"Is that you Beatrice?" Lillian asked, sitting up properly as she turned in her seat. Behind her was the Student Council President, carrying a stack of books to her table.
The blonde-haired woman nodded with a smile, pleased to see the white-haired girl, especially when noticing how hard she was studying.
"It is, you know. How are you doing?"
Lillian watched as she pulled back a chair and sat in it, laying the books on the table. She shrugged her shoulders in response to her question.
"I'm doing alright... I'm just..." Lillian narrowed her eyes on her books, consciously covering the contents and titles with her arms. "Studying for the exams next month."
"Same here. Nice to see you acting so responsible, Lilly."
"Huh? I'm always responsible!"
"Ehh... You're really not. If you don't remember, which I highly think you don't, you lost one of your father's keys to his sports car."
Beatrice then tapped her chin and added, "And I think at that time, it was exclusive to only supporters to that car brand."
Lillian deflated at her words, her expression hardening at the reminder. The memory of her father scurrying around with his hands on his head as he ran around the house became distinct in her mind.
But, if she had to be honest, it looked quite funny, even if what she did was terribly wrong.
"Look. That was an accident, okay..."
"Not so sure about that..." Beatrice stared at her before rolling her eyes playfully, "Anyway, enough about that. How have your studies been?"
"It has been well... Grades pretty high, I think."
"That's so? That's nice to know, you know."
Beatrice reached over, opening one of the books she carried, "Well, then, don't mind me. I'm just going to study beside you. Do ask if you have any questions about a particular topic."
Lillian's ears twitched at her words. She took a subtle glance towards the books she hid under her hands before looking back up at the woman. Should she... Ask?
"Hey, Beatrice..."
"Hm?" The Student President looked up from her book. "Already got a question? That was fast."
"It's... A weird one."
"Sure. I don't mind. I doubt it's as weird as you thi—"
"Do you have any experience in kissing?"
Beatrice stiffened, staring at her with eyes that slowly widened in surprise as she processed her words.
"K-kissing? Are your classes about kissing now? That's a bit odd, you know..." The woman tapped her chin.
Lillian raised an eyebrow, shaking her head, "Wha? N-no, it's not... I just wanted to know if you could give some... Advice to someone who had never kissed before..."
Lillian then paused before adding, "You've been in a relationship before, right?"
Beatrice scratched her chin with a shy smile, "Well... I have. But we split up under mutual terms a while ago... Nothing much happened in our relationship."
Her hand then moved to the back of her head, rubbing it sheepishly, "I'm still a novice when it comes to anything 'kissing' related."
Lillian gave a short hum as she removed her arms from the covers of her book, allowing Beatrice to see. And because of that, the blonde-haired woman widened her eyes.
She then squinted before staring at Lillian, who smiled at her wryly.
"Same... I'm a novice as well..."
"I... See...? Why are you—"
Before she finished her sentence, she was able to discover a certain red mark on the girl's neck—a particular red mark that caused her lips to curl up into a teasing smile.
"Yeah, alright... I get it now~..."
Beatrice leaned back in her chair, "So, you guys haven't kissed yet, huh? I believe a hickey is way after that stage, Lillian~."
"O-oi! It's not my fault it happened!" Lillian pouted before unconsciously covering her mouth at how loud she was getting.
Beatrice shrugged, "If a hickey is still in the friend stage, who knows what your girlfriend might do when you guys actually become official." She snickered.
Just as Lillian was about to retort, she froze and sat there, imagining a type of scene. Beatrice watched as the girl's face turned awfully red.
Lillian shook her head, getting rid of the terrible blush she had on her face, as well as the scene inside her head.
"L-let's not talk about that!"
Beatrice rested her elbow against the table, cupping her chin. "Sure. Does your friend know about this?"
"I, uh... Hope not. I told her to go back to the dorms. I really don't want her seeing me here and know I was studying stuff like this..." She rubbed the back of her head with a timid look.
"Hm~... Since exams are close—and we are both studying for them—wanna meet here after classes are done for the day? It'll be nice to bond a little after so many years have passed, you know?"
Lillian tilted her head, cupping her chin as she stared at her. "Bond a little? I guess... But I might not be able to do it every day, since I gotta train with Marionette for the upcoming tournament."
Beatrice nodded, understanding where she was coming from, "Then, how about every other day? So, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday?"
"Yeah, sure! But, uh... No Sunday. Marionette might get a little upset."
{17 Days until Invasion}
***
[Time Skip: Next Week]
Lillian and Marionette exited the Academy Building, having just finished another set of classes for the day.
The Assassin turned to the white-haired girl, finding her checking out her phone. That same girl turned their eyes to her, smiling before saying:
"I'll be heading off to the library. Do head back to the dorm without me, okay?"
Marionette watched as the girl walked away, turning around the corner. She... Couldn't help but think Lillian was intentionally spending a bit less time with her.
Had she done something wrong that had upset her again?
She unconsciously raised her hand to the side of her neck. Had the hickey she left on the Rabbit's neck caused her to become distant or something?
That couldn't be right? Or else the girl would've pushed her away while she was placing it on her. Not only that, but she wasn't visibly bothered by it in the least, even flaunting it a bit, which she found to be...