For Your Failed Unrequited Love

Lucy soon understood the meaning behind Adrian’s pensive yet sincere words.

“Do we really have to move all these books by the end of this week?” One of the freshmen asked a few days later, stunned. 

They had gathered in the library and there were piles of thick books in front of Lucy and other new book club members.

“Well, within this week,” Adrian replied. “There will be a lot of new books at the beginning of the semester. Remember that.” Adrian folded his arms afterward and looked at the newcomers. “Well, lets get a move on everyone.”

Along with that, a student raised his hand. Adrian pointed at him to speak up. “I’m sorry, but I’d like to withdraw from the book club,” he said, slightly ashamed.

Adrian closed his eyes and nodded as if he had expected it. He opened his mouth and asked,  “Anyone else wants to quit?”

Hands came up from around Lucy.

In the end, more than half of the new book club members left the club at once along with the first student who raised his hand. Only Lucy and two new students remained.

“Sure enough. These are the people I expected to stay,” Adrian said, looking at the three. Rather than being despondent, he grinned hopeful while looking at the remaining new recruits, despite the difficult situation.

“That’s what I felt when I first saw you. I feel like you won’t give up easily despite the rough weather.”

In the present situation, it sounded more conciliatory than praise. However, in any case, Lucy and three other new members, who missed the timing to withdraw, stood in front of the pile of books with a fairly grim face.

“Well, I think I’ll be able to get this book done by the end of the week with you.”

“It’s a good thing freshmen like you are here. I’m so blessed.”

“My conscience is bothering me. I’ll give you one last chance. Anyone who wants to leave?”

“Yes, I believed in you. I have a good eye for people.”

Listening to Adrian’s constant cheering, the new members began to carry the books. Lucy wiped off the sweat on her forehead, already hard at work from the first day.

“What? Where’s everybody?” Another second-year senior asked, appearing at the door and looking around the empty library. He was Allen, the senior who had previously humiliated Lucy in the hallway with her application form.

“I knew this would happen, Anyway, I just came to see their faces.Go… ” He noticed Adrian looking at him, and he shut his mouth from saying more useless things. He groaned and cleared his throat. While checking the faces of the remaining freshmen, his sight landed on Lucy.

Allen did not look at her favourably. Rather, he looked at Lucy with suspicion as if she had joined the book club with an ulterior motive.

“Watch out for him,” Jemima, who was stacking books next to her, whispered to Lucy. She was a freshman with red short hair and a lively appearance, and was also a new member of the book club. “People said to stay away from him because if you get on his bad side, you’ll be miserable for the rest of the day.”

Lucy nodded slightly at Jemima’s advice. She had witnessed Allen’s irrational side once and was well aware of how bad it was. She carried the book as far as possible from his sight, but Allen’s sharp eyes were on Lucy from the beginning, like a falcon after a prey.

“He keeps looking at you,” Jemima informed Lucy, approaching her.

Oh, really. What the hell did I do?

Lucy acted like she didn’t notice him, but Allen’s eyes followed her persistently.

To make matters worse, when Adrian briefly left the library to go to class, Allen took the opportunity to order the freshmen around. Of course, Lucy was the one who suffered the most.

Even though Lucy was the smallest of the three new members, Allen didn’t seem to notice since he asked her to lift the heaviest books.

After a while Allen pointed at a rather heavy box and pointed at Lucy. “Do you know where the Bertha Classroom is?” he asked and then instructed her rather arrogantly. “Take these books and put them in the bookshelf. Of course, you know that you have to sort them in alphabetical orders, right?”

“…Yes.” In spite of Lucy’s resentment at her senior book club member’s unprovoked attitude, she had no choice but to respond.

Lucy lifted the box with a grunt and left the library. The box containing the book was heavy, but she was relieved at the fact that she was finally out of Allen’s radar.

The Bertha classroom that Alan spoke of was on the first floor. Fortunately, she didn’t have to climb the stairs.

Lucy, was at a loss for a moment when she entered the classroom. There were second-year students inside, waiting for their class to begin.

She appeared at the front door with the box, and all the students in the classroom turned toward her at the same time.

Oh, I should’ve come in through the back door.

But it was too late, Lucy walked as fast as she could toward the bookshelf behind the classroom.

Let’s get it over with and get out.  She thought as she walked across the room, then she saw a familiar person.

Felix Berg was snoozing in the backseat while the rest of the class sat down to get ready for class. She can’t see his face, but she could tell that was him just by looking at his long blond hair hanging down the desk.

Lucy clicked her tongue. I guess he doesn’t like studying that much.

She moved her gaze away from the back of his blond head and placed the box she was carrying in front of the bookshelf. She had to finish organising quickly and get out of the classroom before the teacher arrived for class.

Lucy hurriedly opened the box, but her face contorted as soon as she saw the book inside.

The titles were all in the Bertha letters.

Of course, you know that you have to sort them in alphabetical orders, right?” Alan’s voice as he spoke with a cheeky expression reverberated in her ears.

Lucy looked down at the box, at a loss on what to do. Although Bertha was a required language among the high nobles, she knew nothing of of it.

What should I do? Should I just stick it in first and then come clean up later? Who should I ask for help? Can Jemima speak Bertha?

Then the front door opened.

A middle-aged woman walked it. It was her first time seeing the woman but Lucy knew she was a teacher for the class.

I’m in trouble. I’ll just leave it be.

Lucy quickly closed the lid of the box and stood up. But then, of all things, she met the eyes of the teacher.

“Oh, a student from the book club,” The teacher said with a smile as she looked at Lucy. “Is this the entire collection of Berta literature that I applied for?”

“Oh… ” Frustrated, Lucy looked down at the book. However, she couldn’t read the text on the book covers. “that… “

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you could arrange them for me now. Oh, don’t forget to put them in alphabetical order.”

Unaware of Lucy’s situation, the Bertha teacher gave her a difficult request and started the lesson.

“Oh, dear…”

Lucy’s randomly grabbed the books in panic. However, this did not mean that the books were magically sorted on their own.

They’ll laugh at me, right? If I don’t do this properly…

Even if I didn’t have enough time, I should have memorized all the letters of Bertha before entering the school…

Lucy looked around desperately to find any letters she knew. But it was in vain. She felt like she was going to cry in a situation where she didn’t know what to do.

Suddenly a large hand appeared grabbed the corner of the box Lucy was holding, and she was so startled, she let go of it.

The owner of the hand, seated in a chair, dragged the box to his side. Soon he began arranging the books in the box without the teacher even noticing.

Lucy sat down in front of the bookshelf and stared at Felix’s hands that was moving without hesitation. His lengthy fingers flitted around in the box as though playing the piano, 

It took him less than a few minutes to sort out the books in order, and Felix pushed the box back to Lucy when he was done.

“Thank… thank you…”

Lucy’s faint murmur of thanks did not seem to reach his ears. Before she had finished speaking, Felix turned to the blackboard again.

Lucy looked at Felix’s back with great appreciation. It wasn’t until a long time later that she felt relieved at the work that had been solved in an instant. She exhaled slowly and wiped the sweat off her forehead.

I’m glad…

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief and reached for the books in the box, but there was something on top of the books.

It was the ribbon that she had previously lent to Felix in the library.