A voice filled with clear anger—and even trembling slightly with excitement—suddenly rang out from in front of Greg.
It was Yelena.
This petite Senior, who had seemed somewhat shy and timid just a moment ago, suddenly took a sharp step forward, her tiny body placing itself just ahead of Greg.
She tilted her head up, a flush rising on her round face from her excitement. Her large, perpetually misty eyes were now wide open, staring straight back at the arrogant noble girl without flinching, her voice far firmer than before:
“Student Greg is a temporary Disciplinary Committee member personally approved by the Headmistress and officially appointed by the Student Council! His appointment completely complies with academy regulations! You have no right to question the Student Council's decisions, and even less right to attack a Disciplinary Committee member executing his official duties with such rude language! T-This itself is already suspected of violating academy rules!”
She finished in one breath, her small chest heaving slightly with agitation as her hands clenched tightly into little fists, as if pumping herself up.
The scene fell quiet for an instant.
The brown-haired noble girl froze, her face filled with utter disbelief.
She clearly hadn't expected this short girl to actually dare to talk back to her so forcefully—and for the sake of standing up for a piece of trash like Greg Sass, no less?!
Greg was also stunned, looking at Yelena's slight, trembling back in some surprise.
He truly hadn't expected that this tiny Senior, who had passed out from fright not too long ago, would step forward to speak up for him at a time like this.
“Has she always been this brave?”
Greg couldn't help but wonder.
Silvia's gaze also shifted back and forth suspiciously between Greg and Yelena, the light in her pink eyes noticeably dimming.
As for Victoria, she raised a fist to her lips, coughing forcefully a few times to force the topic back on track:
“Ahem! Well... Disciplinary Committee members, is there something you need since you've come over?”
Her gray eyes swept past Greg, carrying a hint of unspoken mischief.
Reminded by Victoria's words, the noble girl finally remembered her original business. Pushing down her shock at Yelena and contempt for Greg for the moment, she turned toward Yelena, her tone still carrying a high-and-mighty command:
“Right! This damned commoner stole my glove! That's a very important personal belonging of mine! Make her return it to me right now!”
“I didn't steal anything!”
Victoria refuted immediately, her tone full of righteous confidence, even laced with a touch of innocence:
“You clearly tossed it on the ground because you didn't want it anymore. I saw it and picked it up. According to the academy's 《Public Area Abandoned Property Handling Regulations》... well, I think that's what it's called?”
“Either way, I remember there's a rule that for abandoned items without clear identification in non-private storage areas, the first finder has priority processing rights. Your glove doesn't have your name written on it. You threw it away, and I picked it up. So, I currently have the right to process it. How can you call that stealing?”
She cited the academy regulations with total seriousness, leaving the noble girl completely dumbfounded. For a moment, she didn't even know how to argue back, her face only turning redder with rage.
“Y-You're twisting words! That was me initiating a duel! It was a ceremony! Not discarding it!” the noble girl shrieked.
“A duel?”
Victoria tilted her head, wearing a confused expression:
“What duel? I have no idea. When you threw the glove, did you follow the 《Academy Student Dispute Mediation and Honor Duel Application Standards》 and submit a written application to the Disciplinary Committee for record at least 24 hours in advance? Did you invite at least two neutral witnesses?”
“If you didn't do any of those, then legally... oh wait, according to academy rules, your duel invitation isn't valid. At most, it counts as you throwing things around in an emotional outburst, while I merely helped you clean up garbage. So you should actually be thanking me right now.”
Standing off to the side, Greg almost failed to hold back his laugh.
As expected, it was the exact same reasoning as in the original game. But thanks to this, he also knew precisely what to say next.
Yelena was clearly thrown into a slight daze by Victoria's combo of arguments, a look of contemplation and hesitation appearing on her small face.
As a Disciplinary Committee member, she naturally knew that the academy indeed had tedious regulations regarding Duels of Honor, and she was also aware that when many students initiated duels in private, they often cut corners for convenience rather than following them completely.
If they strictly followed the rules, there was indeed a major procedural flaw in this noble girl's duel invitation, making it very hard to recognize as valid.
Greg seized the opportunity, cleared his throat, stepped half a pace forward, and spoke in a businesslike tone:
“Based on what this student said and my personal understanding, initiating a Duel of Honor requires following strict procedures. If the procedure is lacking, the invitation is invalid.”
“Therefore, after the glove you discarded was picked up by someone else, determining its ownership should give priority to the relevant regulations regarding 'abandoned property.'”
He paused, his gaze calmly falling onto the noble girl whose face had already begun to turn green.
“Since this student cannot prove the procedural legality of her duel invitation, and Student Victoria found the glove in a public area, under the existing evidence and regulations, we as Disciplinary Committee members cannot support your request for immediate return.”
“I suggest you submit a claim request to Student Victoria in accordance with the Lost and Found Claim Procedure. Once she consents, she will naturally return the glove to you.”
“W-What?! She even has to consent?! Y-You... you two are in cahoots! You're ganging up to bully me!”
Shaking with rage, the noble girl pointed at Greg and Victoria, her voice cracking.
She could tell that Greg Sass was blatantly favoring that commoner!
Yet what he said sounded so dignified and high-minded that she couldn't refute it for the moment.
Listening to Greg's analysis as he cited rules and regulations, surprise flashed in Yelena's eyes, followed by realization... and even deeper admiration.
She naturally knew how common informal duels were among nobles, and she understood that Greg's argument was indeed valid on a regulatory level, even if it sounded a bit... like taking advantage of a loophole.
But what touched her was another matter:
“Student Greg... was expelled by his family and is in such a difficult situation, yet he didn't favor the powerful noble side. Instead, he's willing to stand with a relatively vulnerable commoner student...”
“And his analysis just now was so logically clear, nothing like the unlearned, useless playboy from the rumors at all... He really is working hard to change, using actions to prove himself!”
“He... really isn't like before. No, or maybe he was upright by nature all along, just hidden by his family and environment?”
The feelings of emotion and admiration in Yelena's heart spread rapidly, like an effervescent tablet dropped into water.
Just as Yelena was immersed in her awe of Greg's 'noble character'—
“F-Fine! You just wait! This isn't over!”
Seeing that she couldn't gain any advantage and staying would only invite further humiliation, the brown-haired noble girl stamped her foot hard, leaving behind a completely non-threatening threat. She glared venomously at Greg and Victoria one last time, then turned angrily and walked away at a brisk pace without looking back, her retreating figure steeped in intense frustration and fury.
Watching the nuisance disappear, Victoria weighed the delicate gemmed glove in her hand, a spark of satisfaction flashing in her gray eyes.
She looked up at Greg.
Greg happened to look back at her as well.
Their eyes met in midair.
In the next second, the corners of their mouths slowly curved upward in unison, flashing matching evil smiles.
Off to the side, watching the silent understanding between the two, the darkness in Silvia's eyes grew ever deeper.
Rate on N.U.
