It wasn’t long before the cafeteria began to fill up, and the tables on either side of were already occupied by students. The growing murmur of conversations, the tallic sound of clinking trays, and the distinct aroma of hot food perated the air. It was already rush hour, and every table was occupied.
Just then, I saw Erwing approaching, along with Cynthia and Aziel, all with their trays in hand. They all seed to be the sa, with their carefree smiles. They were chatting among themselves.
"Hey, there it is!" Erwing said with his usual excited tone to see .
"We had to run before the horned rabbit at ran out," Erwing said in a serious tone, placing his tray on the table with a soft tap as he settled into the seat opposite .
"Don’t exaggerate," Cynthia comnted, sitting next to Alia.
Aziel, as always, remained expressionless.
As they settled in, I noticed Ivvy had shrunk slightly in her seat, but I didn’t say anything. Her shoulders were a little tense, and although she tried to hide it, her eyes moved nervously, as if she were evaluating whether to stay or quietly get up. She absentmindedly stroked the strands of her hair and occasionally tapped the rim of her glass with trembling fingers.
I watched her out of the corner of my eye, feeling a pang of discomfort in my chest. I didn’t know why, but I felt a little sympathy for her that was clearly misplaced. I wondered if it would be okay to help her leave, but I shook my head, thinking maybe she just needed a mont to adjust.
But soone else did notice the change. Alia, who until then had been preoccupied with her tray, followed the direction of my gaze and noticed Ivvy. She frowned slightly, tilted her head, and, in her usual direct tone, asked,
"And she’s...?"
Her voice wasn’t particularly loud, but amid all the noise, her question seed to bounce off the table like a stone in water. The others stopped their conversation for a second and turned their heads toward Ivvy, as if they’d just realized soone outside the group was sitting with us. The surprise on their faces was evident.
"Oh!" Ivvy exclaid, jumping slightly in her seat, as if suddenly awakened.
A small laugh escaped . It was short, but clear. And of course, it didn’t go unnoticed.
"Sorry," I said, raising my hand slightly in apology. "I forgot to introduce you. This is Ivvy."
I turned to her and added gently,
"Ivvy, these are my friends from Class 2-A: Alia, Erwing, Cynthia, and Aziel."
Ivvy blinked a couple of tis, then slightly lowered her gaze, as if she found it difficult to be under the pressure of these outstanding students. She carefully tightened her fingers around her glass, took a small breath, and greeted in a soft voice.
"H-hello... nice to et you," she said, not daring to look directly at anyone, although her gaze briefly sought mine, as if I could reassure her.
Cynthia smiled at her pleasantly, and Aziel simply looked up, remaining expressionless. But it was Erwing who, playfully, asked with a mischievous smile on his face,
"Is she your girlfriend?"
The comnt was quite pointed. Everyone was silent for a mont. Beside , Alia stopped her fork mid-fry and looked at directly, a blazing fla in her eyes as if she wanted to explain quickly. The cold sweat trickling down my back looked like the eyes of a wild beast. Ivvy’s eyes widened, and a deep blush began to rise to her cheeks.
"N-no... n-he’s not my boyfriend," she stamred, placing a hand over her chest, as if she needed to calm her breathing. "Just... we’re just talking... that’s all."
Her voice was so low it could barely be heard over the noise in the dining room. Her gaze was fixed on the tray, and a blush spread across her cheeks.
The gaze on my side intensified, the heat I could feel from Alia prickling my skin. I don’t know why she suddenly beca like that, but I felt I should explain before there was a misunderstanding.
"Don’t scare her," I said with a half-smile, trying to lighten the mood. "We only t a few days ago."
"Aww," Cynthia murmured, amused. "But you two make a cute couple!" she said, looking at Alia, who was burning up.
Ivvy lowered her gaze even further, clearly overwheld now, and fiddled with a napkin between her fingers. I leaned in closer, whispering, "Are you okay?"
She nodded slightly, not saying a word, but her expression still reflected a mixture of shyness and embarrassnt that made feel sowhat guilty. Ivvy, who just a few days ago had confessed her feelings to with her heart in her hand, now found herself surrounded by unfamiliar faces, caught in an awkward conversation.
I decided that was enough. I had to divert attention as quickly as possible.
"By the way," I chid in with a slightly more cheerful voice, turning to Erwing, "how are the preparations for the school festival going?"
Erwing seed more comfortable and sat up straight.
"They’re going pretty well, actually," he replied while playing with his fork. "We’re mostly done with the logistics; we just need to vote on the main activity we’ll do as a class."
"Oh, right," I murmured. "And who’s going to be the project leader?"
Erwing gave a small laugh, as if the answer was obvious.
"After that warning you gave, they left in charge," he said, looking at with an accusing smile.
I looked away, feeling a little guilty, but quickly ca up with sothing to change the subject.
"So what are the activity options?" I asked.
Erwing shrugged and replied,
"We’re between a haunted house... and a host cafe."
I frowned, confused.
"Host... coffee?" I asked, pronouncing the words slowly as if they didn’t quite make sense in my head.
Cynthia, who was standing right next to Alia, let out an amused smile.
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