Then, the sound of the door opening again. Calm, even footsteps followed.
Eillya stepped inside, without even glancing at the crowd. Her expression was the same as always: flat, unreadable, as if the world around her didn't really touch her. Some of the students immediately fell silent upon noticing her arrival. The aura she exuded remained the same... cold, untouchable.
Without a word, Eillya walked to her seat by the window. She sat down, crossing her arms on the desk, one hand propping her head up, her eyes fixed out the window. She stared at the morning sky, which was starting to brighten, the leaves swaying gently in the breeze. She seemed undisturbed and unwilling to be disturbed.
Some of the students stole glances, then whispered to each other in low voices.
"She's back again with her icy aura..."
"The nickname Icy Maiden really suits her... she's really indifferent, isn't she?"
Eva smiled softly at this. She glanced at Eillya, then returned to her conversation with her friends, as if nothing had happened.
The bell rang, signaling the start of first period, and the students returned to their seats.
Lesson after lesson proceeded quietly until it was time for the third period, P.E. The classroom became a bit crowded as the students prepared to change into their gym uniforms. Wearing lighter, more comfortable white and gray uniforms, they were led to the volleyball court by the gym teacher.
That day's P.E. topic was volleyball practice. Since the class had 32 students, the teacher divided them into five teams of six, with two reserves. Coincidentally, both Eva and Eillya were on Team 4. The team also included the tall and athletic Kisa as blocker, Carol as server, the energetic Jeanne as cover, and the agile Meira as libero. Eva played the setter, and Eillya played the smasher.
The match was played one set per game, and it was their turn to play the second match—against Team 3. But before that, the first match began between Team 1 and Team 2.
From the start, it looked lopsided. Team 2 dominated the match, all thanks to one of their members, an active member of the school volleyball club. Her smash was powerful, sharp, and difficult to predict. She scored point after point almost single-handedly, giving Team 2 a commanding eight-point lead. Some students could only cheer in horror every time the hard ball hit the ground with a resounding "dug" sound.
After the first match ended with a resounding victory for Team 2, the whistle blew again, signaling the start of the second match: Team 3 vs. Team 4.
Team 3 started with a strong serve, the ball curving and heading to Team 4's right side of the court. Meira, Team 4's libero, swiftly received the ball with a fairly accurate underhand pass to Eva, the setter. Eva immediately executed a measured toss, the ball soaring at a steady pace.
Seeing this, Eillya immediately darted to the net, took a running start, and jumped. Her hand struck the ball hard, her smash ringing out sharply, and the ball hurtled toward the opponent's court. Although Team 3's libero managed to touch the ball, it bounced off the side and out of the court.
Cheers erupted from Team 4's side. It was quite an impressive opening point.
"Wow! That ice girl is so good!" commented the other teams watching.
The match continued, and whether it was due to the quickly developing chemistry or Eva's instinct as a setter, she kept passing the ball to Eillya. Smash after smash rained down on Team 3, five in a row without them being able to respond. The score was now 6-0.
Team 4 still held the serve, this time from Carol. The ball was sent quite deep, and Team 3 finally managed to return it. However, the ball quickly went to Meira's area, who swiftly passed it to Eva. Unfortunately, the ball was too high and in an unfavorable position.
Eva, desperately trying to maintain her team's momentum, forced herself to jump with all her might to catch the ball. She managed to touch it and pass it back, but when she landed, her body wobbled—and a small sound came from her feet.
"Ah—!" Eva groaned softly, her knees shaking, and she sat down in pain.
The game stopped abruptly.
As Eva fell to the ground, her hands clutching her ankles, the atmosphere immediately fell silent. Several students had already risen from their seats, and the gym teacher, who had been watching from the sidelines, also rushed over.
But someone beat them all to it.
Tap tap tap—
The swift steps sounded steady and sharp. Eillya, who had been expressionless throughout the match except for focus, now showed something different—a cold, burning gaze, sharp as cracking ice. She immediately knelt in front of Eva, without hesitation checking the condition of her leg. Her black hair swayed gently as she brushed aside a strand of hair that covered Eva's face.
"Illya... I'm fine, it's just—"
"You fell on your side. It could be a minor ligament injury if you force it," Eillya said matter-of-factly, her tone flat but clear, and precisely because of that, it felt like genuine concern. She then lifted Eva by hooking one of her arms over her shoulder, supporting her effortlessly.
The audience, especially the students surrounding the field, began to gasp in surprise and awe.
"Wow, she stepped in!"
"Look at her, like a knight protecting her princess!"
"Crazy... she's so cool even though her face remains so expressionless!"
Whispers began to echo, coming from several students who had evidently been observing Eillya for a while. But as usual, Eillya remained unresponsive. She simply led Eva off the field, even as all eyes were on her.
The gym teacher, who saw this, nodded quickly. "Eva, you should rest in the infirmary. Eillya, can you accompany her?"
Without looking up, Eillya simply replied, "Yes."
Eva, half-supported, stared at the side of Eillya's face from a close distance. Although the girl's expression remained unchanged, Eva could sense something far warmer than anyone who had cheered earlier.
"I'm being a bother, aren't I?" Eva muttered softly.
"Stupid. Be quiet..." Eillya replied quietly—very quietly, just enough for Eva to hear.
The cheers continued, but for Eva, all the noise faded, replaced by one thing: the sound of her heartbeat, beating faster than usual.
Eva sat on the edge of the infirmary bed, her ankle wrapped in an elastic bandage and having received some treatment earlier. Although her face held a slight pain, her smile remained, small but warm. On the other side, Eillya stood quietly, her back slightly to the window, sunlight shining on part of her face. In her hand was a glass of water she had just taken from a small dispenser in the corner of the room.
"Drink this first," Eillya said briefly, handing it to her.
Eva accepted it slowly, their hands briefly touching. At first glance, Eillya appeared silent, but the slight change in her face was obvious to anyone close enough to her. Eva stared at her for a few seconds before taking a sip of her water.
"Are you really okay?" Eillya asked then, her voice soft, almost a whisper.
Eva looked down and chuckled. "You can still sit like this, so you're not dying yet," she replied jokingly.
Eillya sighed and sat down in a small chair near the bed. Her arms crossed over her chest, but her gaze remained fixed on Eva. "If you had fainted earlier, I might have… almost panicked."
Eva turned to her, smiling softly. "Almost, huh?"
"Hmm," Eillya murmured shortly, neither denying nor fully confirming.
A moment of silence fell between them, but it wasn't an awkward silence—more of a comfortable silence, as if no words were needed.
A moment later, Eva shifted slightly in her seat to face Eillya. "But you were so cool on the field," she said quietly, honestly.
Eillya turned her head, staring at Eva with deep eyes. "I was just worried because it was you…"
Eva fell silent at those words. It took a second for her to grasp their meaning. Eillya's gaze was as level as ever, but the way she spoke was level, honest, and slow, as if it held a deeper meaning than a simple sentence.
Eva smiled slightly, warmly.
"So... you're worried about me, huh?" she said softly, more like a statement than a question.
Eillya didn't answer, simply averting her gaze and turning her face away. But from the corner of her lips, Eva caught one thing: a faint, shy smile that she didn't want to be seen.
The infirmary was silent for a moment after their last conversation. Eillya sat beside Eva with her head slightly bowed, hiding the faint warmth still lingering on her face. She bit her lip lightly, trying to calm her racing heartbeat. Meanwhile, Eva kept her eyes closed, savoring the remaining peace before she had to face the school day again.
Shortly after, the bell rang, signaling the end of gym class.
Eillya stood first, then turned to Eva. "Come on. Let's get back to class before the teacher comes in."
Eva nodded slowly. "Help me up, Illya."
Eillya reached out and carefully helped Eva to her feet. Their steps were slow and steady as they walked down the once-bustling school corridor.
"I can walk by myself, Illya…" Eva muttered, trying to hide her discomfort.
"If it were possible, you wouldn't have moaned earlier," Eillya replied lightly, her tone even as usual, but her gaze remained fixed on Eva.
Eva laughed softly. "You're cold, yet caring. Not a common combination."
Eillya didn't respond, but Eva could see the corners of her mouth lift slightly, but noticeably.
"And… thank you," Eva added quietly.
"I was just making sure you made it back to class without further incident."
"Then, keep that in mind until I sit down in my seat."
"Hmm."