Side Story 3
Dahlia hated Irene. Of course, there were so many people who felt that way that Irene didn’t even bat an eye.
It was only much later that she found out why Dahlia disliked her—apparently, a guy Dahlia liked had confessed to Irene and got rejected.
…Who was it? Eden? Ilas? Khun? Devik? Irene tried to recall the countless men she had turned down, but eventually gave up. No matter who it was, it was an absurd reason.
However…
“Yeah. I am pitiful,” Rose agreed, huffing and puffing.
That felt a bit odd.
Normally, Irene wouldn’t have cared whether people insulted her or not. But this time, she couldn’t just let it slide.
Taking Rose’s response as agreement, Dahlia’s group began to badmouth Irene more aggressively. The insults grew harsher until…
“Why are you hanging out with someone like Irene? You keep letting her get away with it, so she thinks it’s okay to treat you like that. She acts so high and mighty, even though she’s younger than you, as if she’s your older sister. From now on, just eat with us. Who cares if she eats alone or stays a loner?”
Dahlia spat, her tone sharp.
“Right, Rose?”
“…Hmm.”
“I said, right, Rose?”
“I… I’d rather just keep eating like I’ve been,” Rose muttered, looking around nervously.
Neither Irene nor Dahlia’s group had expected that response. Dahlia, stunned for a moment, shot back pointedly.
“What? Why?”
“Well, you guys work in different departments, so I’d have to wait to eat with you… And when the lunch bell rings, I don’t want to waste a second. I like to go straight away…”
“You expect us to believe that lame excuse? Be honest. Why do you keep siding with Irene?”
“I’m telling you, that’s the real reason…”
“Then again, if you truly hated Irene, she wouldn’t be able to follow you around nagging like that. Do you actually like that she treats you like a child? Don’t you have any pride?”
“How many times do I have to say it? I don’t like Irene either! I hate her more than you guys do!”
Rose looked genuinely frustrated.
Irene knew. Rose was 100% sincere right now.
She truly didn’t like Irene, and her reason for continuing to eat with her was simply because she didn’t want to waste any time during lunch.
But Dahlia didn’t believe it. That was no surprise. Dahlia hadn’t spent as much time closely watching Rose like Irene had.
“Then why do you keep letting her hang around you?!”
Dahlia’s question hit the mark, and Rose hesitated. She groaned, making an exaggerated sound as she seriously pondered before finally admitting.
“You’re right. Maybe I’ve been letting Irene boss me around too much.”
“Exactly!”
“…But that’s just because she’s annoyingly pretty.”
“What…?”
“When she nags me, I want to smack her on the forehead, but her forehead is so perfectly smooth and round that I just can’t bring myself to do it. And then if I go for a more traditional slap, where on that tiny face am I supposed to aim? Sure, she’s tall, so there’s more of her body to hit, but if you take into account her physicality, my short reach means I don’t stand a chance…”
Rose rambled on, completely oblivious to how ridiculous she sounded, while Dahlia stood there, frozen in disbelief. Finally, Dahlia snapped, her eyes blazing.
“What?! You think Irene’s pretty? I’d say even Astel from the Esper Division is prettier!”
And then, Rose, completely missing the social cues, responded flatly.
“No way. I’m telling you, there’s no one in Arteon prettier than Irene. Think about it. Irene has the kind of personality that would make anyone dislike her, whether they’re a guy or a girl. So how else could she get guys to chase after her? It’s because she’s pretty, and they just flock to her. There’s no other reason.”
Irene couldn’t tell whether to feel pleased or insulted by that comment.
“You can criticize Irene’s personality because she could improve it if she tried. But her looks? Come on. It’s not her fault she was born pretty and guys follow her around. If anything, it’s more your fault for not being as pretty as her…”
“Hey!”
“Ah! That scared me…”
“What kind of nonsense is this? Unbelievable… Forget it! I was trying to be nice to you because I felt bad that Irene was ignoring you, but you two are exactly the same! Come on, let’s go!”
With that, Dahlia stormed off with her group in tow.
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