Alvaro had been staring at her seatmate for far too long without realizing it—until her seatmate finally looked back at her.
"Don't stare at me like that. It's uncomfortable."
Alvaro immediately snapped out of it.
"My bad. Didn't mean to stare."
The boy let out an awkward laugh and turned back to the whiteboard. A moment later, the teacher walked in, and the entire class stood up, including Alvaro.
"Good morning, Miss."
They bowed politely with faint smiles, and the teacher returned the gesture with a nod.
"You may sit down."
It was English class—everyone's favorite. It was considered easy, and the teacher was chill yet great at explaining. She was always the most loved teacher. After all, she was Gen Z. Her name was Elaria, but everyone called her Miss Ria.
"Okay, today we're starting a project. Think of it as a roleplay. Make it as funny as possible. The more people laugh, the more points you earn," Miss Ria said.
The students nodded eagerly.
She began writing the groups on the whiteboard, and when Alvaro saw her name… she froze.
She was in the same group as her seatmate.
Ah… I'm in the same group as him?
She glanced at the boy again.
"anyways, what's your name?"
"What do you need that for?" he asked casually.
"So I've got something to call you. I can't just call you 'four eyes.'"
"Tsk." He let out a small chuckle. "Just call me Kuro."
"Alright, Kuro," Alvaro smiled.
They both turned their attention back to the board. Written on it were the words:
'Do it at home. Submit it at school.'
"Ah… does that mean I have to go to someone's house?" Alvaro muttered. Her vision blurred for a moment. She rested her eyes—until someone spoke again.
"Heh. What are you daydreaming about? You'll end up getting possessed," Kuro teased.
"Yeah, probably i just didn't get enough of sleep," Alvaro replied, refocusing on the board.
After Miss Ria finished writing, she turned to face the class.
"Now, gather in your groups. And discuss."
Then she sat down at her desk, busy with her laptop.
Alvaro joined her group and sat down. A girl was seated beside her, staring at her with a sharp, cynical expression.
Oh hell nah. Does she think she's cool or something? Staring at me like that? Alvaro thought, then glanced at Kuro.
"Hey, Kuro. Whose house should we go to? I think it should be pretty spacious," Alvaro suggested.
"How about yours?" Kuro replied.
Alvaro's eyes widened as she waved her hands.
"No way. My house isn't that big," she laughed. "What about yours?"
"Mine is big enough… but it's kind of far." He then looked at the girl beside Alvaro. "Lucy, what about you? Your house is closer, and it's big too."
"Ah—sure," Lucy answered with a cheerful smile. It was painfully obvious she liked him.
"Hah!" Alvaro laughed without thinking, and Lucy immediately shot her an irritated glare.
Ignoring it, Alvaro turned to her. "So where do you live?"
"None of your business," Lucy snapped.
"Alright, fine," Alvaro replied calmly, then looked back at Kuro. "You can send me her location later."
"Sure," he said.
Soon, two more group members joined them: a boy named Wildom and a girl named Alshie. One was completely expressionless, while the other was as bright as sunlight. They chatted carelessly—until Lucy cut in.
"You two are really loud. Can you be quiet?" she said coldly.
Alshie smiled. A little too brightly.
"Ah, sorry if we're being too noisy. Will you forgive us?"
Lucy simply turned away.
"Lucy… why are you being so rude?" Kuro asked.
"Heh—no, I'm not," she replied with a fake laugh. She looked at Alshie. "Yeah, I forgive you."
Wildom leaned closer to Alshie and whispered,
"Disgusting."
"I know, right?" Alshie muttered back.
"Should I make a group chat for the project later?" Alshie asked, louder now.
"Yeah, sure," Alvaro agreed.
"Alright!" Alshie beamed.
Suddenly, the bell rang.
"Break time! English class dismissed!"
Miss Ria smiled as she gathered her things and left the classroom.
Alvaro stood up and walked toward Kuro.
"Hey… wanna eat together?"
"Huh… sure, I guess," he answered.
"Let's go."
They headed to the cafeteria together. As they walked, Kaori appeared, staring at Kuro with an expression that looked almost… hateful.
Alvaro noticed.
What's going on with Kaori? Do they have some kind of bad history?
She shook off the thought and continued walking alongside Kuro.
"Let's sit here," Kuro said.
"Sure," Alvaro replied.
They sat down and began to eat.
"You're really economical, huh? You bought food from the minimarket even though there's better stuff outside," Kuro commented.
"Yeah. I have to save money. I've started paying for my own living expenses," Alvaro answered.
"Wow… you're independent," he said with a small chuckle.
"Yeah. That's just how it is."
After they finished eating, Kuro went to the restroom, leaving Alvaro alone at the table. A few moments later, Kaori approached her.
"Hey, Valerie. Sorry I didn't greet you earlier," she said.
"Oh, it's fine. Don't worry about it," Alvaro replied.
"Do you and Kuro have some kind of bad history together? Sorry, that might be too sudden," Alvaro asked.
"It's okay," Kaori answered quietly.
"And yeah… he's my ex."
"Oh… I see," Alvaro said, and stopped herself from asking more. She figured asking too many questions would just make Kaori uncomfortable.
"By the way, Valerie, do you want to have lunch together during second break?" Kaori asked.
"Yeah, sure" Alvaro nodded.
"Alright. See you later then." Kaori smiled and walked away.
Just then, Kuro returned from the restroom.
"Who were you talking to just now?" he asked.