Book 7: Chapter 12: My Friend (2/2)
Hiding her true identity… those words made Monica gulped her saliva.
It was as Barney said. Monica has been hiding her identity as the Seven Sages. She's been lying to Lana.
Monica cowered back, but Lana reached out and squeezed Monica's hand. Then instead of Monica, she turned her harsh eyes on Barney.
”Hey, why don't you be honest with me? …you're jealous of Monica, aren't you?”
At Lana's remark, Barney's figure frozen for a moment.
Barney's smile began to fade. And underneath the mask of the smile that had fallen off, what was revealed was… anger and hatred.
”I'm sure you'll learn it one day. How much of a difference between you and her, whether you like it or not.”
”If my friend was outstanding, I would brag her to my father! I'd tell him how great my friend was, how proud I was of her! And yet, how can you be so narrow-minded?”
”Ah, I guess ordinary people with no academic ability can't even feel a sense of frustration when the gap between them and geniuses is too wide!”
The moment Barney finished his mocked words toward Lana, Monica had opened her mouth before she even thought about it.
”Barney!!”
Lana and Bernie looked at Monica in surprise at her unusual loud voice. Still unable to think clearly, Monica continued to squeeze out her voice.
”Don't you dare say anything bad about my friend… or I won't be able to forgive you.”
Barney scoffed dauntingly at Monica's words.
”And what does it matter if you don't forgive me? Do you think your words are going to hurt me now?”
The words he delivered were full of venom, but not with the same vigor as before. He was probably surprised at Monica who had never once talked back against him.
After taking a long breath, Monica said the words she had been unable to say for a long time.
”…Barney, I know I've always relied on you, but abuse of it, I also wanted to be a great person that you could rely on…”
Monica had always asked Barney for his help. She hoped to become the kind of friend who could laugh at each other on equal terms someday.
”…I just wished you to acknowledge me as your friend… nothing more. And when I did great or worked hard, I didn't hope to be acknowledged by someone else, but you, Barney…”
But it was an impossible dream. Maybe hoping for such a thing was already wrong from the beginning.
”But now, I'm giving up trying to get you to acknowledge me. I won't ask for anything from you again.”
Monica closed her eyes lids as if to cut off everything. And when she opened her eyelids again, the boy she once believed to be her best friend no longer reflected in her eyes again.
Once Monica turned her back on Barney, he reached out to her as if he wanted to say something to her. But Lana slapped his hand away mercilessly.
”A man who keeps attached after that is lame, you know that?”
Lana dismissively said, intertwining her own arm with Monica's. While Barney simply stood there, without uttering a word.
After a short walk side by side, Lana let out a satisfied snort.
”You did a good job of speaking your mind.” Lana grinned, and Monica gave a small nod with a blush.
”Today I feel… a little stronger.” Monica looked at her uniform and smiled, the corners of her lips curling up into a smile.
”Thanks to the corset, I feel my back more straight, and because of my makeup, when I felt like crying, I was able to hold back my tears because I knew if I cried, my makeup would fall off… it was all thanks to you, Lana!”
”I promise to make you look more pretty than this.”
When Monica nodded her head, Lana smiled cheerfully and hugged Monica's arm tightly.
＊ ＊ ＊
The moment he heard Monica's statement, a crack appeared in Barney Jones' train of thought.
Two years ago, Barney thought he had achieved a sense of relief when he had cut off his friendship with Monica. Every time someone praised the [Silent Witch] of the Seven Sages, somewhere in the back of Barney's mind would have thought about these:
—I was the one who had taken care of that girl.
—I was the one who hurt her and trampled on that girl.
The sight of the genius girl, who had even been chosen as one of the Seven Sages, sobbing and begging for forgiveness from him brought him a certain wicked pleasure.
But Monica no longer wanted anything from Bernie. Not even expecting it. Monica had decided so and turned her back on Barney.
The way her back was leaving away was the opposite of what it had been two years ago.
At that time, it was Barney who left Monica behind. Now Barney was left behind.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Monica needed to be more conscious of Barney. She should be more and more conscious and terrified of Barney.
”…this is not acceptable.”
Barney strode quickly down the hallway, looking for Pittman, the teacher in charge of Minerva.
Since Pittman had said, ”I am not used at festive places,” he did not show up at the banquet venue. So when Barney went to the waiting room, as expected, he found him there reading a book by himself.
”Mr. Pittman.”
Pittman turned from his book and rounded his eyes at Barney, who stormed in as soon as he entered the waiting room.
”Oh, what's happened to you? You have such a scary look on your face.”
”Please make me the front player for the next match.”
”What? Wait, you can't just change it at the last minute… I'll get scolded if I do that!”
”It should be possible with the signatures of the advisor and the teacher of the host school.”
With that, Barney dragged a flustered Pittman to the staff room.
Normally, it would be logical to ask Professor Boyd of Serendia Academy for his signature, but that would mean returning to the banquet venue where other Minerva students would be there. And he didn't have time to persuade them one by one.
Any teacher's signature of Serendia Academy should do good enough.
As he opened the door to the staff room, he saw an old professor sitting there. He recognized that face. It was Professor McGreggan, who used to be a practical teacher at Minerva until a few years ago.
Great! Barney thought as he lifted the corner of his lips into a smile after considering how bad the sight of Professor McGreggan has.
”Prof. McGreggan, could you please sign this document?”
”…hmm? Who are chuu?”
”I'm a participant in a chess tournament. I urgently need a teacher's signature concerning the event venue.”
Barney arranged the appropriate lies and presented the documents to Prof. McGreggan.
Pittman, who had been dragged in halfway, asked, ”Do you know this old man?” But Barney ignored him.
”A signature?. Sure, sure. Is this okay? Is not sticking out of the box, is it?”
”Yes, it's perfect. Alright, let me submit this document to Mr. Boyd for you, Prof. McGreggan.”
”Okay, oh, say hi to Mr. Boyd for me.”
Having successfully obtained McGreggan's signature, Barney smirked. Now he can be the front player in the next match—he can have a match against Monica.
I won't allow you to ignore me.
Whatever the past or future, Monica Everett must be frightened and shriveled up by Barney Jones, ever.