I was sold to a dangerous place in order to repay my parents’ debt, and I ended up being bought by a vampire young lady. I became the feed for the beautiful maid.

With the mid-term exams approaching

A few days had passed since the consultation with the young lady.

Despite the persistent hostility directed towards me, the upcoming midterms were closing in, not giving much heed to the ongoing situation.

Even though I’ve been busy since becoming a slave, I’ve managed to keep up with my studies.

Achieving good grades can open up future possibilities.

But now that I’m the Scarlet Duke’s family slave, it might not matter much.

Still, not slacking off has become part of my nature.

During such a lunch break, a proposal came from Hakuba.

“Hey, Isaya. Wanna study together for the midterms?”

“Sure, why not.”

I readily accepted my best friend’s offer without hesitation.

We’ve been doing this since middle school – studying together before tests.

Hakuma grasps things quickly and it helps me review as well, so teaching him isn’t a problem.

“You’re really enthusiastic about studying, Isaya-kun.”

“Hey there, Ikkun~!”

“Sakura, Lilith.”

As we spread out the study materials on the desk, Sakura and Lilith joined us.

In an instant, jealous glances from the boys were directed at us, but they didn’t openly show resentment.

Perhaps they understand that if they openly criticized me in front of the girls, they would be scolded, just like with the confession incident the other day.

So, they could at least stop giving me those intimidating stares…

While I was silently exasperated with the bystanders, Hakuma grimaced at Lilith’s approach, whom he despised.

“What do you want, succubus? Can’t you see, Isaya and I are about to study for the test. So, just go somewhere else.”

“I don’t have any particular business with you, Shoujou-san~. I just want to spend lunch break with  Ikkun every now and then, you know~.”

“Huh, whatever.”

Though the two of them still had their differences, Sakura’s glare kept them in check.

Still, they couldn’t resist taking jabs at each other, showing how deep their rivalry really was.

While I maintained a polite smile, Sakura suddenly called me.

“Isaya-kun, if it’s not too much trouble, would you mind if Lilith and I joined too?”

“Wait, even Sakura, who’s the top of the class?”

Ever since she gave the opening speech at the entrance ceremony, she’s consistently maintained her position as the top student.

Initially, I thought she was just a genius, but now I understand that Sakura puts in the effort that matches her grades.

I was taken aback by her offer since I didn’t really envision studying with others.

Perhaps this is an example of  another change I’ve noticed about Sakura since we’ve become friends.

“Absolutely. I had the impression that Isaya-kun might be struggling to find enough time for studying, so I thought I could lend a hand.”

“That would be a huge help! Thanks in advance.”

She offered her assistance because she noticed my limited study time due to the household chores and other responsibilities I’ve taken on since becoming a slave.

With a thankful nod, I accepted her offer, and Sakura had this proud grin on her face.

But in contrast to her, Hakuba’s expression darkened.

“It’s fine if Hizuki Akatsuki joins, but having that succubus around too…”

“If you don’t like it, you can just study alone~.”

“Quit fighting, you two. Studying together will actually save us some time.”

They really don’t get along.

As a friend to both of them, I really wish they would stop fighting, but that might be too much to ask for.

Just as we were about to settle on studying together as a group of four…

“Tsujizono Isaya! Today, you’ll accept my challenge!”

“Oh great, here he comes.”

“Ugh.”

“…”

“Tch.”

The hero-idiot from the next class swaggered over, challenging me to a duel.

Ever since he marked me as an enemy on his first day of transferring, he’s been bugging me so much that I can’t even help but make a face.

At first, the girls in our class were all excited about the handsome transfer student, but as they learned more about his not-so-great qualities, their reaction changed to something more like, “Not again.”

Even Lilith, who’s usually pretty well-received, was making an obviously displeased expression. Sakura and Hakuba too were furrowing their brows.

It seems that even the trio has grown wary of him, and I can’t help but think that this is one of the tragic side effects of his “hero syndrome”…

Ignoring my sympathetic thoughts, the hero-idiot was absorbed in his own world, continuing with a bold expression.

“Since the midterm tests are coming up, let’s settle this with the total scores from all five subjects.”

“Obviously I don’t want to. Don’t make me repeat myself.

Lady Elina explicitly advised me not to accept. But honestly, I wasn’t planning on accepting anyway.

Despite that, Yuto looked at me with a bemused expression as I swiftly declined.

“Again? You’re always avoiding things like this, huh?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, there’s no benefit for me to accept a duel. If anything, I’m avoiding it for the sake of your family.”

“That’s a clever excuse you’ve got there. But it’s pretty obvious that you’re just scared of losing. Your fear of losing is so transparent that there’s no point in hiding it.”

“When are you going to start listening to reason, huh?”

You know, there’s a saying that conversations don’t really work when there’s a gap in IQ, and this guy is a walking example of that. The way he twists my words is so infuriating; I almost want to slap some sense into him.

Seeing my irritated expression, Yuto carried on as if saying, “Oh, whatever,” with a shoulder shrug.

“I’m not a demon either, so I figured I’d give you a handicap to help you find a way to win.”

“Seems like you’re not bothering to hide your condescending attitude anymore.”

I wondered on what basis he was making assumptions about my grades. 

But since Yuto is a transfer student, there’s no way he could know where my grades are at the moment. 

Given his transfer to Earth’s schools, he might be good at studying. That would mean this guy is a smart idiot.

But seriously, this guy is such a handful. Just when I was thinking that, Sakura chimed in smoothly from the side.

“I don’t want to dampen the mood, Lord Bravelan. Hypothetically, if a match were to happen, I don’t think it’s necessary to give Iizuka-kun a handicap.”

“What did you say?”

“He used to be poor until Elina-ojou-sama took him in. His family couldn’t afford his high school tuition because of their financial situation.”

“No way. But he’s currently attending school, isn’t he?”

“Yes. You see, Isaya-kun is a scholarship student at Senrin High School. He’s fully exempt from tuition fees. Though he might not be the top student, he’s consistently ranked within the top five of our grade’s approximately two hundred second-year students.”

“…Huh?”

 Sakura’s strong words caught Yuto off guard, and he was left with his eyes wide open, utterly surprised. Seriously, how low did he think of me? It’s quite disheartening.

Well, Sakura’s right about the scholarship thing. Due to being sold into slavery by my parents, and then getting expelled, I lost my scholarship status. So, when I found out about it, I was genuinely bummed. Fortunately, thanks to Ojou-sama’s negotiation when I was readmitted, I regained my scholarship privileges.

But still…

“Sakura, you knew about my grades, huh?”

“I remembered seeing your name on the rank list posted after tests,” she said with a smile.

“It’s an honor for you to remember me as the top student.”

“Heh, if you want, you can try aiming to take the top spot from me.”

“Sure, that sounds fun. It’s way more interesting that way.”

Engaging in her challenge with a smile, I felt my heart naturally easing as the atmosphere shifted from the tense to a friendly one.

It makes me happy that Sakura and I can geek out over stuff like this; it’s a sign that we’re good friends.

“But it’s not a good idea to mix competition with studying, you know! I’ll let it slide for now! Catch you later!”

And then the hero just fled.

Coming up with a challenge and then running off when he realizes it’s not in his favor, that’s just so lame.

At this point, it’s more frustrating than comical.

As I’m starting to feel annoyed, I suddenly feel a tug on my right sleeve.

When I turned to look, Lilith was staring at me with a gaze mixed with hope and anxiety.

“Hey, Ikkun… Do you think you could help me with my studying~?”

“Of course, I’ve been planning to do that from the beginning, so don’t worry.”

There was no way I could just ignore Lilith when she looked at me with those pleading eyes.

In an attempt to alleviate her anxiety, I accepted her wish with a wry smile.

===

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