Adele Abercrombie, a regular student of class B in the 'Imperial Academy of Excellence'. This was the identity she had started to both love and hate very quickly.
The buck-toothed girl knew that she wasn't pretty. Even if she got her teeth fixed after making money in the future, perhaps she would look average at best. But she had never let that bother her.
Because her pride had always been her excellence in academics. When she was younger, Adele had always thought she must be the smartest girl in the world. Her father's praise didn't help, though her mother did try to 'keep her feet on the ground' by reminding her that she was really just average, and shouldn't get conceited.
But Adele always convinced herself otherwise. So what if some of those girls looked prettier than her? In the end, as they got older, they would all look ugly.
And she would still be smart, while they would no longer have anything to boast about. Her mother was just jealous that her father loved her more.
After her father passed away and her mother's attitude became worse, Adele became even more certain in her heart. It wasn't she who was wrong, but her mother!
When she had applied for the imperial academy, it was only expected that she would be approved. It was her first major victory over her mother, who had kept telling her to not even bother applying, that she wasn't as special as she thought.
Unfortunately, that's where her dreams shattered.
Adele discovered soon enough that she didn't make the cut for class A, and that too by a significant margin. In this school, she was just 'average'.
Though she never dared to tell her mother, who now no longer bothered her, but a seed of doubt sprouted within her.
If she was neither smart nor cute, what exactly was the purpose of her existence? Was it really as her mother said, pointless? Just another average girl, who would be forgotten almost as soon as she got out of someone's sight?
Would she later become just another corporate slave, just another mother? Earning money, making children, passing everything on to the next generation as her only legacy… Who would remember who Adele was, a hundred years after she died?
Would she never be smart enough to make something of her own, something they could remember her by? Something… she can be proud of?
It was not that Adele wanted to be immortalized in history books, though. What she wanted was for people to recognize her. For someone, anyone, to look at her the way her father looked at her.
But even if she had such depressing thoughts, Adele continued to study hard. She couldn't change how she looked, but she could work harder to try moving to class A, at least.
At first, things seemed to be going well. Most of her class had been focused on the same objective, and it provided her with a good learning environment that gave her the drive to keep moving forward.
As she experienced such 'growth', Adele realized why the Imperial Academy was considered one of the best places to nurture a 'genius'.
It shattered the useless pride that had prevented their growth, and fueled their competitive spirits to push them forward! Although it had almost broken her heart to pieces, Adele was determined to use it to turn herself into the girl her father saw in her. The smartest girl in the world.
Of course, such a formula did not work for everyone, and those students simply become 'weeds' that would be trampled on by the others. Adele had no intention of becoming one of those. Wouldn't her father be ashamed if that happened?
At least, this had all been so before Emilia barged into their class to beat up Don and Braxy that day.
Ever since then, Adele felt that the atmosphere in the class had changed drastically. Instead of focusing on studies, her classmates seemed to care more for gossip! Not only that, it wasn't like they were having fun, either! Their entire life seemed to revolve around hating this one girl.
As someone who had never cared for such things, Adele didn't share their thoughts. She couldn't understand what caused them to fester such deep hatred for someone, so quickly. After all, they all seemed like reasonable, passionate students just before.
The situation kept getting worse, and in the end, even she was dragged into it when a fight broke out.
At that moment, Adele felt like she might hate this Emilia girl too. If not for her, wouldn't her life still be on track to becoming that ideal girl her father always saw?
As soon as such a thought entered her mind, Adele was terrified to discover a horrifying, zealous malice grow in her heart, like nothing she had ever felt before in her life. And it seemed to target itself towards Emilia from her heart.
It was as if she had only accidentally made a spark, but it fell into a tank of gasoline!
Horrified, Adele hurriedly stamped out the fire in her heart before it could get out of control, doing her best to ignore the lingering disgust. She was so unsettled, that in contrast to her usual meek self, she even dared to question Emilia in front of everyone!
Shockingly enough, the girl was far more polite than she had expected her to be, and their second meeting was even more unexpected.
When she went to receive her 'punishment' later, she never expected Emilia would really believe her and let her go! Moreover, she even gave her such an expensive looking chocolate! What a nice girl, right?
As soon as she felt so, the previous hatred she had felt lingering in the back of her mind seemed to wither away instantly, and Adele shuddered. 'What the hell is wrong with me?! I… I might need to go to a psychiatrist.'
Of course, someone as meek as her would never actually dare confess her 'mental instability' to anyone, let alone seek help.
She convinced herself everything was fine as she chewed on the premium bar of chocolate, her heart swelling with a faint feeling of glee.
Emilia had only called herself and Penny today. Penny, who was so adorable, and a known devout fangirl of Emilia. And who was she, in comparison?
It was as if someone other than her father finally looked at her and treated her special. 'S-She must think I'm a good girl, right?'
After all, to believe her like that, Emilia must trust her. She must be thinking 'Adele is so cute, how can she lie', or 'Adele is so smart, how can those idiots disturb her study time', right?!
Going by Emilia's previous behavior, she definitely wouldn't do something she didn't want to. She even dared to beat people up in broad daylight, uncaring of the consequences! So her feelings must be genuine.
And for such a beautiful girl to look at her kindly, when all she had ever seen before from such people was disdain, pity, or indifference, it filled Adele with both apprehension and joy.
Looking at the 'invitation' message from the sender 'Penny' on her phone, Adele stopped hesitating anymore as she made up her mind.
And so the first traitor of class B was born.