Chapter 9: Resistance!

After Olivianne whispered her reminder, a flash of clarity lit up in Gawain’s eyes. He looked up in disbelief, staring at the

blue-haired girl kneeling in front of him, her aura as cold as ice.

That gentle whisper still echoed in his ears, contrasting sharply with her current stern expression. For a moment, Gawain

even wondered if he was just imagining things—was he so desperate to be believed that he’d started hallucinating?

But… no, that whisper had been real. It really happened.

Because…

As if sensing Gawain’s lingering doubt, the girl slowly stood up. There was a serious glint in her eyes.

Then, arms crossed, she coldly stared down at Gawain—but beneath where others couldn’t easily see, she gently rubbed

her white-silk-covered foot against his calf.

The soft brushing sensation made Gawain’s entire body tingle, but more importantly, it clearly conveyed her urgency.

It wasn’t a hallucination. Not a fantasy.

This upperclassman—this blue-haired girl who until now had been a complete stranger—she really believed him?

So… everything she had just shouted at him wasn’t her true intention? Could it have all been an act—meant to cover for

him, to create a chance to save him?

It made sense. From her position, even if she believed in him, she couldn’t come out and openly defend him. But the way

she spoke earlier—it was full of hidden hints. She was trying to push him to speak up, to defend himself. And if he did,

maybe… just maybe, she’d support him.

Gawain took a deep breath. His mind was racing. Was this a trap? No… if it were just a setup, she wouldn’t be trying to

give him a chance to explain.

Then… why was she helping him?

She was… so kind…

The fool of a hero—whose heart had already gone numb with despair—suddenly felt it beat again. Looking at this “cold as

ice” angel before him, something within him stirred. He clenched his fists and…

His will to fight returned!

Alright. No matter what happens, being believed by someone feels… really good.

For Olivianne-senpai, who barely knows him, and for himself—he had to get up and play his part in this act.

Meanwhile…

“ this idiot Gawain! Why is he still hesitating?! I’ve already dropped hint after hint—wasn’t that last whisper clear

enough?!”

Olivianne, frustrated and flustered, suddenly stomped down on Gawain’s leg with her white-silk foot—not to secretly

remind him, just to let out some of her anger.

Ugh! If not for how awkward it would look, she seriously would’ve stomped somewhere a lot more painful!

Luckily, her little outburst didn’t catch Cassius’s attention. On the contrary, after hearing Olivianne tear into Gawain

earlier, Cassius had already mentally twisted her whisper into some kind of vicious insult. He watched gleefully, waiting

to see how the scene would end.

After a short silence, he couldn’t help but try to stir the pot again:

“Nice! Well said, Olivianne-senpai! That’s exactly how trash like Gawain should be treated!”

Hearing that, Olivianne realized her actions might’ve been a bit too obvious. She quickly pulled her foot back, coughed

twice to cover it up, then looked down at Gawain with a slightly helpless expression and said:

“You…”

“No need to say more, Senpai,” Gawain interrupted with a small smile. He stood up from the ground—still a bit

disheveled, but his energy completely different. His fists clenched tightly with resolve. He couldn’t let Olivianne’s efforts

go to waste.

He turned toward Natasha, his tone firm and clear:

“I’m sorry I didn’t explain earlier, but… I have to make this clear now. Miss Natasha—your underwear… I didn’t steal it!”

“Oh~?”

Olivianne smiled slightly, a flicker of delight in her eyes. She raised an eyebrow but kept up her cold, deadpan act. In a

sharp voice, she followed up:

“If it wasn’t you, then why was it in your bag?”

“I don’t know! But, Senpai—during the swimming class when Natasha-senpai’s underwear went missing, I wasn’t even in

the classroom. By the time they pulled it out of my bag, I hadn’t touched it once. How could I have stolen it and hidden it

there?”

Gawain’s brain was working overtime. He didn’t have solid proof to prove his innocence—but why should the accused be

forced to prove anything? All he had to do was state the facts, muddy the waters, and break the one-sided narrative

coming from Cassius’s side. That alone could stall things.

Yes—that was the move.

Olivianne gave a satisfied nod. So this idiot hero wasn’t completely hopeless after all. With just a few nudges, he was

finally starting to fight back.

She nodded again, pretending to be skeptical, and raised her voice:

“Oh~? So you’re saying someone else stole the underwear, planted it in your bag, and set you up?”

“Yes, exactly!”

Gawain nodded firmly. Natasha, clearly shaken, covered her mouth in shock and rushed to Olivianne’s side. She asked

nervously:

“What’s going on, An-chan? Is Gawain really being framed?”

Internally, Olivianne could only sigh. Cough cough… Natasha, you’re way too trusting. Just one line and you believe it?

Though to be fair… this time, she happened to believe the right one.

Even so, Natasha’s reaction shifted the mood. Some people in the crowd began to doubt whether they had jumped to

conclusions too quickly. Others turned their attention to Cassius and his group—after all, they’d been making the most

noise from the start.

As expected, once Gawain finished defending himself, Cassius finally lost his cool. His expression darkened, and he

stormed forward, grabbing Olivianne’s sleeve.

“Olivianne-senpai, you… you can’t actually believe this guy’s lies!”

Olivianne curled her lips into a chilling smirk that sent shivers down Cassius’s spine. Tilting her head slightly, her eyes

flashed with a sharp, hidden disgust as she spat out each word, cold and forceful:

“Cassius-kun… I can’t help but feel like… you’re just a little too invested in this whole situation, aren’t you?”