What kind of absurd probability is this? As soon as I heard Cecily's name called out last, my eyes widened. It couldn't be anything but an incredible coincidence.
What is the probability that those three and Jackson will be in the same group? Unless the lottery was fixed, it's almost impossible to believe even if it's not entirely impossible.
After Professor Beerus called out Cecily's name, I was momentarily stunned and looked back. Seeing that Cecily and Rina had similar expressions, it was clear that they were also very surprised.
'Did he really manipulate it?'
This raised a reasonable suspicion. It's one thing if only one person is chosen, but it's hard not to think that way when three people end up in the same group.
Then, when Professor Beerus started calling the next names, I checked Marie's reaction before looking for Jackson.
The fact that Jackson, Rina, and Cecily ended up in the same group would be like a bolt from the blue to her. It was these three people who ended up in the same group, not anyone else.
As I had expected, Marie was clearly showing her disbelief with her slightly open mouth. Even I was in awe of the reality that was so hard to believe right now, so it must have been even more shocking for her.
The difference is that I am in a position to watch from across the river while she is struggling in the fire.
'Consolation... I'd rather not do it.'
In a situation like this, it's wise to just keep your mouth shut. It was already unlucky for her to end up in the same group as Jackson, and now that Rina, who could make things even worse, is also in the same group, it's better not to say anything to her.
Moreover, after the meeting, her gaze towards Cecily was not really good. Although it's not as obvious as her blatant dislike for Rina, she has been wary of her.
'It will be difficult.'
It's not just at a difficult level, it's a hell level party. Marie is from the Requilis family, which is committed to practicing noblesse oblige, so she tends to take action on her own, but what about other people? The question came up of itself.
The princess of the Minerva Empire, the princess of Helium, and the son of a wealthy count.
These three individuals were probably more likely to instruct others rather than to do things themselves. Especially among them, Rina would have had the strongest tendency towards that, as her position was more befitting of a 'leader'.
In other words, she tends to finish her work efficiently by having someone suitable do the job rather than acting in person, but in other words, she is likely to have a free ride in the group project.
"...Will he really not change it?"
As time passed, Marie muttered with a frustrated expression, having to come to terms with an unbelievable reality. I could fully sympathize with her, but I didn't console her. I just looked at her with a gaze of sympathy.
Although I felt sorry for Marie, the professor had emphasized last time that there would be absolutely no changing of team members, and that if such behavior were discovered, they would be mercilessly punished.
It's better not to think that it's enough if you don't get caught. Even if the professor is not a strict person, if caught, there will be a tremendous risk. It is inevitable that rumors will spread within the class and perhaps you would even receive the lowest grade.
"That concludes all the team assignments. As I have emphasized before, it is impossible to change team members, and if caught, you will face severe punishment. Please be careful."
"...haha."
Just in time, the professor kindly gave her a confirmation shot. At that, Marie let out a blank laugh as if she had given up.
I almost burst into laughter when I saw that, but I managed to cover it up by coughing. I think it's the first time I've ever seen Marie make such an expression.
"The presentation period will be held exactly two weeks from now, and during that period, classes will be replaced with group discussions. In addition, for students who give a good presentation or ask sharp questions, bonus points will be given to the entire team."
It's understandable that he chose Xenon's Biography as the subject, but looking at it now, the professor secretly liked to eat it raw. However, considering that the students' class schedules are very tight, it seems like they are substituting group discussions as a form of rest.
(tl note: eat raw – to do or try to do something without much practice or preparation. Here it means that he chose an easy subject.)
Soon after listening to Professor Beerus's explanation I quietly raised my hand. I had a question I wanted to ask. When I raised my hand, Professor Beerus also readily reached out to me with a smile.
"Yes. Student Isaac. What are you curious about?"
"I'd like to ask if it's okay to use visual materials for the presentation."
This world has not even developed machines, let alone computers. There is no beam projector let alone the PowerPoint that I used in my previous life, so I have no choice but to replace it with a large paper.
After hearing my question, Professor Beerus gently stroked his mustache and pondered for a moment before calmly answering.
"It doesn't matter. Using visual materials also means that you have prepared thoroughly. However, for this week's topic, visual aids may not be of great significance."
"Why not?"
"The topic of this group project is to predict development, not to evaluate it. In my personal opinion, using a blackboard is sufficient."
Well, that's a relief. It seems like there's no need to go through the trouble of drawing pictures on a large piece of paper.
Instead, it seems like we will have to work a little harder on organizing our materials and practicing our presentation since using a blackboard during the presentation is an unfamiliar task for us.
'...Wait a minute. Why am I naturally assuming that I will be the one to give the presentation?'
That's why traumas can be scary. After being criticized several times during group projects, I naturally turned my focus towards doing the presentation.
Of course, there is also the fact that I am the writer of Xenon's Biography. Perhaps there are other group members who are better at presenting than me, so I'll have to keep an eye on it.
'Watching others present could be interesting too.'
If I'm lucky, there may be people who offer me unexpected developments. Like Jackson at a gathering, there must be some students who are good at reading between the lines and catching subtle foreshadowing or hints.
Even though the result was strange, considering it, Jackson's observational skills are excellent.
'...But I'm not sure if he can pull it off.'
I glanced back while the professor explained the points to be careful of while working on group assignments. Rina and Cecily looked like they didn't care, as if they had sorted out all their thoughts.
'I'm sure they'll do well on their own.'
I wonder who will suffer the most among that crazy party. I am predicting either Marie or Jackson.
"Then, let's finish today's class here. For the remaining time, each group member should familiarize themselves with each other's faces and establish a plan."
Although there was still over an hour left in class, Professor Beerus quickly ended the class. It seemed like he ended the class early so that the team members could learn about each other's faces for the time being.
Finally, the class ended with Professor Beerus politely saying goodbye. Before getting up from my seat, I checked on Marie's condition next to me .
I couldn't see her face because her face was buried in the desk with her hair hanging like a curtain, but I could sparsely make out a few murmurs.
"It's over... I have to give up on the humanities..."
"... ..."
"If it was Isaac instead of him, it would have been possible, but why of all people..."
"... ..."
"Lumines-nim, why are you giving me such a trial... I pray every day..."
Do I really have to comfort her? I took a closer look at Marie's sadness, which seemed to be sinking to the ground.
However, just like pouring oil onto a blazing flame, Rina, who was sitting behind us, encouraged Marie in a carefree voice.
"Now that it's come to this, how about we both try our best? The professor warned us not to change our group members, so wouldn't it be better not to give up?"
"...Bitch."
I've never heard Marie swear before. That must mean she's really angry. Although Rina probably didn't hear it, because she spoke quietly.
"By the way, it would have been nice to have Isaac in our group, but it's a shame."
Rina looked at me and gave me a subtle smile. I responded with an awkward smile.
"Jackson will be fine, too. I felt it at the gathering, and although I don't know about other things, he's a guy with pretty good observation and analytical skills."
"Isn't that the same for you?"
This time, it was not Rina but Cecily who asked me a question. Seeing the confidence in her voice, it seemed that both Rina and Cecily have a tendency to overestimate me.
Many people seem to misunderstand, but I am not a genius. I just have a lot of miscellaneous knowledge thanks to my past life. Moreover, in this world, accessibility to information is much more behind than in my past life.
I opened my mouth with a bitter smile at Cecily's question and came up with a plausible excuse since I couldn't bring up stories from my past life.
"You're overestimating me too much. I just read a lot of books, that's all."
"It seems to me that Isaac underestimates himself? Even the occasional consideration he shows is something only a thoughtful person can do."
The "consideration" that Cecily mentioned was more like a habit. As everyone knows, it is a habit that arose from my slightly mischievous temperament. It is a habit of thinking twice before speaking or acting.
Of course, even with such a habit, one's nature does not change. You can still tell when I occasionally behave mischievously.
"Well... You can think of it as a habit. I have a slightly mischievous side, so I tend to think twice before doing anything."
"That's a good habit. It would be hard to get into that habit."
Those were Rina's words, not Cecily's. I gave her one glance and opened my mouth.
"That's true, but sometimes I end up missing opportunities. There is always a weakness that is overshadowed by one's strengths for people who are exceptional in some way. If a situation arises where I cannot use my strengths later, only my weaknesses will be exposed."
It's not necessary to go far, even I make various mistakes if I don't think twice. There was a time when I almost got caught by Marie because I brought the material notebook instead of the lecture notebook by mistake.
After hearing my words, Rina shut her mouth tightly as if she had thought of something. In addition, her expression darkened slightly, so it seems that she recalled something unpleasant.
"While the atmosphere momentarily quieted down, I quickly organized my notes and stood up from my seat to leave. As the class was over, I was going to follow Professor Beerus's advice and familiarize myself with my group members' faces.
"Then I'll be on my way. I hope you get good results."
"Isaac, you should hang in there.We'll... try our best."
Cecily said quietly, looking at Rina and Marie once each. It seems she also knew well that the current balance among the group members was extremely bad. It could be inferred from how her words trailed off.
So what do I do? Although I feel sorry for Cecily, it's not my concern. If any of them ask me for help, I plan to firmly refuse.
You may think it's cruel, but don't they need this kind of experience too? It was about the time I got out of my seat and headed toward Leona.
"Good morning. Beautiful ladies. It's an honor to be on the same team with you."
"...Hello. Nice to meet you too."
As soon as I left, Jackson showed up and smirked at me. His voice was so different from when he was addressing me, with a greasy voice and a gentlemanly tone.
And Cecily accepted the greeting on behalf of Marie, who was putting her head on the desk, and Rina, who was lost in thought. Her characteristic mischievous expression was gone, leaving only rigidity.
Perhaps Jackson might see this as an opportunity. I looked at Jackson who continued his conversation with Cecily with a pleasant smile, but then turned my back on them. Meeting with my teammates was a priority right now.
'I wonder if I can work well with Leona.'
Leona, who didn't reveal her true self, had a much more stoic and model-student image than me. Unless we're alone, she wouldn't show her chic side.
Above all, it's much better than being at that crazy party. I walked towards where Leona was sitting and suddenly ran into a male student.
"Oh."
"Oh! Hello! I'm Benjamin Blank!"
Dull blonde hair with curly locks, and even an innocent face.
It was Benjamin Blank, one of my group members. I stoically nodded my head in response to his cheerful greeting.
"My name is Isaac Ducker Michelle. You can just speak informally."
"Ah... that, yes...? But you're a noble..."
Benjamin was flustered by my words and tried to read my face. Seeing that he couldn't even make eye contact properly, I thought I could see what he usually thought of nobles in general.
'This damn class society.'
Unfortunately, in this world, Benjamin's reaction is normal. Unless you're from a noble family, there's a clear gap between commoners and nobles.
That's why it's not strange for Benjamin to feel uneasy around me. I sighed inwardly before speaking to him.
"I don't care about that kind of stuff, so just speak informally to me. It makes me uncomfortable otherwise."
"Oh... Really? Okay. I'll speak comfortably."
"So you're talking informally to me right away."
"I-I'm sorry!"
"It's a joke."
Somehow, the military from my previous life came to mind. Benjamin looked bewildered when I added that I was joking.
I chuckled at his bewildered expression and moved on with Benjamin hurrying along.
"I-Is it really okay to speak informally?"
"I told you so."
"Okay. I'm really going to drop honorifics."
"You're already doing it now, aren't you?"
As I chatted with Benjamin, we eventually arrived at the desk where Leona was sitting. Leona was writing something in her notebook and closed it quietly as we approached. She then raised her head and met my eyes.
Her expression was not cynical like before, but rather stiff, as if not even a drop of blood would come out even if she were pricked with a needle. It seemed like she had successfully kept a certain concept.
"My name is Leona Lions. Nice to meet you."
She took turns looking at us and introduced herself in a dry voice. Although there was a slight sense of incongruity with her attitude being so different from her real appearance, I suppressed it.
"My name is Isaac Ducker Michelle."
"My name is Benjamin Blank. Nice to meet you."
It was when the three of them exchanged greetings with each other.
"Oh, you already gathered?"
A refreshing girl's voice came into my ears. Of course, not only me but the other two also turned their gaze in the direction of the sound.
A girl with brown hair, brown eyes, and cute doll-like appearance was approaching. When I saw her from afar, I didn't realize it, but up close, I noticed that she was quite small in build.
Then, she looked at the three of us in turn and politely greeted us by placing her hand in the center of her chest.
"I am Aira Ben Matheus of the marquis Matheus family. And..."
The girl who introduced herself as "Aira" looked at Benjamin and Leona alternately. After a moment, I caught a glimpse of her slightly raising the corners of her mouth, as if she had finished assessing everything.
As I saw that, I furrowed my eyebrows slightly. Surely she wouldn't say it out loud...
"Except for Mr. Isaac, everyone else is a commoner, right? I'll just speak informally then."
"... ..."
"Oh, come to think of it, Isaac is from the baron Michelle family, right?"
It was predictable to a certain extent, seeing as he added 'baron' to the end of my last name. It was a conclusion that could be drawn from the experience of struggling and arguing in group projects.
"I look forward to your kind cooperation in the future. I will be keeping an eye on you guys."
So, there's a bitch who's trying to get a free ride by using her status, huh.