Chapter 21 : The Unreadable Rich Boy

I stared blankly at Johannes, feeling both dumbfounded and creeped out, as he slowly walked down the stairs and passed right by Iris without even trying to help. 

Even though they were classmates, he didn’t even attempt to assist her and just walked straight to the main gate. 

After that, Iris stopped trying to talk to Johannes. 

She also started to find him unpleasant. 

“Total psychopath! There’s definitely something missing in him. Instead of helping someone in trouble, he just walks by and sneers?” 

In truth, Johannes was only following advice from an older friend: “Smile as much as possible when you see her.” 

He had mixed that with another friend’s suggestion:

“If you don’t want her to know you like her, then don’t approach her. Instead, always hover nearby. Be visible, make her notice you constantly!” 

But Iris had no way of knowing any of that. 

Because he was always lurking around, he gave off ghostly vibes, and his twitching forced smile only made him seem like a psychopath. 

If he ever found out, he might burst into tears. 

“With a face like that, shouldn’t he have a lively and kind personality? The whole world probably treats him nicely. How did he end up with such… a pathetic personality?” 

Handsome nerds are often called “geeks”, but Iris didn’t think the word fit Johannes. 

He was just a good-looking loser. 

She felt a twinge of guilt for thinking badly of him, but shrugged it off. 

It’s not like she bullied or mocked him out loud—she only thought it privately. 

She believed the girls who confessed to Johannes were too blinded by his good looks to see what a loser he was underneath. 

“Ugh, so frustrating. Just look at him being silent.” 

Johannes was quiet again today. 

But he didn’t move out of the way either. 

As Iris looked down, she saw his fingers fidgeting and his eyes darting around nervously, which made her click her tongue inwardly about a hundred times. 

Just looking at his helpless state made her bristle with irritation. 

There was no room for slowpokes in Gyodam City. 

That’s why Johannes always frustrated her. 

She couldn’t understand how someone like him managed to survive in a place like that. 

Still, it had been a while, so maybe she should at least greet him. 

Their eyes had met—it would be rude to just ignore him. 

Iris was about to ask what brought him here but hesitated for a moment. 

Why else would Bread-boy come to a bakery cafe? 

To buy bread, obviously. 

Still, she tried speaking, though she knew he’d just say something weird and run off again. 

“Johannes, what are you do—” 

“I-I’m leaving!” 

Iris didn’t get to finish her sentence. 

Johannes suddenly looked up, bumped her shoulder, and tried to leave. 

Standing on the stairs, Iris lost her balance and grabbed his sleeve. 

“Ack!” 

“…Whoa!” 

Johannes instinctively caught her but quickly let go in shock, causing Iris to be pushed again and ultimately fall. 

Thankfully, the stairs weren’t steep, so she didn’t roll all the way down, but it still hurt. 

Lying on the steps, she called out to him in a voice filled with resentment. 

“Johannes!” 

“Sorry… I didn’t think you’d fall…” 

Looking flustered, Johannes helped her up, still avoiding her gaze. 

Iris scowled as she stood. 

Checking her body, she found her knee slightly scraped. 

She was about to say something but decided to hold back. 

Complaining wouldn’t help. 

It was just a scrape; she could put some ointment on it at home. 

Then something unexpected happened. 

Johannes, who usually just mumbled nonsense or ran off, actually noticed her scraped knee and reacted like a normal person. 

“Iris… are you okay?” 

“Huh? Ah, my knee. It’s a little scraped. I’m fine.” 

“Ah, it doesn’t look fine… It’s my fault, isn’t it…” 

Well, of course it was. 

He bumped her in the first place, and then let go when he’d just caught her. 

But even though they’d known each other for 12 years, their relationship was too awkward for her to casually scold him. 

Besides, talking to Johannes always felt like pulling teeth. 

Iris rolled her eyes and muttered, 

“It’s fine. I should’ve been more careful. Didn’t you come to buy bread? Go ahead. I’ve got places to be too.” 

“No!” 

“Huh?” 

No? 

What did he mean, no? 

Iris blinked in confusion. 

She had no idea what to expect from him next. 

Johannes looked increasingly anxious, bowing his head as his ears turned bright red. 

“I-I didn’t come to buy bread…” 

“Oh… then go take care of whatever you came for. I’m heading ho—” 

Iris was just about done with the whole conversation. 

She turned toward the lower steps, eager to be on her way. 

But Johannes suddenly blocked her path and, with strained determination, forced the words out. 

“I… I have to go home too.” 

“Huh? Weren’t you just heading to the bakery cafe? You were coming up the stairs.” 

“N-No… I forgot something at home… So I have to go back.” 

“Okay, sure.” 

Iris nodded and began walking. 

Somehow, it didn’t seem strange at all for someone like Johannes—someone who was all looks and no substance—to come all the way to a bakery cafe in the outskirts of Gyodam City (a 30-minute drive away) only to realize he forgot something and go right back home. 

After walking down the stairs and exiting the bakery cafe, Iris continued along the sidewalk. 

Johannes followed nervously behind her. 

She couldn’t even hear his footsteps. 

When she turned around, thinking he might have vanished, he’d flinch and bow his head. 

Every time she tried to start a conversation, his giant frame would jerk in surprise, leaving her sighing in frustration. 

‘Where’s the bus stop again? The intervals are long… Don’t tell me I have to sit with him on that bench in total silence…’ 

Just the thought made her sigh. 

Normally, Iris avoided public transportation out of caution. 

But now that she had awakened as an ability user, she used it for long distances. 

Walking home from the outskirts was just not feasible. 

“Ack! What the—?!” 

As Iris spotted the bus stop across the street and looked around for a crosswalk, Johannes suddenly bumped her shoulder and ran ahead. 

A sleek foreign luxury car pulled up in front of him. 

A man in a perfectly tailored suit stepped out of the driver’s seat. 

Iris’s eyes widened as the man bowed politely to Johannes and opened the back door for him. 

Even more shocking was Johannes’s demeanor. 

Unlike with her, he stood tall and looked the man directly in the eye. 

Upright and composed, he no longer seemed like a loser or someone lacking confidence. 

He looked like an entirely different person, and Iris couldn’t help but click her tongue. 

‘What the— That loser… No, that guy—is he a rich kid or something?’ 

She’d had no idea. 

During school, he was never on her radar, and lately he just seemed like some bread-obsessed weirdo. 

But now it turned out he was a rich kid—rich enough to have a chauffeur. 

Why would someone like that come to buy bread himself? 

Maybe it was just an excuse to go for a walk. 

‘So that’s how a slowpoke like him managed to survive. He was rich.’ 

The crosswalk was past the car. 

Iris, slowing her steps almost to a crawl, perked up her ears to eavesdrop on Johannes and the suited man. 

“Master, how was today…” 

“Be quiet.” 

Maybe it was just because she now knew he was rich, but his low voice suddenly sounded more commanding than usual. 

‘So he’s a spoiled brat at home, huh? That guy was just being nice, and he tells him to shut up right away.’ 

They continued talking quietly, but Iris couldn’t hear the rest. 

Pretending to admire the street trees, she lingered for a bit before finally moving on, not wanting to look suspicious. 

At that moment, the chauffeur glanced her way and started walking toward her.