Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 130
“What?”
Ten minutes of work and fifty minutes of zoning out for five hundred Berks. And ranking first in the exam gets you a thousand Berks?
A total of one thousand five hundred Berks in a day?
…That lost four hundred billion Berks. Maybe it won’t take long to earn after all?
Then I became curious.
“What about Shana? How much did Shana score?”
“Ah, I can’t tell you that…”
“Come on, just tell me. Haven’t you seen me being completely ostracized by the Guides? I don’t even have anyone to tell.”
“…Then you really have to keep it to yourself.”
Demona quickly located Shana’s name and whispered cautiously that she scored 48.
“48…?”
“Sigh, to think she could’ve easily scored a hundred just by looking at a book, but she didn’t bother and ended up with this score. If it were me, I would have swept the first place prize. Since it’s come to this, you should take all the first place prizes from now on. I’d rather the budget spent on mediocre Guides go to someone like you who’s been working hard all along.”
Of course!
Earning money was this easy.
As I resolved to attend every Guide training session from now on and collect this easy money,
One of the training officials grabbed the microphone and stepped up to the podium, announcing,
“For the first time in the history of our regular exams, someone has achieved a perfect score. And it just so happens that this outstanding student officially registered as a Guide today! Let’s hear a few words from the Guide who’s become the talk of the town about their award-winning experience.”
“…Uh-oh.”
It seems they were talking about me.
Surprised by the unexpected situation, Demona whispered to me from the side,
“Guides are hardly motivated by money, so publicly praising the first-place Guide is an attempt to stimulate the others.”
I felt like the protagonist of those [Perennial Last Place: Secrets to Getting into the Prestigious XX University!] stories.
All eyes in the auditorium were suddenly on me.
Sigh. I’m an introvert, and this kind of attention isn’t really my thing.
Of course, if the reward is a thousand Berks, I could rap for that much…
With that frivolous thought, I stepped up to the podium.
As I stood beside the education officer, he joked,
“Now, Miss Rose Valentine! How did you achieve such great results on your first day as a registered Guide? Could this brilliant intellect be the secret to winning over the Center’s most distinguished Esper?”
I could have given a generic answer. Something like, ‘I guessed on a few and got lucky.’
Just as I was about to offer a standard, safe response, I caught sight of Shana’s clique.
They were sneaking glances at me, whispering amongst themselves.
Having failed to intimidate me from the start, reported me, only to have it backfire on them,
And now, they had to look up at me receiving an award for outscoring them significantly.
They must be seething with envy, especially Shana, who was glaring at me with a vengeance as if determined to retaliate for today’s humiliation.
Suddenly, I remembered how Shana had tormented me with malicious complaints and had me do her laundry to humiliate me.
But things had changed. With my status as a Guide revealed, Shana and I were no longer in a vertical relationship but a horizontal one. And it seemed, despite being F-Class, having Claude’s Imprint made the Center more inclined to side with me over Shana…
The taste of power I was experiencing for the first time was sweet.
Intoxicated by that sweetness, I was about to do something I would never have considered before.
Taking the microphone from the education officer, I opened my mouth,
“…I’m not sure how I did well.”
Hold on. Shana scored 48, right?
“I do have something to say to the Guides who didn’t score over 50.”
“…Yes?”
“If you have a brain, don’t just balance it on your shoulders. Use it to think a little!”
I declared boldly.
The first face I saw after finishing was Shana’s.
It seems she was quick-witted enough to realize the comment was directed at her. Recognizing herself in my words, Shana looked furious.
Ah, that was a satisfying speech.
Feeling quite pleased, I turned to return the microphone to the education officer, only to find him with his mouth agape, unable to close it.
Then, other things came into my vision.
For instance… the numerous Guides in front of me, glaring at me menacingly.
