MIRACULOUSLY ESCAPING SLACKERLIFE

XV

"Mr. Cale Henituse?" the emcee asked, perplexed for the second time.

Cale took a deep breath and glared at the prince who shouted the phenomenal nickname, Taylor who seconded the motion, Antonio who smiled in amusement, and his father who had forgotten to tell him about these things.

Dang! I shouldn't have taken that bullshit!

He stood up. His red hair swayed and sparkled menacingly and beautifully through the grand hall's lights. He had a visible frown on his face, but it was as stoic as it should have been. He nodded to the emcee and the crown's instructor, the academy's headmaster.

They both had the same teasing smile, and they had both heard him curse.

"I see that Young Cale is a very lively and free-spirited individual."

Cale hesitantly smiled and stepped up to the podium. He stood there, seeing several important nobles from both the western and eastern continents. He remembered the long red hair and reading from the novel.

"A pleasant day to all of you."

(Please pay attention, you noble beings.)

Cale exhales, wishing to flee with a curse. But he can't look bad now that his father's reputation is so important to him. Some people are irritating, and he is that vexing pest that everyone despises.

"When I first arrived here, I felt like a small-town girl living in a lonely world."

(I regretted coming into this prison house after being disturbed from my blissful country life.)

He deadpans, without a trace of levity, but the students laugh at his serious joke. He doubts that these nobles will understand what he truly means. Except for two. One golden-haired, another redhead.

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I said I don't know why I'm standing here to speak as a representative after my father duped me into it."

He went on to say that, while this was partially true, he was duped into answering the questionnaires.

"It's not by chance that each of you is here, except for me, but this is now the new starting point of our lives: to educate ourselves, broaden our horizons, become competent leaders, and socialize with others."

(We're all trapped in this stupid-hellish haven; socialize? bullshit! Don't come to me, talk to me, or mess with me! If you annoy me, I'll make you suffer a living hell and make a mop out of you all.)

The crown's instructor, the headmaster, chuckled lightly. But, in the middle of his speech, Cale was seriously complaining! Alver's laughter filled the hall, as did Taylor's and Antonio's sly smiles. Wow, that shit knows how to smile sincerely.

"We're all dreamers, but my dream was different; our goals are different, and so is mine."

(Your futures are already planned, so enjoy your meager happiness and nobility.)

He gritted his teeth and smirked like the damn person no one asked for.

"Remember, there's still your allowance from your pockets that will make you happy if you can trust yourself when men doubt you."

(be ready to get scammed, you household chicks)

"That crazy bastard," Cale chuckled in response to Alver's remark. One of the people who is aware that he is about to defraud everyone in this school.

"But we're here, representing ourselves to the best of our abilities; my heart is filled with heartfelt gratitude that all of you are witnesses to the academy's recognition of my intelligence despite being a lowborn; everyone can achieve what I earned through hard work, and hard work will never betray."