Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! Chapter 9: 9-On The Path To Becoming A Mage, Aren’t You, Merlin Tyrrell?

Read chapter 9 of Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! by A_Random_Turtle on NovelPedia.

“I thought you said you had to get to college?” asked Nora with a tilted head. She was a rather curious being, and never failed to let that be known. Merlin was too, but in the short time since he’d met Janeth, he had come to notice that whenever she was around, he had fewer words to speak. And the way she had worded what she’d said earlier made it seem like she had been silently watching them all this while. For someone else, that might seem creepy. For Merlin, it just made him even more sheepish. Although, how had they not noticed her presence? That was something that stuck to his head despite the reactions of his seemingly feeble heart. Janeth shrugged in reply to Nora’s question. “The lecturer did it again,” she said. “It’s the fourth time this semester he’s bailed on us.” That was a rather casual reply. It was not like they knew who the lecturer was. “Ah, I see…” Nora played along regardless. Then… “You don’t have many friends, do you?” Merlin gasped and sharply turned to his sister. “Nora!” he voiced as he pinched her lips shut. She pushed him away. His words didn’t stop there, though. “Why would you say that?” “You didn’t let me finish,” she shot back. “At least let me before you get all up in my face!” What else could she have to say that would justify asking such a sensitive question? Despite Merlin upbraiding his sister, he was also curious deep down. And that was why he said nothing more. Nora turned her attention back to Janeth. “I didn’t mean to be rude, despite how that came out. I was just wondering. Usually, when classes end up not being held, people tend to go out with their friends instead, you know, to arcades and such, maybe even reading. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone return to the gym to watch two ignorant Mages practice.” She paused. “So, like I said, I do not mean to be rude. I’m just curious.” Well, Merlin wouldn’t say he saw much difference between letting her finish what she wanted to say, and her stopping earlier. In fact, her completing her words made the situation even more awkward. Despite Merlin’s curiosity, he hated ‘awkward’, and was just about to find any means to dispel the silence that had fallen upon them, when Janeth chuckled as though unoffended. Perhaps she wasn’t. Her expression was one without animosity. “Haha… I get you,” Janeth said. “It’s normal to be curious. I would be too. Just that I wouldn’t have said it as bluntly as you did.” “My bad,” said Nora. “I find it hard to sugarcoat my words.” You got that right! Merlin could not count how many times he’d tried to stop her from incurring the wrath of other people because her tongue was somewhat loose. He’d had no choice but to see it as the downside of being exceptionally smart. Not like him being less smart made him any more social, though. Janeth nodded in response to Nora. “It’s good. Remain that way. There’s no point in sucking up to people. It’s just a recipe for being used by others.” Then she shrugged. “And, yes, I don’t have many friends. I’m only close to Sunny, to be honest. That’s one of the reasons I’m always at the gym.” She threw her gaze around the room, from its ceilings to its walls, and to its mat. “We’ve been friends since we were kids, you see. His father used to own the gym before it was passed onto him, and this was where I came to play after school. Since I was surrounded by heavy metals day in and day out, it’s only natural I came to like them too, right? Ah. On that note, want to hear something funny? Sunny’s so skinny it baffles me. Despite growing up the son of a gym owner, and ending up as one himself. It’s almost like he never wants to touch a single metal in a gym.” She laughed heartily. Merlin felt a pang of jealousy touch his chest. Maybe her and Sunny were more than just friends. “You know…” Nora began as soon as Janeth’s laughter died down. “We don’t have many friends either. Heck, we’ve only been in Korea for a couple of days. And since we’ll be spending most of our mornings here going forwa