Volume 3 Chapter 2 Fractions In High School？ No Way!
"Yawn~. It's finally over!"
Next to Randy, who was stretching in the alley, Liz sighed and said, "That's kind of embarrassing." But she probably didn't say more because she understood how Randy felt.
Midterm exams.
Math, history, classical language, magic theory, and magic physics──5 core subjects all crammed into one day. That tough schedule had finally come to an end. Even if it wasn't Randy, anyone would want to enjoy that feeling of freedom.
"By the way, Randy, how did the exam go?"
Randy's shoulder twitched at Liz's tilted head.
"Listen, Liz..."
"Yes?"
"Real men don't look back at the past."
Randy chuckled, but Liz couldn't stop her exasperated sigh, "So you didn't do well, huh?"
"Wh-what? What's with that Σ (sigma)? I don't get it! It's not even a number! At least it should be adding fractions!"
"Why should it be adding fractions? That's something you learn in elementary school."
"I know! I did that when I was little, so I know!"
Liz had a question mark over her head as she looked at Randy, who was covering his face. But Randy felt like saying, "Don't mess with me." This was a given; he needed to be tested on elementary-level math.
Who would think that in another world, he would have to deal with topics from Algebra II or Math B? Not to mention, Randy's brainpower was already questionable. In his past life, he had never seen or heard of Σ.
But reality is cruel. Randy remembered that during the basic education provided by the church, he was surprised when fractions came up. And of course, after that, the studies got harder, and he panicked.
Even the advanced education he was managing to keep up with thanks to his past life was now entering unknown territory.
At this point, there was nothing Randy could do. Well, he could just study, but for some reason, whenever it came to studying, he immediately felt sleepy, and there was nothing he could do about it.
"Hey, kid, you understood the magic theory I taught you, right?"
"......"
Randy looked away in silence, and Ellie raised an eyebrow, saying, "You little fool!"
"Do you have any idea how much I simplified it for you to understand?"
"Shut up! Even if you simplified it, there are things I just can't swallow!"
Randy wanted to say, "Give me a break." The ancient great magician would laugh at this child-level stuff and prepare more complex theories to explain.
It was easy to guess how advanced Ellie's simplified lectures were, considering she would scoff at even the basics of advanced theory. There was no way Randy, who was already struggling with the basics, could grasp all of that overnight...
"It would be fine to start from something simpler."
He could only pout and protest.
"What are you saying? The girl understood it perfectly!"
But that was the problem──Liz had completely understood it and absorbed it like a sponge, saying, "Oh, I see!" at a level that made Randy wonder what was wrong with her.
From Ellie's perspective, it was no surprise she thought, "This is easy."
"It seems my divine wisdom was too much for a birdbrain who even forgot the existence of holy water."
"Ugh..."
In front of Ellie, who was smirking, Randy felt veins popping on his temples and struggled to find words. He honestly wanted to retort, but it was true that he had no comeback for that.
"Come on, say something. You birdbrain."
As Ellie laughed, Randy gritted his teeth and returned the mockery.
"No, no. As expected of the old great magician. Living a long time must have made your wisdom bag huge."
"Who are you calling old?"
Randy shot back with a laugh at Ellie, who was now fuming.
"It's you! Just wait. I'll find your old, frail body and bring you back."
"You fool. I hope you can say the same after seeing my sexy dynamite body."
The two, who had been glaring at each other, were pulled apart by Liz, who had restrained Ellie, and a figure that appeared from across the street.
"'Sir Randolph', shall we go?"
As Liz noticed the passersby, she quickened her pace to reach her destination before Randy and Ellie's second round began.
* * *
"You two are so slow!"
"Sorry, Cecily."
Liz smiled and bowed her head, and Cecily returned the smile, saying, "Well, it's okay." Behind Cecilia, there were many women lined up. And at the front of the line was a brand-new white building.
The Mediterranean-style building stood out in the brick city, and according to Liz, it was a characteristic building of her hometown, the Braubelg territory.
So, what is this all-white building?
"Looking at it like this, it really has the perfect look for a beauty shop."
Just as Randy said while looking up at the building, it was indeed a physical store selling beauty products. They had already opened the first store in the Marquis territory of Braubelg and were simultaneously opening a second store in the Hartfield territory.
By the way, only the Victor Territory was selling through a local shop, which is typical for them.
Finally, beauty products had arrived in the capital. With Liz and Cecilia's advertising already making waves in the capital, this building was the first store in the capital to handle beauty products.
So why were Randy and the others here? They had come to this building because someone had called them. They had arrived on time for their meeting, but now they couldn't help but be curious about how busy the store was.
"It feels really special to see it open like this."
Cecilia said while looking up at the building, and Liz nodded silently. Although Randy and the others had visited the building several times since the renovations began, the reality of it being open brought up various feelings.
"Still, it's really busy, isn't it?"
Just as Liz said, surprised by the line, there was a crowd of people in front of the store, creating quite a lively atmosphere. There was no courage to dive into this crowd. After all, the store was currently a battlefield for women.
From that battlefield, a pink-haired girl popped out, carefully holding a paper bag. As soon as she saw Randy and the others, she hurried over, and it was definitely Catherine.
"Miss Evans, right?"
"Indeed, isn’t it?"
Unlike the two who watched her leave with mixed expressions, Randy looked back at the building with an impressed expression.
(Well, if it's His Excellency Marquis, it makes sense to sell normally.)
Just as Randy realized the Marquis's intention, a woman appeared from what seemed to be the back entrance of the store.
"Sir Randolph and Lady Cecilia, right? And──."
The woman glanced at Liz but didn't say anything more. However, judging by Liz's expression, it seemed she was not a stranger.
(I see. It wouldn't be appropriate to use 'Lady' in public, but 'Ms' wouldn't work either.)
With a wry smile at the loyalty shown, Randy replied that he was Randolph.
"The lord is waiting. This way──."
The woman, likely a member of the Marquis family, led Randy and the others inside the building. Ignoring the lively sounds from the store beyond the door, the woman climbed the stairs and knocked on a door at the back.
"I've brought them."
After saying that briefly, the door quietly opened from the inside. As the woman prompted them, Randy and the others stepped into the room──
But a straight sword was thrust toward Randy.
The blade was approaching, but Randy didn't move at all.
The tip of the sword stopped right in front of Randy's nose, and a breeze that came late slightly stirred his bangs.
Liz and Cecilia were stunned by the sudden event, but Randy and the young man with the sword were facing each other with smiles.
"Elder brother! Why──."
Liz shouted, but Randy stepped back to protect her.
"Is this a pass for a bodyguard?"
With a smile, Randy asked, and the man called Cedric, who was referred to as Liz's brother, lowered his sword and smiled back.
"Can I ask why you didn't stop the sword? You knew, didn't you?"
"Because the sword didn't have any killing intent."
Randy shrugged, and Cedric sheathed his sword with a thoughtful "Hmm."
"You can tell that much?"
"I've been trained."
Randy smiled wryly, and Cedric showed another smile.
"I'm sorry for acting like that. I'm Liza's brother, Cedric."
When Cedric reached out his hand, Randy introduced himself and shook it back. Since it was a chance for a little payback, he added a hint of tension to his grip──
For a moment, the air turned cold, and both Cedric and the woman guiding them looked tense, but Randy quickly let go of that feeling and showed a smile.
"Do you think I passed as a bodyguard?"
When Randy repeated his earlier question, Cedric returned a big smile to him.
"Absolutely no complaints. Thank you for protecting my important sister."
The words Cedric spoke with a smile were definitely filled with genuine gratitude. The young man, who had a somewhat androgynous face like Liz, was still happily holding Randy's hand and smiling.
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