A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: You Are Already Enough

Hearing his innocent whisper, Emeline couldn’t take her eyes off Zenon.

A strange thing happened—she became even more curious about him.

If Zenon was indeed rebelling in the same way as she was, how could he still be so free-spirited under such oppressive circumstances?

Unlike her own powerless seclusion, why did his rebellion carry the image of freedom?

Emeline found herself envying Zenon, who seemed to remain unrestrained, like a bird with wings, even while rebelling.

After remaining silent for a long time, Emeline finally spoke, “…I’m not delinquent like you.”

Her eyes, which seemed to have been lost in a faint illusion just moments before, were now filled with the familiar sharpness.

“Of course not.”

“I don’t torment my father, nor do I act thoughtlessly.”

“Ah… that kind of stings.”

At her continuous criticism, Zenon squinted slightly. But as always, there was no unpleasantness in his demeanor. Emeline responded even more coldly to his relaxed reaction.

“And yet, you say we’re alike? What nonsense.”

Emeline Delzeier could never be like Zenon Trancium.

While they might both be oppressed by their fathers, a great wall separated them—a wall too difficult to break down.

Emeline would never be able to cross that wall.

Perhaps even until the moment her dreams faded away completely, that would remain true.

She shook off his hand.

“If your so-called big secret is true, then why did you suddenly stop coming to school? And then say you approached me for the sake of rebellion… Your story doesn’t add up.”

“I didn’t think you’d catch that—you’re sharp. But you know what?”

A faint, weary smile escaped him—a smile Emeline had never seen before.

“There are things you can’t rebel against with mere defiance. Especially when something precious is at stake.”

“……”

Emeline felt her heart sink. Hearing his words, her mind suddenly went blank. It was similar to her situation, like listening to her own story told by someone else.

Afraid of losing her precious dream forever, she couldn’t move recklessly, even with the spirit of rebellion.

Zenon stood up, still wearing that faint smile. “Thanks for lending me your space and helping me with the ointment. I should get going now.”

“……”

“And, don’t overwork yourself studying. You’re already enough, Emeline Delzeier. I don’t know what your goal is, but if you’re wearing yourself down, I doubt there’s happiness waiting for you there.”

Emeline was left speechless, as if she had been pricked by a thorn.

It was a situation where she could have snapped at him for being presumptuous, but for some reason, she couldn’t even manage to open her mouth.

It felt as if something intense had struck the back of her head.

She watched in a daze as he left.

The door closed, silence followed, and after a long while, the cicadas’ forgotten cries slowly returned to her world.

Emeline finally took a deep breath and regained her composure.

“Don’t kill yourself in pursuit of your goal.”

One of the phrases from a book that had left a deep impression on her came to mind at that moment.

It was as if Zenon Trancium had just spoken those very words.

Emeline gazed down blankly.

The ointment left on her fingertips felt sticky in the heat.

***

“Oh my, Lady Delzeier, congratulations! You’ve regained first place!”

Angel, who had been checking the rankings beside Emeline, jumped with joy as if it were her own achievement.

Emeline, the person in question, stared at the ranking list in disbelief.

First place: Emeline Delzeier.

And just one line below that…

Second place: Zenon Trancium.

An inexplicable emotion swept through her.

It wasn’t exactly joy, nor was it quite disbelief.

The mixed feeling of happiness and incredulity—perhaps it was a sense of unreality.

Out of all the emotions she felt, that one seemed most fitting.

Feeling as if she were floating, somewhat dazed, Emeline began her journey home after school.

As usual, she had stayed behind in the study room to work until sunset, and by the time she stepped outside, the sky was a deep crimson, threatening the earth below.

‘Should I tell them that I practiced the piano after school today?’

Emeline often stayed at school after classes to study under the guise of revisiting the cultural studies she had learned there.

As long as she showed results when she got home, her father had no reason to doubt her.

This was how Emeline secured time for self-study.

After gazing at the dramatically tinted sky, she lowered her head.

‘Lately, I haven’t seen Zenon Trancium around again.’

He must still be attending school, given there were no notices regarding his absence on the bulletin board, unlike in the past when he skipped school frequently.

But for some reason, Emeline hadn’t seen him properly.

In the few classes they had together, Zenon sat at the very front, in stark contrast to Emeline, who sat at the back.

‘Strange.’

If it were the Zenon Trancium she knew, he would have come over to her seat, played unwanted pranks, or boasted about things she didn’t care to know.

But now, he wasn’t approaching her, wasn’t greeting her.

Could it be that he was hurt by what she said during their last conversation?

‘If he’s finally fed up with my attitude…’

Unconsciously, her grip tightened on her bag.

Her heart felt quieter than usual.

Even with the possibility that should have made her happy, her heart remained unexcited.

Despite the prideful achievement of regaining first place today, she felt strangely restless all day.

Lowering her serene gaze, she walked along the stone-paved path dyed by the sunset.

The sound of her shoes tapping on the stones felt as hard as her heart.

At that moment, Emeline, staring at the ground, saw a pair of large shoes enter her field of vision.

It was a neat pair of dark brown shoes, standing still.

Emeline looked up.

Her gaze passed over a tidy outfit and a well-built frame, stopping just as it reached the face.

“Hello.”

Emeline’s eyes widened for a moment.

A soft voice, like a gentle breeze rustling roses, continued, “Long time no see, right?”

“…Yes, it has been.”

“That’s too much. You could at least pretend to be happy to see me.”

At Emeline’s quiet reaction, Zenon complained.

Emeline tilted her head back slightly to look up at Zenon Trancium.

It was hard to believe that he had been distant from her for a while—he was just like before. The only difference was that the wounds on his face had healed completely, unlike last time.

When her eyes traced his face, Zenon smiled brightly and took a step closer.

“It took a while to heal completely. That’s why I avoided you for a while.”

“…You avoided me because of that?”

Unexpectedly, Zenon readily confessed why he hadn’t been around. Emeline was slightly taken aback.

“Why for such a reason?”

“I want you to see me at my best, of course. We’re pretty close friends now, after all.”

“Did I mishear you just now? We’re not friends…”

“No, we’re not just regular friends; we’re friends who share secrets.”

At his cheerful response, Emeline’s lips curled up in disbelief.

It might have been because it had been a long time since she’d heard Zenon Trancium’s shameless way of speaking, but rather than feeling annoyed, she found it amusing.

She let out a short laugh, dropping her gaze briefly before looking back at Zenon Trancium.

Her expression was sharper than before, yet there was still a trace of amusement.

“I think you’re misunderstanding something. I don’t have any secrets.”

“Then that means only you know mine. I’d be anxious about how you might use it, so I guess I have no choice but to stick by you.”

“What?”

“Think about it. As if it’s not enough that I’m half-blooded and looked down upon, wouldn’t it be a problem if rumors about my family got out too?”

“You’re the one who said it yourself.”

Zenon grinned when Emeline frowned in disapproval. “You know you only make that face at me?”

“What face?”

“A frown that makes you look mean. A face that looks annoyed, guarded, like you’re ready to express every small complaint.”

Hearing his words, Emeline hesitated and softened her expression slightly. She wondered if she had been scowling that much. But it must have been quite different from how she looked when she first met Zenon Trancium. After all, she wasn’t ignoring him and passing by, even when it was time to head home.

For some reason, Emeline didn’t want to just walk past Zenon Trancium.

Seeing her composed expression, Zenon chuckled and added, “But you know what? You always smile the same way at everyone else. Even at your father, whom I met before.”

“You said you’re not a stalker, yet… Have you been observing me?” Emeline shot him a suspicious look.

Zenon shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, I’ll admit it. I haven’t been following you intentionally, but I’ve observed you. Lately, I’ve been curious about you every day.”

At his soft and light words, Emeline looked at him curiously.

A languid breeze tickled the two of them as it passed by.

Zenon took in the sight of her black hair gently fluttering in the wind.

Though they shouldn’t get closer, and it wouldn’t benefit either of them, it didn’t mean there was no attraction.

And so, perhaps, the answer to that question, given that day, was Option 1: He is interested in Emeline Delzeier.

Zenon smiled, his eyes curving like a crescent moon. “Congratulations on getting first place, Emeline.”

With his words, a gentle change, like a soft summer breeze, began to settle between them.

Because Zenon’s face, smiling brightly as he genuinely congratulated her, remained vivid in Emeline’s mind.

And because of that, something strange was happening to Emeline—her eyes kept being drawn to him.