༺ Making Lots Of Friends When School Starts! (3) ༻
“Teacher! My wallet is gone!”
“The purse with the gold coins my mom gave me…!”
“I’m sure it was here just before lunch…!”
The children began to shout one by one.
A theft had occurred in the classroom while it was empty during lunchtime.
Five people had lost their wallets in total.
The total loss amounted to a total of 100,000 arcs.
Considering that the minimum wage in the Freesia Kingdom was 8,000 arcs, it was quite insane to think 100,000 arcs were lost by a bunch of 6-year-old children.
That’s how well-off most of the students at Graham Academy were.
Of course, 100,000 arcs was a significant sum even for the well-off boys and girls.
“What should we do?”
“The money my mom gave me was for buying school supplies and snacks…”
“I won’t be able to buy potato chips without the money; my afternoon will be boring…! It’s terrible…”
The children were in a tumult.
They were almost in a panic.
“Maybe Naru…?”
“Naru’s dad is a thief.”
“Well, in that case…”
The situation where everyone’s attention was focused on Naru.
Of course, Cecily let out a sigh.
“Hmph, when would Naru have time for that? Are you all fools? Naru and Cecily left the classroom and went to the cafeteria first, right? We were the first to get pork cutlets.”
“Talking about pork cutlet makes Naru want to eat it again! Naru is hungry.”
The classroom was in an uproar.
Salome, looking at them, slapped the table.
“Be quiet. Unless you want to be mistaken for a thief. From now on, anyone who opens their bag without my permission will be considered a thief.”
It was a chilly voice, far from the beautiful teacher-like demeanor.
All the children closed their mouths at once.
“Okay. Everyone, close your eyes. Raise your hand if you’re the one who stole the wallet— Sigh, this won’t work, this thief of ours wouldn’t have taken anything to begin with if he was the honest kind, would he?”
Swoosh—
Someone raised their hand at that moment.
It was a girl with red hair rolled up like bread, Elizabeth.
“What is it, student number 2, Elizabeth?”
“Well, I don’t think Naru did it, for now.”
“Hmm? Why? Why do you think that, Elizabeth?”
“Well, Naru would be the first suspect if something went missing, right? So I don’t think it’s Naru. So, what I mean is, how about searching our desks? Maybe the money is still there in the desks or the bags?”
Elizabeth bravely suggested.
Salome nodded in approval.
“That’s a good suggestion. Everyone, take out your bags and personal belongings. By the way, students with useless items in their bags will have their points deducted.”
Ssshh—
All the children put their bags on their desks.
Salome’s expression darkened.
“Naru, why do you have a sparrow in your bag?”
Chirp— Chirp—
“Oops, I forgot…! Uh… sorry…”
“I’ll deduct some points. But Tywin, remember what I just said? Put your bag on the desk.”
Tywin Cladeco.
The headmaster’s daughter.
The top-ranking student in the school.
Such a girl hadn’t placed her bag on the desk.
“Are you rebelling, Tywin?”
“I’m not rebelling. Inspecting the students’ belongings without their consent is against the school rules, that’s why. Right, teacher Salome? If you’re a real teacher, that is?”
Tywin’s question was sharp like a dagger.
When the children fell silent, Salome’s eyes narrowed like a thin crescent moon.
“You seem very aware. However, according to Article 35, Paragraph 2 of the rules, teachers have the authority to inspect students’ belongings in case of emergency. You know this as well, right? If you’re the daughter of the headmaster that is.”
“…”
Tywin fell silent.
At that moment, someone stood up from their seat.
A girl with red rolled-up hair like bread.
It was Elizabeth.
“Teacher, it’s obvious she’s hiding something! She doesn’t want to show her bag because she’s the one who stole the money!”
It was a plausible theory.
The 6-year-old first graders murmured in agreement.
“Why would Tywin steal the money?”
“Maybe because she didn’t get her allowance? She got into an accident on the entrance exam and got scolded by Miss Cladeco. She’s probably not allowed to get an allowance anymore.”
“Tywin… She even threw paper at Naru’s head. Is she a bad child?”
“Frankly, her personality is pretty cold. She acts like she’s a princess. My mom said that Tywin looked very ‘hauti’. I don’t know what that means, though…”
The children’s whispers filled the classroom.
Elizabeth laughed with a smirk.
“Now, teacher. Please check her bag and desk. And Tywin, if you want to prove your innocence, why don’t you show us everything there?”
“…”
Salome opened her eyes slightly as she watched the situation.
Her blue eyes turned as cold as ice.
‘Damn it. This is why I dislike kids. They always make trouble with their childish actions. Of course, I know who the culprit is. How dare they steal in front of me? And how dare they try to use me? What should I do? Huh? I can’t just let this slide.’
Just as Salome’s thoughts were growing colder.
“In the classroom… You weren’t the one who stayed until the end, were you? Elizabeth Lanafeld.”
Tywin Cladeco stood up from her seat and said.
Her intimidating gaze had quite a presence.
Of course, Elizabeth furrowed her brow in response.
“What? What nonsense are you talking about?”
“During lunchtime, you were the one who stayed in the classroom until the end.”
“What? What are you saying? Me?”
“Logically, there’s a high probability that the last one leaving the classroom is the culprit. Doesn’t everyone think so? Has anyone seen Elizabeth leave the classroom before they did?”
Tywin asked those around her.
Then, the 6-year-old kids each spoke a word.
“It’s true that Elizabeth was the last to leave the classroom. She said she was reviewing, didn’t she?”
“But why would Elizabeth steal? Their family is wealthy, after all.”
“Maybe…”
* * *
Tywin and Elizabeth.
Calm ash-gray and fiery red.
They had been famous rivals since their very young days, despite having different personalities and tastes.
“Did Tywin steal it?”
“No, maybe it was Elizabeth…”
All eyes turned to them.
The two children, who looked like princesses, also glared at each other.
However, unlike the sharp glares, Elizabeth was profusely sweating inside.
‘What should I do…? Why is it turning out like this…? Why doesn’t the teacher search Tywin’s desk and bag…! If this continues…’
Elizabeth’s vision became dizzy.
Salome, the teacher, smiled at Elizabeth in a way that seemed like her mouth was tearing apart.
It was a terrifying smile.
“Elizabeth, what’s going on? You weren’t thinking of stealing and framing your friend, Tywin, right? Like secretly hiding something in Tywin’s bag?”
“I… I…”
“If that’s true, your father would be so sad. And Elizabeth, according to the rules, you’d receive disciplinary action. Furthermore, you’d receive Snix’s curse for disrespecting theft.”
“Snix’s curse!?”
“In the future, no one will believe anything you say. You’ll forever be known as a liar and live a life under suspicion. A liar, Elizabeth. That’s what you’ll be known as.”
“Ugh… Daaaamn…”
Elizabeth felt like tears were about to flow out of her eyes.
Not long ago, during Elizabeth’s birthday, Tywin had said to Elizabeth’s father, “Don’t casually interfere with the vice-dean─.” and she intended to get revenge for that.
However, things weren’t going well.
‘Am I going to live as a liar for the rest of my life? Forever? What if Dad finds out…?’
She was trembling and on the verge of tearing up.
To a 6-year-old, the word “forever” was incredibly daunting.
At that moment, Salome spoke to Elizabeth like a tempting demon.
“Elizabeth, if you tell the truth now, I’ll let you off with ten strokes of the cane. But if you don’t speak up and Teacher finds out it was you, you’ll get fifty strokes on the calf.”
Ten strokes.
Did that mean she had to be hit with a cane ten times?
Of course, fifty strokes were even worse.
Elizabeth reluctantly held onto her school uniform tightly, biting her lips.
“I… I…”
“Naru, Naru was the one that stole!”
Someone raised their hand.
It was Naru.
Everyone buzzed with excitement at Naru’s action.
Of course, Salome, the teacher, remained calm.
“Naru, don’t tell such lies carelessly. You shouldn’t falsely claim that you did something you didn’t. Aren’t you scared of Snix’s curse, the curse of the Goddess of Deception?”
“I’m not scared! Because it’s true, Naru did it!”
Swoosh—
Naru reached into her uniform.
Soon, coins and wallets began to fall out of Naru’s sleeves.
Golden coins bounced across the classroom floor like crazy.
Seeing this, Elizabeth was astonished.
‘The wallets I secretly hid in Tywin’s bag…!? Why are they in Naru’s…?’
Salome was equally shocked.
“Impossible…! Unbelievable…! When in the world…!? I already confirmed that Tywin’s bag had the wallets in it…!?”
In her twenty years of theft, Salome had never been this astonished.
She was so shocked that she couldn’t keep her composure anymore.
‘How could a mere 6-year-old kid deceive me like this? When did this happen? Did she use that sparrow in her bag as a ‘means of distraction’? This skill is undoubtedly Judas’…’
It was astonishing in many ways.
A little six-year-old, even though she had let her guard down, managed to steal from Salome, bypassing her vigilance.
‘That girl must indeed be Judas’ daughter. Otherwise, this wouldn’t have been possible. This is so infuriating. To think that he had a six-year-old daughter and never mentioned it to me…!’
Salome was angry.
But for now, as a teacher, she had to say something.
“Ahem, hmm. Naru, why did you do such a thing? Your parents would be sad if they found out, wouldn’t they?”
“Naru is Judas’ daughter. But Teacher didn’t seem to believe me so I stole the wallets. And Dad will be happy if Naru says she stole it! I’m telling the truth…!”
Stealing to make her dad proud.
“……”
Deep-seated memories began to resurface in her mind, but she forcefully suppressed them. She then spoke calmly, adopting the demeanor of a teacher.
“Naru, get ready for ten strokes of the cane. And maybe you should bring your parents too.”
Let’s see your dad.
I’ll take a good look at your mom too.
And figure out what kind of a woman she is.
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