A gust of wind blew through the college campus. Students who were standing at the site looked at Ethan and the person before him intensely. Although these students knew their relationship, watching these two youngsters together did make them feel a bit frightened in some way.
The air was heavy around the campus. And the guy who stood before wasn't the only one responsible for that—but Ethan, who was silent without a response, was responsible too. It was like a bad sign for the students there. At least they thought it might be bad… but reality often disappoints us.
Ethan, who had been silently thinking for a moment, frowned his eyes at the guy in front before finally parting his lips.
"Dude... didn't we just meet the other day near the shopping mall?" Ethan replied, arching an eyebrow upward. He looked a bit annoyed.
"Heh?" The guy made a dumb face and looked around. "Umm... did we? Yeah! Now I remember. Hehe," he said while scratching the back of his head with one hand.
Ethan took a quick glance over the campus. The security guards at the gate were staring at them with a mix of hesitation.
Ignoring the students around him, Ethan went over to the guy and cupped his shoulder, whispering, "Let's go to class first."
"Eh? But there is still time left!" the guy said with a slightly disappointed face, trying to resist without any real force.
"Shut up," Ethan hissed, grabbing the back of his shoulder and dragging him toward the main building.
The students who had been standing there finally relaxed and looked at each other with the same question in their eyes, but no one dared to say it.
Inside the hall room, it was slightly more crowded than usual this morning. The windows were open, and a soft wind drifted in, brushing over Lisa's face as she sat beside the window. Her purple-grayish hair danced with the rhythm of the breeze, and she stared out at the blue canvas above with a pair of thoughtful eyes.
The sky was deep blue and clear, except for a few white, cotton-like clouds floating on the surface—arranged into an incredible view. Maybe the loose strands brushing against her face annoyed her a little, because with a soft flick of her fingers, she tucked her hair behind her ear—completely unaware of the lively crowd inside the hall.
The horse-faced Tobi was chatting with a random girl—or more like flirting—though his lame tactics clearly weren't going to work. Meanwhile, Alex stood leaning on the blackboard, talking about something random with another guy.
This was the moment when Ethan and that guy walked in. Alex noticed the guy first, since he was the one in front of Ethan with both hands in his pockets. Alex shouted with a mouthful of joy, "Hey, Tyro!"
Both Tyro and Ethan looked at Alex, who was walking toward them, waving with a dumb but somehow cute expression. He looked a lot like a little kid who's happy to see their dad. Tyro stood before Alex, hands still tucked lazily in his pockets.
The hall room was busy, and no one expected to see Tyro here—so when they heard his name, a few heads turned, confused. But the confusion didn't last once they saw him in person.
Alex's eyes went dark as soon as he saw the ugly, annoyed look on Tyro's face.
"Who the fuck are you, dumbass? Calling me by my name like that," Tyro asked, his tone thick and sharp, arching his left eyebrow high.
But right as he finished, a slap landed on the back of his head.
"Bruh?! Why did you slap me?" Tyro barked, scratching the spot where Ethan had hit him.
Ethan looked annoyed and replied in a calm, slow tone while crossing his arms. "Look, dude… You really should've seen a doctor by now. It's getting annoying. How can you forget Alex's face when it's just been five days?"
"Huh? This goofy-looking guy is Alex?" Tyro blinked, staring dumbly at Ethan, completely ignoring Alex.
"Well… he was always goofy-looking," Ethan muttered, barely holding back a laugh. Their expressions were just too much.
Alex was already getting slightly irritated, watching them mock him like that. Ethan noticed the change in his face and stopped giggling.
Tyro casually grabbed Alex's shoulder and said, "Let's sit over there."
Alex looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't—so he just went with him.
While that happened, someone else seemed completely dozed off—Ethan.
He was staring at the girl by the window.
Lisa's face glowed under the soft morning sunlight. She had been watching him the whole time, ever since he and Tyro stepped in.
Their eyes were set on each other. Some students who were near them noticed this invisible communication.
Though the room had been lively just a few minutes ago, it suddenly fell calm after Ethan and Tyro's arrival. The students who were chatting found themselves drawn into the silent tension between Lisa and Ethan.
"Hey? What's wrong?" Tyro shouted at Ethan from the back bench.
Lisa immediately turned her head away on instinct, realizing people were noticing her. She cupped her face with her right palm and looked out the window, trying to act normal.
"Tch! What's wrong with me?" She muttered under her breath, feeling embarrassed. "Why was I staring at him like that?"
On the other hand, Ethan let out a low grunt and finally looked away, dragging his attention back to the hall like snapping out of a trance. He glanced around. That horse-faced Tobi and his classmates were staring at him, all with the same question in their eyes.
And it was only natural—they were intrigued.
"Damn~ seems like I caught a bit too much attention," he thought, rubbing his eyebrows.
He walked toward his usual spot, the faint sound of his shoes echoing against the tiles.
Tobi went to sit beside Lisa, and the chatter in the hall resumed—hesitant at first, then gradually returning to normal.
Ethan slammed his bag on the table in front of Tyro and sat beside him. Tyro was in the middle, with Alex on his left and Ethan now on his right.
Tyro leaned back in his seat, arms crossed behind his head, glancing sideways at Ethan with a lazy grin. "So… who is she? I haven't seen her before," he asked, voice low enough that only their row could hear.
"She's the new transfer student. You see that big guy over there? That's her brother, Tobi," Alex chimed in, answering before Ethan could—while trying to adjust his gigantic ass on the tight bench.
Who could blame Alex? With the three of them, the seat was a little too cramped for him to sit comfortably.
Ethan didn't respond right away. His eyes flicked toward the front, where Lisa now sat beside the window, quietly gazing outside.
He exhaled through his nose and leaned an elbow on the desk. In a low voice, he muttered, "She's the daughter of my dad's friend."
"Heh?" Alex gasped, clearly surprised. "You acted like you didn't even know them yesterday!" he said, blinking rapidly.
He had only learned Lisa and Tobi were transfer students from the professor, like the rest of the class. Ethan hadn't said a thing yesterday—and now suddenly she was the daughter of his dad's friend? That was enough to make Alex's curiosity spike.
"Tsk. I only found out after I got home last night," Ethan muttered, rubbing his temple.
Tyro stayed quiet, listening while casually eyeing Lisa with half-squinted eyes, like he was trying to remember something.
"What's her name again?" Tyro asked.
"Lisa," Ethan replied.
The chattering sound of the busy hall filled Tyro's head as he closed his eyes, lost in thought.
"Lisa, huh? That grayish short hair… could she be…"
He was just starting to piece something together when the sharp sound of high heels clashing against the tile snapped him out of his trance.
[Sorry, for the short chapter]