I Didn't Even Want To Live, But God Forced Me To Reincarnate! Chapter 98: Entrance Exams, And...

Day 10 Month 7 Year 976.

As promised, I went to Harmonia Academy with my mom. Oh, and I made sure to make both of my eyes blue as I wanted to conceal my ident.i.ty as the Hartmann family's daughter to avoid any kind of bias… if there's any… bad bias, especially.

Though those who recognized my mom and saw me with her would find out my ident.i.ty. But at least, I won't get questioned about how my eyes have different colors! I've got that questions a lot by the other children, so I don't really want to spend my time here by explaining it.

After being separated from my mom, I followed the teacher in front of me with the other 30 children my group (examinee number 1-30 for this day) to enter our examination room. Apparently, my schedule today starts with interview exams, followed by psych-test.

After that, those who apply for the special cla.s.s should remain to do the other tests. The schedule starts with basic knowledge exams followed by the batches of physical combat exams and magic exams, so I will probably be in the early batch for physical combat exam and the late batch for the magic exam.

Yup, I am planning to take all exams, obviously! More points will be better! For rea.s.surance!

We were gathered in a room and were told to sit down according to the number. They would call us one by one to conduct a short interview.

Once the teacher finished giving the instructions, he called #1 to enter. After that, an uproar began. The children quickly gathered to talk with one another, trying to play, and other things.

I nervously took a glance at my surroundings. Not good, they all seem to have friends…? Or is it that they quickly "click" with one another? I missed my chance to gather with them, too. After all… I became a good kid and obeyed the teacher, so I remained in my seat calmly as the other began to get noisy…

Did I miss my first opportunity to make a friend?

Just as I gazed right behind me, I noticed that there was a lovely girl sitting there! She didn't seem to be talking to other children. She just gazed down at her hands and—oh, she's trembling!

…Her short hair's color is shadow grey and with how she bent down, it covered her face… wait, you aren't the notorious ghost, right?

"U-uhm…," I decided to call her out.

"Hiiiii! Eh, ah? Y-yes?"

Her first reaction: she reflexively distanced her body (slight movement) from me in surprise, but then she tried to lean towards me… and her trembling got worse…

"Are you all right?" I can't help but ask that.

"Y-y-yes, I… I'm fine!"

No, you are not.

How will you handle the interview if you behave like this?

"I'm Lyra, what's your name?"

Okay, first, let's exchange names!

"I… I… I'm Iris…"

"Iris… uhm…"

Well, my neck will hurt if I were to talk with her posing like this. I saw that the seat beside her was empty, so might as well move there to talk with her, right?

"Iris, may I sit next to you?"

"E-eh? I, it's okay…"

So, I moved right away next to her~!

…is this my first time to take the initiative to befriend someone off my own accord in my two lifetimes?

…well, whatever.

Ah, it seems that our height is almost the same, while her body seems to be smaller… thinner(?) than me. She is a timid child that can't stop trembling… I bet her hands are cold by now.

Upon moving closer, I can take a better view of her face! Ooh, she's quite cute, huh? Her eyes are also grey, but of a different shade than her hair. It's a charcoal grey.

She kept trembling and sometimes took a quick glance towards me before turning her head down again.

…Hmm?

Am I scary?

I'm positive my face is friendlier than my past self's face…

I even think that my current face is a face that's easy to bully!

…not a thing that I can be proud of, but that's the degree of how unscary I should be.

When I noticed it, she seemed to be putting her hands together—is she praying?

Praying can be one of many ways for someone to calm down, but I think this little one needs more than just praying… What caused her to be so afraid in the first place?

"Hey, uhm…"

No response.

"Iris?"

I softly called out to her, but she didn't seem to hear me, so…

"Hiii?!"

I gently placed my hand on top of hers—ah see? I was right! Her hands were cold! She was soooo nervous!

"Your hands are so cold, so I'm warming them up!"

She finally raised her head to look at me and after observing my face (is there something on my face?), she started to calm down a bit and received my hands as her hand-warmer!

"ah, thank you…"

"Can I ask why you're so nervous?"

I bluntly asked her. I mean, her anxiety was way beyond normal… right?

"…I have to… enroll here… at all cost," she said as her grip to my hands were tightened. Her face turned from an anxious face to a determined one.

"But…," she added, "I'm afraid I will mess it up… especially… the interview part… The adults will surely look at me… right? It's scary…"

I nodded as I could somehow understand her thoughts. Yes, the interview and practical exams were the most exhilarating parts.

"Let see… Iris, do you like to play with dolls?"

"Huh?"

…Yes, I know, this seems to be so out-of-topic, but nah! Just wait and see!

Because I didn't respond, Iris finally answered me with a puzzled look.

"Yes, why?"

"Good! Then, imagine you're talking to your dolls during the interview!"

"…"

She stayed silent, but I could see how she looked surprised at her expression alone! I'm sure she didn't think of that at all!

Well, back then as Reinst, I tried the same method so I could stop being anxious talking to others. Then, after I got used to talking to others, I learned to treat them just like how Mother taught me as I would be the future queen.

"W-what if I…"

This pattern! Back then, I also pondered a lot about "what ifs", but I only uttered it in my mind and tried to act cool, as I was expected to behave like that.

"No, don't think about that what ifs and focus on imagining that you're talking to your dolls! Everything will be fine… Just know that I'll be rooting for you!" I also tightened my grip on her hands.

"Ah… you will…?" Iris showed her astonishment.

"Of course! You're the first person I talked to among the other children. I want us to be at the same school, then we can be friends!"

I'm not lying. She doesn't seem to be like the other calculating or scary n.o.ble girls. I think I can get along well with her.

"Friends?" She looked at me with her sparkling eyes.

"Yup, friends!" I smiled.

"Promise?" She then shoved her right pinky to me.

…Pinky promise?

"Alright," I linked my pinky finger with hers and talked reflexively, "cross my heart and hope to die!"

"…what?" She blinked after hearing my words.

"You don't know?"

She shook her head.

"It means that it's a sincere promise, and I will fulfill it!"

"Is it the same as 'pinky promise, if you lie, you will drink a thousand needles'?"

She asked and melodiously uttered that phrase.

…wow, that scary line! I wonder when was the last time I heard that? Or read that? We have culture difference here!

"Yes, yes, I think they mean the same thing!"

"Then, promise, 'kay?" She smiled and shook my pinky which was entwined to her own pinky.

I giggled at this girly or childish gesture that I wanted to experience before.

…Wait, Nicole did force me to pinky promise her something, but since I was older than my age right now and I was expected to not act childish at that age, I wasn't as enthusiastic as I am right now.

But, isn't this normal for girls my age, anyway?

For my family, I know this practice is normal as they always say that line, 'cross my heart and hope to die' that it becomes my reflex!