Chapter 373 (Self Edited) – Receives Final Warning
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As the lunch break ended, the fifth period began, and unsurprisingly, it pa.s.sed without any particular incidents. The cla.s.s ended like that, however the break that followed was a little different from usual. Aina’s cla.s.smates no longer crowded around her seat. It wasn’t because Aina’s behavior had changed, it was simply a reflection of what had happened during lunch break. They finally realized that bombarding her with questions on her first day after transferring must have been exhausting.
Well, it was debatable whether Aina was truly that tired from something like that, but everyone started to be more considerate. As a result, for the first time today, the seat next to Soma was freed from an overly noisy situation. Of course, it was still lively, just not excessively so.
“The barrage of questions has stopped, but Aina-san is still very popular, isn’t she?” (Felicia)
“Well, it’s her first day after transferring. Even if they stop questioning her, there are still plenty of things they want to talk about.” (Soma)
“That doesn’t seem like not much has changed in the end.” (Felicia)
“No, they’re being considerate while talking to her, so I think there’s a difference.” (Soma)
As they talked about this and prepared for the next cla.s.s, Soma suddenly felt a meaningful gaze from Felicia. He turned to her, tilting his head.
“Hmm? Is something wrong?” (Soma)
“No… it’s probably just my imagination, but did something happen between you and Aina-san? I noticed she seems to be avoiding looking at you since you both came back just before the end of lunch break.” (Felicia)
“Ooh…” (Soma)
He murmured in admiration.
Indeed, since after lunch, Aina had been consciously avoiding looking at Soma. It was almost certainly due to their conversation on the way back from the infirmary. Or perhaps, she was bothered by the fact that Soma seemed unaffected by her words and continued conversing with Felicia as usual. It wasn’t so much that she was sulking, but rather an indication that she had washed her hands of the matter. However, it wouldn’t be appropriate to convey this directly to Felicia—
“Well, we had a slight difference of opinion. It was like a minor quarrel, so it’s nothing to worry about.” (Soma)
“I see…” (Felicia)
Felicia didn’t seem entirely convinced, but there was no choice but to have her accept it. If Felicia found out she was the cause, she would surely be troubled. That wasn’t his intention. Although nothing was clear yet, it was unlikely that this situation would change. Soma lightly shrugged in response to Felicia’s momentary glare.
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—
The sixth period also ended uneventfully, marking the end of today’s cla.s.ses. There was no change in the lessons themselves, indicating there was no need to worry about the cla.s.ses.
However, only one day had pa.s.sed. They couldn’t let their guard down since something could still happen tomorrow. There was also the possibility that this could all be a dream, but Soma had almost entirely discarded that notion. If it was a dream, there was no point in overthinking it. The situation felt too real. If this turned out to be a dream, it would cast doubt on his reality in general.
Anyway—
“Well, shall we head home?” (Soma)
“Yes… Sofia-san also asked if we could come back early today.” (Felicia)
“Hmm…” (Soma)
This was the first Soma had heard of it, but he didn’t mention it aloud after seeing Felicia’s slightly embarra.s.sed expression. He had a sudden premonition. He wondered if today was some kind of special day, and immediately a reply came to mind. The answer soon came to him.
It appeared that today was Felicia’s birthday. However, he tilted his head at the thought of her turning eighteen. If she was celebrating her birthday in her second year of high school, she should be turning seventeen. So—
“Is Sheila on duty today?” (Soma)
Soma set aside his emerging questions for now. Adding one or two more questions wouldn’t change much. He would have to consolidate his thoughts later, so he could think about this then. Moreover, the real Felicia is older than Soma by more than just one year. So, in this situation, being older by a single year was hardly significant.
“Yes, she didn’t mention anything at lunch… Shall we stop by Sheila’s cla.s.sroom just in case?” (Felicia)
“Hmm… yes, it’s not much trouble anyway.” (Soma)
Soma thought it was likely that Sheila would be with them on the way back since she had been with them in the morning. This a.s.sumption proved to be correct. And during the conversation, I had already found out what year and cla.s.s Sheila was in. It seemed to be Year 7 Cla.s.s, a cla.s.sroom next to the stairs on the second floor. It was conveniently on their way home, so stopping by posed no problem.
Having already finished their preparations to leave, all that remained was to head home. This meant pa.s.sing by Aina’s seat, but Aina seemed so focused on packing up that she didn’t spare them a glance. Felicia glanced worriedly between Aina and Soma, but there was nothing Soma could do about it. He offered Felicia a rea.s.suring smile, then walked past Aina’s seat.
“Well then, Aina, see you tomorrow.” (Soma)
“…Yes, see you tomorrow.” (Aina)
He was a bit surprised she responded, but it seemed she managed to maintain a semblance of normalcy. Felicia, looking somewhat relieved, also bade Aina goodbye, to which Aina replied. Hidden within her farewell, a small voice reached Soma’s ears.
“—Be careful tonight.” (Aina)
It was unmistakably Aina’s voice, but she had already returned to her preparations. Judging by the volume, it was meant for Soma’s ears only. Intentional, no doubt, so Soma continued walking as if nothing had happened.
He said his farewells to Iori, who seemed disinterested even in packing up, and left the cla.s.sroom. Just before exiting, he glanced back to find Aina staring intently at him, her gaze suggesting that this might indeed be the last time. Soma shrugged slightly. He had understood from her warning that something was likely to happen tonight, but that was all he knew. It was not much different from knowing nothing at all, and it wouldn’t change his response.
Despite everything, he realized that Aina was concerned about him. But that was that. He kept Aina’s warning in the back of his mind, but ultimately, Soma would do as he pleased. Feeling Aina’s gaze still on him, Soma walked home with Felicia.
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