Two students stood in their respective chairs and respective desks within the expansive Library.
One would expect this haven of silence to remain that way, especially since only two people occupied it.
However…
"N-no! You misunderstood—!"
"Since when did you two start… ahh, never mind. You're both in Beta Class, so I should have already known."
"Hey, relax…"
"I thought you were a loner and all, but I didn't know you had such friends. Noah… Trisha."
"No, Alicia, I—!"
"So you were such a ladies man and I had no idea. What a—"
"ALICIA!"
Rey's voice was so loud in Alicia's ears that it startled her to another degree.
The book she held flew out of her hands, falling to the floor… right beside Rey's feet.
Rey was right in front of her now, causing her heart to race to an extreme degree.
Alicia had never heard him shout that loud before.
Even his current expression… how he creased his brows and stood so imposingly in front of her… she had never seen this side of him before.
"Alicia…" Rey's voice grew softer.
How he had managed to close his distance from where he sat before was a mystery to her, but all she knew was that he was close.
… Too close.
"I'm sorry I ditched you like that. I went with Noah to get something, and I didn't want things to be awkward for you since we already had an earlier arrangement."
Rey wasn't particularly lying, but he conveniently left out the part where he forgot about her entirely.
"So it wasn't awkward for Trisha to tag along? I guess it's fine for you three since you're in the Be—"
"Trisha didn't come with us."
"E-eh…?"
"It was just Noah and me."
"A-ah…?"
"I only saw Trisha once we met at the rendezvous spot. She was showing me her sword, since I have an… interest in it. That's all."
"You… like swords?" Alicia's soft and curious tone told Rey that she was no longer upset.
Still, he knew he wasn't out of the woods yet.
"I do. Not to an extreme level, but… I think they're cool." Rey was now awkwardly scratching his face with a finger.
A tinge of red appeared on his cheeks.
"Pfft! I see. Sorry for misunderstanding…" Alicia burst out into a small chuckle.
That was enough for Rey to heave a sigh of relief.
*********
"Argh! I can't believe I misunderstood. I feel like an idiot…"
"N-no, I can understand why you thought that." Rey smiled with understanding.
The both of them sat beside each other now, and after calming down and sharing their side of the story, the truth became clear.
"No. No. I should have confirmed it with you. It's just… arghh.. never mind!"
Alicia's embarrassed face made Rey want to burst out into a loud chuckle, but he suppressed it.
He hardly ever saw her uncomposed, and even when she chose to be casual with him, there was still this air of elegance—unparalleled pristine—around her.
She had most of the control in their conversations.
… Especially when it came to her cats.
But now… she was a total wreck.
And Rey liked this side of her more than he expected.
'Am I a bad person for feeling this way?' He wondered to himself.
Alicia took successive sighs to calm herself—deeply inhaling and exhaling periodically, while also gently placing her hand on chest.
Before long, she was fine.
"A-ah… I actually got you something."
Rey swiftly activated his [Inventory] behind him and yanked out the pristine box that contained his gift.
"Y-you did…?"
"Yeah!" Rey popped out the box and dropped it on the desk that they both shared.
"Whoa! T-this is…!"
Alicia's surprised expression when she saw the box alone pleased Rey.
He instantly felt like everything was worth it.
Rey pushed the box closer to her, so the pure white thing slid across the desk and reached her.
"Open it." He said.
Alicia stared at him for a moment with her stunned expression, and then proceeded to do as she was told.
"T-THIS IS…!"
She exclaimed in both shock and immense joy.
Throughout her stay in this word, she had never seen anything like the ring that gleaned before her.
"You like it?"
As Rey's question came in a whisper, she turned to smile at him.
"I love it!"
"It's called the White Amber. I won it in a game… for you."
Pink hues instantly appeared on Alicia's cheeks as she heard those words.
"R-really…?" She murmured, carrying the pure white ring and observing it thoroughly.
"The gem it has… reminded me of your eyes." Rey went on to say.
"Oh, stop exaggerating. My eyes don't look as great as this."
Despite Alicia's attempt to shrug off Rey's comment, he moved even closer and continued
"No. They look even better."
"S-stop it! You're embarrassing me…"
"Nothing embarrassing in stating the truth."
Alicia's cheeks grew even redder as she tried to look away from the boy beside her.
"Rey, stop. Please…"
"Stop telling the truth? My goodness… you want me to lie?" Rey gasped playfully.
"You know what I meant."
"No, I don't! You tell me!"
"You…" A small pout formed on Alicia's face, causing Rey to burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!!"
Alicia heard him laugh and could not control her own reaction to it.
"Hahahaha…!!!"
Before the two of them realized it, they had burst out into laughter, forever changing the ambiance of the Library.
********
Alicia wore the ring in front of Rey, flexing her ring finger in front of him.
"How does it look on me?" She beamed, her beauty complimenting the gem on her fingers.
Or was it the other way around?
"It looks amazing on you."
"Awww! Thank you…" She grinned and stylishly curved her hair around.
Rey and Alicia instantly burst out laughing, absolutely oblivious of the watching gaze of someone who stood right outside the library.
This bulky silhouette had glowing blue eyes that seemed to show hints of green envy.
His deep glare screamed with rage, and his clenched fists tightened so hard that his fingers dug into his palm.
"Rey… you… it's all your fault."
As the young man growled, the grating sound of his teeth made an unpleasant noise around him.
He didn't care, though.
He was too focused on the sounds the two were making within the Library.
"You're the one confusing Alicia…"
As his eyes sharply glowed even more, portions of his face were revealed.
It was Billy McGuire.
He was deep in thought, remembering the offer he had received earlier that day… and how he had refused it.
"I don't think I'll accept your proposal." He had told Evals Redart.
"I don't need such an elaborate scheme to make Alicia fall for me. It's only a matter of time…"
Those words came to haunt him now.
Billy had come here to apologize to her—to tell her he was sorry for how he raised his voice earlier in the day.
He had hoped that doing that would calm her down, and they could begin building a solid relationship from there on out.
He didn't mind if they started out as friends, since he already knew the destination of their relationship.
But how… how could he have expected this outcome?!
"It's all your fault, Rey…" Billy growled, hate completely consuming his soul.
"Everything that happens next… is all your fault!"
*
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