TBBS 07

Chapter 07…..

I was startled and turned toward the voice. Unsurprisingly, it was Erik Brannel.

It was interesting enough that I had met Erik Brannel in the Business SL (*Standard Level: an IB curriculum subject categorized by difficulty) class or that he had agreed with me in the discussion about corporate surtax. But that he went around reciting the annual revenue of my family like it was nothing—that was something else entirely.

Even though the company information was public, the Brannel I knew never seemed like the kind to brag…

Could it be that Erik Brannel occasionally tarnishes the humble image of his century-old family like this?

But the one who was clearly more flustered than me was Johan, standing at the doorway.

“Uh? Ah, of course. I wasn’t asking you,” Johan said, looking guilty as he stepped aside, and Erik strode past him.

“If you can’t ask me, wouldn’t it be wiser not to ask anyone else either?” Erik muttered to himself, but the so-called muttering was loud enough to echo through the entire classroom.

Because Johan had turned red and hurried back to his seat, I couldn’t say what I had prepared and had to leave the classroom.

As I stepped out, a large shadow seemed to be waiting for me.

I let out a deep sigh.

“There was no need to help. Even if the Han family’s tax figures aren’t as widely known as the Brannels’, Sweden has a tax calendar.”

“…Then I guess I’ll have to repay the debt in some other way.”

I tilted my head, not immediately understanding Erik’s remark, until I realized he was talking about the debt from the library incident the previous day. My frown deepened.

The cowardly act of hiding Erik from X in the cleaning supply closet. I had no desire whatsoever to get paid for doing that.

“Um, about yesterday…”

“I’ve got class now, Economics HL (*High Level).”

Ah, that explains it.

That must be why I had met Erik in the Business SL class. Economics in the IB curriculum is notoriously difficult, and choosing it at HL level would naturally make lowering the difficulty of Business SL reasonable.

“See you tomorrow.”

Erik greeted me fairly warmly and hurried off.

His long legs carried him away so quickly that I had to swallow my words and sigh again.

The next morning.

Erik finally left the gym after finishing rowing practice, which had started at six.

“Hey, our team’s power engine,” Liam said, slinging an arm over Erik’s shoulder as he caught up. Erik sighed and, unlike with others, didn’t bother hiding his mild annoyance.

“You shouldn’t call me that nickname. Who’s been running around like they took something psychedelic first thing in the morning?”

Liam chuckled.

“I’m talking about our dorm’s first-year, Nicholas. How about as a cox? He’s 57kg.”

In rowing, the coxswain is ideally light, but international regulations require male coxswains to weigh at least 55kg.

Erik raised one eyebrow in curiosity and then lowered it.

“Perfect. Is he short? Even if you tried, that weight would be hard to match.”

“Right? I saw him swim—small frame, but athletic. If we dangle the right carrot, maybe we can recruit him to the rowing club.”

“Like last year’s first-year exam papers?”

“You’ve got some stashed away?”

They walked the short distance to their classroom, chatting mostly about rowing.

Liam was serious about rowing, and since Erik had quit swimming entirely, it made sense for him to focus on rowing as well. They had long agreed to help Liam achieve a podium finish in the Royal Youth Regatta before graduation.

Erik was the first to slow his pace.

Someone was approaching across the still-empty courtyard.

“Do you know her?” Liam asked. Erik kept his gaze on the approaching girl, holding an open book.

“Yeah, a library intern.”

Liam released Erik’s shoulder with a small chuckle.

“Reading even while walking. Unlike some people, you need at least that much to be a library intern, huh?”

Liam’s teasing stopped when Erik answered, almost defending the girl.

“It’s an English literature assignment. Seems difficult enough that she’s reading it again.”

“…Same class?”

“Yeah.”

Erik was still staring at the girl, not noticing the mischievous expression flicker across Liam’s face.

And so, he couldn’t stop Liam from loudly calling out, “Hey, model student! Watch where you’re going!”

Erik quietly regretted it, gritting his teeth, as the girl blinked slowly with her big, round, calf-like eyes.

“Ah…”

Liam meant nothing. But the girl, closing her book and stopping in her tracks, annoyed him for some reason.

Erik sighed and stepped forward.

“Bibi.”

Just as he called her name like a greeting, Liam’s shoulders stiffened for a moment.

But Erik’s gaze stayed fixed on Bibi, oblivious to his friend’s reaction.

Bibi seemed to have hurried out after washing, her hair slightly wet.

Her black hair, darkened by the water, looked almost like lakrits (*licorice candy).

Her eyes and hair had seemed identical before, but wet, they were different. Against the black hair, her eyes were merely dark chocolate.

Her bare face looked oddly pale under the soft morning sunlight.

For a moment, the idea that East Asians are “yellow-skinned” seemed absurd.

Though Stockholm’s residents are obsessed with tanning year-round, she was clearly paler than any white person.

Bibi slightly shrank as she acknowledged Erik’s greeting.

“Hey, you’re early…”

She met his gaze but didn’t hide her lack of enthusiasm.

Erik endured it and responded politely.

“I had rowing practice. The cruel captain next to me starts at six. Right, Liam?”

He introduced Liam just enough to let him smooth over his earlier rudeness. Liam’s social skills were top-notch at this school, able to turn crises into opportunities.

Yet, for some reason, Liam—the guy who made friends in a minute—was stiff as a corpse. His usually mischievous light-blue eyes were fixed, almost frozen.

His unbearably persistent gaze was clearly on Bibi.

Erik had to call again.

“…Liam?”

But Liam didn’t look at him.

Bibi tilted her head, sensing something strange, looking at Liam.

When her chocolate-colored eyes widened slightly at him, Erik felt an inexplicable prick of irritation.

Liam moved first.

“Bibi? Bibi Han, right?”

What?

Before Erik could intervene, Liam rushed forward, arms wide, and hugged Bibi tightly.

“Goodness, Bibi. It was you who transferred?”

Even more surprising, Bibi didn’t hesitate and hugged Liam back.

“Liam! I thought I’d never see you again!”

The tearful look reminded one of families separated by war.

In Sweden, people greet like this.

But the day before, in the cleaning supply closet, she had acted like even touching me would be fatal.

Now, hugging her friend and looking up with teary eyes stirred something deeper in Erik’s chest.

Beyond irritation…

“Liam, how tall are you? My neck hurts now, you know?”

Annoyance.

At the same time, Bibi’s face, glowing with joy and a broad smile, seemed unfamiliar to him. Clearly, a side she had never shown him.

Why so happy?

Height-wise, she wasn’t much different from Liam.

And she was still growing. Even standing a step above, she’d likely be shorter than me.

Yet she had never mentioned her height to me.