Linda looked back and forth between Lyra and Eiden, her lips curled ever so slightly into a smile. Though she said nothing, her eyes spoke volumes. Lyra shifted on her feet, visibly anxious under her friend’s curious gaze.
Eiden, on the other hand, didn’t know Linda well enough to decipher the look she was giving him but it was making him uncomfortable. It felt like she was mentally stripping him down layer by layer. He gulped. After a few more moments of awkward silence and quiet examination, Linda finally spoke, her voice soft but loaded with implication.
"Lyra, do you still have something you want to talk to him about?" Lyra glanced at Eiden, her voice a bit shaky. "N-no, I’m done."
"Shall we go then?" Linda smiled again, and Lyra, visibly relieved, nodded quickly. "Yes."
"Bye," Lyra said, looking at Eiden for a brief second before walking off hurriedly alongside Linda. Eiden watched the two of them leave, silently chewing on the sweet bread in his hand. Only after they turned the corner did he blink and sigh, returning to his snack.
Time passed slowly. Eventually, he spotted Deuel and a few others from the group, but instead of joining them, he decided to head back to class.
Once his classes were over for the day, Eiden met up with Petter, who was waiting for him near the school gates. "Hey, Eiden!" Petter waved enthusiastically. "Wanna play the new game I got tonight?" Eiden tilted his head. "Which one?"
Petter’s eyes gleamed with smug pride as he pointed his nose toward the sky. "Grit of Redemption 3 the newly released one."
Eiden’s eyes widened. "Wait, it’s out already?"
"Hohohoho," Petter laughed dramatically. "Don’t underestimate my connections when it comes to new releases." Eiden rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Yeah, yeah, alright. You’ve got connections. Got it." As they walked a bit further, Eiden’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the screen.
"Unknown number?" he muttered. Curious, he answered. "Hello? ...Hello?" There was only silence on the other end. Not even static. Just a cold void . Eiden waited for a while before ending the call .
He frowned. "Weird." Hanging up, he tucked the phone away and turned to Petter. "Hey, I’m a bit busy today. I’ll swing by another time." Petter gave him a mock salute. "Roger that."
The two split paths, and Eiden began wandering through the campus, eyes darting around.
He was looking for Airie. Following the little arrow hovering above the heads of his system’s marked targets, he scanned each corner. After a while, he finally saw an arrow his heart skipped for a second but the girl beneath it wasn’t Airie.
It was Miss Mika. Eiden stopped and tilted his head. "What’s she doing here...?" She was standing near the end of a corridor, seemingly out of place and alone. His curiosity piqued, Eiden observed her from a distance, hidden behind a wall. For a few moments, she simply stood there, unmoving ,she seemed to be in a daze looking at the wall with blank expression in her eyes for a few more seconds at that position , Eiden frowned as he thought " is she spacing out due to stress or something else ? she then turned and calmly walked toward the staff office as if she was completely normal and nothing was wrong with her .
Eiden didn’t follow. He blinked, remembering that he was supposed to be tracking Airie, not stalking his teacher. "Focus," he muttered to himself and turned around, searching once again. But after another round around the campus, there was no sign of Airie anywhere.
"Guess she already went back," he sighed. "Oh well, I’ll try again tomorrow." With that, he headed home.
Meanwhile, at a quaint little café not far from campus, three girls sat together at a round table. The café had recently gained attention for a new dessert item called Honey Splendid Delight, and Linda had dragged Crysty and Lyra along to try it.
They hadn’t even ordered yet. Linda kept stealing glances at Lyra, who was completely oblivious. Crysty, sitting between the two, was chatting animatedly about the cafe’s interior when Linda abruptly asked:
"So, Lyra. Since when have you known Eiden?" The question caught Lyra off guard. She blinked. "Um... a while back."
Linda smiled again, this time with the air of someone casually fishing for information. "I see. So... what were you two talking about at the cafeteria today?"
Lyra’s fingers twitched. She fidgeted nervously, clearly struggling to answer. Just then, a sharp jolt of pain flared on Linda’s arm. She turned her head to find Crysty’s fingers pinching her.
"Ow what was that for?" she hissed under her breath. Crysty didn’t say anything but gave Linda a pointed look. Realization dawned in her eyes.
Lowering her voice, Linda leaned closer and whispered into Crysty’s ear. "You knew about Lyra’s feelings for Eiden?" Crysty nodded subtly. Linda frowned. Her eyes flicked toward Lyra again, who was busy pretending to examine the menu, cheeks tinged with red.
So it’s true... Lyra really likes him. But that worried Linda. Lyra was naïve. Sweet and intelligent but inexperienced. The kind of girl who could easily fall for the wrong guy.
Like Ruel. Especially someone like him.
Linda narrowed her eyes in thought. She didn’t know much about Eiden yet. Was he genuine? Was he trustworthy? Or was he just another smooth talker hiding bad intentions?
I need to be sure, she decided. And just like that, an idea formed in her mind. She tapped her fingers against the table thoughtfully.
I’ll test him. If Eiden was the type to fall easily for temptation if he couldn’t resist even her then he didn’t deserve Lyra. But if he held back, if he proved himself trustworthy and reserved, then maybe he was worth giving a chance.
She smiled inwardly at her own plan. Tomorrow. Let’s see what kind of man you really are, Eiden. Across the table, Crysty caught a glimpse of that faint smirk on Linda’s lips and frowned. Crysty pleaded inwardly
Please don’t mess this up. They’re already complicated enough.