Hardy disliked aristocrats.
More precisely, he feared them.
The nobles appear very amiable on the surface, making others think they are friendly and easy to approach, but in reality the nobles are not like that.
Like that silver-haired, golden-eyed noble, don't look at him just greeting Hardy in a friendly manner. But given time, his true nature will gradually be revealed.
It may start with seemingly innocent jokes, then move on to pranks, and finally to outright bullying.
Hardy never dared to embark on such a life again.
But just as Hardy was trying to see if he could get a dorm room transfer, Kain suddenly spoke up.
"Want to take a bath? I see a big hot tub."
Hardy was so frightened that he could hardly hold the book. Because what he feared had happened.
However, because of fear, Hardy did not dare to refuse Kain's request. He knew that whether he sided with the nobles or against them, he would still be bullied. But siding with them would at least buy him some time.
So, both of them covered each part below the waist and left the room.
Although this place is called a "dormitory", this prestigious academy is not stingy enough to only give two students each a tiny room to live in.
In fact, a "dormitory" is an entire floor in a building, consisting of many different rooms from shared bedrooms, recreation rooms, bathrooms, toilets, training rooms, dining room, etc.
It can be said that this academy is extremely generous.
In particular, the bathroom not only has a private bathroom, but also a large bathtub that is always filled with hot water, ready to serve students after stressful training hours.
Both of them sat in the bathtub. Feeling the warm water flow over his body, Kain relaxed and let out a breath.
Even Hardy, who was already tense, couldn't help but relax, the evidence was in the muscles on his face.
Kain noticed that this guy seemed to be very afraid of him, but he knew that his own behavior was still very standard, with absolutely no flaws.
So the source of the fear most likely comes from Hardy himself
There are not many cases to list.
In the first case, Hardy had done something wrong to Kain. This could almost be completely ignored, because the two had just met for the first time.
The second case is a variation of the first, Hardy did something wrong to someone like Kain, which made him avoid Kain as an instinct of denial. This is more likely, but Kain's intuition tells him that this is not the right answer.
The third case is a variation on the second. Hardy had feelings for someone who resembled Kain, which led to those feelings transferring to Kain. But that feeling was not guilt, but fear. Hardy was afraid of someone who resembled Kain.
This seems to be the correct answer.
So, all that's needed is to find out what trait about him makes Hardy associate him with the person he's afraid of.
Kain considers himself to be very normal and ordinary, so it's not a matter of personality, but if it's not personality then it can only be appearance.
Silver hair? Golden eyes?
Did the one Hardy feared have one of those two things? Or maybe both?
Very possible, but isn't that too much of a coincidence?
Kain thought that the possibility was not high.
Kain had asked about it when chatting with Toris earlier. Toris said that heterochromatic hair like red, blue, green, purple was very rare. Most people only had black, brown, blonde, or ash gray hair.
Pure white hair is even rarer than normal heterochromatic hair, and pure silver hair is something Toris has never seen before.
Not to mention the golden eyes, that is absolutely the heterochromia of heterochromia.
So, Kain thought about a more common trait that his hair and eyes might convey.
That is nobility. It's like many people mistook Kain for the child of some noble family.
The chances of Hardy encountering some noble that leads to a haunting are still much higher than the chances of Hardy encountering someone who looks exactly like Kain.
"I didn't think this place would be so luxurious, not only can I live in such a spacious and fully furnished place , but there's also a free hot tub."
Kain exclaimed. This made Hardy, who was nearby, feel strange.
"It's true that this academy is very generous, but it can't build you a villa, right? Is this considered luxurious?"
Hardy wondered in his mind, while secretly assessing Kain, seeing that his expression did not seem like he was pretending.
"To be honest, this is the first time I've been able to bathe comfortably . Before, I only bathed in the river near my village, and the river was very cold…"
Hardy felt even more doubtful. With the first statement, Hardy could still think that Kain was faking it. But Hardy was not so sure about the second statement.
Aristocrats may be humble, but that does not mean they deny their origins. Just as a merchant may always say he is short of money, but will never say he is penniless and poor as a beggar.
Gathering all his courage, coupled with the circumstances in the bathtub that had let his guard down, allowed Hardy to muster up the courage to ask Kain a question.
"I... I thought you were... aristocratic."
Hearing that, Kain touched his hair and said casually.
"You mean this hair? Actually I don't know, I was an orphan."
Hardy was surprised, he didn't think Kain's background was like that.
"Yeah, an orphan, luckily a kind village took me in before I was eaten by wild animals."
"I... I'm sorry for making you remember bad things."
"It's nothing, it's all in the past anyway. Besides, I'm still very satisfied with my life."
Kain pretended not to notice.
But this made Hardy feel a little bit guilty for having been rude to him earlier.
Hardy honestly expressed, Kain knew that this apology was not a repetition of the previous action, but for the previous behavior.