「Wha-……!?」

「M-Mariabell-sama……?」

Both of them looked at me with wide-eyes.

Yes, I'm sorry. I also think my words were rather mean, but I didn't mean it in any bad way. It was just purely meant as a question, or perhaps a feeling?

In both shoujo manga and otome games, there is always at least one scenario depicting love between different social classes. It's mostly just interactions between males and females, but let's just ignore that part.

The villainess who spreads false rumors about the heroine to put her down in order to attract the prince. Just like what I saw in Prince Runa's route.

At that time with the heroine……although I'm quite positive the other party wasn't a girl, but that aside, she is essentially in the same position as the heroine at that time.

However, I had always wondered something about the heroine's behavior at that time.

「It's just that does Erumeru think she is the only person who will affect my reputation?」

Her remark appears as if she is thinking about the other party, but if taken objectively it seems as if she's just talking about her own worth.

Of course the heroine's actions were due to the various rumors spread about her, since Mariabell was aiming to separate them her response is correct in a certain sense but…..in Erumeru's case, no one has said anything to her correct?

Isn't she just being self-depreciating of herself because of the surrounding gazes?

「Beliefs and actual impressions are two different things, and those are just your own thoughts, I didn't wish for such a thing at all」

Erumeru is free to get depressed of her own accord. It's irritating to the mark, but if Erumeru is thinking and acting of her own will then it's up to her to take responsibility for that.

But this time, by acting to be worried about me she ended up pushing responsibility onto me.

I don't know if Erumeru herself knew this or not…..but I suppose probably not.

She appeared genuinely troubled, so I believe she felt this was the best course of action.

But deciding whether the words and actions are right or wrong isn't up to the sending side but rather the receiving side, in this case that would be me.

As for me, I don't want such bothersome matters so please excuse me for destroying it.

「You're saying my reputation will drop because I am with a commoner, but even if you're not here with me my reputation will still drop with good reason. Thus even without you being here I can still end up being looked down on」

That's just how reputation works.

When it drops it will drop no matter what and when it rises it will rise no matter what. The evaluation of people is multifaceted and changes easily just as easily as emotions can change.

In short, it's a waste of time to care. Especially for a person like me who lacks planning abilities.

And the main reason why I shouldn't ostracize commoners.

「I have a childhood friend, he is the son of my house's gardener…..he already has an attribute and I entered together with him yesterday」

「Attribute……wait, is that true?」

「Yes」

「The gardener's son……so that means」

「Of course, he is a commoner」

Keeping commoners away would also mean keeping Keito away.

「My childhood friend is an indispensable existence for me, he is the person I rely on the most, and I take pride in our trust between each other. So if I were to keep away from you because your a  "commoner", it would also mean losing my precious childhood friend at the same time」

This sort of thing cannot even be joked about.

When comparing the evaluations of a complete stranger and Keito, even without thinking about it Keito is much more important.

「That's why I don't want to use my status as a wall. Of course, regardless of status, if Erumeru just doesn't like me, then there is no helping it……」

I've spoken rather selfishly, if she comes to dislike me then it's just my loss. I wasn't trying to be mean or anything……but this is just how I personally felt.

But if she still thought that "status" act as a wall between interactions.

「Nobles keeping away commoners, and commoners keeping away from nobles, in the end aren't those two essentially the same thing?」

Because nobles try to distance themselves from commoners, in return the commoners also try to stay away from nobles.

Since I'm aware of the slight differences in overall meaning.

I am completely fine with accepting her.

But after that the ultimate decision lies with Erumeru.

It would be bad if Primera were to also suddenly distance herself as a result so it's actually quite scary……making friends is rather thrilling, there's no mistake in that.

「I will eat by myself for today, there might be various feelings of confusion or anger……but, please remember that I only want to become friends with the two of you」

After saying that I stood up.

I've already ordered something for lunch, so I will not be able to leave the dining hall, but if I sit somewhere far away from here it shouldn't be a problem. The dining hall is very large after all.

I felt many gazes following me when I moved away but I continued forth ignoring them.

So this is what Erumeru was talking about…..

In the end, I didn't speak with them even after lunch, and so my second day after enrollment was over.