At the same time.
As Peter was reluctantly opening his textbook…
Bang! Bang!
Someone knocked on the door aggressively.
"…?"
Startled, he couldn't even respond.
Bang! Bang!
The knocking came again, as if urging him.
"Wh-who is it?"
Bang! Bang!
What could he do?
Peter cautiously moved toward the door.
It had to be the seniors, no doubt.
'Did they come because of what I told Jack?'
Damn it.
'It's not like I can avoid this.'
Peter swallowed nervously and grasped the doorknob.
If a fist comes flying at me, I'll scream first thing.
The moment Peter tightly shut his eyes and opened the door—
"You're Peter, right?"
As he feared, it was indeed a senior from the second year.
"W-what brings you here…?"
"There will be a disciplinary committee soon."
"A disciplinary… committee?"
"You just need to testify exactly what you saw."
'But why does he look like he's glaring at me? That expression… it's like he'll smash me if I testify honestly.'
After saying that, the senior handed him a small note.
"What is this?"
"You'll know when you read it."
With that, slam!
The senior slammed the door shut.
'W-what is this situation?'
Peter's legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the bed.
Then, with trembling hands, he quickly opened the note.
Despite the menacing atmosphere, the content wasn't much.
It was simply a list of Oxford students who graduated from the Royal School, written densely.
'He definitely looked like he was threatening me, but… Why did he suddenly hand me something like this…? Could it be? If I run my mouth recklessly, not only the Royal School but even my university life could get messed up… Is that what this is?'
Peter glanced again at the crumpled note.
Yeah.
'With so many seniors from Oxford, even if I get in, my life won't be easy. Is that what they mean? Ha!'
It was exactly the kind of threat you'd expect from an aristocratic school.
'Though I appreciate that they've already assumed I'll get into Oxford…'
"…"
But Peter didn't find that fact all that comforting.
'Oxford? Someone like me?'
With his family's situation, he couldn't even dream of attending unless the university offered a full scholarship.
So even considering Oxford or Cambridge felt out of reach, to the point of being embarrassing.
In his current situation, he'd be more than grateful to get into somewhere like the University of London, Edinburgh, or King's College!
'And these people have the nerve to threaten me about how rough my life at Oxford will be?'
Did they really not understand that some people can't even afford the tuition?
Damn it…
'They sure filled up this note.'
Peter looked at the paper again and smiled bitterly.
***
"Did you come?"
When I returned to the room, Peter was seriously focused on making something. It looked like he was drawing something on a large piece of paper. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a kind of relationship chart. You know, the kind detectives use during case briefings, writing down the names of people on a whiteboard.
"I'm almost done. Want to take a look?"
"…?"
"You know, the guys who called you out. I did a little research on who they are."
How?
Peter, noticing the confusion in my eyes, quickly added an explanation.
"Even though my family is completely bankrupt now, we used to be aristocrats."
"…"
"Thanks to that, I still have some connections here and there."
"And?"
"I asked a second-year senior about the atmosphere, and he casually spilled some info."
No, what I'm curious about is why you made this thing.
He immediately answered my unspoken question.
"I might seem gentle, but when someone steps on me, I don't go down easily."
Peter began explaining why the seniors had called me. It was a tradition to summon the top first-year student and put them in their place. They were hesitant to call Tennessee Grosvenor, so they shifted their focus to me, apparently.
Peter then laid out the key second-year figures.
"The second-year student council president is quite an unusual person."
He pointed to the top of the paper as he continued.
"His name is Carl Bernstein. His father runs the most famous law firm in London. They say no one can touch him legally."
"…"
"A notable fact is that he's also the captain of the second-year rugby team. He was the first freshman to compete as a starter in the national tournament, so it seems he's pretty athletic."
Hmm.
I appreciate the effort, but… you're not planning to brief me on every single person on that paper, are you?
"There are two more under him… One guy comes from a famous real estate family, and the other is from a well-known family in Germany. Both are on the rugby team. Maybe it's because they have so much money, but all they do is play rugby instead of studying. Jeez…"
Honestly, the more I heard, the more it felt like a briefing on the second-year rugby team.
It made sense. If Americans were obsessed with football, it seemed the British aristocrats were all into rugby.
"If I had any athletic ability, I probably would have gotten into rugby too… Ahem."
As Peter awkwardly scratched his head, I subtly changed the subject.
"Anyway, did you memorize all of this?"
"What?"
"You just said you heard all this from a senior. How are you able to recall it all so smoothly…?"
"There are barely more than ten people, no big deal."
"So you memorized everything you just heard?"
He shrugged as if to say, "So what?"
I chuckled.
I've seen someone like him before.
Martin, the top student at MIT, was exactly like this!
Thinking of that, I couldn't care less about the second-year relationship chart in front of me.
Yeah, let's talk about something profitable.
"Peter, sorry to keep bringing this up, but…"
"…?"
"You still don't want to make that game?"
***
The next morning at dawn.
I tightened my shoelaces and headed outside the dormitory.
Morning runs.
It was a healthy habit I developed since starting boxing.
'Is it because the weather's cold?'
It was nearly 6 a.m., but the sky was still pitch black.
First things first, some stretching…
Just as I was loosening up my ankles, I heard footsteps behind me.
Turning around, I saw Jack in a short-sleeve shirt.
"Aren't you cold?"
"I am."
"Want to borrow a jacket?"
"I'll warm up once I start running."
As soon as he said that…
Zoom!
He took off at full speed right from the start.
Didn't even warm up…
But for some reason, seeing that made me smile.
That's exactly how Jack looked when he ran over to help me the other day.
Memories of yesterday flashed in my mind.
'Yeah, I'll warm up as I run.'
I quickly started chasing after him.
We had run until our legs were shaking.
"Huff. Huff, huff."
Just as Jack and I were leaning against a tree, catching our breath, the sky began to lighten.
Maybe because it was around sunrise, more people had gathered to exercise.
"…"
All unfamiliar faces.
They didn't seem like first-years.
Thud, thud, thud!
Their pace was fast, but their breathing was steady.
It was clear they weren't new to running.
I'd thought, being a school for aristocrats, it'd be full of pampered kids, but…
'That's impressive.'
One guy in particular caught my eye.
Under a tightly pulled-down cap, his long blonde hair swayed as he ran. Every time his foot hit the ground, his body seemed to spring forward. His speed was remarkable, but his agility was even more striking.
Jack seemed to be watching the same guy.
"His shoes are really clean."
"What?"
"Those white shoes."
"You were looking at his shoes?"
"I need to get a new pair soon."
Jack's shoes looked like they could fall apart any moment.
In contrast…
Thud! Thud!
The guy's white New Balance sneakers looked pristine.
Next to him was a huge guy who also stood out.
He had to be around 195 cm tall.
He looked like he could easily lift 500 pounds, with a bulky physique, but he was still impressively fast.
Of course, he had the disadvantage of getting tired quicker than others.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
But when he ran at full speed, he looked faster than anyone.
Jack seemed to be watching the same spot again.
"I like that outfit."
"Now what?"
"That long-sleeve shirt."
It was a gray Champion sweatshirt.
"It's pretty famous."
"Really? I've never seen it before."
Jeans from Levi's.
Boots from Red Wing.
Sweatshirt from Champion.
Even I knew that much!
"Anyway, it's nice."
Jack just laughed lightly.
"How about we go shopping this weekend?"
"Why?"
"Why else? To check out the latest trends and buy you some shoes and a t-shirt!"
"If we're done running, let's go grab something to eat."
Jack eagerly nodded his head.
The place we headed to was a French restaurant.
"Why not the cafeteria?"
Maybe it was because I had worked there for so long, but I never felt comfortable in the student cafeteria. The food was good, and the atmosphere was different from where I worked in my past life, but…
"…"
I just didn't like the vibe. So I made up an excuse.
"This place suits my taste better."
"The food's good, sure. But it's pricey…"
"That's not really an issue for me."
"Wow!"
After I cracked a joke and Jack responded playfully, the waiter approached.
"Here's the coffee you ordered."
Jack had ordered an espresso con panna. I went for an iced Americano. I was a bit surprised he ordered an espresso. Looking confused, Jack stared blankly at the tiny cup of coffee in front of him.
"What's this?"
"Why?"
"I mean… they gave you a full cup, but why do I only get this…?"
"You ordered a con panna."
"What's that?"
"You placed the order, and now you're asking me?"
"I just thought the name sounded pretty…"
Oh, come on!
"Order another one."
"No, it looks nice. What's this, though? Is that… cream on top?"
"Can I get another iced Americano, please?"
After placing my order, I sipped on my iced coffee through a straw.
The cold hit me so hard it made my brain freeze.
Yes, that's the feeling!
Jack, who said his con panna was enough, ended up gulping down the tiny cup as soon as the coffee arrived.
I chuckled.
Then, the soup and croissants were served. I looked at him and said:
"They're holding a disciplinary committee, you know."
"Yeah?"
You'd think it wasn't his business, judging by his reaction.
"I'll cover the medical bills and settlement, so you just need to apologize…"
"Why should you pay?"
"Well, do you want to pay for it?"
He shook his head.
"Their fancy parents will take care of it."
If I had been the one who hit someone, I'd probably react the same way. But Jack got caught up in this mess because of me, so I was trying to handle things smoothly. Surprisingly, though, Jack was quite firm.
"We just need to explain the situation properly."
"What?"
"It's a fact that seven of them showed up to intimidate you, right?"
"…"
"Whether they're seniors or not, if they did something to deserve it, they should face the consequences. Don't you think?"
He's not the type to listen to reason.
"They said you can appeal even if there's a disciplinary decision."
Fine, if things don't work out, I'll step in then…
As we finished our meal and waited for dessert, I called the waiter over.
"Could you pack a lobster sandwich and an iced coffee to go, please?"
Jack's eyes widened.
"You're overeating?"
"Do you think I'm going to eat it?"
"Then who?"
"Peter."
"Oh, your roommate?"
He's the guy who went as far as digging up the second-year hierarchy to help me out.
'This is the least I can do for him.'