Chapter Text
The first time Zeze presented his test results after remembering his past life as Prince Eugene, his family was so shocked they couldn't decide whether to celebrate or politely accuse him of cheating.
Zeze could understand.
He was not the brightest bulb on the shelf and his family had long accepted that. They seemed to think the sky would sooner drop than for Zeze to change his overly easy-going way of living.
The thing was, although he was undoubtedly Zeze inside, he still carried Eugene's pride. Zeze theorized that it was this pride that pushed his brain to concentrate on classes and peel apart every word that came out of the teachers' mouths.
"Or maybe," Zeze said as he threw a piece of chocolate into his mouth. "I am naturally smart. What do you think, Minami?"
Minami's eyes were half-lidded as he stared at him with a look that said, What are you talking about?. It was a look that solely belonged to Minami and not Veronica. At the very least, in Zeze's memory, Veronica never looked at him—at Eugene—like that.
"Are you bragging?" Minami clicked his tongue. Then he gazed at the distance, seemingly pondering something, the earlier no-nonsense look was gone as if it had never been there. Just like that, Minami was no longer Minami alone. Like how Zeze was no longer Zeze alone.
"Eugene has—had always been smart," Minami admitted, still staring at something nonexistent outside the window.
Zeze leaned back in his chair.
What a bothersome constitution, he thought. Irritation and detachment that he knew didn't belong to him welled up in his chest. Zeze pushed them down and forced a smile, "What about you, Minami? How did it go with you?"
"I remember my past life as Veronica pretty early compared to you guys," Minami said. When he turned back to face Zeze again, his eyes were sharp. "I carry Veronica's curiosity."
"Ah," Zeze nodded. "Well, don't you think you'd still be pretty smart even without that?"
Unlike him, Minami had always been one of the smartest kids in the class academically.
"I am not sure," Minami crossed his arm. It was strange. Although his expression barely changed, Zeze could feel the mood between them turned somber. "But the priests all have pretty good ranks, especially Ootomo. The knights rank variably between upper-middle rank to lower rank but they undoubtedly have the highest grades in physical education. And Nishina still ranks above you and me."
So, he's noticed, Zeze thought bitterly. Though it wasn't his intention, his own tone turned serious, swept up by the weight in Princess Veronica's voice, "So you think the past life really does have an influence on our current selves." He tapped his fingers on the table, his mind racing. "What are the odds that their academic ranks have always been like that?"
"Pretty much none."
Zeze let out a sigh that was close to whining. In response, Minami's sharp gaze loosened a little. "I actually have discussed something like this with Nishina before."
"Oh? You guys having a sister's talk?" He teased.
Minami broke into a smile. "Don't let Nishina hear that." But his smile quickly faded.
Zeze unconsciously straightened. "What did he say?"
"Zeze," Minami held his hand. Zeze knew this gesture, though he couldn't remember whether it was something of Veronica, Minami, or both. Calm down and listen to me, his expression said. Zeze swallowed. "Perhaps our memories have brought about irreversible changes."
"Irreversible changes," Zeze repeated, his own voice—Eugene's voice—sounded heavy to his own ears.
"You've noticed, right? Because of that, I have to put a break to my relationship with Takao," Minami's lips curled up into a bitter smile. "And it's the reason your knight likes to follow you around, even if the person himself doesn't seem aware of it." He tucked his hair behind his ear, a habit that seemed to carry over from his past life as the long-haired princess. "No one realizes it yet, but our class operates the way it is because of those memories too."
Zeze did notice it. He had missed it before because they had been too busy shutting down the forbidden spell, but now the signs were everywhere.
For starters, the reincarnated people seemed to put an absurd amount of trust in Minami. They looked up to him as naturally as knowing the sun would always rise up in the sky. Considering Minami hadn't betrayed that trust yet, perhaps it was only natural.
And though it was subtle, they treated him like, well, a princess.
The girls, especially, didn't even see him as a boy, except probably Takao. If Lucas' real gender hadn't been a secret, would they have treated Nishina as one of their own too? Probably not.
They saw still Hiroki just the way she was. It must have helped that her personality was totally different from Bart, the person she first claimed to be.
No, Zeze rubbed his temple. The matters of gender will need its own discussion.
It was a can that he wasn't ready to open yet.
"But we will be fine, right?" Since Prince Eugene lived on pessimistic principles, he knew for certain it was Zeze alone who spoke those words.
"I wonder," Minami said vaguely. Since Veronica lived with an optimistic view, it must be Minami alone who answered. "They'll realize it eventually. There's a disparity that comes with living in the past life and in this life."
Zeze opened his mouth to ask, Are you speaking from experience?, but he closed his mouth when some students approached—they were students who were presumed to have no memories of past lives.
"What were you guys talking about?" One of them probed with a look of suspicion as each of them sat in their seats. "Seem to be a serious topic."
"I was telling Zeze the science teacher seems to have it out for him," Minami smoothly answered. Which was not a lie. Zeze had started out the conversation by bringing up the science teacher.
"That's what you get for spacing out in the class," Another one chimed in.
"Even if I don't pay attention in class, I still get higher grades than you guys," Zeze puffed out his chest. The words were playful but it was also not a lie.
Minami watched with eyes as sharp as a hawk. It was a mannerism eerily similar to Eugene's. "That's why the science teacher hates you even more," He deadpanned.
"Yeah," Zeze laughed awkwardly. "We still have long years ahead of us but I already feel tired.”