Hahahaha! That is a! And totally impossible for Larry! Ahaha!”
As Natalia’s laughter continued in the background, Nick smiled “That’s certainly impressive”
“It’s nice that you can be honest about it,” said Jenny
Seron silently drank tea
Once she had recovered froravely on Kurt’s shoulders
“But re, you irls There will be tough ties ahead”
Though Natalia was positively gigantic in comparison to him, Kurt was not the least bit cowed
“If that happens, I can just be happy with all of them!” He replied
“Good answer, boy! I have nothing left to teach you”
“No! I still have so much to learn, master!”
“Then head west, young man! Head west and learn all that the world has to offer”
“But I just got back froo!”
“Then east it is! Now depart on your journey of manhood!”
Larry shook his head at Natalia and Kurt’s banter and poured Seron another cup of tea Seron quietly gave him a word of thanks
“By the way,” Kurt said, changing the subject, “er…”
He thought for ato Jenny
“My sister’s been acting strange recently, SC Jones Do you by any chance knohy?”
Natalia, Larry, and Nick waited in confusion Seron, as studying Bezelese, recognized the words ‘sister’ and ‘strange’ and flinched
Jenny, who could understand Bezelese, replied, “you should ask in Roxchean if you want the answer A question involving the newspaper club should be asked to the entire newspaper club”
“Okay Thank you,” Kurt replied politely, and switched to Roxchean “So, er… real weird D’you knohy?”
Natalia, Larry, and Nick exchanged glances
“Oh, so that’s what it was?” Natalia said, “I was sure you and Jenny were just plotting to throw me a surprise potluck”
“Ignore her, Kurt So what exactly do you mean by ‘weird’? We can’t really tell because she’s been so busy with the chorus club recently”
“Well, er…it was right after the term started She used to tell me and Johan about the newspaper club all the time before that, but now she doesn’t”
“I see And?” Asked Jenny
“Her stories were really fun, so Johan andus”
“And how did she respond?” Asked Nick
“That’s the thing, she won’t respond She’s never like that And she looks tired for some reason too”
“Such a sweet brother,” Jenny muttered to herself
“You don’t know either, Big Bro Seron? You think there’s any way toSeron in the eye
“I…er…I’m not sure” Seron said with a shake of the head
“Why the focus on Seron, Kurt?” Asked Nick
“CauseBro Seron’s so smart he can answer any question But when I ask about hiets really angry I thought Big Bro Seron ht knohy”
The 12-year-old was both curious and commendable
“I-I need to go to the bathroom”
On the other hand, the 15-year-old in love with the 12-year-old’s older sister quietly stood and fled from the office
“Man…”
“This is ridiculous”
“Too much tea, do you suppose?”
“What an idiot”
The others sighed
“What’s wrong?” Kurt asked, still in the dark
“Well, that’s how it is,” said Natalia, “a girl your sister’s age is bound to have secrets And soes like that happen out of nowhere So don’t pry too ood kid; don’t ask her about the newspaper club or Seron for now And don’t tell her you came to see us”
“Hot it And I’ll tell Johan what you told !” Kurt nodded “Bye, everyone! Thanks for the chocolate and tea!”
He left with a wave
Larry saw him off and shut the door, then turned to Natalia
“Just out of curiosity, is that supposed to be ?”
“You bet it is! None for you, though”
“I’ood But—”
“But?”
“Share soets back”
“It ain’t gonna work on someone as pure as him”
Fifteen minutes later, Seron the pure returned to the office
“That was one long bathroouys take forever in there too? Kurt left awhile ago to look at more clubs,” said Natalia
“I see…” Seron said e of tears “I’ot all of you involved”
“We’re not the ones you should be apologizing to,” Jenny snapped without a hint of mercy
Larry quietly brewed Seron a cup of tea He poured Seron his own cup and put it on the coffee table
Seron thanked Larry and took two sips
Deterrey eyes
“No, I’ed you into this too To tell you the truth…there’s so from everyone but Larry”
“Oh?” “Like what?” “Do tell”
Natalia, Jenny, and Nick leaned forward Larry sat silently beside Seron
“I don’t want things to be so aard in the club anyht be a shock, but I’ll tell you Please don’t tell anyone else”
“Oho” “Of course” “Sure”
Seron steeled hier would be able to tell—and declared blankly:
“To be honest, I’ve had a crush on Megmica since I first met her in class last year”
“We know” “We knew that” “We’ve known for a while”
Seron’s jaw dropped
“It was pretty obvious,” said Natalia, “you looked like you were enjoying yourself in the club”
“Especially at the cae,” Nick added
“You’d have to be really dense to not see it,” Jenny said with a nod
“Hm? Huh? Whaaaaaat?”
Seron’s hands were on his head as he floundered in confusion Larry sighed loudly
“Don’t even think about running to the bathrooain!” Jenny admonished Seron, “we’ve all known for a while about your crush on Megmica We know you were too scared to tell her how you felt, and we understand why you ran off that day It was still stupid, though”
Seron could not respond
“Unfortunately for you, Megh to not notice She probably didn’t have an inkling until she got that letter”
Seron’s arms fell back down as he listened obediently to Jenny
“So just tell it to her straight, like you told us now,” Jenny concluded
“Exactly!” Natalia agreed “Megmica only said she doesn’t like people who can’t confess in person Nothing about hating you, Seron Maxwell You’re clever enough to know the difference”
“Indeed” Nick nodded “You need only be clear and concise with her as you ith us”
“I have to agree, Seron,” Larry finally said, “you re, you won’t get anything done”
Seron slowly looked around at his four friends Then—
“I-I understand”
“Understand what? Say it,” Natalia urged
“Do tell us,” Nick said with a nod
“President’s orders,” Jenny commanded
“All right! There’s nothing left to hide, buddy!” Larry said with an encouraging look
Seron clenched his right fist and raised his voice slightly more than before
“I’uys any mica and tell her the truth! Even if she doesn’t come to club, I’m sure I’ll be able to locate her so such an idiot, and…and I’ll tell her the truth I’ to ask her out!”
“Atta boy, Seron!”
“We are witnesses to your determination!”
“You got this, Seron!”
“Go! You can do this!”
Blushi+ng, Seron rose from his seat
“Yeah! I’onna do this! I swear it!”
Seron let the round of applause wash over him as he tensed He was on a roll
“Tomorrow, I’ll do it! I know I can do this!”
“Great So it’ll all be solved by to a piece of chocolate into her mouth
“The solution was closer at hand than we had expected,” Nick agreed, s
“Good luck, Seron You have to be forward about confessing or it won’t work,” Jenny added, re her own experiences
“I know you can do it, buddy To party!” Larry punched the air with both fists
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