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“Tell me... Do you like Ericka?”

I was left dumbfounded after I heard these words from him. Did he know what messed he will do in the future? and yet here he was standing in front of me sounded like a parent protecting Ericka.

“What do you mean?”

I tried to turn blind about his question and laughed awkwardly.

Furrowing his eyebrows, he looked at me trying to read what would I react next, but suddenly his intimidating look turned into a face-like child chuckling.

“You don't need to be that nervous, I was just joking” He patted my shoulder. “Let's go the bell is about to ring, I'm sure Ms. Jhade will scold us if we ended up late in her class"

He took a few steps away from me but he stopped for a second. “Ericka is just not good at expressing herself, so please take care of her," he said, scratching his chin. Then he continued his way back to our class.

I know...

I started to follow him back to our class but all of the sudden, I felt something collide with my back. I turned my gaze at it and saw a girl fall to the floor on her back, making the pile of papers she held not long ago splattered all around the corridor.

“I'm sorry, are you okay?” I quickly took the papers that scattered around, and so she was.

“No, it's okay... I-I'm fine,” she mumbled. I scarcely heard her voice.

After a few moments, we finished collecting the papers that were scattered earlier. It was a good thing that even though we took a few minutes, the bell hadn't rung.

“I'm so sorry. I troubled you,” I continued apologizing, vowing my head countless times.

Judging by the yellow ribbon she wore, it seemed that she was a third-year student. Though I never saw her face before even when I was in my second year days... I didn't remember that there was a medium-length hair girl who wore eyeglasses in the manga before.

“Ah, no... I'm the one who should apologize... So-sorry, I'm not looking on my way and...” Once again, I barely heard her voice.

After that, she slightly bowed at me as thanks for my help and walked quite fast down the corridor. I looked at her confounded before she slowly disappeared to the corner of the building. I was about to step away but a pink hairpin lying where she fell caught my attention.

“Ah! is this your—"

I looked in the direction she went but she was already gone. I'd just assumed that she was in a hurry and went back to our class.

“Oh! you're back,” Marco greeted as I sat on my chair.

“Where did you two go?" He leaned his body forward to get close to me but I pushed him away.

“It's none of your business,” I said while pushing his face away from me. “... and get away from me, Marco.”

*

“It's lunchtime!” Marco yelled after our teacher went out of our class.

“You don't have to be that loud,” Mikael spoke from his seat. “You have to be this loud...It's lunch tim—" Mikael didn't finish his word after I shoved my hand to his mouth.

These guys...

I didn't know whether Marco influenced him or what but he was more serious on the manga unlike he was right now, I guess those events made his character more serious.

“Eh, you're too boring, Michael,” Marco pouted at my back. Did he know he doesn't look cute? It was disgusting so please stop pouting at me. “Ah, you don't have your lunchbox today.”

“Yeah, thanks to you I forgot to pack it earlier.”

“For now why don't you buy some bread in the cafeteria, I give you some of my lunch if that's not enough," Mikael butted in as he took out his lunchbox.

I glance at Ericka as she started to eat her food.

Well, I guess I just have to buy my food.

I stood up and told Marco that I'd be out to buy some food. While at it, I asked Mikael and Marco if they have something they want me to buy but it seemed that they were already contented with their lunchbox, I also tried asking Ericka but she didn't answer.

Guess, that's it, huh, I thought and headed out to fetch some food.

While on the way to the cafeteria, something rustled at my side. I looked to see what was it and saw a girl bent on her knees looking at the ground. I immediately averted my eyes as I caught a glimpse of her underwear.

“Not here... where is it...” she kept muttering.

I looked closer to see—not her underwear but the thing she was looking for—only to realize she was the girl I got bumped with earlier.

I'd tried to pat her back, calling her attention but I hesitated, that might not be the best way to call her.

“Excuse me?” In the end, I decided to use my voice.

I tried to call her attention but she was too absorbed looking on the ground. I called her many times and gladly she glanced at me before I call her for the fifth time.

“Wh-what is it?" she asked with her eyes moistened as though in any second she would burst into a cry.

I grope my pocket, searching for the hairpin I'd found earlier. I took it out and showed it to her.

“Here, I found it earlier in the corridor after we bumped into each other, by any chance is this yours?”

Her anxious face turned bright as she saw the pink hairpin on my hand, she snatched it and held it with both of her hands dearly.

“I-it's mine...” she said as she felt relieved. “Thank you so much, thank you so much.”

It was quite embarrassing. “I-it's okay, it's nothing. I just happen to see it earlier and then I took it."

A split second later, I realized that I looked like a thief because of what I said. Seriously? how dumb.

“I-if it's alright, can I treat you anything?” she asked with her face full of red. She seemed embarrassed and she's cute...

wait, what?

“No, it's okay don't mind it.” I tried to decline her offer but we ended up in an infinite loop where she insisted to treat me and I kept telling her that it was not necessary.

Suddenly, the bell rang and I completely missed my lunch since I spent my time arguing with this girl whether she'd treat me or not. This was all her fault if she let me go earlier I'd never miss my lunch.

“S-so, that settled it then, I'll... wait for you here after school,” she said while still holding her hairpin.

In the first place, hair was supposed to wear it. Why was she holding it?

“Yeah, do what you want.” I annoyingly replied.

I'd never expected that there was someone who could annoy me except for Marco. I'm not mad at her, I just thought that she was too persistent.

Now I think about it, she also didn't have her lunch.

She gave her farewell and left. I went back to my class with both hands in my pockets, stomach growling as I took each step.

“I thought you bought foods in the cafeteria?” Mikael noticed my stomach growling. I'd just lied to him, telling him the food just wasn't enough.

Fortunately, Mikael was the one who noticed it, if Marco notice it maybe he—

”Ms. Jhade, Michael needs to go to the toilet!”

I should have expected Marco will yell.

*

“Let's go to the arcade!” Marco proposed.

Hours passed and it was already the end of the class, most of our classmates were already gone back to their house, but the four of us left to clean the room.

“Ah, sorry I'm not free today,” said Mikael as he put back the broom in the storage locker.

Marco just mourned in disappointment. Honestly, he looked like a monkey dancing. He then looked at me hoping I'd go with him.

“Sorry, me too. I'm pretty busy today..." I wore my backpack and attempted to leave but Marco grasped my wrist. “Hey what are you doing? stand up, you idiot!" I yelled after he knelt, begging for me to go with him.

“Why?...why did you change, Michael? You don't want to be with me? you don't have money? it's okay it's my treat."

Why did he sound like a sketchy person asking me to do some stuff?!

“Speaking of treat, there's someone who wants to treat me as thanks for helping her, that's why need to meet her.” I interfered again but Marco and Mikael started exchanging weird looks.

“Meet her?...” Michael suddenly appeared from my back.

“Helping her?...” Marco as if was confused about what was happening.

“Her?...” Michael rubbed his chin as though he never heard that word before.

How long do they keep doing this?

“He— Girl!" Marco blurted out of nowhere. “You will replace me for a girl?"

“Yeah... yeah... If that's what you want to think.”

I'd started to walk away from them, ignoring Marco still kneeling on the floor showing despair on his face after he heard what I said.

I'll just explain it to them tomorrow.

While on my way to the place where I met the girl earlier, I already had a glimpse of her standing in the corridor while looking at the trees nearby. She held her medium-length black hair as the wind blows, the sight made me halt.

A million's worth of painting, I thought.

I shook my head, scratching this thought, and continued paving my way to her.

She glanced at me, narrowing her eyes, and widened after she realized that I was the guy she had met earlier. She turned to me as she put her hands on her back letting her hair be blown by the wind.

“Did I make you wait? Sorry, I was on cleaning duty today,” I said after I stood in front of her.

Maybe I was too close, her face turning red, though.

She shook her head and looked downward. “ No, I-it's

okay... I just arrived here too,” she sounded like whispering to herself. Maybe I was just too close. “Let's go?”

Without another word, she started to walk and so I followed her. I assumed that we were going to eat at the convenience store near our school but I was wrong, she continued walking ahead of me, passing the convenience store. I'd thought she knew a good place where we could eat food so I just turned a blind eye, following her.

After a few straights and turns, she halted.

“Hmmm? This house...”

I looked at the house as soon as I noticed it. There was no doubt that it was something familiar to me. It was a small house, fitted for three people maybe, there was a small garden filled with flowers in front of it but some of them were mostly withered.

I froze as she opened the door as if it was her house, putting her shoes on the corner of the entryway, and looked at me.

“C-com-come in!" she stuttered.