6-year-old Wise Man Wants to Walk in the Shade

Chapter 28 - Class A and Class F

After the third period, I checked the schedule I had in front of me.

The first and second periods today were the entrance ceremony.

Then, in the third period, we received explanations from our homeroom teachers and classmates introduced themselves to each other.

Now, the last class of the day was to begin.

Next, all the new students were to gather in the assembly hall, where the teachers in charge of each subject would give a guidance session.

"Now, everyone, let's move."

"Okay."

I followed along with the flow of my classmates who were moving in a line.

The assembly hall seemed to be at the end of the corridor that connected the new school building and the gymnasium, where we turned right halfway.

The teacher gave us a brief tour of the school, guiding us around.

"Wow! This school is so big."

"Look, look. Are those kids from another class?"

In front of the assembly hall, I encountered a group of people who seemed to be first-year students.

They had red badges on their uniform caps.

Badges are color-coded for each class.

A red badge is proof of Class A.

This is the class to which selected students with the highest magical abilities in their grade are assigned.

My eldest brother used to be a member of Class A.

The students in Class A are proud of their abilities, as they all walk around with their heads held high and a smug look on their faces.

The students in Class F, which I'm in, are childish in comparison.

"Class A seems so grown-up somehow,"

The classmates were whispering to each other when...

"What?! Hey, there's frogs!"

Some of the students in Class A started making a fuss.

The students in Class A were pointing with grins at the green badges of Class F.

"Hey, hey, that's not a frog. That's a student from class F who's bad at magic. It would be a shame to mistake him for an amphibian."

"Someone who's bad at magic isn't worth being a human. A frog is good enough for that. Hey you guys, go ahead and croak!"

Five or six students from class A croak mockingly.

The teacher goes to the front to make sure the students are lined up.

He doesn't seem to notice the commotion.

Taking advantage of this, the students from class A start to make even more noise.

The attitude of a short boy with blonde hair is particularly outrageous.

"Grrrrrrrrr! Come on, you guys, show me the real thing! There's no point in a frog that doesn't entertain humans!"

"That's mean... Why do you say that..."

"I know that guy. He's the son of a great nobleman, and no one could defy him since kindergarten."

I see, he's a typical bully.

His bulging eyes and a big mouth that seems to be made for sneering at people are impressive.

There were no bullies around me in my past life, and there are no bullies around me now, so it's a fresh experience.

"Hey, if you don't cry, I'll give you a hard time. Start with that ugly woman, and cry in order, come on."

"Uh, uh..."

The freckled girl twitched and shook her shoulders when he pointed at her.

When she started crying, her face was pale, and the bully smiled broadly with a satisfied face.

It's disgusting.

To think that he's only six years old and has such a rotten character.

I wish children were more innocent.

That's what I thought, putting myself aside.

I didn't want to stand out, but I felt so sorry for the girl who was made to cry.

Just as I was beginning to wonder whether I should step in and stop them...

"What's wrong, everyone?"

Noticing that the students had stopped walking, Teacher Elena came over to check on them.

At that moment, the students of Class A replied cheerfully with innocent attitudes.

"It's nothing, Teacher!"

"See you, Class F."

The students of Class A waved cheerfully and entered the assembly hall.

The students of Class F, who were seeing them off, were naturally dejected.

"Why do you say that..."

"It can't be helped. They're good at magic, so it's true that they're better than us... Dad said that the kids in class A will be useful to society when they grow up."

I wonder. I'm worried about their future.

If they look at people who are weaker than them and get complacent, they won't grow up.

Even if they come from a prestigious family, it seems like they'll crush their talents through arrogance.

"Hey. Aren't you frustrated?"

It was the girl next to me who spoke to me out of nowhere.

She was the girl who sat next to me.

Her large eyes, which gave off a gentle impression, looked at me as if asking a question.

"Frustrated?"

"Because those kids really made fun of us, didn't they?"

"Haha. Well, that's true. But even if they say such childish things to me, I don't feel frustrated. Because we're frogs, you know?"

I said that with a wry smile, and the girl's eyes widened.

Then she put her hand to her mouth and let out a small laugh.

"Maybe that's true. They were making a croaking sound."

"Right? Frogs are cute when you look at them closely."

"Hehe! Thanks to you, all my sadness has disappeared."

The girl's eyes sparkled.

She was staring at me from so close, and for the first time I realized how close we were.

"It's amazing that you can think like that."

"I guess so. It's normal."

"Hey, what's your name?"

"I'm Eddie."

The girl smiled at me with affection.

"I'm Maisie. Eddie. Nice to meet you."

I couldn't refuse her hand that she offered so happily.

Like a gentleman, I shook her hand and smiled back at her.

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